Apex Bomber

Apex Bomber is an Autobot drone from the toyline portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

The Heroic Apex Bomber What Bombs at the Apex

Apex Bomber is Powermaster Optimus Prime's drone buddy. He is not cognitive, but he responds to Prime's orders and can be commanded to "perform combat functions", whatever that may mean.^[1] His standard alternate mode is an extra trailer for Prime to tow around. When Prime is in super robot mode, Apex Bomber can merge with him as Apex Armor.

He is called a "roller drone";^[2] in some universes, he is an upgraded version of Roller.

Fiction

Ask Vector Prime

Vector Prime clarified that, in some universes, the Apex Bomber was indeed an upgraded Roller. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/27

Toys

Commemorative Series

• Powermaster Optimus Prime with Apex Armor (2003)

Generation One Commemorative Series Apex Bomber is a minor retool of Godbomber from Takara's 2001 God Ginrai reissue. The few changes include lengthening the missiles and removing the scope from the Godcannon. In adapting the toy's presentation for an English-speaking audience, Godbomber become "Apex Bomber", which merges with the included Powermaster Optimus Prime as "Apex Armor".

• More info on Apex Bomber at TFU.info

Merchandise

Heroes of Cybertron

For further information, see: Optimus Prime (G1)/merchandise#Heroes of Cybertron

• Powermaster Optimus Prime Apex Armor (2002)

Part of the first wave of Hasbro's Heroes of Cybertron toyline, "Apex Armor" Optimus is a redeco of the Super Collection Figure God Ginrai figurine.

The figurine is meant to represent the combined form of the Powermaster Optimus and the "armored roller drone".

• More information on Heroes of Cybertron Powermaster Optimus Prime Apex Armor at TFU.info

• Powermaster Optimus Prime Spark Attack (2002)

This second-wave figurine is a redeco of the first God Ginrai/Powermaster Prime Apex Armor PVC figure, cast in translucent orange plastic with red gradients and flame detailing, depicting a "spark attack" mode.

This is a variant of the Super Collection Figure "God Fire Guts" God Ginrai chase figure, which had been rendered entirely in solid metallic gold paint.

• More information on Heroes of Cybertron Optimus Prime Spark Attack at TFU.info

Notes

• The idea of an Apex Armor formed from the combination of Powermaster Optimus Prime and a roller drone was first established in the Heroes of Cybertron line, while the roller drone in question first received the name Apex Bomber in the Commemorative Series.
• The first Optimus Prime toy came with Roller, a small vehicle stored in the trailer. When the Powermaster Optimus Prime toy was released it did not include Roller. Despite this, the Marvel comic and other contemporary fiction still presented Roller as his familiar cart-shaped self in Prime's trailer.^[3] When the toy was rereleased in 2003 as part of the Commemorative Series it now included Apex Bomber, who is described on package as a "roller drone". This led to the idea that Apex Bomber was an upgraded Roller, which was canonized in Ask Vector Prime.
• Initially, in the Heroes of Cybertron series, the roller drone mentioned in the Tech Specs was only depicted in his combined form as the Apex Armor. However, since the Heroes of Cybertron Powermaster Optimus Prime figurines were based on God Ginrai, the roller drone was clearly meant to be a western adaptation of Godbomber. The roller drone/Apex Bomber would be given a clearer depiction and his ties to Godbomber would be further solidified in the Commemorative Series.
• The only two unique pieces of art Apex Bomber has are that of the Heroes of Cybertron Tech Specs depicting his combined form as the Apex Armor and its Spark Attack form. A monochromatic red version of Godbomber's packaging art was used for Apex Bomber's Commemorative Series instructions.
• Apex Bomber was somewhat close to receiving a new toy in the 2016-2017 Titans Return toyline. Early on in the duration of the line, a session of the Transmissions Podcast discussed a Hasbro computer presentation indicating an upcoming Deluxe Class figure designated "Iron Apex" (altered name probably for trademark and/or marketing reasons) using a placeholder image of Godbomber. As no figure was ultimately released under the name "Iron Apex", Hasbro probably scrapped the idea when TakaraTomy produced the roughly Leader-sized Legends Godbomber to accompany Super Ginrai.

References