Perceptor is anAutobot-alliedMini-Concombiner from theUnicron Trilogy continuity family.

Rumblebee.

Perceptor is made up ofGrindor,Sureshock, andHigh Wire. Perceptor only uses his combined form when needed and seemingly has greater strength than the sum of his parts. Perceptor seems to lead theMini-Cons in some instances, such as shaking hands with Prime and Megatron to show the Mini-Cons are willing to help fightUnicron.

Fiction

Cartoon continuity

Armada cartoon

Voice actor: SFX,Terry Klassen (English),Akira Tomisaka (Japanese),Kustaa Kantelinen (Finnish)

The Street Action Team first combined into Perceptor on Earth upon hearingRad's call for help in Big Canyon. Perceptor's blinding speed enabled him to overcomeMegatron andStarscream long enough for the Autobots to regroup.Comrade The team combined to form Perceptor again to save the kids from a falling boulder in an underground palace. Perceptor and the kids were later saved and carried out of the sand pit byHot Shot.Palace

Perceptor sensed a Mini-Con panel while he and his human friends were searching in an old subway. After punching out a ceiling tile hiding the panel, he was unable to reach it due to his body armor getting in the way.Underground In the underwater city, Perceptor was formed again to protect the kids, but was quickly overwhelmed byLeader-1 andBonecrusher, allowing Megatron gain control of another Mini-Con.Ruin

Perceptor appeared in the battle footageJetfire reviewed at base after joining the Autobots.Detection

When the kids awakenedSky Blast, the Mini-Con lashed out at them. The Street Action Mini-Con Team combined to fight back, but it soon became apparent that Sky Blast was merely frightened, and there was no need for Perceptor to fight.Desperate

Perceptor accompaniedOptimus Prime to the Decepticon base, where he and Starscream tried to free Mini-Cons. He ran from Demolishor and was about to be blasted, but was saved by Hot Shot and Laserbeak. He then ran into Tidal Wave, but split up into his component 'bots before being crushed. Perceptor recombined to continue searching for Mini-Cons and came upon a number of them working on a spaceship. He attempted to convince his brethren to stop until Megatron showed up. Perceptor ran again but was chased and caught by the Decepticon leader. The Mini-Cons began to sing, causing a confused Megatron to set Perceptor down. Hot Shot then appeared and attacked Megatron while Perceptor motioned the Mini-Cons away from the battle.Rescue

When the Autobots said the kids couldn't come with them to Cybertron, Perceptor combined and emitted a noise that caused the other Mini-Cons to scramble and sit at controls of the spaceship. He then demanded the kids come with them.Depart

En route to Cybertron, Perceptor formed on top of theAxalon to signal the accompanying Mini-Cons. He helped assemble the Mini-Cons forSparkplug, who combined their power with theMatrix in order to resurrect Optimus Prime.MiraclePuppet Once on Cybertron, the Street Action Team used a time loop somehow to give themselves enough time to form Perceptor and attackThrust, preventing him from shooting Starscream with theRequiem Blaster.Drift After transporting to Cybertron's moon, Perceptor saved the kids from a series of tentacles but then had to be saved in turn by Hot Shot andWheeljack.Portent

When the Autobots and Decepticons were formally aligning themselves for the fight against Unicron, Perceptor put his hands upon Optimus Prime's and Galvatron's as they were shaking.Alliance After Unicron's destruction, Perceptor accompanied the kids,Hot Shot andJetfire back toEarth, where the component Mini-Cons bid farewell to their friends.Mortal Combat

Linkage

Perceptor andSparkplug appeared as holograms to tellRedline and his group that they were leavingEarth forCybertron with the Autobots.Linkage Part 12

Energon cartoon

"Working at the carwash."

Ten years later, Perceptor and his individual components were based atOcean City, where their primary duties were washing cars and attending toKicker Jones's transportation needs. At Kicker's command, Perceptor disengaged Hire Wire to serve as his personal dirt bike.Cybertron City He later allowed Kicker to remove Sureshock from his body as well, before the boy left on a mission toDesert City.Scorpinok

Perceptor attended Optimus Prime's big meeting for discussing their plans against Unicron, now that Earth's safety was secured behind theenergon grid.Rodimus Friend or Foe?

Perceptor was part of the crew of theMiranda II,Go for Unicron! where he stood on the bridge during its voyage.Survival Instincts Perceptor was later elsewhere and arrived via warp gate withArcee and the Omnicons to join up with Kicker and theMiranda II at the mouth ofAlpha Q's rift in space.Ripped Up Space

Cybertron comic

Butyoutwo are supposed to be good guys!

The Street Action Team quickly grew tired of the fame that they had cultivated throughout their battles among their Mini-Con peers. They often appeared as Perceptor during their public appearances to avoid further discomfort when made to speak to their admirers. Seeking respite from all of this attention, the team answered Anti-Blaze's call to fight back against Mini-Con insurgents attacking his colony.Street Action Team's profile

Perceptor worked alongside theMini-Con Council of Sages in the debris field where they made their home after the Powerlinx Battles. Rebels, spurred on byMegatron andUnicron, threatened the peace in the Mini-Con settlements, and so Perceptor's allies reached out to the Autobots for assistance.Revelations Part 4 Perceptor fought his way through the Mini-Con rebels, and soon battled Unicron's enforcerSoundwave as well.Revelations Part 5 AfterPrimus's transformation brought an end to hostilities, Perceptor joinedSentinel Maximus and his comrades in pursuing Unicron through space.Revelations Part 6

PaniniArmada comics

"...because we have no leg articulation..."

WhenStarscream tried to capture the Street Action Team, they surprised their human friends by merging into Perceptor and fighting back. Unfortunately, the larger Transformer was armed with theStar Sabre, and would've beaten Perceptor into a pulp if his weapon hadn't suddenly gone out of control.The Two-Edged Blade!

Reader's DigestArmada novels

Perceptor's components were the first Mini-Cons awakened on Earth. Their awakening triggered a mechanism within the remains of the Mini-Cons' ship, which teleported both Autobot and Decepticon combatants to Earth. In order to prevent Megatron from harming the children they had recently befriended, and Optimus Prime who was making every effort to keep the Mini-Cons out of Decepticon hands, the Street Action Mini-Con Team combined into Perceptor, and erected an impenetrable force field. Megatron was forced to retreat, and Perceptor transformed back into his component pieces to return with the children to their home town.The Battle Begins

Energon comic

Unicron will, ah, will destroy, uh, space.

When theTerrorcons began assaulting Earth cities, the Street Action Team volunteered to fight them off, and combined into Perceptor to stand a better chance against the larger enemies.Multiplicity, Pt. 2 The combiner was assigned toJetfire's team, which was defendingLos Angeles from hordes ofInsecticons.Multiplicity, Pt. 3 The outnumbered Autobots soon began running low on energy, and Perceptor was forced to improvise a more effective way to fight. By messing with the Insecticons' primitive neural net, he confused many of the Terrorcons into fighting among themselves, but this only got him so far. By the timeRad White showed up to power the Autobots up withenergon gas, Perceptor had split into his component Mini-Cons.Multiplicity, Pt. 4

Later, Perceptor and Jetfire stood guard over Earth as they calculated the time until Unicron reached Cybertron. Jetfire hoped to receive some signal from Optimus Prime, trapped in the belly of the beast, but Perceptor warned him that the changes of Prime's survival under those conditions were slim.Armageddon Part 1 Perceptor needn't have worried—Optimus persevered inside of Unicron and got out a message warning the Autobots of energon raids on other planets. Perceptor quickly alerted Jetfire when Prime's message came in, giving the Autobots time to mobilize.Armageddon Part 4

Mini Mayhem!

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

Universe comic

Hailing fromAurex 604.24 Gamma, the Street Action Team which constituted Perceptor was enslaved by theSunstorm ofAurex 105.15 Gamma during theUniverse War. After that Sunstorm was killed by a resurrected Galvatron, Perceptor fled.Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/06

When Unicron attempted to recruit more Transformers for his evil ends, several were deflected to an icy planetoid by a device created by theChild of Primus scientist,Rhinox. The Chaos-Bringer's agents dispatched Perceptor with his fellowMinions of UnicronReptilion, Sunstorm, andRuination to retrieve the lost recruits before the Children of Primus could. The Children joined forces with the Autobots Unicron had attempted to capture, however, driving off Perceptor and the Minions.Voice Actor Drama

Toys

Armada

The only thing that I perceive is that my name doesn't really fit me at all!

• Street Action Mini-Con Team (Mini-Con 3-pack,2002)

• Takara name:Street Action Micron
• Takara ID number:MM-01
• Takara release date:December 26, 2002
• Known designers:Aaron Archer (Hasbro),Hideaki Yoke (Takara) andTakashi Kunihiro (Takara)

Released in the first wave ofArmada toys, the three members of the Street Action Mini-Con Team combine into the miniature super robot Perceptor.Sureshock forms the legs,Grindor forms the torso and arms, andHigh Wire forms the head and backpack.

Top: Original release, Bottom: Running Change.

He has little 3mm fist holes in each hand, enabling him to hold compatible accessories (like the engine/gun that came withHot Shot andJolt)

There was a running change made to both Grindor and Sureshock due to the flat plate making up one side of the combining port being prone to breakage. An additional rail was added and the associated part on Sureshock was flipped.

• More information on Perceptor at TFU.info

This is what happens when the kid-friendly characters go to abank and getJoint energon.

• CD Limited Edition Street Action Micron (CD pack-in,2003)

• Release date:February 1, 2003

Theseredecos of the Street Action Microns have been tweaked to make the three morecartoon-accurate; as far as the combined Bumble mode's changes go, this is mainly through the team's base plastics being much lighter than the originals.

This set was only available with the CD single of the firstLegends of the Micronstheme song, "Transformer: Dream Again" byPsychic Lover.

The team's official name has bounced a bit: the name listed above is what it's called on the packaging. Magazine solicitations called it the "Super Anime Color Edition Street Action Micron", while the "Micron Museum" portion of Takara's website called it the "Street Action Micron Anime Color (CD version)".

• More information on Anime Color Bumble at TFU.info

• Arcee (Change Micron, 2003)

• Change Micron ID number:3

• Bank (Change Micron, 2003)

• Change Micron ID number:2

• Wheelie (Change Micron, 2003)

• Change Micron ID number:1
• Release date: April ??, 2003

Part of the firstKabayacandy toyChange Micron assortment, each of the Street Action Microns were sold in individual boxes, packed with a small bag of fizzy ramune candy.

Each of these toys lack various bits of paint from the originals, and have slight color shade differences. But these toys are also actually a completely new mold-set, with various tiny detail differences from theHasbro/Takara releases. These ever-so-slight tolerance differences mean the combined "Bumble" mode is a bit harder to put together as the parts need to be forced together a bit more.

• More information on Change Micron Bumble at TFU.info

In case you couldn't already tell my legs are made from a girl...

• Magna Convoy DX Set (Multi-pack, 2003)

• ID number:MC-XX
• Release date:November 19, 2003

TheExdimensionsredecos of the Street Action Microns were part of the "Magna Convoy DX" set, which also included "Convoy Final Battle Coloration" (Powerlinx Optimus Prime) and "Ultra Magnus Special Clear Version". This set was only available at JapaneseToys"R"Us stores.

This toy also doubles as the separate characterBumble.

• More information on Exdimensions Bumble at TFU.info

Energon

"That's what your Mom said!"

• Perceptor (Energon Class,2004)

• Takara name:Cliffjumper
• Takara ID number:SC-09
• Takara release date:February 26, 2004
• Known designers:Takio Ejima (Takara)

Released in the second wave ofEnergon "Energon Class" toys, Perceptor is an all-new mold, the combined form ofEnergonSureshock (forming the torso and arms),Grindor (forming the legs) andHigh Wire (forming the head again). He also has the same articulation, apart from the oddlybackwards swiveling elbows. His headalso swivels on a hinge not attached to the main torso. He features twoPowerlinx ports on his arms.

The Takara Cliffjumper release uses a much darker, more red shade of paint, most noticeable on Grindor. The orange paint apps on Sureshock are also removed. There are additional red paint apps added to High-wire (eyes, shock absorbers). Perceptor's final toy notably differs in design when compared to the cartoon, due to hiscartoon model being based on an early Takara sketch that featured a completely different design for Sureshock. In this preliminary design, Perceptor's arms would've had all four of Sureshock's wheels located on them.

This mold-set was also used to makeFrenzy/Heavy Metal andWindcharger.

• More information onEnergon Perceptor at TFU.info

Universe (2003)

• Sunstorm with Inferno and Street Action Mini-Con Team (Multi-pack, 2004)

An evilredeco of the originalArmada Street Action Mini-Con Team was included in aWalmart-exclusiveUniverse multi-pack. The team's orange plastic was changed to black, while the dark blue changed to dark green. The black plastic, pale-blue plastic, and paint operations stayed the same, however. The team was packed in withSunstorm andInferno.

Oddly, all photos on the card show the set in their respective molds' originalArmada color schemes, seemingly due to anincredibly rushed production.

• More information on Perceptor at TFU.info

• Perceptor (Basic Class,2005)

Energon Perceptor got repackaged inUniverse, with no changes to the contents within.

This set was largely sold at "discount" chains like Big Lots! and drug stores, part of the first wave/year of "Basic Class" repacks sold though these outlets.

Cybertron

• Blastcharge vs High Wire (Mini-Con 2-pack,2006)

• Backblast vs Sureshock (Mini-Con 2-pack, 2006)

• Scrap Iron vs Grindor (Mini-Con 2-pack, 2006)

Perceptor'sCybertron version is a redeco of hisEnergon form. This time the team is done up in a bright, eye-catching "stunt show"-style deco.

He was not made available as a complete set; he could only be assembled by buying all three of the Street Action Mini-Con Team vsDeep Space Mini-Con Team two-packs. Since this assortment was the fourth and final wave of two-packs, they were somewhat harder to find than the other sets. Neither the Deep Space Mini-Con Team nor the Street Action Mini-Con Team were depicted in their combined form on the back of the packaging, only in the manual.

• More information onCybertron Perceptor at TFU.info

Merchandise

Super Collection Figure

• Bumble (2003)

• Act:10
• Accessories: Stand

A 2-inch PVC figurine of Perceptor was made as part of the tenth "Act" of Takara'sSuper Collection Figure series. He was available in both full-color and pewter-finish versions, packed one each in every case of twelveblindpacked boxes.

The Act 10 PVCs use a considerably softer plastic than the preceding nine Acts, which can make getting limbs pegged in difficult as the pegs may just squish. This problem can be even worse with the pewter versions, as the pegs may have a layer of paint on them applied before being pushed into the sockets, making them potentially easier to tear out should the pegs get stuck. Shaving the sockets down with a hobby knife can alleviate these problems somewhat.

Notes

• According toAaron Archer atOTFCC 2004, he chose to name theArmada Mini-Con combiner robot "Perceptor" to honor theTakara employee who engineered the Street Action Team because that employee was also responsible for engineering the original Generation 1 Perceptor toy. It'slikely this wasHideaki Yoke given hisfavorite Transformer is G1 Perceptor, but Archer did not specify at the time. Noted mecha designerShinji Aramaki also worked on the original Perceptor, at the very least coming up with the initial concept, but given that he was long gone from Takara and directing the animated movieAppleseed in 2004, Archer probably didn't mean him.

Foreign names

• Japanese:Bumble (バンブルBanburu),^[1]Cliffjumper (Super Link, クリフジャンパーKurifujanpā)
• Korean:Pigeon (피전Pijeon)
• French:Perpetrator

Gallery

• 

  Armada cartoon robot mode

References