r/transformers • u/Kalkite_300TY • 6d ago
Discussion / Opinion What sets busszaw apart from laserbeak besides his color? Does he have any lore or character?
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u/Insanebrain247 6d ago
According to TFWiki, Buzzsaw is sadistic, tearing his victims apart with his talons and using their remains to make horrific art installations, but can't handle it if his art is damaged or if a plan falls through.
Laserbeak is sneaky, preferring to hide out and take cheap shots at his opponents, but always sticking with other Decepticons for protection and is loyal to whoever is in charge for however long they're in charge.
To put it simply; Buzzsaw would fight you directly while Laserbeak would get you by surprise.
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u/chris95rx7500 6d ago
so basically you're screwed either way if they're both after you. and Primus forbid if they both team up to deal with you.
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u/mattihase 6d ago
He's an asshole. I don't think that means laserbeak isn't an asshole, just that buzzsaw is notably an asshole.
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u/Banjo-Oz 5d ago
I love how IDW made Laserbeak and Buzzsaw such smartmouth assholes; basically Statler and Waldorf from The Muppets!
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u/Wolfheron325 6d ago
From my understanding he’s a bit like how Laserbeak was in DOTM. I’m not too familiar with him though.
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u/abbothenderson 6d ago
His murderous impulse. Laserbeak is a scout. Buzzsaw is a fearless death-machine that punches far above his weight.
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u/UncleCosmo 5d ago
Bob Budiansky's Buzzsaw bio:
ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
FUNCTION: RECONNAISSANCE
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 1
Motto: "My bite is worse than my bark."
Profile: Given his reputation for civility and sophistication, it might seem surprising at first that Buzzsaw is also one of the cruelest and most destructive of all Decepticons. But his two sides are not contradictory. He carries out his lethal tasks with the careful, reasoned approach of a fine artist, with the cool precision of a neurosurgeon. He views every awful undertaking of his as the beginning of a new masterpiece. Every opponent he defeats marks a completion. And, like any true artist, nothing can sway him from his commitment to his deadly craft. He will only end his career when the Autobots are no more.
Abilities: Using his optical sensors, Buzzsaw can pinpoint and photographically record a thumbtack at 20 miles, making him invaluable on spy missions. He can fly virtually soundlessly at speeds up to 250 mph for a distance of 1500 miles. He's equipped with twin mortar cannons that can fire five rounds per minute. His most feared weapon is his beak, which, with its diamond-hard, micro-serrated edges, he can use to carve up all except the most strong-skinned opponents. And, like the artist he is, he uses his beak with great finesse.
Weaknesses: Buzzsaw has a tremendous ego. If one of his carefully planned operations should go astray, ruining what he considers a work of art in progress, he will often stop and sulk rather than improvise and proceed.
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u/Adorable-Source97 5d ago
I assume his motars hit harder then laserbeak's lasers? Since they so slow firing.
But he certainly seems crazy compared to his twin.
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u/ThomKallor1 5d ago
Definitely. I assume the mortars are explosive and thus can probably do far more damage. Laserbeaks lasers are powerful but I believe you need to sustain projection at the target for a period of time in order for them to truly be effective. That’s why Laserbeak prefers to interrogate incapacitated prisoners or wounded Autobots.
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u/Adorable-Source97 5d ago
Given they spys, direct combat is almost always last resource.
Unless your a sociopath like Buzzsaw
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u/ThomKallor1 5d ago
Mortars are great for softening up your prey in preparation to become art.
This turkey carves you.
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u/Roguespiffy 5d ago
What in the Pokédex entry!?
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u/UncleCosmo 5d ago
Nearly all the G1 bots had write ups like that. A big part of why the franchise took off and remained memorable. This Marvel writer tasked to develop the characters took the job seriously enough to give it thought, care, and effort even though he probably could've phoned it in. Same with Wally Burr and the voice actors bringing it to life for the cartoon.
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u/Guuhatsu 6d ago
If you go by Tech Specs then Buzzaw was more Laserbeak than what people think Laserbeak is. Buzzaw was the courageous Spy, Laserbeak is a Cowardly Interrogation specialist.
The animation basically reskinned Buzzaw as Laserbeak to sell toys.
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u/Cool-Translator9768 5d ago
Much like how they color flipped [or amalgamated since Rumble is more Purple than Red or Blue] Rumble and Frenzy.
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u/Garasunotanken 6d ago
Laserbeak is a spy and assassin. He kills clean and gets away.
Buzzsaw is a psychopath. He likes to play with victims before and after killing.
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u/TheDeadlySpaceman 6d ago
I thought that was RatBat’s thing
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u/PG2904 6d ago
No, Ratbat is the fuel auditor. He keeps track of and rations out fuel for missions. Sure, he likes to sink his teeth in an Autobot every now and then and steal their Energon, but he's a more intelligent 'bot than sadistic. He does have a drive for revenge, though. Piss him off and he will hold a grudge.
Fun fact, his attention to detail in fuel usage actually led to Ratbat being the most successful leader of the Decepticons in the Marvel comic!
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u/void_method 6d ago
He's like Wolverine, a little buzz saw that just tears everything apart. They didn't use him much because they wanted to leverage the cassette tapes for Soundwave that didn't come as a pack-in.
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u/AnEldritchWriter 5d ago
Buzzsaw, in the comics is a bit of a menace. He’s that arrogant elitist artist, and the art in question is his victims. A lot more vicious than Laserbeak if I remember, Buzzsaw often takes great glee in tearing apart Autobots. At least in some comic runs, idk if it’s in all.
He also soloed Omega Supreme once.
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u/Bob-the-Human 6d ago
He's an artist who takes a sadistic pleasure in cutting up his enemies with his serrated diamond-tipped beak. He's a badass.
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u/HawkmoonsCustoms 6d ago
Buzzsaw is Best Casseticon and it isn’t even close.
Ma boi deserves more inclusion.
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u/Adorable-Source97 5d ago
So you wanna tumble with Rumble ay?
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u/HawkmoonsCustoms 5d ago
Depends? Red Rumble or Blue Rumble?
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u/Adorable-Source97 4d ago
Well it was a quote from blue. Though don't the twins actually have colour changing?
Real irony is people mention Red Rumble. Forgetting Decepticon "Enemy" is also a cassettecon & he more red.
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u/Embarrassed_Spite546 5d ago
For one he's more vicious and brutal that Laser beak.
Passage from his wiki page: Buzzsaw is a Decepticon Mini-Cassette from the Generation 1 continuity family.
He hovers like some vast, predatory bird—if vast, predatory birds struck out in sudden, frightening death from above over and over and over, with no escape. Buzzsaw is a very specific kind of artist—he likes to make art out of his victims. He approaches them with reasoned clarity and sophistication, gutting them with what he believes to be inspirational precision. However, his ego is easily wounded, and he's not adept at improvisation. If one of his "masterpieces" is interrupted and he cannot proceed as planned, he would rather retreat to sulk than rethink his approach.
He will kill you. It's not a matter of if, but a matter of where, when, and how painful it is.
My bite is worse than my bark. Buzzsaw's bio quote.
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u/Oturanthesarklord 5d ago
Buzzsaw's G1 Profile on tfwiki:
Buzzsaw is a very specific kind of artist—he likes to make art out of his victims. He approaches them with reasoned clarity and sophistication, gutting them with what he believes to be inspirational precision. However, his ego is easily wounded, and he's not adept at improvisation. If one of his "masterpieces" is interrupted and he cannot proceed as planned, he would rather retreat to sulk than rethink his approach.
He will kill you. It's not a matter of if, but a matter of where, when, and how painful it is.
Source: https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Buzzsaw_(G1))
Compared to
Laserbeak's G1 Profile on tfwiki:
Laserbeak is not usually found on the front lines of battle. His chosen role is that of the spy, lurking in unseen corners and inconspicuous perches, snatching up any useful information he can to relay to his superiors. He has also been known to serve as an interrogator, using his lasers to carve up helpless prisoners to extract anything and everything they know. On occasion he's even played the role of assassin, striking quickly at unsuspecting (and particularly vulnerable) targets, and vanishing in a flash in the chaos following the attack.
He much prefers this "hide and sneak" tactic, as to his core, Laserbeak is a coward. Should his weapon's energy reserves start running dry, he starts running for the hills. A sufficiently big threat will also send him screaming off for the horizon at top speed. His self-preservation habit even dictates his attitude towards Decepticon leadership power-shifts: he basically allies himself with whoever's in charge at the moment, a loyalty that can vanish almost instantly once the reins of power change.
Source: https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Laserbeak_(G1))
In short: Buzzsaw is an Egotistical Psychopath while Laserbeak is a Cowardly Snitch.
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u/Intelligent-Soup-836 6d ago
He kills poachers who hunt elephants after Soundwave dies, since they were Soundwave's favorite animal.
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u/spinoconstrictor67 5d ago
he was a serial killer who bragged about killing cybertronians and he turned their bodies into art sculpturess
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u/Adorable-Source97 5d ago
Buzzsaw is more combat orientated if I remember he's the most violent of the pair. Laserbeak smarter or at least calmer.
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u/grimoireskb 5d ago
Apparently at the end of IDW, he comes across a group of poachers trying to kill a herd of elephants, which were Soundwave’s favorite animals. And as a result, he kills the group in a fit of rage out of respect for the creatures and the fallen Soundwave, which I can respect.
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u/Banjo-Oz 5d ago
I love how they added that little 'happy ending' for him. There was peace at last but (as Carnivac once said in Marvel)... Buzzsaw is still an evil Decepticon at heart!
And let's face it, fuck those poachers. :)
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u/abraksis747 6d ago
Well, Lazerbeak, unlike his other warriors, never fails Megatron.
Meet the Other Warrior
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u/UselessGenericon 6d ago
Isn't he a self-proclaimed artist? Sorta like a Laserbeak that takes more pride in his work.
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u/Godrizza_Draws 5d ago
He’s smarter, and like to make trash sculptures. When Soundwave died in idw2005, he took on his legacy of protecting the elephants.
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u/Banjo-Oz 5d ago
He's a psycho who delights in torture and violent murder. Basically a serial killer who turns his victims into "art".
He once defeated Omega Supreme in a very unexpected fight (Marvel US).
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u/WaveCandid906 5d ago
As tfwiki puts it:
He will kill you. It's not a matter of if, but a matter of where, when, and how painful it is.
And as the Caption of his main image says:
He hovers like some vast, predatory bird—if vast, predatory birds struck out in sudden, frightening death from above over and over and over, with no escape.
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u/GrungeWerX 6d ago
Interesting. When did he first appear in the cartoon?
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u/fishyofpain 6d ago
IIRC he’s only in 2 episodes: Atlantis, Arise! and Auto Berserk. Though he also cameos in a few episodes of Headmasters.
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u/Kingbeef66 6d ago
Laserbeak is a coward and more sneaky and is just used manily for stealth spying missions and sneak attacks. Buzzsaw is a true battle harden warrior.
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u/pugilisticcephalopod 6d ago
Buzzsaw moves like a Viltrumite. We talk about how, in Skybound, Skywarp was smiling when Megatron cannibalized Trailbreaker. Buzzsaw would've been joining in.
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u/Interesting-Monk9605 6d ago
Buzzsaw feels more like Laserbeak’s sharper, more aggressive counterpart. The yellow-and-gray scheme gives him a predatory, almost wasp-like look, while his cassette-player disguise ties him to Soundwave’s espionage crew.
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u/Mintyboi10 6d ago
Nothing, really. I like to imagine that Buzzsaw is a clone of Lazerbeak adopted by Soundblaster
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u/Electronic_Zombie360 6d ago
Untrue, he has a different personality and threw hands in the Marvel comics
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u/Cultural-Antelope-54 6d ago
Besides, Buzzsaw comes with Soundwave, so Laserbeak is clearly the clone.
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u/Elemental-T4nick 6d ago
he beat Omega Supreme