Leader-1

Leader-1 is the name of several fictional characters from the Go-Bots, Robo Machines and Transformers toy lines in 1983. The original Leader-1 was voiced by Lou Richards in the animated Challenge of the Gobots series. Since then Hasbro acquired legal rights to the name and has used it for a Mini-Con.
Gobots
In the animated series Challenge of the GoBots, Leader-1 is the leader of the Guardians. He is a brave leader who cares deeply about his people. He believes not one person should be in charge. He supports the democratic system of the Guardians. This led his former friend, Cy-Kill, to break away from the Guardians. He took command of the evil Renegades and became Leader-1's worst enemy.
Leader-1 can fly, project energy blasts, and project a force field (which rapidly drains his power reserves). He has been known to use Guardian power suits that increases his speed and strength.
Animated series
Leader-1 appeared in Challenge of the GoBots episode #8, "Time Wars."
In episode #14 "Ultra Zod" Leader-1 dons a Power Suit and helps form the Power Warrior Courageous, which defeats Ultra Zod.
In episode #23 "Doppelganger" Cy-Kill, Cop-Tur, Crasher and Snoop attacked Leader-1, Turbo, Scooter and Small Foot. Crasher wounded Small Foot. After attaining recordings of the Guardians, the Renegades retreated. Using the recordings Cy-Kill had Herr Fiend program robot duplicates of the Guardians. When demonstrating the Space Bender weapon to Unicom, Leader-1 learned that the Renegades were attacking Washington. The Renegades ambushed Leader-1 and replaced him with his duplicate. Leading the Command Center back to GoBotron, and getting rid of Scooter and Small Foot, the Renegades then released duplicates of Path Finder, Rest-Q, Van Guard and Turbo. Small Foot and Scooter were able to capture the Turbo duplicate and learn where their friends were being held. Cy-Kill then replaced Good Night. Using the duplicate Turbo, the Guardians infiltrated the Renegade base, freed the captured Guardians and escaped from Spoons and Fitor. Although blocked by the Renegades, Scooter used a hologram of Zod to make the Renegades flee. Making it back to GoBotron the Guardians were attacked by the Guardian duplicates. The real Guardians were able to defeat their duplicates with the aid of the real Zeemon, Hans-Cuff and Rest-Q. Cy-Kill then arrived in Thrustor with more duplicates, but Small Foot was able to stop with robots using the Space Bender, which would fuse their robot brains.
In the episode #24 "Scooter Enhanced" Scooter and Small Foot joined Nick and A.J. to watch a car stunt show which was attacked by Crasher, BuggyMan and Fly Trap. Small Foot fought Buggyman and defeated him, but the Renegades regained the upper hand until the Guardians were rescued by Leader-1 and Turbo who arrived in Power Suits. Cy-Kill vowed to gain Power Suits for the Renegades. Scooter decided he needed more firepower, so he had Baron Von Joy remove his damaged holo projector in favor of a blaster unit. Screw Head, Bad Boy and Cop-Tur were sent to attack Unicom bases and distract the Guardians while Cy-Kill, Crasher and Scorp attempted to take the suits from the Guardian Command Center. Small Foot and Scooter were able to delay the Renegades until Leader-1 and Turbo returned to chase away the Renegades. Realizing he was a better Guardian with his holo projector, Scooter had it reinstalled.
In episode #25, "Tarnished Image" Doctor Go creates a device that allows the Renegades to appear like Guardians. Cy-Kill, Crasher and Cop-Tur disguise themselves as Leader-1, Scooter and Turbo and go on a rampage on Earth while the real Guardians are sent on a fake rescue mission. When the Guardians return they are banished from Earth by the humans. The Guardians are eventually able to prove the Renegades staged the attacks, chase them off and capture Doctor Go.
Leader-1 appears in "Auto-Madic" episode #28, where he dons a Power Suit and helped form the Power Warrior Courageous, which defeats Puzzler.
Leader-1 appeared in "Return to GoBotron" episode #45. He was given one of the Power Suits by the Last Engineer, which featured enhanced speed and strength. He combined with the other suits and the Last Engineer's ship to form the Power Warrior Courageous and defeat a fleet of Renegade Thrustors.
Leader-1 appeared in episode #46, "Destroy All Guardians", where he helped form the Power Warrior Courageous to stop a group of cloned and mutated prehistoric reptiles from attacking Japan.
Films
Leader-1 lead the Guardian Gobot forces who aided the Rock Lord Boulder on the planet Cordax.
Comics
Leader-1 appeared in the story "Scooter's Mighty Magnet."
Fun Publications
Leader-1 appears among the group investigating the cataclysm destroying their universe in Fun Publications story Withered Hope.
Games
Leader-1 was the playable character and clones of were among the cast in the video game Challenge of the Gobots for the Sinclair, Amstrad and Commodore 64.
Eagle
Leader-1 appeared in the Eagle Comics story The Robo Machines. He is a member of the Security Force Robo Machines.
Other appearances
Leader-1 was parodied in the CollegeHumor animated sketch "Transformers Go Hollywood". In the sketch, Optimus Prime and Megatron talk about their live-action film's success at a cafe when they are met by Leader-1, who works as a waiter in the cafe. Leader-1 is heavily ridiculed by Prime and Megatron as he attempts to give them the script to his proposed film project. He rushes to the restroom and talks to Johnny 5 before locking himself in a toilet stall to cry over his insults.
Leader-1 has appeared in the animated comedy series Robot Chicken.
Toys
*Gobots Leader-1 (1983)
:The toy of Leader-1 was originally Bandai's Eagle Robo from their Machine Robo toyline. The gray Leader-1 was also sold as part of a limited edition gobots 3-pack with the other two figures being Flip-Top and Turbo.
*Gobots Super Leader-1 (1984)
:A larger "Super GoBot" Leader-1 was later released.
*Gobots Leader-1 redeco (1985)
:The Tonka version was originally released in gray like Bandai's, but later versions were changed to a blue and white color scheme.
*Gobots Model Leader-1
:Monogram Models released Gobots model kits which actually converted, and contained a Leader-1 model among 7 others. This toy was a redeco of a Legioss jet from the Genesis Climber MOSPEADA anime.
Transformers: Armada
When Hasbro bought out Tonka, they assumed ownership of the GoBots character names. Megatron's Mini-Con in Transformers: Armada was named Leader-1 (Barrel in Japan). This character has no connection to the GoBot Leader-1. Leader-1 was later recolored into Clench (Spark Barrel) as a partner to Armada Galvatron, then into Caliburn as a partner to Megazarak.
Leader-1 has two different official mottos. The first comes from his biography page in Dreamwave comics, and the second from his biography page in the Transformers: Armada Official Guidebook.
Bio: It's quite laughable, really. In the very core of his spark, Leader-1 truly believes that-somehow, some way-he'll eventually become a leader in fact and not just name. At first, he tried to ingratiate himself with me, doing everything from suggesting battle tactics on the field to helping keep the other Mini-Cons in line in order to win my favor. When it became clear that this behavior wouldn't convince me to let him assume a station of command, he resorted to open acts of treachery against me...I still haven't forgotten his homicidal insubordination on the Moon. Yet, his tenacity and ingenuity occasionally impress me; in these respects, he is far superior to the average Mini-Con. But that changes nothing. I will never allow a lowly Mini-Con to exert any control over my operations or me; they are tools to be manipulated, nothing more. For Leader-1 to believe he can be something more than that, to think for one astrosecond that he could ever stand with me as an equal, is ridiculous and insulting beyond words. I will dash his dreams at every turn until he understands his place...if he doesn't, then he will be discarded and replaced.
Weapons and Abilities: Although I'll never tell the little scraplet this, his abilities have proven valuable to me. Leader-1 is a surprisingly intelligent and tactically inclined Mini-Con; had he the fortune to be created a Decepticon instead of a Mini-Con, he would've made an excellent warrior. In addition to his mobile cannon mode, he can also transform into a powerful handgun for my use.
Weaknesses: Leader-1 gives himself more credit than he deserves. Although he's clever, his plans are too grandiose to be achieved by just him. After all, he's only a Mini-Con.
Fun Publications
In "Balancing Act" Leader-1 appeared among the rebel Mini-Con forces who sided with Megatron and attempted to sabotage the Mini-Con evacuation from one of Cybertron's moons.
Dreamwave Productions
Leader-1 appeared among the Mini-Cons in issue #18 of the Transformers: Armada comic book who aided Over-Run using the Mini-Con Matrix in the defeat of Unicron.
Toys
*Armada Megatron with Leader-1
:This toy was redecoed into Galvatron with Clench and later as Megazarak with his Caliburn.
Transformers: Timelines
Leader-1 is one of the Autobots under the command of the evil dictator Optimus Prime in the Shattered Glass story. He was on guard duty when he was taken down by Rampage.

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