TORNADO
Appearances:
UK Transformers
#15 (The Enemy Within, part 3)
Transformers Annual 1986 (State Games)
Quote:
"Your brute force was never a match for my speed... farewell, Earthquake."
Alt-Mode:
Unknown.
Description:
Tornado was originally used for the same purpose as
Earthquake:
to give Megatron an idea on how to kill Starscream. He was an opposing pole to
Earthquake, a snide (at least from what little we saw of him), speed-oriented
warrior. Tornado, like Earthquake, made little impact on his own, however, he
was a memorable character in that he was one of the first two Furman-created
generic/obscure Transformers!
This, of course, means nothing to those who aren't Furman fans.
Unlike Earthquake, however, Tornado made a second appearance! Perhaps fittingly, this appearance was also in a flashback story. In the text story 'State Games', Tornado appeared as an Autobot saboteur for the city-state of Vos who was trying to start a war between the city-states of Iacon and Tarn.
Biography:
Tornado was a member of a saboteur team sent by the city-state of Vos to start a war between the cities of Iacon and Tarn. They planted bombs in the main power plant of Tarn, intending to leave misleading evidence which would point towards Iacon as the culprits. After the war that resulted, Vos would simply sweep in and pick up the pieces.
The plan was not to be, however. A Tarn technician walked in on the saboteurs as they were laying out the bombs. Tornado killed the technician with his wind-powers, but not before he got off a warning about Vos's plan to his superiors.
Tornado and the little band of Tarn saboteurs escaped just before the entire plant went up in flames due to their explosives. The resultant Tarn-Vos war was to lead to the beginnings of the Decepticons under Megatron.
It's clear that Tornado was one of many warriors who later joined the Decepticons. Tornado was also to later become a Decepticon traitor, during the time of Megatron's rule on Cybertron (4 million years ago, give or take a few). It's unclear exactly what he did to be branded a traitor, but it is known that he elected for trial-by-combat to clear him of his charges.
He fought
against Earthquake, a rebel-Decepticon, with all his might, for all the good it
did him.
Tornado had the power to spin at enormous speeds, creating powerful winds that
could tear a foe apart. He tried to defeat Earthquake with speed alone, however
he failed. The two became locked together and the combined energies of their two
powers blew them both up. BOOM!!
Because Tornado had been so oriented towards speed it took someone like Earthquake,
who was oriented almost totally towards strength and brute force, to defeat him. The
two were totally annihilated.
4 million years or so later, on earth, Megatron found inspiration in the antics of
these two. Starscream had elected for trial by combat, and Megatron went back
and viewed this trial by combat, looking for inspiration on how to dispose of
Starscream. He realised that his best option was to find someone whose
orientation was brute strength, to oppose the incredible speed of Starscream.
So, even post-mortem, Tornado served a strong purpose for the Decepticon Empire,
perhaps a better purpose than he served in life.
It's somewhat interesting that the fast one all those millions of years ago was
also the traitor.
Tech Specs/TFU:
Hard to say, but I assume he'd have a speed of close to 10 and a fairly high firepower.
Toy:
Tornado actually looks fairly cool, especially in the rear-shot of him. However, he was designed to be a polar opposite to Earthquake in every way: including colour. Earthquake was almost totally red, Tornado almost totally blue. This makes him fairly boring in colour-schemes respects. Also, even though he does have a Decepticon insignia, he lacks that all-essential alt mode. I mean, what the hell does he transform into? I wouldn't have a clue, or even be able to hazard a guess. Sorry.
Over All:
Tornado was interesting more for what he
represented, than for what he was. He gave us an interesting look into
Transformers culture. Through the custom of trial-by-combat a Transformer who is
totally guilty can clear all charges against him: at the cost of another
Transformer's life. It sounds like a more 'Decepticon' law doesn't it? I think
the Decepticons would have been the frequent users of this law. However, Optimus
Prime DOES take part in it.
But what about Tornado? Tornado seemed to be a somewhat cheeky, fast-edged
fighter. No Starscream, but cut from the same stone. It actually might have been
interesting had a comic explored the events that brought Tornado and Earthquake
to the point where they would be willing to risk everything in a
trial-by-combat. Of course Tornado would probably end up being the star of such
a comic. He did have twice as many appearances as Earthquake, after all (he had
2, Earthquake had 1).
Tornado was also revealed as somewhat of a vicious bloodthirsty Autobot in his days before becoming a Decepticon. It was interesting to get a glimpse of the kind of character who would later become 'Decepticon material'. Even if he was 'traitorous Decepticon material'.
