Insecticon (Energon)
| The name or term "Insecticon" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Insecticon (disambiguation). |
- Insecticon is a Decepticon-allied Terrorcon from the Energon portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.
Insecticon is a swarming, energon-devouring killing machine. Possibly a semi-sentient drone, certainly dull-witted, he is vicious and well-armed, without mercy toward any, and with loyalty only to his Decepticon masters who hold him in thrall.
There are lots of him.
Fiction
Toy pack-in comics
When a trio of Autobots surveyed a hill for energon tower sites, Megatron sent a flock of Divebombs to attack them. The attack was a distraction to keep the Autobots from noticing the Insecticons that were consuming the energon underground. When the beetles emerged from the ground to support the Decepticon attack, the Autobots were overwhelmed and fled. Energon Volume 2
Cartoon continuity
Energon cartoon
Insecticon drones first appeared when they confronted Misha on her way to speak with Alpha Q. Kicker ran up with the intention of destroying them with the Energon Saber, but Misha prevented it. She then freely passed them and left them with Kicker. With the help of Grindor, Kicker flew past the Decepticons to follow Misha. Each One Fights... Later a large number of Insecticon drones followed Scorponok into battle against Unicron. Unicron Unleashed
After his change of allegiance Scorponok continued to lead Insecticons as they arrived to back up the Decepticons. They opened fire on Optimus Prime, but he defended himself with an Energon shield. Imprisoned Inferno Another team, once again led by Scorponok, later attacked Rock Planet. Megatron did the same at Blizzard Planet. Most were destroyed when the newly installed energon towers became operational. Another set attacked the energon tower being deployed to Ocean Planet. Yet more were destroyed by the combined Autobot effort while the rest succumbed to the energon grid when that tower became operational as well. Farewell Inferno However, they were able to get their claws on some energon and proceeded to feed it to Unicron Crash Course
The Insecticons guarded a train station on Cybdertron while the Omega Train came through. Hot Shot and Arcee opened fire, destroying them all. Meanwhile, Megatron led a series of Insecticons against Optimus Prime and his allies. They hovered in wait as Megatron monologued. Decepticon Army Another set of Insecticons accidentally made their way into the super energon pool and when discovered by Snow Cat and Demolishor, chased them away. They had grown giant and were going berserk. The Decepticons sent Scorponok to subdue them. They would not acknowledge his orders, but followed him around nonetheless. When Scorponok was injured in battle, the Insecticons healed his wound with an energon infusion. Ironhide Team
The overly large Insecticons closed in on Arcee and Kicker when they tried to themselves reach the super energon pool, but were unable to continue pursuit when their quarry jumped over a ravine. More of the Insecticons managed to get in front of Kicker and his team, but Arcee drew their attention by blasting at them while Kicker jumped over and atop of them. Nearby, Scorponok received a grievous injury battling Ironhide once more. The remaining Insecticons rushed to his aid, allowing Scorponok to view the true merit of loyalty to one's subordinates. Destructive Power
Force of Habit
Several Insecticon drones survived past the destruction of Alpha Q and Unicron, emerging on the side of the Decepticons during the events surrounding the Unicron Singularity. They attacked Ultra Magnus and the Iron Hope during the Autobots' search for the Cyber Planet Keys. Force of Habit
Energon comic
Insecticon was one of Alpha Quintesson's minions, collecting energon for his shadowy goals. He and the other Terrorcons busted up an energon processing plant in Cyber City before warping to Unicron to present their master with a new recruit, Tidal Wave. This Evil Reborn They later traveled to Earth to siphon an energon vein in Australia, easily brushing aside any human resistance in the process. What Lies Beneath Insecticon was present when Scorponok decided to infuse energon into the Terrorcons rather than giving it all to Alpha Quintesson. What Lies Beneath, Part Two After using the energon to power up, the Terrorcons attacked an Autobot team sent to stop their attacks on humans. The power of energon let them make short work of the Autobots, with Insecticon literally taking a bite out of Hot Shot. What Lies Beneath, Part Three However, the defeated Autobots soon returned for a rematch, and using both Powerlinx tricks and Omnicon reinforcements, they fared much better against Insecticon and his comrades. With their mission ending in failure, the Terrorcons were forcibly pulled off-Earth by Alpha Quintesson. What Lies Beneath, Part Four
Later, as part of the Terrorcon attacks on several major Earth cities, thousands of mindless Insecticon clones entered Los Angeles and began destroying everything in sight. Multiplicity A small team of Autobots led by Jetfire came to the city's rescue, easily taking out Insecticons left and right. Multiplicity, Pt. 2 However, they quickly began to run low on energy in the face of the seemingly endless swarm. Multiplicity, Pt. 3 The Insecticon clones were eventually exterminated when the Autobots received an energon powerup and an insanely powerful Megatron showed up to lend a hand. Multiplicity, Pt. 4
Swindle's Spiel
Swindle, Swindle and Swindle had Insecticons among their Terrorcon drones for sale. Swindle's Spiel, 5/10/2015
Spacewarp's Log
Ask Vector Prime
In an unspecified reality, Killswitch employed hordes of Terrorcons, including Chromehorns, to guard Existimus. Ask Vector Prime, 6/11/2015
Games
Transformers Energon: Battle for Megatron
Insecticon and his fellow Terrorcons went on a mission to retrieve Megatron, held deep within Unicron's defenses. In order to destroy the many units standing in their way, Insecticon could use his Energy Blaster and his "Acid Splash" attack. He also acted as the team's sniper, and could repair his fellow Terrorcons if the need arose. The Terrorcons were eventually successful in liberating Megatron from Unicron's clutches. Transformers Energon: Battle for Megatron
Toys
Energon
- Insecticon (Basic Terrorcon, 2004)
- Takara ID number: SD-16
- Accessories: Energon drill, energon cannon, Decepticon energon chip
- Insecticon transforms into a robotic rhinoceros beetle. He comes with two energon weapon parts, a drill-sword and a spinning gatling-cannon. These two combine to form a large "Energy Drill" weapon that can be hand-held or mounted on Insecticon's insect-mode head.
- The Takara Super Link version of "Chromhorn" uses transparent green instead of yellow for his energon parts.
- Insecticon has some odd moulding on his back, which looks distinctly like a face. Some have suggested it looks like a ninja turtle, others think it looks surprisingly like Armada Red Alert. Bros for life?
- A redeco of the Energy Drill came with the "Nightscream Rebirth" toy in Japan.
- Chromhorn Forest Type (Basic, 2004)
- Takara ID number: SD-18
- Accessories: Energon drill, energon cannon, Decepticon energon chip
- A limited-release —but still regular retail— redeco of "Chromhorn" was released later in the Takara Super Link line, cast in numerous shades of green.
- The packaging was largely unchanged, only a new bubble-front and a sticker to cover the original ID number were added.
- This toy was repurposed as the individual Chromhorn.
Universe (2003)
- Insecticon (Basic, 2005)
- Accessories: Energon drill, energon cannon, Decepticon energon chip
- Insecticon was repackaged on a Universe-themed card and sold through discount chains in the US like Big Lots!. There are no notable differences between this release and the original Energon release.
Merchandise
Attacktix
- Insecticon (Booster, 2006)
| ID number: | TF04 |
| Rarity: | |
| Faction: | Decepticon |
| Class: | Trooper |
| Special: | Recruit - 4/26 (15%) success ratio |
| Point Cost: | 10 |
| Base Speed: | 4 |
| Attack Type: | Shooter (Small Missile) |
- Attacktix Insecticon is basically a support figure for the much more powerful Scorponok figure, whose Recruit special summons up to two Insecticons into play from back-ups. Insecticon also has a Recruit power, summoning another Insecticon into play from backups. This combination of powers replicates nicely the swarms of Terrorcons from the Energon cartoon. Insecticon hordes can be effectively reduced by Vector Prime's special power which removes up to two Insecticons from play.
- Each Insecticon figure has four points of articulation; waist, head and shoulders. While the strength of Insecticon figures is in swarms, individual Insecticons can use their articulation to form an effective defensive tripod.
Notes
- The Insecticon shown in Hasbro stock photography has a slightly different coloration from the final product, mainly the use of orange rather than brown plastics. Hasbro representatives noted at OTFCC 2004 that they were considering making a running change to Insecticon so this orange-limbed version could be released, but this never happened, similar to how the intended running change to Armada Wheeljack never came to be.
- Insecticon shares many physical similarities with Barrage; it's possible (although unconfirmed) that Insecticon was intended to be a loose homage to him.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Chromhorn (クロムホーン Kuromuhōn)
