Hi!

I Just joined TFans and wanted to post something by way of introduction. I'm relegated to public access terminals, so If i don't respond to something right away, Don't get upset! My name is Kevan, I'm an Auto mechanic and been a fan of transformers since I was three or four. I also like Gobots, but don't hold that against me! Anyway, the first transformer I ever bought with my own money was Targetmaster Blurr and Haywire, so I've always been a bit of a targetmaster nut. In my opinion, the whole minicon concept from armada on would have been vastly improved if the minicons had been targetmasters, and targetmaster guns make a lot more sense as minicons than nebulans. Anyway, since the concept of transformers turning into guns began with the original Megatron and Shockwave, it seems odd to me that there are not that many targetmaster-like characters released. Any thoughts?

Welcome to TFans.

 

As for my thoughts on Targetmasters. Well, I like the whole -master thing (Head/Power/Target), I think they had their run, but if Hasbro wants to try and bring them back in the Classics 2.0/Universe line, great. More than welcome. I'd love to see some Classics Headmasters.

 

My hopes is that at least one of the types of -masters will get a role on either of the two sequels to the movie.

Welcome aboard! :wave

 

Targetmasters (and the Headmasters for that matter) always seemed liked a pretty cool idea to me. It was like getting two bots for the price of one. The only killer was the lack of detail and articulation for the weapons' bot modes. They pretty much just folded in half and that was it. It would be cool to see an updated version using the more advanced minicon styled bots for weapon and head alt modes. Unless they do a Classics spin-off or a completely new line using the old concepts, I don't think this will ever happen.

Gobots suck! :P

 

Yeah, Targetmasters are cool. I never had Targetmaster Blurr, Hot Rod, Kup, Cyclonus or Scourge - actually, I still don't have any of those guys except for reissue TM Hot Rod since they were never released in Australia (but they were released in New Zealand! Ggrrr!)

 

In my opinion, the whole minicon concept from armada on would have been vastly improved if the minicons had been targetmasters,

Over-Run and his evil counterpart (repaint) Run-Over are mini-cons that transform into jets, but also transform into guns, so they're very similar to the Targetmaster Nebulans. They came with Deluxe Optimus Prime (aka "Bendy Prime") and Nemesis Prime respectively.

 

Here, I made this little picture as a tribute to the Targetmasters. GET ON!

 

Welcome to the boards!

 

Like Goki said, there are tons of Targetmaster-like bots out there. Especially in the Armada range there are a lot of Targetmaster minicons. A bit too much to list in one post, as my attention span doesn't allow for big posts, but dig around on the internet for a while and look some of the Armada bots up.

 

[unpopular]Armada rocked![/unpopular]

Gobots suck! :P

 

Heh, sure, the tv show sucks hard, but the machine robo line deserves respect, and all Bandai, one of the first robot toys companies ever.

Yeah, there was over-run, and then that police car minicon that turned into a bazooka. Some of the other "weapon" minicons were a litttle more, um, unusual, like "wolverine" claws and a throwing star, or combined into less than impressive "super" weapons, like the jet team/star saber thing. The best one was Overload's minicon, rollout. That one was both a headmaster and targetmaster. What all of these have in common, though, is that the weapons mode was always a third mode. What I would like to see is a minicon with a gun as its only alt mode. With the better joints they use now, that would be awesome!

...that wouldn't be a lot of fun for kids, and is part of the reason why Headmasters and Targetmasters aren't that popular with some Transformers fans because Nebulans aren't really independently functional toys in their own right. This is also the main reason why most Transformers fans don't count Nebulans as separate/individual Transformers (as demonstrated in the collection count polls). The Mini-Cons you cited on the other hand not only transform into heads and weapons etc., but they also have actual real proper alt modes like cars, planes etc., which does make them fully functional Transformer toys in their own right - hence why most Transformers fans do count Mini-Cons individually (again, poll results demonstrate this).

 

If you had Monzo - on his own - without Mindwipe or any other Headmaster Transtector (body), he would be virtually useless as a toy. If you had Rollout on its own, he still transforms from a robot into an armoured vehicle, thus he would still be a meaningful Transformer toy in its own right. What would most kids want? A robot that transforms into just a head or a robot that transforms into a vehicle that also happens to transform into a head. Most kids would go for the latter in my estimation. As you said so yourself, the Headmaster/Targetmaster concept has been very seldomly repeated since 1987/88.

 

The only Mini-Con I can think of atm that has no other alt mode other than being a head is Omega Supreme's Mini-Con (which I don't believe was even given a separate name, although I personally call him "Omega Spreem").

Hello and welcome. I also like the targetmaster but they are a pain to get. I have to find Misfire w/aimless, Blowpipe's cannon, Slugslinger's tm, and Sureshot's tm. I also like Gobots. I have Pincher MISP, 2 Puzzler giftsets, and Flytrap.

I am that guy that wished Targetmasters got a better backstory in the original comics.