Battle Master

This article is about the 2019 gimmick. For the 2014 franchise, see Battle Masters.

"When I got tired, I slept. When I got hungry, I ate. When I had to go, you know, I went."

Battle Masters are small Transformers that can transform into weapons compatible with the C.O.M.B.A.T. System. Not only can they provide adequate firepower on their own, they can also combine with other C.O.M.B.A.T. weapons to form bigger and badder guns.

Toys

Introduced in the Siege toyline, Battle Masters are small robots that transform into weapons, sold either individually or as pack-ins with larger figures. In the Siege line, they are split into two rough categories:

• The overwhelming majority turn into guns, most being modern updates of prior Targetmaster characters—though nearly all use the same two base molds from the first wave: Firedrive and Blowpipe (and the latter's retool Aimless). Rung also falls into this category.
• The rest are bestial robots that turn into melee weapons, in the vein of some Action Master partners. These are Lionizer, Pteraxadon, Smashdown and their various redecos, plus Giza as a holdover from Power of the Primes.

The Earthrise line introduced a third category, that turn into shields which can double as A.I.R. Lock System-compatible ramps. These were Soundbarrier, Slitherfang, and Doublecrosser, plus a couple of redecos as pack-ins with larger figures.

Each Battle Master (except for Enerax, Sheeldron, and Giza) also comes with one or two "Fire Blast" effects: transparent soft-plastic parts with a small hole that lets them attach to the Battle Masters' weapon modes to simulate blaster fire, energy-swipes, or impacts. As all larger Siege and Earthrise toys also have numerous 3 mm posts on their weapons and bodies, these effects can also be used with these toys as well. Some blast effects have 5 mm posts as their base, letting them plug into the barrels or thrusters of larger toys.

The Battle Masters and included blast effects play into the larger C.O.M.B.A.T. System.

A few years later, the Rise of the Beasts line brought back Battle Masters in the form of Beast Battle Masters, many of which are representations of characters from the movie with a beast mode.

War for Cybertron: Siege

Wave 1 WFC-S1 Firedrive WFC-S2 Lionizer WFC-S3 Blowpipe	Wave 2 WFC-S16 Pteraxadon WFC-S17 Aimless	Wave 3 WFC-S30 Caliburst WFC-S31 Smashdown	Wave 4 WFC-S44 Singe WFC-S45 Rung		Lionizer Shrute
Pack-ins WFC-S15 Dazzlestrike WFC-S26 Trenchfoot WFC-S27 Fracas WFC-S27 Shrute WFC-S27 Terror-Daxtyl

War for Cybertron: Earthrise

Wave 1 WFC-E1 Soundbarrier WFC-E2 Smashdown (packaging refresh of Siege Smashdown)

Wave 2 WFC-E13 Slitherfang WFC-E14 Rung (packaging refresh of Siege Rung)

Wave 3 WFC-E39 Decepticon Doublecrosser

Soundbarrier

War for Cybertron Trilogy

Wave 1 pack-ins Battlefield Rung Captive Lionizer Captive Pinpointer Heartburn Heatstroke

Wave 2 pack-ins Enerax Fangtron Giza Sheeldron

Wave 3 pack-ins Sparkless Caliburst Sparkless Singe

Selects pack-ins WFC-GS26 Nightstick

Pinpointer

War for Cybertron: Kingdom

Pack-ins Autobot Sights

Autobot Sights

Legacy

Selects pack-ins Nightstick

Nightstick

Doom ‘n Destruction Collection pack-ins Malleus Minotaurus

Shattered Glass Collection

Pack-ins Fireglide

Fireglide

Rise of the Beasts

Beast Battle Masters wave 1 Cheetor Rhinox Skullcruncher

Beast Battle Masters wave 2 Optimus Primal

Beast Battle Masters wave 3 Airazor

Optimus Primal

Beast Weaponizers wave 1 pack-ins Arrowstripe Chainclaw

Beast Weaponizers wave 2 pack-ins Rhinox

Beast Weaponizers wave 3 pack-ins Cheetor

Buzzworthy Bumblebee Beast Weaponizers pack-ins Sandspear

Chainclaw

TakaraTomy campaign items Burning Plasma Blaster Burning Cheetor Burning Chainclaw

Burning Plasma Blaster

Merchandise

Private Turbo Board, one of several Action Master partners the game used as Battle Masters.

Battle Masters were introduced to the Transformers Trading Card Game across the game's third and fourth waves, both of which tied into the War for Cybertron: Siege toyline. Naturally, the majority of the Siege toyline's standard retail release Battle Masters made it into the game. Wave 4 further supplemented the Battle Master ranks with a handful of characters that were originally Action Master partners.

Unlike most character cards in the game, Battle Masters begin a match in robot mode and are unable to transform by typical means. Instead, they can only use their alt-mode upon being KO'd, causing them to go from being a character card to an upgrade card that the player equips to one of their still living characters. The Battle Master cards were also smaller than a typical character card, being the size of a typical trading card rather than the double sized cards used for other characters. Oddly, every Battle Master card was of Uncommon rarity.

War for Cybertron: Siege I

• Private Firedrive, Ground Command-Artillery/Duo-Charge Electrostatic Photon Cannon
• Private Lionizer, Ground Command-Artillery/RS Firesteel Saber
• Private Pteraxadon, Air Command-Artillery/Binary Edgewind Scythe
• Raider Aimless, Air Force-Weapons/Manifold Ion Particle Blaster
• Raider Blowpipe, Air Force Weapons/Dual-Impact Shatterblast Cannon
• Raider Nightstick, Ground Force-Weapons/Black Beam Blaster

War for Cybertron: Siege II

• Private Dazzlestrike, Ground Command-Artillery/Shadowsteel Iceblade
• Private Turbo Board, Air Command-Evac/Anti-Gravity Turbo Pack
• Private Vanguard, Ground Command-Advance Guard/Anti-Ballistic Turret Helmet
• Raider Caliburst, Air Force-Weapons/Oxidation Cannon
• Raider Needler, Ground Force-Demolitions/Steelbite Incisor Mask
• Raider Sights, Air Force-Artillery/Multi-Maneuver Glider Wings

Notes

• Many owners have reported a gradual change in the chemical composition of Fire Blast effects, causing the soft plastic to ah, melt into surrounding paint and plastic. Caution is advised, as is storing blast effects separately from the toys they are intended to complement.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Battle Master (バトルマスター Batoru Masutā)

See also

• Arms Micron
• Targetmaster (technology)