Cliffjumper (Movie)

Cliffjumper is an Autobot from the Movie continuity family.

"At least I'll get to live longer than the other Cliffjumper... right?"

Surly, impatient, loud, and brash, Cliffjumper is the kind of Autobot lieutenant who shoots first and asks questions much, much later. He has the rare talent of both inspiring and infuriating his superiors in the same blow. He always completes his missions, yet the only intelligence he is patient enough to gather is "Decepticons were here, and now they are dead." Despite his surly and impetuous nature, however, Bumblebee seems to like him. He is short in stature much like 'Bee, but that never gets in the way of him provoking his enemies and taking the first shot in battle.^[1]

Fiction

Bumblebee film

Voice actor: Andrew Morgado (English), Kazumasa Nakamura (Japanese), Gilduin Tissier (European French), Sven Gerhardt (German), Daniele Di Matteo (Italian), Sergio Gutiérrez Coto (Latin-American Spanish)

"Come on, you two! I need my audition!"

Cliffjumper was among the Autobots fending off a wave of Decepticon forces led by Shockwave and Soundwave and was eventually ordered to retreat by Optimus Prime. Tasked with finding other Autobots scattered throughout the galaxy and rendezvous on Earth, they left Cybertron in various escape pods.

Some time later in 1987, the Decepticon hunters Shatter and Dropkick tracked him to one of Saturn's moons, and tortured him to learn Prime's whereabouts. Though Cliffjumper refused to betray the Autobots, the two Decepticons managed to pick up B-127's signal from nearby Earth. The pair decided to go after B-127 instead... but not before Shatter had Dropkick fatally bisect Cliffjumper as an "honorable death". Bumblebee

IDW movie comics

"Ya-ya know? I like you Bumblebee. I think you are alright" *hic*

Many, many years ago, Cliffjumper and his look-alike Bumblebee guarded the AllSpark at Simfur from nothing in particular. Cliffjumper tried to get his bored friend to calm down when the yellow guy got anxious from just sitting around. Cliffjumper pointed out that, even though they were Defense Force material, they'd be just as bored in the Defense Force, just doing patrols. If anything, they should relax and let the action come to them.

Cliffjumper rather regretted his words, as hostile aliens attacked Cybertron, and the pair were quickly pinned down under heavy fire. Relief finally came in the form of Megatron, who quickly slagged several of the attacking craft. Megatron proceeded to berate the two Autobots for not doing a better job and not taking the fight to the enemy, but received a bad wound from the attackers. When Starscream arrived, Megatron told him to keep Optimus's team out of their way. Defiance #1

After the battle, a panicky Bumblebee knew something big was coming, though Cliffjumper thought that they wouldn't have anything to do with it anyway, as they're only supposed to stand guard at the temple. Prowl and Jazz came to investigate the attack on the temple, and Cliffjumper reported that they didn't notice any unusual activity from the AllSpark during the battle. Later, presumably all the security personnel were present at the meeting where Optimus asked them not to follow Megatron into war. Defiance #2

"...But if we wind up in Carbombya, I quit."

After Megatron discovered that Optimus, Prowl and Jazz had been snooping about in his quarters, he sent Cliffjumper and Bumblebee along with other expendable security officers under Prowl's command to arrest Optimus on trumped-up charges of treason. What the officers didn't know was they were all marked for death, and on the trip to Trypticon, the group was attacked by soldiers loyal to Megatron. The group managed to escape to Burthov while Optimus stayed behind long enough to defeat the would-be assassins. Defiance #3

In the wastes of Burthov, Cliffjumper got the drop on the disenfranchised soldier Ironhide, who had quit Megatron's army in disgust. A brief standoff ensued where Ironhide was confident that his abundant weaponry would ensure Cliffjumper would not harm him, but the younger 'bot noted the cannons were all Ironhide had, and suddenly, his confederates sprung out of the ground to surround the old soldier. Ironhide wasn't in the mood to fight anyway, so the rebels took him to see Optimus Prime. Defiance #4 Cliffjumper was in a crowd of Autobots waiting for Optimus Prime's orders after the Decepticons launched the Nemesis into space. Foundation #3 Sometime later, with the war reaching its peak, Optimus Prime made the decision to capture the AllSpark and launch it into deep space, hopefully sparing Cybertron further devastation and giving his Autobots the breathing room they required. Defiance #4 Foundation #4

Cliffjumper participated in a mission to steal energon from the now Decepticon-controlled Trypticon. His team was ambushed by Shockwave's troops, and though Cliffjumper himself was shot in the chest by Shockwave, he lived to retreat and regroup. Rising Storm #2

Hyoh!

After the death of Megatron and the destruction of the AllSpark, Cliffjumper was part of an Autobot assault team on Mars under the command of Arcee. Together with his teammates, he attacked the Starscream's landed Decepticon starship. The Reign of Starscream #2 Cliffjumper and the others made short work of the Swindle, Dreadwing, and Payload drones that the Decepticons sent against them, but were unprepared for Thundercracker's sonic weaponry. Cliffjumper and Camshaft attempted to provide cover for Smokescreen to evacuate the fallen Air Raid, but Thundercracker killed Camshaft and wounded Cliffjumper. Saved from certain doom by Arcee, Cliffjumper turned the tides on the Decepticon, only to be shot in the back by Starscream. Arcee attempted to evacuate her wounded comrade, but was struck down by Starscream instead, leaving Cliffjumper's future looking grim. The Reign of Starscream #3 However, Soundwave only found corpses to two dead Autobots belonging to Air Raid and Camshaft, so Cliffjumper may have gotten better! Convergence chapter 4

Toy bios

Like Stinger, but sooner.

The Autobots depend on the brazen Cliffjumper to make the more collected of their enemies so angry that they mess up their own plans. At one point, Cliffjumper targeted Barricade, who—while physically Cliffjumper's equal or better—became extremely annoyed by the fact he could not match Cliffjumper's skill at insults. Cliffjumper Vs Recon Barricade

If Dead End and Cliffjumper weren't on opposite sides, they would get along swimmingly—because they're both dysfunctional jerks. As it happens, the extent of their interpersonal relationship involves Dead End trying to creep the short-tempered Cliffjumper out, which typically ends with Dead End getting punched in the face. Cliffjumper and Dead End

Games

Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (3DS)

Rise of the Dark Spark

Toys

Transformers (2007)

Legends Class

Where's my gun?

• Cliffjumper vs. Recon Barricade (Legends Class multi-pack, 2007)

Released as part of the AllSpark Battles assortment, Legends Class Cliffjumper is a redeco of Legends Bumblebee. His alternate mode is a fully licensed 1976 Chevrolet Camaro cast in red plastic with silver racing stripes on his hood. As part of the AllSpark Battles assortment, he came packed with Legends Class Recon Barricade, a redeco of the previously released Legends Class Barricade. Even though the packaging for the two-pack features the same elements as the AllSpark Power subline imprint, the packaging doesn't explicitly identify it as part of AllSpark Power.

• Cliffjumper (Legends Class, 2008)

An individually packaged release of the Legends class toy, available in European, Asian and Australasian markets instead of the AllSpark Battles two-pack.

• More information on Legends Cliffjumper at TFU.info

Deluxe Class

First is yellow, now is red, next is white!

• Cliffjumper (Deluxe Class, 2008)

• Accessories: Blaster cannon/blade

As part of the AllSpark Power refresh of the movie toyline, Cliffjumper is once again a red and silver Bumblebee redeco, this time of the Deluxe Camaro Concept Bumblebee toy and, naturally, transforms into the concept vehicle for the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro. He features two Automorphing gimmicks during transformation: (a) swinging his hood down into robot mode position also moves his arms up and (b), swinging his feet down will move the rear fenders up and behind his calves, as well as swinging the rear windows to his inner calves in a spring-loaded action.

Cliffjumper comes with a plasma cannon that he can hold in either hand. For added play value, the cannon can Automorph into an energy blade by opening up the halves of the gun barrel and swinging them back. Care should be taken while transforming the front clear window piece: At least one of the protruding panels can snap off if not done carefully.

Contrary to popular opinion, the red pieces on the back of Cliffjumper's feet are not supposed to be heel spurs, and they have not been mis-assembled. They are supposed to fold up to emulate the detail found on the CGI design for Bumblebee. Both the stock and prototype photos had the chest hood blocks mistransformed in robot mode. In comparison to the final product, the painted prototype also features additional light blue paint on the (unpaintable) thighs and lower knees, and black paint on the toes.

• More information on Deluxe Cliffjumper at TFU.info

Cyber Slammers

This is Red Turbo Ranger, I'm rollin' out!

• Cliffjumper (Cyber Slammer, 2007)

• Known designers: Bill Rawley (Hasbro)

Part of the fourth wave of Cyber Slammers toys, Cliffjumper is (natch) a redeco of the concept-Camaro Cyber Slammer Bumblebee. He has motorized action: When you push down on the car, it zooms forward and slowly pops into robot mode!

• More information on Cyber Slammers Cliffjumper at TFU.info

Bumblebee

With all the jokes the fans have been making, you'd think that all we Cliffjumpers do is die!

• Cliffjumper (Speed Series, 2018)

Speed Series Cliffjumper is a redeco of Bumblebee, transforming from robot into a licensed classic Volkswagen Beetle in just a few steps, and he features 3 mm compatible hands. Cliffjumper can also be attached to the Energon Igniters core, and due to the toy being lightweight, it can propel his vehicle mode forward very quickly. As the port is 5 mm compatible, Cliffjumper can mount other weapons with the same post size, making him an efficient weapon-towing vehicle. Due to being used for transformation, he features a pair of well-articulated legs, as long you don't mind the Energon Igniters port sticking out from his left knee. As with Bumblebee, Cliffjumper doesn't have any Autobot insignias tampographed or sculpted on.

As a redeco, Cliffjumper's toy is inaccurate to his brief appearance in the movie, and instead continues the legacy from the toys above. Cliffjumper uses the amended front window panel, allowing it to click freely without any problems.

Rather than an official announcement, Cliffjumper was included (in vehicle mode only) in two photos posted by Hasbro on their official Twitter account in early December 2018 that showcased a variety of toys related to the Bumblebee film (the same photos also revealed the existence of Nitro Series Blitzwing and Dropkick). He was found at retail in Australia a few weeks later, followed shortly afterwards by Germany and then the United States. Hasbro finally "acknowledged" the existence of the figure by displaying him at New York Toy Fair 2019 in February, while official stock photos weren't released until early April 2019.

Movie Edition

• Cliffjumper (Tiny Turbo Changers, 2019)

• Series: 5
• Bag code: E

Released in Series 5 of Tiny Turbo Changers, Cliffjumper is a red redeco of the Bumblebee figure from Series 4, transforming from a cutesy super-deformed classic Volkswagen Beetle into an equally cutesy robot with a few easy steps.

Studio Series

Replaces Jazz and Lockdown as the 50% off item.

• Cliffjumper (Deluxe Class, 2020)

• Movie: Bumblebee
• Hasbro ID number: 64
• TakaraTomy ID number: SS-53
• TakaraTomy release date: August 29, 2020
• Accessories: Gatling gun, "Cybertron Falls" backdrop (1st version)

Part of the tenth wave of Studio Series Deluxe Class toys, Cliffjumper is an extensive retool of Offroad Bumblebee from the same line, using the same arms, outer thighs, pelvis, and internal structures. In particular, Cliffjumper still has the molded hinge on the crotch that Bumblebee has, but without anything attached to it, with the flight stand post moved to his backpack. The reused arms also mean he can use the blade originally included with Studio Series 18 Bumblebee. Cliffjumper transforms into a red version of Bumblebee's Cybertronian car mode as seen in Bumblebee. He comes with a redeco of Offroad Bumblebee's gun (as opposed to the gun he used in the film based on the original cartoon) and a cardboard backdrop display depicting a war-torn Cybertron as it appears at the beginning of the film.

Cliffjumper's Japanese wave-mate, Overload was planned to be released in Japan on August 29, 2020, but was pushed up to the first of that same month for unknown reasons. Cliffjumper himself was released during the planned original release date of the 29th.

Merchandise

3D Battle-Card Game

He'd have jumped that cliff if he hadn't swerved.

• Cliffjumper (3D Battle-Card, 2007)

• Card number: 2

Cliffjumper is a 31-point "Common" piece in the 3D Battle-Card Game. Constructed of punch-out pieces from randomly packed plastic cards (two full robots per pack), he can be assembled into his car mode (resembling a BMW Z4) or into a rather stumpy robot mode. One of his blaster-weapons is held in his right hand, the other can mount on either shoulder.

He uses the same construction as the Jazz and Smokescreen cards. This style is similar to the one used by Barricade, Earth-mode Bumblebee, and Swerve.

Amusingly enough, Cliffjumper's 3D card robot mode is clearly designed after Alternators Swerve, though with a few movie-aesthetic concessions thrown in, mostly in the look of the feet. It's exceedingly likely the names of the two cards got mixed up, as card-game Swerve bears more than a passing resemblance to Bumblebee (and by extension, every other version of movie Cliffjumper).

His card art was done by Lucio Parrillo.

Robot Heroes

Dance, red boy, DANCE!

• Optimus Prime with Battle Damage & Cliffjumper (Best Buy Movie DVD Exclusive two-pack, 2007)

Robot Heroes Cliffjumper is a redeco of the first Bumblebee figurine, a non-transforming, super-cute rendition of the character. This figure was originally exclusive to the Best Buy USA release of the first movie DVD, along with a battle damaged version of Robot Heroes Optimus Prime.

• More information on Robot Heroes Cliffjumper at TFU.info

• Cliffjumper (Single-pack, 2008)

In some countries outside of North America, Cliffjumper was released individually in a blindpack with no notable changes.

Titanium Series

Wow. He really let himself go after the AllSpark Battles.

• Cliffjumper & Dead End (Two-pack, 2009)

• Accessories: Autobot symbol display stand

A red and black redeco of Bumblebee (in his '76 Camaro form), Titanium Series Cliffjumper is a non-transforming figurine made of plastic and die-cast metal. He is sculpted wielding a forearm-mounted weapon, and has articulation in his shoulders, neck and waist. Oh, and he comes with a movie-style Autobot logo base to stand on.

He was only available in a Toys"R"Us-exclusive two-pack with Dead End.

• More information on Titanium Series Cliffjumper at TFU.info

Trumpeter

• Cliffjumper (Smart Kit, 2022)

• Accessories: TBA

Released by Trumpeter, Cliffjumper is a pre-painted model kit based on his Cybertronian body from the Bumblebee movie. He measures approximately 9.1 cm tall and is well articulated. He comes with a gatling gun similar to Bumblebee's and a base.

This item is currently scheduled for release, but is not yet available at mass retail.

Notes

One bee, two bee, red bee, blue bee.

• An early ILM test animatic (first seen in Circuit City-exclusive web content, later in the "bonus" section of the official movie website) of Bumblebee in battle had 'Bee facing off against a red doppelganger. Hmmmm.
• With three toys, a Titanium figurine, a Robot Heroes figurine, and a Battle-Card, Cliffjumper has by far the most merchandise for a Transformers movie character not actually appearing IN the film. However, the increased popularity of Bumblebee prevented any further Cliffjumper redecos of Bumblebee toys from the Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon lines (with the exception of the Titanium figure), leading instead to a slew of increasingly insane same-character-in-slightly-varied-colors redecos of Bumblebee. Cliffjumper would eventually make his return to the movieverse in Bumblebee, with more toys redecoed from Bumblebee until the Studio Series figure.
• Furthermore, between his various toys, he shares two different Camaro alternate modes with Bumblebee. Is this supposed to imply that in a toy-only micro-continuity, he undergoes exactly the same upgrade from a 1976 Chevrolet Camaro into a modern Camaro concept vehicle?
• Unlike the other Autobots who were clearly shown to have been killed in The Reign of Starscream #3, Cliffjumper's status was ambiguous in the actual fiction. Chris Mowry claimed that Cliffjumper survived,^[2] and John Barber sneakily alluded to it years later for Convergence.
• Cover A of The Reign of Starscream issue 5 by Alex Milne depicts Cliffjumper among the Autobots in an Earth mode body based on his 2007 Deluxe Class toy, despite the fact (A) he has not made it to Earth and (B) does not even appear in this issue.
• Sticking to the trend, Cliffjumper's design in Bumblebee is a repaint of Bumblebee's Cybertronian body with a head based off his own Generation 1 namesake. According to Travis Knight, Cliffjumper's death was included in Bumblebee because his similarities to Bumblebee would set the stakes of the story: "You have to understand that if [Shatter and Dropkick] encounter [Bumblebee], things are not going to end well."^[3]

References