Camshaft (Movie)

Camshaft is an Autobot from the Transformers portion of the movie continuity family.

"Alright, I'm in the comics! I hope I get a long run-"

A voracious and curious explorer, Camshaft is always the first to volunteer for recon missions on newly-discovered alien worlds where the conditions are too hostile even for Bumblebee. Thanks to his AllSpark-enhanced adaptive armor and silent-but-deadly weapons systems, he is well-equipped to deal with harsh environments and Decepticons alike.^[1] Though he is notably thrilled to be one of the first Cybertronians to set foot on these planets, he is always more than happy to take out any Decepticons that have beaten his crew to them.^[2]

Fiction

IDW movie comics

"-oh bloody buggering hell."

Camshaft was among the Autobot protectors cautioned by Optimus not to follow Megatron's call to violence before the gathering at Trypticon. Defiance #2 Camshaft was also part of Prowl's sentry unit, dispatched by Megatron to arrest Optimus for treason, after the Autobot leader entered his quarters without permission. When they were attacked by Brawl, Starscream and the Decepticons, Camshaft survived to become a founding member of Optimus Prime's Autobot team. Defiance #3 Camshaft continued to serve with Optimus Prime and the Autobots of Cybertron past the launching of the Allspark into space. Defiance #4

Following the defeat of Megatron, Camshaft was part of a small Autobot unit led by Arcee that tracked Starscream, now the leader of the Decepticons, to his base on Mars. The Reign of Starscream #2 Camshaft and the others made short work of the Swindle, Dreadwing, and Payload drones that Thundercracker sent against them, but were unprepared for Thundercracker's sonic weaponry. The shaken Camshaft and Cliffjumper attempted to provide cover for Smokescreen to evacuate the fallen Air Raid, but the massive Decepticon sliced Camshaft in half, killing him. The Reign of Starscream #3 His lifeless body was later found by Soundwave. Convergence chapter 4

Titan movie comics

Camshaft's ability to remember simple numbers makes him the boss.

In a divergent timeline, the Decepticons succeeded at Mission City and conquered the United States. Camshaft and his team of specialists were called in to investigate Earth's corruption by the AllSpark, and also ended up trying to save people and limit the damage at multiple crisis points.

A raw energon gusher in the middle of a swimming pool didn't faze Camshaft, as he quickly and decisively directed his men and quickly improvised when they ran out of magna-caps. The increasing escalation of the disasters and the constant work is worrying him though. Return to Cybertron: Part 1

Camshaft was rather worried that Optimus' plan for Earth was to use Nucleon, stating the substance could blow Earth up just as easily as saving it. Return to Cybertron: Part 2

Camshaft's team played a key role in saving Mikaela Banes, rapidly assembling a jammer array to free her from Decepticon mind-control. The Decepticon Who Haunted Himself

Toys

Transformers (2007)

Can you dig it?

• Autobot Camshaft (Deluxe Class, 2008)

Released as part of the AllSpark Power refresh of the live-action movie toyline, Camshaft is an Autobot-aligned redeco of Swindle. Camshaft transforms into a car incredibly similar to but legally distinct from a Chevrolet Cobalt, coloured silver with a black hood and roof (giving him a striking similarity to Generation 1 Bluestreak's animation model).

During transformation, his Automorph gimmick flips out his head/chest section on its own from his upper torso. His head can barely move in robot mode, but a modification may be done by the owner to increase its range of motion. His torso also features a spring-loaded cannon that extends when a button on his back is pressed, and the cannon structure itself can be extended from the torso to give a more impressive appearance. This cannon gimmick can also be used in car mode, where it looks like a super-turbo-nitro exhaust pipe.

• More information on Camshaft at TFU.info

Revenge of the Fallen

• Megatron with Autobot Camshaft (Leader Class value pack, 2009)

• Optimus Prime with Autobot Camshaft (Leader Class value pack, 2009)

Camshaft was inexplicably also made available during the Revenge of the Fallen toyline in special Walmart-exclusive "value packs". Leader Class Optimus Prime and Megatron each came in special wider boxes with Camshaft (unchanged from his original release) packed in, for the same price as a normal Leader toy.

Notes

• The body design is based on the "Tricked-Out Car" body of the Create-A-Bots. The wine-colored robot-mode parts also give it a feel similar to the Autobot Swindle units, of which Camshaft is a redeco.
• In his fictional appearances, Camshaft is given a slight distinction in appearance from Swindle and his drones by having slightly different 'crown' features around his optic, as well as fingers being seemingly blunter and less like claws than Swindle's.

References