Thunder Machine

The Thunder Machine, pride of the Dreadnoks, is without a doubt the ugliest vehicle ever to roll out of their compound. Patched together from spare parts of jet fighters, tanks, racecars, family sedans and whatever else happened to be lying around at the time, the Thunder Machine defies the very laws of physics every time it is driven. It almost never breaks down, can take a beating almost as well as a H.I.S.S. tank (Thrasher

would say better than a H.I.S.S.) and it packs one of the most devastating weapons every bolted to the hood of a vehicle. It's a beast - but it works.

The Thunder Machine weighs in at 4.2 tons and has a top road speed of 115 MPH and a cross-country speed of 53 MPH and a fully loaded range of 750 miles. It is armed with 2 x 20mm chain guns with a linked ammo-feed system, with 2,500 rounds of High Explosive Dual Purpose ammunition.

--Marvel Comics--

The vehicle first appears in G.I.Joe #51. A Dreadnok-led escape by Zartan from Joe Headquarters leads to a multi-vehicle chase through the swamps. The Thunder Machine's weapons severely damages Heavy Metal's MAULER tank and easily knocks aside Crankcase's A.W.E. Striker. It comes down to Cross Country and Sgt. Slaughter on the HAVOC vehicle chasing the Thunder Machine. Thrasher's driving skills, weaponry and willingness to take suicidal risks allow the Dreadnoks to temporarily escape the HAVOC. Sgt. Slaughter actually finds them later but the team's disguise skills are sufficient to fool him.

In issue #69, Thrasher, Monkeywrench and Zarana were in it as it was driven out a besieged Cobra base called a Terror Drome situated in the fictional war-torn country of Sierra Gordo. It was driven to a large airfield and abandoned when the Dreadnoks took over a G.I.Joe transport plane.

Another version was featured in issues #74-76. Acting Cobra Commander uses it as his personal transport vehicle during a civil war on Cobra Island. The vehicle's firepower destroys one of the Joe team's C-130 transport planes. It then crashes to an Iron Grenadier D.E.M.O.N. tank ridden by Destro himself. It survives, albeit flipped over, a blast from this powerful, well-built vehicle which had been built by Destro's weapons manufacturing division. Thrasher's ill-thought decision to use grenades to turn it back over leaves it structurally sound but with engine problems. It still manages to get the Dreadnoks and Cobra Commander back to their own troops, thus playing a vital part in the Cobra civil war.

In issue #76, Thrasher, his vehicle and other Dreadnoks are captured after a brief firefight with the G.I.Joe team. During the shooting, Thrasher says "I got a brand new Thunder Machine and it ain't even warmed up yet!".

The Dreadnoks and the Thunder Machine are featured in issue #79. Despite explicit orders to lay low, the Dreadnoks decide to attack a military convoy on the streets of New Jersey. This version was totalled by Cross Country driving the H.A.V.O.C., with the assistance of the K-9 teams Law and Order and Mutt and Junkyard.