Knock Out (Armada)

Knock Out is a Mini-Con from the Armada portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.

... yeah, we can't think of anything PG. Move along.

The talkative Knock Out operates as the Land Military Mini-Con Team's voice, though he still takes orders from Wreckage when the heat is on. He's not nearly as soldierly as his commander, though beneath his frequent complaints and mercenary demeanor, he basically just wants to look out for his friends.

Fiction

Cartoon continuity

Armada cartoon

Six wheels of justice. Knock Out's on the right.

After the Exodus crashed on Earth, Knock Out lay dormant until the Decepticons recovered him on an undisclosed mission. Along with the rest of the Land Military Team and several other Mini-Cons, he was chosen to help Megatron eliminate Optimus Prime once and for all. By setting up a series of warp gate passages around the globe, Megatron and the Mini-Cons lured the Autobots into following them, and then scattered the enemy forces between the various warp points, leaving Optimus to face Megatron alone, with only Rad and Fred at his side.

Knock Out and the Land Military Team, interested in peace, had sent a message to the Street Action Mini-Con Team earlier that day, seeking a resolution. Despite their misgivings, they continued to carry out Megatron's plan until Optimus Prime passively submitted himself to their laser fire. Impressed by his actions, Knock Out and the other Mini-Cons turned against Megatron, and returned to the Autobot headquarters with Prime. Vow

Knock Out, seemingly stolen back by the Decepticons along with the other Mini-Con defectors, was present in a storage room in the Decepticon base where he was discovered by Thrust, who had been looking for a Mini-Con partner for himself.^[1] Tactician He was later present working a "tune up" for the Decepticons. Runaway

Knock Out was found by Perceptor and the Autobots, working on the Decepticon ship. He, along with his teammates were rescued by the Autobots and taken back into their custody. Rescue

After being rescued back by the Autobots, Knock Out and the Mini-Cons all chose to willingly follow the Autobots into space aboard the Axalon, fighting alongside them against the Decepticons. Depart

Force of Habit

During the Unicron Singularity crisis, the Land Military Mini-Con Team served aboard the Autobot flagship Iron Hope. They were called into action during a Decepticon attack on the ship and battled a number of Divebomb and Insecticon-type Terrorcons alongside Riptide, Smokescreen, and Ironhide. Force of Habit

Dreamwave Armada comic

Knock Out and the Land Military Team were captured and altered by the Decepticons to be used as weapons of conquest millions of years ago. They escaped aboard the Exodus with most other Mini-Cons, and declared themselves free agents upon reactivating on Earth a million years later. Following a signal from a Mini-Con panic-pager, the Land Militaty Team found Alexis, Carlos and Rad, and Knock Out demanded to know where they got the pager. The three humans explained that they got it from their Mini-Con friends who were stuck in the Decepticon base, and asked the Land Military Team to save them. They initially refused, but came around and helped out, then participated in a battle against the Decepticons while they were at it. They still didn't join the Autobots, though, and drove off when everything was said and done. Armada #7

A while later, the Land Military Team and the rest of the Mini-Cons on Earth were summoned to a starship which took them all to the moon. Armada #8 They were imprisoned by Destruction Mini-Con Team on their moonbase, which really grinded Knock Out's gears. Armada #9 The Land Military Team soon realized that living on the moonbase wasn't so bad after all, but not everyone agreed with them. Knock Out got into a fight with Jolt for being all snarky about the situation, but it was broken up by Wreckage. Armada #10 The base was later attacked by the Decepticons, so Knock Out and the others had to evacuate it anyway. Armada #11

Following this misadventure, the Land Military Team seemingly stayed with the Autobots. Worlds Collide, Part 3 of 4 They were instrumental in separating Star Saber from Megatron's grip after he used it to destroy the invading Galvatron. Worlds Collide, Part 4 of 4

Finally, Knock Out joined with all other active Mini-Cons in returning to Cybertron and activating Over-Run's Mini-Con Matrix, incapacitating Unicron and leading to his destruction. The End

Panini Armada comic

After crashing on Earth in the distant past, Knock Out and his teammates were discovered in 1959 during the construction of a casino in Las Vegas. They were recovered by the U.S. government and subsequently converted into remote-control military equipment by the Extra-Terrestrial Response Division. A few hours after a field test, the three Mini-Cons overrode ERTD's control and drove to the nearby town of Stillwater. They were soon recaptured, but Wreckage had managed to leave a message to Amos Hume. Blast from the Past!

After the ETRD's funding was cut decades later, former technicians Quint and Hathaway attempted to auction the Mini-Cons off. The transaction was interrupted by the arrival of an Autobot shuttle carrying the Air Defense Team and their human friends, whom Hume had contacted upon seeing images of the Transformers on television. Knock Out and the others were freed, and presumably joined the Autobots. Sale of the Century!

Games

Transformers: Battle Tactics

Knock Out participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Epic character who debuted in the "Armada: Episode IV" event and could be recruited after collecting 650 units of Cybermetal, 350 units of Transmetal, 150 exclusive cores, and 50 cores of this character. Transformers: Battle Tactics

Toys

Armada

• Land Military Mini-Con Team (Mini-Con 3-pack, 2002)

• Takara name: Land Military Micron
• Takara ID number: MM-03
• Takara release date: December 26, 2002
• Accessories: Missile
• Known designers: Hironori Kobayashi (Takara)

Part of the first wave of Armada Mini-Con 3-packs, Knock Out transforms into a six-wheeled APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) with a spring-loaded missile launcher. This launcher becomes a shoulder-mounted artillery piece in robot mode.

As a Mini-Con, he has a "Powerlinx" socket on the underside of his vehicle mode that allows him to attach to larger toys with compatible Powerlinx plugs, activating special gimmicks on the larger toys when attached to a "live" plug.

He was only available in the Land Military Mini-Con Team 3-pack, packaged with (and gang-molded with) Bonecrusher and Wreckage.

This mold was also used to make Armada Broadside and Cybertron Steamhammer.

• More information on Knock Out at TFU.info

• Ironhide & Land Military Micron (Multi-pack, 2002)

• ID number: MS-03
• Release date: December 26, 2002
• Accessories: Missile

The Land Military Microns were available in Japan both as an individual team, and in a multi-pack with Ironhide and Search. All of the toys are identical to their individual releases.

• Land Military Micron Exdimensions (Mini-Con 3-pack, 2002)

• ID number: MM-08
• Release date: December 26, 2002
• Accessories: Missile

A limited-edition (but still normal retail) redeco of the Land Military Microns was released as part of the Exdimensions lineup. "Crack" was redecoed in green and blue.

This toy also doubles as the separate character Crack and the Beast Wars: Uprising character Crack.

• More information on Exdimensions Crack at TFU.info

The Ultimate Plastic Crack.

• Crack Ultimate Edition (Promotional Micron, 2003)

• Release date: January 1, 2003
• Accessories: Missile

A limited edition redeco of the Land Military Microns was available as promotional giveaway items in Japanese Toys"R"Us stores: one randomly-selected member of the team was given free with the purchase of any Legends of the Microns toy in January 2000, and then again on March 20th with the purchase of Convoy Super Mode. While numbers for the first release are unknown, 3600 Ultimate Land Military Microns were available for the March campaign.

They were made available again on May 2nd at the Hello Mac store chain, with the purchase of either Convoy Super Mode or Megatron, only this time you got the complete set of three with a single purchase, limited to ten sets total per store. Apparently, they made a lot.

• More information on Crack Ultimate Edition at TFU.info

• Crack Night Attack Edition (Promotional Micron, 2003)

• Release date: April 24, 2003
• Accessories: Missile
• Known designers: Joe Kyde (deco artist)

Identical to the U.S. release of the Night Attack Mini-Con Team (in Crack's case, he is identical to Hasbro's Broadside), one random member of team was given free at Japanese Toys"R"Us stores with the purchase of any Legends of the Microns product during April, limited to 4000 units.

• More information on Night Attack Crack (or rather, Broadside) at TFU.info

Notes

Foreign names

• Japanese: Crack (クラック Kurakku)

References