SEARCHLIGHT

Allegiance: AUTOBOT

Sub-Group: THROTTLEBOT

Function: SURVEILLANCE

First Comic Appearance: TRANSFORMERS #30

"Seeing is, by itself, not enough for believing."

Profile: Searchlight is a creature of the night. He cruises the dark backroads and alleyways of Earth with the curiosity of a cat. Nothing is too insignificant to escape his notice. Nor too irrelevant. Often, he gets sidetracked from his true mission by some totally unrelated matter. At times like these, his surveillance work can leave much to be desired. But his tendency to be distracted is understandable. He is a quiet, serious sort, uncomfortable in the company of others. He is a loner who works best when he works alone. It is inevitable that, since he is by himself as much as he is, his mind wanders sometimes. Goldbug often radios in just to make sure Searchlight remembers what his mission is.

Abilities: The bank of headlights on Searchlight's front grill has a variety of capabilities, in addition to illumination, which they all can provide. They work as follows: Top row from left to right: stereoscopic, digital video camera; infrared detector; spectroscopic chemical analyzer; radiation detector; x-ray emitter; the other half of the stereoscopic, digital video camera. The two lights on the bottom row can produce light of any color; can produce a stroboscopic effect; and can become blindingly bright, the equivalent of two 10,000-watt light bulbs.

Weaknesses: Searchlight is extremely skittish. The slightest sound or movement can set him off, particularly after a long, quiet, solitary vigil. If he can't immediately identify the source of the disturbance, he gradually becomes more and more nervous, even fearful.