Battle Master
| This article is about the 2019 gimmick. For the 1987 gimmick, see Targetmaster (technology). For the 2014 franchise, see Battle Masters. |
- Battle Masters are a cross-factional subgroup from the War for Cybertron Trilogy portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Battle Masters (aka Selectors) 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.
Fiction
Generations Selects manga
The Selectors (セレクターズ Serekutāzu) were created at some point before the year 2050, mass-produced by humans after discovering and harnessing the seemingly-miraculous power source known as Angolmois Energy. While the Cybertron Alliance kept the peace out in space, the Selectors became an indispensable part of Earth society—not only did they toil away in factories and foundries, but some of their number combined themselves into buildings, walls, and furniture for their human taskmasters. While humans viewed them as a necessary part of their society, Optimus Prime found himself troubled by humanity's clear disregard for the independence of their mechanical creations. As they grew in number, the Selector Rung directly petitioned Megatron to help drive the humans off of Earth, comparing the struggles of his kind to the ancient Transformers who rebelled against Quintesson creators. Volcanicus comic 1
Megatron decided to support the Selectors in their bid for freedom, and both he and his Decepticons joined Rung and his group of rebels as they began a full-scale revolt against their human creators. When the Autobots intervened, Megatron called Optimus out on his hypocrisy—for if freedom was the right of all sentient beings, then that maxim applied to the Selectors too. Volcanicus comic 2
Toys
Introduced in the Siege toyline, Battle Masters are a modern take on the Targetmaster gimmick, being small robots that transform into weapons. While they usually turn into guns of some stripe (most being being updated versions of prior Targetmaster characters), there are those that turn into melee weapons and even shields (which can double as ramps that attach to certain toys in the Earthrise toyline).
Each one also comes with one or two "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.
Generations
Siege
| Wave 1 | Wave 2
|
Wave 3 | Wave 4 |  | |
| Pack-ins |
Earthrise
Wave 1
|
Wave 2
|
Wave 3
|
 |
War for Cybertron Trilogy
| Pack-ins |  |
Notes
- As it is possible to detach limbs and reattach them to their repaints, the original 1987 color schemes may be easily recreated for some characters. Switching the arms of Blowpipe and Aimless will give them their original Targetmaster appearance, while Fracas may be created using parts from Aimless, Blowpipe and Caliburst.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Battle Master (バトルマスター Batoru Masutā)
