Buzzsaw (G1)
| The name or term "Buzzsaw" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Buzzsaw (disambiguation). |
This article is a featured article, and considered to be one of the most informative on this wiki.
- Buzzsaw is a Decepticon Mini-Cassette from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Buzzsaw is a very specific kind of artist—he likes to make art out of his victims. He approaches them with reasoned clarity and sophistication, gutting them with what he believes to be inspirational precision. However, his ego is easily wounded, and he's not adept at improvisation. If one of his "masterpieces" is interrupted and he cannot proceed as planned, he would rather retreat to sulk than rethink his approach.
He will kill you. It's not a matter of if, but a matter of where, when, and how painful it is.
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuty
Generation 1
Buzzsaw was among Megatron's attack party which ambushed the Autobots aboard the Ark, crashing on Earth 4 million years ago. When the Autobots and Decepticons were revived in 1984, Buzzsaw was given the alternate mode of a gold cassette tape. As Megatron gave a roll call to determine who had survived the crash, Buzzsaw noted that his beak "has carved many an Autobot warrior into a masterpiece of scrap metal." The Transformers
The Decepticons soon attacked Harrison Nuclear Power Plant to use as material to build a new headquarters, and Buzzsaw was able to fly through its reinforced concrete walls as if they were paper. It was discovered that the human ally of the Autobots, Sparkplug Witwicky, may know of a way to convert Earth fuel into a form Transformers can use, and so Buzzsaw and the Decepticons led an attack on his auto repair shop. Though Prowl scored a direct hit on Buzzsaw, he was able to return with his fellow Decepticons to their base with Sparkplug. Power Play! The human military surrounded the Decepticons' headquarters, and Megatron ordered his warriors to "greet" them. Buzzsaw happily cut through the wings of the fighter jets while disparaging their primitive technology. Prisoner of War!
When Starscream fired upon his teammate Ravage for eavesdropping on his plot to overthrow Megatron, Buzzsaw and the other Decepticons sought deadly revenge on the Decepticon Air Commander. The Enemy Within! Though Starscream escaped, the Decepticons soon regrouped to attack the Ark. Laserbeak was the first casualty of the raid, which Buzzsaw quickly reported back to Megatron, but their battle was ended prematurely when Auntie, the Ark's computer system, magnetized the walls, immobilizing both factions. Raiders of the Last Ark Buzzsaw also travelled with the Decepticons to the United Kingdom, where he and his teammates attempted to take control of the Man of Iron's ship. When Jazz fired upon the ship, destroying it, the Decepticons could no longer take the ship and learn from it the location of Cybertron, so they left. Notably, in the battle against the Autobot's ship, Buzzsaw's attacks were visibly of greater power than his comrades... Man of Iron
The Decepticons were successful in learning from Sparkplug Witwicky how to convert Earth fuel for themselves, and they attacked the Ark in force. The Autobots were weakened from their own lingering fuel problems, and Buzzsaw noticed that even Optimus Prime had trouble hitting him with a shot from his rifle. The Decepticons were clearly the imminent victors in this lopsided battle, and as Buzzsaw tore through the head of one of the final remaining Autobots, Mirage, the Decepticons declared victory. ...Or, they would have, if Sparkplug hadn't poisoned their fuel, causing the Decepticons to stumble over themselves in pain. It was only the surprise arrival of Shockwave that saved Buzzsaw and the others from certain defeat. The Last Stand
After Shockwave assumed command and set up shop at Blackrock Aerospace Assembly Plant Number One, Buzzsaw would perch on Shockwave's shoulder and keep his unruly troops in line. DIS-Integrated Circuits! Buzzsaw, though unnamed, later accompanied Soundwave and most of the other cassette-tape Decepticons to aid their impostor Optimus Prime's ambush of the Autobots, though all of them were easily defeated once the real Optimus Prime was restored. Prime Time!
Unlike the Seekers, Soundwave, Buzzsaw, and the other animal cassettes remained more loyal to Megatron than to Shockwave, and so when the former Decepticon leader was discovered in a coal mine, they arrived swiftly to refuel and reclaim him. I, Robot-Master! (Meanwhile, Buzzsaw also supported Shockwave, including his unsuccessful plot to kidnap and brainwash Bumblebee into being a Decepticon. Plight of the Bumblebee!) One of Megatron's first acts upon returning to the Decepticons was to attack the Ark while seemingly all of the Autobots were attacking the Decepticon base, and he took the Seekers and all of the cassette Decepticons (minus Ravage) with him. Unfortunately, the Ark was now defended by the newly-built Omega Supreme. All of the attacking Decepticons except for Laserbeak and Megatron were obliterated. Buzzsaw's destroyed body was kept in storage within the Ark for several years. Command Performances!
Buzzsaw's body and the others destroyed by Omega Supreme were lifted from the Ark by the Constructicons while the rest of the Decepticons (now under leadership of Ratbat) ambushed the Autobots on the Moon. Totaled!
Soon a civil war erupted between Ratbat's Decepticons and Scorponok's Decepticons, during which Buzzsaw brutally (and literally) disarmed Cutthroat. Cold War! However, it was discovered that the civil war was instigated by Starscream to distract from his evil intentions for the Underbase. The Autobots also showed up, as part of Starscream's diversion, and the two Decepticon armies teamed up to destroy them. Just before strafing Swoop, Buzzsaw cannon-blasted Omega Supreme. However, he had little time to celebrate what may be the single most lop-sided takedown in Transformers history, as he was destroyed by the Underbase-powered Starscream soon afterwards. Dark Star
Regeneration One
After his death during the Underbase affair, Buzzsaw's remains were among the many gathered up by the Autobots and stored aboard the Ark. Loose Ends, Part 3 After the vessel crashed back to Earth in 1991, Megatron used the medical and scientific knowledge he gained through his mental link with Ratchet to re-animate Buzzsaw and the other fallen Decepticons as lobotomized zombie "Ex-Bots", with which he laid waste to the Earth over the following twenty-one years.
When the Autobot Wreckers came to Earth to investigate in 2012, Buzzsaw and the other zombies were charged with tracking them down, but were led away from the main group by Roadbuster, Leadfoot and Sandstorm running interference. Loose Ends, Part 2 Kup was subsequently captured for use as bait to lure in the other Wreckers, and Buzzsaw and his former flying partner Laserbeak took part in ambushing them, blowing big holes in Sandstorm. Loose Ends, Part 4 When Circuit Smasher shut down the Ark's computer, the signal animating the zombies cut out, and they all returned to death. Loose Ends, Part 5
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: Frank Welker (English), ? (Japanese)
Buzzsaw first saw duty on Earth during the Decepticon plot to transform New York City into New Cybertron, appearing with Laserbeak to strafe Bumblebee and Spike Witwicky on the roof of the Constructicons' newly-constructed skyscraper. City of Steel Later, the twin cassette condors located the energy-rich underwater city of Sub-Atlantica for Megatron, leading to an alliance between the Decepticons and King Nergill to conquer Washington, D.C.. Buzzsaw helped the Sub-Atlanticans capture the Autobot Wheeljack when he was investigating the situation. His luck didn't hold out when the Dinobots came to occupied Washington, though: Swoop outflew Buzzsaw and Laserbeak, shooting them down with air-to-air missiles. Atlantis, Arise!
When the Decepticons teamed up with the Insecticons to take the Nova Power Plant, Soundwave unleashed Buzzsaw and Laserbeak on Jazz and Inferno. Laserbeak was quickly shot down, but Buzzsaw managed to avoid the Autobots' laser fire and flew off. Later, he lost control of his faculties when Bombshell used his cerebro-shells to turn the Decepticons against Megatron, before their fearless leader could turn against them. He was presumably restored with the others when Bombshell's excess power was negated. The Insecticon Syndrome Soon thereafter, Buzzsaw took part in the Decepticons' attempt to capture the Negavator, trapping Autobots inside their command bunker with a pile of rubble so Rumble could steal the weapon. Eventually, however, the Autobots got free and the Decepticons were driven away. Auto Berserk
Japanese cartoon continuity
The Headmasters cartoon
In the year 2011, Buzzsaw accompanied Soundwave on his mission to search Earth for the missing Matrix of Leadership, joining Laserbeak in attacking Hot Rod when the young Autobot got in their way. When Blaster intervened, a fierce battle ensued that resulted in the death of both communications officers. Buzzsaw, Laserbeak, and Ratbat gathered Soundwave's scattered remains and took them back to the Decepticon base on Chaar. The Mystery of Planet Master There, the technology of planet Master, courtesy of Decepticon Headmaster commander Scorponok, was used to rebuild Soundwave into Soundblaster, much to Buzzsaw and the others cassettes' joy. Soon after, Twincast—the similarly-rebuilt form of Blaster—and his cassettes arrived on Chaar to stop Soundblaster's remote control of the newest Decepticon weapon, the Madmachine, and Buzzsaw, Laserbeak and Ratbat barred his way. Eject, Rewind, Ramhorn, and Steeljaw kept the tapes busy while Blaster progressed on to complete his mission. The Great Cassette Operation
Later, Buzzsaw took part in a spy mission to Cybertron, which uncovered that Vector Sigma was producing a new alloy named cybertonuron. Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1 Later still, after the new spy Counterpunch had joined the Decepticon ranks, Buzzsaw joined the other cassettes in grousing about how they were all being shown up by the new guy. Return of the Immortal Emperor
The Headmasters comic
Buzzsaw and the rest of the cassettes gathered over a comically-defeated Soundblaster (at the hands of Chromedome) as Sixshot announced his intent to defect from the Decepticons and travel the universe. The Headmasters #8
The Battle for Planet Earth
- Voice actor: Peter Marinker (English)
When Laserbeak reported on the Autobot expedition to South America, Buzzsaw was one of the Decepticons Megatron took with him to investigate. They soon found Optimus Prime's team, though Buzzsaw wondered why they were looking into the strange hollow mountain. The Decepticons attacked their foe, but were forced to land on the other side of the crater, where they kept firing until the Autobots retreated. The reason for the retreat soon became clear, as the volcano erupted, trapping Buzzsaw and the other Decepticons in lava, where they remained while Laserbeak went back to base for help. Terror of Mount Sheelah
Dreamwave Generation One comics
Buzzsaw was part of Shockwave's Decepticon faction during the Dark Ages. The Dark Ages
Buzzsaw was involved with Starscream's occupation of the human city, Las Vegas. Presumably, he came in under Soundwave's direction. The Decepticons initially worked closely with the Las Vegas Police Department, with Buzzsaw and Laserbeak serving as "watchbirds" to keep an optic open for any unlawful activity in the city limits. Buzzsaw even served as a passive deterrent when necessary, divebombing a hold-up artist named Bernie Kalus before he could enter the convenience store he had targeted. Hardwired Later on, after the Autobots had invaded Las Vegas, Buzzsaw tried to eliminate Prowl and a wounded Bumblebee, but was chased off the hunt when Optimus Prime got involved in the skirmish. When Megatron and Starscream divvyed up the Decepticon forces, Buzzsaw somehow managed to be on BOTH factions simultaneously. In the final fight with the Keepers in Las Vegas, he joined Thundercracker, Laserbeak and the Autobot flyer named Wheeljack in performing aerial assaults on the alien beings. Annihilation Several days later, Buzzsaw and the Decepticons joined the Autobots again in defending against an ambush by the American military in the Nevada desert. The Army had reverse-engineered some Cybertronian technology to create the deconstructionites, microchip-sized projectile sprays that drained the Transformers of their processing power on contact. Buzzsaw caught heavy flak in the first salvo, and quickly found himself unable to fly. He was dragged to safety by Megatron himself, but was left incapacitated for some time thereafter. Fusion
G.I. Joe vs the Transformers
Buzzsaw was part of the army of Decepticons that surrounded Teletran 3 while several of the building's inhabitants were thrown into various Earth historical periods. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #2
Buzzsaw was seen again on Cybertron as part of Serpent O.R.'s invading forces, assaulting an Autobot peace ceremony alongside Sixshot, Astrotrain and Blitzwing. The Art of War #3 He was later part of a Decepticon force preparing to fight off a major Autobot-G.I. Joe assault. The Art of War #4
Dawn of Future's Past
At the end of the great war, most Decepticons who were granted amnesty simply retired and vanished from public life. So too would have been the fate of Buzzsaw if not for the intervention of the Predacon Divebomb. Divebomb granted Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, and Ravage a new lease on life, rebuilding them into members of the new faction of Predacons.
Predacon Megatron's theft of the Golden Disk was closely watched by Divebomb, who sent Laserbeak and Buzzsaw to ensure Megatron and his rogues reached their destination. Their ship intercepted the Axalon, pummelling it with missiles. Before it could come back for another pass, it was fired upon by the Chromia 10, giving the Axalon enough time to restore enough power to return fire and completely destroy Laserbeak and Buzzsaw's ship, with the pair inside. Dawn of Future's Past
IDW Generation 1 comics
Buzzsaw was seen among Soundwave's cache of cassettes on Cybertron millions of years ago. He and Laserbeak helped catch the Autobot spies Bumper and Fastback when Soundwave introduced himself to Megatron. Megatron Origin #2 He later helped devastate the Senate and free the captured Decepticons in their Trojan Horse play at Kaon. Megatron Origin #4
When Soundwave was ambushed by Orion Pax while fleeing from a failed infiltration attempt, he tried to eject Buzzsaw to aid him. Unfortunately for him, Orion smashed his torso in before he was able to. The Hunt for Soundwave
Four million years ago, Buzzsaw charged the Autobot position with Soundwave and a horde of Decepticons, in a vain attempt to keep them from interfering with an energon convoy headed for Megatron's troops. The Iron Age
During the modern-day invasion of Earth, Buzzsaw participated in the Decepticon attack on Beijing. All Hail Megatron #6 When the invasion failed he escaped Earth onboard Astrotrain, and was seen perched on Soundwave's shoulder while his master tended to their fallen leader, Megatron. Uneasy Lies the Head
Buzzsaw was later among the Decepticons outfitted with inhibitor/deterrence chips by the Autobots, The Autonomy Lesson Later, Buzzsaw was among a Cybertronian crowd recruited by Starscream to pressure Prowl into revealing one of his secret discoveries below ground on Cybertron. Later underground, they witnessed a Metrotitan declare that Starscream was the Cybertronian destined to unite their whole race. He and the other Cybertronians celebrated afterwards with Starscream. Primus: All Good Things
Games
Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons
When Optimus embarked on his mission to rescue the Autobots' Minicar troops from the Decepticons, Buzzsaw could hinder Optimus Prime's progress, by stalling him and giving him a flat tire. Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons packaging blurb and game
The Transformers (Commodore 64)
Buzzsaw was among the Decepticons who tried to prevent the Autobots from recovering the scattered pieces of their Energon cubes. Created by the power of Robo-Cloning, innumerable duplicate copies of Buzzsaw bedevilled the Autobots on their quest. The Transformers
Toys
Generation 1
- Soundwave w/ Buzzsaw (Decepticon Communicator, 1984/1985/1986)
- Accessories: Left & right "Twin Mortar Cannons"
- Coming only with the Hasbro release of Soundwave (the Japanese version had Rumble instead), Buzzsaw transforms from a microcassette to a robotic condor. His cassette mode can fit into the tape compartment of the Soundwave and Blaster toys. Unlike the other four original Mini-Cassettes, Buzzsaw's deco is unique to the Transformer line rather than originating from Micro Change. In 1985, a heat-activated rubsign was added to his cassette-mode front; unlike other toys, this did not replace his existing Decepticon insignia, located on his head.
- Sunstreaker & Skids vs Buzzsaw (Multi-pack, 1985)
- Japanese ID number: VSZ
- Accessories: Left & right "Twin Mortar Cannons", tape case
- Despite the Japanese cassettes being available singly in Japan, rather than in double-packs as in Hasbro markets, Buzzsaw apparently didn't warrant a solo release, and instead came in a multi-pack with Skids and Sunstreaker. Like most Japanese cassettes (and all future Japanese releases of Buzzsaw), he came with a clear-plastic tape case to be "stored" in.
- Soundblaster w/ Buzzsaw (Decepticon, 1987)
- Japanese ID number: D-106
- Accessories: Left & right "Twin Mortar Cannons", tape case
- During Headmasters, Buzzsaw saw re-release as a pack-in with Soundblaster. This version replaces the tape-spool decal with a new sticker featuring Fortress Maximus's weak spot, revealed through the clear-red tape-doors of the Soundblaster and Twincast toys. Soundblaster himself is given the ID number "D-101", while Buzzsaw is separately labelled as "D-106".
The Transformers Collection
- Soundblaster w/ Buzzsaw and Ravage (Transformers Collection, 2005)
- Japanese ID number: 18
- Accessories: Left & right "Twin Mortar Cannons", tape case
- The Headmasters version of Buzzsaw was included in the Soundblaster reissue, though this time the duo also came with a similarly-sticker-altered version of Ravage.
Timelines
- Laserbeak and Buzzsaw (bagged souvenir set, 2006)
- Accessories: Left & right energon blades, Energon star
- A redeco of the Energon Divebomb mold, Buzzsaw gains a humanoid mode along with his robot-falcon form. He came with a set of clear-indigo energon weapons that could combine to form a large blade, plus an indigo energon star. He was available only in a "souvenir" 2-piece set with Laserbeak, sold at BotCon 2006, and limited to 500 pieces.
Universe (2008)
- Soundwave (2009)
- Accessories: Left & right "Twin Mortar Cannons"
- In 2009, Buzzsaw was included with yet another reissue of Soundwave as part of the Universe line, this time as a Hasbro Toy Shop exclusive that was prominently offered at San Diego Comic-Con 2009. Included were his weapons and his own cassette case.
Encore
- Great Cassette Operation (2009)
- Encore number: 15
- Accessories: Left & right "Twin Mortar Cannons", tape case
- As part of TakaraTomy's Encore Generation 1 reissue line, Buzzsaw was released along with Rewind, Eject and Ravage. Unlike most Encore figures, he features no significant differences from his various previous releases.
Masterpiece
- Buzzsaw and Rumble (2013)
- A redeco of Masterpiece Laserbeak, Buzzsaw transforms from a micro-cassette tape into an accurate-to-the-animation golden condor. He comes packaged with Rumble, probably because Frenzy won't hang with him anymore.
Merchandise
Mega Super Collection Figure
- Megatron Metallic Ver. (2002)
- ID number: 03-X1
- Exclusive to Hobby Expo 2002 and Wonderfest 2002, this PVC figurine of Buzzsaw came packaged with an exclusive metallic version of the Mega Super Collection Figure Megatron. It was redecoed from the Laserbeak included with the original mass-release version of Megatron.
Notes
- Though Buzzsaw is portrayed as transforming into a normal audio cassette in the various fictions, his original toy was a microcassette. (Likewise, Soundwave's toy was a microcassette recorder, rather than the "stereo cassette deck" he's stated to be elsewhere.)
- Buzzsaw's scant appearances in the original animated series come as a result of a note in the production bible that says he should only "be used occasionally". This, presumably, is due to the fact that his toy was only available packaged with Soundwave, and hence did not need to be advertised via the show. Poor little guy didn't even get an individual bio in there. (No wonder he took it out on everybody.)
- Buzzsaw could talk in the Marvel UK Comics, as well as in some episodes of the Japanese Headmasters cartoon (where he even commented on how tired he is of seeing Scourge and Cyclonus always lick Galvatron's feet modules). In all media though, he certainly possesses normal transformer intelligence.
- The title screen to Ocean's Transformers game for the Commodore 64 depicts either a Laserbeak or a Buzzsaw that is primarily red with gold wings. Get on it, e-HOBBY!
- At BotCon 2006, the signboards advertising the Laserbeak/Buzzsaw set incorrectly identified him as "Buzzclaw". This was the only place the error appeared.
- Buzzsaw is the coolest cassette. Don't even bother arguing.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Buzzsaw (バズソー Bazusō)
- French: Condor (Canada)
- Hebrew: Zamzam (זמזם, "Buzzer")
- Hungarian: Körfűrész
- Italian: Micro
- Portuguese: Serrote (Portugal comics), Serra (Brazil comics)
- Russian: Lobzik (Лобзик, "Fretsaw")
