Bug Bite

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GoBotsBugBiteAnimationModel.jpg

The loyal lieutenant of Gunnyr, Bug Bite is often seen carrying out his master's whims. In his home on GoBotron's Level 17, he enjoyed great power and influence, being seen as a god by a subjugated populace—since having a Scrambler meant that he was one of the only GoBots who could convert, fly, or use energy blasts while the microwave transmitters of the Crystal Mountain interfered with the conversion and power circuits of all GoBots in range... until Scooter blew it up.

You'll find that none of your powers work down here, topworlder!

—Bug Bite, "The GoBots That Time Forgot"

Fiction[edit | edit source]

Challenge of the GoBots cartoon[edit | edit source]

Voice actor: ?
COTGBugbite.jpg
Punch buggy! No punch back.

When Scooter descended to Level 17 to investigate a radio signal, Bug Bite arrived as part of a party of to capture him, and flew off to a towering palace with the Guardian in his clutches. He informed Scooter that he was to wait in captivity before meeting the Lord High GoBot: Gunnyr. When his leader summoned Bug Bite and some guards to take Scooter to the dungeons, Bug Bite asked whether Gunnyr thought the little red Guardian was a spy for "a topworld invasion force". Tending to the Brain Drain machine, Bug Bite stood by while Gunnyr raged against the revelation that Scooter had followed a transmission from their own level, and gladly followed orders to search the wastelands for those responsible. Discovering the hideout of Dart, Bug Bite and his stormtroopers lead an ambush on not only the rebel, but Leader-1 and Turbo as well. Using his unhampered abilities of flight and conversion, Bug Bite attempted to personally overpower Turbo, demanding that the stormtroopers not interfere before using his vehicle mode to take Turbo on a wild ride through the rough terrain of the wastelands. In spite of his combat prowess, Bug Bite easily fell for the bluff that Leader-1 and Turbo were mere peasants from the wastelands, and left the Guardian duo behind as he took Dart captive. He assured Gunnyr that the pair were "no threat" even when they intruded upon the palace to rescue Dart, just before being buried in rubble along with his ruler. Breaking free, he gave chase in car form, and was again surprised when Turbo converted and turned around to return fire. Soundly defeated, he laid in a heap with Gunnyr as Leader-1 declared that they'd find new careers on the Prison Moon. The GoBots That Time Forgot

Machine Men mini-comics[edit | edit source]

Bug Bite was one of the Enemy Machine Men captured and imprisoned in a laser beam gaol on Robotron by the Friendlies. Thankfully Zod was able to free them and the group escaped to Earth, followed by Leader-1 and his troops, with battle starting once again. Bug Bite got off to a fine start by shooting Zeemon in the... waist with his head-mounted lasers.Space Wars II

Fun Publications[edit | edit source]

Transformers Timelines[edit | edit source]

And all the girlies say he's pretty fly for a white guy.

Chosen along with Bad Boy, Path Finder, Road Ranger, Small Foot, and Treds to seek out the cause of the Cataclysm on Level 22, Bug Bite and his new teammates were modified to look like the native mechanical life forms, with Bug Bite being disguised as a white-bodied "Decepticon" with a far more anthropomorphic head than his original body, complete with a pair of small horns and a mouth. When their attempted travel across levels was intercepted by more advanced incarnations of the same "Transformers" they sought to investigate, Bug Bite and the rest found their selves on a version of the planet Cybertron in the city of Axiom Nexus. Uninterested in the interrogations and scrutiny of the ruling Transcendent Technomorphs, Bug Bite used portable Astro-Beam technology to escape from both captivity and companions, and struck out on his own to find a way off-world. Murdering a local for some quick money, he sold off his Astro-Beam to acquire black market passes and bought himself an upgraded body before entirely abandoning his allies while he made his way to his original destination. Withered Hope TFWikiFavicon.png

Developing a method of mind control from the native technology, Bug Bite quickly rose in the ranks of the Decepticon forces under the warrior Bludgeon, before finding his way to the planet Earth. Believing that Megatron was responsible for the Cataclysm, he used his cerebro-shells to take control of a large force of Decepticons to overpower to gain an audience with Megatron. When he gained access to the tyrant's throne room, he activated the cerebro-shells and turned his Decepticons against their own leader before planting a shell on Megatron, enthralling the Decepticon leader. On the cusp of victory, Bug Bite vented his emotions and backstory, swearing to kill every Cybertronian. At this point, Megatron revealed that he was immune to mind control. Caught off-guard, Bug Bite was slowly crushed by the tyrant's awesome strength. Though he managed to order his slaves into action, the Autobots disrupted the mind control, the Cybertronians coming to blows with one another. In the chaos, Bug Bite crawled towards the weapon of a dead Seeker but was intercepted by Megatron before he could seize it, having his head blown off by the contemptuous Decepticon and being left for dead. Games of Deception TFWikiFavicon.png Fortunately for Bug Bite, his brain remained in the same place it had been in his original body, hidden behind his windshield rather than in his disguise's new head. With his essential organs and circuits tucked away in his torso, he was able to lie low and rejoin his fellow GoBots when they arrived in the same reality. Withered Hope TFWikiFavicon.png True to form, he ditched them again at the earliest opportunity to pursue his own interests. Sunrise TFWikiFavicon.png

Renegade Rhetoric[edit | edit source]

Accustomed to following orders, Bug Bite found it easier to serve as a Renegade than Gunnyr did, once Cy-Kill freed the duo from the Prison Moon. Though he was cautious not to step out of line, Cy-Kill still harbored suspicions that the former lieutenant had greater ambitions. Renegade Rhetoric, 2015/10/15 When the Rock Lords arrived on GoBotron to establish a treaty, Cy-Kill sent Bug Bite and Spoiler to Gobotolis to upset the accords. The Renegades manipulated the Guardians (particularly Turbo) into suspected the unfamiliar Rock Roller of sabotage, driving a wedge between the allies. When Leader-1 was injured in an explosion seemingly caused by Rock Roller, Turbo seized command and demanded all the Rock Lords imprisoned. Unfortunately for the Renegades, the truth eventually came out and the treaty was ratified. On the Rocks Bug Bite later joined six other Renegades under Cy-Kill's command in an attempt to take over the formerly lost Communication Moon of Gobotron, which Fitor had captured with an Astro-Beam. In spite of being injured, Leader-1 singlehandedly defeated the entire squad, taking out Bug Bite by knocking a pile of girders onto him. The Stolen Moon

Go-Bots comic[edit | edit source]

wHy tHey no UsE AsK VeCtur PriMe?!1?!

One of the earliest Go-Bots, when Cy-Kill led the Go-Bots in revolt against humanity, Bug Bite joined the cause, shooting up a diner. Go-Bots #2 Thousands of years in the future, after the conquered Earth had been rebuilt into Gobotron, Bug Bite arose as Road Ranger's second-in-command, aiding him in killing the Vamps attacking the cities and riding with him to Gobotropolis. Road Ranger eventually decided to leave Earth behind, taking Gobotron into deep space so the Go-Bots could find their place in the universe. As the planet streaked through hyperspace, Bug Bite questioned Road Ranger about his future plans who revealed that they would begin building new Go-Bots and new Gobotrons, seeding mechanical life through the cosmos. Revealing that was creating an optimized heir, Road Ranger encouraged Bug Bite to do the same. As the Volkswagen considered it, he questioned what should be done with Leader-1 and Cy-Kill. Road Ranger ordered his second to take what parts could be salvaged from either and use them to build a new Go-Bot. One that, hopefully, would embody the best of both leaders. Though as it appeared to be Starscream they might have erred. Go-Bots #5

Toys[edit | edit source]

GoBots[edit | edit source]

BugBiteToy.jpg

Super GoBots[edit | edit source]

  • Bug Bite (Super GoBot, 1984)
    • Enemy Robot Roadster
    • ID number: 028
    • Accessory: gun
Bug Bite was released by Tonka in the first series of GoBots, and converts from robot to Volkswagen Beetle 1303S passenger car (pushing the definition of "roadster" to the limit) in 9 steps. The toy was a repackaging of the yellow version of Volkswagen 1303S Beetle from Machine Robo ScaleRobo DX series, with no significant changes. The car mode features diecast metal, rubber tyres and clear windows, with a figurine of a driver at the wheel, and a sticker sheet with some optional decals that can turn it into a real mess. Bug Bite's gun can be mounted on the windscreen in either mode; it can also nominally fit between the claws of the robot mode, though this can be a loose fit. Sadly, the diecast waist and arms are fragile and the chrome claws can break. The gun is especially fragile, due to needing to flex slightly to pop on and off the toy and being made of chrome plastic that does not like to flex.
  • Bug Bite was issued as part of the first series Super GoBots assortment (#7202), manufactured in 1984. For the second series the figure was moved over to the reorganised Enemy Super GoBots Assortment 2 (#7252) and stayed as part of the range when it was renamed the Renegade Super GoBots Assortment 2 for the third and final series.
  • For bilingual Canadian packaging the alternate name Croc-cinelle was also used.


Robo Machine[edit | edit source]

DX Robo Machines[edit | edit source]

  • Volks Wagen 1303S Beetle (DX Robo Machine, 1983)
    • Accessories: gun
Volks Wagen 1303S Beetle was first issued in Robo Machine before the decision was made to start incorporating GoBots names (possibly even predating the existence of GoBots). The first release was almost identical to the yellow Japanese release, with only the box lid and the instructions being changed.
  • Volks Wagen Robot (DX Robo Machine, 1984)
    • Accessories: gun
The toy was reissued the following year in updated packaging, now shipped in robot mode in a window box with a flap along the side. The figure itself was unchanged.

Robo Machine DX[edit | edit source]

  • Volkswagen (DX Robo Machine, 1985)
    • ID number: RMDX-03
    • Accessories: gun
A third European release followed in 1985, with a new black/grey/red window box. Again the toy was unchanged, though at least they had gained enough practice to spell "Volkswagen" correctly.

Super GoBots[edit | edit source]

  • Bug Bite (Super GoBot, 1985)
    • Enemy Robot
    • Accessories: gun
Obviously there was demand for the guy as the mould was released for a fourth time in Europe during 1985. This was the first European release to use the Bug Bite name, with a box that explicitly marked it as a Super GoBot; the toy itself was again unchanged. While the box featured fully painted cover art in a style similar to the American packaging it in fact used different artwork.
Robo Machines version

Robo Machines[edit | edit source]

De Luxe Robo Machines[edit | edit source]

  • Bug (De Luxe Robo Machines, 1993)
    • Accessories: gun
The figure was reissued by Bandai in Europe during 1993 as part of the De Luxe Robo Machines range of Robo Machines, with the 'Volkswagen' stickers updated to say 'ROBOMACHINES'. For trademark reasons the figure was renamed simply Bug. Sadly, like most of the Robo Machines figures, De Luxe Beetle uses poor quality materials and suffers from mould degradation; notably the roof section is hard to get flush in Beetle mode.


He's the one that doesn't look anything like Bug Bite.

Transformers Collector's Edition[edit | edit source]

  • G1 GoBots (Multi-pack, 2004)
    • Takara ID number: 84
Collector's Edition Bug Bite is a redeco of the retooled (you know, the one with the fat stupid head) Takara reissue of Bumblebee, transforming into a "penny racer"-proportioned Volkswagen Beetle. He was only available in an e-HOBBY-exclusive six-pack with Bad Boy, Path Finder, Road Ranger, Small Foot, and Treds. It began a minor plague of "white Bumblebee is Bug Bite" toys because you know what Transformers fans are like once they get hold of an idea; thankfully most of these have fan club releases and are thus unknown to most people.
The original version of this mold is also used by Glyph and Volks.


Transformers Timelines[edit | edit source]

White and purple color scheme

A redeco of Classics Deluxe Class Bumblebee. Fun Publications stories depict this toy as GoBots Bug Bite in a new upgraded body.

Notes[edit | edit source]

  • The original profile for Bug Bite, published in Tonka's 1984 catalog, stated he is best friends with Herr Fiend. Awww, besties.
  • Bug Bite's sole cartoon appearance featured him as an unaffiliated bad guy, but everything else has him as a Renegade. It is not known why he showed up so late in the show, though most of the Super GoBots get messed around by Hanna-Barbera. Working theory: they were too complicated for Jeff Segal to transform.
  • While Baron Von Joy's lab assistant in the annual story "By Astrobeam to GoBotron" is named Psycho the art and the description are clearly based on Bug Bite.
  • Two new versions of Bug Bite appear in later Transformers series as Mercenaries; one in War for Cybertron: Earthrise, and another in Cyberverse. However, neither version make any reference to his GoBots origin; therefore they do not fall under our purview.

External links[edit | edit source]

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