Nebulon (Headmasters)

(Redirected from Nightstick (Ricochet))
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Nebulon is an Autobot Targetmaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.
"I am Nightstick the Nebulon! I mean, Nebulon of Master! I mean..."

Nebulon (ネブロン Neburon) is a Targetmaster partner. Originally an engineer from the planet Master, Nebulon volunteered to undergo a unique form of binary bonding in order to save the Autobot Ricochet's life when he was fatally wounded. Unlike other Targetmaster partners, who are simply held in the hands of their larger partners, Nebulon plugs directly into a port on his partner's back, interfacing directly with his body and serving as a life-support system.

Nebulon transforms into a flame cannon, and utilizes the energy gathered by the Autobot's black body technology to fire blasts of up to 5000 °C. This can cause backdraft problems at high speeds, but in another example of the unorthodox nature of their Targetmaster partnership, the Targetmaster also has an arsenal of other weapons he can rely upon.<ref>Ricochet's The Transformers Collection reissue bio. Nightstick had gone all but unmentioned in Ricochet's original 1987 bio; this reissue bio finally explained who he was and why he combined with Ricochet in such an odd way.</ref>

Nebulon's nature varies. In some universes he's a robotic Cybertronian; in others he's an organic Nebulon. Named Nebulon. Or Nightstick. Or not.

Fiction

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The Headmasters comic

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GWAAAAAAR! You RAAAAAWK!

On Earth, the Decepticon Targetmasters Slugslinger, Misfire, and Triggerhappy set a blazing inferno. Chromedome and Daniel were having trouble controlling the fire when Ricochet and Artfire, accompanied by their partners Nebulon and Nightstick, showed up to help. The blaze was quickly quenched, and the Autobots then sent the Decepticons into a retreat. The Headmasters #7

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

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Transformers Collection bio

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When Autobot Ricochet's metabolic functions were damaged in an unspecified "incident", Nebulon, an engineer on the planet Master, volunteered to help him by undergoing a unique form of binary bonding. While ostensibly becoming a Targetmaster, Nebulon's gun mode wasn't merely hand-held. He instead plugged into Ricochet's robot-mode back, serving as a life-support system.

Generations Selects Special Comic

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Stepper wielded Nebulon as Angolmois Energy began to erupt wildly on Earth in the aftermath of the Selector revolt. Abominus comic 1

United

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"Hi, I'm Nebulon! I'm a, uh, Nebulan."

A devastating nano-virus plagued the Earthbound Autobots, a plague that Headmasters or Targetmasters like Ricochet were mysteriously immune from. Perceptor charged Ricochet and Nebulon with leading a team of unafflicted Autobots to Nebulos, where the supreme scientist Zella had crafted an antidote.

As Ricochet and Nebulon's team arrived on Nebulos, an army of Decepticons led by Straxus appeared via an inter-dimensional portal. The nano-virus was part of a larger plot to draw out the Headmasters and Targetmasters so that their Nebulan partners (such as, uh, Nebulon) could be collected. As the Autobots concentrated their attacks on Straxus, Ricochet and Nebulon slipped through the battle to pick up Zella's antidote, blasting his way through Rumble and Frenzy in the process. By the time they returned with a cart full of the stuff, their Autobot team had defeated the Decepticons. The Fierce Fighting on Planet Nebulos

Beast Wars: Uprising

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In the Beast Wars: Uprising continuity, Stepper's partner Nightstick and Cyclonus's partner Nightstick are one and the same.

Nightstick was a member of the World Watchers on the planet Nebulos, opposing the Hive Alliance. When the Transformers came to Nebulos in the 21st century, the Autobots aligned with the World Watchers and the Decepticons with the Hive. The Decepticons and Hive created a form of binary bonding called Headmaster technology, but the Autobots were able to duplicate it thanks to World Watcher's Arcana and Teslor. They also pioneered Targetmaster technology, and Nightstick was binary bonded to the Autobot Targetmaster named Stepper.

However, Nightstick later betrayed the Autobot cause, bringing Targetmaster technology to the Decepticons and Hive. He was given a new armor and partnered with Cyclonus, while his ally Fracas abandoned the Autobot Artfire to bond with Scourge.

After the fall of Galvatron and the death of Cyclonus, Nightstick escaped Cybertronian justice and became a roaming space pirate known simply as the Nebulon. A Brush With Infamy–Prologue He joined the Star Seekers under the command of Cannonball the Third, but not long afterwards, his crew was captured and arrested by a duo of Headmaster bounty hunters. Star Dasher's profile

Toys

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Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers

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  • Stepper (Targetmaster, 1987)
  • ID number: C-109
Released in the third-year, Headmasters-themed portion of Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers line, Nebulon is effectively the same toy as the Hasbro Decepticon Targetmaster Nightstick, transforming into a single-barreled, non-firing hand-cannon with a 5 mm post grip.
He came packaged with Stepper, who is redeco and minor retool of Jazz. Nebulon can peg into Stepper's retooled car-mode spoiler, or attach to a separate bracket mounted on his back, putting Nebulon over Stepper's robot-mode shoulder.
As a late addition to the Japanese Headmasters series (he was a tail-ender release and was unlikely to have been on shelves for very long as stores would reset for the new Super-God Masterforce toyline) and one of the earliest Japanese-only Transformers, though Stepper was not particularly rare, he was perceived as such in the West. As such, for several years Stepper commanded top dollar on the secondary market... until the reissue (see below) pretty much iced that.
This was the only release of Nebulon's mold in Japan at the time; Cyclonus was never sold as a Targetmaster in that market.


The Transformers Collection

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The Transformer named Nebulon is a Mini-Con called Nightstick. How much clearer could we be?
  • ID number: 15
For the 2004 The Transformers Collection reissue of Stepper in Japan, Nebulon was retooled with a slender peg extension to allow Stepper to actually hold him in his hand, as well as changing the plastic clasp that held his legs in (this part was easily broken) to the more sturdy pin and solid plastic holder.


Commemorative Series

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  • Ricochet with Nightstick (Targetmaster, 2004)
Released as part of the ninth and final wave of Hasbro's Toys"R"Us-exclusive Commemorative Series, this version of Nebulon, now called "Nightstick", is the same as the above Japanese Transformers Collection version, though his pack-in partner "Ricochet" has some notable differences from Stepper.
Despite Stepper's perceived rarity and "holy grail" status among collectors for over a decade, both this and the Transformers Collection release of Stepper/Ricochet ended up under-selling pretty heavily, leading to hefty clearances. In the US, he was eventually sent to the "closeout" chain Tuesday Morning, where he could be purchased for $8 (original price: $35).


United

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Running out of ways to deco this toy differently...
Available only as a mail-away exclusive offered through Transformers Generations 2011 Vol. 1, United Stepper is a redeco of Transformers: Reveal the Shield Deluxe Class Special Ops Jazz, and includes Nebulon, a redeco of Universe Nightstick. He's black with silver paint and an orange face. Unlike the other decoes of this mold, Nebulon's eyes and face are all the same color (likely in an effort to match the original toy's deco and differentiate him from the many other black and silver decos of the mold).
This marks the first time this figure was released without the accompanying gang-molded Cyclonus. Whether this means the molds were separated or the accompanying Cyclonus parts were discarded/recycled is unknown.
{{#if:Universe (2008)|Universe (2008) mold:|}} Nightstick

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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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Somewhere, Cyclonus is crying into his pillow.
  • The Wiki's traditional policy is to use a character's Hasbro USA name for article titles and reference, as seen with any number of Transformers: Cybertron or Car Robots characters. However, the complicated overlapping name reuse for the Targetmaster character "Nightstick" has prompted an exception, and so Stepper/Ricochet's partner is distinguished here by referring to his original Japanese name of "Nebulon" rather than the later Hasbro name of "Nightstick", in a desperate hope for some clarity on the subject.
    • So, about the name. Cyclonus and Scourge weren't Targetmasters in Japan, but Takara still sold their weapons, partnered with the Autobots Stepper and Artfire. Takara carried their names over as well: one was called "Nightstick", the other was called "Nebulon" (which is how Scourge's on-package bio referred to his partner). However, through error or design, the names were switched: the Nightstick-lookalike partnered with Stepper was called "Nebulon", while Artfire's partner became "Nightstick". To the Japanese audience, of course, this wasn't a problem at the time, but years later, it would get worse...
    • When Hasbro released a Commemorative Series Stepper as "Ricochet" in 2003, his partner, Nebulon, was given the "corrected" name of Nightstick. So now, we've got a Decepticon Nightstick, partnered with Cyclonus, an Autobot Nightstick, partnered with Ricochet, and another Autobot Nightstick, partnered with Artfire, since that little guy has never been given a different English-market name!
    • As Hasbro never ended up releasing Artfire in the 2000s with a localized name, 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!
  • The package art for Nightstick used for both Transformers Collection Stepper and Commemorative Series Ricochet was recycled from Dreamwave's More Than Meets The Eye profile for the Targetmaster version of Cyclonus, which depicted the other Nightstick.
  • Nebulon/Nightstick is one of the few Generation 1 characters to have more than one Shattered Glass doppelgänger, receiving both "Nightstick" in 2009 and "Nebulon" in 2015.

References

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