Leadfoot (DOTM)

Leadfoot is an Autobot from the Dark of the Moon portion of the movie continuity family.

BotCon's most popular cosplay subject.

Leadfoot is one of the Wreckers, a group of former engineers turned fighters who have turned their talents to kicking Decepticon tail across the galaxy. His specialty is building bigger and better weapons, WITH SCIENCE! Unsurprisingly, this vocation has led him to strike up a friendship with the Autobots' resident weapons-hound Ironhide. The way the two egg each other on towards bigger and better "boom-sticks", the other Autobots fear one day waking up to find a smoking crater where their workshop once stood.

Sometimes he takes Sideswipe's name, and sometime's he's known as Flash.

Fiction

Movies

Dark of the Moon film

Voice actor: John DiMaggio (English), Hiroshi Iwasaki (Japanese), Raúl Solo (Latin American Spanish), Ángel Del Río (Castilian Spanish), Renzo Stacchi (Italian), Klaus Lochthove (German), Serge Biavan (European French), Ricardo Schnetzer (Brazilian Portuguese), Aziz Güngör (Turkish)

Get in mah belleh!

Leadfoot, Topspin and Roadbuster, collectively known as the Wreckers, by Charlotte Mearing, had arrived with the second wave of Autobots aboard the Autobot ship, the Xantium, and were rarely let off of the NASA base because of their attitude. They would spend most of their time working on repairing their ship along with some human engineers, including Robert Epps.

When Sentinel Prime announced that the current occupation force of Autobots was to be exiled or the Earth would face the wrath of hundreds of Decepticons, the three prepared the ship for launch and accompanied Optimus Prime and the others aboard, sending the ship into the atmosphere - where it was then targeted and blown to smithereens by Starscream, seemingly killing all the Autobots aboard. Undaunted by this, the Autobot's human allies nonetheless tried to launch an incursion into Decepticon-held Chicago.

Fortunately for them, the Autobots were not actually aboard the ship, and had only feigned their deaths in order to keep the Decepticons from following up on their global threat. Leadfoot and the other Wreckers swung into action immediately, rescuing Epps, Sam Witwicky and a group of soldiers from a Decepticon fighter and executing the pilot. Leadfoot revealed that they had hidden in the Xantium's booster rocket which had separated moments before the ship's destruction, stating that they weren't going anywhere.

While the Autobots were scouting a route to the building containing Sentinel's Space bridge pillars, Shockwave and his pet Driller separated Optimus from his weapons trailer. Optimus ordered Leadfoot and the other Wreckers to create a distraction so that he could retrieve it, and in their armored race car forms fired at Shockwave with their machine guns until being forced to retreat, leaving behind Wheelie and Brains, who had hitched a ride with them. After Optimus had become snared in a construction site's cables, the Wreckers set out to free him. After doing so they rejoined the battle, battling against Devcon. After the battle Leadfoot stood with the other survivors, accepting that Cybertron was gone forever and that Earth was their new home. Dark of the Moon (film)

Age of Extinction film

They're savages, savages
Barely even human!

Voice actor: Robert Foxworth (English, see notes), Jin Urayama (Japanese), Alain Dorval (French), Juan Carlos Gustems (Spanish), Jan Spitzer (German), Angelo Nicotra (Italian), Robert Tondera (Polish)

After the battle for Chicago, Harold Attinger's "Cemetery Wind" was tasked with hunting down the surviving Decepticons on Earth, but also hunted down the Autobots as well. Leadfoot received a message from Optimus Prime, instructing all Autobots to flee for their lives. Leadfoot did so, but Attinger's agents eventually caught up with him. Despite trying to reason with his assailants and attempting to fight back, Leadfoot was brutally killed, and his body's materials were harvested by KSI.

Five years later, Cade Yeager found surveillance footage of Leadfoot's demise, and showed it to the surviving Autobots. Upon watching the footage, Hound sadly took off his hat and held it over his spark in respect for his fallen friend, bitterly cursing the humans responsible as "savages". So deeply hurt that he had to turn away from the footage, Optimus Prime decided that enough was enough: he would revoke his vow to never kill humans to make Attinger pay for his atrocities with his life. Optimus made good on that vow when much later, he killed Attinger and Lockdown in battle. Age of Extinction

Target.com profile

Leadfoot single-handedly stormed Kaon to rescue a group of Autobot prisoners, defeating or destroying a number of Decepticons, including dueling and defeating Space Case, busting up the Decepticon's mental circuits in the process. He was then personally recruited for the Wreckers by Ironhide.

He had since used his mechanical skills to improve the performance of both of Ironhide's arm cannons, as well as reconfigure his companion Steeljaw into a souped-up engine. The Story of Leadfoot

The Creation Revoltech!

Leadfoot and the other Wreckers cheered Optimus Prime on when he used the power of the Revoltech Unit to send Megatron packing. The Creation Revoltech!

Age of Extinction tie-in websites

Flash went on the run with the rest of the Autobots and in 2014, he was pursued by the NYPD from Grand Central Station to the Chrysler Building. He escaped but not before one badass New Yorker, in their own words, "flipped him off something fierce". Transformers Are Dangerous At some point, he was found and killed by the Cemetery Wind. The Autobots found out about his death through the KSI drone and mourned him.^[1]

Games

Bot Shots Battle Game!

Leadfoot participated in numerous one-on-one matches against other Autobots and Decepticons, using his fists, his sword, or his gun to defeat his opponents. Sometimes, he even faced off against himself! Bot Shots Battle Game!

Toys

Dark of the Moon

Cyberverse

I'm tubby and short and stubby!

• Leadfoot (Cyberverse Legion Class, 2011)

• Series: 1
• Number: 007
• Japanese ID number: CV17
• Known designers: Joe Kyde (Hasbro)

Part of the second wave of Dark of the Moon Cyberverse Legion single-pack toys, Leadfoot is a Legends-scale figure that transforms into a NASCAR Sprint Cup Chevy Impala stock car, specifically Juan Pablo Montoya's Target-sponsored #42 car, albeit heavily modified with a ridiculous amount of exposed (non-firing) weaponry and all the various sponsor logos concealed by the modifications. Present on the both sides of the car doors is the Sprint Cup logo found on all the Wreckers.

• More information on Legion Leadfoot at TFU.info

...and now a corporate whore!

• Leadfoot and Ironhide (Target exclusive Cyberverse 2-pack, 2011)

• Accessories: Cyberverse blaster

Leadfoot comes as a Target-exclusive repaint of the legion figure. His entire hood is now painted red, with the Target Bulls-eye logo prominently displayed. The Sprint Cup logos are moved from his doors to the front fender, and his face and windshield lack the standard release's silver paint operations. Other minor changes include the addition of a small Autobot insignia on his forehead, and the omission of the large Autobot insignia on the left of his left leg. He comes with Machine Wars Megaplex's two-piece rifle and a redeco of Ironhide.

This set also sold in Turkey as a Carrefour exclusive.

• More information on Target Legion Leadfoot at TFU.info

Deluxe Class toys

Well, bite my shiny metal - OH, NOOO!!!!

• Leadfoot (MechTech Deluxe Class, 2011)

• Japanese ID number: DA34
• Accessories: MechTech Cannon/Power Saw, two small guns, one large gun

Released November 17th in Japan, TakaraTomy's single release of MechTech Deluxe-Class Leadfoot was significantly altered from its planned US Target two-pack release (see below), removing all sponsor logos and racing numbers but adding silver paint to the head and shoulders of the robot mode. Like the canned US release, it also includes a redeco of Ratchet's MechTech saw.

The TakaraTomy stock photography of this toy (seen to the left) did not feature its pair of hood-mounted white Autobot symbols, the white stripes on the transformed rear fenders, the additional silver paint or the MechTech weapon.

This release comes packed with a character card and an accompanying transparent plastic card of his MechTech weapon for the MechTech Wars online game. His weapon accessories were later reused for Movie the Best Bumblebee & Ratchet.

He is really tiny compared to almost all Deluxes.

• More information on Deluxe class Leadfoot at TFU.info

I'm forty percent lead-belly!

• Autobot Team Racers (Target exclusive MechTech Deluxe 2-Pack, 2011)

• Accessories: MechTech Cannon/Power Saw, two small guns, one large gun

This two-pack was originally represented at the BotCon 2011 Hasbro slide show by stock photography of an unaltered deluxe Topspin (as a new character named Twin Twist) and, uh, Human Alliance Leadfoot (with the text underneath the photo calling it a Deluxe). A later eBay auction of this two-pack revealed that Leadfoot would have come with a completely unaltered Topspin figure (instead of Twin Twist), while Leadfoot himself would have featured his racing numbers and sponsor logos, such as the bullseye on his gut. Like a handful of other Dark of the Moon products (such as Deluxe Wheeljack), the two-pack's US release was canceled, but unlike those toys, the "Autobot Team Racers" set didn't come out anywhere else in the world either.

Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Human Alliance

Was anyone surprised that this was a Target exclusive?

Was anyone surprised that this wasn't a Target exclusive?

• Leadfoot / Sergeant Detour & Steeljaw (Human Alliance, 2011)

• Japanese ID number: DA30
• Accessories: Missile, leash
• Known designers: Andrew Scribner (deco artist)

Human Alliance Leadfoot transforms into the same NASCAR Chevy Impala as the Cyberverse toy, although this one does not have any robotic bits showing in car mode. He comes with Sergeant Detour and Steeljaw.

As usual, Sergeant Detour (or any other Human Alliance driver figure) can sit on the seats in vehicle mode or peg onto the robot's hands. He can also man two flip-out guns on Leadfoot's hood-chest as well as ride Steeljaw in his cyber-dog mode.

Steeljaw can convert into a weapon, which is basically his head flipped up and the limbs arranged into a crossbow-shaped missile launcher. The weapon itself can be pegged onto either Leadfoot's forearm or back via MechTech ports. Steeljaw also includes a detachable chain 'leash' which can peg to Steeljaw and be pegged into Leadfoot's hand. The leash itself stores in Leadfoot's right arm.

Finally, as with all of the large Human Alliance figures, he has a gimmick concerning his head. It's essentially the same gimmick as Jazz's and Roadbuster's: when a lever on the back of his head is flipped, he dons a pair of visor-like "sunglasses".

There are also hundreds of ways that Leadfoot's beer-belly and door chest can be arranged.

One can store the missile by pegging it onto the thin ridge on the underside of Leadfoot's crotch in either mode. Somewhat unfortunately, it's not very subtle, with the missile proudly sticking out and erect between the seats in vehicle mode. Even more unfortunately, it's Leadfoot's crotch, so storing the missile in robot mode will make Leadfoot particularly happy to see you. Also notable is that his top-heaviness makes him prone to falling over when standing completely straight. Placing him in an action-oriented pose can remedy this.

There are two deco variants of Leadfoot: A Target-exclusive version with the Target logos, car numbers, and other sponsors perfectly visible, especially the bullseye logo on his gut, and the TakaraTomy version that's been completely de-sponsored, lacking all of his markings, making the car look very bare as a result. In exchange, the entire car shell has received a shiny coat of paint, and the robot mode's lower legs, forearms and head are painted silver.

The Japanese release comes packed with a character card for the MechTech Wars online game. Interestingly, the card still shows Leadfoot with all of his markings, but with the Target logo on his chest lacking the inner circle, essentially just being a ring.

• More information on Human Alliance Leadfoot at TFU.info

Bot Shots

• Leadfoot (Bot Shot, 2012)

• Series: 1
• Number: B015
  • Fist strength: 425
  • Blaster strength: 445
  • Sword strength: 750

Part of the fourth wave of Bot Shots, Leadfoot transforms into a grey and red sports car with a spoiler and MechTech-style deployed weapons. A sharp impact to his front bumper will cause him to spring into robot mode. He is loosely-based on Dark of the Moon Leadfoot.

This mold was also used to make Dead End.

• More information on Bot Shots Leadfoot at TFU.info

Kre-O

"Is that Leadfoot?" "They made him use Swipe's name." "Savages."

• Lockdown Air Raid (2014)

• Set number: A6956
• Pieces: 203
• Kreons: Hound, Lockdown, Sideswipe
• Accessories: Blaster

Named "Sideswipe" for reasons nobody can discern (this was the same year they named a Punch Kreon "Nightbeat"), the Kre-O version of Leadfoot has a ferrous-metal backpack that lets him be "grabbed" by the magnetic capture claw on Lockdown's ship, or fake-mauled by the magnets embedded in the various Kre-O Dinobots in many sets. He uses the "Transformer" style blaster new to the 2014 sets.

Also inexplicably, he has the number "41" on the torso rather than his standard "42".

Studio Series

Dabbin' at what the humans call "haters".

• Leadfoot (Deluxe Class, 2020)

• Movie: Dark of the Moon
• Hasbro ID number: 68
• TakaraTomy ID number: SS-58
• TakaraTomy release date: November 28, 2020
• Accessories: 2 missile pods, 2 guns w/ strips, gatling gun, Steeljaw figure, "Battle of Chicago" backdrop (1st version)

Studio Series Leadfoot is heavily accurate to his appearance in Dark of Moon, transforming from a robot to a heavily-armored version of Juan Pablo Montoya's Target-sponsored #42 NASCAR Sprint Cup Chevy Impala stock car. Just like his fellow teammates, his wheels feature "ULTRA" and "WRECKERS" labels. He comes with two missile racks, two chain guns, a Gatling gun, a non-transforming figure of Steeljaw, and a cardboard backdrop display depicting a war-torn Chicago.

This character is a Target exclusive in the US... for obvious reasons. In Canada, this figure is a Toys"R"Us exclusive. It was announced on the official Transformers Instagram, with pre-orders opening 9AM EST on the Target Website on July 21st, 2020 and appearing on store shelves in September. Unlike the Human Alliance toy, the Japanese release of the toy retains the Target logo marking.

Merchandise

Speed Stars

Mini-Vehicles

• Leadfoot (2011)

• Series: Stealth Force
• Number: 4 of 5

Speed Stars Leadfoot is a non-transforming NASCAR Sprint Cup Chevy Impala stock car with a sculpted robot mode relief on his underside, and has a deco similar to his Target-exclusive versions. He was sold exclusively at Target, generally in the stocking-stuffer section. In addition to the usual numbers on the bottom of the robot mode (12201 in white paint and #34230 stamped in), he also has the word "Target" stamped in as well.

• More information on Speed Stars Leadfoot at TFU.info

Let's see what you can see... This article is in need of images.

Notes

• Leadfoot is the odd man out amongst the NASCAR trio in that his real-world counterpart was owned by Earnhardt Ganassi Racing (now Chip Ganassi Racing, which actually left NASCAR after the 2021 season), while Roadbuster and Topspin are based on Hendrick Motorsports racers.
  • Leadfoot's also the only one of the three whose NASCAR livery was original to the film, with the real-world car lacking the large swaths of black across the quarter panels.
• It sure is convenient that Leadfoot's Cyberverse toy conspicuously covers up those giant Target logos, isn't it? Much easier to sell toys at Walmart that way.
• Like his fellow Wreckers, Leadfoot appears to be patterned after a balding, bearded, sunglasses-wearing, beer-gutted NASCAR fan stereotype.
• As part of the promotions for Dark of the Moon, the film prop versions of Leadfoot, Roadbuster, and Topspin made appearances at the 2011 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 20th. They appeared both off the track as display cars, and on the track, participating in the ceremonial first lap.

So, he's basically a naked, fat, bearded and dirty man with a slobbering dog......creepy.

• Contrary to the various images above, the headlights on real-world NASCAR racers don't work. They're actually just decals.
• Despite already sporting Chevrolet Impala kibble in robot mode, Leadfoot's concept art featured sponsor decals that were based on the 2008 season's Target-sponsored #41 Dodge Charger driven by Reed Sorenson, the concept art even featured him with the backlights of the Dodge Avenger.^[2]
• Early working names for him included Flash.^[2] In the movie's end credits, he's listed under two names, Leadfoot/Target, the latter referring to his NASCAR vehicle mode's primary sponsor. While Dark of the Moon neglected to personally name the three Wreckers, Age of Extinction has him named by a grieving Hound.
  • This can be seen in the Transformers Collector Cards from Topps, where the card that depicts the scene in which Leadfoot's death is shown refers to him as Flash. Oops.
• No actor is credited as Leadfoot in Age of Extinction, but it's certainly not DiMaggio (who incidentally voiced Crosshairs in the same movie). His single line ("I'm an Autobot!") was originally recorded by Robert Foxworth for Ratchet's death scene, and would seem to have been reused by the editors for Leadfoot's, with the dubbers following suit.
• Attinger's playing card of Leadfoot was revealed in a prop auction for the Transformers film series held in 2019.^[3][4]
  • While he is confirmed to be dead on-screen, Attinger's card deck uses does not list Leadfoot as deceased.^[5] Either the card itself is a continuity error, or Attinger's deck was made at some point prior to Leadfoot's execution.
• While his vehicle mode prop was spotted during filming of Age of Extinction, in the final film he only (briefly) appears in robot mode.^[6][7]
• Concept art was produced of Leadfoot and his dog's protoform stages, but ultimately never made its way into the film proper.
• In The Last Knight, Topspin has gained a new head resembling Leadfoot's.
• Of course the Wrecker who dies is the one with the giant literal target painted on his chest.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Leadfoot (レッドフット Reddofutto)
• Hungarian: Padlógáz ("Full Throttle")

References