Trailbreaker (G1)/toys

Building up a head of steam on the trail we break!

Trailbreaker has enough toys to blaze a trail.

Toys

The Transformers

If your vehicle mode looks like this, you might be a redneck!

• Trailbreaker (Autobot Car, 1984 / 1985)

• Takara ID number: 25
• Accessories: Left & right fists, 2 "Twin Blasters", 2 missiles, radar scanner
• Known designers: Kōjin Ōno (TakaraTomy)

Released in the first year of The Transformers Autobot Cars, Trailbreaker transforms into a Toyota 4WD Hi-Lux N40 camper truck. In robot mode, both of his lower arms are projectile launchers, able to load and fire either his fists or his projectiles, which consist of two vacuum metallized silver missiles and two silver "twin blasters"... though the Hasbro version of the toy severely weakened the springs for safety reasons. There are two slots in the robot-mode "backpack" to store whichever unused wrist attachments you like.

He was re-released in 1985 with the addition of a rubsign on his vehicle-mode roof. He was also released in Japan the same year as part of Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers series, similarly sporting a rubsign, though this release has his wrist-launchers fully-functional.

This mold was also retooled to make Hoist.

This mold was originally released in Takara's Diaclone line, which is why the truck roof has an opening hatch meant for a pilot figure the Transformers toy did not come with. While there was a Diaclone version of this mold in these plastic colors (there were also yellow and blue versions of the toy), the Transformers release altered the side-panel stickers, which had a yellow base colors, to match the black plastic.

• More information on Trailbreaker at TFU.info
• Patent info, price guide, and further reading on Trailbreaker at Transformerland.com

Collector's Edition

• Trailbreaker (2001)
  • ID number: 25
  • Accessories: 2 "Twin Blasters", 2 missiles, radar scanner, 2 fists (left & right)

In August 2001, Trailbreaker was given a short-run Collector's Edition reissue (limited to only 1,000 pieces) by Takara as a C3 convention exclusive item, bundled together with Hoist.

Near as can be told, there are no notable differences between this re-release and the original Takara 1985 release.

Universe (2003)

For those of you who are not familiar with this term, say it with me. - Vee-hicle.

• Ultra Magnus & Ironhide (Basic, 2004)
  • Accessories: Rifle

A redeco of the Generation 2 Go-Bot Motormouth, Universe Ironhide transforms into a Ford F150 Flareside pickup truck. This toy features through-axle construction like the kind found on Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars, which allow his truck mode to zip along smooth surfaces quickly. His truck deco is an obvious homage to the Generation 1 character Trailbreaker, and the toy had been named "Trailbreaker" in Walmart computer listings. It didn't stay that way, likely one of many aborted attempts to get the character on shelves again stymied by trademark issues.

This toy was only available in a Walmart exclusive pack with Ultra Magnus.

• More information on Ironhide at TFU.info

Encore

Ol' Blue Eye

• Trailbreaker (2008)
  • ID number: 13
  • Accessories: 2 "Twin Blasters", 2 missiles, radar scanner, 2 fists (left & right)

Trailbreaker was also reissued in TakaraTomy's Encore line. This release has a number of paint changes from the original: his visor has been painted bright blue, as have the non-tjoint window portions on his doors and the camper "visor", plus he as a tampographed Autobot symbol on his hood/chest rather than a sticker.

• More information on Encore Trailbreaker at TFU.info

Transformers (2010)

Cutting a trail to a closeout shelf near you!

• Trailcutter (Legends Class, 2011)

• Known designers: Joe Kyde (Hasbro), Andrew Scribner (deco artist)

Released in the second (and final) wave of the 2010 Transformers toyline's Reveal the Shield Legends Class toys, "Trailcutter" (renamed due to trademark reasons) converts into a camper truck again, but with a front section similar to that of a Cadillac Escalade. His head sculpt is essentially the Generation 1 toy's head, including the visor, with the more humanoid face of the cartoon model. As with all Reveal the Shield toys, he has a heat-sensitive rubsign.

The Reveal the Shield Legends figures saw exceedingly limited release at large-scale retail chains in the US. Throughout 2011, they eventually started appearing in discount stores like Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Tuesday Morning, with perhaps the largest and most consistent outlet being Five Below stores.

This mold was also sold in the Transformers Chronicle line (see below), and was used to make Generations Hoist.

The same "hybrid" head design had been previously used by Dan Khanna for 3H's Universe comic and by Hasbro for Alternators Swindle (originally intended as Trailbreaker) and his redeco Rollbar.

• More information on Reveal the Shield Trailcutter at TFU.info

Chronicle

Less naked than this, really.

• Trailbreaker (EZ Collection, 2011)

Chronicle EZ Collection Trailbreaker is a minor redeco of the Transformers Legends Class Trailcutter toy (above), sporting a brighter-blue windshield and a tampographed Autobot symbol... which is not present on the stock photos. Whoops.

Like other Chronicle Legends toys, he is sold in a blindpacked box.

Generations

"Name change? What do you mean it was in the comic? Let's see, then... Nope, nothing. You sure you aren't misremembering things?"

• Trailcutter (Deluxe Class, 2013)
  • Series / Number: 02 / #001
  • Accessories: Roof/battle shield

• Known designers: Joe Kyde (Hasbro)

Part of the fifth wave of 2012-onwards Generations Deluxe Class toys, Thrilling 30 Trailcutter transforms into an armored pick-up truck. Additionally, many of his robot mode details are based on Alex Milne's Cybertronian design for the character in the More Than Meets the Eye comic series. His truck bed canopy is removable, and transforms into a "battle shield" with mounted blasters. It features a flip-out 5 mm handle as well as two 5 mm posts and ports, and can peg onto any of his numerous ports. The 5 mm ports on the legs, in particular, allow you to attach weapons from other figures to them so that Trailcutter can emulate Fortress Maximus.

The American release comes packaged with a copy of IDW's Spotlight: Trailcutter, featuring a cropped version of its Clayton Crain retailer incentive cover, which is called out as a 'Hasbro Exclusive Cover' on its front. Additionally, the contents of the issue are edited to remove references to Trailcutter's original name and overt mentions of alcohol-like usage of Energon drinks. The European and Canadian releases come packaged without the Spotlight.

He was later retooled into Generations Hoist and Timelines Lift-Ticket. This toy also served as the basis of the non-toy characters IDW Flatline, Wings Universe Turbofire, Shattered Glass Trailbreaker, and Shattered Glass Lockdown.

• More information on Generations Trailcutter at TFU.info

• Metroplex (Titan Class, 2013)
  • 01 OF 30

Two small, non-transforming figurines of "Trailcutter", one in robot mode and the other in vehicle mode, based on his Generations: Thrilling 30 Deluxe Class toy (see above), were packed in with the San Diego Comic-Con 2013 exclusive version of Titan Class Metroplex.

This set also came with tiny figurines of Orion Pax, Megatron, Bumblebee, Thundercracker, and Hoist, each in both modes, for a total of twelve figurines, each based on their larger Thrilling 30 toys. Similarly to the Decoys of old, the Autobot figurines are cast in red plastic, and the Decepticons in purple.

If the Hand of Midas had a minituarize setting.

• Metroplex (Titan Class, 2013)
  • 05 OF 30

Another exclusive version of Titan Class Metroplex was made available at Animation-Comic-Game Hong Kong 2013. This Metroplex also has the 12 figurines of Orion Pax, Megatron, Bumblebee, Thundercracker, Trailcutter, and Hoist, but casts the Autobot figurines in gold plastic, and the Decepticons in silver.

Generations (Japan)

• Trailbreaker & Hoist (Multi-pack, 2013)
  • ID number: TG-27
  • Release date: November 30 2013
  • Accessories: Roof/battle shield

Released in the TakaraTomy Generations lineup, Trailbreaker is a redeco of Thrilling 30 Deluxe Trailcutter, cast in different shades of plastic: his black is more jet-black, his red is darker, and his windshield is now translucent blue. He also features new paint operations, such as silver paint on his bumper, hubcaps, and forearms, painted back lights, and now has a red visor based on his original toy. He swaps the red and blue details on the Hasbro version's upper arms for a more comic-accurate silver and red.

Trailbreaker was only available in a two-pack with Hoist, released in the eleventh wave of Generations product.

Kre-O

Trailbricker

• Dragon Assault (Beast Force Figure Pack, 2013)
  • Set number: A2234
  • Pieces: 42
  • Accessories: Logo brick, wrist-blaster

The Kre-O Beast Force "Dragon Assault" set includes a Trailcutter Micro-Changer Kreon who can be rebuilt into a 4-wheel-drive truck, or as close as you can get at that size. He comes with a wrist-blaster accessory you can pop into either cuff, but you need two fists for his vehicle mode.

Speaking of, his vehicle-mode detailing is provided by customer-applied stickers.

The set also comes with a brick-built Grimwing.

• More information on Trailcutter at TFU.info

MY REAL NAME IS BACK!

• Trailbreaker (Kreon Micro-Changer, 2014)
  • Collection: Age of Extinction Collection 2
  • Accessories: Logo brick, double barreled pistol

Part of the sixth regular assortment of blind-bagged Micro-Changers, Trailbreaker (apparently Hasbro was finally able to reclaim the name) is a Kreon minifigure that can be rebuilt into a pickup truck. While clearly based on the Generation 1 character, the details of his deco are much more based on the live-action movie style of bot. He sports the Constructicon helmet.

Unlike prior Micro-Changer assortments, this series does not have any sort identification code for the bags' actual contents, meaning you'd best be good at the feel-though-the-bag method.

This assortment was originally slated to be a Toys"R"Us exclusive, but US stores dropped the line before its release. It was still available in Canada, Australia, and Chinese/Asian markets. In 2015, the Collection appeared in US Dollar Tree stores, with a price tag of a whopping $1 a pop. They didn't last long.

"TRAILCUTTER" AGAIN? OH COME ON!

• Kreon Class of 1984 (Kreon figure set, 2014)
  • Set number: B0090
  • Voted: Class Clown
  • Accessories: Clip-on turbine

This version of Trailcutter (again named as such, presumably this set was in development before the original name was reclaimed) has much more detailed toy-based tampographs than his prior versions, save for his (shiny) cartoon-based face. He even includes the rocket-backpack piece to simulate the original toy's ability to store his rockets on his backpack.

He was only available in a San Diego Comic-Con 2014 exclusive pack of 30 Kreons dubbed the "Kreon Class of 1984". Remaining stock was to be sold at Hasbro Toy Shop online, only there was no remaining stock after the show.

• More information on Class of 1984 Trailcutter at TFU.info

Combiner Wars

Isn't movieverse Ironhide the popular one?
Aren't I the popular one?

• Trailbreaker (Deluxe Class, 2016)
  • 5 OF 5: Sky Reign
  • Accessories: Axe, double-barreled gun/fist/foot

• Known designers: Mark Maher (deco artist)

Part of the sixth wave of Combiner Wars Deluxe Class figures, Trailbreaker (now using his original name again) is a retool of Combiner Wars Decepticon Offroad sporting a new head and forearms that draw from his Generation 1 animation model, including a gun-hand. Additionally, his combiner fist/ foot weapon has retooled finger and thumb parts making his hand look more like a claw. The combiner hand can be inserted into the 5 mm peg port at the end of his gun hand, similarly to Rook. As with other Combiner Wars Deluxes, Trailbreaker can combine to form Sky Reign as either an arm or a leg. He can also combine with any Unite Warriors Voyager class figure or even into one of Legends Godbomber's legs. While the front hood/windshields are needed to be folded as kneecaps for his leg mode, the piece also had a tendency to dislodge if he collides to Optimus Prime/Motormaster's and Hot Spot's protruding foot while the legs are being swiveled in his standing position, unless the leg joints are bent down to lessen the problem.

Trailbreaker comes with a copy of The Transformers vol. 2 #40 (Combiner Wars part 2), "The Possible Light". In Canada, Latin America, and Europe, he was available in different types of multilingual packaging including a character card featuring his comic book cover/package art instead. He and the last three waves of Combiner Wars Deluxe and Voyager figures later also showed up at TJ Maxx in the USA at reduced prices with the collector card.

The original version of this mold was also used to make TFSS Grabuge and Unite Warriors Zombie War Breakdown, and was differently retooled into Combiner Wars First Aid and Ironhide.

• More information on Combiner Wars Trailbreaker at TFU.info

Unite Warriors

Not the first dead leg on a combiner...too soon?

• Lynxmaster (Gift set, 2016)
  • ID number: UW-EX
  • Release date: October 29 2016
  • Accessories: Axe, double-barreled gun/fist/foot

Unite Warriors Trailbreaker is a redeco of his Combiner Wars toy, in a color layout based more on his original cartoon model, with silver plastic replacing the red, and an extensively-painted robot mode. In vehicle mode, the strive for cartoon-accuracy means he gained a painted bumper, but ended up losing his rear window paint as well as the stripes on his doors.

He was only available in a TakaraTomy Mall-exclusive Lynxmaster multi-pack, the fourth set to be released through this outlet.

War for Cybertron: Earthrise

HELLO, FAT TRAILBREAKER!

• Trailbreaker (Deluxe Class, 2020)
  • Hasbro ID number: WFC-E34
  • TakaraTomy ID number: ER-EX 13
  • TakaraTomy release date: November 28, 2020
  • Accessories: Arm-mounted gun, canopy

Released in the third and final wave of Earthrise Deluxes, Trailbreaker is a retool of Earthrise Hoist, converting into a camper truck of made-up model. He sports a new head, pelvis and gun attachment (designed to fit over and around his fist to replicate the wrist-gun of his original animation model), and a new backpack that replaces Hoist's towing apparatus with a canopy, which contains a flip-out shoulder cannon and radar scanner for his robot mode. The canopy comes detached in-package, and has a 5 mm post sculpted inside it, allowing Trailbreaker to wield it as a shield. It also has a hole on top to store his gun attachment in vehicle mode. It's possible to wedge the gun under his hood between his arms using one of the 5mm ports on his forearms, although this causes the weapon nozzle to poke out off-center in front from under the hood.

A radar dish for his vehicle mode, based on the one used in the Transformers episode "More than Meets the Eye, Part 2," was sold separately as part of the Earthrise Centurion Drone Weaponizer Pack set. In robot mode, it's possible to store the radar dish inside his chest cavity, although it will rattle around freely.

Like all Earthrise toys, the inside of the back of Trailbreaker's package includes an exclusive clip-and-save piece of a larger star map. Also in the box is a thin red piece of transparent plastic with which to read the star map. While Trailbreaker's map piece is unlabeled, it contains part of Cybertron and one of its moons.

Due to supply chain disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, Trailbreaker and his fellow Deluxe wave-mates were first found in Singapore before wave 2 was released in any market worldwide.

In Japan, Trailbreaker was one of many many many toys in the line to be a TakaraTomy Mall exclusive.

This figure was redecoed into Generations Selects/Legacy DK-3 Breaker, while the original use of this mold was also used to make Generations Selects Lift-Ticket.

Masterpiece

• Trailbreaker (2022)
  • ID number: MP-56
  • Release date: December 29 2022
  • Accessories: 3 robot faces, blast effect, gun, multi-nozzle gun, fist, parabolic antenna, non-chromed grill

• Known designers: Kōjin Ōno (TakaraTomy)

Masterpiece Trailbreaker is an incredibly cartoon-accurate version of the character, who transforms into a fully-licensed Toyota 4WD Hi-Lux camper truck with an opening hood and doors (notably, this is the first Masterpiece figure to use the Toyota license).

Among Trailbreaker's many accessories are two different truck grilles - one chromed, the other matte, so you can replicate a more cartoony or real-world-y look. He also comes with a "parabolic" radar dish to mount on his truck mode, and a wrist-mounted multi-nozzle forcefield generator, both from "More than Meets the Eye, Part 2". Other robot accessories include a fist to replace the gun if you so choose, and three faces (neutral, screaming, and confident). He also includes a blast effect that just so happens to look like one of the screen caps shown on his TFWiki.net character page.

This figure also includes optional decals that obscure part of the cab door windows, in order to represent the toy-accurate design (which occasionally appeared in the cartoon) where the shoulder joints run through those windows.

Trailbreaker is shown on the box photography to have extra outward joints at the shoulders, which are there... unfortunately, they're blocked off by an engineering oversight where the round bottom edge of the upper arm joint doesn't account for the square block in the shoulder around which it's supposed to swing. Unscrewing the back of the upper arm panel and slicing off the colliding corner of said block unlocks the joint. Trying to force it otherwise stands a good chance of snapping the upper arm off.

This figure was retooled into Masterpiece Hoist and then in turn into Riggorus, the latter of which comes with a force field accessory meant to double as Trailbreaker's cartoon inspired force field.

• Official TakaraTomy website of Masterpiece Trailbreaker

Generations Selects

Gimme your loot, fat boy!

• Autobots Stand United (Multi-pack, 2024)

• Series: Legacy United
• Accessories: Arm-mounted gun, canopy
• Known designers: Matthew Cohen (photography)^[1]

Released as part of the Generations Selects "Autobots Stand United" five-pack, Trailbreaker is a redeco of his Earthrise figure, now in an even more cartoon-accurate deco. All of his black plastic is now a shade of charcoal grey, and his formerly-painted-transparent-plastic windscreen/roof and hood pieces are now the same opaque charcoal plastic. All of his truck windows have been painted with a cartoon-like light blue, where the original left them unpainted.

This set also includes Hound, Sunstreaker, Jazz, and Wheeljack.

Listings for the "Autobots Stand United 5-pack" began leaking in January 2024. It was officially revealed on February 27, and went up for pre-order the same day for a July 2024 release, which turned out to mean March.

Authentics

Getting a toy in the Authentics line? He feels honored making it to the big leagues.

• Trailbreaker (Mini Bot Racers, 2022)

Released under the Authentics line of Mini Bot Racers, Trailbreaker is a redeco of Rescue Bots Academy Mini Bot Racers Hot Shot, transforming into an off-road SUV with a super-deformed version of him "driving" it in one simple step.

He comes packaged with fellow redeco Arcee, along with unchanged rerelases of Rescue Bots Academy Mini Bot Racers Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, and Hoist.

Merchandise

Decoy

• Cybertron Hero Collection 9 (multi-pack, 1986)
  • ID number: Collection No. 3

In Japan, a red rubber mini-figure of Trailbreaker was available in part of a multi-pack of similar mini-figurines. The number etched into his back is the sum total of his tech spec ratings, as these figurines were used as game pieces for a variety of Transformers board games in which this number had some meaning to how the game was played or something.

• Trailbreaker (1987)
  • Decoy number: 10

The figurine was later brought over to Hasbro markets as part of the Decoy promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded Throttlebots, Aerialbots, Protectobots, and Technobots.

• More information on Decoy Trailbreaker at TFU.info

3D Battle-Card Game

Admit it. That head peeking up from the truck mode is hilarious.

• Trailbreaker (2007)

A 26-point "common" character in the 3D Battle-Card Game's "Energon Wars" expansion, Trailbreaker "transforms" into a black pickup truck with a camper shell. He uses the same parts layout as Payload and Ratchet.

The Battle-Card may or may not actually represent the live-action movie version of Trailbreaker, as the design is clearly in the live-action movie aesthetic (and a version of the Trailbreaker character exists in the "movie" universe anyway). The card's listed abilities — an Invisible Force Field and a Radio Jammer — line up with Trailbreaker's G1 abilities, however, so who knows.

The Loyal Subjects

Insecure about his forcefield face, Trailbreaker gets a faceplate and claims he's going retro.

• Trailbreaker (2014)

The Loyal Subjects Trailbreaker is a Wave 3 figure with standard articulation. He is largely based on his original toy and features a gun, but has no special gimmicks. For every 16 figures, there are 2 Trailbreakers.

Like most of his wave, Trailbreaker's bio card plagiarizes his wiki article's opening paragraphs.

Transformers Trading Card Game

• Private Trailbreaker, Infantry-Fortification & Defense (2019)
  • Wave 3: War for Cybertron: Siege I
  • Rarity: UT
  • Card Number: T24/T48
  • Stars: 10

Private Trailbreaker, Infantry-Fortification & Defense is one of forty-eight double-sided character cards available in Wave 3 of the Transformers Trading Card Game, War for Cybertron: Siege I.

The card's art reuses line-art from the Transformers Legends mobile game, and is based on the Thrilling 30 Trailcutter toy. The line-art for Alt Mode was drawn by Dan Khanna. The artwork is recolored seemingly to match the aesthetic of the Siege toyline's packaging art.

Notes

• Trailbreaker's mold was originally a Diaclone "4WD Hi-Lux", available in three different colors: black, blue, or yellow. The blue version was sold by Takara in North America as the Diakron "DK-3" Car/Robot in 1983, seemingly just a few months before the toy would be rebranded as a Transformer. There is an easy way to tell the black Diaclone 4WD Hi-Lux apart from a Transformers Trailbreaker, though—the Diaclone toy's vehicle mode stickers have a yellow background.
• The Combiner Wars Trailbreaker tooling had a "pretooled" alternate head as Hoist, but this was ultimately not used for any figures.
• Glaringly, Trailbreaker's appearance in the packaging mural for War for Cybertron: Earthrise is drawn according to his Thrilling 30 toy rather than his Earthrise toy.

Other attempts

There are quite a few Transformers toys that were at one point in their development supposed to be a new form for (or tribute to) Trailbreaker, but before the Reveal the Shield Legends Class toy, all of these became other characters with other names, most likely due to Hasbro's inability to secure the trademark.

Trailbreaker's appearance in the 3H Universe comic stems from early plans to release a Trailbreaker redeco of the Robots in Disguise X-Brawn mold as a convention exclusive in 2003. Reportedly, Hasbro themselves also had the same idea for the mass retail 2003 Universe Deluxe Class assortment, but due to the aforementioned reasons, the toy was ultimately given a different deco and released as "Autobot Ratchet" instead.

Later, a redeco of the Robots in Disguise Spychanger Ironhide was released as a Walmart-exclusive under the Universe banner, a black pickup truck with the distinctive red and yellow stripes from Trailbreaker's original toy. Ultimately, this toy would be released as Universe Ironhide instead. Years later, the Facebook edition of Ask Vector Prime would repurpose the toy as Trailbreaker, restoring the original intent.

The original Trailbreaker toy was also among a list of reissues intended for release as part of the Commemorative Series found in Australian Toys"R"Us computers, but with the cancellation of the Commemorative Series, these plans never came to fruition.

The next attempt was in the Alternators line, the toy that would eventually become Swindle and later Rollbar. A retool of the Hound Jeep Wrangler toy, its head is a cross between the original Trailbreaker toy's helmet and the cartoon model's face, surprisingly similar to Dan Khanna's rendition of the character in 3H's Universe comic. A black and white version of a proposed color guide for the unreleased Trailbreaker version of the sculpt was depicted in the Japanese The Transformers: Binaltech & TF Collection Complete Guide book.

Finally, the Cybertron Autobot Overhaul was originally going to be called "Trailbreaker", and the head sculpt was to have more elements from the Generation 1 character's design. These plans were again scrapped, but the character's upgraded form, Leobreaker, retains the "breaker" portion of the name, since "Leohaul" sounds really silly. (The name "Overcast" was temporarily considered, but quickly dropped again.)