Insecticons

"A good meal always puts me in the mood for mayhem!"

Name: Bombshell
Allegiance: Decepticon
Sub-Group: Insecticon
Function: Psychological Warfare
Motto: "The mind is my playpen."

Profile: Whether it refers to a robot's or a human's, Bombshell's credo carries the same awful meaning - once he sinks his stinger into someone's head, it's unlikely that that someone will ever think for himself again. His ability to turn foes into helpless accomplices makes this Insecticon one of Decepticon Leader Megatron's favorites. And Bombshell's interest in his victim doesn't end with mere control of his mind: Given his cruel sense or humour, Bombshell finds nothing more entertaining than to have his unwilling followers perform embarrassing and debasing acts, an amusement he eagerly shares with his evil comrades.

Abilities: In his insect form, Bombshell is particularly adept at using his tiny size to infiltrate human populations. He then uses his stinger to inject a tiny "cerebro-shell" into a human's head. The micro-circuited device 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. He has a flying range of 5.7 miles in this form. In his larger robot form, 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 a victim's head, the small laser torches on the side of the stinger rotate rapidly to carve a small hole in the casing, allowing the stinger to inject a cerebro-shell. He also carries a head-mounted mortar that can throw a 50-pound explosive shell 8 miles with very good accuracy.

Weaknesses: Successful removal of one of Bombshell's cerebro-shells allows its possessor to use it against him by sending false signals back to him. Some tougher metals are impervious to his laser torches. Often, Bombshell will make the mistake of playing with his victim rather than paying more attention to more important matters, such as an Autobot assault.

Strength: 5; Intelligence: 8; Speed: 4; Endurance: 5; Rank: 6; Courage: 5; Firepower: 6; Skill: 9

G1 Animation Model

Robot Mode

Alt Mode

Alternate Versions

G1 Toy

"Swat this, you Autobot booby!"

Name: Kickback

Allegiance: Decepticon

Sub-Group: Insecticon 

Function: Espionage

Motto: "Friend is another word for fool."

Profile: Kickback is as charming a guy as you'll ever meet - but it is a charm rooted in an uncommonly cruel cleverness. The singular purpose of any friendship that this Insecticon begins is to dig up embarrassing facts about the other robot or person so that Kickback can influence his "friend" into doing his bidding. Humans are particularly susceptible to his seductive talents, but even Autobots have been known to succumb. The only thing Kickback enjoys more than recruiting these unwilling double agents is destroying them after he's exhausted their usefulness.

Abilities: In his insect mode, Kickback can use his powerful leg modules to propel him up to heights of 40 feet and over distances of a tenth of a mile. Although small in this form, a single kick of his can punch a hole in a ¼" steel plate. In robot form he can use his wings to fly at speeds up to 30 mph for distances up to 100 miles. He carries a sub-machine gun that can shoot up to 300 rounds per minute of armor-piercing titanium-coated bullets.

Weaknesses: Kickback's lack of weaponry makes him extremely vulnerable in insect mode. The nature of his leaping and flying abilities hampers his mobility in moderate winds.

Strength: 3; Intelligence: 9; Speed: 4; Endurance: 4; Rank: 7; Courage: 6; Firepower: 5; Skill: 8

G1 Animation Model

Robot Mode

Alt Mode

Alternate Versions

G1 Toy

"A little heavy on the electrons, electrons."

Name: Shrapnel

Allegiance: Decepticon

Sub-Group: Insecticon 

Function: Electronic Warfare

Motto: "Control electricity and you control the world."

Profile: The crackling sound of fused body parts short-circuiting is a sure sign of Shrapnel's work... and is music to his audio modules. In fact, whether he's scrambling microchips or shattering an armoured torso, it is the noise of war, the scream of his victim that Shrapnel considers the true rewards of his work. He relishes these sounds much the same way an actor relishes applause. And he's not shy about showing his own evil glee - the piercing battle cry of this loathsome Insecticon can be heard up to 8 miles away.

Abilities: In insect mode, Shrapnel can use his twin antennae to generate an electric burst of up to 40,000 volts. He can also use his antennae with enough precision to control virtually any electrically run device - from a pocket calculator to a small factory. He can fly up to 50 miles. 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. He also carries a grenade launcher that shoots a 30 pound steel ball that splinters into thousands of razor-sharp spikes in mid-air. Needless to say, anything caught in their path would be sliced to ribbons.

Weaknesses: Insulating materials, such as rubber and glass, can be used to thwart Shrapnel's electronic assaults. Also, his habit of making his presence known audibly makes him an obvious target.

Strength: 9; Intelligence: 6; Speed: 4; Endurance: 7; Rank: 6; Courage: 6; Firepower: 8; Skill: 9

G1 Animation Model

Robot Mode

Alt Mode

Alternate Versions

Third-Party Images

When it comes to Masterpiece scaled Insecticons there are a few options. Mastermind Creations released its own team, the Malum Militia, while Fans Toys has also released individual bots. Unfortunately, for me at least, MMC's team didn't quite hit the aesthetic mark and the Fans Toys offerings are both very difficult to find and very expensive in the aftermarket.

Thankfully BadCube came to the rescue with its Evil Bug Corps, consisting of Hypno (Bombshell), Kickbutt (Kickback) and Claymore (Shrapnel). Released both individually as limited editions and collectively as a value pack, you have a choice between a more G1 toy accurate set with transparent chest pieces, chrome and die-cast parts, and a more G1 cartoon accurate set with solid yellow chests, metallic grey accessories and a neat little colour-changing trick for Hypno (more on that later). For now, here are some official images of the value pack.

BadCube OTS-05/06/07 Evil Bug Corps Value Pack

As you can see they make for quite a faithful representation of the G1 animation aesthetic. Of course there are slight deviations from the animation models, as compromises are always necessary when designing and creating figures of this nature, but on the whole I think BadCube has done a great job.

BadCube OTS-05/06/07 Evil Bug Corps Value Pack

If pushed to criticise I'd have to say that both Claymore and Hypno's legs are a little boxy in robot mode, but from the waist up all three look very close to their cartoon incarnations, whilst retaining elements of the G1 toy design. As alluded above, Hypno even features a neat trick that allows him to 'magically' change the colour of his chest plate when he switches between robot and alt modes (as per the G1 cartoon), which is something that even the Fans Toys version can't do. Fans Toys offers two different versions of the figure, one with a grey chest, one with a purple chest, but of course this means that the colour is always wrong in one of the modes. I'll take some slightly boxier legs as a trade-off any day of the week. Here are a few shots of the Evil Bug Corps in their alt modes.

Hypno (Bombshell)

Here's Hypno's in his rhinoceros beetle mode, which is a massive improvement over the original G1 toy in every respect. Notice how the top of the bug mode is purple even though the chest is grey in robot mode? This is thanks to a neat trick that sees panels housed in his legs flip out and peg on top of the chest, facilitating the change.

Kickbutt (Kickback)

Here's Kickbutt's alt mode, that of a grasshopper. Again, everything is vastly improved over the G1 toy, especially the articulation, which was the most limited of the three 1980s figures. Kickbutt is definitely the most complex of the three figures in this pack from a transformation standpoint, but it's not a frustrating experience and the end result is well worth it.

Claymore (Shrapnel)

Finally we have Claymore's stag beetle mode, which again pays homage to the original G1 toy while offering the same level of quality as the other members of the Evil Bug Corps. I'm particularly fond of the super-poseable mandibles, which allow for a range of motion undreamed of by the original toy.

On the whole I'm very happy with my choice of third-party Insecticons. I'm sure there are people who will vocally support either Fans Toys or MMC's efforts, but for me the BadCube bugs strike just the right balance between quality and affordability. If my set is anything to go by the QC on these figures is great, which is particularly heartening after my recent issues with X-Transbots Andras and DX9's Gabriel. I haven't experienced problems with loose joints, tolerances, or paint applications. All things considered BadCube's Evil bug Corp earns a strong recommendation.