L.M. Unit

L.M. Unit
General Information
Other names	Landmine Unit
Homeworld	Earth
Body type	Robotic
Height	Varies
Locomotion	Varies
Diet	None (fueled by energon)
Lifespan	Potentially immortal
Sapience level	Sapient
Species origin	Similar to other Earth Transformers
Racial abilities	Transformation
Status	Extinct
Behind the Scenes
Universe	Transformers

L.M. Units (also known as Landmine Units) are a subspecies of Earth Transformers from the planet Earth.

Biology

Anatomy

L.M. Units share a similar biology to other Cybertronians, except they transform into assault buggies resembling heavily modified Chenowth Desert Patrol Vehicles with added protective armor that are used by the government organization Sector Seven.

Powers and abilities

L.M. Units share many of the same abilities as other Cybertronians.

Weaknesses

L.M. Units share many of the same weaknesses as other Cybertronians.

Likely due to their expedited development, L.M. Units can suffer mechanical failure and power down mid-transformation.

Culture and society

Created by Sector Seven scientists under the direction of Agent Salazar, L.M. Units are designed to carry troops into battle before eventually transforming into robot mode to fight alongside them.

While early testing has yielded somewhat satisfying results, the L.M. Units' robotic functionality is unable to be fully realized given their expedited development.

History

2007

In Feburary 2007, Sector Seven recovered the incapacitated Decepticon Wreckage and reactivated him. Though at first the Decepticon was hostile, Agent Salazar was able to come to an agreement with the being and exchange information. One of the fruits of these exchanges was the development of the L.M. Units, a series of drones built to assist Sector Seven agents in the field.

Four months later, in response to the threat posed by Starscream at the Hoover Dam, Salazar unveiled an L.M. Unit designated "L.M.-1". At first it appeared to be just an armored buggy, but Starscream's curiosity was piqued when the vehicle began to transform and reveal limbs. Unfortunately, the display was less than impressive as the process halted in mechanical failure Sector Seven retrieved L.M.-1 and took him back to a covert Nevada base, where they also held civilian vehicles from Misson City that had been affected by the AllSpark's power.

While waiting for the Autobots to arrive to begin escorting the remains of Decepticons killed during Mission City, Professor Vine and Agent Seymour Simmons reminisced about how Salazar's dealings with Wreckage and the creation of the L.M.-1s. As the group prepared to dump the Decepticon remains, Vine wondered if L.M.-1's mechanical failure had anything to do with Wreckage's earlier rampage and forced shut-down.

When Optimus Prime left a fragment of the AllSpark with Sector Seven, they brought it underground for safe keeping, despite Vine's insistence that they keep it as far from Wreckage as possible. Vine's fears were well founded as, while passing Wreckage's platform to take it to an isolation vault, the fragment was suddenly drawn to Wreckage. Brought back online, the Decepticon broke free and assaulted Sector Seven, demanding Megatron's whereabouts and for Salazar be given to him so that he could strip the flesh from his frame.

Luckily for Sector Seven, the AllSpark shard has also brought three L.M. Units online. Coming to the defense of the humans, the L.M. Units retaliated against Wreckage. However, he promptly killed one of the drones using his swords and blew up another drone when it transformed into vehicle mode.

The last surviving L.M. Unit would evolve into a sapient Autobot named Dune Runner and join NEST, an organization created to succeed Sector Seven in neutralizing Decepticon threats. By 2009, he would become part of a unit of cadets led by Bumblebee alongside Jolt, Knock Out, and Breakaway.

2009

In 2009, sometime after the resurrection of Megatron and demise of The Fallen, Bumblebee and his cadets sent out by NEST to investigate the convergence of unknown spark traces in Florida. While the others were on route, Breakaway ran into the Decepticon Soundwave and was swiftly killed, prompting a battle to break out. Though Soundwave eventually retreated, the distraction had led to the disappearance of the spark traces.

Bumblebee's team accompanied a bound Soundwave on a plane bound for Odessa, Texas. During the flight, Dune Runner observed that Soundwave did not seem so scary up close. As Soundwave started counting down to something, his minion Buzzsaw shot the plane down. Dune Runner tried to send an SOS, but Soundwave was jamming the local airwaves. The team headed for Odessa by ground but ran into several of Soundwave's animal minions and fellow Decepticon Dirt Boss, who opened fire on Dune Runner during the battle. The fight ended when Bumblebee opted to let Soundwave go rather than risk any losses similar to Breakaway's.

With Soundwave's help, the Autobots tracked the Initiative to Oregon. Bumblebee's team attacked their base from the north, with Dune Runner attempting to hold off the defenses so Bumblebee could move in. However, Bumblebee was incapacitated by several brainwashed Transformers that proceeded to engage the cadets.

Cut off from Bumblebee, Jolt, Dune Runner and Knock Out were given help by Sideswipe, Skids, and Mudflap. However, the Autobots suddenly came under non-physical attack when Initiative leader Carter Newell attempted to use a replica AllSpark to destroy all Cybertronian life on Earth. Thanks to the combined efforts of Optimus Prime, Buzzsaw, and a Seeker named Fortress, the Autobots ultimately triumphed.

2010

In 2010, Dune Runner remained behind on Diego Garcia along with Jolt and Knock Out when the other Autobots rolled out to save Sam Witwicky from Decepticons under Starscream's command. The cadets' mission was to guard both the captured Decepticon Fearswoop and a group of confused and docile Autobot refugees who had been liberated from the Initiative's control.

A short while later, the professional Autobot assassin Shockwave attacked Diego Garcia, easily killing Knock Out and incapacitating Jolt with a blast from his AstroMag Cannon. Dune Runner stood his ground as long as he could, defending the refugees and pleading to Shockwave not to hurt them, but all he got out of it was a crushed head. Shortly after the destruction of the Deigo Garcia NEST base, a series of graves were made for the Autobots that had been murdered by Shockwave, including Dune Runner.

Notes

• The term "L.M. Unit" was first mentioned in bonus material for the trade paperback for the comic series Transformers: The Reign of Starscream before being used on-panel in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Alliance issue 2.
• The L.M. Units are thematically modeled after Landmine, an Autobot featured in the AllSpark Power subline of the Transformers toyline based on the 2007 live-action film.
  • However, the L.M. Units are made-made Cybertronian drones whereas Landmine is a Sector Seven assault buggy brought to life by the power of the AllSpark.
• Though he transforms into a similar model of assault buggy, Dune Runner's robot mode in both his appearances in Titan Magazine's tie-in comics to the live-action film series and his Scout Class toy from the Revenge of the Fallen toyline is vastly different from the L.M. Units. However, Landmine is portrayed in IDW's tie-in comics as having the same robot mode as the L.M. Units.
  • Considering only two of the three L.M. Units featured in Alliance issue #2 were killed on-panel, it is likely that the third L.M. Unit survived and evolved into Dune Runner, explaining his physical similarities to the drones.