Scalpel (ROTF)

Scalpel is the cutest widdle Decepticon-allied Mini-Con from the Revenge of the Fallen portion of the live-action film series continuity.

Like a surgeon - HEY! Cuttin' for the very first time...

The tiny Scalpel, also known as "the Doctor", looks harmless enough with his big, inquisitive eyes. But beware—in the world of the Transformers, things are not what they seem! Scalpel has vast databases of anatomical and mechanical knowledge, being familiar with most species in the galaxy. He's extremely adept at getting to the root of a problem and can handily disassemble most technological devices... or life-forms. Unfortunately, when he goes to put them back together, he always has a few parts left over. This has left most of the Decepticons reluctant to come to him for care, in spite of his duties as their field medic.

Fiction

Movies

Revenge of the Fallen film

Voice actor: John Di Crosta (English), Hiroki Shimowada (Japanese), Santiago Ziesmer (German), Michel Elias (French), Fabrizio Mazzotta (Italian), Martín Soto (Latin American-Spanish), José Augusto Sendim (Brazilian Portuguese dub)

That's me, a very expensive microscope just hangin' out in an old warehouse.

Scalpel was transported to the Laurentian Abyss by Ravage and several Constructicons. Once the Decepticons reached the sea floor, Scalpel was released to assess the extent of the damage done to Megatron. After a cursory examination, Scalpel concluded that they would need spare parts, and ordered the death of the smallest Constructicon. Once he had the "donated" parts and the AllSpark shard stolen by Ravage, he rebuilt Megatron into a more powerful—and very much alive—form.

It's only fair to warn you; I have no idea what I'm doing.

Later, at a factory in the same city as Sam Witwicky's university, Megatron ordered Scalpel to examine Sam, in hopes of finding out what he had learned from the AllSpark information downloaded into his brain. Using several extremely invasive techniques, Scalpel deduced that Sam's mind was definitely full of handy-dandy information. And the best way to get said information was to examine Sam's brain... while it was laid out on the table. Scalpel's attempt was interrupted by the timely arrival of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. Revenge of the Fallen

Dark of the Moon film

For further information, see: Lensmeter Decepticon

Titan movie comics

Scalpel linked up with Bludgeon and hid himself inside the larger Decepticon: once Bludgeon was captured by NEST, Scalpel emerged to free him and all the other Decepticons in human captivity. Inside Out!

IDW movie comics

Scalpel served as the ship medic aboard the Nemesis during its mission to scour the galaxy for a Star Harvester. After the ship was damaged in a collision with the Ark, Sideways was heard calling out for him. The entire crew of the Nemesis then followed the Ark through a space bridge wormhole, arriving near Earth. Convergence chapter 1

I Can Read! books

Wait a minute, isn't this kinda one-sided?

Scalpel, Blackout and Brawl were at a sea-side dock when they encountered Ratchet and Ironhide. The Decepticons attempted to attack, but were held off by an electrical attack courtesy of Ratchet, allowing the Autobots to escape. Later, Scalpel helped the Decepticons battle the Autobots in the Egyptian desert. Scalpel faced off against Ironhide. The Decepticons were ultimately defeated that day. Ratchet to the Rescue

TransTech

"Primitive symbols. You walking, talking monkeys with your cave drawings. You assume there is only one way to gain magic."

In an alternate timeline, not only did Scalpel survive his encounters with the Autobots, but he became one of Megatron's Mini-Con companions, along with Boombox and Heavyweight. The whole lot of them were transported to Axiom Nexus when Megatron plummeted off a space bridge after a battle against Rodimus Prime. Though Scalpel and the other Mini-Cons were identified by the TransTechs, they overlooked Megatron himself, believing his truck mode to simply be a derelict heap. Botcon 2015 Megatron's bio card

Scalpel continued to help his boss in Axiom Nexus. The most vocal of the three Mini-Cons, he had a tendency to spout out lines that were unnervingly creepy to those around him. When Megatron, now calling himself "C-81," and his new entourage were running from the local police force after a botched theft, the group was held up by a crowd of Seekers. Contemplating so many Cybertronians of similar anatomy made Scalpel express that the crowd would make ideal subjects to create a baseline in his experiments. Soon after, "Cybertron's most wanted" were taken into custody by the police and brought to the offworlder maximum security prison. Upon meeting Oilmaster, Scalpel expressed interest in examining "the gorilla's" anatomy. Oilmaster refused.

The group escaped, and eventually found themselves in the middle of a Waruder nest deep underground. Scalpel was the first to note that the structure wasn't built by the TransTechs, and seemed pseudo-organic in nature. The group were then engaged in battle with some Waruder soldiers. Scalpel jumped at the chance to study one of the fallen invaders, and took hold of one of the Waruder pilots' corpses. He then climbed aboard C-81's altmode, and began to dissect his new subject. With the information that Scalpel gleaned from the body, Cybertron's most wanted were able to deduce that the Waruders were eating away at the planet's cybertonium. This information was instrumental in negotiating with the intruders, and later sending them off-planet. Cybertron's Most Wanted

Ask Sideways

Known liar Sideways claimed that Scalpel patched him up after he was bisected in Shanghai. Ask Sideways, 2015/07/07

Games

Transformers: Battle for the Matrix

Scalpel is (relatively) ENORMOUS. He's also annoyingly speedy. Transformers: Battle for the Matrix

Toys

Revenge of the Fallen

Percep-who? Nah, he got a gig on CSI.

• Scalpel (Scout Class, 2009)

• Japanese ID number: RD-14
• Known designers: Hisashi Yuki (TakaraTomy), Alex Androski (deco artist)

Scalpel transforms from a dissecting microscope to a creepy, almost cute insectoid robot with detachable "glasses". He has six insectoid legs that will pop off if you look at them funny, and two adorable translucent 'arms'. He is seriously mistransformed in-package, presumably because there was no other way for him to fit on the card. His stock photography also shows him mistransformed, with his body extended upwards and the shells forming the base of his microscope mode folded onto his legs.

A running change has given later versions shorter antennae which fold away better during transformation. It's not clear which version is more common or whether the running change has spread to markets outside the US.

• More information on Scalpel at TFU.info

Timelines

• Cybertron's Most Wanted (BotCon 2015 box set)

Scalpel is a redeco of Magi, and transforms from a robotic praying mantis to a dual-bladed weapon. As a redeco of an Arms Micron, Scalpel is covered in 5 mm posts and holes as part of the Arms Micron gimmick, allowing him to combine with other Microns to form bigger and more ridiculous "Combo Weapons" and "Super Combo Weapons".

Alongside Boombox and Heavyweight, he is a Mini-Con partner to Megatron, who comes with Packrat, Battletrap, Stepper, and Oilmaster.

The mold was also used to make Shou.

• More information on Timelines Scalpel at TFU.info

Merchandise

Prime 1 Studio

• Megatron (2022)

• Movie: Dark of the Moon
• ID number: MMTFM-29 / 29EXS (exclusive)

The Prime 1 Studio Museum Masterline Megatron statue based on his Dark of the Moon appearance comes with three small replicas of the Lensmeter Decepticons. The exclusive version, meanwhile, comes with a total of six of them.

In the Japanese-language version of Prime 1 Studio's website, the Lensmeter Decepticons are advertised as "Scalpel" instead. Yes, all of them.

The exclusive version of Megatron also comes with Igor.

KBGOxKillerbody

• TRANSFORMERS Scalpel Collectible (High-end Figure, 2023)

• Accessories: Saw, Claw

Released by Killerbody in association with KBGO, this non-converting Scalpel^[1] is based on his Dark of the Moon design and features light-up LED eyes and eletronic sounds. He comes with swappable weapons accessories.

Notes

• The combination of German accent, monocle-like eyes and murderous personality all give Scalpel the air of the stereotypical Nazi mad scientist.
• In the movie itself and the novelization, he is simply called "the Doctor". He goes unnamed in the comic adaptation.
• The only reason his toy has pop-off glasses is because Hisashi Yuki thinks it's funny.
• In the second issue of the movie adaptation, Scalpel suddenly has a mouth, complete with teeth. And he looks really weird because of it.
• His alternate mode in the movie is different from his toy's. While the toy turns into a dissecting microscope, the alternate mode in the film is actually a lensmeter, a device used by optometrists to check the various aspects of a prescription lens for eyeglasses. It appears to be an American Optical Lensometer Junior Model 603 from 1938.
• In Dark of the Moon a bunch of Lensmeter Decepticons appear. It is unknown if Scalpel was among them.
• While the Timelines figure gives Scalpel stickers to replicate his two eyes in his movie design, the tie-in comic instead depicts him as having the same single eye as the original use of the figure's mold, Magi.

Foreign names

• Japanese: The Doctor (ザ・ドクター Za Dokutā), Scalpel (スカルペル Sukaruperu)

References