Recoil (G1)
- Recoil is an Autobot aligned Nebulan Targetmaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.
One of the older Nebulans to join the Autobots, Recoil was a former All-World Prismaball champion on his home planet, until age finally caught up with him. While helping to keep Nebulos safe is part of why he agreed to undergo binary bonding to become a Targetmaster, a large part was to prove to himself as much as to others that he still had what it takes. Transforming into a version of Kup's original old-style musket laser, Recoil has found a good match with the crusty Autobot, both seeking the respect they feel their age and experience deserves.
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Recoil was among those Nebulans who joined the Autobots and binary-bonded to Kup to defend his planet from the Decepticon forces; he first saw action in the Autobots' unsuccessful defense of The Nursery. Shortly afterwards the Autobot forces fled to join those on Earth in an attempt to lure their enemies away and save Nebulos from further harm. Brothers in Armor!!
Recoil and Kup, along with the other Autobot Targetmasters, were selected to accompany Fortress Maximus to Earth to rescue Buster Witwicky, brother of the newly binary-bonded Spike Witwicky who proceeded to introduce his team to his father. The group's rescue attempt to the Decepticons island base was ultimately unsuccessful. The Desert Island of Space!
When the Autobots surrendered to Scorponok's Decepticons as part of a plan to ally against the coming of Unicron, Apeface happily snatched gun-mode Recoil away from Kup. Kup punched the Decepticon and picked up his partner, challenging Apeface to laugh now. Calm words from Optimus Prime finally prompted Kup to surrender his partner/weapon to Soundwave, who put Recoil in a box and ordered him to revert to his humanoid form. Surrender!
Generation 1 cartoon
- Voice actor: Johnny Haymer (English); Eiji Yanagisawa (Japanese)
Recoil was a freedom fighter in the group led by Gort. After a group of Autobots were mistaken for Hive machines, he took part in the ambush to capture them. It wasn't long before a Decepticon attack put the Nebulans straight as far as who was on whose side, and Recoil boasted that the group knew the weak points on all of the Hive's machines. The Rebirth, Part 1
Once Targetmaster technology was stolen from the Decepticons, Recoil volunteered for the process, and was partnered with Kup. He greeted Optimus Prime to the planet and informed the Autobot leader that the Nebulans had been told a lot about him. The Rebirth, Part 2 Like the other Nebulans, he traveled to Cybertron with the Autobots, and helped to close the Plasma Energy Chamber and bring a new Golden Age to the planet. Afterward, they returned to Nebulos to rid the planet of the Hive's machines. The Rebirth, Part 3
Toys
Generation 1
- Kup with Recoil (Targetmaster, 1987)
- Japanese ID number: C-113
- Recoil was first released in 1987, boxed with the Targetmaster version of Kup. Like most Targetmaster weapons, his transformation is simple: simply fold his legs up and the barrels of his gun form are revealed. Recoil could be placed in either of Kup's hands or in a plug in the middle of his rear tray. This resulted in a noticeable difference between Kup's Targetmaster mold and his earlier release: his hands and rear tray needed to be retooled to add pegholes large enough to hold his partner.
- This mold was also used to make Barrelroller.
- Future Cybertron (Transformers Collection, 2005)
- Japanese ID number: TF-20
- Targetmaster Kup and Recoil got their first Japanese release in the "Transformers Collection" in a pack with Wheelie. There are no notable differences between the "reissue" Recoil and the original Hasbro release.
United
- Recoil (Mini-Con, 2011)
- A redeco of Power Core Combiners Airlift, United Recoil is a ToysЯUs exclusive "Targetmaster Micron" available only on January 1 2011 with the purchase of 3000 yens' worth of United product. The figure transforms into a gun to be mounted on any Power Core Commander's alternate mode, a handheld weapon for most figures, or armor for a Commander's chest.
- Recoil is one of those rare cases where a redeco was released before or around the same time as the figure he is redecoed from. As of Recoil's release Airlift has only been found in overseas and very limited numbers in North America.
