HIGH CIRCUITMASTER BOLTAX
Appearances:
US Transformers
#48 (Underbase Saga, pt 2: The Flames of Boltax, he was lucky enough to have the story named after him.)
Quote:
"Please... you must turn back. I cannot allow you to pass." -- said to Megatron.
Alt-Mode:
Basically unknown. His mountain form could be considered his alt mode and the puppets he sends out his robot modes. Uncertain whether his mountain form can Transform, or even partially Transform (like, say, Spanner's partial robot transformation from his Space Bridge form).
If his mountain form COULD Transform into a robot that would make him one of the biggest Transformers ever to appear in the comics. Actually, come to think of it, even if it COULDN'T Transform he was still as big as a mountain. He just didn't have a robot mode to match.
Description:
Boltax was a similar character to the Keeper. He had a similar role and in fact existed in a similar story! He appeared to be some kind of Cybertronian religious figure who guarded a treasure of vast power (his was the Underbase, the Keeper's was Primus himself). He and his followers sat around warning people not to come any closer.
In the story Boltax added a spiritual aspect, and a mystical aspect. He wasn't totally necessary for the story, but he added mythos. Good on him too!
Boltax was named, it turns out, after a long term friend of writer Bob Budiansky, one Janet Boltax. He insists that that's where the similarity ends saying, "I just thought "Boltax" was a natural for a Transformer name."
Anyway, what REALLY made Boltax unique, was he was a mountain! More on that
later.
Biography:
Boltax was the ancient leader of a kind of religious sect on Cybertron devoted to knowledge. He was the guardian of Cybertron's greatest font of knowledge. The Underbase.
We first met him in a flashback story which showed Optimus Prime and Megatron seeking the Underbase! Optimus and his crew detected, dodged, defeated and disarmed all the traps on the road to Boltax's mountain temple. This allowed Megatron to casually and easily track the group to Boltax's temple.
When Optimus Prime presented himself to Boltax, the High Circuitmaster (that's his title) allowed Optimus in to the Underbase. Megatron, however, was refused entrance to the Underbase. Megatron's reply to this was to shove his fist right through Boltax's chest.
Ouch.
This was not the end of Boltax, however. It turned out that the High Circuitmaster's robot form, which Megatron destroyed, was just a puppet. The real Boltax was all around them. He'd converted himself into a giant containment vessel for the Underbase. The entire mountain temple was Boltax!
When Megatron attempted to seize the power of the Underbase, Optimus Prime closed the giant vents on the mountain temple. This caused an energy build-up which blasted the Underbase into space and blew the top off the temple. It's uncertain whether or not this killed Boltax. This was the last we ever saw of him, though, and one gets the impression that having an Underbase blasted through the top of you isn't good for your health.
Tech Specs/TFU:
A high intelligence, without a doubt! Maybe even a high endurance. Who knows? He IS a mountain...
Toy:
Actually, a toy of Boltax would be quite awesome to see! A mountain play set (that maybe had a sluggish partial-transform like Spanner) that includes traps, an Underbase, an exploding top (so we can shoot the Underbase into space) and, best of all, a bunch of Boltax-robot and follower toys! You could recreate Optimus Prime's journey to Boltax... and all the fun and mayhem that went with it.
Yeah, like THAT is ever going to happen!
Over All:
Not a bad character. I just wish I knew whether he was dead or not!
To be honest the really interesting thing about him is that Boltax was quite a lot more than he seemed. He was 'more than meets the eye' if you will. Wait, that's EVERY Transformer, isn't it?
Anyway, it's always nice to have a Transformer who adds to the overall background story of the Transformers race. I really like those sorts of characters.
