MANTA RAY ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT SUB-GROUP: ROTOR FORCE FUNCTION: OCEAN DEFENSE STRATEGIST FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS: GENERATION 2 #6 "If you blink...you'll miss me!" Profile: A huge tidal wave typically accompanies Manta Ray's appearance on any scene. This self-proclaimed "sea-scrapin' superboat" likes to make his presence known, and considers the entire ocean his personal playground. Nothing thrills him more than naval combat; once he's found himself a target, he won't let up until he's succeeded in blasting his enemy out of the water. He is afforded the opportunity to fight enemies on his own turf so rarely that he's developed a tendency to stretch the battles out and make them last as long as he can, often playfully swimming circles around his prey before he finally resigns to taking care of business. The fact remains that very few Decepticons have engaged Manta Ray in battle without ending up broken on the ocean floor. Abilities: In hydroplane mode, Manta Ray's arms and legs convert into titanium-reinforced twin hulls specially designed to withstand the unrelenting tides and corroding effects of the ocean salt. On the water, his hydro-cooled turbojet engine is capable of propelling him at speeds of 230 knots. Using his rear-mounted rotor propellor grants him limited, low-altitude aerial capabilities, increasing his speed to 650 knots. When threatened with a potential combat situation, Manta Ray gleefully unleashes his rotor propellor as a weapon, capable of hunting down and shredding multiple targets like a piranha in a goldfish tank. His engine also coverts to a "rotoprop" launcher for use in robot mode, forcing his enemies to take a dive. Weaknesses: Manta Ray is daring to the point of being reckless. It's not unusual for him to enjoy himself so much during a battle that he's oblivious to the danger he's in. Launching his rotor also considerably reduces his mobility in the water. This Page Created 11/14/2002 Uploaded: 2/6/2003 ©1995 Inspiration Studios