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The name Crankcase refers to several versions of the same character.
For a list of the other versions, see Crankcase.


Crankcase is a G.I. Joe character from the A Real American Hero series.
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Nothing irks Crankcase more than having to wait. Falling in line for queues is not purgatory, it's hell for him. More than anything, he is driven by a need for speed. It's what calms him down and gives him clarity of thought. All he needs is to be behind the steering wheel of any vehicle and unimpeded by traffic. This obsession with speed was nurtured since he was thirteen, building and driving racing street cars. For several years, he made a career in the circuit before race relays became so much like a routine to him and he got hit by depression. Thanks to an Army recruiter, the thrill of the challenge is placed back in his life. Dodging shells and bullets while in high acceleration is just so much more fun.

Fiction[]

Comics[]

A Real American Hero Comics Continuity - Marvel[]

Marvel Comics Continuity[]

Crankcase was one of a group of prospective Joes who were tested in the Nevada desert by Lady Jaye. During the course of the test the group came under attack from Cobra.[1] At the Pit he and other Joes discovered that the "Ripcord" they had saved was actually Zartan.[2] Soon after he took part in the assault on Springfield.[3] He was then part of the team that unsuccessfully pursued the escaping Zartan and the Dreadnoks.[4]

Crankcase was then one of the Joes stationed at Fort Lewis in Seattle to guard Power Station Alpha, the world's first mobile solar/nuclear power station. The base was visited by the angry Autobot Superion and Crankcase took part in repelling him. Crankcase was subsequently part of the team who evacuated a cruise ship attacked by Cobra to create a distraction whilst stealing Alpha themselves. During the evacuation Crankcase met G.B. Blackrock who offered to help explain the giant robots[5] Blackrock told Crankcase and Mainframe about the Transformers and the two Joes set about reactivating the Autobot Bumblebee, who had been destroyed by the Joes.[6]

Later Crankcase was one of many Joes who went to Cobra Island to intervene in the Cobra Civil War.[7] In the aftermath he returned to the Pit and helped hide it from a would-be Cobra attack.[8]

Crankcase was one of the tragic casualties in the infamous Trucial Abysmia conflict. He bravely sacrificed himself by jumping in front of Falcon and Duke and shielding them from a S.A.W.-Viper's hail of gunfire.

Devil's Due Comics Continuity[]

G.I. Joe vs. Transformers[]

Action Force (British) Comics Continuity[]

Crankcase was initially part of a group of prospective new Action Force members tested by Lady Jaye.[9] Subsequently he assigned to the European branch of Action Force and undertook several missions, including the prevention of a Cobra bomb being detonated in central London.[10] Later he was part of the team that prevented Cobra from kidnapping Ahmed Hassan, the ambassador for Ishmali to the United Kingdom.[11] He subsequently fought in the battle against the Decepticon Megatron, where he and Wild Bill pulled Dusty clear of the flaming wreckage of a tank.[12] He subsequently undertook further missions for Action Force in the Americas.[13]

Animated Continuity - Sunbow[]

Toys[]

Generation 1
Crankcase A Real American Hero (1985)

Crankcase was included in the vehicle lineup of the 1985 A Real American Hero toys. He was packaged together with the A.W.E. Striker.


Appearance: orange-red hair and mustache; green short-sleeved shirt with beige collar and brown backpack straps; black gloves; beige pants with brown belt and boots.

Accessories: grey helmet with flared brim; large, black assault rifle with open stock and oversized magazine.


YoJoe.com page/Filecard

Generation 3
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A Real American Hero (2008)
Target toy stores released an exclusive set for the G3 line composed of drivers and vehicles, the Attack on Cobra Island. This, in particular, included a Crankcase action figure made with the new architecture and a A.W.E. Striker.
2008 filecard

Trivia[]

  • Working names for Crankcase included Fast-Lane and Roll-Bar.
  • Crankcase's file name, Elwood G. Indiana, is a combination of cartoonist Elwood Smith and painter Robert Indiana. Hama also considered naming him "Gary," but thought that would just be going too far.
  • Might have been the Joe seen with Cover Girl when Cobra La's fighter aircraft appeared in the animated movie.

See Also[]

External Links[]

Footnotes[]



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