Buzzsaw (Armada)
| The name or term "Buzzsaw" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Buzzsaw (disambiguation). |
- Buzzsaw is a Mini-Con from the Armada portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.
Buzzsaw knows that in order to create, sometimes you must also destroy. He's come to accept this, but it's all a matter of what must be destroyed. Unlike his leader Dualor, he doesn't believe that you can just up and sacrifice anything or anyone to get whatever you want. But Buzzsaw lacks the strength of resolve to stand up to Dualor, and the guilt of watching innocents suffer has begun to take its toll on him.
His only release is in his work as a builder, and his hobby as an artist. Though certainly any symbolism in his creations is lost on Dualor.
Fiction
Toy pack-in comics
Starscream and the Destruction Mini-Con Team were sent to destroy a satellite dish that could have helped detect Megatron. While they succeeded at destroying the dish, the Destruction Team were tied up. Armada Volume 2
Armada cartoon
Buzzsaw was one of several Mini-Cons captured in quick succession by the Decepticons after Starscream gained the power of the Star Saber. Conspiracy
On a later mission, Megatron gathered Buzzsaw and a number of other Mini-Cons to help him in a scheme against Optimus Prime. Prime managed to win the Mini-Cons loyalty, however, by absorbing their missile fire without resistance or fighting back. Moved by his actions, Buzzsaw and the others turned on Megatron and accompanied Optimus back to Autobot headquarters. Vow
As the Autobots prepared their new spaceship to chase the Decepticons back to Cybertron, Buzzsaw and the united Mini-Cons were seen helping with the construction work. Remorse Buzzsaw and the Mini-Cons all chose to willingly follow the Autobots into space aboard the Axalon, fighting alongside them against the Decepticons. Depart
Dreamwave Armada comic
Buzzsaw appeared to be in the hands of the Decepticons when the other Mini-Cons left Cybertron, Armada #2 but this was apparently an illusion or something, as he was also among the Mini-Cons who ended up on Earth's moon. After Dualor built a fortress base and summoned even more Mini-Cons to it, Buzzsaw helped up by pointing a gun at them in case they didn't like being summoned. The Decepticons soon attacked the base, but Buzzsaw assured Sparkplug that it was impenetrable. Armada #9 He and the other Destruction Team members were then blasted unconscious by Leader-1 while organizing their defenses. Armada #10 This led to their capture at the hands of Megatron. Armada #11
The Destruction Team didn't give up so easily, though. By activating a failsafe program, they overloaded the Decepticons with power and saved themselves from being used against their will. This allowed Dualor to strike a deal with Megatron: They'd lend the Decepticons their strength in exchange for some degree of leadership. Megatron accepted and handed Buzzsaw and the others to Cyclonus, whom they promptly drove insane with power anyway. Fire & Ice Megatron mused that he knew that the Mini-Cons would betray him, then retrieved them alongside the unconscious Cyclonus. Armada #13
Buzzsaw and his teammates were subsequently punished via Punishment Cube. Worlds Collide, Part 1 of 4 They were not among the Decepticon-held Mini-Cons released to join the fight against Unicron. Megatron was vague on their fate, simply saying that the Decepticons were "better off without them". The End
Panini Armada comic
Unsurprisingly, Buzzsaw was among the Mini-Cons who supported Dualor's plan to get rid of Megatron in the early stages of the war. The plan consisted of luring the Decepticon leader to Autobot Command HQ, where Buzzsaw and Drill Bit had planted magno-web charges to blow him up. Ultimately, the plan failed due to Sparkplug's unwillingness to sacrifice the Autobots. Counter-Strike!
In the modern era, Buzzsaw and his teammates lived on Earth's moon following the crash of the Mini-Con escape vessel. One day, they found Cyclonus crashed on the moon's surface, and agreed to pay the Decepticons back for their crimes. Power-linking with the unconscious Decepticon, the Destruction Team boosted his power and took control of his body, then used him to attack the Decepticons' moonbase. They even managed to defeat Megatron himself, but before they could finish him off, their power-links were severed by Starscream's sonic destabiliser. Buzzsaw and the others escaped back to their hideout, where Starscream later contacted them and offered them a deal... Dawn of Destruction!
Toys
Armada
- Destruction Mini-Con Team (Basic, 2002/2003)
- Japanese ID number: MM-04
- Buzzsaw transforms into a bucket-wheel excavation machine. He features a gear-wheel system that causes his bucket-wheel to spin when he is rolled in vehicle mode. He can also be attached to the underside of the Armada Cyclonus mold, interacting with the Decepticon’s gear-wheel rotor system.
- Sandstorm & Cannon with Destruction Micron (Multi-pack, 2003)
- Japanese ID number: MS-04
- In Japan, the Destruction Team was available both as an individual Team, and in a multi-pack with Cyclonus. All of the toys were identical to their individual releases.
- Destruction Microns X-Dimension (Basic, 2003)
- Japanese ID number: MM-09
- A limited-edition (yet still standard retail) redeco of the Destruction Team was released in Japan. The entire team was given an orange and gray color scheme.
- Wheel Undergrove Edition (Mini-Con, 2003)
- Exclusive to Ito Yokaido stores in Japan, one member of the "Undergrove Edition" Destruction Team was given at random to customers who bought Micron Legend product in January (or until they ran out of them).
- Wheel White Micron (Mini-Con, 2003)
- In April 2003, Japanese "TF Station" affiliate stores gave out solid-white versions of the Destruction Team as part of the "Golden Week" holiday. These pieces were made with the intent of being "paint your own" versions.
- Wheel Space Galaxy Edition (Mini-Con pack-in, 2003)
- In May, JUSCO stores in Japan got in special versions of Convoy Super Mode that contained one member of the "Space Galaxy Edition" Destruction Team per box... but the bonus Mini-Cons were blind-packed inside the boxes. As such, this version of the Team is among the most expensive of the promotional Mini-Cons on the secondary market, as you had to buy at least three 6000-yen Optimus Primes (roughly $50 each at the time), if you were lucky.
- Road Wrecker Mini-Con Team (Basic, 2003)
- Late in the Armada line, a redeco of the Destruction Team was put out under a new Team name (but as the same individual characters). This version is primarily green with gray parts.
- Blurr with Incinerator and Bonus Mini-Con (Bonus pack, 2003)
- Sideways with Rook & Crosswise and Bonus Mini-Con (Bonus pack, 2003)
- In November of 2003, US ToysЯUs stores had special bonus pack Max-Con (Deluxe) toys, which came with a single bonus Mini-Con attached to the card over their sticker, for less than the price as a normal Max-Con during ToysЯUs's Black Friday sale. Each of the Destruction Team Mini-Cons could come packaged with either Blurr or Sideways.
Energon
- Road Wrecker Mini-Con Team & Night Attack Mini-Con Team
- An unaltered version of the Road Wrecker Team was released as part of an Energon-series "Mini-Con 6-pack" with the Night Attack Mini-Con Team.
Notes
- In regards to Buzzsaw and the Destruction Team's ambiguous fate in the Dreamwave Armada comic, Simon Furman has said in the letters page of "Multiplicity, Pt. 3" that it can be assumed that Megatron strapped them to a rocket and fired them into the sun.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Wheel (ホイール Hoīru)
