BACKSTREET

Allegiance: AUTOBOT

Sub-Group: TRIGGERBOTS

Function: LOOKOUT

First Comic Appearance: TRANSFORMERS #46

"A moment of indecision can be your last."

Profile: Backstreet is a temperamental, twitchy bundle of too-tightly wound circuits who jumps from one mode to another at the drop of a gasket. Although he maintains that he has, in a figurative as well as a literal sense, nerves of steel, he is unusually eager to avoid conflict for a warrior. He uses the flimsiest excuses to exit from a battlefield. His reluctance to engage in combat might reek of cowardice to some, but his primary motivation for this behavior is his hatred of war. He chooses to keep this aspect of his character a secret, since he doesn't want to give his fellow Autobots the impression that he is an unreliable comrade-at-arms. When called upon to fight he performs in a fairly effective manner. He only joined up with the Autobots in the first place because he feared that a Decepticon victory on Cybertron was an even worse alternative to war. He particularly enjoys his job as a lookout, since he feels that he can effectively contribute to the Autobot cause without having to engage in actual fighting most of the time. He constantly jumps to the wrong conclusions and stubbornly adheres to them even when overwhelming evidence suggests otherwise.

Abilities: Backstreet transforms to a ground vehicle of superior maneuverability. He can make extremely sharp turns and brake from 200 mph to a dead stop within 60 feet. His maximum speed is 280 miles per hour and his range is 900 miles. Rear rocket thrusters allow him to boost his speed to 400 miles per hour for up to 60 seconds. In robot and vehicle modes he is armed with two independently targetable, laser-guided proton missile cannons. A single shell from either one can vaporize a tank. His headlights shoot high intensity heat rays that can turn an enemy robot into molten slag. They also have Infrared, low-light, chemical and radiation sensors, which aid Backstreet in his lookout function.

Weaknesses: Backstreet's extreme driving habits have a price. He needs to replace his tires every 500 miles because he wears down the treads on them so quickly. His braking and transmission systems are prone to a much higher breakdown rate than is normal for ground vehicle Transformers.