Dualor (Armada)

Dualor is a Mini-Con from the Armada portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.

Son of Singlor, brother to Triplor.

The leader of the Destruction Mini-Con Team, Dualor might very well be one of the most dangerous Mini-Cons ever. Not so much for his physical attributes, which are admittedly impressive. But Dualor is a staunch believer in Mini-Con independence, loathing all "Bulks", be they Decepticon or Autobot. He will lie, coerce, bully, and flat-out kidnap others into his cause. And there is nothing he's not willing to sacrifice... even other Mini-Cons, whether they signed up for his vision of how things should be or not. If innocents must suffer and die for his cause, well, so be it.

People like this need watching. Preferably from a distance, behind a barrier of some kind.

Fiction

Toy pack-in comics

Starscream and the Destruction Mini-Con Team were sent to destroy a satellite dish that could have helped detect Megatron. While they succeeded at destroying the dish, the Destruction Team were tied up by the Autobots guarding it. Armada Volume 2

Dreamwave Armada comic

In the name of the moon, I will punish you.

When Megatron took over Cyber City, he took a peek in one of the Mini-Con containers. Dualor (along with Buzzsaw and Blackout) looked up, and Dualor begged him that the Mini-Cons would do anything so long as Megatron didn't harm them. Two seconds later, the Mini-Con escape ship blasted off, leaving Dualor trapped with Megatron along with the other handful of Mini-Cons the Decepticons had brought with them. Armada #2

After the Mini-Con escape craft crashed on Earth's moon, Dualor (who had MAGICALLY changed places!) found himself in a position of power among his disoriented peer, which he used to have a concealed Mini-Con Moonbase built. He used the constant threat of future Decepticon aggression to build a stable, regimented society which he ruled with his fellow members of the Destruction Team, Buzzsaw and Drill Bit. When the Mini-Cons on Earth awakened one million years later, Dualor was prepared to take drastic action to de-escalate the situation. He sent an ark to Earth, hypnotizing and drawing many of the planet's Mini-Cons to him via an override signal. Armada #8

The Mini-Con Moonbase was prepared for any possible Decepticon invasion, with massive ammunition stockpiles. Dualor's colleagues were less keen on the idea of fighting the Autobots, but Dualor feared that the Autobots had grown too dependent on Mini-Con augmentation to be trusted. He secretly placed the Autobots' human ally Rad (who had stowed away on the ark) in an orbital mine to dissuade Optimus Prime's approach. Armada #9 When Megatron drilled his way into the base, Dualor ordered Mirage to make sure the Mini-Cons from Earth weren't going anywhere and had Astroscope launch the orbital mines. Armada #10

Leader-1 subsequently attacked Dualor and his teammates in order to take over the fortress's control center in a bid to destroy Megatron. The attempt was unsuccessful, but resulted in the incapacitated Destruction Team falling into Megatron's clutches. Armada #11

He's running a tiny scam, a "mini con" if you will.

Megatron discovered the Destruction Team had installed a feedback failsafe to prevent them from being used against their will again, but Dualor was willing to make a deal: They'd give Megatron pure, unfettered power with no afterburn in exchange for a bigger say in what was going on around there. Megatron accepted, then designated Cyclonus to use the power-up instead of himself.

Predictably, Dualor lied—that unfettered power could cause serious damage to a Transformer, if the Destruction Team so wanted. While on mission in Alaska, they did this with Cyclonus; the very second Thrust happily reminisced about capturing and hurting Mini-Cons on Cybertron, the Destruction Team overloaded Cyclonus and caused him to attack his comrade. Fire & Ice Overheating and driven crazy(er), the Decepticon was heavily damaged in his own rampage. For this, Megatron consigned the trio to the Punishment Cube, used for disciplining naughty Mini-Cons. (He also mused that he knew they'd betray him, and yet, he still made a deal with them that could have given them the chance to overload him...) Armada #13

Dualor and his teammates Buzz Saw and Drill Bit were not among the Decepticon Mini-Cons released for the final battle with Unicron. Megatron was vague on their fate, simply saying that the Decepticons were "better off without them". The End

Armada cartoon

"No guys, don't trust anyone over ten feet tall!"

Dualor was recovered by the Decepticons after Starscream first acquired the power of the Star Saber, in the midst of several victories by Megatron's forces. Conspiracy

On a later mission, Megatron gathered Dualor and a number of other Mini-Cons to help him in a scheme against Optimus Prime. Prime managed to win the Mini-Cons' loyalty, however, by absorbing their laser fire without resistance or fighting back. Moved by his actions, Dualor and the others turned on Megatron and accompanied Optimus back to Autobot headquarters. Vow

Dualor, seemingly stolen back by the Decepticons along with the other Mini-Con defectors, was found by Perceptor and the Autobots, working on the Decepticon ship. He, along with his teammates were rescued by the Autobots and taken back into their custody. Rescue

After being rescued, he and the other Mini-Cons all chose to willingly follow the Autobots into space aboard the Axalon, fighting alongside them against the Decepticons. Dualor was the last Mini-Con to volunteer, but apparently he just wasn't paying attention. Depart

Panini Armada comic

Back on Cybertron, Dualor had enough of the Decepticons' reign of terror and thought up a plan. Calling together various other Mini-Cons at the Mini-Con Emergency Bunker, he revealed that he sought to lure Megatron to Autobot Command HQ, then blow it up with magno-web charges. Sure, some Autobots would be lost in the process, but there are always casualties in war. The plan went smoothly at first, but just before Dualor detonated the explosives, the Autobots suddenly evacuated. This caught Megatron's attention before he could enter the base's perimeter, and he was unharmed when the building exploded. Dualor was furious: he knew that someone had ruined everything by leaking information to the Autobots, and promised that the traitor would pay dearly. Counter-Strike!

Following the Mini-Cons' escape from Cybertron, Dualor and his team ended up on Earth's moon. They woke up one (or four) million years later, and constructed their own hideout out of some wreckage from their ship. One day, the Destruction Team found Cyclonus crashed on the moon, and Dualor decided to enact a little revenge on the Decepticons. He and the others power-linked with the Decepticon, granting him extreme power and taking control of his body. Using the Bulk, they then assaulted the Decepticons' moonbase, blowing big holes in it and clashing with Megatron. They defeated him, but before they could finish him off, their power-links were severed by Starscream's sonic destabiliser. Dualor and his teammates escaped back to their hideout, where Starscream later contacted them and offered them a deal... Dawn of Destruction!

Toys

Let's see what you can see... This article is in need of images. Specifics: Road Wrecker and TRU packs

Armada

• Destruction Mini-Con Team (Mini-Con 3-pack, 2002/2003)

• Takara name: Destruction Micron
• Takara ID number: MM-04
• Takara release date: December 26 2002
• Known designers: Yuichiro Hira (Takara)

Released in the second wave of Armada Mini-Con three-packs, Dualor transforms into an anti-aircraft tank similar to a Gepard. He features a gear-wheel system that causes his tank mode cannons to pom-pom back and forth when he is rolled in vehicle mode. He can also be attached to the underside of the Armada Cyclonus mold, interacting with the Decepticon’s gear-wheel rotor system so the guns move as Cyclonus's rotor-trigger is pulled.

The proper orientation of Dualor's lower half in robot mode is a bit of an odd topic of debate. His instructions portray his crotch-mounted Powerlinx port facing towards the front, and the yellow bits that flip out from his lower legs to be his toes, leaving him with hollow legs. However, his box art has it swiveled around so that the yellow bits are instead heel-supports, and his Powerlinx port is hidden behind him, with the "covered" side of the legs facing forwards instead. It appears the second orientation is the intended one, as the flipped out heels help support the weight of his massive turret backpack, and hides the hollow parts from the front. Armada figures also tend to only have waist-swivels for transformation purposes, which also supports this orientation for robot mode. That being said, Dualor's media appearances vary, sometimes even changing back and forth within a single ongoing fiction (see above), but generally favor the Powerlinx-forward orientation by a slight margin.

He was nominally only available in a three-pack with his teammates Buzzsaw and Drill Bit.

• More information on Dualor at TFU.info

• Sandstorm & Destruction Micron (Multi-pack, 2002)

• Sonokong name: Sandstorm & Destruction
• ID number: MS-04
• Takara release date: December 26, 2002

The Destruction Microns were also included in a multi-pack in Japan with Sandstorm and his partner Mini-Con Cannon. Each toy is identical to their individual Takara releases.

This set was also released by Sonokong in Korea, with no changes from the Takara release, other than the packaging. This was also the only way to obtain Sandstorm (Cyclonus) and the "Destructions" in Korea.

More like DEstructicons!

• Destruction Micron Exdimensions (Mini-Con 3-pack, 2002)

• ID number: MM-09
• Release date: December 26, 2002

Part of the Exdimensions series, a limited-edition (yet still standard retail) redeco of the Destruction Microns was released in Japan. The entire team was given an orange, light grey, and dark grey color scheme.

This toy also doubles as the separate character Duster.

• More information on Exdimensions Duster at TFU.info

We want… a shrubbery!!!

• Duster Undergrove Edition (Promotional Micron, 2003)

• Release date: January 1, 2003

Exclusive to Ito Yokaido stores in Japan, one member of the "Undergrove Edition" Destruction Microns were given at random to customers who bought MC-01 Convoy Super Mode throughout January (until they ran out of them), though reportedly some stores gave one away with any Legends of the Microns purchase.

"Undergrove Edition" was not on the instructions packed in with the toys; the name was ultimately revealed in the "Micron Museum" portion of Takara's Legends of the Microns website on July 18th that year.

• More information on Undergrove Duster at TFU.info

• Duster White Micron (Promotional Micron, 2003)

• Release date: April 26, 2003

As part of the "Golden Week" holiday, Japanese "TF Station" affiliate stores gave out solid-white versions of the Destruction Microns at a limit of one per customer.

In some stores, these pieces were given out with the intent of being used in "paint your own" in-store events.

• More information on White Duster at TFU.info

• Duster Space Galaxy Edition (Micron pack-in, 2003)

• Release date: May 1, 2003

In May, JUSCO stores in Japan got in special versions of Convoy Super Mode that contained one member of the "Space Galaxy Edition" Destruction Microns per box… but the bonus Microns were blind-packed inside the boxes.

Yes, you read that correctly. Blind-packed inside the most expensive toy in the line (at the time).

As such, this version of the team is among the most expensive of the promotional Microns on the secondary market.

• Road Wrecker Mini-Con Team (Mini-Con 3-pack, 2003)

Released in the sixth wave of Armada Mini-Con three-packs, a green-and-gray redeco of the Destruction Mini-Con Team was put out under a new team name, but as the same individual characters.

This set was released under the Unicron Battles branding, hyping up the release of the giant Unicron toy.

• More information on Road Wrecker Dualor at TFU.info

• Predacon with Side Burn and Skid-Z (Bonus Buy pack, 2003)

The entire team, in their original colors, was included in a "Bonus Buy" set, in a small bubble added to the top of the normal Predacon box, sold for the price of Predacon alone.

It is currently unknown what retailer this set was sold through.

• Blurr with Incinerator and Bonus Mini-Con (Bonus pack, 2003)

• Sideways with Rook & Crosswise and Bonus Mini-Con (Bonus pack, 2003)

• Release date: November 28, 2003

In November of 2003, US Toys"R"Us stores had special bonus pack Super-Con (Deluxe) toys, which came with a single bonus Mini-Con attached to the card over their sticker, for less than the price as a normal Super-Con during Toys"R"Us's post-Thanksgiving-day sale. Each of the original-color Destruction Mini-Con Team members could come packaged with either Blurr or Sideways.

Energon

• Road Wrecker Mini-Con Team & Night Attack Mini-Con Team (Mini-Con 6-pack, 2004)

A re-release of the Road Wrecker Mini-Con Team was included as part of an Energon "Mini-Con 6-pack" with the Night Attack Mini-Con Team.

This pack was a shared exclusive to both Toys"R"Us and Walmart stores in the US.

Notes

• A team of Mini-Cons based on the Destruction Team, but with different colors, appears in the first two issues of Dreamwave's Armada comic, but they are apparently not supposed to be the real Destruction Team. This trio was left behind on Cybertron when everyone else escaped, and were never seen again.
• In regards to the Dualor and the Destruction Team's ambiguous fate in the Armada comic, Simon Furman has said in the letters page of "Multiplicity, Pt. 3" that it can be assumed that Megatron strapped them to a rocket and fired them into the sun.
• In the game Transformers Armada: The Energon Within, the Decepticon "Raider" units are based on Dualor's design.
• The name "Dualor" shows up as one of the sponsor-labels on Alternators Decepticharge.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Duster (ダスター Dasutā)