Wood Beetle

The Wood Beetle is a Beastformer vehicle from the Generation 1 continuity family.

One of three legendary Battle Bases created by the Three Wise Ones millennia ago, the Wood Beetle (ウッドビータル Uddo Bītaru) embodies the power of Wood, one of the three foundational elements that keep the planet Beast stable. This massive machine stayed buried and forgotten, slumbering until its power was needed to restore peace to the planet.

Only a rare few have the strength of will to command such a powerful machine, one that can store an entire ocean's worth of water in its prison, in keeping with the planet's balance of Fire, Wood and Water. Which makes it seem odd at first that the easygoing Wavemoose is the one at the controls. But that Beastformer's incredible self-control seems to be the key to unlocking its might!

Fiction

Beastformers comic

Beastformers VS Laser Beasts

Toys

Beastformers

Thennnk yeewwww!

• Wood Beetle (Battle Base, 1988)
  • Accessories: Horn-blaster, double-blaster, left & right side-cannons, 2 storage panels

Released in the "Laser Beasts" portion of Takara's post-Transformers-branded Beastformers toyline, the Wood Beetle is a large mechanical beetle with small wheels on the underside so it can roll along. The head of the beetle can "seat" a Beastformer or Laser Beast (or any small Transformer or other toy, go nuts, we're not your parents), and has a movable (non-firing) blaster, as well as a spring-loaded capture claw. It also features a posable double-blaster on its top, rotating removable side-cannons, plus the dark-brown panels over the rear "treads" can be pulled off to reveal accessory storage compartments. (The white parts also come off, but they're a bit less useful as storage.)

It opens up into a wood-themed battle station, which also allows the beetle head a lot more freedom to move. The left side has a jail cell for holding prisoners, while the right side has a large... compartment? It's pretty deep, deeper than the Beastformer/Laser Beast figures are tall.

This set came with the Wavemoose figure as its pilot; it's possible but currently unconfirmed that this was the only way Wavemoose was released in this version of Beastformers. (The Hasbro Battle Beasts release of the toy came with a randomly-packed Battle Beast figure.)

Notes

• The Wood Beetle's included trading card gives it the nickname "Bikki" (ビッキー, Bikkī). Or possibly "Vicky".

Foreign names

• English: Wood Beetle