Hardshell
From Transformers Wiki
| This article is about the Prime Insecticon. For the Generation 1 Insecticon sometimes known as "Hardshell", see Bombshell (G1). |
- Hardshell is a Decepticon Insecticon from the Aligned continuity family.
Among the Insecticons, Hardshell is among the most ferocious. He doesn't need to prove it through words, as his many battle scars, gained while off-lining many a Wrecker, are ample proof. Shockwave describes him as preferring to rely on strategy and weaponry instead of his instincts. Hardshell also likes to gloat about those he has destroyed in battle, does not believe in mid-battle banter, and has little patience for those who insult him or his brethren.
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Fiction
Cartoon continuity
IDW Aligned comics
A swarm of Insecticons including Hardshell ambushed and captured Swoop during his infiltration of Shockwave's citadel. Secrets Hardshell, Kickback, and Sharpshot later stood by Shockwave's side when Grimlock's Lightning Strike Coalition Force arrived to save Swoop. Siege Mentality
Prime cartoon
- Voice actor: David Kaye (English), Mitsuo Iwata (Japanese), Sang-hyeon Eom (Korean), Stefano Albertini (Italian), Carlos Segundo (Latin American Spanish), Carlos López Benedí (Castilian Spanish), Juhani Rajalin (Finnish), Patrick Descamps (French), Dieter Brian Gerlach (German). Zeca Rodrigues (Brazilian Portuguese)
Hardshell claimed to have off-lined many Autobot Wreckers in his time, resulting in multiple scars all over his body. Toxicity Hardshell and his brothers found their way to Earth and locked themselves in stasis later to be discovered by Airachnid. Crossfire The Insecticons were temporarily controlled by Airachnid but declared their allegiance to Megatron and joined the crew of the Nemesis. Armada Hardshell and his brethren were forced into stasis lock when the Nemesis became sentient and zapped the whole crew complement in stasis. Flying Mind
When Megatron called for the most ferocious Insecticon, Hardshell put his name forward, and was sent with three other Insecticons to a volcanic region near the equator to search for an Iacon relic. He encountered and fought the Wrecker, Bulkhead, but came off second best and lost a mandible from the deal. After recovering, he and his Insecticon companions found the relic containing a small amount of Tox-En, an energon variant. They attempted to track Bulkhead, who had taken most of the Tox-En. After following a false trail the Autobot had left, they eventually caught up with him in a volcano's crater. Though Bulkhead was weakened by the Tox-En, he managed to expose Hardshell to enough of the stuff to severely weaken him. The Autobot hurled the Tox-En at Hardshell, knocking him into a volcanic vent. While the Tox-En was destroyed, Hardshell survived and blasted Bulkhead in the back as he stepped through the GroundBridge. Toxicity
Returning to the Nemesis, Hardshell faced Megatron's wrath by failing to produce the Tox-En, but mollified his master by relating the news that Bulkhead had been terminated. Knock Out got on Hardshell's nerves by questioning his claims and stating that his Insecticon partner turned out to be useless. As he gloated about his victory to two of his brothers, a few Vehicons got on his nerves when they called him and the Insecticons "pit-loving scavengers and scrap-eaters", resulting in a brawl which made Knock Out want them contained after a minor scratch to the chest. As Knock Out and Hardshell were slowly coming to blows, they received a call from Wheeljack a short time later, with the news that Bulkhead wasn't dead after all. Megatron then demanded that Hardshell return with Wheeljack's spark instead.
The Insecticon found the Wrecker at an energon mine, and the pair clashed, with Hardshell easily avoiding Wheeljack's grenade and eventually dominating the fight to the point where Wheeljack was on the ground, defenseless. As Hardshell stood over him, ready to deliver the killing blow, Hardshell was blasted by a pair of missiles from the Miko-piloted Jackhammer, killing him for good. Hardshell's corpse was taken back to the Nemesis by the other Insecticons, who informed Megatron that a human girl was responsible for Hardshell's demise, much to Megatron's confusion. Hurt
When Miko was frustrated with Bulkhead's slow recovery, Arcee tried to talk to her, but she was still feeling enraged by Hardshell's actions. Out of the Past Miko would later bring up how she "snuffed" Hardshell when Starscream brought up for the umpteenth time how he had killed Cliffjumper. Chain of Command
Eaglemoss Prime comic
Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe
Hardshell was one of the many Decepticons that pursued the Allspark to Earth. He participated in an enormous battle against the Autobots in a human settlement. The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe
Games
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
As Cybertron's core shut down, the Insecticons made their way up further to the surface to find Energon. Shockwave came across Hardshell, Sharpshot, and Kickback, convincing them to join the ranks of the Decepticons.
Hardshell and his brothers accompanied Shockwave as they ran a test on Grimlock, who withstood the tests. Later, Hardshell was sent by Shockwave in order to challenge a recently escaped Grimlock and Swoop. Using a battle-suit, he attempted to blast the two Dinobots away, but Swoop provided Grimlock explosive fuel pods to fling at the Insecticon. When Hardshell was defeated, Grimlock pulled the Insecticon out of his seat and smashed his face into a panel, using his optics to unlock a door. Fall of Cybertron
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
- Voice actor: Scott Whyte (English)
Hardshell, along with his two companions, was discovered by Shockwave in Cybertron's underground. He was quick to attack Shockwave, and was also quick to fall. After he, Kickback, and Sharpshot were defeated in short order, the three Insecticons agreed to join the Decepticons. Despite this, Hardshell would still take a gunshot to the face from Starscream, who had not yet received the memo about the Decepticons' "new recruits". Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
Toys
Prime
- Hardshell (Cyberverse Commander Class, 2013)
- Accessories: Launcher, "Plague Missile"
- Known designers: Joe Kyde (Hasbro)
- Part of the second wave of Prime: Beast Hunters Series 3 Cyberverse Commander Class toys, Hardshell transforms into a robotic rhinoceros beetle. His "Plague Missile Launcher" fires its missile via pressure-launch, and the weapon can be attached via 3mm post onto his robot hands and forearms, or onto the back of his beetle mode.
- This mold was also used to make Predacons Rising Bombshock.
Notes
- Hardshell is the only one of the original Insecticon trio to not speak in the Fall of Cybertron game. He was finally given dialogue in Rise of the Dark Spark, albiet only one line.
- For the Japanese dub of Prime, Hardshell was given a personality overhaul to be more comedic. In the Japanese version, he is hyperactive and extremely chatty, making excessive use of adlibbing (a trait shared by all other Insecticons in the dub), The other Insecticons refer to Hardshell as "Boss" and love him.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Hardshell (ハードシェル Hādosheru)
- Russian: Pantsir (Панцирь, "Shell")