Editing Shrapnel (G1)

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{{disambigm|Shrapnel (disambiguation)|Insecticon (disambiguation)}}
:''Shrapnel is a [[Decepticon]] [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]], family.''
[[File:Shrapnelg1.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|My kingdom for better electrical insulation... insulation.]]
The eccentric way in which '''Shrapnel''' (aka '''Sharpshot''' and '''Skrapnel''') phrases his dialogue may seem endearing at first, first. Others are soon to discover that his seemingly benign tic is merely the gateway to a frighteningly twisted and perverse mind, even for a Decepticon, Decepticon. A master of electricity, his dark desires put this skill to use on his victims, victims. Nothing delights him more than to see how they squirm from his touch, touch.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Hal Rayle]] (English), [[Masashi Ebara]] (Japanese), [[Show Hayami]] (Japanese, "Traitor"), [[Yoku Shioya]], (Japanese, "The Revenge of Bruticus"), [[Toshio Ishii]] (Japanese, ''The Movie'')|[[Gu Guoyi]] (Chinese), [[Galina Kristenskaya]] (Russian), [[Edgar Wald]] (American Spanish), [[Tonio von der Meden]] (German, ''The Movie'' TV dub and ''Generation 2''), [[Olivier Destrez]] (European French), [[François Leccia]] (European French, "Traitor"), [[Henry Djanik]] (European French, "The Insecticon Syndrome" & "Quest for Survival"), [[Francis Lax]] (European French, "The Revenge of Bruticus"), [[Marie Vergracht]] (French, ''The Movie''), [[Orlando Prado]] (Portuguese, "A Plague of Insecticons"), [[Marcos Miranda]] (Portuguese, "Traitor"), [[Older Cazarré]] (Portuguese, "The Insecticon Syndrome"), [[Hélio Ribeiro]] (Portuguese, "The Revenge of Bruticus"), [[Amaury Costa]] (Portuguese, "The Movie" TV dub)}}

[[File:ShrapnelG1.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Flash before my eyes, now it's time to die, die!]]
The mercenary Insecticons landed on [[Earth]] in their own space pod before the Ark crashed into [[Mount St. Hilary]]. ''(It is unclear whether this pod was launched from the [[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]] or not, as the dialogue seems to suggest maybe it was, but the Insecticons and [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s Decepticons do not seem to know each other.)'' Their pod crashed into the region that would become known as "[[Demon Swamp]]" and their [[idento-computer]]s adapted them to transform into insects and eat organic food to survive. Though they were largely communal, Shrapnel was a leader among then, usually alternating with [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] ([[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] was out of luck). The "Insecticons" apparently lived in the swamp for millions of years until discovered by Megatron's Decepticons. They form an uneasy alliance with Megatron, never coming fully under his command but working with the Decepticons when they could be convinced there was something (usually food) in it for them. {{storylink|A Plague of Insecticons}}

When the Autobots were attacking the Decepticons, the Insecticons were conveniently in the same area, and helped the Decepticon cause during the battle. Shrapnel fought [[Cliffjumper (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cliffjumper]], but failed to hit him and instead damaged the buffer where Megatron was keeping the [[electro-cell]]s. Still, they were given a reward of [[energon cube]]s... a grand total of ''two'', being exact. Though Kickback was optimistic, Shrapnel and Bombshell were understandably disappointed considering Megatron had so many more. They were even ''more'' enraged when [[Mirage (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Mirage]] stole the cubes and framed the Decepticons for it. When [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] showed up and got in a fight with Cliffjumper (who was spying on Mirage nearby), Shrapnel thought that the Decepticons had ambushed them and a huge fight broke out, with Shrapnel grazing and exposing the invisible Mirage. Shrapnel wanted to kill Mirage, but Bombshell decided it'd be better if they made the Autobot into their slave. When Megatron saw Bombshell controlling Mirage, he revealed to the Insecticons that no Decepticon stole the cubes; it was Mirage after all. During an Autobot attack, Megatron destroyed the electro-cells in frustration, and Shrapnel commanded the Insecticons to retreat. {{storylink|Traitor (episode)|Traitor}}

[[File:InsecticonSyndrome Shrapnel explode.jpg|thumb|Frustration will blow you up, up!]]
Even after the Insecticons devoured a huge forest, they discovered they were hungry again. Bombshell announced that it was snack time, and Shrapnel decided that they should eat the redwoods next. A park ranger, [[Mike]] spotted the Insecticons and reported it to fellow park ranger [[Jeff (ranger)|Jeff]]. When Jeff, [[Hound (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hound]], [[Spike Witwicky (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Spike Witwicky]], [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]], and [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] arrived, Shrapnel used his [[grenade launcher]] to scatter them, but they recovered and Bumblebee knocked Shrapnel down. The Insecticons got rid of their enemies by sending a huge tree down the river, sending them down the waterfall (or so they thought; their "demise" was actually one of Hound's holograms). After that, Megatron arrived and struck a deal with the Insecticons, taking them to the [[Nova Power Plant]], a place rife with energy. Shrapnel commended Megatron's taste in appetizers and the Insecticons feasted, but the [[Nova Power Core]] within the plant caused them to grow rapidly. Shrapnel decided that the Insecticons would use their new size to seize control of the Decepticons from Megatron, hypnotizing [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] to do their bidding. Defeating the [[Autobot]] opposition, the Insecticons had become invincible and were now vital to Megatron's plan to control the world, but the Autobots discovered that the Nova Power Core, incompatible with the Insecticons' [[Trilithium stomach|stomachs]], would soon destroy them from within. Later Shrapnel infiltrated [[Iron Mountain]] using the humans' defense system against them, and helped himself to the data Soundwave took from the computer. However, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] arrived with an antidote for the Nova Power Core, and using Megatron's gun mode blasted it at Kickback and Bombshell, curing and resizing them. Shrapnel, however, was not so lucky, as despite Spike's warnings (and jamming the cure into him), he was blown to pieces. Luckily, Bombshell was able to repair Shrapnel and the Insecticons made their escape. {{storylink|The Insecticon Syndrome}}

Shrapnel was later seen among Megatron's forces parading through the streets on "Decepticon Day". {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2}}

The Insecticons later created a new army of clones which nearly devastated the planet Earth. Luckily, they were destroyed by the [[Morphobot]]s and the Insecticons barely escaped uneaten, uneaten. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}}

[[File:TFTM RundownShrapnel.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Great, now there's bug guts all over his windshield, windshield.]]
During the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]' attempt at destroying Earth by sending it into the sun, the Insecticons were seen in large numbers, numbers, again and Shrapnel was responsible for taking apart the [[space bridge]] controls. He would later be tracked, tracked, by the combined Autobots and Decepticons after which he relinquished the controls. {{storylink|The Revenge of Bruticus}}

20 years later, Shrapnel took part in the [[Battle of Autobot City]] on Earth, where he took severe damage; he was accidentally shot from the sky by [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] in tank mode, bashed by Kup, and run over by Optimus Prime. The damage proved critical enough that when the Decepticons retreated, Shrapnel was unable to make it to [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] under his own power, and needed to be carried by [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]. When the time came for the Decepticons to lighten Astrotrain's burden, the damaged Shrapnel was unable to mount resistance and was summarily dumped into space along with his Insecticon colleagues. His floating body would be reformatted by [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] into one of [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]'s minions. But that didn't stop him from showing up later on [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]] and threatening [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
{{note|Shrapnel’s involvement in these events, or events mostly similar, were also chronicled in the comic mini-series "[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]."}}

He also somehow appeared on [[Chaar]] after the Decepticons' defeat to nibble on some energon cubes {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}}. Shrapnel was seen assisting the Quintesson-planned attack on the Autobots on [[Goo 8739-B|Goo]] {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3}} and he later tried to stop [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] from returning [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]'s [[transformation cog]]. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}} Much later, [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] briefly spoke using Shrapnel's voice and speech pattern for no reason. {{storylink|Fight or Flee (episode)|Fight or Flee}}
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====''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' comic====
Shrapnel was among the Decepticons forces that attacked the Autobot Headquarters in [[Arizona]]. The attack was nothing more than a diversion so [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] could go do unspecified ''stuff'' in Japan and the Decepticons were eventually defeated and driven off. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 2|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #2}}

Shrapnel, 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. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 3|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #3}}

====''Generations Selects Special Comic''====
In [[2050]], Shrapnel and the Decepticons lent their support to the Earth-born [[Selector]]s, robots eager to rebel against their human makers who enslaved them. {{storylink|Volcanicus comic 2}}

====''Mars Attacks: The Transformers''====
[[File:Mars attacks the insecticons.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|left]]
The three Insecticons were among Decepticon forces who formed an alliance with the Autobots during a [[Martian]] invasion. They saved [[Ironhide (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ironhide]] and [[Jazz (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Jazz]] from some of the Martians' giant ants. {{storylink|Mars Attacks: The Transformers}}

====Ask Vector Prime====
In [[Primax 1185.04 Alpha]], the Insecticons were among the few allies [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] found in his campaign against [[Cobra]]-controlled Earth. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/13}}

In an unstable amalgam universe created by the machinations of [[Sideways (RID)|Sideways]] and [[Gong (GoBots)|Gong]], Shrapnel was one of the many Decepticons who assaulted [[Autobot City (G1)|Guardian City]] in the year 2005. He was soon shot down by [[Leader-1 (GoBots)|Leader-1]] when the [[Guardian (GoBots)|Guardian]] leader arrived. After history blipped again to include ''both'' Decepticons and [[Renegade]]s, the Shrapnel and Kickback dumped out of Astrotrain were replaced by [[Screw Head]] and [[Crain Brain]] as the wounded villains reformatted by Unicron into the [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]]. {{storylink|Echoes and Fragments}}

====''Deviations''====
In an alternate timeline where [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] killed [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] in the [[Battle of Autobot City]], Shrapnel was damaged during the conflict and was thrown out of [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] with other weakened Decepticons in the aftermath of the battle. They drifted through space till they were consumed by [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]].

"Another" Shrapnel was still around to witness [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s coronation and the approach of Unicron. {{Storylink|Transformers: Deviations|Deviations}}
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===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Straxusholdscourt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Why don't I get a caption, caption?]]
Shrapnel was one of the top lieutenants of Lord [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] at [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]] on Cybertron, acting as his Executive Officer and supervising both the technicians that translated [[The Next Best Thing to Being There!|Soundwave's message from Earth]] and assisting on the Space Bridge project. He was also was responsible for capturing Autobot spy [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]] before he could report back on the whereabouts of [[Spanner (G1)|Spanner]], a neutral whose expertise on Space Bridge travel was sought out by the Decepticons. Despite his rank, Straxus used Shrapnel's face as a stress ball when things went wrong {{storylink|The Smelting Pool!}} and was willing to send him on a suicidal janitorial mission during the initial tests of his Space Bridge. Shrapnel managed to talk his way out of it by contacting Spanner instead, and found that the Space Bridge had a faulty fuel line without endangering himself in the process. After the bridge was made operational, an Autobot attack came to Darkmount. Shrapnel was quick to discover that this offensive was only a distraction from another on the Space Bridge itself. He warned Straxus of this, and joined him in defending the inter-planetary teleportation device. Though the bridge wasn't destroyed, it was left inoperable for a time, and the Autobots managed to pass through it to Earth, leaving the Decepticons stranded on Cybertron. {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}} 

[[File:Shrapnel aerialbots over america.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.85|ANTENNAE!]]
''In addition to his high rank, Shrapnel was one of the [[Ten Deadliest Killers|most feared and dangerous killers]] on Cybertron, a key target for the Autobot resistance. The rebel plan [[Operation: Volcano]] was kicked off when Shrapnel tortured the information of a (fake) rebel meeting out of an [[Autobot traitor|informant]], but was ruined by Megatron calling the Insecticons to Earth.'' {{storylink|Target: 2006}} Shrapnel arrived on Earth to play a key role in Megatron's plot to take control of the [[Hoover Dam]]. Using a mind-controlled [[Ricky Vasquez|dam employee]], the Decepticons held several humans hostage within the structure, allowing Shrapnel time to link up to its computer systems and begin systematically shutting it down. A massive drill was then brought over from Cybertron, which the Decepticons planed to use in funneling the dam's water to their homeworld, where it would provide a plenty of energy. Interference came in the shape of the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], and the Insecticons were sent out to deal with the do-gooders. Shrapnel fell victim to [[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]]'s [[torque rifle]] during the battle, which twisted his <s>antennae</s> pincers all out of shape. Afterwards, the Insecticons' mind-slave managed to break free of his [[cerebro-shell]]'s control, and used Megatron's gun mode to destroy the drill. The plan a failure, Shrapnel grabbed Megatron and retreated. {{storylink|Aerialbots over America!}}

''Having usurped Megatron as Decepticon leader, [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] detected the sounds of conflict near the [[Wyoming base]] and believing it to be Megatron, he mustered his troops, including Shrapnel, to meet this threat to his command. However, when they discovered a [[Cybertron Seven|group of Autobots]] and [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] fighting [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] instead, Shockwave ordered Shrapnel and the others to attack the [[time travel]]er and, unwilling to kill his fellow Decepticons, Galvatron retreated.'' {{storylink|Fallen Angel}}

[[File:Insecticons carwash of doom.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Shrapnel then he served under [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]], participating in a raid on an [[oil tanker]]. After Bombshell located the vessel's control room, Shrapnel used his mastery of electricity to take command of the ship's systems and piloted it to the Decepticons' island headquarters. Though the heist was successful, the Decepticons discovered afterwards that the ship had already dispensed its cargo, leaving them with no fuel for their efforts. {{storylink|Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom}}

When the Autobots launched an attack on the Decepticons' island headquarters to rescue a recently captured Buster Witwicky, Shockwave converted the landmass into its rocket-ship mode and had it blast off into space. Shrapnel was standing at the ready, within the ship's control room, as this took place. {{storylink|The Desert Island of Space!}} He was soon deployed into action when both the ''[[Steelhaven (G1)|Steelhaven]]'' and the Ark were detected on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]], prompting Ratbat to attempt to eradicate all of his foes in one fell swoop. However, upon taking notice that the Decepticon spaceship had taken severe damage in the attack, Shrapnel and his teammates retreated. {{storylink|Totaled!}}
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=====Transformers Annual 1985=====
{{note|Due to being published early in the franchise, these stories are out of continuity with the above.<ref>"Plague of the Insecticons!" was later designated as [[universal stream]] [[Primax 1285.0 Gamma]] by [[Vector Prime]].</ref>}}

[[File:Plague of the insecticons.jpg|thumb|left]]
Upon learning that the Autobots were secretly planning to open a dialogue with the [[Ronald Reagan|President of the United States]], [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] awakened the Insecticons to undermine the potential alliance. The trio were still 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 (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]] was selected to guide them on their test-run.

The Insecticons interrupted the peace talk, Shrapnel using an Earth-shaking screech to make his presence known. He then proclaimed himself an Autobot, and began to attack the humans, leading them to believe [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] had always planned on betraying them. Having put on enough of a show for the President himself, Shrapnel and his teammates then zoomed off to unleash their firepower on downtown [[Washington, D.C.]]. [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] and [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] both tried to put an end to the Insecticons' rampage, but Shrapnel used one of his [[Shrapnel grenade|splinter grenades]] to take out the latter, and managed to evade every shot the former sent in his direction. Shrapnel was finally taken out of the fight when Optimus dispatched his [[Roller (G1)|Roller]] drone to the front lines, and managed to land a single shot on Shrapnel. {{storylink|Plague of the Insecticons!}}
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=====Movie future timeline=====
[[File:Scavenger shrapnel daniel the final battle.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7]]
When Megatron ordered a major offensive against [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] in the year [[2005]], Shrapnel was among the troops who besieged the fortress. He was spectator to Megatron and Optimus having a fateful duel, which left both faction leaders badly damaged. The Decepticons then opted to retreat back to Cybertron, boarding Astrotrain for the return journey to their homeworld. {{storylink|The Planet-Eater!}}

Megatron was deposed en route, and Starscream took over as leader of the Decepticons. Shrapnel was among a gathered crowd who looked on as Starscream was being coronated for the occasion, when three new Transformers stormed the ceremony. One of the trio, [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], reduced Starscream to scrap and took over as head-honcho of the Decepticons himself. There were no objections to this hostile take-over. {{storylink|Judgment Day!}}

Shrapnel and [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] accompanied Galvatron when he traveled to the [[Junkion (planet)|planet of Junk]] to snatch away the [[Matrix of Leadership]] from [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]]. They went after an easy target in Magnus's group, attacking the young human [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]]. The boy managed to outpace the pair by converting his [[exosuit]] into its vehicular mode and driving off. {{storylink|The Final Battle!}}
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=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
[[File:Earthforce insecticons.jpg|upright=0.95|thumb|left|This page is basically colorless, colorless]]
Shrapnel and his Insecticon buddies served under [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] in the [[Decepticon Civil War]], but their spying mission against Shockwave was foiled by Starscream. Shrapnel got in a good electrified shot at Starscream's bum first, but then he caught them in a [[rustbug hoop]]. The treacherous [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] then drafted them into helping him set up a clash between the two leaders. {{storylink|Bugged!}}
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====''Transformers '84''====
[[File:Border regions battle secrets and lies.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
In the early days of the [[Great War (G1)|war]] on Cybertron, Shrapnel was part of [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]]'s forces assaulting an Autobot fort in [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]'s [[Border Regions]]. When Autobots led by [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] arrived to defend the fort, Straxus ordered his troops to seize as many prisoners as they could and retreat. {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 2|Secrets & Lies #2}} Upon returning to [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]], Shrapnel was among those who joined Straxus to watch those same Autobot prisoners being tortured to death in the [[smelting pool]]. {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 3|Secrets & Lies #3}}
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===Attack of the Insecticons===
{{notemultipath}}
[[File:AttackoftheInsecticonstheSunPak.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|By the power of Grayskull, Grayskull!]]
Shrapnel was stationed at the Insecticons' nest, an underground cavern located near to another cavern the Autobots used to test the Sun-Pak, an energy device that could power a Cybertronian for twenty-four hours after being charged for only an hour in sunlight.

If the Autobots flee their testing site after having been discovered by the Decepticons and confused their escape route for a tunnel that led them deeper underground instead of towards the surface, they would come upon Shrapnel and his Electro-Disrupter, which all-but paralyzed the Autobots. After taking the time to mock his captives, Shrapnel briefly left the Autobots unattended in order to contact Megatron. If the Autobots attempt to use the Sun-Pak as a bargaining chip for their release, Shrapnel informs them that once his fellow Insecticon Bombshell arrives on their coordinates, the Insecticons will use Cerebro-Shells to mentally enslave all of the Autobots, rendering any attempt at negotiations moot. Before the Insecticons are able to follow through with their plan, however, the human Buster is able to sneak up on the pair and turn the Insecticons' Electro-Disrupter on them, allowing the Autobots to escape.

If the Autobots flee their testing site and choose the correct path to the surface, Shrapnel encounters the convoy nonetheless and is able to sneak up on [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] and snatch away the Sun-Pak while the Autobot struggles with the tunnel's cramped confines. Once the Sun-Pak's absence is discovered, if the Autobots decide to send Mirage and Buster as advanced scouts to go after the Insecticons immediately, the pair find Shrapnel, Bombshell and Kickback hiding out in a rotting forest. The Sun-Pak having given him delusions of grandeur, Shrapnel gloats that he will use its power to take control of the Decepticons from Megatron, unaware that Ravage is nearby, reporting the Insecticon's boasts to his master.

If Mirage and Buster act quickly and decide to take on the Insecticon trio in light of this situation, Mirage successfully confuses all three Insecticons with his holographic powers, while Buster snatches the Sun-Pak, leaving the Insecticons empty handed for all the scheming.

If Mirage and Buster call for reinforcements before confronting the Decepticons, Megatron arrives on-scene and berates Shrapnel for keeping the Sun-Pak from him. Shrapnel attempts weasel his way out of being punished by denying the Sun-Pak's existence, only for Megatron to blast him for his duplicity. When Megatron hears the approaching Autobot convoy, he orders Shrapnel along with the rest of his troops to hide in order to ambush their enemies. This leads to nothing more for the Decepticons but being sprayed by Ironhide's acid-dispenser, forcing the lot of them to retreat. {{storylink|Attack of the Insecticons}}
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===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
According to [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] Shrapnel was once one of the many Decepticons who fought in the Great War long before the rise of [[Maximals]] and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]. 

Three centuries later while temporarily out of his mind (well, more than usual, anyway), the Predacon [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] believed himself to actually be Shrapnel, and adopted his mannerisms and speech pattern, pattern. {{storylink|Dark Designs}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
[[File:Bombshell kickback shrapnel soundwave ravage war within 1-2.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Oy with the speechifying, ing! When do we get to shoot someone, one??]]
After [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s death, Shrapnel participated in the destruction of [[Altihex]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}} He was part of an assassination unit alongside Kickback, Bombshell, [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] shortly after the rise of Optimus Prime. He and his partners were assigned to eliminate the new Prime, steal the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]], and bring it to Megatron so that he could turn Cybertron into a cosmic dreadnought and conquer the universe. {{storylink|The War Within issue 2|The War Within #2}} But Optimus proved to be more formidable than any of the Decepticons had initially anticipated. Optimus quickly lost his pursuers in Cybertron's labyrinthine underground, then used its environment to his advantage to ambush Shrapnel and the rest of his team. Shrapnel was the first to be disabled, as Optimus grabbed him from behind, and pummeled him hard enough to expose his spark-casing through his chest. {{storylink|The War Within issue 3|The War Within #3}} Shrapnel was still unconscious when Megatron stumbled upon him after himself being defeated by Optimus Prime. {{storylink|The War Within issue 6|The War Within #6}} 

[[File:Conflagration SlagSuckerPunch.jpg|upright=1.5|thumb|left|Slag punched him so hard his colors went wrong.]]
During the Dark Ages after Megatron's disappearance, Shrapnel served with the main Decepticon faction under [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]'s command. He was part of the reinforcements called in to halt [[The Fallen]]'s plans and allied with the [[Lightning Strike Coalition]] at Shockwave's order.  Despite the temporary truce, Shrapnel got sucker-punched  by [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] after everyone had assembled.  {{storylink|Conflagration}} Shrapnel was also present at [[Tyger Pax]] during the aborted peace treaty between the Autobots, Decepticons, and [[Ultracon]]s. Megatron's sudden arrival with the [[Air Warrior|Aerospace Extermination Squadron]] put a quick stop to those peace talks. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath}}

Shrapnel was part of a unit sent to Earth by Shockwave to guide the planet's development and prepare it for invasion. He and his team changed their [[alternate mode]]s to giant insects (from his original "jet with antennae" mode). They were beaten up by the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dynobots]] on arrival, then played dead until [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] got bored and wandered off. {{storylink|Extermination}}

{{note|Shrapnel and the Insecticons made a brief appearance in the second ''[[The Transformers Trilogy|Transformers Trilogy]]'' novel, ''[[Transformers: Annihilation|Annihilation]]'', as troops under Starscream's command on Earth. This appearance is contradicted by later Dreamwave stories. Also, in the novel the Insecticons shrink down to insect-size as they did in Marvel Comics, whereas later Dreamwave issues showed them retaining their full size, like their cartoon versions.}}

[[File:Shrapnel extermination.jpg|thumb|upright=1.7]]
Millions of years later, they were discovered by both the [[Earth Defense Command|EDC]] and Autobots after kidnapping an entire town. Over the preceding few thousand vorns, Shrapnel had apparently lost control of the Insecticons unit, with Bombshell gathering more and more power for himself without Shrapnel even recognizing it. Kickback pointed this out, but the Autobot incursion prevented the conversation from going any farther. Shrapnel got a building dropped on him by [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] {{storylink|Extermination}} before being taken into Autobot custody. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}
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===''The Beast Within''===
Shrapnel participated in a brutal battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons. His corpse would be one of many that littered the battlefield as Autobot survivors tried to escape [[Beast (G1)|The Beast]]. {{storylink|The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences}}
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===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
[[File:Bad Future Insecticons GIJoevsTFsII3.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]
In an alternate future where the Decepticons had conquered Earth, swarms of Insecticons, including Shrapnel-type ones, was a constant menace. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 3|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #3}}

In the regular timeline, the Decepticons fell into disarray after Megatron's defeat. They were reorganized when [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]] came to Cybertron and took up leadership of the rudderless faction. Under his orders, Shrapnel participated in an attack on an Autobot peace celebration. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}} Shrapnel defended the newly unified Decepticon army's base against a combined Autobot/[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] strike force, though they were defeated eventually nonetheless. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 5|The Art of War #5}}
{{-}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
:*''First Appearance:'' [[All Hail Megatron issue 1|Transformers: All Hail Megatron #1]]

[[File:AllHailMegatron8-Insecticons.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Yeah, well you're the ones sitting on a pile of manure, manure.]]
Shrapnel, Bombshell, and Kickback were created by [[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]], under supervision by [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]. The Insecticons joined Megatron's forces on Earth, where they helped defeat and capture the local Autobots. The Decepticons then shipped their prisoners off to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] via [[space bridge]], intending to feed them to the failed Insecticon creations known as the [[Insecticon swarm|swarm]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}}

The Insecticons then participated in the attack on [[New York City]], during which Shrapnel took part in destroying some human jets. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}} One of the humans caught in the devastation was [[Marissa Faireborn]], who witnessed the Insecticons' battle with the jets. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 2: Detonation Boulevard|Detonation Boulevard}} After listening to Megatron's victory speech {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}}, the Insecticons traveled to [[China]] and helped wreck [[Beijing]]. There, Shrapnel and Kickback sided with Bombshell when he picked a fight with [[Skywarp (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Skywarp]] and [[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]], but the three bugs decided to drop the subject and run away when faced with Skywarp's [[teleportation]] ability. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}} After returning to New York, the Insecticons were approached by [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]], and Shrapnel demanded to know what the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] wanted with them, so Starscream chastised him for being rude to a superior officer. Starscream apologized to the three for their treatment at Skywarp and Thundercracker's hands, then decided it was time to tell them about his vision of the future. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}}

[[File:UneasyLiesTheHead-Shrapnel.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]
The Insecticons subsequently joined Starscream as he rebelled against Megatron, and Shrapnel blasted his former leader with lightning. Unfortunately, this did minimal damage to Megatron, who responded by shooting Shrapnel with his [[fusion cannon]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} The revolt was cut short when human jets from [[Europe]] attacked and the Autobots returned from Cybertron unharmed, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}} leading to the Decepticons' defeat. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}} As they fled the planet aboard [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], Shrapnel showed Starscream that Megatron was still functioning, which did not please the Seeker in the least. Shrapnel volunteered to stealthily kill Megatron by siphoning his energon, but Starscream felt assassination wouldn't work in his favor. When he saw that Starscream was going to throw the Autobot [[Matrix of Leadership]] down a garbage chute, Shrapnel was shocked and convinced him to keep the artifact as a symbol of leadership. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|Uneasy Lies the Head}}

[[File:Needlenose kickback shrapnel all his engines.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
Unfortunately, Starscream turned out to be a less-than-competent leader, stranding his troops on a desolate asteroid where they had to resort to strict rations or even cannibalism to survive. Upon learning that [[Dreadwind (G1)|Dreadwind]] had been stealing precious fuel for himself, Shrapnel, Kickback and [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] hunted him down and executed him for his crime. As they proceeded to loot their victim's corpse, Shrapnel was particularly interested in getting his hands on an afterburner. {{storylink|All His Engines}} [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] watched their behavior with curiosity from a nearby building. {{storylink|Shockpoint}}

Shrapnel was controlling the base's defenses with [[Acid Storm (G1)|Acid Storm]] when the latter detected an incoming Autobot vessel. While Acid Storm was busy panicking, Shrapnel calmly fired missiles at the intruder... not realizing that the wreckage of the ship would come crashing down on top of them afterward. After getting to safety, he returned to scavenge the remains of the ship, and found a weapons locker. An ''empty'' weapons locker. Then [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod]] shot him in the back with its contents. {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}} He survived and was present when a repaired Megatron took back control of the Decepticons. {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}}

Megatron would later use [[Space bridge|spacebridge]] technology built into in his new body to summon Shrapnel and the rest of the Decepticons to him on Cybertron. At first they did battle with the Autobots, but were soon mind-controlled by [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]] into combining with his [[Sweep (G1)|Sweep]] army and forming a [[Deceptigod|huge monster]]. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings|Kings}} Following Galvatron's defeat and the reformatting of Cybertron, Shrapnel and the other Decepticons had their fair share of trouble integrating into post-war society. Thankfully Megatron finally showed up, giving them an excuse to riot and cause chaos once more. {{storylink|City on Fire}} He and a group of other Decepticons immediately marched on the Autobot prison and freed Megatron so that he could lead them again. {{storylink|The Verge}}
{{-}}

===''Hearts of Steel''===
[[File:HeartsofSteel2 Shrapnel safes.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Where the scrap have my colors gone, gone?]]
The Decepticons, including Shrapnel, fought against the Autobots in Earth's distant past until an Ice Age forced them to shut down and wait it out. They awoke in the late 19th century when a failed human submarine crashed onto their submerged ship. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 1|Hearts of Steel #1}} As the Decepticons' [[Tobias Muldoon|human ally]] required money to help them, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] ordered the Insecticons to provide some. Shrapnel disguised himself as one end of the "[[Insectrain]]", providing the combined mode with a pair of giant scissor blades to destroy other trains on the railway. The Insecticons robbed a train carrying cash and bullion from the Denver Mint, and despite not seeing the value in human currency, they stuffed Shrapnel's chest cavity full of money and [[gold]]. They delivered the stolen property to Starscream and Tobias Muldoon the following morning. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 2|Hearts of Steel #2}} Shrapnel was later present when Starscream announced to his troops that the Autobots had awakened as well. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 3|Hearts of Steel #3}}

{{IDW HOS}}

===''Mini Mayhem!''===
Shrapnel participated in an infiltration of [[BotCon]] to track down next year's toy designs, and use them to conquer the Autobots once and for all! {{storylink|Mini Mayhem!}}

===''Kre-O'' online manga===
[[File:KreO-webcomic-5-Shrapnel.jpg|thumb]]
Shrapnel was part of a massive Decepticon invasion force intended to ruin the Autobots' picnic. However, [[Optimus Prime (Kre-O)|Optimus Prime]] plowed through them with his truck and left them scattered... and then left. Returning to the scene after.. ''ahem'', taking care of some pressing business, Optimus gathered up the still-wiped-out Kreons, bound them up on a flatbed trailer, and took them to the picnic. {{storylink|Emergency! Hurry to the Base, Optimus!}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers vs. G.I. Joe''===
[[File:Targetmasters-Insecticons.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.6|Retro artwork, work.]]
Shrapnel, Bombshell, 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 (G1)|Mirage]] tricked Megatron with a holographic projection of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Targetmasters (issue)|Targetmasters}}

Later, after Optimus truly had resurfaced on Cybertron, Shrapnel was in attendance as Megatron dueled against the Autobot leader. When Optimus attempted to deal a killing blow to his opponent, Shrapnel was among the Decepticons to dogpile him, allowing Megatron to blast a hole through Optimus's chest. {{storylink|Pax Megatronus}} The Insecticons were among the Decepticons who gathered under [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] for the final battle with the Autobots and G.I. Joe. {{storylink|Transformers vs. G.I. Joe issue 12|Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12}}

{{-}}

===''Power of the Primes'' marketing material===
[[File:PowerOfThePrimes-Skrapnel-CardArt.jpg|upright=1.0|thumb]]
The merciless Insecticon Skrapnel could wield powers of the [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]s by linking with [[Prime Master]]s. {{storylink|#Power of the Primes|''Power of the Primes'' Skrapnel packaging bio}}
{{note|For a list of powers manifested by Skrapnel, see [[Prime Master/Combinations|this chart]].}}
{{-}}

===2019 IDW continuity===
{{first|[[Constructicons Rising, Part 2|''Galaxies'' #2]]}}
[[File:ConstructiconsRisingPart2-InsecticonsMetabolizing.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5]]
Skrapnel, Bombshell, and Kickback emerged from the [[Pyramid (Cybertron)|Pyramid]] in [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] as highly aberrant mutants, with the ability to consume any kind of raw material and metabolize it into a highly-efficient form of [[energon]]. Scientists of the time tried and failed to understand their abilities, and eventually turned them loose on Cybertron's waste processing facilities. The three 'bots became a highly efficient recycling team until the [[War of the Threefold Spark]] ravaged the plaent and demanded a different kind of "recycling"—the three joined the war as battlefield cleanup specialists who devoured the dead and dying. {{storylink|Constructicons Rising, Part 2}} During the war, the three made a deal with [[Exarchon]] and [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. {{storylink|Escape Part Two}} By the end of the conflict, Autobot leader [[Nominus Prime]] and his new postwar regime grew fearful of what would happen should they develop a taste for the living, rebranded them as the lowly "Insecticons", and reassigned them to the remote colony of [[Mayalx]] to continue their recycling duties.

The three continued their work on Mayalx for some time, but eventually fell in with [[The Rise]], a terrorist cell backed by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. The three worked to recruit disaffected Cybertronians from the colonies to the [[Decepticon|Ascenticon]] movement; when the team discovered the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s, who had also been reassigned to Mayalx, Bombshell saw a valuable set of catspaws that could be manipulated to help the Insecticons gather energon for the cause. {{storylink|Constructicons Rising, Part 1}} After first feasting on a dead worker [[Hook (G1)|Hook]] killed by accident, the three Insecticons confronted the Constructicons during one of [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]]'s regular sparring matches and convinced them to turn against the society that had scorned their talents. {{storylink|Constructicons Rising, Part 2}} Killing living Cybertronians and eating them alive allowed the three to produce a particularly volatile form of energon that allowed Scrapper's group to combine into [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] and massacre the entire colony. The Insecticons gorged themselves senseless on the destruction; by the time that [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast-Off]] arrived to pick them up they'd metabolized a vast bounty of energon for Shockwave. {{storylink|Constructicons Rising, Part 4}}

[[File:EscapePartOne-Skrapnel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6]]
As part of Shockwave's long-term schemes, the Insecticons returned to Cybertron with Blast-Off under strict orders to stay hidden while he worked on mass-producing a [[Insecticon clone|clone]] army. {{storylink|Escape Part Two}} However, the Insecticons developed a taste for organic matter, and in the chaotic period following [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s takeover of Iacon the three rampaged through the city's [[Xeno-Quarter]] and ransacked the [[A'ovan habitat]] until [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] and [[Road Rage (G1)|Road Rage]] drove them off. Realising that they'd need an army to consume everything on Cybertron, the trio returned to Shockwave's bunker to confront the scientist over his delay—unaware that the deceptive scientist didn't actually ''need'' them to finish the process—and Skrapnel warned him that he could not stall them forever. Indeed, Bombshell began his own scheme, and had Skrapnel distract the Decepticon [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]] long enough for Bombshell to implant a [[cerebro-shell]] into him. The three set about gathering more energon for their own scheme, and ambushed the Autobots as they guided a refugee convoy out of Iacon's city limits. {{storylink|Escape Part Two}}

Hound's security forces managed to drive them off again. The Insecticons only managed to capture two organic and an Autobot to devour. Still, Skystalker did his work, and soon they had a lair inside an [[immersant]] Titan with fully functional cloning equipment. {{storylink|Escape Part Three}} Their efforts were successful, and soon an entire swarm of Insecticons rose to hunt and devour for them. {{storylink|Escape Part Four}} Kickback and the Insecticons now had a cycle at work, sending out clones to consume raw materials for them, then consuming the clones themselves to make their ultra-energon and power the machines to make more clones, ad infinitum. {{storylink|Escape Part Five}}

Shockwave initially tried taking his equipment back by force, but soon realized the Insecticons had become formidable in their own right. Instead, he negotiated neutrality in exchange for occasionally asking for their services. When [[Termagax]] was detected with the [[Enigma of Combination]] near the [[Sea of Rust]], Shockwave asked the Insecticons to dispatch their clone swarm on his behalf. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust I|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. {{storylink|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. {{storylink|End of Time}}

{{-}}

===''Transformers vs. the Terminator''===
[[File:EnemyOfMyEnemyPart2-Insecticons.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5]]
In 1984, Bombshell, Kickback, and Skrapnel reactivated aboard the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' and took part in the conquest of [[Earth]] after [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] killed the still-dormant [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. By [[2029]], the Decepticons had driven humanity extinct and subjugated the [[Skynet]] defense network, unaware of the machine's plan to build a time machine and retroactively win the war. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy Part Two}} When the Decepticons learned of this betrayal, the three Insecticons joined [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]s as they rooted out [[Omega Base]] and eliminated the resistance within—but not before Skynet sent a [[T-800]] Terminator back in time. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy Part One}} 

[[File:EnemyOfMyEnemyPart3-Insecticons.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|Remodelling crew, crew.]]
In this new timeline, the T-800 and [[Sarah Connor]] broke into [[Mount St. Hilary]], inadvertently, reactivated Optimus Prime and forced the Decepticons to flee. Once they'd regrouped on Oregon's eastern cost, [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] and [[Reflector (G1)|Refraktor]] returned from a scout mission bringing news of a [[Cyberdyne Systems|nearby robotics factory]], which they promptly besieged. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy Part Two}} The three Insecticons tore the factory apart, looking for any clues related to the mysterious cyborg who'd attacked them, but broke off when the Autobots and their new allies attacked. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy Part Three}} In the ensuing battle, the three Insecticons took on [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]], and [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], but the Autobots wound up killing Kickback and incapacitating the other two. Once the Terminator sacrificed himself to kill Megatron, the Autobots brought Skrapnel and the remaining Decepticons into custody... but when they returned to the ''Ark'', they found that the Terminator had double-crossed them and buried their ship beneath a layer of molten magma, killing most of the other Autobots and stranding the rest on Earth. With nowhere else to go, Optimus suggested a truce that the Decepticons accepted. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy Part Four}}
{{-}}

===''My Little Pony/Transformers''===
[[File:StrengthInNumbers-SkrapnelVenom.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5]]
While battling the Autobots for control of a malfunctioning [[space bridge|spacebridge]], a magic spell sent Skrapnel and the other Decepticons through to the magical land of [[Equestria]], and the three Insecticons crash-landed on the edge of [[Ponyville]]. {{storylink|Transformation Is Magic}} Once they had [[Insecticon clone|cloned]] themselves, the Insecticons attacked [[Sweet Apple Acres]] and ate their way through [[Applejack]]'s crops until Applejack's many family members drove them off. {{storylink|Strength in Numbers}} Skrapnel regrouped with Megatron as the Decepticon leader launched an attack upon the [[Crystal Empire]]. In the ensuing battle, [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] and [[Rarity]] ran him over, and he was soon banished back to Cybertron with the other villains. {{storylink|Finale (Friendship in Disguise!)|Finale}}
{{-}}

==Commercial appearances==
Shrapnel, Bombshell, and Kickback led an enormous swarm of Insecticons to attack a farm. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Insecticons|Insecticons commercial}}

==Games==
===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
{{Note|Shrapnel is a non-playable character. He appears among the legion of Decepticon duplicates in the Autobot campaign.}}
{{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)}}

===Transformers Legends===
Sharpshot and [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] helped [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] defeat [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]. {{storylink|The War Within}}

Chafing under Megatron's rule, Sharpshot 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. {{storylink|Harvest of the Insecticons}} When [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] returned to Earth with new troops in the form of [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], the Insecticons managed to ambush them. {{storylink|Junkion Reunion}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:BattleTacticsSkrapnel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8]]
Skrapnel 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 recruited by collecting 250 units of Cybermetal, 75 units of Transmetal, and 10 cores of this character. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Devastation''===
{{charstubgames|{{storylink|Transformers: Devastation}}}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Earth Wars''===
[[File:Skrapnel-Earth-Wars.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75| The only game where I do not have a speech quirk, quirk.]]
To say Skrapnel enjoys his work is an understatement. Relishes it maybe. Or revels in it. The agonized screams of his victims as their circuits pop and fry is all the reward Skrapnel needs. It's akin to an actor and applause.

When super-charged electrical bolts burst out of his antennae and scramble the microchips of an opponent, Skrapnel opens his audio receptors to the max, and his corresponding victory cry can be heard for miles around. {{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars|Skrapnel character bio}}

Skrapnel was summoned and brought to Earth after the final battle for the [[Codex Key]]. He helped retrieve the completed map the Decepticons needed by stealing it from an Autobot outpost. {{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars| Transformers: Earth Wars - The Codex Showdown Campaign}}

Skrapnel was assigned by Straxus to capture the Dinobot Slog. He and the other insecticons fled when the [[Torchbearer]]s showed up, but not before making a clever pun. {{storylink| Transformers: Earth Wars/Events|Dark Deeds}}

*'''Class:''' Special
*'''Lowest Star Rating:''' 2 star
*'''Weapons:''' Skrapnel uses an electrical beam that stuns and damages its target. Doesn't do that much damage though. He can also backflip to dodge Auto Cannon and Mortar shots.
*'''Ability: EMP Grenade''' - Skrapnel fires off an EMP grenade in a short range that explodes, dealing 33% damage over time, and stunning all buildings in the given area over 6 seconds (level 1)
**'''Cost''': 2 ability points +2 for reuses.

[http://wiki.transformersearthwars.com/character:skrapnel  Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki Skrapnel Page]

==Toys==
===''The Transformers''===
[[File:G1-toy Shrapnel.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|The extra fins make my gun shoot better, better.]]
*'''Shrapnel''' (Insecticon, [[1985]])
**''Takara ID number:'' '''42'''
**''Accessories'': "Grenade launcher" rifle

:Shrapnel is a [[redeco]] of the ''[[Diaclone]]'' Waruder Insecter Robo "[[Kuwagatrer]]" toy, transforming into a robotic [[Popular beast alternate modes#Stag beetles (family Lucanidae)|stag 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.

:Like the other Insecticons, he has a variation on his chromed parts, but this one is on his gun. Some Shrapnels have "fins" on the very back-end of the rifle and a more detailed main barrel, while others (obviously) lack those details. The extra-detail versions appear to be a later run.

:Shrapnel's [[package art]] depicts him with two left arms.  

:In Japan, Shrapnel and the other Insecticons were "re-released" as mail-order items from 1987 through 1988. They each cost 880 yen (their normal retail price) and two [[Robot Point]]s.

:This mold was used to make the [[Zaptrap#Toys|Zaptrap]] drones.

::*''[http://www.transformerland.com/wiki/toy-info/transformers-insecticons-shrapnel/878/ Patent info, price guide, and further reading on Shrapnel at Transformerland.com]''
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1985/Decepticon/Shrapnel/shrapnel.htm More information on Shrapnel at TFU.info]''

===''The Transformers Collection''===
*'''Insectrons''' (Multi-pack, [[2004]])
**''ID number'': '''16'''

:Shrapnel was released as part of the Japanese ''[[The Transformers Collection]]'' series in a set with [[Bombshell (G1)#The Transformers Collection|Bombshell]] and [[Kickback (G1)#The Transformers Collection|Kickback]]. This set also included three [[energon cube]] accessories that fit inside their chest compartments.

:The Shrapnel in this set has the lower-detail rifle, probably in order to keep it closer to the original-original release, particularly for the redeco.

===''Universe'' (2008)===
*'''Insecticons''' (Toys"R"Us exclusive multi-pack, [[2009]])

:Shrapnel was re-released as a [[Toys"R"Us]] [[exclusive]] in the ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' line, in a set with his Insecticon pals. Like with his 2007 ''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'' incarnation (see below), Shrapnel has been renamed for [[trademark]] reasons, this time to "Sharpshot". Likewise, [[Bombshell (G1)#Universe (2008)|Bombshell]]'s name has been changed to "Hardshell", a name previously used for his Robot Hero.

:This version uses the more detailed version of the gun.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Decepticon/CSSharpshot/sharpshot.htm More information on ''Universe'' Sharpshot at TFU.info.]''

===''Generations''===
 [[File:Generationstoy-SkrapnelReflector.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Shutterbug, bug.]]
*'''Skrapnel & Reflector''' (Legends Class, [[2014]])
**''Series / Number'': '''02 / #007'''
{{toydesigner|[[Joe Kyde]] and [[John Warden]] (Hasbro)}}

:Part of the sixth wave of 2012-onwards ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' Legends Class toys, ''[[Thrilling 30]]'' "Skrapnel" (so renamed for trademark reasons... again) is a new mold that is roughly the size of a ''[[Cyberverse (toyline)|Cyberverse]]'' Commander Class toy, and is thus roughly the same size as his original toy. He draws both from his original G1 character model and from his ''[[Transformers Legends (mobile game)|Transformers Legends]]'' artwork,<ref>[https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/96686-generations-legends-targetmaster-moulds/page-2#entry2424550 Designer Joe Kyde on "The Allspark" messageboard, 2013/11/11]</ref> once again transforming into a robotic interpretation of a stag beetle. Similar to his original toy, the red visor seen in the cartoon is left painted silver like the rest of his face. He is partnered with [[Reflector (G1)#Generations|Reflector]], a smaller robot that mixes elements of [[Viewfinder]]'s character model with his toy. Reflector can transform into a camera or a weapon modeled after Shrapnel's grenade launcher, both of which Skrapnel can wield via its [[5 mm post|5mm post]], or mount onto Skrapnel's back in insect mode.

:While initially announced under the name "Sharpshot" at [[San Diego Comic-Con]] 2013<ref name="sdcc13">[https://news.tfw2005.com/2013/07/18/transformers-prime-and-30th-panels-sdcc-2013-live-178032 San Diego Comic-Con 2013 report] and [https://news.tfw2005.com/2013/07/18/sdcc-2013-generations-legends-official-images-178044 stock photos] at TFW2005.</ref>, it eventually turned out that Hasbro had found a better trademark-friendly alternative that was much closer to the character's original name (differing by only one letter) when packaging stock photos were revealed four months later.<ref name="official">[https://news.tfw2005.com/2013/11/08/generations-legends-cosmos-with-payload-and-skrapnel-with-reflector-official-in-package-images-178741 Thrilling 30 Legends Skrapnel & Reflector stock photos revealed].</ref>

:Skrapnel was redecoed into [[BotCon 2015]] [[Zaptrap#Timelines|Zaptrap]] and ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 toyline)|Adventure]]'' [[Shrapnel (RID)#Adventure|Shrapnel]] and retooled into [[Chop Shop (G1)#Combiner Wars|Chop Shop]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Decepticon/GenSkrapnel/skrapnel.htm More information on ''Generations'' Skrapnel at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Kre-O''===
[[File:KreO-Toy Skrapnel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|Zapskrap, skrap.]]
*'''Skrapnel''' (Kreon Micro-Changer, 2014)
**''Bag number'': '''*****45'''
**''Accessories'': Stand brick, scoped pistol
:Part of the fifth assortment of [[blindpacking|blind-bagged]] [[Kreon]] [[Micro-Changer]]s, Skrapnel can be rebuilt from robot mode into a stag beetle. His design uses the original toy as a base, but the detailing is ''very'' much in line with the then-current ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Prime]]'' styling.

:His coloration is a lot closer to the original Shrapnel toy's ''[[Diaclone]]'' release (which was later turned into the Insecticon clone [[Zaptrap]]).

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Decepticon/Kre-OSkrapnel/skrapnel.htm More information on Skrapnel at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|SDCC2014}}
[[File:KreO-Toy SkrapnelC84.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|My [[Bombshell (G1)|Insecticon]] [[Kickback (G1)|buddies]] don't appear until next year, next year.]]
*'''Kreon Class of 1984''' (Kreon figure set, 2014)
**''Set number'': '''B0090'''
**''Voted'': Most Repetitive, Repetitive
**''Accessories'': [[Klingon]] disruptor
:This version of Skrapnel is based on the original toy, featuring extensive toy-based [[tampograph]]s. His blaster originally hails from the ''Kre-O [[Star Trek]]'' line.

:He was only available in a [[San Diego Comic-Con]] 2014 [[exclusive]] pack of 30 Kreons dubbed the "[[Kreon Class of 1984]]". Remaining stock was to be sold at [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] online, only there ''was'' no remaining stock after the show.

:Though the original Shrapnel toy was not released until 1985, Shrapnel-the-character first appeared in the first season of the cartoon in 1984 (only just barely), so his inclusion in the set is fairly justifiable. His teammates [[Bombshell (G1)#SDCC2015|Bombshell]] and [[Kickback (G1)#SDCC2015|Kickback]], however, would not appear in this format until the "[[Kreon Class of '85]]" set the following year.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Decepticon/SDCCKre-OSkrapnel/skrapnel.htm More information on Class of 1984 Skrapnel at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Platinum}}

===''Platinum Edition''===
[[File:TF-Platinum-Edition-Shrapnel.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
*'''Insecticons''' (Platinum Edition 3-pack, [[2015]])
**''Accessories'': Energon cube
:Part of the ''[[Transformers: Platinum Edition|Platinum Edition]]'' Insecticon 3-pack along with Bombshell and Kickback, this figure (named "Skrapnel" due to [[trademark]] reasons) is yet another reissue of the Generation 1 toy. He also includes an Energon cube accessory from ''The Transformers Collection'' release. Like his ''The Transformers Collection'' & unlike the ''Universe (2008)'' release, this Shrapnel doesn't use the detailed gun.

:Unfortunately, ''Platinum Edition'' Skrapnel has shown signs of mold deterioration on his right foot.

:This set was releaed 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 (website)|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 [[fandom|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.
{{-}}

===''Power of the Primes''===
[[File:TF-POTP-Legends-Class-Skrapnel.jpg|upright=1.6|thumb|I'm missing an accessory, accessory. Buy me, me!]]
*'''Skrapnel''' (Legends Class, [[2018]])
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''PP-33'''
**''Japanese release date'': '''[[October 27]], 2018'''
{{toydesigner|[[John Warden]] (Hasbro)}}

:''[[Power of the Primes (toyline)|Power of the Primes]]'' Skrapnel is a slight redeco of ''Thrilling 30'' Skrapnel without [[Reflector (G1)#Generations|Reflector]], sporting darker purple plastic, slightly lighter yellow paint, and a barely different paint application pattern on the legs, though unfortunately his visor remains silver rather than red. This means he features no retooling, which also means [[Prime Master]]s can't interact with him the same way they can with other Legends Class figures. The instruction booklet omits the fact that, when you rotate his arms around to his back to transform him, there are a pair of small tabs on his back that the little slots on top of his arms fit onto. This makes his alternate mode more solid, and less likely to come apart.

:Also, according to Skrapnel's included trading card, he is now an Autobot. Thankfully his packaging gets it right, so he remains a Decepticon.

:Though designated for a first quarter 2018 release, Skrapnel's wave reached U.S. store shelves in November 2017.

:Perhaps owing to basically being a rerelease, Skrapnel turned out to be a fairly reliable [[shelfwarmer]], even throughout future waves of the line.
{{--}}

==Merchandise==
===Decoy===
*'''Shrapnel''' (Decoy, [[1987]])
:Shrapnel was one of the Decepticon [[Decoy]]s packed in with smaller carded ''Transformers'' toys. While the normal purple version could be included with any Decepticon toy, the rarer red version was available ''only'' on [[Throttlebot]] cards and only for a short while before the switch to purple.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Decepticon/Decoys/Shrapnel/shrapnel.htm More information on Decoy Shrapnel 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===
[[File:HardHero Shrapnel statue.JPG|upright=0.85|thumb|Stop! In the name of love, love.]]
*'''Shrapnel''' ([[2003]])
:The second installment of [[Hard Hero]]'s "Insecticon Series", Shrapnel is a 9-inch cold-cast porcelain statue sculpted by [[Jason Ray]]. Only 1000 pieces of the statue were produced.
{{-}}

===''Robot Heroes''===
[[File:G1 RobotHeroes RodimusVsInsecticon.jpg|thumb|upright=1.22|The world's cutest psycho, psycho.]]
*'''Rodimus & Insecticon''' (Two-pack, [[2007]])
{{toydesigner|[[Bill Rawley]] (Hasbro)}}

:As part of the ''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'' line of PVC figurines, "Insecticon" (so named because Hasbro was unable to acquire the [[trademark]] to "Shrapnel") is a two-inch tall soft-plastic figurine in an adorable "super-deformed" style. He has swivels at the shoulders and neck.

:"Insecticon" was available in a two-pack with fellow trademark-loss refugee, [[Hot Rod (G1)/merchandise#Robot Heroes|Rodimus]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2007/Decepticon/RHInsecticon/insecticon.htm More information on ''Robot Heroes'' Insecticon at TFU.info.]''

{{anchor|RHBlindpack}}
*'''Insecticon''' (Single-pack, 2008)

: In some countries outside of North America, "Insecticon" was released individually in a blindpack with no notable changes.
{{--}}

===''The Loyal Subjects''===
*'''Shrapnel''' (2014)
{{charstubtoys}}
{{anchor|The Loyal Subjects Gamestop}}
*'''Shrapnel''' (Gamestop exclusive, 2014)
{{charstubtoys}}
{{-}}

===Transformers Trading Card Game===
[[File:W1Skrapnel.jpg|thumb]]
*'''Insecticon Skrapnel, Insecticon Leader''' (2018)
**'''Wave 1''' 
**''Rarity: '''''RT'''
**''Card Number: '''''T23/T40'''
**''Stars: ''7
:'''Insecticon Skrapnel, Insecticon Leader''' is one of forty double-sided character cards available in Wave 1 of the [[Transformers Trading Card Game]].

:The artwork on the card is reused from the ''[[Transformers Legends (mobile game)|Transformers Legends]]'' mobile card game, with line-art for both Bot and Alt-mode by [[Dan Khanna]].
{{-}}
[[File:W3SergeantSkrapnel.jpg|thumb]]
*'''Sergeant Skrapnel, Infantry-Electronic Warfare''' (2019)
**'''Wave 3: War for Cybertron: Siege I''' 
**''Rarity: '''''CT'''
**''Card Number: '''''T44/T48'''
**''Stars: ''9

:Sergeant Skrapnel, Infantry-Electronic Warfare is one of forty-eight double-sided character cards available in Wave 3 of the [[Transformers Trading Card Game]], War for Cybertron: Siege I.

:The card uses reused line-art from the ''[[Transformers Legends (mobile game)|Transformers Legends]]'' mobile game, with new colors by [[Harvey Bunda]] to match the aesthetic of the ''[[War for Cybertron: Siege|Siege]]'' toyline's packaging art.
{{-}}


===''Keshi Surprise''===
*'''Decepticons''' (2018)

:The ''[[Keshi Surprise]]'' series by [[Super7]] consisted of 1.75" soft rubber figures in a style deliberately resembling the 1980s [[Decoy]]s.  These [[blind-packed]] figures were sold individually or in cases depicting only their faction.  Shrapnel was available in red, orange, blue, and purple and included a foil trading sticker.    
{{-}}

===ReAction===
*'''Shrapnel''' (2020)
**''Accessories'': Grenade Launcher

: Released in the second wave of [[Super7]]'s line of multi-property 3.75-inch "retro" action figures, ''[[ReAction]]'' Shrapnel is a non-converting 3 3/4-inch action figure based on his appearance in the original cartoon, with 5 points of articulation (swivel neck, shoulders, hips) and holes in his feet for use with some variety of stand. He comes with a blaster which can only be held in his left hand, an oddity in the line as most figures can only hold weapons in their right hands.

: As with all releases in the ''ReAction'' toyline, Shrapnel comes packaged on a small cardback that emulates the nostalgic packaging style of [[Kenner]]'s ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' action figures from the late 1970s to early '80s.
{{-}}

===Eaglemoss===
* '''Transformers Gen-1 Chess Set''' (<s>2021</s>)
:In the planned [[Chess#Eaglemoss|Transformers Chess Set]] by [[Eaglemoss]], a relatively large and very well detailed statue of Shrapnel was slated to be one of the Pawn pieces on the Decepticon side.

:A Kickstarter campaign to raise the necessary funds for this project was launched, but failed to meet its goal by September 24, 2021 and the whole thing was canceled.
{{canceledtoy}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
*Shrapnel, along with [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], had his gender switched from male to female in the French dub of ''The Transformers: The Movie''. It is unknown why this change was effected, but it's most likely because of the character's high-pitched voice. The change did not happen in the cartoon, as it had used a different dubbing team from the movie. The change is especially ironic, given that only male stag beetles have the large pincers of Shrapnel's alt-mode.
**His gender was also switched in the Russian dub, mainly because Shrapnel is a feminine noun in Russian.
*In the Japanese dub of ''The Transformers'', Shrapnel retained his speech quirk of repeating words and phrases (as well as his gender). However, the dub was less consistent with the quirk and he only repeated himself from time to time. Also, Shrapnel's lightning blasting abilities were given a name, the "Thunder Attack", in true anime special move fashion.
*Shrapnel's [[package art]] for his Hasbro and [[Milton Bradley]] releases hilariously depicts him with two left hands. For Takara's Japanese release, this error was corrected.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Sharpnel''' (シャープネル ''Shāpuneru''), '''Shrapnel''' (シュラプネル ''Shurapuneru''), '''Skrapnel''' (スクラプネル ''Sukurapuneru'')
*''French:'' '''Éclats D'Obus''' (Canada, "Shrapnel")
*''Hebrew:'' '''Mitsrár''' (מצרר, "Cluster Bomb")
*''Italian:'' '''Rantrox'''
*''Mandarin:'' '''Dànpiàn''' (弹片, "Shrapnel")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Estilhaço''' (Portugal comic), '''Metralha''' (Brazil comic), '''Estilhaço''' (Brazil comic), '''Granada''' (Brazil Beast Wars)
*''Russian:'' '''Shrapnel''' (Шрапнель ''Shrapnel<nowiki>'</nowiki>'')
*''Ukrainian:'' '''Shrapnel''' (ICTV, Шрапнель ''Shrapnel<nowiki>'</nowiki>'')

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Decoys]]
[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 1 cartoon Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Generations Selects Decepticons]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) Decepticons]]
[[Category:IDW (2019) Decepticons]]
[[Category:Insecticons]]
[[Category:Kre-O Decepticons]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Mail order items]]
[[Category:Platinum Edition]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Second Cybertron Alliance]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]
[[Category:Variable gender characters]]