Slugslinger (G1)
Slugslinger and Caliburst were introduced in The Rebirth, the three-part fourth-season finale to the original Transformers animated series.
Animated Series
voice actor Peter Cullen (English)
When the Decepticons attempted to seize the power of the Plasma Energy Chamber in 2007, a group of Autobots were blasted across the galaxy to the planet Nebulos by the ancient foundry's energies, where they took up with a group of rebel Nebulons. To fight the Hive, the evil rulers of Nebulos, some of the Autobots and Nebulons bonded their bodies a minds together, becoming Headmasters, serving up a definitive defeat to the Decepticons pursuing them. This group of Decepticons was then approached by the Hive, who sought to replicate the Headmaster process with them, but Cyclonus was able to bargain them down to taking only half the Decepticons' heads, offering up the weapons of the others as alternatives. Using Nebulan technology, the guns were engineered into a transforming exo-suits which were donned by five members of the Hive, creating the Targetmasters, giving their Transformer wielders ten times the accuracy and firepower.
The Decepticon Targetmasters overcame the Autobots and reclaimed the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber, but in the struggle, the Autobot Brainstorm was able to scan Cyclonus's partner, Nightstick, and that data was used to duplicate the Targetmaster process with the remaining Autobots and Nebulan rebels, creating the Autobot Targetmasters. Their power, however, was nothing in the face of the Decepticons' newest weapon, the super robot, Scorponok, who transported the Decepticon forces back to Cybertron, where their plans were foiled by Spike Witwicky and Fortress Maximus
Headmasters
voice actor Ken Yamaguchi (Japanese)
Although The Rebirth marked the end of the Transformers cartoon in the US, in Japan, a different direction was taken - ignoring the events of The Rebirth, a brand new, exclusive 35-episode series, Transformers: Headmasters, was produced to take its place, which introduced the Targetmasters towards its conclusion. Notably, in Japan, the 1986 characters were not re-released as Targetmasters - only the six new characters featured in Headmasters.
In the world of Transformers: Headmasters, there are no Nebulons - the Headmasters themselves are simply small Transformers, who, having settled on the planet Master, learned to transform into heads and connect to lifeless larger bodies named Transtectors. It was to Master that the Decepticon forces returned after the Autobots forced them to flee Earth, and consequently, a ship was dispatched by the planet's inhabitants to alert the Earth-bound Autobots to the Decepticon invasion. At the same time, the youthful Autobot, Wheelie, had summoned three of his old superior officers - Pointblank (Blanker in Japan), Sureshot and Crosshairs - to Earth to aid in the clean-up operation currently going on, when Autobot Headmaster Chromedome accidentally activated one of the plasma bombs the Decepticons had left behind. Heading out into space so that the bomb might harmlessly explode out in the void, the Autobots then crossed paths with the approaching Master ship, which was being pursued by the Decepticon Sixshot and three new troops - Slugslinger, Misfire and Triggerhappy. As Pointblank and his men tangled with the Decepticons, the Master refugees offered their help by transporting away the plasma bombs, only to have the bombs detonate in the middle of the battlefield.
Recovering from the explosion, Pointblank, Crosshairs and Sureshot discovered that the six Master refugees had been fused to their arms. Although Fortress was able to surgically remove them, a bond now existed between the larger Transformers and the Master refugees, who could now freely attach and detach to their wrists as guns. Unfortunately for these new Targetmasters, the same had happened to Slugslinger and his fellows. The Targetmasters joined up with Fortress's crew on the mission to Master, but quickly clashed with the Headmasters - Pointblank and his men were hard, experienced warriors who thought little of the Headmasters, and Pointblank spent a good deal of time attempting to soothe Chromedome's fiery temper to improve his battle ability.
Marvel Comics
Slugslinger and Caliburst first appeared in Transformers: Headmasters #4 when the Decepticons under Scorponok's leadership. With the Autobot Headmasters captured by their Decepticon counterparts, the Decepticons ran rampant over the planet Nebulos, a group of the remaining Autobots on the planet joined with a group of Nebulons branded as criminals by Nebulon's political leader, Lord Zarak - partner of the Decepticon, Scorponok - in order to protect the Nursery, Nebulos's primary agricultural research facility, against Decepticon attack. Through bio-mechanical engineering, the Nebulons were given the ability to transform into the guns of the Autobots, and, as Targetmasters, they fended the Decepticons off. Within several days, the Decepticons had duplicated the process with five of their own troops.
A story told in Marvel U.K. #130-131 called Worlds Apart was set some time during the events of issue #4 of the U.S. Headmasters series. In this story the Decepticons have captured Autobot Targetmasters Crosshairs, Pointblank and Sureshot, supposedly to learn to perfect the Targetmaster process. Autobot Headmasters Brainstorm, Chromedome, Hardhead and Highbrow made their way to the Decepticon headquarters but were attacked by the Apeface, Mindwipe, Skullcruncher, Snapdragon and Weirdwolf. The Autobots won, perhaps too easily, causing an argument between the Autobots and their Nebulan partners on what to do next. Eventually the Nebulans prevail and they arrived at Scorponok's Fortress of Dispair, where they found both the missing Autobots and a trap set by the Decepticons. Scorponok and his Targetmasters Cyclonus, Misfire, Scourge, Slugslinger and Triggerhappy ambushed the Autobots, who learn the Decepticons actually were having trouble with their Headmasters and needed to capture one of Headmaster Autobots. Scorponok grabbed Highbrow to study and left the others to die, but the Autobots freed their Targetmasters, who helped even the odds. As Highbrow and his partner Gort were having trouble working together, Scorponok learned the importance of compatibility of a Transformer with his binary bonded partner. Chromedome aided Highbrow in realizing it's not compatibility as much as common goals and using the best of both minds which unite a Headmaster team and he was able to help Highbrow's team work together. Together they forced Scorponok to flee.
Slugslinger last appeared in Transformers #61.
Slugslinger had a Transformers: Universe profile published in the back of issue 60 if the US Marvel Transformers series.
Dreamwave Comics
Slugslinger's only appearance in Dreamwave Comics was in the third War Within series on ancient Cybertron where he was one of Starscream's Predacons.
Caliburst never appeared in the storyline of Dreamwave Comics before the company closed, but he did get a one page biography with Slugslinger in their More Than Meets The Eye series.
