From kendrick@io.com Mon Mar 20 18:37:54 1995
Article: 7565 of alt.toys.transformers
Path: illuminati.io.com!nobody
From: kendrick@pentagon.io.com (Kendrick Kerwin Chua)
Newsgroups: alt.toys.transformers
Subject: TF Review: Monday 17 October
Date: 17 Oct 1994 08:24:57 -0500
Organization: Illuminati Online
Lines: 57
Message-ID: <37ttv9$6p4@pentagon.io.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: pentagon.io.com

The Insecticon Syndrome, featuring three walking appetites...

Megatron offers the location of an experimental power plant to the 
Insecticons in exchange for assistance in raiding a defense computer at 
Iron Mountain. The Autobots try and fail to keep the Insecticons from 
eating the neutron core of the Nova Power Plant somewhere in Oregon.
THis makes the Insecticons grow in size, strength, and ego. Autobots run. 
Later, they have Teletran-1 analyze the attack and find the the 
Insecticons' digestive systems are incompatible with the neutron core, 
meaning they'll blow up and take whatever matter around them with them. 
Bombshell plants a cerebro-shell into Soundwave and systematically begins 
to brainwash the whole of the Decepticon ranks, while the Autobots try to 
create an antidote for the explosive energy. After being double-crossed, 
Megatron helps Prime force-feed the antidote to the Insecticons, but it 
is only partially effective for Shrapnel, who blows up. The Insecticons 
shrink, lose control of the cerebro shells, put Shrapnel back together. 
Megatron, failing to get the defense data from Iron Mountain, chases the 
Insecticons away.

A nice episode, even if your average ten-year-old won't get the China 
Syndrome reference. You have a lot of use of powers, and only a few sound 
and color glitches, not even worth mentioning. There are a few cute 
moments where Inferno douses Jazz with CO2 foam right after he rescues a 
pair of humans. Also, you see Prime pick up Megatron's half-concious body 
and _transform_ him with his hands in order to deliver the antidote with 
Megatron's gun mode. That was particularly witty, I think. You also get 
an appearance by Buzzsaw.

It kinda makes you wonder... What exactly was the appeal of the 
Insecticons in the first place? I man, I have nothing against them 
myself, but it seems odd that any kid would want to play with a six-inch 
bug. Maybe we have the gross-out factor to consider here.

This ep pounds home the idea that the Insecticons are rogue Decepticons, 
not entirely loyal to Megatron or his cause. I wish they would explore 
this idea further, with Shockwave seeking leadership or Thundercracker 
testing out his doubts or something like that. 

Toys they should reissue:
Insecticons, in loud Purple and Green. Gold, maybe.
Soundwave

"That's the trouble with Pine. You eat a bunch, and an hour later you're 
hungry again..."

"When we get back I'm gonna have Ratchet convert me to four-wheel drive!"

"A little heavy on the Neutrons... neutrons... "

KKC, is looking into buying a whole ton of old Headmasters and 
Targetmasters and is probably going to put off writing his Islam paper 
until the last minute. 
-- 
Kendrick Kerwin Chua - kendrick@io.com - "Hey man, your bike's on fire."
Necronomicon FAQ keeper, OS/2 guru, Transformer collector and cartomancer.
BeastBox on Transformers MUSH, interrogator and comic relief extraordinaire.
FTP Anonymously to io.com and find the Necronomicon FAQ in /pub/usr/kendrick