Bombshell (G1)
- Bombshell is a Decepticon Insecticon in the Generation 1 continuity family.
A master of mind-controlling "cerebro-shells," the twisted Bombshell plays with the minds of others as a child would a new toy, enthusiastically and recklessly. But there is nothing childlike about the gleeful malice he exposes in forcing his victims into more and more humiliating and destructive acts. Bombshell takes such sadistic joy in the destruction of his victims that even the other Decepticons can be put off, wondering if he wouldn't be just as pleased to play those same "games" with them...
- French-Canadian name: Obus
- Italian name: Prudox
Fiction
Animated continuity
Voice actor: Michael Bell (US), Ken Shiroyama (Japan)
Marvel Comics continuity
Dreamwave comics continuity
It's heavily hinted at in Dreamwave continuity that Bombshell's cerebro-shells were the basis for the "Shell Program" later used in Beast Wars to reprogram Maximal protoforms into Predacons. It makes no small manner of sense.
Toys
Generation 1
- Bombshell (Insecticon, 1985)
- Japanese ID number: 41
- Bombshell transforms into a robotic boll weevil He doesn't do a whole lot more than that. There is a variation on the mold's insect-mode horn; some versions have a rounded indent on the "top" part near the base-joint, allowing it to fold down further in robot mode.
- In Japan, Bombshell and the other Insecticons were "re-released" as mail-order items from 1987 through 1988. They each cost 880 yen (their normal retail price) and two robot points.
- This mold was used to make the Salvo drones.
- Bombshell (Action Master, 1991)
- Action Master Bobmshell is a non-transforming action figure that combines the cartoon model with a few toy-based elements. Interestingly enough, his distinctive head-cannon is no longer on his skull, but his hand-held blaster bears a smiliar design. He comes with his robot scarab partner Needler, who forms a backpack/battle helmet for Bombshell. He was only available in the European markets.
- Insectrons ("Bookbox" multi-pack, 2004)
- Japanese ID number: 16 (full set)
- Bombshell was released as part of the Japanese Transformers Collection series in a set with Kickback and Shrapnel. This set also included three energon cube accessories that fit inside their chest compartments.
- The Bombshell in this set not only lacks the horn-indent of later variations, but has a couple other minor mold-differences to boot.
Merchandise
- Bombshell (Decoy, 1987)
- Bombshell was one of the Decepticon Decoys packed in with smaller carded Transformers toys. While the normal purple version could come on any Decepticon toy, the rarer red version was available only on Throttlebot cards and only for a short while before the switch to purple.
- Destron Hero Collection-22 Set (Decoy multi-pack, 1987)
- The entire run of twenty-two Decepticon Decoys were sold as a single boxed set in Japan, only in purple.
Trivia
- Bombshell --like the other Insecticons-- was originally a Diaclone "Waruder Kabutron" evil alien piloted mech in different colors... which were eventually used when the trio were redecoed for e-Hobby release. This is also the genesis of those opening chest compartments.
- Although Bombshell's alternate mode is a beetle, the cartoon sometimes depicted him eating through the tip of his horn, as if he was a weevil.
- In the Anime series Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann, a Ganmen (the head-shaped mecha that are piloted in the series) appears in episode 7 bearing an uncanny resemblance to that of Bombshell, complete with a cannon on top of it's face.
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