Railspike (RID)

Railspike is an Autobot originally from the Robots in Disguise continuity family.

If I had a hammer...

Railspike is the leader of Team Bullet Train, a trio of Autobots who patrol the railways. An experienced and battle-tested veteran, he is often frustrated by his younger teammates and tries to set a good example for them.

Fiction

Cartoon continuity

2001 Robots in Disguise cartoon

Voice actor: Mike Reynolds (English), Shōji Izumi (Japanese), Oleg Kutsenko (Russian, from Fortress Maximus), Paco Mauri (Latin-American Spanish)

Don't you just love being in control? *click*

When Team Bullet Train was called in to help protect the Linear RFG, Railspike was able to contact Koji Onishi on board the advanced train to let him know the Autobots were there to help. His plan for the team to link up and slow the Linear RFG with their brakes saved the train from plunging over a bridge which the Predacons had blown up. Once the train was safe, the team merged into Rail Racer to see off the Predacons. Bullet Train to the Rescue

The team was called into Metro City to thwart another attack on the part of Megatron and his Predacons. Negotiating the city streets was not easy for the large Bullet Trains, and at one point Railspike had to steer Midnight Express back on course. In battle against the Predacons, he demonstrated the benefit of his experience by igniting Gas Skunk's acid breath, causing chaos in the opposition ranks. Eventually the team merged into Rail Racer and chased the Predacons off. Although as it turned out, the attack was a diversion while Sky-Byte investigated some ruins. The Secret of the Ruins

Detailed to protect the aging steam engine "Grandpa" from the Predacons, Railspike was bemused by Midnight Express insisting that the train was in some way alive. The team successfully got Grandpa safely to his destination, but the steam train was promptly hijacked by the Predacons. Despite Railspike's warnings, Midnight Express pursued them and ultimately saved the train. Secret Weapon: D-5

Railspike and the rest of team Bullet Train was standing idle at Autobot headquarters when Koji voiced his concern that the Predacons would attempt to steal the world's largest ruby, currently on display in the city. Mirage's Betrayal

Team Bullet Train helped to try to track down Skid-Z after the Autobot scanned a racing car and was possessed by an urge to engage in races. They entered the Great Race, but were halted partway by a rock-slide they were unable to pass. Skid Z's Choice

He who smelt it dealt it.

Called in to help scare the Predacons away from the Cave of the Dragon, Railspike provided the front end of a dragon while Rapid Run provided the rear end. After firing on the Predacons (and Autobots, since Railspike realised it would look suspicious otherwise), the pair returned to the cave to let Optimus Prime and Midnight Express take over as the dragon's statue "robot mode". The Ultimate Robot Warrior

After practising their link-up manoeuvre, Team Bullet Train returned to the Autobot base to review footage of previous adventures in an attempt to find the Predacon base. Hope for the Future After the creation of the Decepticons by Megatron, the team was sent to Sherman Dam, where they combined into Rail Racer and fought Ruination. Commandos They would subsequently spend a lot of time using the Global Space Bridge to arrive at locations under attack from the Decepticons to fight the enemy off, often forming Rail Racer to do so. Such as the instance when they arrived at Pier 7B just in time to dissuade the Decepticons from taking on the Autobots, after they had rampaged across the countryside following Side Burn. Attack from Outer Space

With the Autobot Brothers having been “duped” by Sky-Byte to go to the Bayshore power plant while the Decepticons attacked the Crestline power plant instead, it was up to Team Bullet Train to take on Scourge and the Commandos. Railspike, Midnight Express, and Rapid Run combined into Rail Racer shortly after their arrival at the plant, and drove off the aggressors. The Fish Test

The Autobots' ability to get to remote locations quickly did not go unnoticed by the Decepticons, who managed to sabotage the space bridge, depositing Team Bullet Train on a busy motorway. Railspike subsequently had to restrain Rapid Run from coming to blows with Build Team leader Wedge, whom the team initially blamed for the problems. A second attempt to use the space bridge deposited Railspike firstly in a shopping mall, and then on the side of a hill. Once the space bridge was repaired, the three bullet trains arrived at the North Energy Research Facility and prepared to form Rail Racer. They were stopped by Wedge, who asked them to let the Build Team defeat Megatron as a matter of honour. Landfill

In between all their adventures, the Autobots still had to perform some of the more menial tasks, such as regularly testing out the global space bridge. Lessons of the Past

On another occasion, the team formed Rail Racer to prevent the Decepticons stealing some energy, and kept Ruination busy while the Build Team recovered the stolen energy. A Test of Metal They were also sent looking for the Autobot Brothers, who had disappeared while tracking Ultra Magnus, a recent arrival to Earth. They were approached by Magnus himself, who informed them that Optimus was being led into a trap, and the three trains rushed to help the Autobot leader. The Two Faces of Ultra Magnus

When the Autobots were on the verge of locating Fortress Maximus, Team Bullet Train were dispatched to the location under Metro City to protect the Build Team. Railspike and Rapid Run battled Ro-Tor and Movor in the confined space until Ultra Magnus showed up to lend a hand. Magnus accidentally flooded the subway, and the two trains were swept away in the resulting torrent. Reunited with Midnight Express, they arrived in the cavern where Maximus was located and formed Rail Racer to defend the giant robot from the Decepticons, and later tried to draw them away from where the Build Team were trying to hide Maximus. Fortress Maximus Koji Gets His Wish

Team Bullet Train also attempted to defend Maximus from the Decepticons once his location was exposed. Scourge successfully managed to activate Maximus, but proved unable to control him. Maximus Emerges When Scourge then magnified the human portion of his bio-signature in another attempt to control Maximus, Team Bullet Train was sent into the desert with Build Team and a thousand children to halt the titan. The Human Element

Gathering at a predetermined location, the Bullet Trains and the rest of the Autobots ambushed the Decepticon forces. The team combined into Rail Racer to fight Galvatron's Megastar, but the battle station was eventually felled by Fortress Maximus. Surprise Attack! After Galvatron used cyber-bats to gain control of the world's children, the Autobots were forced to retreat into the space bridge and were followed by the Decepticons. Galvatron ruptured the tunnel during the battle which followed, flooding it with molten lava which the Autobots were only narrowly able to escape. They were prompt seized by a powered-up Galvatron. Galvatron's Revenge Team Bullet Train reformed Rail Racer in order to protect Optimus Prime, and were subsequently held in a paralysed state by Galvatron until the Decepticon leader's defeat at the hands of Omega Prime. The Final Battle

Dreamwave Robots in Disguise comic

Combined into Rail Racer, Railspike was off on a mission that had the Autobots' forces spread thin. Ultra Magnus...to the Rescue?

Legends comic

As a member of the Dimensional Patrol, Railspike was brought to the Legends World by Skids and Sky-Byte to defend it against the attack of Majin Zarak and the Zamojin. Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part One

Railspike's adventures with the Dimensional Patrol continued under the command of Devil God Fire Convoy. Epiloge

2005 IDW continuity

Railspike was a crewmember aboard the Lost Light who transformed into the Cybertronian equivalent of a train. More than Meets the Eye #19 letters pages

Ask Vector Prime

In several realities such as Viron 704.31 Epsilon, Railspike was brainwashed by using the Robo-Smasher and reformatted into Astrotrain. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/30 and 2015/09/13

Toys

Robots in Disguise (2001)

A TRAIN. He turns into a TRAIN.
(Hasbro unpainted-windows release pictured)

• J-Five (2000) / Railspike (Mega Class, 2001)

• Takara ID number: C-012
• Accessories: Light-up cannon
• Known designers: Yuichiro Hira (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)

Robots in Disguise Railspike transforms into a 500 Series Shinkansen. In this form, he can link up with the other Bullet Trains to form a three locomotive lash-up. In robot mode, his train coupler forms an electronic light-up (non-firing) blaster. He can also form the head, torso, and arms to the team's combined form Rail Racer.

There are significant differences between the Takara and Hasbro versions of Railspike. The Takara "J-Five" version has several portions cast in transparent plastic to give him clear windows, requiring extensive paint applications to blend in. The Takara versions of the Bullet Trains appear to have had a particularly bad run of quality control regarding the paint applications, with many having sloppily-applied decoes.

The Hasbro version released in 2001 replaced the transparent plastics with opaques to cut back on the number of needed paint applications. An Autobot insignia was also added to the left side of the train mode, and the barrel of his gun was lengthened for unknown reasons, impeding proper storage of it in train mode. Early versions of the toy had unpainted windows, but later runs added metallic blue paint to them.

• More information on Railspike at TFU.info

• JRX (Multi-pack, 2000)

• ID number: C-015
• Accessories: Light-up cannon

All three members of Team Bullet Train—J-Five, J-Four, and J-Seven—were also available in a complete box set in Japan.

While the individually-packaged Bullet Trains came in clear-window packages to see the toys, the box set was completely windowless, so it was kind of a crap shoot as to the quality of paint you got with the set.

Sonokong also released this gift set in Korean markets with no differences other than the packaging.

Notes

• Railspike was portrayed slightly differently in the two different versions of the cartoon. Though both were rather polite, Railspike was portrayed as being much older and gruffer than J-Five. Though, the on-package bio for the Hasbro toy appears to be more based on the Japanese version, emphasizing that version's politeness and gentlemanly manners.
• The Bullet Trains, which were developed with Takara's flexible pricing structure, really did not fit into Hasbro's more rigid existing price-points, budget-wise. They cost too much to be sold as Deluxes, but weren't really up to Mega-costs.
• When asked by a reader if Railspike could be part of the Lost Light crew on the letters page of More than Meets the Eye #19, James Roberts basically replied "eh, sure, why not?" With no evidence to the contrary, this wiki considers this to be true for now.

Foreign names

• Japanese: J-Five (ジェイファイブ Jeifaibu)
• Korean: J-Five (제이파이브 Jeipaibeu)
• Russian: Pika (Пика, "Pike")