Transforms from futuristic truck to robot and back!

AUTOBOT: KUP

FUNCTION: WARRIOR
"The past is the greatest teacher."

Kup is an old veteran warhorse with a thousand tall tales from his ten thousand adventures. He has a motto or word of advice for any situation and he's as brave and loyal as they come. In robot mode, he carries an old-style musket laser that shoots short bursts of metal corrosive hydrochloric acid. Range: 5 miles. Speed: 100 mph. Kup sees himself as a seasoned campaigner with more knowledge and experience to share. Other Autobots aren't always receptive to his advice.

  • Strength: 9
  • Intelligence: 7
  • Speed: 6
  • Endurance: 9
  • Rank: 8
  • Courage: 9
  • Firepower: 6
  • Skill: 8
Transformers Tech Specs


In my opinion, Kup (short for "pickup truck", in case you hadn't figured it out by now) was the most interesting character to be introduced in the movie. He's probably older than even Optimus Prime and acts more like an old lieutenant rather than an old general. He never talked to the others as a know-it-all or a master of strategy, just as someone who'd been there, done that. And he never, ever said that anything was "better in my day." That alone was a welcome relief.



In 1987, Kup was re-released as a Targetmaster with an updated tech spec:

A grizzled veteran with 10,000 tall tales from his 1,000 adventures--has advice for his pals in any situation, whether they want to hear it or not. Recoil, his Nebulan partner, is an old style musket laser and former all-world prismaball (most popular sport on Nebulos) player. In vehicle mode, maximum speed: 100 mph, range: 800 miles.

  • Strength: 8
  • Intelligence: 5
  • Speed: 2
  • Endurance: 9
  • Rank: 5
  • Courage: 10
  • Firepower: 5
  • Skill: 8
Transformers Tech Specs


The sometimes extreme change in tech spec numbers after a Transformer becomes a Targetmaster always puzzles me. I suppose Kup's rank took a hit because of the other Autobots added this year, but why his firepower should drop with the addition of a Targetmaster weapon is beyond me.