Dino

Dino is an Autobot from the Movie continuity family.

"The cast was... full."

A vigorous warrior, Dino (aka Mirage) is always among the first on the battlefield thanks to his impatience. His peers would call him either bold or reckless, depending on who you ask. Luckily, none of them deny that his electro-disrupter—which enables him to become invisible and create holograms of himself—is of much use to the Autobots.^[1] Additionally armed with a dart rifle and a pair of curved blades, Dino is a sneaky robot not to be underestimated.

Whenever he's not invisible, he can usually be seen with his combat partner, Wheeljack. To accompany his Italian accent, he transforms into a red Ferrari 458 Italia.

Fiction

Movies

Dark of the Moon film

Voice actor: Francesco Quinn (English, Italian), Fumihiko Tachiki (Japanese), Zhang Yaohan (Chinese), Salvador Reyes (Latin American Spanish), Gonzalo Abril (Castilian Spanish), José Augusto Sendim (Brazilian Portuguese), Karl Schulz (German), İsmail Yıldız (Turkish)

He sounds Italian. After this we'll wage war with Italy!

Dino joined Que, Bumblebee and Sideswipe on a mission to take out an illegal nuclear weapons site in the Middle East. They were able to penetrate the base with ease thanks to Que disguising himself as the car of the country's Defense Minister, but Dino transformed to robot mode the instant they were through the barrier and, blades flashing, politely requested that the human guards lie on the ground while the Autobots went about their destructive business.

Ja, hey there.

Not long after, as the Autobots regrouped back at NEST's Washington headquarters, Dino informed Charlotte Mearing that Optimus Prime was in a bad mood over the discovery of a piece of Cybertronian technology he had found in Chernobyl, and wasn't talking to anyone, let alone her. Later, after the former Autobot leader Sentinel Prime was retrieved from the moon and reactivated, Dino observed his explanation of how his pillars were key to controlling the Space Bridge, a teleportation device Sentinel had designed that was crucial to the Autobot war effort.

Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to control your dog.

Dino and Sideswipe joined Bumblebee, Sam Witwicky, Seymour Simmons, and Dutch in following up on a lead to explain why humans were being killed by Decepticons. Dino and Sideswipe arrived at Sam's apartment in time to witness an argument between him and Carly, although completely unaware that Carly's car was in fact Soundwave in disguise. After the humans determined that the Decepticons were targeting Sentinel for his ability to control the Space Bridge, Dino helped to escort the ancient Autobot back to base. While on the highway, they were attacked by the Dreads, who had come to take Sentinel. During the chase, Dino dug his blades into Hatchet, and steered him into the firing line of the other Autobots before hurling him into oncoming traffic to finish him off, Dino arrived at the base with Bumblebee while Sideswipe and Ironhide finished off the rest of the Dreads. However, when they got there, Sentinel betrayed the Autobots, killed Ironhide, and took his pillars, revealing that he made a deal with Megatron to enslave mankind to rebuild Cybertron.

NEST and the Autobots pursued Sentinel Prime to Washinton D.C. Despite Optimus attempt to stop the ancient Autobot, Sentinel activated his bridge and brought an army of Decepticons through from the moon set up by Megatron. Dino arrived with Sideswipe, Bumblebee, Lennox and some NEST soldiers but were far outnumbered. As the Decepticon army ripped Washington apart, Optimus ordered the Autobots to retreat.

The big yellow cheese in front of the big red cheese.

Dino and the other Autobots were forced to leave Earth when the turncoat Sentinel Prime coerced the human governments to exile their protectors. As it was leaving Earth's atmosphere, the Autobot's ship, the Xantium, was destroyed by Starscream, and Dino was presumably killed along with his fellow Autobots. However, knowing that Sentinel and the Decepticons wouldn't honor their promise that humanity would not be harmed, the Autobots hid themselves into the boosters of their ship, and safely splashed down to Earth before the ship was destroyed. Dino and the Autobots rejoined their human allies from NEST and Sam Witwicky on the outskirts of Decepticon-controlled Chicago, now the center stage for Sentinel Prime and Megatron's plan to bring Cybertron to Earth.

Wait! I forgot my wallet, can you let me go now?

Dino and the Autobots drove down the streets heading to the pillars when a Driller commanded by Shockwave attacked the group. They managed to take shelter in a nearby building while they prepared for the next phase. After the NEST team had been equipped with new Boomsticks and Grapple gloves, the Wreckers provided a distraction for Shockwave allowing Dino and his companions enough time to get away.

Soon, four Autobots were captured by Decepticons commanded by Soundwave and Barricade. Bumblebee was soon after captured as well. As Dino struggled against his captors, the human traitor Dylan Gould convinced Soundwave to execute the Autobots, starting with Que. Dino and the others would have suffered the same fate as the Autobot scientist if not for the timely intervention of Wheelie and Brains, whose commandeered Decepticon mothership rained down fighters on Soundwave's forces, allowing the Autobots to turn the tables and destroy their captors.

Me first, me first!

Freed, Dino and the others joined NEST and the United States Army in an assault on the building with the pillars, where Dino went hand to hand with Decepticons between him and the pillars. At one point in the battle, Dino's left arm was badly wounded, limiting his fighting abilities.^[2] Eventually, the control pillar activating the space bridge was destroyed by Bumblebee and Ratchet and the Decepticon forces were destroyed. Now, with Earth truly their home, Dino approached his battle-worn comrades at the battle's end. Dark of the Moon

Age of Extinction film

Five years after the Battle of Chicago, Mirage^[3] was not listed as "deceased" by the CIA taskforce, Cemetery Wind.^[4] Age of Extinction

IDW movie comics

Scusi?

When Sam Witwicky and Bumblebee were being menaced by Decepticons after their small companion Brains, Mirage and Wheeljack arrived for the save. Mirage taunted and injured Sonar while cloaked, and demanded the remaining Decepticons bring it on as he revealed himself. Rising Storm #2

Using his invisibility to his advantage, he fought the Decepticons together with Bumblebee and Wheeljack until Optimus Prime arrived with reinforcements from NEST, during which he tricked Bludgeon into shooting Storm Surge and pestered Tankor. Rising Storm #3

Mirage's luck ran out when Shockwave arrived on the scene and blasted him and Wheeljack, leaving them terribly injured. Ratchet could save their lives, but was unsure if they'd end up looking the same after his repairs. Rising Storm #4

Toy bios

With his incredible talent for stealth, Mirage would be the ultimate spy. However, he would much rather be in the thick of a fight, moving silent and invisible through a melee to strike where the enemy is weakest. Cyberverse Mirage

Games

Transformers: Dark of the Moon - The Game

Voice actor: Dave Wittenberg (English), Jorge Teixeira (Castilian Spanish), Guillaume Lebon (French)

Xbox 360/PS3

You ruined my vacation!

Sideswipe went missing after being tasked with investigating Decepticon activity in Central America, and Mirage was tasked with the mission of finding Sideswipe and completing the investigation. Along the way he encountered Starscream, who tried kill Mirage with mines, but failed. Starscream instead threw Mirage off a bridge into a ravine and believed him to be dead.

Fly away little rocket, fly away.

Mirage survived, but his weapons and transformation systems were damaged, leaving his camouflage system the only one he could use. He managed to sneak past all the Decepticons on patrol and discovered the entrance to an ancient Mayan temple which had Decepticon markings all over it, suggesting the Mayans built their temples on top of Decepticon technology. The NEST team sent weapons and repairs for Mirage deep within the jungle where he eventually met up with Bumblebee. The two Autobots then made their way through the ruins and battled a Decepticon Enforcer on top of a temple. After defeating him, Mirage freed Sideswipe from captivity, but came under fire from other Decepticons, when NEST Major Reynolds sent air support and aided the trio.

Sideswipe suspected that the ruins were built over some sort of Cybertronian space port, and the Autobots made their way deeper into the ruins, where Starscream was trying to launch a Decepticon ship into space. They battled Starscream, but were unable to prevent the launch. The Decepticon second-in-command retreated. Mirage reported this to Optimus who began to track it. Dark of the Moon

Autobots/Decepticons

Wait, does this mean I'm Deadpool now?

Mirage found Ratchet in a state because the Decepticons were up to something at a NEST construction site, and they kept creating diversions to keep the Autobots away. Mirage went to investigate and found Lockdown running around. After tangling with the Decepticon once, Mirage was again interrupted by Ratchet with the news that Lockdown had infiltrated an Autobot base and interfered with the communications system, requiring Mirage to go around fixing the satellite dishes. After Starscream stole a piece of Mechtech with a tracking system in it, the Autobots traced him to Siberia, and Mirage scouted out the area while fighting Decepticons. Dark of the Moon: Autobots/Decepticons

Toys

Cyberverse

Be thankful that I even got a toy.

• Mirage (Cyberverse Legion Class, 2012)

• Series / Number: 2 / 008
• Accessories: Blaster
• Known designers: Joe Kyde (Hasbro)

Part of the second wave of Series 2 Cyberverse Legion Class toys, Mirage is a redeco/retool of Revenge of the Fallen Legends Class Sideways, transforming into an unlicensed mock Audi R8. The retool was principally to give him hands and 3mm ports capable of holding Cyberverse weapons, such as his translucent red "blaster", a sword which can sort of be used as a blaster when turned around. The "blaster", in the same colors, was carried by Cliffjumper and Ratchet, while differently-colored versions were each used by Quickblade Bumblebee and the single-release redeco of Knock Out.

The United States market release of Mirage used the template for the Transformers: Prime-based Series 2 Cyberverse Legion Class packaging style but lacked the "Prime" moniker. The multilingual European market packaging, meanwhile, retained the Prime title, thus arguably making it a separate character.

The original version of this sculpt was also used to make Override, while the retooled version was also used for Age of Extinction Stinger.

• More information on Mirage at TFU.info

Movie Advanced Series

Be thankful that I got a toy that scales.

• Autobot Dino (Deluxe Class, 2014-06-21)

• ID number: AD16
• Accessories: Armblades
• Known designers: Hironori Kobayashi (deco artist)

Released in June 2014 in Japan, Movie Advanced Series Deluxe Class Dino is a red redeco and retool of Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Class Sideways. He features Automorph action during the conversion from car to robot mode. When the front bumper is pressed, his front pair of wheels automatically flip underneath the hood, and his robot abs flip down. There is also some Mech Alive: you can see internal gears moving in his fore-arms when moving his arms, as well as a turning disk on each of his elbows. On his right arm is a spinning "saw" blade. Like the Legion Class figure, He transforms into an unlicensed approximation of an Audi R8.

In addition to his new, movie-accurate head sculpt, Dino also comes with removable arm blades to simulate the ones he had in the movie. As Sideways' mold was not designed to hold weapons, Dino's blades makes use of the mold's existing pegs for transformation to attach to his wrists. The original version of this sculpt was also retooled into Revenge of the Fallen Dead End.

(Yeah, we're not sure how this got made either).

• More information on Movie Advanced Series Dino at TFU.info

Movie Edition

Be thankful that I have not been forgotten.

• Autobot Dino (Tiny Turbo Changer, 2018)

• Series: 3
• Bag Code: G

Released as part of the third series of Tiny Turbo Changers, "Autobot Dino" is a red redeco of the Hot Rod toy released in series 2, sharing the same deco pattern from the original mold.

(And we thought we would never see a new toy of Dino again).

Studio Series

Be thankful!

• Autobot Dino (Deluxe Class, 2021)

• Movie: Dark of the Moon
• Hasbro ID number: 71
• TakaraTomy ID number: SS-66
• TakaraTomy release date: July 31, 2021
• Accessories: 2 arm blades, "High Speed Chase" backdrop
• Known designers: Sam Smith (Hasbro), Ittoku Kuwazu (TakaraTomy)^[5]

Studio Series "Autobot Dino" is the first toy of the character to be a new mold, transforming from a robot accurate to his appearance in Dark of the Moon into a genericized pseudo-Ferrari similar to his vehicle mode in the Dark of the Moon video game. The vehicle mode design is due to the Ferrari toy license being exclusively held by Maisto at the time of release.^[6] He comes with two arm blades and a cardboard backdrop display depicting the Dread chase scene from the film.

When transforming into car mode, the instructions tell you to insert his arm blades after collapsing his arms, which requires you to try to tuck the blades under the arms. Therefore, it is better to store the blades before transforming the arms to give yourself ample clearance. In an undocumented feature, the blades have small tabs which fit into slots on the roof for storage in either mode.

Merchandise

Speed Stars

He'll be seein' red.

• Mirage (2011)

• Series: Trans Scan
• Number: 2 of 3

Mirage is one of three "die-cast" cars in the Trans Scan Series. In car mode he's mostly translucent red plastic and his robot mode is sculpted underneath. Due to licensing reasons noted below, his alt mode is just an approximation of a Ferrari 458 Italia instead of the actual vehicle.

His assortment got a very limited release, showing up at stores like ShopKo and HEB Grocery. Despite this, Mirage and the rest of the Speed Stars did get a very wide release in Mexico.

Like a number of Speed Star vehicles, there are differences between the figure shown on the cardback and the finished product. The cardback depicts him using a solid black robot mode template of the type used in the previous film... complete with Decepticon faction symbol above his head rather than a screw, raising some definite questions concerning whether or not the robot mode was meant to be used with Mirage in the first place, and if it was why such a symbol was chosen. The final product switched to a silver robot mode template that now has the screw over his head, but the robot mode itself is unchanged, paint apps and all.

Notes

• Even though early toys, contemporary media, and his Age of Extinction playing card^[3] refer to the character as "Mirage", this page is named "Dino" because that name is the one used on-screen in the Dark of the Moon film and has resurfaced years later with recent toys.
  • Dino's name pays tribute to Alfredo "Dino" Ferrari. Hasbro's greatest competitor Mattel had an exclusive license for Ferrari toys at the time of the film's release.^[7] Therefore, Ferrari did not want their product placement sporting the name of a Hasbro toy's trademark,^[8] explaining why the character is never called "Mirage" in the film.
• Call sheets for Dark of the Moon referred to Dino/Mirage under the early working name Enzo, a reference to Dino Ferrari's father Enzo.^[9] Another working name for the character was Rush.^[10]
• Much like his on-screen name, Mirage's Italian accent had to be approved by Ferrari, who wanted him not to have a cheesy Hollywood "Italian" accent.^[11]
• In Dark of the Moon, Dino sports an Italian/European Union license plate (registered in the province of Catania), "CT 41401", in vehicle mode.^[12] The colors are (deliberately) incorrect, though: Instead of black text on a white background, with a European "blue band" containing the European flag (a circle consisting of twelve yellow stars) on the left and a second blue band containing a yellow circle on the right, Dino's plate is essentially a negative monochrome version, with silver text on a black background, silver bands on both sides, a European flag consisting of twelve black stars on the left and a black circle on the right. In addition, this plate uses an outdated numeration system for Italian license plates, which was replaced in 1994 with an "AA 000 AA" format related to the car registration, which omits any explicit reference to the place of origin.^[13]
• The "cardboard head on a stick" prop used for Dino during the shooting of the movie (a common method used for the movies to give the actors something to react to) can be spotted in the final edit of Dark of the Moon.^[14]
• Attinger's playing card of Dino/Mirage was revealed in a prop auction for the Transformers film series held in 2019.^[15]

Foreign names

• Japanese: Mirage (ミラージュ Mirāju), Dino (ディーノ Dīno)
• Mandarin: Huànyǐng (幻影, "Mirage"), Dino (迪諾 Dínuò), Kǒnglóng (恐龙, "Dinosaur")

References