Turbomasters

Turbomasters were an Australian, Canadian, and European exclusive range of Transformers toys, released in 1992 as part of their final year of products for the original franchise. A subgroup of the Autobots, there were six Turbomasters: Thunder Clash, Rotorstorm, Boss, Hurricane, Flash, and Scorch. They all had the gimmick of missile launchers which became their engines or turbines when in vehicle mode. Their rivals were the Decepticon Predators. A seventh Turbomaster called Hyperdrive was designed but never released.

Members
Thunder Clash - Function: Commander-in-chief. Thunder Clash is the leader of the Turbomasters and commands the respect of the Autobots, and the loathing of the Predators. He possesses a sharp and keen strategic mind, able to counter the abilities the Predators possess. Thunder Clash transforms into a Cybertronian truck cab with an accompanying trailer, which transforms into a command center.

Rotorstorm - Function: Guide and strategician. The only airborne member of the Turbomasters, Rotorstorm transforms into a helicopter. Possesses a "dodge" ability that allows him to guide his grounded comrades. He maintains an image that he is a ruthless and fearless fighter, respected by all, even the Decepticons, so that he can inspire and motivate his comrades.

Boss - Function: Force leader. After Thunder Clash, Boss is the sub-commander of the Turbomasters. Overly cautious and a bit hyperactive, Boss leads with courage and cunning, possessing a combat strategy that allows him to outsmart the most cunning of Decepticons. Boss transforms into a blue "batmobile" like sports car and is the only Turbomaster with their turbine missile launcher situated on the front of their vehicle. He can reach a top speed of over 245 mph and is armed with a powerful hand-held defender rifle. Boss was sold as Road Mach as part of the Japanese Operation Combination toyline.

Hurricane - Function: Defense tactics specialist. A brilliant analyst, he focuses on defense, planning to the smallest details. He transforms into a white "Le Mans" style racecar. Hurricane was sold as Checker Road as part of the Japanese Operation Combination toyline.

Flash - Function: Decoy. Flash is the fastest and most ambitious of the Turbomasters, who despite his dare-devil antics he usually gets the job done. Flash transforms into a red sports car. Flash was sold as Spin Road as part of the Japanese Operation Combination toyline.

Scorch - Function: Rear-guard. Scorch enjoys teamwork and is one of the Autobots most loyal soldiers, forms the rearguard for the Turbomasters. He transforms into a yellow pickup truck. He was called "Turbomaster" for his Botcon 2010 toy. Scorch was sold as Fire Road as part of the Japanese Operation Combination toyline.

Hyperdrive - Unreleased Turbomaster concept. According to the Japanese Transformers Generations book, Hyperdrive was the leader who ranked above Thunder Clash. Despite never being more than a concept, an image slide within Skyquake's toy depicts Hyperdrive. According to a background story given at the 2004 Official Transformers Collectors' Convention, Hyperdrive was the commander of the Autobots in the period between the second wave of the Action Masters and the rise of Autobot subgroups such as the Rescue Force and Lightformers. He led the Turbomasters against the Predator forces.

Fiction
The Turbomasters wouldn't make an appearance in Transformers fiction until Dreamwave Productions adaptation of the original Transformers. During the Decepticon conquest of Cybertron by Megatron, the Turbomasters evaded capture and became part of the Autobot underground resistance. They were assigned by Perceptor to monitor the "Think Tank", a device designed to help locate Optimus Prime. At one point Perceptor had left them alone, and the Turbomasters partook in a game of cat and mouse, which resulted in Flash accidentally driving into the Think Tank and being transported to the alien world of Quintessa, home of the Quintessons. Dreamwave Productions went bankrupt before the story arc could be fully published.

In IDW Publishings continuity, Boss was a member of an Autobot squad that was attacked and forced to retreat by a group of Decepticons led by Deadlock.

As part of Fun Publication's "Wings of Honor" story, the Turbomasters Hurricane, Scorch, Flash and Boss were clearing out Decepticon nests across the galaxy, prior to the rise of the second generation of Transformers on Earth. Nine million years beforehand, Thunder Clash was training his troops for battle so that they'd be ready for the escalating conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons. When the war officially began, Thunder Clash and his crew were incorporated into the Elite Guard, a new special military unit within the Autobots. Several years later Thunder Clash and his team joined with that of Metalhawk's to combat a horde of Virulent Clones.

Toy design
Each Turbomaster had a missile launcher which became their engine or turbine when they were transformed into their vehicle mode. These missile launchers contained spring-powered projectiles so powerful that they were not released in the U.S. as they violated toy regulations. The small size of the missiles also presented problems, and any uses of the toy molds in the US have seen them altered so that the launchers where either neutered or made to fire larger missiles.

The Turbomasters all have design similarities. The four smaller Turbomasters—Boss, Scorch, Flash and Hurricane—all had silver faces and came with three yellow missiles alongside their missile launcher. Each missile had a slit in its side so that whilst one was in the missile launcher, the other two could be mounted on the Transformers vehicle and robot mode. They and the two larger Turbomasters—Thunder Clash and Rotorstorm—all had clear pink plastic forming their eyes, lightpipe, headlights, windscreens, and part of the missile launcher. The missile launcher itself was mostly blue, with the colour of the Transformer being that of the trigger and a ring around the launcher's barrel.

The two larger Turbomaster toy molds would also be reused for several different characters in later toylines:
 * Thunder Clash was reused for Machine Wars Optimus Prime and was planned to be used for Transformers: Universe Menasor before being cancelled.
 * Rotorstorm was reused for Machine Wars Sandstorm and for Transformers: Universe Whirl.

A seventh Turbomaster named Hyperdrive was intended for release in 1992, however it never progressed beyond the conceptual stage. It is theorised that it may have been a prototype for Thunder Clash, or that it was cancelled due to either costs or the similarity between the prototype design and that of Thunder Clash. Hyperdrive was described as the "pinnacle" of the 1992 Transformer releases and may have been considerably large compared to the rest of the line.

Japan
While the Turbomaster molds were released in Japan, their names and personalities were changed. As part of Operation Combination, the last of the Japanese series of the original Transformers continuity, the four smaller Turbomasters—Boss, Hurricane, Flash, and Scorch—who were renamed Mach Road, Checker Road, Spin Road, and Fire Road—formed the Autobot elite "Road Corps", who each had a personal rival in the Decepticon's "Jet Corps" (based upon the Turbomasters' rivals the Predators).

The two larger Turbomasters toys—Thunder Clash and Rotorstorm—did not feature in Operation Combination, the European versions were imported and sold with Japanese language stickers placed on them.