Insecticon

The Insecticons

The Insecticons are a semi-autonomous sub-group of the Decepticons. They have their own base, and are only as loyal to the Decepticons as their current contract with Megatron.

The Insecticons are usually led by Venom on Cybertron and Shrapnel on Earth.

Insecticon Members

Basic Insecticons

Each of the basic Insecticons had a way to control other robots.

• Shrapnel: Stag Beetle
  • Abilities: Shrapnel can control other robots (as well as almost any electrically run device) by remote with his antennas. In robot mode, his antennae can, in the proper weather conditions, attract massive bolts of lightning from the sky to augment his own electrical generating capacity, and then release that power through his hands. In insect mode, Shrapnel can use his twin antennae to generate an electric burst of up to 40,000 volts.
  • Weapons: Grenade launcher

• Bombshell: Japanese rhinoceros beetle
  • Abilities: Mind control (see Cerebro-shells below)
  • Weapons: Cerebro-shells (humans) - In his insect form, Bombshell uses his stinger to inject a micro-circuited device into a human’s head. It travels through the blood until it reaches the brain, whereupon it opens up and releases tens of thousands of connecting wires. The wires coil around nearby neural dendrites until the brain’s conscious functions are effectively rerouted through the cerebro-shell, which puts the mind of the victim under the remote control of Bombshell.
  • Weapons: Cerebro-shells (Transformers) - Bombshell’s stinger is used in much the same way against other robots’ high-function mental circuitry. The major difference is that once the stinger is pressed against the metal casing of the victim’s head, the small laser torches on the sides of the stinger rotate rapidly to carve a small hole in the casing, allowing the stinger to inject a cerebro-shell.
  • Weapons: Head-mounted mortar cannon

• Kickback: Grasshopper
  • Abilities: Kickback is adept at controlling others through blackmail. In his insect mode, Kickback can use his legs to leap up to heights of 40 feet and over distances of a tenth of a mile. Although small in this form, with a single kick he can punch a hole in a one-quarter-inch steel plate.
  • Weapons: Submachine gun

Deluxe Insecticons

While the Earth-based Insecticons slumbered, Venom's team was active on Cybertron, as an independent force that occasionally performed missions for Shockwave on an individual basis as part of the Decepticon Mayhem Attack Squad, counterpart to the Autobot Wreckers.

• Venom: Cicada
• Barrage: Japanese rhinoceros beetle
• Chopshop: Stag Beetle
• Ransack: Grasshopper

Other Insecticons

• Honeytrap
• The Swarm
• Wild Insecticons

History

Canon History

The Insecticons were originally Decepticons who escaped in a small spacecraft from the main ship before in crash-landed on Earth. During the four million years that followed, the computer system of the craft developed the robots to transform from robot to mechanical insectoid forms. The Insecticons live in the former spacecraft in the Indonesian swamps. They wear the Decepticon symbol and may often join up with Megatron, but ultimately are concerned with their own interests. ¹

Shrapnel, Kickback, and Bombshell arrived on Earth in an escape pod millions of years ago. Landing in a swamp, their idento-computers gave them new alternate modes based on local insects. Eventually their food-raiding activities attracted the attention of both the Autobots and Decepticons, the latter approaching them with offers of alliance and shared purpose.

A Plague of Insecticons

Reunited with their Decepticon comrades, the three warriors happily accepted an alliance, driving off the Autobots and participating in a raid on an oil refinery. They displayed the full range of their powers... as well as their willingness to clear out as soon as the tide of battle turned against the Decepticons. Devouring a batch of energon cubes, they abandoned the fight, prompting Megatron to pursue them into the distance, swearing vengeance.

Traitor

The Insecticons somehow survived, and were in the area when Megatron decided to pursue the electro-cells. The Insecticons aided the Decepticons in battle... and received a measly three energon cubes as a reward. The Autobot Mirage took advantage of their discontent, stealing the cubes and leaving a Decepticon insignia in their place. Soon, the Insecticons attacked the Decepticons in retribution. Mirage was injured in the battle, and cerebro-shelled into being an Insecticon slave. Megatron and Bombshell eventually worked out Mirage's deception, and used him to lure several Autobots into a trap. When the battle turned against them, Megatron destroyed the electro-cells, resulting in massive explosions which convinced the Insecticons to flee into the distance.

Enter the Nightbird

In an unusual instance of an Insecticon working solo, Bombshell joined Megatron's forces after they had captured the human-made Nightbird robot. He performed brain work on the robot to turn it into a Decepticon ally, and was quite impressed with its abilities. He later participated in a battle with the Autobots over the World Energy Chip. When Starscream disabled Nightbird with an energy blast to the back, Bombshell joined Megatron and the Decepticons in pursuing Starscream into the distance.

The Insecticon Syndrome

The Insecticons had been devouring trees in a National Park, prompting the Autobots to investigate. Megatron and his troops arrived in time to observe as the trio defeated Bumblebee, Hound and Beachcomber. Megatron approached them and proposed a temporary alliance to capture the data storage facility at Iron Mountain. As a reward, the Insecticons were first allowed to feast on the Nova Power Core, which allowed them to grow to great size and power.

Quickly seizing the initiative, the Insecticons cerebro-shelled Soundwave, taking control of him. Through him they learned of Megatron's plan to dispose of them after Iron Mountain's data was secure. Thus they covertly cerebro-shelled the rest of the Decepticons; when Megatron emerged from Iron Mountain, he found himself facing the guns of his own troops.

The Autobots, meanwhile, had discovered that the Nova Power Core was unstable and would eventually cause the Insecticons to explode. They developed an antidote, and allied with Megatron to deliver it into the Insecticons. Bombshell and Kickback were cured and returned to their normal size, but Shrapnel exploded before the antidote could take full effect. The explosion also released the Decepticons from Bombshell's control. Bombshell was able to instantly reconstruct Shrapnel's shattered pieces. With an infuriated Megatron in hot pursuit, the Insecticons fled into the distance.

Quest for Survival

Because Incesticon clones would be too creepy.

The Insecticons went on a cloning spree, creating thousands of clones and raiding farmland to harvest energy. After driving off an Autobot attack led by Smokescreen, the Insecticons and their clone hordes flew to Decepticon Headquarters for energy processing. Megatron gave them their cut, consisting of three tiny energon cubes, while privately processing scads of full-sized cubes behind the scenes.

“

Our friend Megatron's in trouble.

”

“	If I weren't so hungry I'd stop to help him out! Haww haw haw!	”
—Kickback and Bombshell

When the Autobots acquired a robotic insecticide to deal with the swarm, Megatron sent Thrust to warn his erstwhile allies, but the Insecticons suspected that they were being deceived, and instead flew directly to the valley where the insecticide (along with the Autobot Cosmos), lay stranded. They gleefully ignored Megatron's Decepticons, who were being overwhelmed by the Autobots, and instead turned their attention to a delicious-looking forest, which Megatron was clearly trying to hoard for himself. Flying into the "forest", the Insecticons quickly discovered that it consisted of ravenous Morphobots, which promptly devoured the entire Insecticon army. Only the three originals escaped unharmed, though just barely; they fled, flying away into the distance.

The Revenge of Bruticus

Another horde of Insecticon clones was ravaging a city when the Autobots rolled into town. After the Protectobots evacuated the city, the Autobots blasted the clones to scrap. When the Autobots attempted to seize control of the space bridge, Megatron had the Insecticons steal the bridge's control module. Later, faced with an Earth-destroying crisis that required cooperation with the Autobots as well as a trip to Cybertron, the Autobots and Decepticons tracked the Insecticons down to a parking garage. Shrapnel panicked at the sight of Megatron; the trio transformed and burrowed into the ground, leaving the control module behind and fleeing into the... ground.

MUX Theme History

While the Earth-based Insecticons slumbered, Venom's team was active on Cybertron, as an independent force that occasionally performed missions for Shockwave on an individual basis. While Venom's team reported to Megatron again after 1985, they continue to be stationed primarily on Cybertron.

With Megatron's disappearance in 2021, the Insecticons' loyalty and motives are in question.

OOC

The Deluxe Insecticons were built by Bandai as part of a short-lived toyline called Beetras, and imported to America via Hasbro. Due to an arrangement with Takara (the Japanese toy company who built the toys originally intended to be Transformers), they never appeared on TV in anything more than animated commercials.

References

¹ Transformers Production Bible