Axor

Axor is a Decepticon from the movie continuity family (via the 2010 Transformers toyline).

"Do not be fooled by this image ..."

Although most masters of bladed weapons care about form, Axor (aka Axel) is a whirlwind of destruction who cares about seeing his enemies in pieces. Of course, they would have to be large enough to claim a bounty on. A former protegé of the bounty hunter Lockdown, he especially looks forward to collecting the bounty on Ratchet and claiming the healer's weapon as a memento.^[1]

What sets Axor apart from Lockdown is that the former prefers to lure his Autobot prey to him by imperiling civilians, rather than seek them out himself. Some have noted the younger hunter's resemblance to Lockdown, suggesting that he had himself rebuilt in the veteran hunter's image. Axor welcomes the curious to ask him... so he can axe them back. In the face.^[2]

Fiction

Toy bios

Sideswipe attempted to take down Axor, switching from swords to guns to give him an edge against the hunter. Sidearm Sideswipe Elita-1 also found Axor to be a challenge. Hunt for the Decepticons Elita-1

Ask Vector Prime

In Tyran 511.0 Kappa, Axel managed to successfully elude Cemetery Wind. Once Optimus Prime put out a call to remaining Autobots to gather, he and Wild Rider answered out of desperation. Axel, always the pragmatist, betrayed the team to Lockdown at the first opportunity. His reward was a plasma bolt to the back. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/16

Games

Hunt for the Decepticons

Axor was spotted in downtown Shanghai. He was racing wildly on his way to a riverside tunnel—a tunnel that, if destroyed, would flood the city with water! Bumblebee went after Axor and defeated him. Hunt for the Decepticons

Toys

Transformers (2010)

The red horns are just a garnish.

• Axor (Deluxe Class, 2010)

• Accessories: Engine
• Known designers: Andrew Scribner (deco artist)

Hunt for the Decepticons Axor is a retooling of Revenge of the Fallen Lockdown with a new head and colors based on the Generation 1 Action Master Axer. He also has a new axe weapon on his right arm instead of Lockdown's hook. Axor transforms into an amalgam of a 1980s Corvette and a 1960s Cougar, with lots of spikes and a cow-catcher on his bumper. The toy's Mech Alive feature rotates cylinders inside his thighs as his lower legs rotate, and pneumatic cylinders extend as his axe is deployed.

Like with Lockdown, Axor's arm-mounted hot rod engine weapon can be removed and can be replaced by Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Ratchet's weapon. In return, Axor's engine can be mounted on Ratchet's roof, but not attached to his arm.

This toy was redecoed into Circuit and was repurposed as the Wings Universe incarnation of Generation 1 Axor.

• More information on Axor at TFU.info

Speed Stars

I'm a completely original character, like X-Brawn, Shockblast, and Rob Liefeld's Supreme!

• Axel (Mini Vehicle, 2011?)

• Series: Stunticon Series
• Number:

A redeco of Speed Stars Lockdown, Axel is a small, non-transforming, die-cast car resembling a spiky amalgam of a 1980s Corvette and a 1960s Cougar. His robot mode is sculpted underneath the vehicle, and his wheels use through-axle construction that lets the toy zip around at high speeds on smooth surfaces.

End of the road. This Robot Powered Machines/Speed Stars item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Notes

"All my friends are really skilled reploids!"

• Hints of Axor's toy release were found as early as Lockdown's release. His instructions manual's illustrations showed the head that would later be used for Axor, rather than Lockdown's. Even earlier than that, Axor's then-unknown head design was shown alongside the first published concept art of ROTF Lockdown in the 2009 SDCC Hasbro Design Sketchbook Volume 2.
• The multilingual European packaging for Axor sports a completely different "bio" than the American version. Whereas American Axor's bio states (among other things) that he "looks forward to claiming the bounty on Autobot Ratchet—and taking the healer's weapon for himself", the European bio is reduced to "Axor wields his blades against his enemies Elita-1 & Sideswipe."
• When Speed Stars Axel was first revealed during a toy showcase at BotCon 2010, his name was in fact given as "Axor". The Speed Stars website later named him Axel, but the reason for this change is unknown. Confusing matters more, a packaging art render later surfaced on the Indigo Studios website of a Speed Stars Lockdown redeco essentially bearing Axor's normal color layout... which meant it looked nothing like the previously revealed Speed Stars Axor/Axel. Like a lot of what went on with Speed Stars, the true answer would probably have remained unknown. Fortunately, however, Ask Vector Prime would eventually declare them the same character.

References