The headmasters, targetmasters, and powermasters were some of my favorite Transformers, aside from the entire 1984 cast. Two toys for the price of one, and you could switch the heads and guns and engines between them, as if Duros were driving Brainstorm, Hot Rod had Spoilsport, and so on. I've been slowly collecting the entire Master collection for a while now, and I have all headmasters, and almost all Autobot Targetmasters. I seriously wish these would get rereleased, and that Hasbro had continued the cartoon to give us those additional Japanese heads somewhere along the line. I still regret to this day not getting Fortress Maximus as a kid. But he will be mine...oh yes, he will be mine.
Universe 2.0 Cyclonus proved that Hasbro can and should do more Targetmasters. Powermasters could be done fairly cool. I'd like to see some cars with ridiculously oversized engines, kind of like how PCC Leadfoot and Pinpoint work together. But Headmasters... the main figure would probably have to be an Ultra or Leader class to have a head big enough to transform into a smaller robot. Deluxes and Voyagers' heads are so small, I don't think Hasbro could engineer something transformable.
I agree totally. Give us new, more articulated Head-/Target-/Power-masters like the new Generations Cyclonus, or MP Hot Rod. MP Stepper, Artfire, Kup, Chromedome....that would be nice.
I liked them as a kid because they were so different. Nowadays I just like their designs more than the actual gimmick
Considering how cool some of the minicon partners were in the PCC line as well as Offshoot from MP Rodimus, I don't see how X-master partners couldn't work.
I liked the toys. At the time the gimmick resulted in added articulation in the bodies. Does it need to be revisited? I'm happy with just transformering and maybe triple-changing. That said, very cool toys:
Having the Targetmaster is what pushed me past the tipping point to buy the Hasbro Masterpiece Rodimus. Without it, I either might have tried to hold out for the Takara release with trailer, or passed on the figure entirely.
Targetmasters are pretty obvious they are Weapons. Headmasters and Targetmaster robots modes are good to crew bases and such. Some people buy them to provide a head to a junker body or custom. personally I'd just buy them as they are cute. and I like small toys. BTW is there supposed to be something keeping Apeface's backpack up as both the ones I've handled have a very loose backpack that only can be held up buy the ape mode feet. Oh and i'd love couple of new Ultra scale Headmaster Horrorcons in the classics universe - I think they could be done very well at that size and would work well if made a little larger
You can have them standing about on Scorponok, Metroplex, Trypticon, Overload, Star Convoy or Fortress Maximus' base modes I suppose.
I had a few headmasters and they were fun. But this always bugged me- the robot (head) could never just be around when the other robot was in bot mode. They HAD to be the head. With target masters and power masters they could work as a team or separately. But the headmasters were absolutely dysfunctional. It was still fun though.
I asked him the very same question in another thread where he posted pics of that toy. If you look at the bottom of the figure ( his butt ) in robot mode, you'll see a pinkish red part up there that the Ape head clips into. It's probably loose. You'll have to take apart the front part of the jet ( the pin pushed out real easy on mine with a small screwdriver ) and tighten that screw. Mine is a tight as a nun's knees now.
I've loved headmasters and Targetmasters since '87. It really was an added element of intricacy on a toy already heralded for its complexity. There were hidden features, and as others have mentioned, drivers for vehicles (Dunno about the animal 'Trainers' thing). To me, and I know I differ to many here on this, it was also a time of fresh change in Transformers. An inundation of post movie futuristic designs, with alien robots that actually turned into alien things like spaceships. (I think TF had already lost many kids to shows like Robotech.) They weren't really any more bricks than previous years, however, many were larger, which probably adds to some people's perception. Original Transformers were being manufactured with different plastics to Diaclone bots in order to compensate too, which made the seem a bit 'plasticky' (Particularly TMs). But otherwise, they were stronger and more rigid as toys. I love the alt modes of most of the original Targetmaster Decepticons, and Autobots like Highbrow, and wish HasTakTomy were as creative in design now days. As far as supporting media goes; I think I liked the US comic more, (it was one of the better US comics IMO). Rebirth seemed exciting and flashy, but very little substance.
I love the Headmasters because it was something different. In fact, Headmasters are really the only vintage TF figures I really care about. Except for Galvatron and the Stunticons, I can care less these days about vintage Transformers. They are just giant bricks and I would rather have a fully posseable figure that is similar in design than a brick that stands there and moves his lower arms down and forward and maybe his head can tilt. To be honest though, I think my love for Transformers has seen the end of its day. I am just far more into MOTUC and GI Joe than I am with Transformers. Even when I watched all 98 episodes two weeks ago I felt no desire to go out and buy a new TF, but when I watched the 119 episodes of GI Joe currently on DVD last week, I wanted to own several of the characters I currently do not. Plus I love the Joe comics whereas I have never enjoyed the Transformers comics, and ROC upsets me far more than the Bayformers garbage.
Were you a fan back in 87 and read the Marvel Comics? Do you like the japanese TF series? Do you like to have humans interacting with your TFs? Do you understand the appeal of the new Human Alliance line?
