Bombshell

Allegiance: Decepticon

Sub-Group: Insecticon

Function: Psychological Warfare

First Comic Appearance: Transformers # 17

"The mind is my playpen!"

Profile: Whether it refers to a robot's or a human's, Bombshell's credo carries the same awful meaning-once he sinks his stinger into someone's head, it's unlikely that that someone will ever think for himself again. His ability to turn foes into helpless accomplices makes this Insecticon one of Decepticon Leader Megatron's favorites. And Bombshell's interest in his victim doesn't end with mere control of his mind: Given his cruel sense of humor, Bombshell finds nothing more entertaining than to have his unwilling followers perform embarrassing and debasing acts, an amusement he eagerly shares with his evil comrades.

Abilities: In his insect form, Bombshell is particularly adept at using his tiny size to infiltrate human populations. He then uses his stinger to inject a tiny "cerebro-shell" into a human's head. The micro-circuited device travels through the blood until it reaches the brain, wherepon it opens up and releases tens of thousands of connecting wires. The wires coil around nearby neural dendrites until the brain's conscious functions are effectively rerouted through the cerebro-shell, which puts the mind of the victim under the remote control of Bombshell. He has a flying range of 5.7 miles in this form. In his larger robot form, Bombshell's stinger is used in much the same way against other robots' high function mental circuitry. The major difference is that once the stinger is pressed against the metal casing of a victim's head, the small laser torches on the side of the stinger rotate rapidly to carve a small hole in the casing, allowing the stinger to inject a cerebro-shell. He also carries a head-mounted mortar that can throw a 50-pound explosive shell 8 miles with very good accuracy.

Weaknesses: Successful removal of one of Bombshell's cerebro-shells allows its possessor to use it against him by sending false signals back to him. Some tougher metals are impervious to his laser torches. Often, Bombshell will make the mistake of playing with his victim rather than paying more attention to more important matters, such as an Autobot assault.