Laserbeak

Laserbeak (with various spellings) is the name given to several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes.

Transformers: Generation 1
According to original tech spec notes written by Bob Budiansky found at Iacon One in 2006, the original name for Laserbeak was Slazer.

Laserbeak, along with Ravage, Rumble, Frenzy, Buzzsaw, and Ratbat, works in tandem with Soundwave. Laserbeak is exceptionally loyal to Soundwave and thus Megatron. Laserbeak's name is derived from his back mounted lasers, which are powered by ruby crystals. While these powerful weapons are a great strength, they can also be a weakness since they are dependent on a supply of the rare crystals. Laserbeak is very cowardly and will only fight from afar, or in situations in which he has the overwhelming advantage. Buzzsaw and Garboil are similar in appearance to Laserbeak, but have slightly different colors.

Marvel Comics
Laserbeak was one of the original ten Decepticons that fell to Earth in the Ark. Being reactivated and given the Earthen mode of a condor, Laserbeak would participate in many of the early battles against the Autobots — until a disastrous raid by Megatron led to Buzzsaw, Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Rumble and Frenzy, getting deactivated by Omega Supreme.

Laserbeak and Megatron managed to escape, but Laserbeak would play a lesser role, serving Shockwave and then Ratbat before participating in the battles against Scorponok's Decepticons and then against the Autobots using their united force. None realized, however, that the battles were a ruse by Starscream to gain the power of the Underbase for himself. The Autobots and Decepticons would then unite to stop him, but Starscream's power was too great, and Laserbeak was one of those deactivated.

He was not seen again, apart from an appearance as part of Galvatron's forces in a nightmare alternate reality where Unicron had destroyed Cybertron, and Galvatron's Decepticons ruled Earth. Laserbeak was often shown to be capable of speech in the Marvel Comics, as opposed to his mute animated rendition.

Animated series
"From the secret files of Teletraan II: In the days of Megatron, Decepticons developed the art of espionage, using cassette technology. Their first cassette, Laserbeak, could fly undetected into any Autobot stronghold, record information and then return to base. Then the Decepticons decided to increase their spying abilities with Ratbat. As a bat, Ratbat can hide in crevices that Laserbeak can't reach, and he's especially effective in tunnels, caves or in the darkness of space. Ratbat records from the Autobots' most carefully guarded secrets. The Autobots had no choice but to strike back with these Decepticon techniques of stealth, building a force of cassette Transformers of their own, with Blaster as their guardian. They constructed Ramhorn, the rhino, who can use animalistic force if cornered, and Steeljaw, the lion, who can crawl through the foliage of any alien world, to sneak up on Decepticons. They also bolstered their cassette force with Rewind and Eject, who can transform to robot mode and use more conventional fighting force techniques."

Prior to the Transformers' arrival on Earth, Laserbeak worked with Soundwave on Cybertron. His alternate mode was still a cassette, but his robot mode was an alien type of bird with rounded wings, looking like some form of hovercraft with his optics resembling an opaque cockpit canopy. It was Laserbeak who discovered the Autobot plan to launch the Ark. After the reactivation of both sides on Earth, Laserbeak was given the Earth mode of a condor, quickly coming into combat with Hound. He served as the Decepticons' chief spy, infiltrating the Ark on numerous occasions, spying on their human allies and even knocking out Optimus Prime so that Megatron could make a copy of him. He has also proven to be successful against Optimus Prime on numerous other occasions.

Laserbeak was used countless times as a reconnaissance platform, uncovering key plans of the Autobots throughout the war. He was also used to pursue and attack individuals attempting to escape. He once made use of a self-guided cannon to take attack one Autobot while simultaneously pursuing another personally. He has also captured several humans during his stay on Earth.

Laserbeak's appearances in season three were diminished, mostly due to the introduction of Ratbat, whose bat mode could fit into crevices Laserbeak couldn't, making him a more effective spy. Ratbat was also available in stores at the time, unlike Laserbeak.

Laserbeak's last appearance in the U.S. animated series was a small part in the episode "Web World".

According to notes in the show bible for the series the writers were to push Laserbeak over Buzzsaw in the series to promote the sale of toy that didn't come with packaged with Soundwave. Laserbeak appeared in the series many more times than Buzzsaw.

Laserbeak made a few appearances in the Japanese animated sequel to the original series called Headmasters. His first appearance was in episode #4 "Operation Cassette" and his last appearance was in episode #31 "Operation: Destroy the Destrons".

Books
Laserbeak appeared in the 1984 sticker and story book Return to Cybertron written by Suzanne Weyn and published by Marvel Books.

Laserbeak appeared in the 1984 sticker and story book The Revenge of the Decepticons written by Suzanne Weyn and published by Marvel Books.

Laserbeak was featured in the 1985 Find Your Fate Junior book called Battle Drive by Barbara Siegel and Scott Siegel. He also appears in Desert Flight, Decepticon Poison and Earthquake from that series.

Laserbeak was featured in the 1985 Transformers audio book Autobots' Lightning Strike and Laserbeak's Fury.

Laserbeak appeared in the 1986 story and coloring book The Lost Treasure of Cybertron by Marvel Books.

Dreamwave Productions
Laserbeak appeared first in the Transformers: The War Within comics under the command of Soundwave. Taking place before the Transformers came to Earth, his robot mode here was identical to that seen in the original animated series episode "More Than Meets the Eye part 1". He was seen playing back recordings of the Autobots preparing to evacuate Cybertron before Megatron and Starscream, and later as Starscream examined his data to see if Cybertron's planetary engines existed.

Laserbeak came to Earth and was reformatted as a mechanical condor in a manner presumably similar to the animated series pilot.

Laserbeak was also among the Transformers who briefly fell under the control of the terrorist, Lazarus. Bumblebee, Frenzy, Grimlock, Laserbeak, Prowl, Ravage, Soundwave and Starscream were forced at attack the Smitco oil refinery in the Arctic to display their power for sale to the highest bidder (Transformers: Generation One #2).

He was later freed by Megatron and was seen perched on his shoulder during the attack on San Francisco.

Laserbeak was also seen in Dreamwave's Transformers/G.I. Joe series, and was the first Transformer observed by the Joe team while spying on them. He was not seen again, but it is likely that he was deactivated when Snake Eyes opened the Matrix.

Devil's Due Publishing
In the first G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover, Laserbeak, along with Soundwave and the other cassettes, were recovered from the Ark and used as weapons by the terrorist organization Cobra. Attacking an energy center to gain the technology needed to create energon, the attack force met G.I. Joe, who were waiting for them. During the battle, Laserbeak injured Gung-Ho and Clutch before being decapitated by Snake-Eyes.

Fun Publishing
The Transformers Classics comics published in the Official Transformers Collectors Club magazine is set in the Marvel Comics continuity, but in a timeline where the events of Generation 2 did not occur. Laserbeak appears among Megatrons troops.

In the 2006 BotCon story and the accompanying tech spec for the Laserbeak toy released, it was revealed that after the end of The Great War, Divebomb of the original Predacons had rebuilt Laserbeak, Buzzsaw and Ravage into Predacons as part of a secret project to overthrow the Maximals. Ravage swiftly grew discontented and left to work for the Tripredacus Council. When Megatron and his crew stole the Golden Disc, Divebomb, knowing of his plans to alter history, ordered Laserbeak and Buzzsaw's ship to assist them. They badly damaged the Axalon, but were distracted by the Maximal ship Chromia 10 long enough for the Axalon to find their weak spot and destroy them, ending Laserbeak's career at last.

IDW Publishing
Laserbeak made his first chronological appearance in the IDW Publishing continuity in issue #2 of The Transformers: Megatron Origin, where he, Ravage and Buzzsaw were shown to be already working with Soundwave, unlike Rumble and Frenzy. Accompanying Soundwave to a clandestine meeting with Megatron, leader of the underground gladiator games. When they realised Autobots had tracked them, Laserbeak and Buzzsaw took out one while Ravage dealt with the other. Capturing them, Laserbeak helped Soundwave to scan their captive's mind. When it was revealed he knew nothing, a furious Megatron killed him.

His next chronological appearance was in a Spotlight issue featuring Soundwave. Soundwave ordered him to tail Bomb-Burst back to his base and spy on his activities. When they left to harvest ultra energon, Laserbeak returned to picked up. Once Soundwave realized the other Decepticons' true intentions — to reanimate Thunderwing — he and the cassettes attempted to stop them, with Laserbeak attacking Bludgeon. However, the warrior Decepticon took him out with one slash of his saber. One year later, after Mount St. Helens' eruption, Laserbeak's body was discovered by the human defense organisation Skywatch. The final issue of The Transformers: Escalation revealed he had been revived, but was now a prisoner of Skywatch.

Toys

 * Generation 1 Laserbeak (1984)
 * The toy that became Laserbeak was original part of the Takara Microman line. His toy, when in microcassette form, could fit inside Soundwave, a microcassette player. He was packaged with fellow cassette Frenzy. Versions of Laserbeak released in 1984 had no rub-symbol, while those released in 1985 had one.
 * In 2007, Soundwave was released as part of the Transformers: Classics line of figures. A transforming Laserbeak and Battle Ravage were included with Soundwave. Laserbeak was identical to the original Generation 1 toy.
 * In 2005, the on-line Japanese store E-Hobby released an exclusive recolor of Laserbeak named Garboil. Along with Howlback (a repaint of Ravage), he forms one half of the Cobalt Sentries, an arm of the Decepticon secret police.  His name means " a state of commotion and noise and confusion," and his function is information control.
 * Various knockoffs of Laserbeak were released from the toy market in China. These included faithful reproductions of Laserbeak and versions of him in various altered colors.


 * Timelines Basic Laserbeak (2006)
 * Laserbeak was recast as a repaint of Energon Divebomb as a BotCon 2006 exclusive figure. This Laserbeak was supposed to be a Predacon upgrade of the original Decepticon.


 * Titanium Laserbeak (2006)
 * In 2006, Soundwave was released as part of the Transformers: Titanium line of die-cast transforming figures. A transforming Laserbeak was included with Soundwave.

Beast Wars
With Hasbro not having the license to the name "Laserbeak" at the time, the red and purple recolor of the Predacon Terrorsaur was known as Lazorbeak. Unlike Terrorsaur however, Lazorbeak did not feature in the animated series. Although his biography mentions that he has the same motto as the original Laserbeak, this was done as a homage to the original.

He is described as a high flying sky pirate with a thirst for battle. Tends to use up his power quickly.

Animated series
Laserbeak's stasis pod was presumably among those who were launched into orbit around prehistoric Earth in the Beast Wars series pilot.

IDW Publishing
Lazorbeak finally appeared in the IDW Beast Wars: The Gathering comic series as a Maximal protoform who was turned into a Predacon by Magmatron's shell program. He was one of five aerial Predacons assigned by Ravage to find the Maximal lair. When they found it, Lazorbeak was one of those who attacked — only to be blasted when Maximal reinforcements under Torca arrived. He appears among the Predacons on the cover of the first issue of the sequel story Beast Wars: The Ascending.

Lazorbeak had a biography printed in the Beast Wars Sourcebook by IDW Publishing.

Toys

 * Beast Wars Lazorbeak
 * Lazorbeak is a redeco of Terrorsaur. He is a flip changer with a hidden gun weapon. The toy was later released in Japan with a slightly different color scheme but now called Hydra. It was again redecoed into BotCon Fractyl and as Dinobots Swoop.
 * Oddly enough, in the second year of the toy line, Terrorsaur was recast as a transmetal in the toy line (not in the television series), but while Lazorbeak was not made into a transmetal toy, the transmetal Terrorsaur toy was closer in colors to Lazorbeak, being mostly purple. Some fans go so far as to consider it a transmetal version of that character, despite the name "Terrorsaur" printed on the model.

Transformers: Armada
Laserbeak is the name of a small Transforming robot given to Rad, Carlos, and Alexis by Red Alert to help them aid the Autobots during their mission to recover the Mini-Cons from planet Earth. In terms of his role, Lazerbeak was relegated to performing aerial reconnaissance for the Autobots, delivering messages to them when the children were in need of help, and acting as a method for the humans to defend themselves. In addition to his cybernetic bird mode, he can transform into a camcorder and a stun weapon. In Armada's Japanese equivalent, Micron Legend, his name is Cyberhawk.

Dreamwave Productions
In the Armada comic published by Dreamwave Productions, Lazerbeak is a sentient, though minor character. He is most often seen spying on the Decepticons (particularly Demolishor) for the Autobots.

Toys

 * Armada Laserbeak (2003)

Transformers: Cybertron
Unrelated to Armada Lazerbeak, this new character named Lazerbeak is a Decepticon drone that transforms into a battery bomb that can be stored within Soundwave. He seems to be an extension of Soundwave, and like his G1 predecessor, was used for spying. His Japanese name is Killer Condor.

Fun Publications
Laserbeak was used by Soundwave to recover the Dark Matrix from Cybertron.

Transformers
According to an interview with producer Tom DeSanto published in issue #15 of the Transformers Collectors Club Magazine the original lineup pitched for the Decepticons in the live action Transformers film was Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Ravage, Laserbeak, Rumble, Skywarp and Shockwave.

The Sector Seven viral marketing web site featured several videos recording supposed evidence of Transformers on Earth. These featured cameos by Generation 1 Transformers, including scenes of Grimlock destroying a construction site, Reflector transforming during a birthday party, as well as scenes of Kickback, and Laserbeak being video taped by people accidentally, and a security video showing bits of a robot looking a lot like Generation 1 Bumblebee transforming in a parking garage.

Laserbeak appears in the third film, Dark of the Moon, as Soundwave's mechanical condor minion once again. Unlike other robots in the film series, he has multiple alternate modes. Unique to this incarnation, he is intelligent and able to speak.

Films
Laserbeak kills Alexi Voskhod after he brings NEST to Chernobyl. Later, on the orders of Megatron, Laserbeak kills all of the human collaborators except Dylan Gould, at one point transforming into a small pink version of Bumblebee to infiltrate a house. After Jerry Wang tells Sam what he knows, Laserbeak shoves him out a window and chases Sam through his office. Along with Soundwave and Gould, he takes Carly Spencer captive to force Sam to cooperate with the Decepticons. Later, in the form of a TV screen, he guards Gould's Chicago penthouse; he attacks Sam when the latter arrives trying to rescue Carly. While fighting with Sam, Sam manages to push Laserbeak's head in front of a gunship's weapon, which blows off Laserbeak's head and destroys him.

Video games
Laserbeak appears in the 2011 Dark of the Moon video game, and can be played in mission IV. He is sent into an former Sector 7 base by Soundwave when he is unable to enter, and disables several parts of the base and allows Soundwave access.

Toys

 * Dark of the Moon Deluxe Laserbeak (2011)
 * A new mold of Laserbeak. His heliplane mode closely resembles the Dragonhawk from G.I. Joe: Sigma 6. He comes with two Mech Tech blasters that feature barrels that switch between two different modes. Both blasters can combine into a larger rifle.


 * Dark of the Moon Human Alliance Soundwave with Laserbeak and Dylan Gould (not yet released)
 * Laserbeak comes with the Human Alliance Soundwave figure.

Transformers: Timelines
This Laserbeak is an alternate version good of the Generation 1 character from the BotCon exclusive "Shattered Glass" comic, in which the Decepticons are on the side of good and the Autobots on the side of evil. Presumably like all Decepticons of his world, he is heroic and opposed to the evil Autobots. This version of Laserbeak seems to be colored as a homage to the Generation 1 Ramhorn, solid red.

Fun Publications
Laserbeak appeared as a member of Megatron's forces in the "Shattered Glass" story. During the attack on the Ark Buzzsaw perched on Megatron.

Transformers Animated
Laserbeak is one of Soundwave's support drones, used to either attack individually or transform into an electric guitar for Soundwave to use in his attacks.

Animated Series
Laserbeak first appeared in "Human Error" (part one). He attacked Sari when she discovered Soundwave's hidden base beneath the Autobots headquarters. He transformed into guitar mode, with Soundwave using the sonic blast to knock Sari into a wall. He was unable to prevent her from escaping, however. In part 2, he attacked Sari again. Optimus then forcibly transforms him into guitar mode and uses him to dismantle Soundwave and seemingly destroy Ratbat. Unfortunately, Soundwave ends up as a media player again and Laserbeak carries him off. Laserbeak is one of only eight Decepticons still loose on Earth. it is unknown what became of both Soundwave and Laserbeak after that.

Fun Publications
Laserbeak's biography was printed in issue #25 of the Transformers Collectors Club magazine.

Toys

 * Animated Deluxe Soundwave with Laserbeak (2008)
 * Laserbeak transforms from electric guitar to mechanical bird. He can mount on Soundwave's roof (in car mode) or forearms (in robot mode).

Transformers: Prime
Laserbeak appears in the new Transformers continuity, Transformers: Prime.

Books
Appears as one of Soundwave's Mini-Cons in the novel Transformers: Exodus.

Animated series
Laserbeak (as referred to by the writers of the show) appears in the animated series as Soundwave's chestpiece. He is used in the Darkness Rising miniseries to attempt to shoot down Agent Fowler's helicopter, then in Masters & Students to follow Starscream to the location of Megatron's barely alive body.

Video games
In the 2010 video game Transformers: War for Cybertron, Lazerbeak appears in the Autobot campaign, where Optimus Prime and his team must defeat Soundwave to save Zeta Prime. Lazerbeak is one of Soundwave's minions alongside Rumble and Frenzy.

Toys

 * Prime Deluxe Soundwave with Laserbeak (not yet released)