Waverider (Transformers)

Waverider is an fictional character from the Transformers series. He is an Autobot Pretender who turns into a boat.

Transformers: Generation 1
Waverider is billed as a furious fighter and formidable adversary in battle. He prefers exploring the ocean bottom for buried treasure over warfare. Waverider likes the advantages of being a Pretender as it gives him a sort of out-of-body experience.

Waverider transforms into a sea skimmer capable of diving to a depth of 25,000 feet. Besides his shell he carries an energy-spear gun as well as a thermal broad-axe for combat.

Marvel Comics
Although not seen or mentioned directly, Waverider was among the Autobots who joined Fortress Maximus in leaving Cybertron for the planet Nebulos (Transformers: Headmasters #1). When there, he fought against the Decepticons on many occasions. Followed to Nebulos by the Decepticons under Scorponok, Fortress Maximus's band left Nebulos for the planet Earth (Transformers: Headmasters #4).

When Brainstorm needed subjects to duplicate the Decepticon Pretender experiment, Waverider and five other Autobots volunteered and became the Autobot Pretenders. They fought the Decepticon Pretenders with the help of Optimus Prime and Goldbug (Transformers #40).

Waverider's last appearance in the Marvel Transformers comics was in issue #75, where he was destroyed by Unicron's optic blast.

Animated series
Although the US Transformers animated series stopped making original episodes before Waverider was brought out, his Japanese counterpart Diver appeared in the Masterforce anime series.

Waverider appeared in animation was in early commercials for the Pretender toys.

Animation from the commercial was used in the opening credits for season 5 of the Transformers, which retold episodes of earlier seasons. Waverider appeared in them.

Condor Verlag
In a story called "By their Blasters you shall know them ...!" from Transformers Comic-Magazin issue #12 by German comic publisher Condor Verlag Optimus Prime instructs Backstreet, Bumblebee and Ruckus on how to identify Autobots from Decepticons in battle using the Ark's computer. Waverider is one of those he displays to the Autobots.

Dreamwave Productions
Waverider did not appear in any fiction from Dreamwave Productions, but did get a biography in their Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye series.

IDW Publishing
Cloudburst, Groundbreaker, Landmine and Waverider appear in Spotlight: Hardhead investigating the Benzuli Expanse and reporting to Jetfire.

Fun Publications
Waverider (or Diver) appeared among the various characters on Transtech Cybertron in the "Transcendent Part 4" by Fun Publications.

Toys

 * Generation 1 Pretender Waverider (1988)
 * This toy was identical to the toy of Diver in Japan.