Bombshell (G1)

This subject of this article goes by multiple names that apply to other articles as well. See Bombshell (disambiguation), Hardshell.

Bombshell is a Decepticon Insecticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.

A master of mind-controlling "cerebro-shells", the twisted Bombshell (aka Hardshell) plays with the minds of others as a child would a new toy, enthusiastically and recklessly. But there is nothing childlike about the gleeful malice he exposes in forcing his victims into more and more humiliating and destructive acts. Bombshell takes such sadistic joy in the destruction of his victims that even the other Decepticons can be put off, wondering if he wouldn't be just as pleased to play those same "games" with them...

Contents 1 Fiction 1.1 Generation 1 cartoon continuity 1.1.1 The Transformers cartoon 1.1.2 Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity 1.1.2.1 Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers cartoon 1.1.2.2 Story of Binaltech 1.1.3 Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers comic 1.1.4 Mars Attacks: The Transformers 1.1.5 Ask Vector Prime 1.1.6 Deviations 1.2 Marvel Comics continuity 1.2.1 Marvel The Transformers comics 1.2.1.1 Transformers Annual 1985 1.2.1.2 Movie future timeline 1.2.1.3 Earthforce 1.2.2 Transformers '84 1.3 Kid Stuff Talking Story Books 1.4 Marvel coloring books 1.5 Big Looker storybooks 1.6 Listen 'n Play audiobooks continuity 1.7 Peril from the Stars 1.8 Find Your Fate Junior 1.8.1 Dinobots Strike Back 1.8.2 Battle Drive 1.8.3 Attack of the Insecticons 1.8.4 The Invisibility Factor 1.9 Dreamwave Generation One continuity 1.10 G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers 1.11 The Beast Within 1.12 2005 IDW continuity 1.13 Hearts of Steel 1.14 Lil Formers 1.15 Mini Mayhem! 1.16 Transformers vs. G.I. Joe 1.17 2019 IDW continuity 1.18 Transformers vs. The Terminator 1.19 My Little Pony/Transformers 1.20 War for Cybertron Trilogy marketing material 2 Commercial appearances 3 Games 3.1 The Transformers (PS2) 3.2 Transformers Legends 3.3 Transformers: Battle Tactics 3.4 Transformers: Devastation 3.5 Transformers: Earth Wars 3.6 Transformers Roleplaying Game 4 Toys 4.1 The Transformers 4.2 The Transformers Collection 4.3 Universe (2008) 4.4 Kre-O 4.5 Combiner Wars 4.6 Platinum Edition 4.7 Legacy 5 Merchandise 5.1 Decoy 5.2 Hard Hero 5.3 Robot Heroes 5.4 Transformers Trading Card Game 5.5 ULTIMATES! 6 Notes 6.1 Foreign names 7 References

Fiction

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Michael Bell (English), Ken Shiroyama (Japanese), Gu Guoyi (Chinese), Edgar Wald (American Spanish), Gianluca Crisafi (Italian, second dub), Georges Atlas (European French), Henry Djanik (European French, "Enter the Nightbird"), Francis Lax (European French, "The Insecticon Syndrome"), Carlos Marques (Portuguese), Paulo Flores (Portuguese, "Enter the Nightbird"), Francisco José (Portuguese, "The Insecticon Syndrome"), Hélio Ribeiro (Portuguese, "Quest for Survival")

Bombshell and the rest of the Insecticons jettisoned themselves out the Decepticon cruiser when it and the Autobot ship crashed on Prehistoric Earth. Landing in what would become modern Bali off of Indonesia, the Insecticons were altered by their idento-computers to possess insectoid beast modes, and had the ability to convert organic matter into energon.

Reactivating around the same time as those aboard the Ark, the Insecticons formed a small nest for themselves in Demon Swamp before being tracked down by Megatron and the Decepticons. They formed an alliance for the purpose of collecting energon and vanquishing the Autobots. In their first encounter with the enemy, Bombshell demonstrated one of the most unique of the trio's abilities—after firing an "insecti-shell" at a farming machine to blow it into pieces, he and the other Insecticons used "clone beams" to somehow convert those fragments of metal into duplicates of the Insecticons in their insect modes, a virtual swarm of Insecticlones created nearly out of thin air.

The initial alliance between Decepticons and Insecticons broke down after the greedy insects attempted to gorge themselves on the cache of energon cubes Megatron had created, and then abandoned the Decepticons to the Autobots. After that, the two groups operated independently, only joining forces as a matter on convenience on rare occasions. A Plague of Insecticons

Bombshell and the Insecticons next hired out their services to Megatron during his experimentation with the electro-cells as on-call guards, in exchange for a share of the profits. The Autobot Mirage attempted to turn them against each other, however, by stealing the Insecticons' reward and framing the Decepticons for it. Bombshell and the others staged an assault on the electro cell station and their Decepticon "comrades". During a spray of one of Shrapnel's grenades, Mirage was inadvertently caught in the blast while invisible. Bombshell seized upon the opportunity to implant one of his cerebro-shells in the fallen Autobot and turn him into a slave. What he DIDN'T do, however, is question what an Autobot counter-intelligence agent was doing sneaking around Decepticon camp just then. Megatron had to force Bombshell to think at gunpoint before he realized that Megatron wouldn't rob them while Optimus Prime and the Autobots still lived. Maybe after, but not before. The united Decepticons then attempted to set a trap for the Autobots using Mirage, but ultimately Mirage was set free and the electro-cells were destroyed. Traitor

Next, Bombshell's aid was commissioned to upgrade the human-built female ninja robot known as Nightbird for Megatron, converting her into a functional assassin. His engineering skills shown here were rather remarkable for someone with no table manners. Enter the Nightbird

On their next joint venture, Megatron arranged for Bombshell and the Insecticons to have access to the Nova Power Core, a meal that filled them with raw energy and caused them to increase in size dramatically. In exchange, they aided the Decepticons in raiding the armored installation known as Iron Mountain to gain control of the defense computer being housed there. Their new power went to their heads, however, and the Insecticons were overheard plotting against Megatron by his spy Soundwave. Soundwave didn't get far, however, before Bombshell captured the Decepticon and turned him with the help of a cerebro-shell.

He then systematically "bugged" the rest of Megatron's troops; by the time Iron Mountain was successfully infiltrated, Megatron was the only Decepticon left. The nova power proved to be too unstable for the Insecticons to synthesize, however, and an antidote was administered to rob Bombshell and Kickback of their additional mass and power. Shrapnel, however, exploded into pieces before the antidote could be properly administered. Somehow, though, Bombshell was able to completely reconstruct his fallen comrade in a matter of seconds, using a special shell to reunify the pieces and the Insecticons fled the scene with the Decepticons in hot pursuit. The Insecticon Syndrome They eventually patched things up, as Bombshell marched in the "Decepticon Day" parade. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2

In another scheme, Megatron convinced the Insecticons that he had a new energon processing system that could draw power from their organic-conversion process far more efficiently than their bodies normally could. The Insecticons would gather vast amounts of power through their clone armies, and then return to Decepticon headquarters to refine their amassed energies into energon cubes. Little did they know that the refinement process was far more effective than Megatron presented—Bombshell and the others were given scraps while dozens of cubes were being produced by their efforts. They slowly began to wise up to Megatron's duplicity and, when his henchman Thrust attempted to warn them away from a certain valley, the Insecticons took it as a sign there was something valuable there. In fact there was: a can of robotic insecticide the Autobots had planned to use against the Insecticlones, and an ever-growing number of Morphobots, techno-organic plants that fed on robot insects. Bombshell and the Insecticons attempted to feed on the plants, only to have their food "bite back" and their entire clone army destroyed in a matter of minutes. Quest for Survival

During the Combaticons' attempt at destroying Earth by sending it into the sun, the Insecticons were seen in large numbers again and were responsible for taking apart the Space Bridge controls. They would later be tracked by the combined Autobots and Decepticons after which they relinquished the controls. The Revenge of Bruticus

Bombshell would ultimately be mortally wounded during the battle of Autobot City and was ejected alongside many other fallen Decepticon warriors (Megatron included) into deep space. This would not be the final note of Bombshell's story, however; his body was used by Unicron to create either Cyclonus or the other guy. The Transformers: The Movie

Either he got better or that was an identical clone, because all three Insecticons, along with the Combaticons and Soundwave, were later seen on Earth trying to stop Wheelie, Blurr, Marissa Faireborn and Sky Lynx from delivering the Transformation cog to Metroplex. They were trampled by Sky Lynx. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers cartoon

The Insecticons arrived on Earth via their vessel long before the other Decepticons and the Autobots arrived. The Mystery of the Insectrons^[1]

Story of Binaltech

Bombshell's cerebro-shell technology was combined with Doctor Arkeville's hypno-chip to create a new form of brainwashing. Using this technique, Starscream's Decepticons and their human allies the Concurrence infiltrated the Binaltech Project to steal the advanced bodies planned for the Autobots for themselves. Arise! Evil Binaltechs

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers comic

Bombshell along with the other Insecticons took part in an attack on Kyushu that attracted the attention of the Autobots. The Four-Wheel Drive Corps responded, but the attack turned out to be an ambush as the Insecticons trapped the Autobots in a volcanic crater. Luckily, the Four-Wheel Drive Corps was able to "combine" and perform the fearsome "Four-Wheel Drive Robo Combination Scrumbuster" attack. The blast of energy was so powerful that it sent the Insecticons fleeing in terror. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #3

Mars Attacks: The Transformers

The three Insecticons were among Decepticon forces who formed an alliance with the Autobots during a Martian invasion. They saved Ironhide and Jazz from some of the Martians' giant ants. Mars Attacks: The Transformers

Ask Vector Prime

In Primax 1185.04 Alpha, the Insecticons were among the few allies Megatron found in his campaign against Cobra-controlled Earth. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/13

In an unstable Iocus reality engineered by the machinations of Sideways and Gong, Bombshell and Skywarp were replaced by Crasher and Slicks as the villains thrown out of Astrotrain and reformatted by Unicron into a warrior and her armada. Echoes and Fragments

Deviations

In an alternate timeline where Optimus Prime killed Megatron in the Battle of Autobot City, Bombshell was thrown out of Astrotrain with other weakened Decepticons in the aftermath of the battle. They drifted through space till they were consumed by Unicron. Deviations

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

Bombshell was one of Lord Straxus's warriors operating out of Polyhex. The Smelting Pool! At some point during the war, he encountered Sky Lynx in battle, but he was unable to get the better of his opponent. Spacehikers! Along with his fellow Insecticons and the coneheads, he pursued another sextet of Autobots who had just carried out some sort of raid on the smelting pool, only to be forced to retreat by a torrent of liquid metal that had just been siphoned off of it. The Smelting Pool! He later attended Straxus's trial run of his newly constructed Space Bridge. The Bridge to Nowhere!

Bombshell was one of the Decepticon warriors targeted for termination by the Wreckers in Operation: Volcano. A last minute change in orders prevented Bombshell and his cronies from walking into the Autobot trap, though. Target: 2006 After Straxus began an alliance with Megatron and the Decepticons of Earth, Bombshell was transported to our solar system by way of the space bridge. He, Kickback, and Shrapnel were then reformatted into the Insecticons, and granted impressive mass shifting powers that enabled them to shrink down to the size of actual insects when transforming.

The Insecticons' first mission on Earth was to set up a conduit between Cybertron and Hoover Dam, stealing the hydro-electrical power. Bombshell tracked down the assistant chief engineer, Ricky Vasquez, and implanted him with a cerebro-shell so that the Decepticons could infiltrate the plant clandestinely. With Megatron and the Insecticons riding shotgun, Vasquez snuck them into the control room where Shrapnel was able to take electronic control of the dam. Vasquez eventually managed to reassert his free will however and, with the interference of the Aerialbots, the Decepticon operation proved ineffective.

Still, Bombshell took advantage of the opportunity to infiltrate the Ark by riding atop Silverbolt back to the Autobot base. Aerialbots over America! While inside, he seized a chance to fire one of his cerebro-shell inside Optimus Prime during a medical exam where Ratchet was cleaning a recent wound. He was unable to actually control Prime, but managed something almost as good—by piping in a radio connection to Megatron through Soundwave, Bombshell's implant was able to divert some of the Creation Matrix to the Decepticons, bringing life to the Stunticons just as Prime was finalizing the life-sparks of the Aerialbots. Bombshell's implant was eventually discovered, but the damage was done. Heavy Traffic!

Just before Christmas 1986, Bombshell accompanied Thrust in a raid on a Blackrock chemical plant as Jetfire and Jazz were taking delivery of a consignment of fuel. Though Bombshell managed to incapacitate Jazz easily, Thrust did not do such a good job with Jetfire as the Autobot quickly recovered and shot Bombshell down. Only the threat of an impending explosion allowed the Decepticons to retreat. The Gift

Later, Megatron commissioned Bombshell and Dirge to take control of the human creation known as Power Station Alpha. Sighting Bumblebee casing the installation, Bombshell blasted a human boy with a cerebro-shell as a distraction, sending him off into danger while the Decepticon infiltrated Alpha and placed a specially-modified shell inside. Blood on the Tracks Things were too hot to retrieve it then, with the G.I. Joe team taking hostile action against Bumblebee and then being confronted themselves by Superion, but later that night the remote control was triggered and Power Station Alpha sprung to life. Surprisingly for the Decepticons, though, it did NOT come to their base as programmed—Doctor Mindbender of Cobra was able to lock onto the electronic frequency of Bombshell's shell and bring Alpha to Cobra Island instead. Dirge and Bombshell were therefore forced into the position of emissaries for the Decepticon cause, proposing an alliance between them and Cobra in order to share Power Station Alpha's potential. Power Struggle

Bombshell was privy to Shockwave's plan of using Command Station Alpha to syphon tremendous amount of energy from the Earth, effectively destroying the planet in the process. When Serpentor and his troops arrived at the Decepticon base to deliver the device, Bombshell and his fellow Cybertronians maintained a facade of camaraderie with their human "allies." While Mindbender was acting as Cobra's "ambassador", he uncovered the severity of their plans for Alpha, and the devastating effect it would have on the Earth. As Bombshell was giving the doctor a tour of the Decepticons' base, the Decepticon suddenly began to convulse and transform involuntarily... the result of one of his Cerebro-Shells being probed elsewhere. Bombshell excused himself to check his systems over. Ashes, Ashes...

Once Cobra switched sides and joined in an alliance with the Joes and the Autobots, Mindbender was deemed "surplus parts" and Bombshell attempted to execute him. Instead, the Insecticon was disabled by a blast from one of the Baroness's cannon weapons. As the two Cobra agents left to join Serpentor in conference with their new "friends", Mindbender scooped up the unconscious Bombshell (who had reverted to his tiny insect mode) in the hopes of dissecting his circuitry later. Only after arriving at the Joe base did they discover the connection between Bombshell and his cerebro-shells, as the Joe technical expert Mainframe prodded the shell which had been surgically retrieved from the boy Bombshell blasted days earlier, causing the still-inactive Insecticon to spontaneously transform out of his own control. ...All Fall Down!

How Bombshell eventually regained control of his systems and returned to the Decepticons is unknown, but he did and was later seen participating in a raid on an oil tanker. He used his cerebro-shells to quickly locate the vessel's control room. Unfortunately, the tanker turned out to be dry. Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom When Decepticon leadership eventually passed to Ratbat, Bombshell was seen among his troops, and participated on an attack against the crews of both the Steelhaven and the Ark, at the time parked on Earth's moon. Bombshell was blasted by Fortress Maximus early in the assault. Totaled!

Transformers Annual 1985

Upon learning that the Autobots were secretly planning to open a dialogue with the President of the United States, Megatron awakened the Insecticons to undermine the potential alliance. The trio were too new to be in full control of themselves, and needed to be remote-controlled to be of any use on the battlefield. To this end, Ravage was selected to guide them on their test-run.

The Insecticons interrupted the peace talk, Bombshell making his presence known by ordering his teammates to "KILL THE HUMANS!" The Insecticons then proclaimed themselves to be Autobots working under Optimus, and blasted their surroundings with abandon, leading the humans to believe the Autobots had always planned on betraying them. Having put on enough of a show for the President himself, Bombshell and his teammates then zoomed off to unleash further firepower on downtown Washington, D.C.. Warpath and Prowl both tried to put an end to the Insecticons' rampage, but found it difficult to get a bead on their flying opponents. Optimus, however, had deduced that the Insecticons were being controlled by someone else, and tracked down Ravage in short order. The cat ordered Bombshell to double back and come to his aid. Bombshell launched a cerebro-shell towards the Autobot leader, just as Kickback destroyed his Roller drone. The drone's destruction caused Optimus to keel over in pain at just the right moment, making the cerebro-shell miss its mark and imbed itself into Ravage instead. Bombshell gained control of Ravage mind, but since Ravage was already in control of Bombshell's mind, the result was two Decepticons left mindless and immobile. Plague of the Insecticons!

Movie future timeline

When Megatron launched a major offensive against Autobot City in the year 2005, Bombshell was among the troops who attacked the fortress. The Planet-Eater!

Earthforce

Bombshell and the Insecticons were allied with Megatron during the Decepticon Civil War against Shockwave. He attended the Enclave held by the two factions, but it didn't go well and Bombshell was later seen among the massive melee between the Decepticon armies. The Bad Guy's Ball! Bombshell and the Insecticons were later tasked by Megatron to infiltrate Shockwave's base and spy on his war room to gain secret intelligence. Bombshell had tapped into the room with a listening prong right before Starscream arrived, and caught the tiny intruders with a rustbug hoop. Forced to submit, the Insecticons were surprised that Starscream wasn't going to torture or kill them: instead, he offered them a juicy bit of gossip that Shockwave would be off alone on a mission soon. Bombshell realized that Starscream was setting his leader up for a fall, arranging for both Megatron and Shockwave to be disposed of in one felt swoop. He seemed okay with it. Bugged!

Sure enough, Megatron and Shockwave were soon excommunicated from their respective armies, and the Decepticons united under the command of Starscream and Soundwave. Bombshell was present at the latter two's public announcement of their takeover, Internal Affairs! and for the united Decepticons' first major military action, an attack on Autobot Earthbase. The Decepticons' goal was to kill some Autobots, while also distracting them as Starscream looted a human oil tanker in the Gulf of Mexico. Both goals proved fruitless, and the Decepticons were driven off. Divide and Conquer!

Soon, however, Bombshell turned his talents to less overt and more deceitful activities. At his leaders' request, Bombshell implanted the mighty warrior Superion with one of his cerebro-shells, turning the giant against the human populace in order to smear the Autobots' image. A human reporter named Irwin Spoon managed to get inside Superion at the Autobots' request, however, and remove the shell before any permanent damage was done. Inside Story! Bombshell's follow-up surveillance revealed that the Autobots had offered the reporter an exclusive interview in exchange for his assistance. Such a positive "puff-piece" would go a long way towards improving the Autobots' image among the humans, and could not be allowed by the Decepticons. So, Soundwave and Starscream arranged for the Stunticons to kidnap Spoon. Front Line! Trapping him inside Motormaster's cabin, the Stunticons led the Autobots on a merry chase through the highways until they finally forced Motormaster off the road and recovered Spoon. The damage had been done, however; unknown to the Autobots, Bombshell had been hiding inside Motormaster's cab, and implanted the reporter with a cerebro-shell before losing custody of the human. Irwin Spoon therefore wrote exactly the piece the Decepticons wanted, painting the Autobots as evil kidnappers set to destroy mankind. End of the Road!

Transformers '84

In the early days of the war on Cybertron, Bombshell was part of Straxus's forces who assaulted an Autobot fort in Iacon's Border Regions. When Autobots led by Ultra Magnus arrived to defend the fort, Straxus ordered his troops to seize as many prisoners as they could and retreat. Secrets & Lies #2 Upon returning to Darkmount, Bombshell was privileged to join Straxus as he watched those Autobot prisoners being tortured to death in the smelting pool. Secrets & Lies #3

Kid Stuff Talking Story Books

Bombshell and the rest of the Insecticons had enslaved the people of the island of Buru when the Decepticons had discovered that within the island was a plentiful supply of oil. He and the other Insecticons were eventually beaten back by the Dinobots. Slaves of the Insecticons

Marvel coloring books

Bombshell implanted a cerebro-shell in Springer and made him cause havoc in Autobot City. Bombshell gloated about his achievement to his fellow Decepticons but was bashed by Galvatron for drawing the Autobots' attention to them. In the ensuing battle, Wreck-Gar trapped Bombshell in a giant super-strong trash bag and the Autobots forced him to remove the shell from Springer. The Invasion of the Decepticon Camp

Big Looker storybooks

Megatron's plan to steal an oil truck involved Bombshell using cerebro-shells on the drivers. However, the Autobots interrupted the plan, foiling the theft. Decepticon Hijack

Kickback and Bombshell were looking for a way to gain favor with Megatron when they came across Grapple, the Autobots' architect. Bombshell infected him with a cerebro-shell to use the Autobots for his own evil deeds. After the mind-controlled Grapple chased off his friend Beachcomber, Bombshell brought his new toy back to Megatron. When the Autobots attacked Decepticon headquarters to get Grapple back, the diminutive Bombshell was too frazzled by the explosions to keep focus on Grapple, and the Autobots managed to rescue him. Insecticon Attack!

Listen 'n Play audiobooks continuity

Voice actor: ? (English)

Bombshell aided Starscream in enacting Megatron's plan to abduct humans for ransom. When they reached Phoenix International, they found the airport deserted, so instead went to check on the already-obtained hostages. Unfortunately the Autobots had found the warehouse already and liberated the prisoners, so Starscream's squad instead found an Autobot welcoming committee. With Starscream unable to transform and Bombshell injured, the Decepticons retreated. Sun Raid (Listen 'n Play)

Peril from the Stars

Bombshell was recruited by Starscream, behind the backs of the other Decepticons, to help him capture the Los Palmos observatory and its staff Jack and Sue Richards in order to track a weapons pod that had been launched from Cybertron. After implanting Sue Richards with a cerebro-shell and tangling with you and the Autobot Jazz, Bombshell ultimately retreated after Starscream left him to face Jazz alone. Peril from the Stars

Find Your Fate Junior

Dinobots Strike Back

With his buddy Kickback, Bombshell snuck into Hidden Valley, where the Dinobots were supposed to be on lookout duty. Seeing their inattentiveness, he was able to get close enough to launch a mortar which knocked them all out except Swoop, who dodged but got a wing injured in the explosion. Bombshell quickly transformed into insect mode and injected the four unconscious Dinobots with cerebro-shells, ordered them to transform, and sent Kickback back to Megatron to report his triumph.

What happened next depended on Swoop's actions: if Swoop stayed and fought Bombshell, the Insecticon responded by hovering over the other Dinobots, making it too risky for him to take a shot from his position. If Swoop flew below him, it opened up two paths with basically the same result for Bombshell: hit with a missile, then threatened until he removed the four cerebro-shells. He flew off in defeat, apparently not damaged too badly in either outcome.

If Swoop tried to lure him higher, Bombshell ordered the other Dinobots to attack the Ark and level everything in their path, raising a dust cloud that obscured Swoop's vision. Bombshell saw his opportunity to sneak up on Swoop, and injected him with a poison that shrank him down to the size of a hummingbird, then flew off and left the Dinobot bombardier to his fate. The poison eventually wore off, allowing Swoop to go down the same path as if he'd just flown back to the Ark instead of trying to fight Bombshell in the first place.

Either way, Bombshell never figured back into this micro-continuity-nexus save for one path in which Windcharger popped the cerebro-shells off with his magnetism, allowing Grimlock to remember picking up a careless thought from Bombshell about his actions merely being a distraction from Operation Black Coral, spurring the Autobots to investigate Dolphin's Bay. One possible subsequent outcome involved the Dinobots foiling this plan by pretending to still be under the cerebro-shells' influence, indicating that Bombshell wasn't actively controlling their actions at all after giving the initial order, and that the mind-link with his victims is only one-way. Dinobots Strike Back

Battle Drive

In one possible scenario, when Starscream believed himself ambushed by a whole squadron of Autobots, he radioed Bombshell for back-up. Upon his arrival, the Decepticons realized they were only up against Bumblebee, and the pair ganged up on the little Autobot. If Bumblebee attempted to flee from this battle through a nearby cornfield, Bombshell would put the little Autobot out of commission by puncturing his tires after Starscream used his null-rays on Bumblebee. In another possible sequence of events, Bumblebee is able to lose Bombshell through a smokescreen produced by a nearby burning field.

In another possible version of these events, Bombshell was amongst a squadron of Decepticons attacking Sparkplug as the human attempted to hide in a cave in the mountains. Bombshell and the rest of the Decepticons were defeated if Swoop managed to take out Megatron subsequently. Otherwise, he was amongst the Decepticons who stayed at the cave entrance after Swoop headed back to Autobot headquarters after the Dinobot's initial assault. In one of the possible following events, Bombshell has his wings blasted off when Prowl makes a mad dash back for Autobot headquarters, leaving him unable to pursue.

In a completely different version of these events, Bombshell is amongst the fleet of Decepticons who attack Optimus Prime and his small squad of Autobots when they are lured out in the open farmland. Whether or not the Decepticons triumphed depended on which decisions Optimus Prime made from that point on. In one possible scenario, Bombshell was scorched by Jazz's flamethrower after he and at least nine other Decepticons attempted to gang up on Optimus Prime. Battle Drive

Attack of the Insecticons

In one possible adventure, Bombshell was complicit in one of Starscream's schemes of overthrowing Megatron. Holding the recently kidnapped Sparkplug in his custody for the Seeker, Bombshell was instructed to use his Cerebro-Shells on the human in order to force him into creating a Sun-Pak for them, a device that would provide them with great energy reserves. Unknown to the duo, Buster and Blaster were hiding nearby.

If the two of them decided to contact Megatron, two possible outcomes were possible. First, if Buster provided Megatron proof that Starscream was planning to usurp the Decepticon leader, Megatron would arrive shortly and threaten Starscream for his duplicity. Not wanting to share Starscream's fate, Bombshell refused to collaborate Starscream's lies to Megatron. Though Bombshell managed to avoid punishment, this came at the cost of having to release Sparkplug, and keeping the existence of the Sun-Pak a secret. Second, if Buster refused to provide Megatron with proof of Starscream's treachery, Megatron turned up anyways, but allowed Bombshell to use his mind control device on Sparkplug. Unfrotunately for the Decepticons, the device caused memory damage in the human, rendering Sparkplug unable to create more Sun-Paks for the Decepticons.

If Blaster and Buster decided to seek Bumblebee's aid in confronting the Decepticons, the three of them would hatch a plan, which ultimately led to Bombshell accidentally hitting Starscream with his Cerebro-Shell in-lieu of Sparkplug. A fuming Bombshell was then forced to deal with the Seeker who was convinced by the Autobots that they were his masters, and was prevented from stopping both humans and both Autobots from escaping by the newly brainwashed Starscream.

In another possible adventure, the Autobots had become Bombshell and Shrapnel's prisoners, thanks to the Insecticons' Electro-Disrupter. While the Autobots are paralyzed by the device, Bombshell prepared Cerebro-Shell to make slaves of all do-gooders present. Little did the Decepticons know that the disrupter left the humans unaffected, giving them the opportunity to turn the device on the Insecticons, allowing the Autobots to escape.

In yet another possible adventure, Bombshell and Kickback were present when Shrapnel, in possession of the Sun-Pak, gloated that using the device's power they would overthrow Megatron as leader of the Decepticons. However, nearby hid Buster and Mirage spying on the trio. If Buster and Mirage decided to confront the Insecticons themselves, Mirage used his holographic powers to disorient the Insecticons, allowing Buster the opening to steal the device from the Insecticons. If Buster and Mirage decided to call for reinforcements, Bombshell and the other two Insecticons would be around long enough for Megatron, himself having found out about Shrapnel's ploy, to arrive in the rotting forest where the Insecticons were hiding, and blast Shrapnel for his treachery, warning the other two Insecticons that a similar punish would await them should they try to betray him as well. Bombshell was subsequently sprayed by Ironhide's acid spray, alongside the other Decepticons, when Megatron's plan to ambush the Autobot reinforcements backfired. Attack of the Insecticons

The Invisibility Factor

Bombshell was stationed in the Decepticons' secret desert base. In one possible scenario, the Decepticons captured Sarah Sanders, a scientist who had discovered a way to make machinery invisible with her Invisibility Device. When she would not give up her secrets willingly, Galvatron ordered Bombshell to use his Cerebro-Shells to control her mind. Bombshell stepped forth from the shadows and greedily anticipated taking over a fresh mind. In one possible scenario, Bombshell succeeded despite the Autobots’ brief interference, and the Decepticons conquered the Earth. In another possible scenario, Bombshell was dazzled at the last second by a series of holographic projections, giving the Autobots the time to scoop up Sarah and run. Whether Bombshell recaptured Sarah or if she escaped the Insecticon's clutches was a matter of chance from this point forward. The Invisibility Factor

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

Bombshell, sporting a spiffy tank mode, was on Cybertron millions of years ago as part of a commando group being directed by Soundwave, sent to track down Optimus while the bulk of the Decepticon forces participated in a raid on Iacon. The War Within #2 But the newly inaugurated Prime proved to be more trouble that Bombshell's team initially anticipated. The Autobot leader lost his pursuers in Cybertron's labyrinthine underground, and then ambushed them by using the environment to his advantage. Optimus knocked out Bombshell after delivering a solid right-hook to his face. The War Within #3 Grimlock came across Bombshell's sputtering, sparking body while on his own search for the Prime. The War Within #5

During the Dark Ages, Bombshell and his fellow future Insecticons served under Shockwave as part of the primary Decepticon faction. At one point, they assaulted Bludgeon and the Chaos Trinity in Altihex to stop the chaos unleashed by the Fallen. Conflagration Bombshell was also present at Tyger Pax during the aborted peace treaty between the Autobots, Decepticons and Ultracons. Megatron's sudden arrival with the Aerospace Extermination Squadron put a quick stop to those peace talks. The Age of Wrath After Megatron took control of the planet, Bombshell got to guard Autobot prisoners within Internment Camp Pi. The Age of Wrath #2

Prior to the Great Shutdown, Shockwave uncovered the crash location of the missing ships the Ark and Nemesis: Earth. He sent Kickback, Shrapnel and Bombshell to the planet as part of some vast, incomprehensible scheme he'd been perfecting for millennia. They initially encountered resistance from the Dynobots, but gave them the slip and went undercover on Earth for 48 thousand vorns. The Rules of Extinction Extermination

In modern times, however, Bombshell seemed to have developed a few loose screws and begun operating outside his mission parameters. Having taken over a small town in rural America, Bombshell had begun mass production of techno-organic Insecticlones being grown from special pods. Infestation He also went about abducting cattle and their human handlers in order to feed his larvae and build a mind-controlled army. His actions drew the attention of Earth Defense Command and Jazz's Autobot faction, leading to an investigation of the town. Shockwave contacted the Insecticons, berating them for allowing to be found out, though Bombshell thought the Autobots to be of little concern; he had already captured one of them, Bumper, and begun tinkering about with the Autobot's head. He ended Shockwave's call, and his experiment, to go feed his hatchlings... only to find Sunstreaker and Sideswipe already running amok in the hatchery. These two were captured as well, only for Bumper to turn up missing by the time the brothers were brought back to Bombshell's lab. Heading up to the surface in the hopes of finding him, Bombshell observed from a distance as the rest of his squad took on Jazz and his troops. As the Autobots gained the advantage on the battlefield, Bombshell sent the mind-controlled townspeople against them, knowing they would hesitate to harm the fleshlings. While his attentions was focused on this, Bumper managed to sneak up on Bombshell and took him out, signaling an Autobot victory... though this victory seemed to have come about easily. Perhaps, too much so...? Extermination In any case, Bombshell was taken into Autobot custody after his defeat. The Route of All Evil

G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers

Bombshell-type Insecticons were part of the dreaded Insecticon swarms on an alternate future Earth ruled by the Decepticons. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #3

The Beast Within

Bombshell participated in a savage all-out Decepticon offensive against the Autobots. With the Decepticons maintaining the advantage throughout the battle, Bombshell was amongst those who approached a crippled Optimus Prime, ready to dispatch the Autobot leader. Before they could deliver the finishing blow, the Dinobots combined into The Beast, shifting the Decepticons’ priorities. The Beast Within

2005 IDW continuity

First appearance: All Hail Megatron #1

Shortly after Thunderwing's apocalyptic assault across Cybertron, a tiny mechanoid insect called Bombshell injected a cerebro-shell into Beachcomber on Soundwave's behalf. The shell enabled Soundwave to make Beachcomber into an assassin, sending him after Blaster, the inspirational broadcaster for the Autobots. Spotlight: Blaster

Several hundred years later, Bombshell was created on Cybertron as the first non-insane Insecticon. All Hail Megatron #7 Soundwave would later refer to him as a "different Bombshell", separate from the one he had used against Blaster. One of this new Bombshell's first tasks was to finish Shockwave's research on combiners, resulting in the creation of Devastator. Shockpoint Before the Dawn After Devastator had defeated the Autobots on Earth, Bombshell constructed a space bridge between Cybertron and Earth, which the Decepticons used to dump their defeated enemies in. All Hail Megatron #7 After using the bridge to get rid of the Autobots on Earth, the Decepticons attacked New York City. During the assault, Bombshell tore apart Air Force jets in his giant beetle mode. All Hail Megatron #1 Marissa Faireborn watched this in horror. Detonation Boulevard He later attended Megatron's glorious victory speech in the ruins of the city, but the line about the Decepticons being "united in our cause" clearly wasn't quite true. All Hail Megatron #3 All Hail Megatron #4

Battle lines started being drawn between the Insecticons and the Seekers. In Beijing, Bombshell began openly mocking Skywarp and the Seekers as "Yesterday's news", ignored by their flight commander and cast aside by Megatron in favor of the Constructicons. Despite his mind games, though, Bombshell and the united Insecticons quickly scurried off when both Skywarp and Thundercracker stood up against them. All Hail Megatron #6 After returning to New York, Bombshell was approached by Starscream, who apologized for the behavior of his fellow Seekers, and told the Insecticons about how he envisioned the future of the Decepticon Empire—a vision which incidentally included Starscream as the leader. At some point during the conquest of Earth, Bombshell also captured former Headmaster Hunter O'Nion and started performing twisted experiments on him. All Hail Megatron #8

Bombshell would go on to create another space bridge in New York and use Hunter to create a "hub" of some sort, which the Decepticons used to find Autobots all across the galaxy and deactivate their defenses. When Megatron complimented his work, Bombshell explained that human minds intrigued him, and that he found experimenting on them to be quite "delicious". He then promptly betrayed Megatron, as he had been sucked in by Starscream's words earlier and took the Seeker's side in his rebellion. In response, Megatron threw Kickback at him. All Hail Megatron #10 Not long afterwards, the Autobots returned to Earth, and a massive battle broke out in New York. Bombshell jumped Sideswipe and taunted the Autobot by claiming to have toyed with his brother's mind with information he had extracted from Hunter. He was punched out by Kup before he could kill Sideswipe, however, and the Decepticons soon found themselves defeated. All Hail Megatron #12 As the Decepticons fled the planet aboard Astrotrain, Bombshell cheered for Starscream when he revealed that he was in possession of the Matrix of Leadership. Uneasy Lies the Head

Despite Starscream's "ascension", however, the Decepticon army began to crumble without clear direction. Bombshell and the rest of Starscream's followers eventually retreated to a lifeless planetoid in a distant solar system. Refugees from the broken Decepticon war machine began to trickle in over the next three years until nearly 100 were cowering together in the dark. Starscream ordered Bombshell to find some way to strengthen their meager energon reserves and keep what remained of the army properly fueled. Bombshell regarded this as a fool's errand, and left the Decepticons to reach "population saturation" on their own, as the strong cannibalized the weak for resources. Instead, he chose to work on perfecting cerebro-shell technology, and cobbled together a prototype to present to Starscream. It proved highly effective against the dissident Quake, who attacked Starscream at that moment for reasons of his own. Bombshell's little toy incapacitated Quake long enough for Starscream to eliminate the mutineer. Intrigued, Starscream requested Bombshell begin production of more cerebro-shells. All His Engines Later, Bombshell reported to an uninterested Starscream that an approaching Autobot ship had crashed into their defenses. Tempted by the Matrix, he made an offer to take care of the relic, but Starscream violently repulsed him. Together with Shrapnel and Acid Storm, he went to scavenge the ship's wreckage for anything useful, only to be attacked by the pilot, Rodimus. Bombshell tried to fire one of his new cerebro-shells at the intruder, who blocked it with a piece of metal and defeated him. Heart Like a Wheel

Megatron would later use space bridge technology built into in his new body to summon Bombshell and the rest of the Decepticons to him on Cybertron. At first they did battle with the Autobots, but were soon mind-controlled by D-Void into combining with Galvatron's Sweep army and forming a huge monster. Kings Once this monster was defeated, all Decepticons but Megatron were left weakened and easily captured by the Autobots, but Bombshell, Soundwave and Shockwave secretly remained in contact with their leader in preparation for his return. Bombshell's task was to perfect combiner technology, granting Megatron a warrior powerful enough to conquer the newly restored Cybertron. Shockpoint After three weeks in captivity, the Decepticons were released to help the Autobots beat down a NAIL riot, though with I/D chip implants to keep them from going overboard. The Death of Optimus Prime

Needlenose, unaware of their machinations and fed up with working as an enforcer for the Autobots, accused Bombshell, Soundwave and Shockwave of just sitting around instead of doing something about the Decepticons' situation. The Autonomy Lesson The three aided Ratbat's plan to take control of the I/D chips, assassinate the Autobot leader and rise up against their captors, but only because it served as a good distraction from their own activities. Shockpoint The World & Everything in It When Ratbat was then mysteriously found dead, the Autobots claimed it was suicide, but Bombshell and the other Decepticons didn't believe them. Stick Together

Following Ratbat's death, Bombshell began experimenting with using cerebro-shells to repress the wills of individuals and turn them into components of the perfect combiner, a concept he referred to as "all-who-are-one". Among his test subjects were Sunstorm and Skydive, but he was forced to murder the latter after he proved "divisive" and unsuitable for the experiments. As Dirge found the body, Bombshell placed another cerebro-shell on him to prevent him from telling anyone he was responsible, but Prowl found the device and tracked him back to his lair. Ordering Sunstorm to keep Prowl and Arcee busy, he fled into the reclamation tunnels and recruited the Constructicons' help, but it was all in vain as Prowl eventually cornered him and demanded to know what he was doing and who he was working with. When Bombshell refused to answer, Prowl prepared to execute him on the spot by shooting him in the head. Devisive However, using a tiny cerebro-shell masked by the larger one Prowl had found, Bombshell took control of his mind and made him miss at the last second. Before the Dawn

Now believed dead, Bombshell was able to go into hiding and use Prowl to manipulate events in anticipation of Megatron's return. This way, he was able to spirit away the Constructicons and modify them into a new Devastator, as well as take out Omega Supreme, the only Autobot capable of defeating a combiner. Before the Dawn Starscream expressed great shock at seeing Bombshell and other believed dead Decepticons alive when he was taken into the Black Room. The Verge When Megatron finally returned, they enacted the final part of their plan by having Prowl form Devastator's head, causing the giant to be completely under Bombshell's control. Before the Dawn However, the Decepticons were betrayed by Arcee who, knowing the only way of defeating the new Devastator would be to take out one controlling him, killed Bombshell by stabbing him in the head. Plan for Everything

Hearts of Steel

Along with several other Decepticons, Bombshell awoke in the late 19th century when a sunken human submarine crashed onto their submerged ship. Hearts of Steel #1 He spent some time helping his comrades construct things underwater before being ordered by Starscream to obtain "money" for their human ally, Tobias Muldoon. Taking on a new alternate mode alongside Kickback and Shrapnel, Bombshell transformed into the middle portion of the "Insectrain", which used his head-mounted cannon as a turret. The Insecticons attacked a train carrying money and gold from the Denver Mint, shrugging off the primitive weaponry of its human guards. Although he didn't see the value in tiny sheets of paper, Bombshell followed orders and delivered the loot to Starscream and Muldoon by the next morning. Hearts of Steel #2 He was later present when Starscream announced to his troops that the Autobots had awakened as well. Hearts of Steel #3

Lil Formers

Bombshell was interviewed and claimed, to put all debates to rest, that it was indeed him who became Cyclonus after being reformatted by Unicron. Skywarp made exactly the same claim. Lil Formers

Mini Mayhem!

Bombshell asked Bludgeon what was the point of his Pretender shell, since he couldn't blend in human society as a skeleton. Bludgeon explained that his Pretender shell once looked human, but its face was melted off after witnessing the opening of the Ark of the Covenant. Mini Mayhem!

Transformers vs. G.I. Joe

Bombshell, Shrapnel, and Kickback acted as bounty hunters for Megatron. The Insecticon trio brought their king four of the human invaders that had recently been pestering him, after picking them up in the middle of a firefight between G.I. Joe and the Decepticons. The fleshlings escaped, along with a couple of Autobot captives, when Mirage tricked Megatron with a holographic projection of Optimus Prime. Targetmasters The Insecticons were among the Decepticons who gathered under Trypticon for the final battle with the Autobots and G.I. Joe. Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12

2019 IDW continuity

First appearance: Galaxies #1

Bombshell, Kickback, and Skrapnel emerged from the Forge Pyramid in Iacon at the same time. The trio were born with a ravenous, nigh-insatiable hunger; when they consumed raw materials, they found that they could metabolize whatever they consumed into a particularly powerful form of "ultra-energon". Scientists at the time tried to understand this strange mutation, but when they proved unable to crack the secret behind this miraculous ability the three were turned loose on Cybertron's waste processing industry to recycle garbage and industrial waste into cheap, efficient fuel. Constructicons Rising, Part 2

When the War of the Threefold Spark swept the planet, the war forced the Autobot government to focus on other priorities, leaving Bombshell and his compatriots without any oversight. Constructicons Rising, Part 2 Bombshell and the other Insecticons approached Exarchon's minion Shockwave, who had begun a series of cloning experiments, and cut a deal with the scientist: in exchange for producing the volatile energon required to fuel his cloning machines, Shockwave would clone them as well. Escape Part Three Shockwave ran some preliminary tests and discovered that the three were well-suited for the rigorous cloning process, but ultimately withheld this information from them, for fear that the Insecticons had only just begun testing the limits of their destructive potential. Escape Part Two After the end of the war, the trio were banished from Cybertron and eventually wound up on the planet Mayalx. Bombshell claimed that the Cybertronian government had grown wary of their powers and wondered if they would ever develop a taste for living Cybertronians; because of this, the government rebranded them as the lowly "Insecticons" and put them to work far from Cybertron. Constructicons Rising, Part 2

In the years before the Great War, the Insecticons joined The Rise, a radical splinter group led by Shockwave, and worked to recruit disaffected Cybertronians from the colonies to the Ascenticon movement. Constructicons Rising, Part 2 Bombshell eventually discovered the Constructicons, and realized that they could be manipulated to help the Insecticons gather energon for the cause. Constructicons Rising, Part 1 After first feasting on a dead worker Hook killed by accident, Bombshell and the other three Insecticons confronted the builders during one of Scrapper's regular sparring matches; Bombshell explained their own history and encouraged Scrapper and his friends to embrace their full potential by taking revenge on the society that had scorned their talents. Constructicons Rising, Part 2

The Constructicons eventually agreed to attack, using their combined form; to overcharge the Constructicons, the Insecticons killed and ate three workers, their living sparks giving the Insecticons the extra juice to produce a particularly volatile variety of energon. Once the Constructicons had over-fuelled on their energon cubes and ravaged the colony as the newly christened Devastator, Bombshell delivered a grisly, ironic toast to Nominus Prime: the bot who'd made this all possible. Many cycles later, after the Insecticons had devoured and processed everything—and everyone—Devastator had destroyed, Onslaught's unit arrived to take them and their harvest back to Cybertron. Constructicons Rising, Part 4 While Bombshell and the others were in exile, Shockwave began working on a legion of clones in their image. Storm Horizon Part 3 Sea of Rust I

At some point during their exile, the three Insecticons had developed a taste for organic life, and not long after Megatron finally staged a coup instituted martial law across Iacon, the three got the chance to sate their hunger by rampaging through the city's Xeno-Quarter and attacking the A'ovan habitat. The three killed many of the endangered animals inside the facility before Hound, Nautica, and Road Rage arrived and successfully chased them off. As the three retreated back to Shockwave's base, Bombshell told his subordinates it was time to make Shockwave deliver on his promises. Escape Part One Upon arriving, however, Shockwave informed them that the cloning process would take more time before dismissing them. Unwilling to wait, Bombshell used his cerebro-shells to enthrall his fellow Riser Skystalker, then set out with his fellows to ambush a refugee convoy heading to Darkmount. Escape Part Two

In the ensuing battle, the Insecticons made off with a pair of A'ovan refugees and the Autobot Scrambler; after they'd eaten their victims, they reunited with their mind-controlled minion Skystalker as he flew the stolen shuttle Thunder Arrow and a load of Shockwave's stolen equipment to a remote location in the Cybertronian Mountains. The three soon set up a crude cloning lab and powered Shockwave's stolen machinery with their own energon. Using the Cybertronian strata as raw material, the trio began mass-producing an army of mindless, sparkless clones; Escape Part Four after Shockwave unsuccessfully tried to assassinate the three, their clones swarmed over the city of Darkmount and caused mass destruction before they were finally repelled. Escape Part Four As the wounded remnants of the swarm returned to Darkmount, Bombshell explained the glorious simplicity of his plan: by "harvesting" the swarm and turning them into energon, they could power up the machine to create even more clones. Escape Part Five

Over the next forty cycles, Bombshell and the other Insecticons agreed to a truce with Shockwave under the stipulation that they would cooperate with the new Decepticon regime and send their soldiers when needed. As such, Shockwave contacted Bombshell and ordered him to send his clones to eliminate Termagax's House. Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust I

In time, the Insecticons gave in to their appetites like never before, experiencing exponential predatory growth. The Insecticlones became an existential threat to the very fabric of Cybertron. The Landscape of Fear Bombshell even began to turn on Kickback and Skrapnel, badgering them to eat even more to feed his cloning machines. A plan was concocted by Termagax to remove the Insecticons as a threat. A strike team of Autobots infiltrated the Insecticons' hive, and planted a receiver on Bombshell. A complex data-bomb was implanted in a captive Insecticlone at Darkmount, fed back to the receiver on Bombshell and, through him, transmitted to the entire swarm. The Insecticlones were reprogrammed to eat only the rust worms, two major threats to Cybertron repurposed to eliminate each other. End of Time

Transformers vs. The Terminator

Bombshell and the other two Insecticons awoke aboard the Ark in 1984 once Megatron had killed the still-dormant Optimus Prime; without the Autobots to stop them, the Decepticons began a destructive campaign against humanity that ended with mankind's extinction and the apparent subjugation of their Skynet defense network. Enemy of My Enemy Part Two In the year 2029, the Insecticons joined Starscream's Seekers in an attack on Skynet's Omega Base and emerged triumphant, failing to notice that their enemy had sent a T-800 Terminator back in time to stop this future from ever coming to pass. Enemy of My Enemy Part One

In the altered timeline created as a result of the Terminator's interference, the remaining Decepticons reactivated the Insecticons moments before Optimus himself awoke, and fled with Megatron once Sarah Connor brought Bumblebee back online. While the villains regrouped on the Oregon coastline, Megatron sent Refraktor and the Insecticons to search for potential energy sources. The group returned shortly afterwards, bringing news of a robotics company with an apparent connection to their mysterious cybernetic attacker. Enemy of My Enemy Part Two After successfully invading the headquarters of Cyberdyne Systems, Megatron ordered the three Insecticons to tear the building apart to find any information relating to the Terminator, but they didn't get far before Optimus Prime and the other Autobots intervened. Enemy of My Enemy Part Three In the ensuing battle, the Insecticons teamed up against Bumblebee, Velocity, and Arcee; the pink Autobot killed Kickback, however, and the remaining pair found themselves outmaneuvered and incapacitated by their foes. The battle ended with the deaths of both Megatron and the T-800, but when the Autobots took their new prisoners back to the Ark they discovered that the time-travelling cyborg had double-crossed the aliens by destroying Mount St. Hilary and their only way home. With no clear way back to Cybertron, Prime suggested a truce, one which Bombshell and the other remaining Decepticons agreed to. Enemy of My Enemy Part Four

My Little Pony/Transformers

Bombshell was among the many Transformers transported to Equestria through a malfunctioning spacebridge. Transformation Is Magic The Insecticons set about cloning themselves, and the combined swarm attacked the Sweet Apple Acres farm and began devouring everything in sight. A horrified Applejack managed to oust the invaders from her farm with the assistance of Discord and her extended family. Strength in Numbers Bombshell joined the attack on the Crystal Empire but was eventually banished back to Cybertron with the other Decepticons. Finale

Later, Bombshell was one of the many Cybertronians mind-controlled by King Sombra, and helped excavate Scorponok before Optimus Prime and his Autobots attacked. After Sombra's defeat, Bombshell and the others were returned to normal. Finale

War for Cybertron Trilogy marketing material

Bombshell, Skywarp, both, or neither of them were reformatted into the Herald of Unicron Cyclonus. Kingdom Cyclonus product description^[2]

Commercial appearances

Bombshell, Shrapnel, and Kickback led an enormous swarm of Insecticons to attack a farm. Insecticons commercial

Games

The Transformers (PS2)

The Transformers (PS2)

Transformers Legends

Hardshell and his Insecticons once captured Snarl and Slug of the Lightning Strike Coalition, and delivered the prisoners to Shockwave's lab, for the Decepticon scientist to experiment on them. Rescue the King

Chafing under Megatron's rule, Hardshell and his fellow Insecticons began raiding energy storage and high-energy research facilities worldwide. The energy gave them increased size and power, and it was only when the Autobots and Decepticons formed an alliance that they were able to be stopped. Harvest of the Insecticons When Ultra Magnus returned to Earth with new troops in the form of Wreck-Gar and Wheelie, the Insecticons managed to ambush them. Junkion Reunion The Decepticons managed to steal Nightbird, and Megatron had Hardshell reprogram her to serve the Decepticon cause. Though she succeeded in stealing the World Energy Chip from Autobot HQ, the Decepticons were forced to come to her aid and failed to prevent her falling back into Autobot hands. Enter the Nightbird Bombshell was among the Decepticons who attacked Cybertron during an alliance with the Quintessons. Five Faces of Darkness: Part 3

At some point he was reformatted into Cyclonus. The Coronation of Starscream

Transformers: Battle Tactics

Bombshell participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was a Super Rare character who could be acquired as a reward in the "Insecticons HUNGER!" event. Transformers: Battle Tactics

Transformers: Devastation

The Game Full of Death and Suffering...! This character article is a stub and is missing information on their video game appearances. You can help Transformers Wiki by expanding it. Transformers: Devastation

Transformers: Earth Wars

Bombshell is one of the more elite warriors that arrived on Earth at the same time with Huffer. Transformers: Earth Wars

• Class: Special
• Lowest Star Rating: 2 star (was 3 star)
• Weapons: Bombshell dual wields plasma-emitting pistols. Like Skrapnel, he can also dodge cannon and mortar fire.
• Ability: Defense Attack- Bombshell can hack enemy defense for a given amount of time (depending on upgraded ability) making it attack other defenses at double speed but at 75% damage.
  • Cost:4 ability points +3 reuses.
  • Range: 16

Bombshell at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki

Transformers Roleplaying Game

Bombshell was a sadistic Insecticon with the power to control minds. Decepticon Directive He and his Targetmaster partner Needler once attempted to study the origin of combiner technology; Bombshell came to the dark conclusion that the secrets of combination likely predated Cybertron itself, and that Cybertronian combiners were tapping dark forces beyond their comprehension. The Enigma of Combination

Toys

The Transformers

• Bombshell (Insecticon, 1985)

• Takara ID number: 41
• Accessories: "Twin ion impulse blaster"
• Known designers: Takashi Matsuda (TakaraTomy)

Released early in the second year of Hasbro's The Transformers toyline (and in the first year of the European toyline and Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers line), Bombshell is a redeco of the Diaclone Waruder Insecter Robo "Kabutron" toy, transforming into a robotic rhinoceros beetle. As a Diaclone mold he has a "pilot compartment" revealed by opening his clear-yellow chest, but on its own there's not much you can do with it.

There is a variation on the mold's insect mode horn; some versions have a rounded indent on the chromed part near the base-joint, allowing it to fold down further in robot mode (pictured at right).

In Japan, Bombshell and the other "Insectrons" were part of the first year of Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers series. The trio were subsequently "re-released" as mail-order items from 1987 through 1990, a the cost of 880 yen (their normal retail price) and two Robot Points; it seems (but has not been confirmed) that the Insecticons offered through mail-away offers were Hasbro-packaged releases, thus it's possible the later indented-horn version might have been made available in Japan that way.

This mold was used to make the Salvo drones.

• Patent info, price guide, and further reading on Bombshell at Transformerland.com
• More information on Bombshell at TFU.info

• Bombshell with Needler (Action Master, 1991)

• Accessories: "Needler" partner, "short burst stinger rifle"
• Known designers: Andy Couzens (Hasbro), Takio Ejima (TakaraTomy)

Released in the seventh year of the European-market Transformers toyline (the first year following the end of the US line), Action Master Bombshell is a non-transforming 3¾-inch action figure that combines the cartoon model with a few toy-based elements, feauturing a swivel neck, shoulders, knees and steel-ball-jointed hips. Interestingly enough, his distinctive head-cannon is no longer on his skull, but his hand-held blaster bears a similar design. He is designed to be compatible with any other Action Master vehicle or accessory.

He comes with his robot scarab partner Needler, who forms a backpack/battle helmet for Bombshell.

Bombshell was part of the fourth assortment of individually-carded Action Masters, which was only available in European markets. As such, he commands a pretty hefty price tag on the secondary market (as do all the European-exclusive Action Masters).

• More information on Action Master Bombshell at tfu.info.

The Transformers Collection

• Insectrons (multi-pack, 2004)

• ID number: 16
• Accessories: "Twin ion impulse blaster"

The original Bombshell toy was released as part of Takara's The Transformers Collection, in a set with Kickback and Shrapnel. This set also included three soft-plastic energon cube accessories that fit inside their chest compartments.

The Bombshell in this set not only lacks the horn-indent of later variations, but has a couple other minor mold-differences to boot, with the horn lacking the "bumps" near the tip and base.

Universe (2008)

• Insecticons (Multi-pack, 2009)

• Accessories: "Twin ion impulse blaster"

The original Bombshell was also released in Hasbro's markets as part of the Universe line, as a Toys"R"Us exclusive, in a set with his Insecticon pals. Like with his 2008 Robot Heroes incarnation (see below), Bombshell has been renamed "Hardshell" for trademark reasons.

This Bombshell uses the slightly retooled Transformers Collection version of the horn. The tiny insect mode legs on the middle of his arms have also been retooled to be detachable, owing to breakage issues.

• More information on Hardshell at TFU.info.

Kre-O

• Hardshell (Kreon Micro-Changer, 2013)

• Collection: 2
• Bag number: ***** 67
• Accessories: Logo brick (or plate), large rifle
• Known designers: Ed Masiello (Hasbro)

As part of the second Collection of blindpacked Kre-O Micro-Changers, Hardshell is a Kreon that can be rebuilt from robot mode into a rhinoceros beetle of some sort. He uses the Megatron style helmet.

This Collection was still in circulation at "dollar" stores and drug stores up through 2015. They eventually lost the individual-identifying bag codes, but other changes were hidden inside the bag. The 2015 releases replaced the 2x4 logo stand-brick with a new 3x4 logo plate. The Kreon was also given the slight retooling to the arm seen in the 2014 Kreons, making the "cuff" parts more sharp-cornered and better adapted to being used as studs. Some of the add-on pieces may also be slightly off-color, possibly due to a change in factories in mid-production.

• More information on Hardshell at TFU.info

• Kreon Class of 1985 (Kreon figure set, 2015)

• Set number: B5152
• Voted: Best at Convincing Someone Else to Do His Homework
• Accessories: Blaster

The Kreon Class of '85 "Insecticon Bombshell" Kreon has a deco much more heavily based on the original Bombshell toy. Like the rest of the set, he uses the almost-totally-retooled 2015 style of Kreon body.

This box set of thirty Kreons was a San Diego Comic-Con 2015 exclusive, with leftovers being sold on Hasbro Toy Shop online after the show.

• More information on Class of 1985 Bombshell at TFU.info

• Hardshell (Kreon Micro-Changer, 2016)

• Collection: 2
• Accessories: Logo plate, large rifle

In 2016, Collection 2 was re-released in a whole new production run for Dollar General stores in the U.S. as part of a large collection of re-released Kre-O sets. But where most of the re-releases are nigh-identical to the originals, the re-released Micro-Changer blind-bags use the almost-entirely-retooled 2015 Kreon, with slightly-differently-hued plastics than the originals. (It is possible for some of the add-on pieces to be in the older hues.) Hardshell's tampographs are almost totally unchanged, basically his Decepticon symbol now has a white outline and that's it.

Sadly, this release has no individual-identification code on the bag, requiring you to use the feel-through-the-bag method or just buy blind and hope.

Combiner Wars

• Bombshell (Legends Class, 2015)

• Known designers: John Warden (Hasbro)

Released in the first wave of Combiner Wars Legends-class toys, this version of Bombshell is based on more on his cartoon character model, still transforming into a robotic rhinoceros beetle. Plus he got his name back! His hand holes are sized for 5mm accessories. The lower pair of arthropod legs mounted on his robot-mode legs can fold in further than the upper pair, but this causes them to interfere and prevents him from standing fully.

Bombshell was probably meant to have a third "weapon" mode like the rest of the new-mold Combiner Wars Legends Class figures, as his forearms end in blaster/thruster details, and his knees/beetle-butt have 5 mm posts on them. But instructions for this mode have never been released. There's nothing stopping you from working it out for yourself- a stable configuration probably involves pegging his arms together to form the barrels of the gun, then rotating his waist and flipping one of his knee pegs to form a handle.

Bombshell includes a collector card featuring art from the "Junkion Reunion" episode of Transformers Legends.

Though Bombshell's wave was scheduled for a first quarter 2015 release, it arrived on U.S. store shelves in late 2014.

This mold was redecoed into Adventure Bombshell, and served as the model for Shattered Glass Bombshell in "Epilogue Two".

• More information on Generations Bombshell at TFU.info

Platinum Edition

• Insecticons (Platinum Edition 3-pack, 2015)

• Accessories: "Twin ion impulse blaster", Energon cube

Part of the Platinum Edition Insecticon 3-pack along with Shrapnel and Kickback, this Bombshell figure is yet another reissue of the original toy. He also includes an Energon cube accessory from The Transformers Collection release. It is uncertain if there are any physical differences between this release and the prior one.

This set was released as a Kmart exclusive in the United States. However, it was also stocked by US-based online retailers BigBadToyStore and TFSource, who supposedly obtained it as an import from Asia. It was available in several of Hasbro's Asian markets (namely Singapore, the Philippines and China; it's currently unknown whether it was exclusive to any particular stores there or not). In Canada and Australia, it was sold at Toys"R"Us stores, whereas in the United Kingdom, it was officially available via the UK division of Amazon and A1Toys. In Germany, it was originally available via Bankroft, an online retailer that otherwise specializes in Nerf blasters and accessories, as part of a special "Fan Edition" arrangement through Hasbro Germany, with the help of several German fan sites. Due to low sales, the unsold stock was later sold to Actionfiguren24, a German online retailer that specializes in imported toys, who was able to lower its price for its existing stock of imported Insecticon sets as a result.

Legacy

• Insecticon Bombshell (Deluxe Class, 2023)

• Accessories: "Twin ion impulse blaster", 2 insect back legs/blasters
• Known designers: Mark Maher (Hasbro), Shuhei Umezu (TakaraTomy)^[3]

Released in the seventh wave of Legacy Deluxes, under the Evolution subline imprint, "Insecticon Bombshell" is an extensive retooling of the line's Shrapnel, utilizing previously unused tabs from him, (though curiously, not the square holes in his shin panels which he didn't use either) and with everything from the waist up being totally new, except the forearms and hands. Once again he turns into a rhinoceros beetle, and in a fit of cartoon-accuracy, his horn is ridiculously short, as is his gun. This weapon can store on the back of his insect mode with no choice but to go off on one side in one of the two ports on top of his abdomen. Unlike Kickback and Shrapnel, the weapon cannot be alternatively stored away on his underside in bug mode.

While any vestigial engineering in his lower body can be attributed to the simultaneous design of both his and Shrapnel's legs, his newly tooled back also sports additional unused features. Instead of a 5mm port in the center of his back like most Legacy toys have, there is only a shallow rectangular slot which fits none of his accessories. Above this is a seemingly pointless black hinge, that swings a small bar up or down in a feature undocumented in his instructions. Swung upwards, it acts as a stopper for his head mortar section, preventing it from falling all the way back. It's unclear if this is indeed its function or if this telegraphs yet another in a chain of Insecticon retools.

While Legacy generally strives for cartoon accuracy as much as possible in its "G1" offerings, Bombshell's torso going from purple in bug mode to gray in robot mode was pretty much impossible to replicate, thus it's purple in both modes. Promo images such as the one featured here show the bug mode's "eyes" painted in a pearlescent yellow, while the actual figure instead features flat yellow paint.

Bombshell's head-scoop is painted silver, and in insect mode it pegs snugly inside a purple-painted slot on his collar. Beware of scraping the paint off during transformation.

He includes his impulse blaster, and his rear insect legs are removable to serve as hand-held guns. The three can combine into a triple-barreled blaster accessory with the unbridled power of Evo-Fusion.

Merchandise

Decoy

• Bombshell (Decoy, 1987)

Bombshell was one of the Decepticon Decoys packed in with smaller carded Transformers toys. While the normal purple version could come on any Decepticon toy, the rarer red version was available only on Throttlebot cards and only for a short while before the switch to purple.

• More information on Decoy Bombshell at TFU.info.

• Destron Hero Collection-22 Set (Decoy multi-pack, 1987)

The entire run of twenty-two Decepticon Decoys were sold as a single boxed set in Japan, only in purple.

Hard Hero

• Bombshell (Hard Hero statue, 2003)

Number 3 in Hard Hero's "Insecticon Series", Bombshell is a 9-inch cold-cast porcelain statue sculpted by Jason Ray. Only a thousand pieces of the statue were produced.

Robot Heroes

• Perceptor & Hardshell (Two-pack, 2008)

• Known designers: Bill Rawley (Hasbro), Marcelo Matere (concept artist)

Another victim of trademark losses, Bombshell's Robot Heroes figurine goes by the name "Hardshell". Part of the fourth wave of Universe Robot Heroes, he's packed versus Perceptor as part of the "Generation 1 Series". His sculpt and colors are based mostly on his character model.

• More information on Robot Heroes Hardshell at tfu.info.

Transformers Trading Card Game

• Bombshell, Insecticon Mind-Controller (2018)
  • Wave 1
  • Rarity: CT
  • Card Number: T07/T40
  • Stars: 8

Bombshell, Insecticon Mind-Controller is one of forty double-sided character cards available in Wave 1 of the Transformers Trading Card Game.

The artwork for the card is reused from the Transformers Legends mobile game.

• Bombshell, Decepticon Psy Ops (2019)
  • Wave 2: Rise of the Combiners
  • Rarity: RT
  • Card Number: T12/T46
  • Stars: 11

Bombshell, Decepticon Psy Ops is one of forty-six character cards released in Wave 2 of the Transformers Trading Card Game, Rise of the Combiners.

The artwork for the card is reused from the Transformers Legends mobile game.

ULTIMATES!

• Bombshell (ULTIMATES!, 2021)
  • Accessories: "Twin ion impulse blaster", "short burst stinger rifle", Needler partner, closed fists (L & R), gripping hands (L & R), open hands (L & R)

Part of the first wave of Transformers ULTIMATES! from Super7, Bombshell is a 7-inch-tall action figure based on his Action Master toy. Despite his retro look, he has way more articulation than the original, including multi-directional joints at the neck, shoulders (though the outward swivel is heavily restricted by the shoulder armor), wrists, hips, and ankles; plus swivel biceps, elbows, knees, and a bit of ab crunch. His hands pop out at the wrists so they can be replaced with his additional spare hands in different poses; however, the "gripping" hands are actually too small to hold either of his blasters (one based on the Action Master's accessory, one based on the original toy's) by their very thick, cylindrical handles, leaving that job to the open hands, which are not the most secure grip.

He also comes with his Action Master partner Needler. Needler's "head" can pop off and replace Bombshell's, emulating the Action Master's "mask" gimmick.

Preorders for Bombshell (and the rest of Wave 1) opened on January 29 2021, and closed on February 28. The wave was originally scheduled for shipping in winter of that year, but due to ongoing worldwide shipping delays, did not reach US shores until May of 2022, properly reaching buyers in early June.

Notes

• Bombshell was initially to have been shot from behind by Mirage in the Battle of Autobot City, and would have been shown as dead before being thrown out of the shuttle in the movie; early storyboards show Thundercracker carrying Bombshell's corpse into Astrotrain, explaining why Bombshell was one of the ones thrown out of Astrotrain.
• A proposed Fun Publications BotCon exclusive was a redeco of Generations Deluxe Class Darkmount into Generation 1 Bombshell/Hardshell.^[4]
• Combiner Wars Legends Class Bombshell had an alternate "pretooled" head designed by Hasbro for Venom (presumably for the trademark-friendly modern name "Venin"), but this tooling was never used.
• Though Bombshell was originally designed as a Rhinoceros Beetle, He is sometimes depicted using his 'horn' to eat, suggesting that he is a Boll Weevil. With how stylized his Alt-Mode is, it's often up to interpretation.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Bombshell (ボンブシェル Bonbusheru, ボムシェル Bomusheru)
• Hungarian: Szilánk (Marvel Comics, "Shard")
• French: Obus (Canada)
• Italian: Prudox
• Mandarin: Zhàdàn (炸弹, "Bomb")
• Portuguese: Granada (Portugal comic), Bomba (Brazil comic)
• Russian: Bombomjot (cartoon, Бомбомёт, "Bomber")
• Ukrainian: Hranata (ICTV, Граната, "Grenade")

References