Hacksaw

Hacksaw is an Autobot Mini-Con from the Classics portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

Teh leet Hacksaw.

Leader of the mighty Mini-Con Dinobots, Hacksaw's Stegosaurus form belies his true nature—although he's just as tough and strong as the pea-brained beast, he's a good deal smarter. His occasional lapses into Grimlock-style grammar mask his wisdom, but his colleagues know that he's a stoic leader and a loyal friend. He is still a Dinobot, though... which means he's not above fighting dirty, especially with his arm-mounted battle-ax.

“	If you cannot take risks, if you cannot sacrifice... then you are not strong. And you will never be strong.	”
——Hacksaw to Broadside, "The New World"

Fiction

Classics

One of the Mini-Cons created by the Last Autobot to rebuild Cybertron, Hacksaw served as Modus Prime's second-in-command. He often led his Dinobots in missions to the planet's Underworld, where they battled packs of marauding mutants. On one such mission, they encountered his friend Broadside and the Predator Attack Team. During their brief encounter, Hacksaw had to prevent Terrorsaur from getting into a scrap with Overbite.

Later, Knockdown informed Hacksaw of a suspicious conversation he'd overheard Broadside having with some shady characters at Maccadam's Old Oil House. Armed with that knowledge, he went to see Modus Prime at an energon plant—only for the plant to explode just as he arrived. The explosion, which Broadside claimed had been caused by a deranged Autobot bulk, killed a number of Mini-Cons, including Modus Prime, making Hacksaw the new Mini-Con leader. His first command as leader was to inspect the bulk's body, only to find that it had been destroyed by Wideload and Sledge, whom Knockdown had seen in Maccadam's with Broadside.

Knockdown called the Clear Skies Team and the Night Rescue Team to a meeting with his Dinobots, where Strongarm presented evidence that indicated that the incident had been planned. As the Autobot Mini-Cons bickered over how to best act on their suspicions, Hacksaw departed alone to investigate a disruption at Proximax's trans-hyperwave caster tower. Up on the tower's scaffolding, he found Oil Slick and Dirt Rocket tinkering with the tower's systems. After a brief altercation with them, he was ambushed by their partner Grindor. In the brutal battle that followed, Hacksaw was stabbed repeatedly by Oil Slick, but still managed to incapacitate all three of his opponents brutally. As he tried to ply Dirt Rocket for information, he was confronted by their employer—Broadside.

Broadside explained that he had ordered his underlings to send a warning to the Autobots to stay away from Cybertron, in order to prevent the Last Autobot, who had given them life, from returning and reclaiming that life. Hacksaw angrily disagreed with his claims, and the two began to battle. As they fought, Broadside explained how he had uncovered the datatrax of the fallen Decepticon leader Scorponok, and how he planned to emulate him in uniting the Mini-Cons against the bulks. Crazed, he struck a mighty blow against Hacksaw, sending him toppling over the shattered edge of the scaffolding. Broadside grabbed the Dinobot's arm, and pleaded with him to join him in his crusade to make their people strong. His eyes full of pity for his former friend, Hacksaw told the Decepticon that he would never be strong. Broadside relaxed his grip, and Hacksaw plummeted silently to his death.

Broadside tried to blame Hacksaw's death on "unknown assailants", but a recording of his final moments revealed Broadside's ruse, opening up a schism in Cybertron's Mini-Con population and sending them plunging into a civil war. The New World

Notes

• Hacksaw was designed by David Willis.