Attack of the Insecticons

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Voyeurism of the Insecticons
"Attack of the Insecticons"
Publisher	Ballantine Books
Imprint	Find Your Fate Junior
First published	1986
Writer	Lynn Beach
Illustrator	William Schmidt (interior pencils and cover painting)
ISBN	ISBN 0-345-34151-1
Page count	74

Attack of the Insecticons is a multipath adventure in the Generation 1 continuity family.

Major characters

• Starscream
• Beachcomber

Synopsis

• Kickback spies on the Autobots' secret test of the Sun-Pak, an experimental solar battery developed by Sparkplug.

• Starscream leads the Decepticons in a surprise attack and succeeds in capturing the device.

• The Autobots determine that the Sun-Pak must be either recovered or destroyed by way of a raid on the nearby Decepticon headquarters.

• Starscream captures Sparkplug for himself, and plots to use the Sun-Pak's power to overthrow Megatron. Blaster, Buster and Bumblebee play prominent roles.

• The Autobots' retreat leads them into the Insecticons' nest, built into the same mountain. Beachcomber uses his geological skills to find a path through the caves to the surface.

• The Insecticons steal the Sun-Pak for themselves. Shrapnel plans to use its power to overthrow Megatron. Buster and Mirage go after the Sun-Pak.

Trivia

• Attack of the Insecticons features a series of humiliating endings for Starscream; destroyed by Thundercracker when he tries to surrender, sent for reprogramming by Megatron, tricked into thinking he's an Autobot after he loses his memory . . .

• The creation of the Sun-Pak would drastically alter the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, but in one ending Sparkplug suffers brain damage (faulty cerebro-shell?) and isn't able to remember how to re-create it. The result: a Portable laser-operated toothbrush! Perhaps this represents the "real" ending?

• Decepticon headquarters in this book is on land, a short drive from Autobot headquarters. This is probably just a local base. (The Find Your Fate Junior books feature several local bases.)

• This book features two different devices called electro-disrupters, with completely different effects. Additionally, Blaster's electro-scrambler is mentioned. None of these appear on the same story 'track,' but the combined effect is . . . quite confusing.

• The Autobots' decision to construct their secret test-track in the same mountain as the Insecticon nest appears to be a coincidence. (Not an annoying one, though, as that's presumably what led to Kickback learning of the Sun-Pak.)

External links

• Attack of the Insecticons online at Cybertron Alliance
• Review on Demian's Gamebook Web Page