Tailspin is a minor character in Generation One of the Transformers franchise. He was based on a figure from the 1989 toyline.
Biography[]
Tailspin's first appearance chronologically was in the Marvel UK story "A Small War", which showed him as one of the first Micromasters created by the Autobots on Cybertron. After the Battle Patrol were captured by Thunderwing's Decepticons in order to be reverse-engineered to create their own Micromasters, Tailspin and the others were sent to destroy the Decepticon base, including their captive comrades. None of them liked the order and Tailspin told team leader Roadhandler that they would all back whatever decision he made. Roadhandler eventually chose to rescue the Battle Patrol, despite it meaning the Decepticons got the information they were after.
Tailspin made his first Marvel US appearance in Issue #54, when he was sent to Earth along with the rest of the Race Car Patrol and the Off Road Patrol in response to Optimus Prime's request for reinforcements. They were sent to investigate suspected Decepticon activity in the New Jersey swamps. Patrolling the roads nearby, Tailspin and the rest of his patrol encountered journalist Cecilia Santiago, who told them of a plan by the Decepticons to channel all the energy of a storm through the Empire States Building, destroying a huge chunk of New York. The four Autobots made it to the top of the building where Roadhandler stopped Decepticon Iguanus planting a crucial electro-stator, meaning the storm's energy failed to strike where intended.
Afterwards, Tailspin and the other Micromasters remained in New York as part of Roadhandler's attempt to build better relations with humans, catching human criminals alongside Mudslinger. When Roadhandler was challenged to a wrestling match by Decepticon Micromaster Storm Cloud, Swindler had Tailspin and Highjump escort two boys the Autobots had befriended to safety, when the Decepticons tried to capture them to force Roadhandler to throw the bout. Nevertheless, Roadhandler realised they were putting any humans who associated with them at risk and departed the scene.
The UK story "(Double)deal of the Century" saw Tailspin and the rest of his patrol back working with Optimus Prime and accompanying him to a meeting with Chainclaw, a courier from Cybertron. They were duped by Doubledealer, a mercenary who was both Autobot and Decepticon, who kidnapped Chainclaw and ransomed him to the Autobots while selling the plans he had been carrying to Scorponok's Decepticons, resulting in Tailspin and the others directing their anger at him.
