Razorbeast

Razorbeast is a Maximal from the Beast Wars portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

Whose tusks gleam in the night?

Razorbeast is a stubborn infantry fighter with great strength and tenacity befitting a warthog. He will keep struggling and fighting ferociously against all odds no matter how hopeless the situation. This steadfastness in the face of adversity, coupled with his considerable improvisational skills has earned Razorbeast respect from comrades and foes alike, despite his diminutive stature. His self-reliant, self-sufficient nature and fierce refusal to give up has made him a prime choice for important but dangerous solo missions. Razorbeast has a healthy respect for the chain of command and would never disobey an order from above.

Fiction

First wave toy bios

Whose prose gleams in the night?

Razorbeast is an infantry soldier serving under Optimus Primal, a leader he would never disobey due to his respect for Optimus, not only as his leader, but also as his comrade. He is stubborn, aggressive, and always starving for combat, something he engages in ferociously, causing even his fellow Maximals to consciously attempt to always stay on his good side. Razorbeast toy bio

In a swamp outside the Fusion Building genetics lab, a fleet of ferocious animals has gathered. Suddenly, the wild boar and his wild comrades is under attack by a massive alligator! Surprise! This is a battle between Optimus Primal and his Maximals and Megatron's Predacons! Razorbeast quickly transforms to attack Tarantulas, and the Beast Wars have begun! Optimus Primal vs Megatron!

Collect them all!

IDW Beast Wars comics

Maybe his alt mode is a Razor scooter?

Razorbeast was an undercover agent embedded by Lio Convoy in Magmatron's organization to discover, and if possible to foil, the general's plans. He traveled back in time to prehistoric Earth with Magmatron and his crew to retrieve the rogue Megatron, the group entering chronal phase to avoid detection. However, this mission was just a front to the true plan- to challenge the Maximals for control of Cybertron. Magmatron needed an army, and prehistoric Earth was littered with the stasis pods that had been abandoned by the Axalon. Magmatron had Razorbeast awaken these protoforms as Predacons, however, Razorbeast inserted a virus into the protoform-awakening software which allowed some of them to retain their Maximal allegiance. The Gathering #1

Fleeing from Magmatron, Razorbeast hooked up with the few Maximals he could immediately find: B'Boom, Snarl, Optimus Minor, Bonecrusher, Ramulus, and Wolfang. B'Boom in particular had difficulty trusting Razorbeast at first, as the warthog's camouflage programming caused him to broadcast a Predacon spark signature even now. An initial excursion to obtain a transwarp signal booster from the Tri-Predacus Agent's crashed transwarp cruiser saw Razorbeast and his group fight Magmatron directly. They escaped after Razorbeast managed to exploit the weakness of Magmatron's multiple beast mode components and bury him under an avalanche. While Optimus Minor and Snarl managed to obtain the transwarp signal booster, Razorbeast dubbed it too damaged and in need of replacement parts. The Gathering #2

Next, Razorbeast's rag-tag crew attempted to raid the Ark for the necessary supplies to repair the signal booster and send a distress call back to Cybertron. Razorbeast felt this would be less likely to cause damage to the timestream than taking anything from the remains of the Axalon. While they successfully obtained the parts they needed, Magmatron's capture of Megatron and imminent return trip to Cybertron via a portable transwarp gate required immediate intervention. Razorbeast and Optimus Minor set out to stop Magmatron as the others worked to send the distress call. The Gathering #3

In a fortuitous bit of timing, the wandering Grimlock arrived at the transwarp gate and engaged Magmatron in battle as Razorbeast and Minor formulated a plan. Magmatron defeated Grimlock and found his next opponent in Razorbeast, who stepped out into the open to challenge him. Using the chronal phase armband to shift in-and-out of Magmatron's timezone, Razorbeast managed to keep him occupied long enough for Optimus Minor to get the unconscious Megatron off the transwarp pad. Magmatron accidentally fell onto the pad and Razorbeast blasted the controls as it activated, sending the Predacon general to parts unknown. In the end, Razorbeast's company joined up with Torca's militia, Prowl's air force, and the remaining Maximals to continue protecting Earth against the remaining Predacons and their new commander, the rebuilt Ravage. The Gathering #4

-And this little piggy...was a smartass!

Razorbeast continued to lead the Maximals against Ravage's Predacons, enduring hit-and-run attacks for several weeks. He felt increasingly uneasy about their situation, confiding in Wolfang and Prowl that he didn't think the distress call they had managed to send ever made it to Cybertron. Wolfang and Prowl attempted to put his unease to rest, but Razorbeast simply couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more he could be doing. Shortly thereafter, Ravage set his Predacons on a full-tilt assault against the Maximals, hoping to steal the chronal phase armbands that would allow him to sync up with the "other" Beast Wars. Razorbeast led the counterattack, and upon noticing that Ravage wasn't present, retreated to the cave that the armbands had been hidden. He found Ravage there, and with Snarl's help, managed to knock the former Decepticon unconscious...or so Razorbeast thought. The Ascending #1

Hakuna MatatAAAIIGGHH!!!

Razorbeast bound Ravage and left him in the cave to return to the battle outside. Ravage then revealed himself to be playing robotopossum, snagged the armbands, and activated one. Razorbeast and his Maximals continued their battle with the Predacons, and the Pack suddenly arrived on Earth to turn the tide. Victory and rescue seemed imminent to a relieved Razorbeast, until Ravage emerged from chronal phase, interrupting a reunion with Lio Convoy. Ravage told of both Magmatron's survival and the looming threat of Shokaract. Before anything more could be elaborated on, Shokaract's herald Rartorata appeared in the skies above, swooping down and stabbing Razorbeast with his Angolmois-laced stinger. The other Maximals and Predacons watched in horror as Razorbeast began mutating into a giant, feral beast. The Ascending #2

The Maximals were forced to wrestle the berserk Razorbeast to the ground and restrain him to get him under control as the Predacons engaged Rartorata. Lio Convoy managed to break through the Angolmois-madness and bring Razorbeast back to his senses temporarily, but when Drancron and Elephorca arrived on the scene, Razorbeast broke free and turned his rage on the two Blendtrons. Lio Convoy and Ravage used Razorbeast's maddened attack to marshal their forces for a return trip to Cybertron, with Lio saluting his stricken comrade's sacrifice. The Ascending #3

That'll do, Maximal. That'll do.

Razorbeast managed to defeat Elephorca largely by himself, and the others managed to beat Drancron and Rartorata. With no new enemies to focus his rage on, Razorbeast began to lose control again. A distraught Optimus Minor was forced to shoot his friend in the head, killing him, lest he harm the surviving Maximals and Predacons.

In the aftermath, a returned Magmatron would show his respect for a fallen foe by remarking that Razorbeast was deserving of a monument for his actions. The Ascending #4

Toys

Beast Wars

• Razorbeast (Basic, 1996)

Will Smith's been looking for me since October!

Part of the very first wave of Beast Wars product, Razorbeast transforms from a red warthog to robot mode with a spring-loaded one-step transforming action. His mane becomes a dual barreled (non-firing) handgun. The original releases came on a "rocky bubble" card, but this later changed to the "smooth bubble" style.

This mold was also used for Beast Wars Neo's Randy which had gold plastic. You can guess where this is going...

• More information on Razorbeast at TFU.info

• Razorbeast (MicroVerse, 1997)

This tiny, non-transforming Razorbeast was available with a tiny, non-transforming alligator Megatron and the Arachnid MicroVerse playset. There are two variants of this piece; one has bright yellow legs, the other bright green.

• More information on Arachnid, including Razorbeast figure at TFU.info

Merchandise

Quality, freshness, and flavor, they're the magic words for PORK.

• Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game (1997)

Razorbeast was one of the 24 beast warriors to receive a battle card representation for the Beast Wars card game.

Notes

HAIR-trigger temper ha ha ha.

• The card-art for Razorbeast shows him with two handguns. It's possible that an early design of the toy was intended to split the mane in half. In the comics, he alternates between holding his gun in his hand and leaving it mounted on his back while firing.
• Simon Furman picked Razorbeast as the main Maximal character of The Gathering before he even saw a picture of him. Razorbeast's name just stood out to him. He also stated that had he seen the toy before he made that decision, he might have used someone different.
• Unsurprisingly, the going price for Razorbeast's toy on eBay has jumped considerably since his starring role in IDW's comics. Call it "The Bludgeon Effect"—Simon does it again!
• Don't call him Pumbaa.

Foreign names

• French: Sanglier (Canada, "Boar")
• Italian: Razor
• Spanish: Jabali