Buzz Saw (BW)

The name or term "Buzzsaw" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Buzzsaw (disambiguation).

Buzz Saw is a Predacon from the Beast Wars and a Maximal from the Beast Machines portions of the Generation 1 continuity family. His name is also parsed as Buzzsaw.

Kid Friendly Character Rejection: Wrong kind of Bug

Buzz Saw is a figure of mystery, feared and respected on both sides in the Beast Wars. He is seldom even glimpsed as he flies at extreme altitudes to gather vital recon information or to rain unexpected death down on the Maximals far below. Little do any of them realize that he is, in actuality, a complete and utter coward, and his long range tactics stem entirely from the fact that he is terrified of coming into direct contact with the enemy. On the occasions where he must appear on an actual battlefield he does his best to remain at the back of the lines, hiding as best he is able behind dozens of other attacking Predacons. Socially he's a bit of a gossip and rather prone to bragging, wanting everyone to know what a great job he did on his last mission.

Buzz Saw is equipped with boosters that make him capable of escaping planetary orbit and flying free in space.

At some point after the Beast Wars he returns to Cybertron and joins the Maximals in their fight against Megatron's Vehicons.

The identification of Beast Machines Maximal Buzz Saw as the same character as the Beast Wars wasp stems from the fact that he was originally planned as a Predacon, until Hasbro decided more than two factions in the toyline would be confusing to kids. His bio still reflects this and talks about his conversion to the Maximals. Thus, as a Predacon wasp named Buzz Saw with the function "aerial recon" he would certainly have been the same bot. Hasbro has apparently confirmed this identification.

Spanish name (Beast Wars): Abejorro

French-Canadian name (Beast Wars): Frelon

Pre-release names (Beast Machines): Mudobber, Sting

Fiction

Timelines: Intimidation Game script reading

The Tripredacus agent Flamewar was held prisoner and interrogated by a group of Autobots and Maximals. However, this was actually a ruse perpetrated by Scourge and a group of Megatron followers, among them Buzz Saw (disguised as Obsidian). Intimidation Game

IDW Beast Wars comics

Just buzzing about. Don't mind me.

Buzz Saw was one of the protoforms on Earth reprogrammed into Predacons by Magmatron. He was sent to search for Razorbeast and his team of Maximals from the air by the recently revived Ravage. When Sky Shadow discovered the Maximals' lair, Buzz Saw was among the Predacons who participated in the battle that ensued. After being beaten by the Maximals and their newly arrived reinforcements, Buzz Saw presumably retreated along with the other Predacons. The Gathering

He popped up again in the air wing of the Predacon's last ditch assault on the Maximal base. After the initial charge, he spent the entire battle unseen (that'd be the cowardly long-range thing—see, Ascending had characterisation!) before popping up as a victim of the Pack's attack, Longrack nibbling on his wings. The Ascending

Beast Machines toy bio

Buzzsaw was saved from Megatron's virus by Rattrap, and has now become a part of the Maximal band fighting Megatron's rule over Cybertron.

Universe

Buzzsaw got a front row view of the wayward Autobots exiting their spaceship. Otherwise, he remained silent and blended into the crowd. Abduction

Toys

Beast Wars

• Buzz Saw (Deluxe, 1996)
  • Japanese ID number: D-9
  • Accessories: missile launcher, 2 missiles

A redeco of the original Waspinator mold, Buzz Saw transforms from an organic yellow jacket to a robot. The missile-launching gun stores in the beast-mode abdomen. Missiles for the gun store in the insect wings. His torso features a rotating center-block with a robot-mode head on each end; one is a "normal" robot mode face (with which he is usually depicted), the other a "mutant" face (which is nominally used by Waspinator).

The Takara release of the mold is slightly different from the Hasbro version, using a darker purple plastic, and replacing the lime-green plastic with a muted gray. (Curiously enough, the exact same plastic changes were done to Blackarachnia's Japanese release.)

This mold was also retooled to make Dirgegun.

• More information on Beast Wars Buzz Saw at TFU.info

• Showdown in the Darkness: Howlinger vs Buzz Saw (Multi-pack, 1997)
  • Japanese ID number: VS-9
  • Accessories: missile launcher, 2 missiles

In Japan, Buzz Saw was also available in a two-pack with the Maximal Wolfang. The two-pack versions are identical to their individual releases.

Beast Machines

Not to be confused with Gordon Sumner or Steve Borden.

• Buzzsaw (Basic, 2000)

Part of the first wave of Beast Machines Basics, Buzzsaw transforms into a technorganic wasp. His stinger/left arm is on a long flexible spring with a string "spine", letting it bend freely. It opens up to form a claw with extending needle, also revealing his spark crystal.

Buzzsaw is one of the few flying-insect Transformers whose bug-wings don't just hang off him as kibble, instead forming his robot-mode legs.

• More information on Beast Machines Buzzsaw at TFU.info

Trivia

• Buzz Saw's box art shows him with his "normal" head when in robot mode. This was most likely to make him look different from Waspinator, whose box art (and subsequent fictional portrayals) depicted with his mutant head.

• The Beast Wars incarnation of Buzz Saw served as the inspiration for the homage-character Buzzsaw from the Cybertron series.