Packrat
Packrat is a Maximal in the Beast Wars portion of the Beast Era.
Packrat is sneaky and generally untrustworthy. A renowned thief and narcissist, he's also a glory hound. Not only does he want to steal things, he wants the world to know about it and sing his praises. If he weren't so effective on the battlefield, he wouldn't be as tolerated by the other Maximals. That, and he tends to cause the Predacons more damage than his so-called colleagues. However, his overdeveloped self-interest may be his undoing -- if he won't look after his teammates, why should they return the favor?
Fiction
Tales of the Beast Wars
Critical Mass
Packrat was spying on the Predacon scientist Fractyl, overhearing his development of energon armor, and vowed to steal it from him. If he was successful, Packrat surmised, he will finally earn the respect he craves from Optimus Primal and the other Maximals -- and get rid of his hated beast altmode. Packrat escaped with the energon armor and tore through any Predacons in his way. However, the armor was unstable and threatened to erupt in a cataclysmic explosion, destroying Packrat and any nearby. Rhinox convinced Packrat he would earn the respect he craves if he simply gives up the armor, saving himself and the others. Packrat conceded, and also helped out Fractyl by making it look like the peaceful Predacon had fought the Maximals off.
Visitations
Voice actor: Scott McNeil
Packrat and Onyx Primal are on Predacon territory investigating a fallen meteorite when they stumble across a Predacon "plot device." They fight over the artifact but are immediately attacked by Vice Grip and Fractyl. After Onyx Primal stashes the artifact in a crevice, a shadowy figure steals it, vanishing.
The Predacons continue their attack, but Silverbolt and Rattrap appear overhead to rescue the Maximals, even though they're mere "repaints." Vice Grip and Fractyl are defeated, followed by Optimus Primal's arrival. Packrat and Onyx Primal fight over whose fault it was the artifact was lost.
Ultimately, they blame Megatron.
Universe: The Wreckers
After the Beast Wars, the Earth-bound Packrat followed Primal Prime and his band to Cybertron, where they found a planet decimated by Vehicons. Joining the ranks of the depleted Wreckers, he stole Nightscream's Deployers as the legendary task force was given marching orders from the Oracle itself. He and the Wreckers fought through an army of Vehicons to get to an old Autobot shuttle and escaped the planet, only to be smacked around by the bounty hunter Devcon once they were away.
When the aft of the shuttle was sabotaged with a plasma bomb explosion, Packrat suggested they hit the emergency release and ditch the damaged portion, even though Sonar, Spittor, and the Deployers were back there. Primal Prime, of course, dismissed the option, but Packrat, fearing for his own safety, hit the emergency release anyway, sentencing the separated crewmembers to their deaths. The Wreckers were quickly at Packrat's throat, but Primal Prime ordered the thief off his bridge and into containment.
Primal Prime directed the Wreckers to Akalo, the nineth planet in the Archa System, where they found a primitive people who worshipped the Divine Light, an object of great power. Later, when no one was watching, Packrat attempted to steal the object, but the Wrecker Cyclonus followed him, killed Packrat, and took the Divine Light for himself.
Toys
Beast Wars
- Packrat (BotCon 97 exclusive)
- Packrat is a blue, gray, and gold redeco of Rattrap, packaged with Fractyl and sold exclusively at BotCon 1997.
- Rattrap (Transmetal, Wal-Mart exclusive)
- Transmetal Rattrap was redecoed in blue chrome, beige, and yellow and sold as an exclusive at Wal-Mart. This toy was redesignated as a Transmetal version of Rattrap in the Wreckers comic books.
