Blackout is aDecepticon-alliedMini-Con from theUnicron Trilogy continuity family.

Have a handshake!

Blackout is a free spirit to his core and doesn't believe in doinganything that compromises who he is inside. The only reason this independent streak doesn't get him inmajor trouble with his Decepticon masters is that "who he is inside" craves action more than anything else, and the 'Cons provide that in spades. Still, even with the opportunity to bust some heads, he's not sold on the Decepticon agenda and is not shy about saying so, no matter the punishment. This spirited tendency towards dissent and free thought often puts him at odds with his frequent partner, the loyal lackeyDemolishor. The two spend a lot of time in arguments to convince each other of their respective viewpoints.

Blackout is powerful and heavily armored for a Mini-Con, and possesses a powerful sensor array to aid in target acquisition.

Fiction

DreamwaveArmada comic

Time for my one and only close-up in this comic.

When theDecepticons started kidnapping Mini-Cons, Blackout helped prepare aforceshield around his hometown ofvillage C52. Unfortunately, his efforts were for naught, and he and the rest of the villagers were captured by the Decepticons.Armada #1 He was brought by the Decepticons to the initial attack onCyber City,Armada #2 though another account placed him as one of the evacuees on board theship used by most Mini-Cons to escape the war.Armada Free Comic Book Day

A million years later, Blackout was taken toEarth when the Decepticons started hunting down the Mini-Cons who escaped fromCybertron.Megatron forcibly Powerlinxed him and several other Mini-Cons to his body during a battle with theAutobots, but was still driven into a retreat.Armada #5 Blackout and the other Decepticon Mini-Cons later snuck out of their base and traveled to amonolith that was sending out a beacon for all the Mini-Cons on Earth. Upon arrival, they entered the structure, which took off into space.Armada #8 The Mini-Cons were all taken to amoonbase built byDualor so that they could all live in peace but the Decepticons soon assaulted it.Armada #9 Blackout was kept imprisoned but was freed when Megatron breached the moonbase.Armada #10

At some point, Blackout was recaptured by the Decepticons, but he was soon released to assist in the battle againstUnicron. After returning to Cybertron, he joined the other Mini-Cons at theLoop, where they channeled their energies into theMini-Con Matrix to fire a huge blast which crippled Unicron.The End

Cartoon continuity

Armada cartoon

Blackout was one of the first two Mini-Con storage panels the Decepticons retrieved from the Earth's surface. A small cache of panels was unearthed in battle, andCyclonus managed to swipe two of them before the Autobots could get ahold of them. He kept one Mini-Con for himself and gave the other toMegatron. This was Blackout's panel and, after witnessingStarscream and Demolishor fighting over being his right-hand man, Megatron decided to reward Blackout to Demolishor. This was apparently to antagonize Starscream and turn his ambition towards collecting more Mini-Cons.Base

When the Decepticons were hunting Mini-Cons in the forest, Demolishor programmed Blackout to act as their personal locator, and he tracked down the latest Mini-Con storage panel for Demolishor and Megatron to the exact tree it was hidden in.Jungle On another mission in the desert, Blackout attended to Demolishor while hisBulk partner was invehicle mode, operating his cannons to ward off any intruders in the Mini-Con hunt.Palace

During a Mini-Con search in the cramped confines of a city subway system, Blackout and the other Decepticon Mini-Cons were dispatched to comb the catacombs more quickly than their Bulk counterparts could manage.Underground Later, Blackout was briefly teamed with Cyclonus andCrumplezone to locate the Autobots' hidden base in the area pinpointed by Sonar.Swoop He also helped Demolishor stand guard over the Decepticon dig site near a big city. Blackout seemed to briefly react toSideways' presence before the Autobots arrived on the scene.Gale

While searching for a Mini-Con panel in the foggy English countryside, Blackout located the panel at the same time asLaserbeak, and radioed in to Demolishor with his results.Conspiracy Blackout's scanning abilities were used by Demolishor again to locateDownshift when the Decepticons were attempting to complete theSkyboom Shield.Reinforcement

In their first battle alongsideTidal Wave, Demolishor assembled the Decepticons' military Mini-Cons (Crumplezone,Leader-1, Blackout andInferno) into a ground warfare squad to confront the enemy. As he led them into combat, the Mini-Cons kept the Autobots busy on the ground while Tidal Wave andThrust dealt with the aerial Jet Optimus.Desperate

Sometime later, Blackout magically appeared over a nameless planet where the Autobots and Decepticons were fighting withNemesis Prime. He and several other Mini-Cons used their combined power to repair the damage the Cybertronians had suffered before vanishing as quickly as they came.Puppet

Ina new coloration, Blackout accompanied Demolishor ontoUnicron's surface. He began recording data on the entity, but fell into a crevasse during Unicron's transformation. Later he was found byHot Shot andSide Swipe. Hot Shot then returned him to Demolishor.Alliance The data supposedly recorded by Blackout was used to determine Unicron had a weak spot in his neck.Union

Kiss Players

When he was separated from Demolishor on Unicron's surface, Blackout had a surprising encounter with a human girl who suddenly materialized in front of him. The girl wasAtari Hitotonari, a member of the time-traveling group known as theKiss Players, who had inadvertently become separated and scattered across the multiverse in the course of their adventures. Blackout formed a mental link with Atari that allowed her to understand his beepings and boopings, requesting her help in finding Demolishor, but Atari'sSparkbot partnerStar Dust professed that there was nothing they could do. Before any more discussion could be had on the matter, Atari was spirited away by the power ofPrimus and returned to her home dimension.Kiss Players #48

Ten years later, in the midst of the Transformers' war forenergon, Blackout encountered another of the Kiss Players,Marissa Faireborn, who had been deposited in this time period after she was separated from her comrades. By this point in time, Blackout had become separated from Demolishor after the larger bot's death, and Marissa sympathized, having recently suffered the loss of her own partner,Optimus Prime. Just before Primus's power enveloped Marissa and took her back to her own world, she told Blackout that their partners lived on in their hearts.Kiss Players #49

PaniniArmada comic

Blackout was present at the Decepticons'Silver Ridge base when a few Autobot-allied Mini-Cons broke in and tried to save them. He didn't seem to resist like the other Decepticon-allied Mini-Cons, but he didn't end up escaping either.Into the Lions' Den! After the Decepticons relocated to themoon, their new base came under attack fromCyclonus, who was under the control of theDestruction Mini-Con Team. Blackout power-linked with Demolishor, who joined the battle against his possessed comrade.Dawn of Destruction!

Reader's DigestArmada novels

During a Decepticon attack on the Autobots' base, one of Megatron's stray shots caused a rock slide. This rock slide unearthed four Mini-Con panels, one of which contained the Mini-Con that would come to be known as "Blackout." Cyclonus snatched it and another panel out of the grasp of the humans Rad and Alexis as the Decepticons retreated from the battlefield. Back at the Decepticons' base on the Moon, Megatron gave Demolishor gave one of the dormant Mini-Cons to Demolishor to ensure that Starscream would not get it, so as to keep the Decepticon second-in-command's power in check. Demolishor activated the panel, causing the robot within to bond with him mentally. Demolishor then named his Mini-Con, and vowed to use his power to defeat the Autobots.Race for the Mini-Con Robots

Mini Mayhem!

In a celebration of the Transformers brand, Blackout showed up as one of the Mini-Con representatives for the "Unicron Trilogy" era of the franchise.Mini Mayhem!

Legends World

"Powerlinx" Blackout appeared as an example of a Mini-Con during an explanation on what the little robots were.Bonus Edition Vol. EX

Toys

Armada

He kinda looks likeGuardminder, don't ya think?

• Demolishor with Blackout (Super-Con Class,2002)

• Takara name:Ironhide
• Sonokong name:Hide
• Takara/Sonokong ID number:MD-03
• Takara release date:December 28, 2002
• Known designers:Aaron Archer (Hasbro),Shogo Hasui (Takara)

Available only with his "Bulk" partnerDemolishor,Armada Blackout transforms into a six-wheeled APC/anti-aircraft vehicle of probably-made-up model. As a Mini-con, he has a "Powerlinx" socket on his vehicle-mode underside (which ends up on his robot-mode chest) which allows him to attach to any toy with a "Powerlinx" style5 mm post; some toys have special Powerlinx posts that activate/unlock gimmicks when a Mini-Con is attached.

Blackout also has unique interactive gimmicks with Demolishor. In vehicle mode, he can be plugged into the gap between Demolishor's vehicle mode treads, and launched via spring-loaded trigger. Demolishor's vehicle mode is also specially designed with a seat in the rear thatrobot mode Blackout can use to "pilot" the Decepticon; Blackout's arm-guns can even loosely "plug in" to the screw-holes on the back of Demolishor's turret. Neat!

TheTakaraLegends of the Microns andSonokongEunha Yeongung: Cybertron "Search" releases have a slightly different deco, using a "richer" sandy-tan color than theHasbroArmada version's pale-sand.Search appearedwith this design in theBeast Wars: Uprising prose story "Micro-Aggressions".

• More information on Blackout at TFU.info

• Ironhide & Land Military Microns (Multi-pack, 2002)

• ID number:MS-03
• Release date:December 28, 2002

In Japan, "Ironhide" and "Search" were also available in a multi-pack with theLand Military Microns (Bomb,Crack, andShot), released in the same wave as the individual packs.

All of the toys in this set are identical to their original releases.

When are we gonna start bustin' Autobutts?

• Powerlinx Demolishor with Powerlinx Blackout (Super-Con Class, 2003)

• Takara name:Ironhide Super Mode
• Takara ID number:MD-10
• Takara release date: October ??, 2003
• Known designers:Aaron Archer (Hasbro)

Part of the final wave of HasbroArmada Super-Cons, "Powerlinx"Demolishor and Blackout wereredecoed into a primarily off-white color scheme with burgundy accents.

The TakaraLegend of the Microns "Ironhide Super Mode" and "Spark Search" are once again lightly tweaked to look more cartoony, in darker, more primary shades and in more matte paints and plastic.

According toAaron Archer, this set was originally intended to be colored like Generation 1Sixshot, because Demolishor's gun-hands reminded him of Sixshot (we don't get it either—maybe he meantSix-Gun?), but the red color scheme was decided upon and used in the animated series first, so the toy had to follow suit. Reflecting the late nature of this change, his packaging depicts a normal-colored Demolishor toy, as the colors had not been decided upon by the time cardback photography was required.

Black Out appearedwith this design in theBeast Wars: Uprising prose story "Micro-Aggressions".

• More information on Powerlinx Blackout at TFU.info

Built to Rule!

• Demolishor (Built to Rule!, 2003)

TheBuilt to Rule! version of Demolishor also came with the pieces needed to assemble Blackout. Brick-Blackout "transforms" from...a brick to a slightly more oblong brick.

• More information onBuilt to Rule! Blackout at TFU.info

• Night Attack Demolishor (Built to Rule!, 2003)

When TheBuilt to Rule! Demolishor kit was redecoed into "Night Attack" colors, so was Blackout. Yay!

• More information on Night Attack Blackout at TFU.info

Energon

It's been great being part of the team!

• Demolishor with Blackout (Combat Class,2004)

• Takara name:Ironhide
• Takara ID number:SD-02
• Takara release date:December 25, 2003

Originally released as part of the initial assortment ofTakaraSuper Link toys, "Ironhide" and "Search" were recolored into a ratherConstructicon-esque light-green-and-purple deco.

This version was releasedmuch later in the US as "Demolishor with Blackout", with no changes other than packaging, late in theEnergon line as aKB Toys-exclusive, alongside theSuper Link redeco of "Sandstorm" (Cyclonus).

• More information onEnergon Blackout at TFU.info

Notes

We was robbed!

• According toAaron Archer, the original plan for "Powerlinx" Demolishor/Blackout's deco was ahomage toGeneration 1Sixshot. However,We've Inc. created their own scheme and implemented it, nixing that.
• Though the original Demolishor toy was redecoed and released as part of theCybertron line, Blackout was excised from the package, just as the Mini-Cons were from the otherArmada redecos/retools in the line. According to Aaron Archer atBotCon 2006, the decision to do so was made in order to keep the focus onCyber Keys for non-Gigantion, non-Vector Prime toys. (And that the cost of "wasted" plastic—which can be recycled—was insignificant compared to the costs of painting and assembling the Mini-Con.) As seen in Demolishor'sCyber Key Code online file, though, a new deco for Blackoutwas developed.
• According to his Data File, he is more ruthless than aCybertronian traffic cop.

Foreign names

• Japanese:Search (サーチSāchi),Spark Search (Powerlinx, スパークサーチSupāku Sāchi)
• Hungarian:Sötét ("Dark")
• Korean:Search (서치Seochi)

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