Springload (RID)

Springload is a Decepticon from the Robots in Disguise portion of the Aligned continuity family.

Ribbits in disguise.

Springload has issues. This Amphiboid continually obsesses over the mythical Cybertronian city of Doradus, dreaming of discovering the ancient city so that he can lay claim to its myriad riches and its legendary fountain of Energon. Most other Decepticons might write this off as a harmless hobby... until they actually meet him. Delusional and paranoid, Springload believes that he's been chosen by the spirits of Doradus, and that everyone—and everything—else is out to stop him from fulfilling his destiny. And if you're not with him, then you're obviously against him. Springload displays a capacity for violence that puts even his fellow Decepticons on edge, boasting a toxin-tipped tongue, a powerful kick, and acidic armor to keep his pursuers at arm's length.

Fortunately, Springload's unbalanced mental state makes him extremely gullible, so if you feed him the right information it's all too easy to get him onto your side. This might work in the short term, but as soon as Springload finds out he's been had then he'll have no qualms about kicking his would-be benefactor into next week.

Now loose on Earth, he's ready to keep indulging his dangerous compulsion... and Primus help anyone who tries to stop him.

Fiction

2015 Robots in Disguise cartoon

Voice actor: John Steven Rocha (English), Nobuo Tobita (Japanese), Su Xin (Chinese), Luca Ghignone (Italian), Olivier Francart (French, first voice), Frédéric Meaux (French, second voice), Michael Bauer (German), Héctor Moreno (Latin-American Spanish), Fábio Azevedo (Brazilian Portuguese)

That is not slime, you are secreting mucus.

Springload's long search for Doradus resulted in him trashing museum staff and guards alike. He was imprisoned aboard the Alchemor in a stasis pod, and broke free when the ship crashed on Earth. He resumed his search in a South American forest, attempting to interrogate stone carvings in the belief they knew where Doradus was. The Autobots Bumblebee and Strongarm tracked him down, pursuing him into a ruined temple. His acidic skin allowed him to break free of his pursuers and after the pair narrowly escaped a collapsing room, Springload believed they had died and become ghosts. Strongarm impersonated a spirit and told him he was unworthy to find Doradus, confusing Springload enough to allow Bumblebee to trap him in a stone box. Rumble in the Jungle

Springload was later released by Quillfire, whose pod had been damaged in an accident, allowing him to escape. Seeing the Amphiboid's ferocity, the cowardly Quillfire quickly convinced Springload to join him (and provide protection) by claiming he was in touch with the spirits of Doradus. Escaping the scrapyard, the two eventually broke into a nearby human military base and commandeer a giant experimental tank; Quillfire assured his increasingly skeptical partner that the human vehicle would carry them to Doradus.

Quillfire's attempt to find the rarest Pepe went horribly wrong.

The tank proved adept at keeping the Decepticons safe, up until the Mini-Cons Jetstorm and Slipstream were deployed, slipping into the control room. Springload wound up accidentally kicking Quillfire in the scuffle, who accused his partner of harming "the leader of the revolution". Realizing that his companion had been lying to him all this time, Springload attacked him, so the Mini-Cons opted to stand back and let the two Decepticons finish one another off. The fight ended with Springload thwapping a control panel with his tongue, electrocuting himself. The Mini-Cons then forced the now-quill-less Quillfire to carry Springload out of the tank, burning Quillfire's hands in the process. Both Decepticons were then put back into functional stasis pods. One of Our Mini-Cons Is Missing

After Steeljaw broke into the scrapyard, he deactivated Springload's stasis pod, alongside several others, as part of a bid to bolster Glowstrike's forces. When Thunderhoof brought up Steeljaw's past failures at leadership, Steeljaw informed the Decepticons of his alliance with Glowstrike, and gave them coordinates to follow while he remained at the scrapyard. The escapees later reconvened at Steeljaw's coordinates, where they was inspected by Glowstrike, who seemed pleased by the new cadre of "elite warriors". Misdirection

Nobody knew how to catch him! So clever and nimble-toed! They couldn't snitch or snatch him, that elusive Mr. Toad!

Convinced that Steeljaw would show him the way to Doradus, Springload was sent to a rail yard to secure some high-grade power cable, and managed to get the jump on Grimlock when the Dinobot found the cable first. As the tired Autobots managed to end up shooting each other instead of him, he jumped onto a nearby departing train and rode cackling into the night. Bumblebee's Night Off

Springload gathered with Steeljaw's other remaining followers on the roof of the Island, where Steeljaw updated them on his plans to overthrow Glowstike, until she and Saberhorn arrived to talk with Steeljaw alone. Portals

Tricksy Autobots!

For reasons unknown, Springload was not present when the Autobots raided "Decepticon Island" and flash-froze its criminal population, Decepticon Island (Part 2) and was therefore left at large on Earth. Months later, Springload found the Autobots fighting over an orb which he recognized as the Sphere of Doradus, a relic that—according to legend—contained a map to Doradus, revealed only to the one that would open it. The Sphere's mind-warping allure had the Autobots fighting each other to possess it, allowing Springload to snatch it away. His single-minded devotion to finding the city didn't so much shield him from the Sphere's effects as work in concert with them, thus he was able to operate at his normal manic level. He headed to the nearest particle accelerator, intending to use its energy beam to open the sphere and at last learn the location of Doradus. The meddling Autobots caught up with him again, and in the resulting struggle, the Sphere was smashed and Springload was captured. Set back yet again, Springload swore he would find Doradus someday... Sphere of Influence

Springload's stasis pod was later taken aboard Prime Force One by Optimus Prime and Drift. Moon Breaker

Signature Robots in Disguise comic

Springload cunningly clung to the side of that casket's lid and when the Autobots opened it to tip him into a stasis cell, he hopped it! The attempt to bring him in was undermined by Sideswipe ignoring orders, despite being unaware of what the Decepticon could do, such as "jump".

Luckily, the latest Crash Cragster film was being filmed nearby and Springload mistook the prop gold for real loot. Sideswipe, realising Springload was not quite in touch with reality, cornered him and then let him 'run away'... right into a studio set's wall, thinking it was outside. The Decepticon was knocked out and easily put in a stasis cell. Look Before You Leap

Games

Robots in Disguise mobile game

Toys

Kre-O

If Kermit turned into an evil transforming robot...

• Strongarm Capture Cruiser (2015)
  • Set Number: B1549
  • Kreons: Strongarm, Springload
  • Pieces: 105

Only available in the "Strongarm Capture Cruiser" set, the Springload Kreon uses the new 2015 style of Kreon hips and torso, with a hollow hip-peg and a central post inside the torso for increased grip... which also makes them incompatible with about four years' worth of Kreons.

As US retailers almost wholly passed on Kre-O, this set got released in Canada and various European and Asian markets only. In late 2015, TJ Maxx and Marshalls stores in the US started to get the 2015 Kre-O sets, including this one... though this and the "Sideswipe Roadway Rundown" set were seemingly released in smaller numbers than the rest.

Robots in Disguise (2015)

"Show design was clearly never intended to be a toy, but they made a game effort."--Dave Van Domelen (quote used with permission) (Hasbro version pictured)

(TakaraTomy version pictured)

• Springload (One-Step Changer, 2015-2016)

• Takara ID number: TED-19
• Takara release date: February 27, 2016

Part of the eighth wave of Robots in Disguise One-Step Changers, Springload transforms into sort of deformed pick-up truck that bears almost no resemblance to the pick-up truck in the cartoon. (If not for the rollbar struts in back to suggest a pickup bed, it'd be more of a muscle car.) His single-step transformation is hinged on his hindquarters: pulling his hindlegs out moves a spring-loaded (hah) gear system that flips the car hood back and releases his robot-mode legs. These legs actually dangle freely in robot mode, and require the weight of the figure upon them to set them in place. Thankfully they retract automatically when converting back to vehicle mode.

Also, Springload cannot accommodate with Stomp & Chomp Grimlock due to him being quadrupedal.

His scan-badge is right on the hood/beast-head, easily scannable in-package.

This figure was released twice: First in late 2015/early 2016 under the Mini-Con Weaponizers subline imprint, and then again in late 2016/early 2017 in the Combiner Force subline imprint packaging refresh.

The TakaraTomy version of the toy adds a fair amount of paint operations, and changes the scan-badge to work with the Adventure checklist app.

... Okay, maybe it was meant to be a toy.

• Springload (Legion Class, 2016)

Part of the first wave of Combiner Force Legion Class toys, Springload is a surprisingly show-accurate figure that manages to pull off transforming from a show-accurate pick-up truck to a mostly show-accurate robotic frog and back! He uses a lot of fake kibble to pull it off, and his face peeks out of his truck bed, but you don't care because he's awesome. Due to his transformation, he even has an articulated jaw so he can babble about Doradus like a maniac!

Much like the Warrior Class Starscream toy, Springload was released without the fandom even knowing he existed before he, erm, sprang up out of nowhere in Australia.

Springload's scan-badge is right on the hood/beast-head, easily scannable in-package. Like every Combiner Force toys, scanning it only gives you 5 (or slightly more) Ultra Sparks and 1 (or 2) Ticket(s).

Merchandise

Tiny Titans

That's it. Lick our logo.

• Springload (Tiny Titan, 2015)
  • Series: 3
  • Number : 11/12

Part of the third blind-bagged assortment of Tiny Titans, this is a small, soft-plastic figurine of Springload with an oddly-extended head, making him look more like a dragon than a frog. His colors are extremely inaccurate, with his entire body being gray.

He comes with a trading card with a scan-badge for the Robots in Disguise mobile game, which unlocks a random amount of Energon "currency" and a randomized bonus power-up item.

Notes

• In the Japanese dub, Springload's first-person pronouns alternate between "ora" (俺等/おら) or "ashi" (私/あし), and ended his sentences with "kero" (ケロ).

Foreign names

• Japanese: Springload (スプリングロード Supuringurōdo)
• Mandarin: Tántiàoxiá (China, 弹跳侠, "Springman")