Stinger (AOE)

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

Stinger is a Prototype from the Age of Extinction portion of the live-action film series continuity family.

"Who are you calling Cliffjumper?"

Innovation. Efficiency. Style. KSI rolls them out as you've never before experienced with Stinger, the all-new transformable drone produced on and exclusively for the Earth market. Improving on our competitor's efforts, Stinger specialises in serving all your sabotage needs. A combination of years of KSI's intensive engineering research with the cutting-edge styling of their partners at Pagani Automobili, Stinger is as beautiful as it is functional.

Fiction

Age of Extinction film

Inspired by Bumblebee, but better.KSI Promotional Video on Stinger

"I've heard of partsforming, but this is ridiculous."

The Stinger prototype was being displayed in KSI headquarters when Cade, Shane, and Bumblebee snuck in. A nearby display promoting Stinger claimed that it was "Inspired by Bumblebee, but better in every way!". In the promotional video, the lead engineers claimed that Bumblebee's design was antique and ugly, and that Stinger improved on Bumblebee's design flaws. An offended Bumblebee knocked over the prototype, but hid when KSI staff arrived to investigate the disturbance, leaving Shane to take the heat.

In its first field trial, Stinger was deployed alongside Galvatron to chase down and apprehend the Autobots. During the battle, Stinger fired one missile at the Autobots, which missed. He pursued the other Autobots, but his role was mostly overshadowed by Galvatron's free will and relentless pursuit of Prime. He was later recalled once Prime was incapacitated and shipped to China, to avoid the feds discovering KSI's prototypes.

When Galvatron revealed his true nature and commandeered KSI's man-made Transformer army, Stinger was among the many drones deployed in Hong Kong to seize the Seed. Stinger pursued Bumblebee and the other Autobots, and eventually engaged his yellow doppelganger and Strafe in the ensuing battle. Both he and Bumblebee fought on the Dinobot's back as Strafe flew through Hong Kong's cityscape, but Bumblebee eventually defeated him by throwing him through a bus, blowing the drone apart. Strafe happily gnawed on Stinger's decapitated head, while a smug Bumblebee remarked he "hates cheap knock-offs". (So do we, Bumblebee. So do we.)

Age of Extinction

Games

Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark

Stinger is not a playable character in the campaign of Rise of the Dark Spark. However, he makes a brief cameo as part of Lockdown's crew late in the game, and is available to play as in Escalation if the game is purchased from Walmart.

Part of Lockdown's crew, Stinger was present for Drift's interrogation. He then followed Lockdown presumably to assist with his mission of retrieving the "amplifier". It is unknown what happened to him later as he is not seen again.

Stinger is available in Escalation to those who purchased from Walmart or brought the "Weathered Warrior Pack". He shares his default ability with Bumbblebee as the Ammo Suppliy Core, further supporting their similarities or rivalry.

Toys

Age of Extinction

Robots in Disguise

• Decepticon Stinger (One Step Changers, 2014)

Stinger was originally solicited as part of the mass retail One Step Changer assortment before TFW2005 learned from Hasbro's staff at BotCon 2014 that at least some of Stinger's toys would be released as Walmart exclusives. Oddly, despite sporting a "Walmart exclusive" sticker on its packaging, One Step Changer Stinger was reported found at multiple Target stores. The packaging also still sports the mass retail assortment number, implying that the decision to release the toy as a Walmart exclusive was made at the last minute, and the factory simply went by the product code/assortment numbers on the packaging and shipped the figure with the other mass retail figures, despite the sticker.

• Dinobot Slug vs. Decepticon Stinger (Legion two-pack, 2014)

Stinger is a Walmart exclusive minor redeco (possibly even a mere repaint) of Cyberverse Series 2 Mirage, itself a retool of Revenge of the Fallen Legends Class Sideways with standard Cyberverse hands sporting 3mm peg holes. While the deco somewhat resembles the on-screen Pagani Huayra that Stinger transforms into, the alternate mode is a modified Audi R8, the alternate mode used for Sideways in the Revenge of the Fallen film. Stinger is packaged with a redeco of Beast Wars Neo Guiledart as Slug.

The original version of this sculpt was also redecoed to make 2010 Transformers Override.

Notes

• The Pagani Huayra was at one point intended as the alternate mode of a female robot with the working name "Widow Maker".
• The Legends/Legion Class Stinger toy from the two-pack with Slug marks the third time this sculpt is used to represent an on-screen movie character, even though all three of them used different alternate modes in the films themselves: Revenge of the Fallen Sideways, the original release of the sculpt, transformed into an Audi R8 (the toy is modified to avoid having to acquire a license), Dark of the Moon Mirage/"Dino" into a Ferrari 458 Italia, and Stinger into a Pagani Huayra.