Ransack (G1)
| The name or term "Ransack" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Ransack (disambiguation). |
- Ransack is a Decepticon Insecticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Ransack is a fairly simple being. A tough-talking and straight-forward warrior, he craves combat and longs for each new battle. He'll level a whole town, destroy natural wonders, and kill hundreds to complete his mission without batting an optic. Ransack notices such things, sure—he just doesn't care.
- French-Canadian name: Saccageur
Fiction
Dreamwave comics continuity
After the fragmentation of the Decepticon forces following Megatron's seeming destruction in a space bridge accident, Ransack joined Ratbat's Ultracons. He accompanied Ratbat and fellow Ultracons Chop Shop and Venom on a mission to the Tagan Heights, where they unleashed the deadly Devastator on the Wreckers. Though they captured the Wreckers' leader Springer, the Ultracons were prevented from executing him when Devastator's battle with Defensor raged out of control. In the chaos that ensued, Ransack and his allies escaped, leaving Devastator behind. Escalation
When Megatron and his Aerospace Extermination Squadron retook Cybertron and reunified the Decepticons, Ransack was assigned to supervise enslaved Autobot miners at Internment Camp Pi in Praxus. The Age of Wrath #2
Ransack, along with Barrage, Chop Shop, and Venom, remained on Cybertron following the departure of the Ark and the Nemesis. The planet's chronic energon shortage reduced them to a vampiric existence, forcing them to capture Micromasters and drain them of their fuel. While pursuing Falcon and Flanker in the Wastelands, they ran into the middle of a conflict between the Hot Rod Patrol and Race Track Patrol. Destined for Nothing
After devouring Falcon they soon set upon the other Micromasters, but were driven back by the timely arrival of Groundshaker, who left with the Hot Rod Patrol. The subsequent arrival of Shockwave prevented them from devouring the Race Track Patrol, but he did toss them Flanker as a snack. The Gray Race The Insecticons subsequently abducted the Race Track Patrol and several other Micromasters from Little Iacon, in an attempt to ferret out the Hot Rod Patrol and gain some new recruits in the process. Recipe for Hate Returning to Decepticon HQ with their Micromaster prisoners, Ransack caught a group of the tiny Transformers trying to free their cohorts. After sounding the alarm, Ransack had a big, possibly lethal hole blown in him by Groundshaker. Victims of the Revolution
Devil's Due G.I. Joe vs the Transformers continuity
As part of Serpent O.R.'s forces, Ransack defended the newly unified Decepticon army's base against a combined Autobot/G.I. Joe strike force. During the battle, he and Venom were pounded on by Snarl and Storm Shadow. The Art of War #5
3H Universe comics
Some incarnation of Ransack was held captive in Unicron and forced to fight in the Cauldron. He was freed in a mass escape orchestrated by Optimus Primal. Escape
IDW comics continuity
Ransack served on a Decepticon space station alongside Sixshot, Spectro, Squawkbox, Treadshot, and either Pounce or Wingspan. He was on monitor duty when Sixshot departed for Mumu-Obscura. Spotlight: Sixshot
Toys
Generation 1
- Ransack (Deluxe Insecticon, 1985)
- Accessories: "Concussion Blaster Gun", "Reflector Shield"
- As a redeco of the unreleased Armored Insect Battalion Beetras Beet-Vadam, Ransack changes into a predominantly black and yellow locust. In robot mode, he is completely unable to move his arms forward, which makes his shield and gun pretty damn useless.
Notes
- Ransack, like all of the Deluxe Insecticons, was designed by Takatoku Toys for inclusion in their Armored Insect Battalion Beetras toyline (機甲虫隊ビートラス). The mold was to be released in a green and grey deco under the name Beet-Vadam. However, Takatoku Toys went out of business in 1984 shortly before Beet-Vadam was to be released, giving Ransack the unique distinction of being the only version of this mold ever released. Upon bankruptcy, Takatoku's assets were purchased by fellow Japanese toymaker Bandai. At that time, Bandai was exclusively active on the Japanese market and so was a competitor of Takara, but not of Hasbro. Due to this, the company had no objection licensing various of the Takatoku molds to Hasbro in 1985 for sale on the Western markets as part of their version of the The Transformers toyline. But since nowadays Bandai has claimed its share of the Western market and only licensed the molds back then, there is little likelihood that Ransack and co. ever will be put up for reissue.
- Since Hasbro and Takara shared the Generation 1 cartoon as promotional material for their respective versions of the toyline, Ransack and the other Deluxe Insecticons were not included in its cast to avoid giving Japanese market-competitor Bandai free publicity. The group also was omitted from the US Marvel comics and barely appeared in the UK Marvel comics, making them the least "succesful" of the Takatoku molds. This trend has continued in fiction since, the team's current highlight being their role in the Micromasters comics.
External links
- Beet-Vadam at Diaclone.net (Japanese)
