Metroplex

Metroplex is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series.

Transformers: Generation 1
Metroplex is capable of transforming into a battle station or a giant robot. Metroplex has three smaller autonomous components: Six-Gun: an Autobot who is formed from six of the battle station's guns combining with one of the city's towers, Scamper: an Autobot who transforms into a car, and Slammer: a tank which transforms into another of the city's skyscrapers.[1] [2]

Metroplex is considered the Autobots' last line of defense. He spends most of his time in city mode but has the ability to transform into a battle station or a colossal robot depending on the situation. He has been called upon to fight Trypticon on a few different occasions, often using full-body wrestling tactics rather than depending on firepower.

According to the one Japanese Comic Bom Bom article Metroplex is 800 meters tall.[3] In the Marvel U.K. Transformers comic however it says he's 698 feet (212.8 meters) tall.[4] He can lift 70,000 tons. His armor is the equal of any Transformer's; to merely scratch it would require at least a low-yield nuclear explosion. He has left shoulder-mounted twin high-energy MASER (microwave amplification through stimulated emission of radiation) cannons and a retractable omni-directional receiving and transmitting rod antenna in his right shoulder. His chest module contains a storage bay capable of holding a mid-size vehicle. In Autobot City mode, he has a helipad and ramps leading to the storage bay and various repair bays.[5] Although it is a common misconception that Metroplex is unable to fly, Metroplex was depicted as being able to fly in robot mode in the final episode of the Japanese exclusive Headmasters series as well as in the IDW comics.

Animated series
The volcano headquarters of the Autobots on Earth was destroyed in a Decepticon attack. Now, in the year 2006, Autobot City has become the new Autobot Earth base. Autobot City is also a Transformer, known as Metroplex, with the capacity to transform from city mode to a battle station, or to a giant robot. Metroplex is the Autobots' last line of defense, the robot they depend upon when all other options fail. When Metroplex transforms to a robot, some of his modular components form smaller, separate robots: Six-Gun, the ideal defensive battle scout, Slammer, the tank, and Scamper, the tough little car that berths in Metroplex's city ramp. To counter the power of Metroplex on Earth, the Decepticons have built Decepticon City, known as Trypticon. The city can transform to battle station mode, becoming a mobile menace with X-ray lasers and twin photon cannons. Trypticon also has a dinosaur mode, an immense walking reptilian form that crushes anything in its path. Metroplex and Trypticon are each other's deadliest enemies. Whenever they approach one another, they lock in battle and engage in incredible combat, and the victor and their epic struggles may someday turn the tide of battle in favor of either the Decepticons or the Autobots. Which will it be?Metroplex rose out of the ruins of Autobot City after the Battle of Autobot City. During that attack, he was seen transforming from city to battle station by manual control. During the fighting, his Transformation Cog was destroyed. After the battle, he received a new Cog with the help of Sky Lynx, Wheelie, Blurr, and Marissa Faireborn, and it was installed by Pipes. Unfortunately, Metroplex was unable to stop the newly-constructed Trypticon from destroying the Ark, but he did defeat the Decepticon afterwards and hurled the dinosaur into the ocean. The next time Metroplex is called into action was to stop Trypticon and Octane from stealing global monuments and bringing them to Carbombya in exchange for "super-energon". During a battle in Moscow, Metroplex caught the Kremlin which Trypticon hurled at him, and was then attacked by Russian troops. This led the Russians (and other humans) to believe that the Autobots were behind the thefts. All was set straight when the Autobots learned Trypticon's whereabouts in Carbombya and Metroplex defeated Trypticon again. Metroplex subsequently returned all of the monuments to their original residences.

When Starscream made his deal with Unicron for a new body, Unicron requested the eyes of Metroplex in one of the tasks. Starscream possessed the body of Scourge and infiltrated Metroplex, stealing one of his eyes but accidentally destroying the other. In a fit of rage, Metroplex unexpectedly transformed into robot mode and began shooting wildly at anyone in range. A bomb planted by Starscream knocked Metroplex unconscious and caused him to transform back to city mode. His eyes were rebuilt after Unicron's plan was foiled by the combination of some Autobots and Decepticons.

If Metroplex has any weakness, it is the fact that due to his sheer size he requires other Autobots to protect and maintain him when he is in city mode. The Starscream incident is one example, and another is the time when Swindle was able to steal the Transformation Cog while other Decepticons created a diversion. This once again left Metroplex vulnerable. The Autobots (with Spike and Daniel) retaliated by stealing Trypticon's Cog and installing it in Metroplex. The Decepticons naturally used Metroplex's Cog in Trypticon, and this allowed both to at least partially transform and fight each other. Metroplex was in danger of losing the battle when First Aid properly aligned Metroplex's new Cog. This enabled Metroplex to fully transform and defeat the giant dinosaur.

Metroplex is seen only a couple other times in the cartoon continuity. One was when he is attacked by Soundwave with the powerful 'harmonics'. The harmony shorted out Metroplex's circuits, who was saved only when Blaster attacked Soundwave and erased his tapes. Metroplex was also shown being shut down by Rodimus Prime during the Hate Plague outbreak, in order to keep him from also going berzerk and unleashing his power on everything.

Metroplex continued to appear in the Japanese Headmasters series. His role in the series was much the same as in series 3 of the American cartoon, battling Trypticon on numerous occasions.

After the death of Ultra Magnus, Metroplex was appointed the new Autobot Earth Commander by Fortress Maximus.