Bug Bite (GoBots)
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| The name or term "Bug Bite" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Bug Bite (disambiguation). |
- Bug Bite is a Renegade from the GoBots continuity family, or a Cybertronian Mercenary, from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Bug Bite (aka Bugbite) is a brilliant yet amoral scientist, specializing in co-opting and adapting others' technology and advancements for his own use. He a cyborg hailing from Gobotron which is, similarly to Cybertron, consumed by an endless civil war.
In some universes, Bug Bite is a full-fledged Cybertronian affiliated with the Mercenary faction. Keep chuggin', Bug Bite!
Fiction
Timelines
As their universe neared its destruction, a threat posed by a multiversal Cataclysm, a team of six GoBots were chosen to travel to a parallel dimension, assimilate themselves into the Transformers' war, and determine the cause of the cataclysm. Bug Bite, with his mad scientific genius, was chosen to be part of this group.
But instead of landing in the Transformers universe that originated the cataclysm, Bug Bite—along with companions Small Foot, Treds, Bad Boy, Road Ranger, and Path Finder—was snagged in mid-journey into the Transformers universe populated by the TransTech. As the team were tagged, examined, and interrogated, Bug Bite remained petulantly indignant throughout. At the first opportunity, he snuck off alone into the "offworlder" portion of Axiom Nexus using a portable Astro-Beam. Hearing about some stolen black-ops passes that would get him off-world unimpeded, he murdered a "new friend" for his money, and sold the Astro-Beam to the passes' new owner Escargon in order to obtain one. Using his new funds, he had his cortex installed into a new body by Swindle, Swindle and Swindle on the black market, and used the black-ops pass to travel to their original destination universe... leaving his teammates to deal with the fallout of his actions. Withered Hope Bug Bite's Timelines profile
Bug Bite appeared on Cybertron approximately at the time of the battle with Unicron. He eventually fit in with Bludgeon's troops, quickly becoming favored. (Bug Bite had also reverse-engineered a mind-control device using cerebro-shell technology. Let's just say the other Decepticons suddenly liked him very much.)
Bug Bite discovered that Megatron was somehow responsible for the death of his universe, so he rounded up his amazingly loyal troops and landed on Earth. He requested an audience with Megatron through Starscream and his Seekers, but this meeting was merely a ploy by Bug Bite to snare these Decepticons with cerebro-shells.
Subsequently, Bug Bite marched straight into Megatron's stronghold, the Ark, under the pretense of striking a deal. Almost immediately, Bug Bite switched on the other Decepticons' mind control, and Megatron found himself surrounded by weapons pointed in his direction. Unfortunately, rogue Autobots led by Ultra Magnus were waiting outside and jammed the cerebro-shells' signal, though with mixed results. Bug Bite appeared dead during the following battle after Megatron blew off his head. Games of Deception
While Dreadwind pulled the damaged bodies of Weirdwolf and Bug Bite into the repair room of their ship, Bug Bite's dimension-traveling GoBot companions arrived via a portal. Bug Bite revealed himself to be alive after all, explaining that he'd kept his organic brain behind his windshield, like on his original GoBot body, not inside his new Transformer-styled head. He announced to the others that they should expect other GoBot travelers very soon... Withered Hope During a subsequent recharge cycle on the way to the rendezvous, Bug Bite ditched his comrades once again. Sunrise
Legends comic
Bug Bite was among the evil Kreons summoned by Megatron to conquer the Legends World. Special Chapter
Renegade Rhetoric
Bug Bite was a minion of Gunnyr, subjugating Guardians deep inside Gobotron. Eventually his leader was deposed by Ace and Dart, leaving him imprisoned on one of Gobotron's moons. Cy-Kill freed him and his leader, and Bug Bite became a seemingly loyal Renegade. Cy-Kill thought he had his own agenda, but he never crossed the line. Renegade Rhetoric (1), 2015/10/15
When the Rock Lords arrived on Gobotron to establish a treaty, Cy-Kill sent Bug Bite and Spoiler to Gobotolis to upset the accords. The Renegades manipulated the Guardians (particularly Turbo) into suspecting the unfamiliar Rock Roller of sabotage, driving a wedge between the allies. When Leader-1 was injured in an explosion seemingly caused by Rock Roller, Turbo seized command and demanded all the Rock Lords imprisoned. Unfortunately for the Renegades, the truth eventually came out and the treaty was ratified. On the Rocks
Bug Bite later joined six other Renegades under Cy-Kill's command in an attempt to take over the formerly lost Communication Moon of Gobotron, which Fitor had captured with an Astro-Beam. In spite of being injured, Leader-1 singlehandedly defeated the entire squad, taking out Bug Bite by knocking a pile of girders onto him. The Stolen Moon
Go-Bots comic
Bug Bit was one of the earliest Go-Bots. When Cy-Kill led the Go-Bots in revolt against humanity, Bug Bite joined the cause, shooting up a diner. Go-Bots #2 Thousands of years in the future, after the conquered Earth had been rebuilt into Gobotron, Bug Bite arose as Road Ranger's second-in-command, aiding him in killing the Vamps attacking the cities and riding with him to Gobotropolis. Road Ranger eventually decided to leave Earth behind, taking Gobotron into deep space so the Go-Bots could find their place in the universe. As the planet streaked through hyperspace, Bug Bite questioned Road Ranger about his future plans who revealed that they would begin building new Go-Bots and new Gobotrons, seeding mechanical life throughout the multiverse. Revealing that was creating an optimized heir, Road Ranger encouraged Bug Bite to do the same. As the Volkswagen considered it, he questioned what should be done with Leader-1 and Cy-Kill. Road Ranger ordered his second to take what parts could be salvaged from either and use them to build a new Go-Bot. One that, hopefully, would embody the best of both leaders. Go-Bots #5
War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon
- Voice actor: Alex Taber (English), José Angel Torres (Latin-American Spanish)
Bug Bite was a member of Doubledealer's crew of Mercenaries, hired by Quintesson Judge Deseeus to bring in the Autobots aboard the Ark to Chaar. Earthrise episode 2 Aboard the Fool's Fortune, the crew flew to the adrift Ark and infiltrated the ship. Earthrise episode 1 While reactivating the ship, Bumblebee went online and took Bug Bite captive as a shield against Exhaust and Thrust, though they fired at them anyway. The Mercenaries successfully brought the Autobots to Chaar, though after Deeseeus refused to pay them and Doubledealer made a new deal with Megatron, Bug Bite and the others battled the Quintesson's forces, including freeing Bumblebee, and helped the Autobots escape. Earthrise episode 2
After Deseeus took control of Doubledealer's mind, Exhaust and Bug Bite were the only remaining members of the Fool's Fortune crew. The two were sent to patch up holes in the ship during its battle with both the Autobots and the Decepticons over Earth, during which he mused that he liked the new paradigm. Before he could finish the job, Bug Bite and his partner were shot into the hole by stowaway Autobot Cog, and the two Mercenaries tumbled into the void of space. Deseeus later called for Bug Bite and Exhaust to the bridge but was met with no response. The three were presumably killed when the Fool's Fortune warp drive exploded during the dogfight. Earthrise episode 6
Toys
Collector's Edition
- G1 GoBots (Multi-pack, 2004)
- ID number: 84
- Bug Bite is a redeco of the retooled The Transformers Collection Bumblebee, transforming into a "penny racer"-proportioned Volkswagen Beetle. He was only available in an e-HOBBY-exclusive Collector's Edition six-pack with Bad Boy, Path Finder, Road Ranger, Small Foot, and Treds.
| The Transformers mold: Bumblebee | ||
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Version 1:
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Timelines
- Bug Bite is part of the Classics-themed BotCon 2007 box set, along with Dirge, Dreadwind, Thrust, and Thundercracker. Bug Bite is a white and black redeco of the Classics Bumblebee toy, transforming into a sports coupe of indeterminate model. He tows a small trailer with his "Tidal Wave" drone-unit on the back, which converts into a jet-pack to give him "flight" in robot mode. As with most Classics toys, he features a heat-sensitive rubsign.
- There were 1500 Classics Bug Bite figures produced.
- This mold was also used to make Classics Cliffjumper.
| Classics mold: Bumblebee | ||
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Generations Selects
- Bug Bite (Deluxe Class, 2020)
- A Generations Selects add-on to Earthrise, Bug Bite is a redeco/retool of Cliffjumper, with the head from War for Cybertron Trilogy Bumblebee. This version of Bug Bite displays a black Mercenary faction symbol on his chest, as per his appearance in the War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon.
- Bug Bite transforms from robot into a 1980s sports coupe that is strongly reminiscent of a Porsche 924 Turbo, though with a front end which resembles that of the Mitsubishi Starion, while omitting the original Collector's Edition toy's Penny Racer aesthetic. Bug Bite also has molded high-performance brake discs, a surprising detail carried over from a mainline Transformers figure. Much like Cliffjumper's other mold-mates, Bug Bite's depiction as being rather small in most Transformers media means this figure is much shorter than a typical Deluxe-priced figure and is closer to being a particularly large Legends-priced figure. Like all Deluxe Class figures of the War for Cybertron subline, Bug Bite includes numerous 3 mm posts and 5 mm ports for attaching other accessories as part of the C.O.M.B.A.T. System, but due to his small size he cannot easily accommodate an entire Weaponizer or Modulator figure. Additionally, he is highly articulated for a mainline Legends-sized Transformer, with over 90-degree ankles and two-way elbows, and a complex transformation scheme. Undocumented in the instructions, Bug Bite's neck is actually mounted on a ball-joint, and when popped out of its housing offers a larger range of articulation.
- The rest of his price-point is made up with Bug Bite's large cannon. It can split into two smaller blasters and a pair of skis that can attach under his wheels. The backend of the cannon is folded out to fit in his car mode's underside to help balance when skis are deployed, while also being used as a melee weapon. It can also be mounted on either his thigh or on the side or top of his shoulder meaning you can put the entire cannon in these spots. Similarly, his detaching car trunk can either be put into the robot mode's back or be used as a shield with the help of a flip-out peg. This peg and the backend of the cannon use a unique post and port to connect to each other.
- Almost all of Bug Bite's white coloring is painted, with only his head and forearms being bare white plastic. While this avoids color disparity, particularly in vehicle mode, it also means he is incredibly prone to paint chipping. The mold was differently retooled into Generations Selects Hubcap and Shattered Glass Collection Goldbug.
- The toy is branded as part of the War for Cybertron Trilogy toyline by Hasbro in the US but as part of Earthrise TakaraTomy in Japan.
| Earthrise mold: Cliffjumper | ||
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Version 1 (1980s sports coupe):
Version 2 (Volkswagen):
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Merchandise
BotCon 2007
- Deco Pin (2007)
- The first 100 people to pre-register for a BotCon 2007 Primus package also received a bonus metal pin with Bug Bite's "tribal" deco on it.
Flame Toys
- Bug Bite (Furai Model, October 2020)
Notes
- Bug Bite's name does not appear in any of the final product material on the Japanese e-Hobby set from which he "originated"; it only appears in an early photoshopped promotional image on the e-Hobby website. The individual toys' names were dropped when Takara's legal department became concerned at how Bandai—the company that made the toys that would become the Tonka GoBots—would react to the names being used, despite the minimal chance of provable trademark infringement on Takara's part.
- According to Timelines collaborator Ben Yee, Lanny Lathem of Fun Publications intended Bug Bite's purple "tribal" paint applications to be a highly stylized version of the Decepticon insignia.
- Bug Bite's Classics body model is an "off-white C1186-P0019" (the product number for the Classics Bumblebee toy in the real world), according to the black market bodyshop Swindle, Swindle and Swindle in "Withered Hope". He also bought a gutted Wave Crusher and a Decepticon signal transponder, but declined the X-03 custom add-ons (referring to the fan-made custom parts kit for Classics Cliffjumper).
- When Bug Bite gets a new head at the end of "Withered Hope", it is pointed out by Dreadwing that it doesn't quite match his body's off-white. This is a reference to the fact that his Timelines toy's head was much more white than his body.
- The BotCon 2007 Bug Bite toy's coloration was used for the "Shattered Glass" Animated version of Bumblebee.
- Kreon Bug Bite wears the Bumblebee helmet, naturally.
- Bug Bite's color scheme serves as the basis for the Waruder mecha Paralyzer and, by extension, the Renegade drone Bug Bite II.
- Unlike most Hasbro Pulse listings which explain the origins behind each of the Generations Selects toys, giving a little bit of context as to who the character is and where they originated from, thus adding to the reason they are being sold as "special edition" releases from the main toyline; Bug Bite's listing makes absolutely no mention of the original e-HOBBY and BotCon toys or the colors that originated from them, nor does it make any mention of the GoBot origins or dimension hopping nature of the character. The listing merely states that he is based on the Mercenary from the War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon.[1]
Foreign names
- Japanese: Bug Bite (バグバイト Bagu Baito)
References
External links
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