Throttlebot

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The Throttlebots were Transformers toys released in 1987.

The Throttlebots, a sub-group of the Autobots, consisted of six toys that could transform between a car and a robot. As a special gimmick, they featured a pull-back motor.

The Throttlebots have been criticised because of their extreme lack of poseability and simple transformations. To transform the car to a robot, all you had to do was lift the frame of the car to an upright position, flip out the side panels to reveal their arms and hands, flip back the rear of the car body to reveal their heads, and optionally push the chassis in. The toys couldn't even move their arms.

The Throttlebots included six toys:

• Chase, a restless spirit who is always on the go
• Goldbug, a reincarnation of Bumblebee
• Freeway, a practical joker
• Rollbar, an adventurer who likes driving off-road; known more for his use of corny phrases and slogans
• Searchlight, a paranoid who wants to always watch what's going on
• Wideload, a large dump truck obsessed with keeping himself clean

The Throttlebots were introduced in the Transformers cartoon's third season finale, "The Return of Optimus Prime" as a team originally consisting of Chase, Freeway, Searchlight, Rollbar, and Wideload. In the second half of that two-part episode, the severely damaged Bumblebee is repaired and rebuilt by a Quintesson, and given the new name Goldbug by Optimus Prime after commenting that his new body made him a "gold bug." Rollbar did not appear until the first installment of "The Rebirth," the three-part episode that served as the fourth and final season of the series.

In the Marvel US Transformers comics, Goldbug is introduced the 4th issue of the G.I. Joe and the Transformers mini-series. He was rebuilt by the efforts of G.I. Joe technicians and Autobot medic Ratchet after being destroyed by a G.I. Joe security detail.

In the UK Marvel comic Goldbug is rebuilt by the time-travelling Junkion leader Wreck-Gar after his 'death' at the hands of the notorious bounty hunter Death's Head as the events of the aforementioned crossover do not take place in the continuity of the UK comic. Goldbug goes on to join several other 'future' Autobots in fighting the rogue Decepticon Galvatron before rejoining his present day companions and eventually the other Throttlebots.

In Transformers (Marvel Comics U.S.) issues #29-30, Goldbug encounters, and later leads the Throttlebots (Chase, Freeway, Rollbar, Searchlight, and Wideload) after he and Blaster are overwhelmed by a group of Decepticon Triple Changers infected by 'scraplets', a group of toy-sized viral robots that turn into bolts and screws and eat metal upon contact. Due to side stories and changes in the books direction, the Throttlebots (excluding Goldbug) see very few appearances.