Quickstrike

Quickstrike is a spasmodic, violent, trigger-happy cowboy who rarely thinks beyond the next "keister he's gonna kick." This simple-minded lust for beating others up seems to be his overriding personality trait. While this makes him easy to manipulate, which Megatron finds extremely useful, the problem he has found is that Quickstrike is so easy to manipulate that Megatron's not the only one doing so! Both Tarantulas and Blackarachnia have their hooks in him in some form or another, leading Megatron to consider controlling the vicious little bugger through the good old-fashioned method: fear of death. Quickstrike may be stupidly brave most of the time, but only to a point.

“	Call me... Quickstrike! And good's got nuthin' to do with it.	”

Fiction

Cartoon continuity

Beast Wars cartoon

Voice actor: Colin Murdoch (English), Nobuo Tobita (Japanese), more»

Say howdy to mah head!

Quickstrike was originally one of the Maximal protoforms stored aboard the Axalon, prior to it crashlanding on prehistoric Earth. When the Planet Buster exploded, his stasis pod was knocked out of orbit and crashed in Delta Quadrant, an unstable region. His malfunctioning DNA scanner gave Quickstrike a dual scorpion/snake beast mode, however when he was awakened, he had no knowledge of his identity as a Maximal. His first action was to engage his fellow Fuzor Silverbolt in a sparring match. His aggressive nature made him an easy convert to the Predacon cause for Megatron, and he was soon happily attacking the Maximals. Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1) He took part in the defeat of the Maximals, but only until Optimus Primal was resurrected as a Transmetal. During the fight against the Maximal leader, he was slagged by one of Inferno's errant missiles. Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)

" 'Both spiders found Quickstrike to be ludicrously easy to manipulate'... Ah don't likeyou wiki writers no more."

A short time later, Quickstrike was sent with Tarantulas and Blackarachniaon a mission to build a refueling station at a cave full of energon. Both spiders found Quickstrike to be ludicrously easy to manipulate, as all he was really interested in was a good fight, and possibly relations with Blackarachnia. Quickstrike was overjoyed when Rattrap and Silverbolt turned up and threw himself into the battle with his usual gusto. When the cave they'd been sent to build at was apparently destroyed, he only retreated after a lengthy parting shot. Tangled Web Taking part in an ambush, Quickstrike got the drop on Rattrap, but Rattrap was able to out-draw him and blasted him off a cliff. Quickstrike survived, and when Dinobotattempted to change sides, was only too happy to face the much-larger Maximal in one-on-one combat. Though he was defeated, Dinobot refused to terminate him, claiming he'd make a good soldier with some training. Maximal, No More

Quickstrike and Waspinator attempted unsuccessfully to defend a jamming tower against Dinobot and Rattrap. Once they reported back to Megatron, they and the other Predacons proceeded to an alien site which had been discovered in the meantime, and set up a refractive web. They were unprepared when an alien construct appeared and blasted them all. Other Visits (Part 1) Quickstrike, due to some Transmetal-like quality of his form, recovered quickly from the blast, and ventured into the construct with Megatron and Tarantulas. Megatron soon used him as a guinea pig to see if the construct's defences would respond to them — luckily for Quickstrike, they didn't. After Megatron had taken control of the ship, Quickstrike and the other Predacons defended it against a Maximal attack. Other Visits (Part 2)

"Awww, this happens every time Ah try to do a barbeque..."

While Blackarachnia and Silverbolt were traipsing around the jungle together, Megatron, Quickstrike and Inferno spied on them using a bugging device planted earlier. Bad Spark Perhaps uncharacteristically, while the other Predacons were torching a valley full of Protohumans, Quickstrike hung back with Megatron. Once Dinobot had exhausted most of his power defeating the others, Quickstrike leaped into battle, believing Dinobot to be weaponless and "another keister to kick". Dinobot responded by physically beating the Predacon and slamming him head-first into the ground. Code of Hero

Quickstrike took part in a desperate attack on the Axalon when it seemed as though the Maximals would be receiving help from Cybertron. As it turned out they did, and the Predacons were repelled by Ravage's transwarp cruiser. The Agenda (Part 1) Once Megatron had convinced Ravage to switch sides, the Predacons mounted another attack on the Axalon. Quickstrike rode triumphantly atop Rampage's tank mode... only to be blasted off by Cheetor and subsequently run over by his comrade. The Agenda (Part III)Quickstrike worked to reassemble himself as Megatron called on the Predacons to get themselves ready for battle. Apparently he wasn't finished in time to take part in the subsequent destruction of the Axalon. Optimal Situation

BURRRRRRRRP

After Rampage disappeared while on a mission, Megatron sent Quickstrike to look for him. Quickstrike soon found the crab at the mercy of Depth Charge, and was only too happy to lend a hand by shooting the Maximal newcomer. Sadly he didn't have long to celebrate his victory before a cluster of missiles fired by Primal blew him away. Deep Metal When the Maximals attempted to salvage Sentinel from the wreck of the Axalon, Quickstrike helped Waspinator by taking on Rattrap and Silverbolt, while his fellow Predacon headed for home with the computer module. He headed over to finish off the unconscious Silverbolt... only to be flattened when Rampage fell on him. Changing of the Guard

While the bulk of the Maximal forces were distracted by Megatron's Cyber raptors out in the field, Rampage accompanied the Predacon leader in an assault against the Maximals' home base. Quickstrike was given lead position as they entered the base, arising jealousy from Inferno. The reason as to why Quickstrike was allowed to go first became clear moments later as Quickstrike was taken out by a sequence of booby traps. Cutting Edge

Attempting to find out what had happened to the Transmetal driver, the Predacons interrogated Depth Charge, only to be attacked by a strange feral cat creature. After promising to make the creature into a ghost, Quickstrike chased it behind a rock. His snake head came back minus the rest of him. Feral Scream Part 1 During the construction of the disruptor cannon, Quickstrike was the only one foolish brave enough to be welding inside the weapon barrel when Inferno plugged it in, and was knocked off his perch by the energy surge. Once they got the cannon working, Quickstrike's prognosis of "lookin' good!" proved premature, as it exploded in their faces. Go with the Flow Quickstrike and the other Predacons attempted to disrupt the power in the Maximal base during an attempt by the Maximals to remove Blackarachnia's Predacon shell program. He was swiftly dispatched by Cheetor. Crossing the Rubicon

Check out mah fancy duds!

Using one of Tarantulas's devices, Optimus Primal was able to be controlled using an exo-suit manipulated by Quickstrike. The Fuzor was able to rapidly disable the other Maximals, allowing the Predacons to take control of the Maximal base. Using the Teletraan I control codes stored in Primal, Quickstrike and Megatron gained entry to the Ark, within which lay the body of the original Megatron. Megatron took his predecessor's spark into himself and, while he was weakened from the struggle of doing so, Quickstrike revealed it was a double-cross. On Tarantulas's orders, Quickstrike used Primal to seize the Predacon leader and throw him into the lava outside the Ark. Unfortunately for both the arachnids, Megatron lived, upgraded into a new form. Quickstrike was defeated by Blackarachnia, losing his link with Primal. Master Blaster

Furious, Megatron held a trial for Quickstrike, however it was interrupted by an unexpected incursion — the Vok emissary Tigerhawk destroyed the Darksyde. Quickstrike was literally blown away along with his Predacon comrades, leaving Megatron the only one standing to face Tigerhawk. Other Victories In the aftermath, Inferno, Quickstrike and Waspinator were sent by Megatron to find a new base. They decided on attacking a protohuman colony, though Waspinator refused and was slagged by the other two. Quickstrike and Inferno charged, only to meet with heavy resistance from the natives. Nemesis Part 1They finally got the early humans on the run, and were overjoyed to see the Nemesis appear overhead... until the main fusion cannon fired on the site, killing them both. Among the parts of him salvaged by the early humans were his cobra tail, used as a trumpet, his claws used as a spit, and his faceplate, used as a mask. Nemesis Part 2 

3H comics

After Megatron gained his dragon body, a temporal distortion drew the attention of both the Maximals and Predacons to a remote canyon, where Quickstrike and his fellow Predacons met their foes. The Maximals were losing, having been fought into a corner, when suddenly the battle was interrupted. The Dark Essence, the source of the temporal distortion, had possessed the newcomer Windrazor with the life force of Unicron. Quickstrike and the others were immobilized by Windrazor/Unicron's psionic force blasts, and the merged creature advanced on the Maximals. Paradox

These events would soon be retroactively erased from Quickstrike's timeline with the efforts of the legendary Covenant. Terminus

Transformers Legends anthology

While waiting for his trial for betraying Megatron, Quickstrike was approached by his leader (who'd seemingly taken to talking to himself of late) and given a new mission. He flew over Maximal territory on a small glider, dropping off a small device into the Ark before retiring to a safe position to observe. The device soon caused the Maximals to be at each other's throats, a fact he gleefully reported to Megatron. As his leader proceeded with the rest of the plan, Quickstrike relaxed in the sun, and was subsequently unprepared when the Maximals, having overcome the effects of the device, pounced on him. A Meeting of Minds

IDW Beast Wars comics

As Magmatron surveyed the timestream, he witnessed several key moments during the Beast Wars. Among these moments was Quickstrike and Silverbolt's initial initiation into the Predacon ranks. The Gathering #1

Hearing a commotion at some point after the Predacons acquired Sentinel, a distressed Inferno rushed to where he has last left Megatron, bringing Quickstrike in tow. Both were surprised to see that Megatron had completely vanished. In reality, their leader had been chronologically displaced by Magmatron and his lackeys. The Gathering #3

Waspscream continuity

In Primax 208.06 Zeta, Quickstrike joined the hybrid Starscream-Waspinator entity's successful coup against Megatron. Waspscream later released Protoform X from containment to force Protoform X into his service, but not before Protoform X offlined Quickstrike. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/16 

Beast Wars Metals manga

He's a tall drink a' water, ain't he?

Following the Quantum surge, the Predacon Quickstrike was upgraded into a Transmetal. Combining the mutated blood in his body with Megatron's warrior drones, Quickstrike fashioned himself the Scorpion Corps and Cobra Corps. With his new army, he proceeded to attack the weakened Maximal base, gradually depleting Sentinel's defenses. When the Maximals were forced to shut Sentinel down to let Airazor in, Quickstrike's attacks really began to take a toll. Seeing an opening, Blackarachnia entered the base and confronted the Maximals inside.

After she had finished, she left the base just as Quickstrike's forces caused it to collapse completely. Angry at her "interference", Quickstrike began to berate her. Not in the mood, Blackarachnia proceeded to kick Quickstrike's head clean off. Weeping, Quickstrike's noggin sat helplessly on the ground as his decapitated body scrambled around blindly. Beast Wars Metals #1

Quickstrike recovered, but was promptly killed alongside his troopers by Jaguar. Beast Wars Metals #3 When Megatron freed the sparks eaten by Rampage, however, the released energies revived Quickstrike as a mindless zombie. He attacked Optimus Primal along with several other zombies, but was ultimately destroyed for good by Primal's rocket-fists. Beast Wars Metals #5

Transformers Legends comic

Quickstrike arrived at Tera-Kura Co. for a job interview with Megatron but was taken aback when Megatron asked no questions but instead produced an hourglass and demands that he "appeal to me" (Megatron had recently watched the third movie). The Results of Mega-chan's Studies He apparently made the cut as he was later seen among Megatron's employees. Bonus Edition Vol. 63

Beast Wars: Uprising

Quickstrike participated in Battle MCMXXIII of the Games, a three-day long struggle that culminated in a stand-off between him and Stinkbomb. After a heated hand-to-hand battle between the two, Stinkbomb's chemical gun failed him, giving Quickstrike the opening he needed to fire his tail weapon and kill his opponent, winning the game for the Predacons. Broken Windshields

Games

Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (PS)

Voice actor: Ian James Corlett (English), ? (Japanese)

Quickstrike participated in an extensive one-on-one beatdown involving nearly every active participant of the Beast Wars. Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (PS)

3D Battle Card Game

Quickstrike fights under the command of Megatron once more, this time with several allies from (potentially) different universes and/or timelines. He now possesses a new body; although his beast mode is an approximation of his original form, his transformation scheme and robot mode are distinctively different. Energon Wars Expansion Set

Transformers: Battle Tactics

Quickstrike Fuzor participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was a Super Rare character available as a reward for the "Transmetals Episode 3" event. Transformers: Battle Tactics

Toys

Beast Wars

Space ship of death hole snake

• Quickstrike (Basic Fuzor, 1998)
  • Japanese ID number: D-45

Quickstrike transforms into a scorpion with a cobra's head on his tail rather than a stinger. The cobra head has a soft-plastic bladder than can be used to store and squirt water. Most of its orange parts are translucent plastic, and make extensive use of ball joints, particularly in its tail. While this provides excellent articulation, care should be taken as the joints loosen rather quickly with play.

Takara's version of the toy has extra blue paint applications on its face and red paint for its eyes. Its scorpion legs are cast in a darker orange color.

• More information on Quickstrike at TFU.info

• Heatwave Showdown: Airazor vs Quickstrike (Multi-pack, 1999)
  • Japanese ID number: VS-45

The Japanese release of Quickstrike was available individually or packaged together with Transmetal Airazor.

Both toys are original to their individual (Japanese) releases.

Merchandise

3D Battle-Card Game

• Quickstrike (2007)

A 33-point "rare" character in the 3D Battle-Card Game's "Energon Wars" expansion, Quickstrike "transforms" from a gold and green scorpion to a gold and green scorpion standing on its hind legs. He uses the same parts layout as Movie Scorponok.

Notes

• Like Rampage, Quickstrike did not have a Predacon shell program installed in his Maximal protoform state to turn him bad. It's possible the damage done to his stasis pod warped his personality, or that the natures of his beast form(s) caused or increased his aggressiveness. More unsettling is the theory that this IS his true, spark-given personality.
• In the jovial Japanese dub, Beast Wars Metals, Quickstrike's cobra tail could talk and think independently from Quickstrike. It would always end its sentences with either "-ko", "-bura", or "-kobura". Another of Quickstrike's quirks in both the cartoon and the manga was that he'd constantly end his sentences in gitchon/gitchonchon, which essentially translates to snippity/snippity-snip.
• As revealed at BotCon 2011, the Dark of the Moon Decepticon Darksteel is an intentional homageto Quickstrike. This occurred because designer Lenny Panzica likes snakes.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Quickstrike (クイックストライク Kuikkusutoraiku)
• French: Cinglant (Canada, "Scathing")
• Italian: Serpex
• Mandarin: Kuài Dāo (快刀, "Quick Cutter")
• Polish: Szybki Cios ("Quickstrike")
• Spanish: Sorpresivo (Spain, "Surprise"), Cobra (America)