Targetmaster
Encyclopedia
Targetmaster is a subline of the Transformers toyline that include Nebulan sidekicks who can transform into the Transformers' weapon
s.
ese-exclusive Targetmasters from 1987 was added to the Autobot ranks. Unfortunately, the Targetmaster weapon he shares with Decepticon Cyclonus, also share names. To further add to the confusion, the printed names of Stepper and Artfire's weapon/partners in Japan are swapped. Cyclonus's partner Nightstick is called Nebulon (the name Fracas is erroneously given on Scourge's box) and paired with Stepper. Scourge's partner Fracas is called Nightstick and paired with Artfire.
The smaller Targetmaster partners were easily lost making them highly collectable and demand high prices on the secondary market.
Autobot
Targetmasters
Decepticon
Targetmasters
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 and 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 to 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 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. However, some partnerships did not work out as planned. The Decepticon Misfire was already a poor marksman and the fact his new Targetmaster partner Aimless was an underachieving rookie only made things worse. Also, Fracas was more loyal to Zarak than Scourge, even going so far as to point himself at Scourge and demand they fall back from battle because Zarak told them to.
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
.
, 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 three of 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. In Japan Spoilsport was called Spoil.
Two additional Targetmaster toys were available exclusively in Japan - Stepper, a recolor on the 1984 toy, Jazz
, and Artfire, a recolor of 1985's Inferno
. These two were armed with Nightstick and Fracas, respectively, although the guns wore their opposite's names—the American Nightstick called Nebulon (the name incorrectly printed on Scourge's file card), the American Fracas called Nightstick. The characters themselves did not appear in the Headmasters animated series, featuring only in the official manga
of the series. Rare and much-sought-after for some time, Stepper was eventually reissued in 2003, and even made it to the US in their Commemorative Series reissue line, now with the name Ricochet.
Notably, in the Marvel Comics
, Firebolt is consistently referred to as Sparks - except in the exclusive stories contained in the comic's UK
counterpart.
Autobot Targetmasters
Decepticon Targetmasters
Additionally, the combining sub-group, the Seacons
, were sold under the Targetmasters banner, due to their ability to become weapons that could be wielded by their combined form, Piranacon. For information on those characters, see their own article.
to provide fiction for the 1988 Targetmaster characters in the West—anywhere, in fact, as the Double Targetmasters did not even feature in the Japanese-exclusive series for that year, Super-God Masterforce.
The Autobot Double Targetmasters' roles were brief ones—they were seen participating in a raid on Cybertron
led by Jazz, Grimlock
and Bumblebee
. The three also served as Emirate Xaaron's support crew when Galvatron
(acting as Unicron's herald) attacked. The Decepticons, on the other hand, played more prominent parts as troops under the command of Thunderwing
who served him during his quest for the lost Creation Matrix - Spinister, in particular, came to doubt Thunderwing's sanity as his commands became more and more unhinged. Needlenose, though seen often during the Matrix Quest
, seems to be unnerved by Thunderwing's later erratic behavior, but not to the point of complaining. Quake, in turn, is noted for his durability, having taken fatal damage from Unicron
during the Chaos-Bringer's attack on Cybertron
and lived to tell the tale.
Also, across the Atlantic in the UK's exclusive Transformers title, the Decepticon Double Targetmasters became a part of the new Mayhem Attack Squad, charged with hunting down and killing the renegade Decepticons, Catilla
and Carnivac. The cowardly Needlenose was given leeway by Spinister and allowed onto the mission, but after the successful murder of Catilla, his nervousness consumed him. Fearing retribution from Carnivac, he subjected his fellow troops to unregistered timing exercises, earning him nothing but their ire and a lack of credibility—something that came back to haunt him when he was attacked and killed by a vengeful Carnivac, and his fellow Decepticons refused to heed his calls for help.
who carried weapons which turned into sidekicks. These Transformers would then include:
line, a good number of Mini-Con
s converted into hand-held and port-mounted weapons, which would technically name them Targetmaster partners to larger Transformers who wielded them.
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s.
1987 Targetmasters
The first Targetmasters assortment, released in 1987, included six new characters, and five existing ones from the 1986 line, whose toys were slightly remolded with larger peg holes to hold their new weapons, as well as an additional peg hole for each remold to mount its weapon in vehicle mode. In 2003, one of the two JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese-exclusive Targetmasters from 1987 was added to the Autobot ranks. Unfortunately, the Targetmaster weapon he shares with Decepticon Cyclonus, also share names. To further add to the confusion, the printed names of Stepper and Artfire's weapon/partners in Japan are swapped. Cyclonus's partner Nightstick is called Nebulon (the name Fracas is erroneously given on Scourge's box) and paired with Stepper. Scourge's partner Fracas is called Nightstick and paired with Artfire.
The smaller Targetmaster partners were easily lost making them highly collectable and demand high prices on the secondary market.
Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...
Targetmasters
- BlurrBlurrBlurr is the name given to five different fictional characters in the Transformers universes. He frequently appears as a blue Autobot who transforms into a swift car...
(futuristic car) with Haywire - CrosshairsCrosshairs (Transformers)Crosshairs is the name of several fictional characters of the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:Crosshairs is an Autobot and transforms into a futuristic, possibly Cybertronian ATV....
(4x4) with Pinpointer - Hot Rod (hot rodHot rodHot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
) with Firebolt - KupKupKup is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universe. All are older Autobots who are members of the Elite Guard. Wired Magazine once nominated him as one 12 most ridiculous Transformers of all time...
(pickup truck) with Recoil - PointblankPointblank (Transformers)Pointblank is a fictional character from the various Transformers series introduced in 1987. He appeared in season 4 of the Transformers animated series, voiced by actor Neil Ross...
(car) with Peacemaker - SureshotSureshot (Transformers)Sureshot is the name to two different fictional characters in the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:Sureshot was part of the Autobot Targetmaster team. He transforms into a racing car and his Nebulan Targetmaster partner is called Spoilsport...
(dune buggy) with Spoilsport - Stepper (Porsche 935Porsche 935The Porsche 935 was introduced in 1976, as the factory racing version of the Porsche 911 turbo prepared for FIA-Group 5 rules. It was an evolution of the Porsche Carrera RSR 2.1 turbo prototype which had scored 2nd overall in the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans....
Turbo) with Nebulon - RicochetRicochet (Transformers)-Transformers: Generation 1 :The name Ricochet was first given to a Nebulan, one of the Autobot Quickmix's two Targetmaster partners. On Nebulos, the mercurial Ricochet was a renowned environmental sculptor, combining landscapes and foliage to create natural art forms. After witnessing the...
(Porsche 935 Turbo) with Nightstick- Ricochet is the official American name for the Japanese character Stepper.
- Nightstick is the original American name for his partner, originally paired in the West with Cyclonus.
- Artfire (Mitsubishi-Fuso fire engine) with "Nightstick"
- Artfire's weapon/partner was paired in America with Scourge and called Fracas.
Decepticon
Decepticon
The Decepticons are usually depicted as the antagonists in the fictional universes of the Transformers stoyline and related comics and cartoons, and the enemies of the Autobots and the University of California Davis Aggies...
Targetmasters
- CyclonusCyclonusCyclonus is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:The tech spec from the box art of the Cyclonus toy describes him as a compassionless Decepticon air warrior and saboteur...
(spaceship) with Nightstick - Misfire (jet) with Aimless
- ScourgeScourge (Transformers)Scourge is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers series. He first appeared as one of the central villains in the 1986 film The Transformers, voiced by Stan Jones. He also regularly appeared in the animated Transformers series and Transformers comic books. Since then other...
(hovercraft) with Fracas - Slugslinger (twin-nosed jet) with Caliburst
- TriggerhappyTriggerhappy (Transformers)Triggerhappy is a fictional character from the various Transformers series. He appeared in season 4 of the Transformers animated series voiced by Charlie Adler...
(jet) with Blowpipe
Animated Series
The Targetmasters were introduced in "The Rebirth", the three-part fourth-season finale to the original Transformers animated series.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 and 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 to 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 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. However, some partnerships did not work out as planned. The Decepticon Misfire was already a poor marksman and the fact his new Targetmaster partner Aimless was an underachieving rookie only made things worse. Also, Fracas was more loyal to Zarak than Scourge, even going so far as to point himself at Scourge and demand they fall back from battle because Zarak told them to.
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
Scorponok
Scorponok is the name shared by several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. All are Decepticons that turn into Scorpoins.- Transformers: Generation 1:...
, who transported the Decepticon forces back to Cybertron
Cybertron
Cybertron is a fictional planet, the homeworld of the Transformers in the various fictional incarnations of the metaseries and toyline by Hasbro. In the Japanese series, the planet is referred to as "Cybertron" pronounced as セイバートロン Seibātoron...
, where their plans were foiled by Spike Witwicky and Fortress Maximus
Fortress Maximus
Fortress Maximus is the name of several fictional characters from several of the various Transformers universes. Fortress Maximus appeared in the season 4 finale of the US Transformers animated series voiced by Stephen Keener. He was one of the stars of the Japanese Transformers: Headmasters...
.
Transformers: Headmasters
Although "The Rebirth" marked the end of the Transformers cartoon in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 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
Wheelie (Transformers)
Wheelie is the name of two different fictional characters in the Transformers series.-Generation 1:The first Wheelie is a young Autobot who turns into a car. He has a distinctive style of speech, in which he rhymes his sentences while speaking in a high pitched voice, making him sound like a child....
, 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
Sixshot
Sixshot is the name of two fictional characters from the various Transformers series. Introduced in 1987, Sixshot appeared in the last few episodes of the original US Transformers animated series, voiced by Neil Ross. His defining gimmick was that he had six different forms, not two like a normal...
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 three of the six Master refugees had been fused to their arms. Although Fortress
Fortress Maximus
Fortress Maximus is the name of several fictional characters from several of the various Transformers universes. Fortress Maximus appeared in the season 4 finale of the US Transformers animated series voiced by Stephen Keener. He was one of the stars of the Japanese Transformers: Headmasters...
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. In Japan Spoilsport was called Spoil.
Two additional Targetmaster toys were available exclusively in Japan - Stepper, a recolor on the 1984 toy, Jazz
Jazz (Transformers)
Jazz is the name of a fictional character from the various Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a music loving robot and talks with a slang accent. He is also a good friend of Optimus Prime's...
, and Artfire, a recolor of 1985's Inferno
Inferno (Transformers)
Inferno is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. Despite having different alternate modes, the character name has been most associated with the form of a fire engine.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
. These two were armed with Nightstick and Fracas, respectively, although the guns wore their opposite's names—the American Nightstick called Nebulon (the name incorrectly printed on Scourge's file card), the American Fracas called Nightstick. The characters themselves did not appear in the Headmasters animated series, featuring only in the official manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
of the series. Rare and much-sought-after for some time, Stepper was eventually reissued in 2003, and even made it to the US in their Commemorative Series reissue line, now with the name Ricochet.
Marvel Comics
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. Then, realising how much damage his actions were causing Nebulos, Zarak freed the Autobot Headmasters, who fled the planet, and were pursued by the Decepticons, leaving Nebulos to recover from the brief war. The Autobots, including the Targetmasters, then traveled to Earth, where they became part of the main Autobot force.Notably, in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, Firebolt is consistently referred to as Sparks - except in the exclusive stories contained in the comic's UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
counterpart.
1988 Targetmasters
The 1988 Transformers, consisting of entirely new characters, were Double Targetmasters, equipped with two Nebulons who would each transform into a gun, and could combine together into one singular weapon.Autobot Targetmasters
- LandfillLandfill (Transformers)-Transformers: Generation 1:Landfill is the name of an Autobot Double Targetmaster who turns into a dump truck.Landfill was part of the three Double Targetmaster Autobots alongside Scoop and Quickmix, each with their vehicle modes based on a construction vehicle. As his name suggests, Landfill...
(dump truckDump truckA dump truck is a truck used for transporting loose material for construction. A typical dump truck is equipped with a hydraulically operated open-box bed hinged at the rear, the front of which can be lifted up to allow the contents to be deposited on the ground behind the truck at the site of...
) with Flintlock and Silencer - QuickmixQuickmix (Transformers)Quickmix is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:Quickmix is an impatient, short-tempered inventor who is always in a hurry. He is constantly devising new formulas and developing new ways to defeat the Decepticons...
(concrete mixerConcrete mixerA concrete mixer is a device that homogeneously combines cement, aggregate such as sand or gravel, and water to form concrete. A typical concrete mixer uses a revolving drum to mix the components...
) with RicochetRicochet (Transformers)-Transformers: Generation 1 :The name Ricochet was first given to a Nebulan, one of the Autobot Quickmix's two Targetmaster partners. On Nebulos, the mercurial Ricochet was a renowned environmental sculptor, combining landscapes and foliage to create natural art forms. After witnessing the...
and Boomer - ScoopScoop (Transformers)Scoop is the name of several fictional character from the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:A gung-ho fighter who never gives up. Considered the best in the field. Uses cool headed logic and hardened battle tactics to outwit his enemies. Always ready to lend a helping...
(payloaderLoader (equipment)A loader is a heavy equipment machine often used in construction, primarily used to load material into or onto another type of machinery .-Heavy equipment front loaders:A loader A loader is a heavy equipment machine often used in construction, primarily used to load material (such as asphalt,...
) with Tracer and Holepunch
Decepticon Targetmasters
- Needlenose (F-16XLF-16XLThe General Dynamics F-16XL is a derivative of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, with a cranked-arrow delta wing. It was entered in the United States Air Force's Enhanced Tactical Fighter competition but lost to the F-15E Strike Eagle...
fighter jet) with Zigzag and Sunbeam - QuakeQuake (Transformers)Quake is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers series.- Transformers: Generation 1 :The first Quake figure was a Decepticon Targetmaster with two transforming weapon-partners: Tiptop and Heater...
(Leopard 2Leopard 2The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s for the West German Army. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army. Various versions have served in the armed forces of Germany and twelve...
tank) with Tiptop and Heater - SpinisterSpinister-Transformers: Generation 1:Spinister is described as an eerie aerial adventurer. Talks little, reveals less.His Nebulan partners are Singe and Hairsplitter. Single is a playboy who was in love with Zarak's daughter, joining the Decepticons to get close to her...
(AH-64 ApacheAH-64 ApacheThe Boeing AH-64 Apache is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement, and a tandem cockpit for a two-man crew. The Apache was developed as Model 77 by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the...
helicopter) with Singe and Hairsplitter
Additionally, the combining sub-group, the Seacons
Seacons
This article is about the Transformers characters the Seacons. For the shopping mall, see Seacon Square. For the 1961 Worldcon in Seattle, Washington, Seacon, see 19th World Science Fiction Convention...
, were sold under the Targetmasters banner, due to their ability to become weapons that could be wielded by their combined form, Piranacon. For information on those characters, see their own article.
Marvel Comics
With the American animated series having concluded the previous year, it fell to Marvel ComicsMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
to provide fiction for the 1988 Targetmaster characters in the West—anywhere, in fact, as the Double Targetmasters did not even feature in the Japanese-exclusive series for that year, Super-God Masterforce.
The Autobot Double Targetmasters' roles were brief ones—they were seen participating in a raid on Cybertron
Cybertron
Cybertron is a fictional planet, the homeworld of the Transformers in the various fictional incarnations of the metaseries and toyline by Hasbro. In the Japanese series, the planet is referred to as "Cybertron" pronounced as セイバートロン Seibātoron...
led by Jazz, Grimlock
Grimlock
Grimlock is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a tough leader who turns into a mechanical dinosaur...
and Bumblebee
Bumblebee (Transformers)
Bumblebee is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. In most incarnations, Bumblebee is a small, yellow Autobot with the altmode of a compact car.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
. The three also served as Emirate Xaaron's support crew when Galvatron
Galvatron
Galvatron is the name of several fictional Transformers, most often the recreated version of Megatron, the Decepticon leader. He was voiced by Leonard Nimoy in the 1986 Transformers movie, and then by Frank Welker in season 3 and 4 of the animated television series. Since then, other Transformers...
(acting as Unicron's herald) attacked. The Decepticons, on the other hand, played more prominent parts as troops under the command of Thunderwing
Thunderwing
Thunderwing is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers series. Introduced in 1989, he was a major villain in the Marvel Comics Transformers series. Although Thunderwing was created after the US Transformers television series ended, the character of Black Shadow did appear in...
who served him during his quest for the lost Creation Matrix - Spinister, in particular, came to doubt Thunderwing's sanity as his commands became more and more unhinged. Needlenose, though seen often during the Matrix Quest
Matrix Quest
The Matrix Quest is the official collective name for issues #62 through #66 in Marvel's Transformers comics, written by UK writer Simon Furman. Each chapter of the story pays homage to a classic movie or book....
, seems to be unnerved by Thunderwing's later erratic behavior, but not to the point of complaining. Quake, in turn, is noted for his durability, having taken fatal damage from Unicron
Unicron
Unicron is a fictional character from the Transformers universe and toyline. Created by Floro Dery, he was introduced in the 1986 animated film The Transformers: The Movie as the film's main antagonist. Unicron is a prodigiously large robot whose scale reaches planetary proportions, and he is also...
during the Chaos-Bringer's attack on Cybertron
Cybertron
Cybertron is a fictional planet, the homeworld of the Transformers in the various fictional incarnations of the metaseries and toyline by Hasbro. In the Japanese series, the planet is referred to as "Cybertron" pronounced as セイバートロン Seibātoron...
and lived to tell the tale.
Also, across the Atlantic in the UK's exclusive Transformers title, the Decepticon Double Targetmasters became a part of the new Mayhem Attack Squad, charged with hunting down and killing the renegade Decepticons, Catilla
Catilla
Catilla is a genus of fungus in the family Cyphellaceae....
and Carnivac. The cowardly Needlenose was given leeway by Spinister and allowed onto the mission, but after the successful murder of Catilla, his nervousness consumed him. Fearing retribution from Carnivac, he subjected his fellow troops to unregistered timing exercises, earning him nothing but their ire and a lack of credibility—something that came back to haunt him when he was attacked and killed by a vengeful Carnivac, and his fellow Decepticons refused to heed his calls for help.
Action Master Targetmasters
Dreamwave comics profiles for the Generation One character expanded the term Targetmaster to include the many Action MastersAction Masters
Action Masters are a sub-line of the Transformers toy franchise, first released in 1990, with a wave of new releases released in Europe in 1991. It featured Transformers action figures who were unable to transform, but came with transforming partners, weapons or exo-suits. Some of the larger sets...
who carried weapons which turned into sidekicks. These Transformers would then include:
- Banzai-Tron (with Razor-Sharp)
- Charger (with Firebeast)
- DevastatorConstructiconsright|thumb|Scavenger, Bonecrusher, Longhaul, Scrapper & Mixmaster - five of the original six Constructicons The Constructicons are a group of fictional characters from the various Transformers continuities...
(with Scorpulator) - Jackpot (with Sights)
- Krok (with Gatoraider)
- Mainframe (with Push-Button)
- RadRad (Transformers)-Transformers: Generation 1:Rad is an Autobot Action Master. He has a Targetmaster partner named Lionizer.With more moves than an all-pro halfback, this clever, cool-headed daredevil is equally adept at combating Decepticons or calculating the coefficient of friction for a rocket booster...
(with Lionizer) - Rollout (with Glitch)
- ShockwaveShockwave (Transformers)Shockwave is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Throughout his incarnations, he is usually distinguished by a laser cannon in lieu of one of his hands and his distinctive face, which is featureless save a single robotic eye...
(with Fistfight) - SkyfallSkyfall (Transformers)Skyfall is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. In some cases the name Skyfall is used as a substitute for Skyjack.-Transformers Generation 1:...
(with Top-Heavy) - SnarlSnarl (Transformers)Snarl is the name of several different fictional characters in the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:Snarl is one of the members of the Autobot sub-group called the Dinobots led by Grimlock...
(with Tyrannitron) - SoundwaveSoundwave (Transformers)Soundwave is the name of several characters in the various series Transformers series. His most famous disguise is that of a microcassette recorder and has an iconic voice done by a vocoder.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
(with Wingthing) - Treadshot (with Catgut)
Transformers: Armada
In the Transformers: ArmadaTransformers: Armada
Transformers: Armada, known in Japan as , is a Transformers animated series, comic series and toy line which ran from 2002–2003. It was originally scheduled for 2001, however was delayed until early-2002...
line, a good number of Mini-Con
Mini-Con
Mini-Cons are a human-sized race and faction of power-enhancing transforming robots in the Transformers: Armada universe and its sequels, one of the assorted universes in Transformers fiction...
s converted into hand-held and port-mounted weapons, which would technically name them Targetmaster partners to larger Transformers who wielded them.