Nightstick (Headmasters)

This article is about the small Japanese Targetmaster. For his American counterpart, see Fracas{{#switch:{{#sub:Fracas|-1}}|!=|.=|?=|.}} For a list of other meanings, see Nightstick (disambiguation).
Nightstick is an Autobot Targetmaster from The Headmasters portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
He's riding a big stick.

Nightstick (ナイトスティック Naitosutikku) is the Targetmaster partner of Artfire. He transforms into a "space beam gun", the exact effects of which are unknown. Nightstick assists his partner in various fire and rescue duties, often helping retrieve those who are trapped in burning buildings where a giant robot that turns into a truck would be too bulky to reach. By all visual evidence, he and Artfire share a cooperative relationship, though Nightstick appears to take orders and direction from his partner and does as he's told.

Fiction

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The Headmasters comic

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In an Earth city, the Decepticon Targetmasters Slugslinger, Misfire, and Triggerhappy set a blazing inferno. Chromedome and Daniel were having trouble controlling the fire when Artfire and Ricochet, accompanied by their partners Nightstick and Nebulon, showed up to help. Artfire quickly quenched the blaze while Nightstick helped rescue the people trapped in burning buildings. With the fire under control, the Autobots then set their attentions on the Decepticons and sent them into a retreat. The Headmasters #7

Beast Wars: Uprising

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See: Fracas#Beast Wars: Uprising

Games

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Transformers: Earth Wars

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Nightstick followed Star Saber in protest of the High Council's decision to relieve Optimus Prime of command. New Order Star Saber appreciated Nightstick's offer of extra firepower, though he stated it would not be necessary right away in going after the Enigma of Combination and Forge Fire Amulet. Relic Gambit They sought out Optimal Optimus's help against Starscream having broken Deathsaurus out of custody. 7th Year Anniversary!

Toys

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Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers

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He is the big stick.
  • Artfire (Targetmaster, 1987)
  • ID number: C-108
Released in the third year of Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers toyline (in the Headmasters-themed year), Nightstick transforms into a "space beam gun" that can be held by larger Targetmaster toys (or any toy with a 5 mm post-compatible socket).
He was only available packed in with his larger partner Artfire, a retool of Inferno. While Artfire can hold Nightstick in his robot-mode hands, a separate small black mounting bracket needs to be plugged into Artfire's ladder assembly in order for Nightstick to attach to Artfire's vehicle mode.
This toy was released in Hasbro's markets without changes as Fracas, packed in with the Targetmaster retooling of Scourge.


United

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Available only as a mail-away exclusive offered through Transformers Generations 2012 Vol. 1, Nightstick is one of many redecos of Universe Nightstick, transforming into a pistol.
He was only available with Artfire, a redeco of Universe Voyager Class Inferno/Grapple, and Sparks, a redeco of Power Core Combiners Pinpoint. While he can be held in Artfire's hands normally, attaching him to the hook in Artfire's "ladder", the only place to attach the Targetmasters in Artfire's vehicle mode is... iffy, as it was not actually designed to hold 5mm accessories and is kind of just coincidentally kinda-sorta not completely compatibly-sized.
This toy was repurposed as Dia Cinders.
{{#if:Universe (2008)|Universe (2008) mold:|}} Nightstick

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Masterpiece

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  • Release date: May 27, 2017
  • ID number: MP-37
Available with Masterpiece Artfire, Nightstick is the first Takara Masterpiece Targetmaster, preceded only by Hasbro's "Offshoot" version of Firebolt. A wholly-new mold, he features extensive robot-mode articulation and a more complex transformation.


Generations Selects

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He's been holding his breath for so long, his face turned red.
  • Artfire & Nightstick (2-pack, 2021)
  • Series: War for Cybertron: Kingdom
  • ID number: WFC-GS26
  • TakaraTomy release date: March 26, 2022
  • Accessories: Backpack/cannon, 4 blast effects
The first Battle Master released in the Generations Selects line (as an add-on for Kingdom), Nightstick is a redeco of Siege Firedrive, transforming into a double-barreled blaster. Nightstick's gun barrel piece can be detached from his back and connected to his arm, although he cannot accommodate "Fire Blasts" attached as well due to the additional weight causing him to fall over.
As a part of the C.O.M.B.A.T. System, Nightstick comes with blue redecos of both Siege Firedrive's and Aimless's "Fire Blast" effects, which can be attached to the ends of his gun barrels to simulate water shooting out of his blaster mode. Said effect parts are also compatible with 5 mm ports.
Nightstick comes packaged with his nominal partner, Artfire.
Artfire and Nightstick were released as TakaraTomy Mall exclusives in Japan.
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Merchandise

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Transformers Character Card

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  • Stepper & Artfire Set (June, 2024)
    • ID number: 89 & 90
Released as part of the twelfth wave of the e-HOBBY exclusive Transformers Character Card series, this pair of holographic trading cards depict super-deformed art of Stepper (with Nebulon) and Artfire (with Nightstick) along with character profiles and tech specs.

Notes

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  • Nightstick's name is a source of confusion. Here's the story: Cyclonus and Scourge weren't Targetmasters in Japan, but Takara still sold their weapons, partnered with the Autobots Ricochet and Artfire. Takara tried to carry their names over, to varying degrees of success. One was called "Nightstick", but the other was called "Nebulon" (which is how Scourge's on-package bio referred to his partner). On top of that, they were switched: the Nightstick-lookalike was called "Nebulon" and vice-versa. To the Japanese audience, there was no problem, since they had no knowledge of the English-language versions. But, years later, Hasbro would release the Nebulon toy in North America as the Autobot "Nightstick". Which, while technically "corrected", really only makes everyone's heads hurt just a little bit more.
    • It probably doesn't help the confusion that in the American comics and cartoon, their character models ended up switched, so that Scourge's Fracas looked like Nightstick, and Cyclonus' Nightstick looked like Fracas. So, in essence, Artfire's Nightstick is identical to how Cyclonus' Nightstick was depicted in said fiction.
    • Hasbro never ended up releasing Artfire in the 2000s with a localized name. Unfortunately, this set up Viz Media's 2020 U.S. reprint of The Headmasters manga to name Artfire's partner "Nightstick" side-by-side with Ricochet's partner "Nightstick" in the same story. Everyone loses!
  • In the Beast Wars: Uprising story "A Brush With Infamy–Prologue", this Nightstick is replaced by the regular Fracas—who later defects to the Decepticons—as a playful way to explain why they look identical.<ref>Jim Sorenson at Allspark Forums, 2nd December 2016: "Artfire's partner was definitely Fracas. But then he became partners with Scourge...the whole point of that little arc was to explain all of the discrepancies of those little guys."</ref>
  • Normally, the TFWiki strives to present main images of characters which accurately present their original (toy) design in the relevant series of debut. In the case of Nightstick, partner of Artfire, our only color illustration available is the 2022 Earth Wars mobile game render, based on the 2011 United toy because in almost 40 years, Nightstick's original toy has never been drawn in color for the sake of being Nightstick. What makes it even more hilarious is that Nightstick's Decepticon opposite number in the game is Fracas, who in the game looks closer to their original 1987 shared toy.

References

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