Joyride (Transformers)

Powermasters were a sub-group within the Transformers toyline in 1988. They were defined by the inclusion of a miniature figure which "unlocked the secret of the transformation"—in other words, the toy could not transform from vehicle mode to robot mode unless the figure was transformed into engine mode and connected to the larger figure.

The following Powermaster toys were released in the United States and Canada:

With the American Transformers animated series having come to an end the previous year, it fell to the Marvel Comics series to provide the accompanying fiction for the Powermasters sub-group. Here, as detailed in the "Tech Spec" biographies accompanying the toys, the larger Transformers were partnered with humanoid aliens from the planet Nebulos.

Transformers had previously visited Nebulos and bonded with its inhabitants during the creation of the Headmasters and Targetmasters, caused severe devastation to the world and the loss of two of its most noted political leaders. To ensure that the planet would never come under threat from Transformers again, Nebulan scientist Hi-Q detonated a bomb that filled the planet's atmosphere with radiation that posed no threat to indigenous Nebulan life, but which "poisoned" Nebulan fuel supplies, making it harmful to Transformers. Not long after, the Decepticons Dreadwind and Darkwing arrived on the planet looking for the absent Scorponok, and, despite warnings, consumed Nebulan fuel. Their bodies wasted and they were rendered immobile, becoming something of a tourist attraction over time.

Hi-Q's jealous ex-partner, Hi-Test, sought to discredit his former colleague, and teamed up with a Nebulan criminal named Throttle, who stole data on Hi-Q's latest fuel conversion theories, which he had dubbed the "Powermaster Process". Using the data, Hi-Test bio-mechanically engineered his and Throttle's bodies, allowing them to transform into engines and connect to Dreadwind and Darkwing, supplying them energy directly from their own bodies. As a result, Hi-Test and Throttle regularly had to eat massive quantities of food in order to meet their partners' energy requirements.

...
Wikipedia