Micromaster Combiner

This article is about the tiny vehicles that combine in pairs. For the teams of 3 to 6 robots that make one big robot, see Combiner.

This article is about pairs of Micromasters that combine to form vehicles. For pairs of Micromasters that combine to form robots, see Combi-Micromaster.

Micromaster Combiners are pairs of Transformers from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Mass hysteria, Autobots and Decepticons combining together...

Most Micromasters function just like a typical larger-scaled Transformer: one robot mode, one vehicle mode. However, some transform into only half a vehicle, and must combine with a partner to form a complete vehicle mode. These Transformers are known as Micromaster Combiners.

Micromaster Combiner pairs typically include a front-end member and a back-end member. The connection points between the pairings are wired such that any front-end combiner can join with any rear-end combiner. In addition to the childish innuendos that this inevitably suggests, it also can result in the formation of some extremely bizarre vehicle combinations.

Fiction

Dreamwave continuity

A grayish-blue Micromaster seen only from the back was among the crowd relaxing in a neutral bar in Little Iacon. Some have speculated this may have been Cement-Head or Terror-Tread. The Gray Race

Apart from this, the Micromaster Combiners were curiously absent from Dreamwave's Micromasters comic, which is the only fiction that most of the 1990 Micromasters ever appeared in.

Commercial appearances

Megatron's plan to graft the butt of a crane onto the butt of a missile carrier succeeded beyond expectations. And they called him mad!

The Micromaster Combiners got their own 1990 commercial spot, appearing in animation alongside Megatron in his Action Master form. A horde of Micromasters streams into Megatron's base. Two pairs of them (Roadburner/Wheel Blaze and Missile Master/Moonrock) drive in circles on Megatron's table, confusing him. When he picks them up, they just split apart and recombine; Roadburner then shoots Megatron in the face.

Toys

Generation 1

• Micromaster Combiner Squads (1990)

Autobots

• Astro Squad
• Metro Squad

Decepticons

• Battle Squad
• Constructor Squad

Come on! Let's go space truckin'!

Who's gonna drive you home? Not these guys.

The Micromaster Combiners were sold in carded "squads" with six Transformers to a squad, making up three vehicles. The pairings allowed much longer vehicle forms than the typical Micromaster, allowing such alternate forms as tractor-trailers and a hovercraft. Many of the vehicle modes, however, were fanciful at best.

Each Micromaster Combiner has a standardized post and hole on one end, allowing them to plug into any other Micromaster Combiner in vehicle mode. Of course, you're only supposed to combine front-end guys with back-end guys... but who can resist the absurdity of creating a flying dump truck or a truck with two cabs? As a side effect of the combination system, many of the Micromaster Combiners are stuck with vehicle forms that are utterly useless without their partners, such as half of a space shuttle, the container portion of a dump truck, or the trailer of a truck.

• Micromaster Combiner Transports (1990)

Autobots

• Missile Launcher with Retro and Surge
• Tanker Truck with Pipeline and Gusher

Decepticons

• Cannon Transport with Terror-Tread and Cement-Head

The Constructor Squad was redecoed and sold with transformable battle rigs as the Micromaster Combiner Transports.

• Micromaster Combiner bases (1990)
  • Autobots: Battlefield Headquarters
  • Decepticons: Anti-Aircraft Base

The two largest Micromaster playsets of 1990 were these vehicles, sold boxed. Each came with a pair of unique-mold Micromaster Combiners.

Trivia

• The two-robots-in-one-vehicle concept would not be revisited in toy form until 2009's Revenge of the Fallen line, with the introduction of Skids and Mudflap's combined ice cream truck form.