Targetmaster (technology)

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Targetmasters are Transformers (and their partners) from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Cambot! Gypsy! Tom Servo! Croooooow!

The Targetmasters are a subset of Transformers binary-bonded to smaller partners, who transform into their weapons. The partner is often an organic life form that has been bio-engineered to be partly mechanical, or wears a suit of armor that transforms around them to become the weapon.

The Targetmasters benefit from being able to take two minds into battle. A Targetmaster possesses a living weapon that is capable of making its own tactical decisions and target priorities. The advantage is similar to that of having a dedicated gunner aboard an aircraft.

The Targetmaster process is often seen to follow shortly after development of the Headmaster process. The earliest known Targetmasters were among the Autobots and Decepticons involved in the war on Nebulos, and were paired with a bio-engineered Nebulan humanoid. Later Targetmasters included virtually any Transformer specifically partnered with another being that becomes their weapon, not limited to Nebulans or organics. The term has been applied to the Seacon team<ref>Hasbro's 1988 toy catalog</ref> and several Action Master pairings.<ref>More Than Meets The Eye</ref>

Some Transformers, known as Double-Targetmasters, are bonded with two smaller partners who can form individual weapons or combine with one another to form a 'double weapon', with the power of whichever weapon forms the 'barrel' boosted by the other.

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Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

The first Targetmasters were a group of six Autobots under the command of Fortress Maximus. Having traveled to the planet Nebulos in search of peace, this group surrendered their weapons to the natives to prove their peaceful intentions. Ring of Hate!

Nebulon minds were duplicated and installed into transformable Nebulon-sized robots, creating the Targetmasters. The Final Conflict

This depiction of Targetmasters as robots with duplicated Nebulon minds and not actual Nebulons is unique to this story.

Some time later, Lord Zarak and his Decepticon Headmaster partner Scorponok had discredited the Autobots, turned public opinion against them, and driven them into retreat. A group of six Nebulan dissidents undertook a great risk to join the Autobots, allowing themselves to be bio-engineered into replacement weapons for the six unarmed Autobots. Worlds Apart!

Mouseketeer Roll Call! Cubby! Bobby! Gregor! Jimmy! Darlene! Annette!

The Autobot Targetmasters' first trial by combat came at The Nursery, a horticultural research facility that was under threat by Zarak's Decepticons. The newly-minted Targetmasters engaged Scorponok and the Terrorcons in a battle for the Nursery, but retreated as the facility was being destroyed by the battle, regardless of who was winning.

Vorath was soon able to duplicate the Autobots' experiment, creating a group of five Decepticon Targetmasters, though they weren't quite a match for the Autobot Headmasters. All of the Targetmasters left Nebulos soon after, as the Autobots retreated to spare Nebulos further warfare, and the Decepticons pursued. Brothers in Armor!!

Only the eleven "large" Targetmasters are given an origin in the Headmasters mini-series, and there isn't a lot of room in the plot for others to have been made off-panel. Nevertheless, the Marvel bios for several of the "small" (1988) Targetmasters imply they became Targetmasters at this time.

The Autobot Targetmasters subsequently went on a mission to rescue the human Buster Witwicky from the Decepticons. They were repulsed from the Decepticons' island base by a phalanx of hidden weapons. The Desert Island of Space!

Wrecking Havoc

Dry Run!

Time Wars

Hot Rod is no longer a Targetmaster as he mourns Firebolt's death.

Headhunt

Additional Targetmasters may or may not have been created as the war went on. Quickmix and Needlenose were both seen using weapons resembling their Targetmaster partners, but their individual circumstances do not seem to easily allow for them to have been on Nebulos to acquire Targetmaster partners. Yesterday's Heroes!

Recoil was among the weapons surrendered by the Autobots to the Decepticons as part of preparation for an alliance against Unicron. Surrender!

Prowl noted the double-paired Targetmasters known as Double-Targetmasters among his list of complaints about how complicated things had gotten in his absence. Starting Over!

Dreamwave comics continuity

The Targetmaster process was developed eons ago on Cybertron, as a process to forge a warrior and his weapon into a cohesive fighting team. The two are linked on a mental and physical level, allowing them to draw energy from each other and multitask with extreme efficiency. Targetmaster weapons cannot be wielded by another being without their consent unless they are somehow incapacitated in their weapon configuration. Severe injury or death of one partner can have a profound physical and emotional impact on the other.

The Targetmaster process was further expanded upon on the planet Nebulon. This would allow organic humanoids, not just mechanoids, to function as weapons when adorned with removable armor. The strength and endurance of these modified beings were greatly enhanced, though their appearance does not change. More Than Meets The Eye issue 8

American cartoon continuity

Here's me, and here's my gun!

The Rebirth, Part 1

The Rebirth, Part 2

The Rebirth, Part 3

Japanese cartoon continuity

Headmasters

FIRE IN THE HOLE!

In Japanese continuities, Targetmaster partners hail from the planet Master, but unlike the Headmasters they are partnered with a regular Transformer as opposed to a Transtector. This fusion came about in a blast which binary-bonded a group of refugees from Master to the arms of the new Autobot recruits, as well as the Decepticon marauders, who were terrorizing the refugees in the first place. Unlike in the US continuity and toys, when the Masters transform into gun mode, they take the place of their larger partner's entire hand instead of being held by it.

Ricochet, Artfire, Hot Rod, Kup, Cyclonus, and Scourge have Targetmasters, even though they were not present for the explosion. The Japanese Targetmasters speak in a series of electronic beeps (like the Mini-Cons) that only their bonded partner can understand, instead of speaking normally like their Headmaster brethren.

Shattered Glass

In this reverse universe, the connection Targetmasters have to their smaller partners seems not to go beyond simple personality complements, i.e. Crosshairs is lazy, so his partner Pinpointer is enthusiastic. The small partners are Micromasters with three modes: robot, vehicle, and weapon.

Ricochet devised a plan to keep the Decepticons stranded on Cybertron while the Autobots fled to Earth. To execute this plan, he, Scoop, and Crosshairs took Targetmaster partners. Nightstick was easily able to take down Megatron, but the Decepticon Micromasters were able to thwart the entire group of Targetmasters, allowing Megatron to free himself. Do Over

Toys

Generation 1

File:G1Crosshairs toy.jpg

Crosshairs

• Autobot Targetmasters (1987)
  • Blurr with Haywire
  • Crosshairs with Pinpointer
  • Hot Rod with Firebolt
  • Kup with Recoil
  • Pointblank with Peacemaker
  • Sureshot with Spoilsport

The Autobot Targetmasters were sold boxed with their Targetmaster partners, and consisted of three all-new molds alongside slightly retooled versions of Hot Rod, Kup and Blurr from the previous year's assortment. The three older molds featured enlarged fist holes, allowing them to hold their new weapons. Both old and new molds transform into futuristic/Cybertronian ground vehicles. All six can mount their Targetmaster weapon on their roof or hood while in vehicle mode.

File:G1 Misfire toy.jpg

Misfire

• Decepticon Targetmasters (1987)
  • Cyclonus with Nightstick
  • Misfire with Aimless
  • Scourge with Fracas
  • Slugslinger with Caliburst
  • Triggerhappy with Blowpipe

Similar to their Autobot counterparts, the Decepticon Targetmasters feature three new jet molds alongside retooled versions of Cyclonus and Scourge with enlarged fist holes. All five transform into futuristic/Cybertronian aircraft. Their weapons can be mounted on top of them in jet form. The three newer molds were also sold in 1988.

File:Double targetmasters.jpg

Nebulan-on-Nebulan action!

• Autobot Targetmasters (1988)
  • Landfill with Flintlock and Silencer
  • Quickmix with Boomer and Ricochet
  • Scoop with Holepunch and Tracer

Often referred to as the "small Targetmasters" to distinguish them from the larger 1987 releases, these toys were sold carded. Each toy includes two smaller Targetmaster partners, each of which can form a gun or combine together as a larger gun. The two guns can also mount on the robot's vehicle form. The three Autobots share a construction vehicle theme. These toys were never released in Japan.

• Decepticon Targetmasters (1988)
  • Needlenose with Sunbeam and Zigzag
  • Quake with Tiptop and Heater
  • Spinister with Hairsplitter and Singe

The Decepticon "small Targetmasters" were sold carded with two Targetmaster partners each. Like the 1988 Autobots, these partners can form independent or combined weapons, and mount on their partner Transformers' vehicle forms or be wielded by them in robot mode. The three Transformers all turn into military vehicles. These toys were never released in Japan.

• Seacons (1988)
  • Nautilator
  • Overbite
  • Seawing
  • Skalor
  • Tentakil

The Seacons are a Scramble City-style combiner team, with a large leader toy who forms the torso of a larger robot, with four smaller toys plugging in to form the limbs. The team was given an additional fifth small toy, however. All five small toys have a "weapon" mode—essentially their creature mode with a gun barrel attached—allowing any of them to be used by the combined robot as a Targetmaster weapon. Each small toy could also form a free-standing gun by attaching to a small stand included with the toy.

• Japanese-original Targetmasters (1987)
  • Stepper (Ricochet) with Nebulon (Nightstick)
  • Artfire with Nightstick

Artfire and Ricochet are redecos of the original toys for Inferno and Jazz, respectively. They each come with the Targetmaster partner molds that were used as Fracas and Nightstick in the US.

• Action Masters (1990)
  • Banzai-Tron with Razor-Sharp
  • Jackpot with Sights
  • Krok with Gatoraider
  • Mainframe with Push-Button
  • Rad with Lionizer
  • Rollout with Glitch
  • Skyfall with Top-Heavy
  • Treadshot with Catgut

Several Action Master figures include robotic partners who transform into weapons for the robot's use. Though not labeled as such at the time, 2003's More Than Meets The Eye profile books retroactively dubbed these characters Targetmasters.

Beast Wars

• Basics
  • Break
  • Stampy

Several of the Beast Wars Neo toys include third-mode weapon forms, which could be wielded by other toys.

Beast Machines

• Deployers (2000)
  • Dillo
  • Mol
  • Rav

Universe series

• Chro<ref>Chro was called a Targetmaster in Cryotek's BotCon online bio. Chro is repurposed from Rav's blue deco.</ref>

Universe (2008)

• Cyclonus with Nightstick

A re-imagining of their original designs.

Gentei! (2009)

• Strafe with Rocketbot

Redecos of the Universe Cyclonus and Nightstick molds.

Shattered Glass

• Ricochet with Nightstick
• Scoop with Holepunch
• Crosshairs with Pinpointer

All of these characters except Ricochet are repurposed toys from previous toylines.

References

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