Targetmaster

Targetmaster is a subline of the Transformers toyline that include Nebulan sidekicks who can transform into the Transformers' weapons.

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 Japanese-exclusive Targetmasters from 1987 was added to the Autobot ranks. The Targetmaster weapon he shares with Decepticon Cyclonus also shares a name. To further add to the confusion, the printed names of Stepper and Artfire's weapon and 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 collectible, and demand high prices on the secondary market.

In the 1987 Targetmaster line, all Autobots could transform into futuristic cars, while all Decepticons could transform into futuristic airplanes.

Autobot Targetmasters

Decepticon Targetmasters

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 that 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.

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