Seaspray (Transformers Prime)

Be as unyielding as the ocean waves and your enemies shall fall.

Name: Seaspray
Aliases: Ol' barnacle butt (according to Bulkhead)
Allegiance: Autobots
Function: Naval Warfare
Sub-group: Wrecker
Timeline: Aligned Continuity

Toyline: While there is no official toy of Transformers Prime Seaspray, the toy you see photos of in this article post is the Seaspray released in the Transformers Hunt for the Decepticons toyline.

Profile:

Decepticons throughout the galaxy shudder in fear at the name of Seaspray. The mere sound of his whistle, heralding his arrival on the battlefield, had famously routed some of the most resolute Decepticon units. Seaspray was a veteran member of the Wreckers and one of the most powerful Autobots, a hero who glided across Cybertron's rust seas like a gleaming bullet and then, later, the spaceways of seven star systems in his ship, the Alana. With such a fearsome reputation, most would have expected Seaspray to act like a grim and grizzled veteran, but he had a hale and hearty attitude brimming with cheer and enthusiasm. In battle, this was replaced with a dogged determination never exemplified more thoroughly than his hunt for the giant Sharkticon, the Leviacon, or his seven solar cycle long duel with the butcher of the bogs himself, Snaptrap.

Indeed, Seaspray was so formidable that it took an act of cowardice to finally destroy him. The Decepticon Dreadwing concealed a bomb on the Alana, and Seaspray perished when it exploded. Or did he? To this day, reports still occasionally speak of outposts of Decepticons found slain by weapons resembling Seaspray's signature harpoons. Rare survivors of these massacres speak of a chilling sound that preceded the carnage - a whistle upon the wind.

Abilities:

As a hovercraft, Seaspray was capable of speeds up to 150 knots on water (120 knots on land) with a 4,000 mile range. His rear bay gave him the ability to transport troops, cargo or munitions. Seaspray's sonar and radar systems were unparalleled - only the most advanced cloaking and signal jamming systems could approach undetected.

In robot mode, Seaspray was extremely capable in combat on land, but underwater he was peerless. Back-mounted turbines and flippers concealed in his feet gave Seaspray incredible mobility beneath the waves. He could operate comfortably in environments with up to 1,000 atmospheres of pressure. Seaspray's strength and durability are significantly above average due to Seaspray's robot mode being constructed to endure the pressure of undersea exploration.

Seaspray's primary weapons are a pair of laser harpoon launchers. Each launcher can lock on to weak points in Decepticon armour and launch energised harpoons which can easily slice through Decepticon armour and disrupt shield systems. On impact, the harpoon proceeds to deliver a high-voltage shock that can short out or disable the target.

Weaknesses:

While he was alive, most would have agreed that Seaspray had no weaknesses. Seaspray's death demonstrates this was not the case - he was as vulnerable to explosives as any other Cybertronian. 

Unless, as rumours suggest, Seaspray survived, in which case he truly might be without weaknesses.

Hovercraft mode:

More information on Hunt for the Decepticons Seaspray at TFW2005

Author notes:

Seaspray is an awesome character in the lore of Transformers Prime who we hear a bit about - he's meant to be this incredibly powerful warrior - but we never actually see him, thanks to him being killed in his first appearance. Based on what we hear, and what the writers said in a couple of panels, I imagine the overblown giant Seaspray from the Transformers Movie toyline is probably what Prime Seaspray would look like.

Given the reputation this version of Seaspray commands, I decided to exaggerate his bio to make him some sort of larger-than-life character. Some aspects of the character are actually taken directly from the Generation 1 bio, and scaled up for a more powerful version of Seaspray who'd be at home alongside the likes of Ultra Magnus and Bulkhead. Other aspects I derived from the design of the toy - the laser harpoon launchers are based entirely on the fact the toy comes with them, and they're cast in translucent blue plastic.

I also wrote in some easter eggs on this one. The starship, the Alana, is named after the humanoid woman who Generation 1 Seaspray met during the episode Sea Change (the episode where Seaspray turned into a human for a while. Also, Rumble turned into a tree). The Leviacon is an actual creature that turns up in the Transformers Prime novel Retribution, and I used it purely because it sounds like something out of Moby Dick. Lastly, there's Snaptrap, who I used purely because he was an aquatic villain with a suitably fearsome title - Butcher of the Bogs is the title given to Snaptrap in his Generation 1 bio.

As you've probably guessed, I had a lot of fun writing this character.