Brushguard

Brushguard is a Decepticon from the Cybertron portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.

Deadlier Homes and Gardens.

Brushguard embodies the dark side of science. One of several specialists Megatron has entrusted to use his skills to benefit the Decepticon cause, Brushguard's field of expertise is botany. Plant life's threatening vines, thorns, and deadly toxins fascinate him, and he longs to unlock their secrets. He dislikes dealing violence personally and would prefer his enemies face his vile leafy creations.

Though Brushguard believes completely in Decepticon supremacy, the cousin of the Autobot Overhaul was lured to Megatron's team with the promise of money. Brushguard spends this money on his secret passion, Earth science-fiction B-movies.

Fiction

Timelines

A prime example of why nobody wants to hug Brushguard.

Megatron assigned Brushguard command of the Upstart and sent him to scour the galaxy for Cyber Planet Keys. Driven to distraction by the constant nattering of the Upstart's motley crew, Brushguard nevertheless found the war-torn planet Combatron. Seeing the planet as a goldmine of abandoned weaponry and abandoned tombs, and learning, thanks to his botanical skills, that the planet's wars were long-finished, Brushguard sent his crew to explore it. Soon, Hardtop stumbled upon an abandoned bunker, and after Brushguard used Swindle to disable its security system, the Decepticons gained access to the "doomsday arsenal" within. Before they could escape the planet with their purloined weaponry, however, Brushguard and his crew came under attack from the Autobot crew of the Spanner, which had also discovered Combatron. After retaliating with an army of Decepticlones, Brushguard came under attack from the Combatronian warrior Whirl. Brushguard impaled him with a vine spear, and soon found the other Autobots overwhelmed by his forces. Brushguard barely had time to gloat over his victory before Whirl's Mini-Con allies hijacked the Upstart and Armorhide sacrificed the Spanner to destroy the arsenal bunker. With his Decepticlones destroyed and his ship gone, Brushguard and his charges were stranded on Combatron, forced to plead with the enraged Megatron for a ride home... Force of Habit

After the search for the Cyber Planet Keys was over, and Galvatron was destroyed, Brushguard joined the crew of the Kalis' Lament as Cap'n Cannonball's science officer. He was part of the captain's plot to steal a powerful Force Chip from the crashed Autobot starship Star Arrow on the planet Sandokan. After sending the mercenary Astrotrain in to soften up resistance on the legendarily dangerous planet, Brushguard arrived in a shuttle with his captain and crew to claim the prize. Confronted with the giant creature known as Synthos, Brushguard assaulted it with his botanical horrors, including a sphere containing fast-growing techno-organic vines and a bio-mechanical corrosive found on Centaris Seven. The Decepticon pirates soundly defeated Synthos, but were undone by the Autobots who hijacked their hovering shuttle and made off with the Force Chip. Brushguard and the pirate crew had to wait for the Kalis' Lament to rendez-vous with them before they could leave the planet. The Force Chip was gone, but Cannonball had uncovered something just as profitable—the Dark Heart of Sandokan which had empowered Synthos. Brushguard was put to work unlocking the secret power of the black crystal for his captain. The Dark Heart of Sandokan

Toys

Cybertron

• Brushguard (Scout class, 2005)

• Accessories: Missile, Earth Cyber Planet Key
• Cyber Key Code: s0u6
• Known designers: Eric Siebenaler (Hasbro)

Part of the fourth wave of Cybertron Scouts, Brushguard is a minor retooling of Overhaul in shades of blue and purple, transforming into an off-road vehicle similar to a Humvee. Plugging a Cyber Planet Key into his back activates his chest-mounted spring-loaded missile launcher in robot mode. (The key can be plugged into him in vehicle mode as well, but as the launcher is covered up in that mode, it won't do anything.)

His right shoulder was retooled slightly to remove the original toy's molded Autobot sigil. Brushguard sports a "mountain" symbol also seen on Energon Landquake. There does not appear to be any significance to this.

This mold was also used to make movie-verse Warpath (which was later repurposed as Shattered Glass Crosshairs).

• More information on Brushguard at TFU.info

Universe (2003)

• Brushguard (Scout, 2007)

• Accessories: Missile, Earth Cyber Planet Key
• Cyber Key Code: s0u6

Brushguard was one of several Cybertron Scout-class toys also made available on Universe cardbacks, and sold through discount chains like Kay-Bee Toy Works. This version is unchanged from the Cybertron release.

Universe (2008)

• Brushguard (Scout, 2010)

• Series: Cybertron Series
• Accessories: "Heat Blast" missile, Earth Cyber Planet Key
• Cyber Key Code: s0u6

Brushguard would see a straight re-release again in the 2008 Universe toyline, though oddly enough not until well after the line had vanished from shelves. Brushguard, Backstop, and Brakedown appeared as a special display in late 2010 at Walmart stores, with a price tag of a whopping $4 a pop.