Name: Scalpel
Allegiance: Decepticons
Function: Doctor
Timeline: Movieverse (
First Transformers Live Action Movie Trilogy)
The only good use for Autobots is for spare parts!
Profile:
One of the smallest Decepticons is also one of the most intelligent - and the most evil. Scalpel is a Decepticon doctor with a vast database of anatomical data for millions of living creatures across the galaxy, knowledge which he acquired by capturing and personally dissecting those creatures. Scalpel has an almost childlike, inquisitive but excessively cruel nature - the kind of individual who'd pick the legs off of a spider one by one or burn ants with a magnifying glass in the name of "science". He loves taking things apart to understand how they work - advanced technological systems, Cybertronian biology, even organic physiology; if Scalpel can get his claws on it, he can and will try to take it apart, and he doesn't care if his curiosity leads to a few deaths, because "science must march on!" Organic biology fascinates Scalpel, and he longs to get his claws on some humans so he can dissect them and gain a better understanding of how humans work. Scalpel's desire to know more about humans has almost become an obsession; in an attempt to better understand humans, Scalpel developed a prototype techno-organic technology known as a "Pretender". Scalpel puts his incredible knowledge to work repairing the Decepticons. His absolute disregard for other living beings is on full display when he operates; if his patient is a low-ranking grunt and cannot be repaired, Scalpel will coldly terminate them and harvest their usable parts. If they are a commander and no spare parts are available, Scalpel thinks nothing of ordering a low-ranking Decepticon torn apart so the necessary parts can be procured. Scalpel's repair jobs are notoriously poor quality - especially his work on the rank-and-file of the Decepticon army - and often cause as many issues as they remedy. Scalpel much prefers disassembling things to putting them back together, after all. Many Decepticons would rather suffer in silence than receive repairs from Scalpel, and few dare speak out about Scalpel's poor-quality repairs, lest their names be called the next time Scalpel needs spare parts.
Microscope mode:
Author notes:
Scalpel is a fun character who had all of two scenes in Revenge of the Fallen. I really like the idea of this Decepticon the size of a human head who has the authority to have a Decepticon ripped apart in order to repair Megatron. I've expanded that idea here and really made him a nightmarish monster of a doctor who'll tear you apart just to work out what makes you tick "for science!" And don't you dare complain about the quality of Scalpel's repair jobs, or else the petty doctor will mark youas someone who has volunteered their spare parts the next time someone important needs to be fixed.
I decided to give Scalpel this fascination with organics. I figure one of the things he's really been itching to do is dissect a human, and I then expanded out from there that his obsession with humans has led him to try to refit a Decepticon to pass as one, all in service of figuring out how they work and how that can further Megatron's goals. That gives us a convenient origin story for Alice, she's a science project concocted by Scalpel.
Toys of Transformers Movie Scalpel
Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Scalpel
Revenge of the Fallen Scalpel is a design I love and hate. It's an incredibly clever transformation from microscope to insectoid thing, doing some exceptionally cool tricks to accomplish the transformation. Plus both modes are on the less conventional end of the scale when it comes to what these robots turn into, which is something I really enjoy and appreciate. But on the less positive side, this figure has known issues with the balljoints on the legs. They break really easily. My Scalpel was in various stages of disrepair; all six of the balljoints on the legs were damaged. Some were cracked, one had completely disintegrated. I managed to patch him up for some photos but it was not a fun experience and I can't see myself handling this one much in the future unless a way to replace the damaged balljoints can be found. Since the degredation of those joints is such a common issue for this mold, I'm not holding out a lot of hope.
It's a pity, as he's a lovely toy, otherwise, as well as being a unique character.
More information on Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Scalpel at TFW2005
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Transformers Revenge of the Fallen toys in my collection.
