Review #42: MasterShooter Shooter Masters
(Classics Style Firebolt, Fracas, Haywire, & Recoil)
Targetmasters were a line of Transformers from back in the day that were characters who had guns that were themselves Transformers. Many of the Targetmasters were original characters. But some, specifically five of them, were re-released versions of some of the characters who were more promanant at the time, now including Targetmaster partners for weapons.
One of these five was Cyclonus. When Cyclonus received a Classics style release, fandom was excited when he was released with his Targetmaster partner, Nightstick. But the other four were not so lucky. (I do own Cyclonus, but I've yet to review him. You'll see him in some of the photos below, however, for comparative purposes.)
These four were, specifically, Blurr, Hot Rod, Kup, and Scourge. And now, thanks to a company called MasterShooter Collectables (who also made the previously reviewed Targetmaster style mini-Megatron) these four characters have their Targetmaster partners as well. In this review, we will be taking a look at these new third-party Targetmaster partners, and we'll see if they're on target or if they've missed the mark.
So I now present a series of toys known as the MasterShooter Shooter Masters! (With a name like that, these must have been the only toys that the mayor of Sombertown didn't outlaw!)
One of these five was Cyclonus. When Cyclonus received a Classics style release, fandom was excited when he was released with his Targetmaster partner, Nightstick. But the other four were not so lucky. (I do own Cyclonus, but I've yet to review him. You'll see him in some of the photos below, however, for comparative purposes.)
These four were, specifically, Blurr, Hot Rod, Kup, and Scourge. And now, thanks to a company called MasterShooter Collectables (who also made the previously reviewed Targetmaster style mini-Megatron) these four characters have their Targetmaster partners as well. In this review, we will be taking a look at these new third-party Targetmaster partners, and we'll see if they're on target or if they've missed the mark.
So I now present a series of toys known as the MasterShooter Shooter Masters! (With a name like that, these must have been the only toys that the mayor of Sombertown didn't outlaw!)
Above, from left to right, are Firebolt, Haywire, Recoil, and Fracas. Well, those are the names of the Transformers characters these toys represent, but as is often the case with third-party products, those are not these toy's official names. The official names, as given by MasterShooter Collectables, are as follows:
Firebolt, Hot Rod's partner, is Bolt Action, "The Hot Steel Rod."
Haywire, Blurr's partner, is Minutebot, "The Quick Shot."
Recoil, Kup's partner, is Shot Piece, "The Old Timer." (This name references a parody dub viewable on Youtube, "The Rude Awakening of Optimus Prime." If you don't mind adult humor and language, I'd recommend viewing it. Not for any further insight on these figures, just because it is awesomely funny.)
Finally, Fracas, Scourge's partner, is BrOOMstick, "The Sweeper."
But for the remainder of this review, I'll call them Firebold, Haywire, Recoil, and Fracas.
I was surprised to find that Firebolt and Fracas came with weapons of their own for their robot modes. Firebolt has a double crossbow, and Fracas has a chainsaw. These are holdable by any of these four figures.
Overall, as robots, they are decent little figures. The plastic feels firm. They have decent molding. Their faces have a bit of paint to give them some colour. They all have identical articulation, and very good articulation for their size: all joints are ball joints, and they are in the neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees.
Firebolt, Hot Rod's partner, is Bolt Action, "The Hot Steel Rod."
Haywire, Blurr's partner, is Minutebot, "The Quick Shot."
Recoil, Kup's partner, is Shot Piece, "The Old Timer." (This name references a parody dub viewable on Youtube, "The Rude Awakening of Optimus Prime." If you don't mind adult humor and language, I'd recommend viewing it. Not for any further insight on these figures, just because it is awesomely funny.)
Finally, Fracas, Scourge's partner, is BrOOMstick, "The Sweeper."
But for the remainder of this review, I'll call them Firebold, Haywire, Recoil, and Fracas.
I was surprised to find that Firebolt and Fracas came with weapons of their own for their robot modes. Firebolt has a double crossbow, and Fracas has a chainsaw. These are holdable by any of these four figures.
Overall, as robots, they are decent little figures. The plastic feels firm. They have decent molding. Their faces have a bit of paint to give them some colour. They all have identical articulation, and very good articulation for their size: all joints are ball joints, and they are in the neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees.
The next photo we'll see the four of them along with four other Targetmaster partners, to the left a few from Fansproject (Sidearm and Blesser) and to the right a few official ones (the Nightstick that came with the aforementioned Universe Cyclonus, and a G1 Targetmaster: Barrelroller, the partner of Orion Pax, and thus a recolor of G1 Recoil).
Fansproject's Sidearm bring up an interesting thing: Bolt Action is not the first third-party Firebolt there has been. We'll get to that a bit more in a moment. First, let us see the four of these in their weapon mode! We'll begin by looking at their interactivity with vehicle mode.
There we go! Our four Transformers now have their new Targetmaster partners and are ready for action! All armed up and ready to go! Er.... well, except for Hot Rod. And there we come to our first problem, and sadly it is a large one:
Unless you have one very specific version of the Classics Hot Rod mold, there is no way to attach Firebolt to him in vehicle mode. No 3mm clip points. No peg holes. No pegs. Nothing. People with knowledge of the mold may know that you can flip forward his spoiler and part of his rear end to reveal a peg hole, and one might have hoped that this one could be usable with Firebolt, but sadly this was not to be.
If you recall from Hot Rod's own review, he uses 4mm pegs. Now, these Targetmaster partners have double-stepped pegs, that feature a peg that is theoretically compatible with both 5mm and 4mm holes. They also feature 3mm clips, which can get in the way for some peg holes. Firebolt just won't fit into the space where this 4mm peg hole is. Now, MasterShooter Collectables did consider possible spacing issues, and included with each of these figures an adapter to try and make the peg easier to get into tighter spaces if necessary. But alas, the adapter only has a 5mm peg, and is thus useless for the 4mm peg hole on Hot Rod.
As mentioned, there is one version of the Hot Rod mold that does feature a usable connection point: the 2012 Takara Deluxe Rodimus Prime. That version of the toy had a remolded engine block that added a 5mm peg, and the aforementioned adapter MasterShooter Collectables included with these figures gives an option for a 5mm hole, as well. And thus you can plug Firebolt on there, which is actually very accurate to how G1 Firebolt interacted with G1 Hot Rod. But alas, with any other version of the Classics Hot Rod mold, you are completely out of luck.
Unless you have one very specific version of the Classics Hot Rod mold, there is no way to attach Firebolt to him in vehicle mode. No 3mm clip points. No peg holes. No pegs. Nothing. People with knowledge of the mold may know that you can flip forward his spoiler and part of his rear end to reveal a peg hole, and one might have hoped that this one could be usable with Firebolt, but sadly this was not to be.
If you recall from Hot Rod's own review, he uses 4mm pegs. Now, these Targetmaster partners have double-stepped pegs, that feature a peg that is theoretically compatible with both 5mm and 4mm holes. They also feature 3mm clips, which can get in the way for some peg holes. Firebolt just won't fit into the space where this 4mm peg hole is. Now, MasterShooter Collectables did consider possible spacing issues, and included with each of these figures an adapter to try and make the peg easier to get into tighter spaces if necessary. But alas, the adapter only has a 5mm peg, and is thus useless for the 4mm peg hole on Hot Rod.
As mentioned, there is one version of the Hot Rod mold that does feature a usable connection point: the 2012 Takara Deluxe Rodimus Prime. That version of the toy had a remolded engine block that added a 5mm peg, and the aforementioned adapter MasterShooter Collectables included with these figures gives an option for a 5mm hole, as well. And thus you can plug Firebolt on there, which is actually very accurate to how G1 Firebolt interacted with G1 Hot Rod. But alas, with any other version of the Classics Hot Rod mold, you are completely out of luck.
So while I usually try to avoid my reviews being a contest between two different toys, it is unavoidable here. When it comes to interactivity with the vehicle mode, Fansproject's version of Firebolt wins hands down... because it can actually attach to the vehicle! It may not be a strictly G1 accurate attachment, being over the spoiler rather then into the engine block... but it can actually attach to the vehicle! Besides which, even though theoretically Transformers drive themselves and don't need visibility through the windshield, having the gun over the spoiler just looks more sleek and less obtrusive then having it over the hood, as Blurr in the above photo might indicate.
Speaking of Blurr, I fear we must address Haywire's attachment for vehicle mode, as well. While you can attach him, so he is automatically infinitely better then MasterShooter's Firebolt, the attachment is tenuous at best. Blurr has no 3mm posts to clip onto. Blurr has no peg holes on his vehicle mode. So the best solution there is is to separate the panels on his hood ever so slightly, jam Haywire in there, get the panels as tight as possible around the clip and peg, and let a little friction and a lot of luck hold Haywire in there. Barely passable on a vehicle sitting on display on a shelf, but far from perfect and no solution at all if you tend to move your figures more then a bit.
Things are better with Recoil & Kup and Fracas & Scourge, mainly because Kup and Scourge actually had 3mm clip attachment points. In Scourge's case, the attachment point is even in the same place it would have been on his G1 toy. These figures work quite well with their Targetmaster partners in vehicle mode.
Speaking of Blurr, I fear we must address Haywire's attachment for vehicle mode, as well. While you can attach him, so he is automatically infinitely better then MasterShooter's Firebolt, the attachment is tenuous at best. Blurr has no 3mm posts to clip onto. Blurr has no peg holes on his vehicle mode. So the best solution there is is to separate the panels on his hood ever so slightly, jam Haywire in there, get the panels as tight as possible around the clip and peg, and let a little friction and a lot of luck hold Haywire in there. Barely passable on a vehicle sitting on display on a shelf, but far from perfect and no solution at all if you tend to move your figures more then a bit.
Things are better with Recoil & Kup and Fracas & Scourge, mainly because Kup and Scourge actually had 3mm clip attachment points. In Scourge's case, the attachment point is even in the same place it would have been on his G1 toy. These figures work quite well with their Targetmaster partners in vehicle mode.
Scourge & Fracas looks particularly good with his fellow Decepticon Targetmaster pair Cyclonus & Nightstick.
Now, how do these guys fare when interacting with Robot modes?
Now, how do these guys fare when interacting with Robot modes?
Well, Scourge is the best of these four. He holds Fracas securely and looks good doing so. Kup's interaction with Recoil is decent, but not perfect. He'll hold Recoil, but not as tight as one might hope. You get Recoil in Kup's hand and don't bump him, he'll stay there. But it can be a little annoying to get him to stay there. Kup's hands fare better with longer pegs, and the MasterShooter Shooter Masters do have somewhat shallow pegs. Then there is Blurr...
Blurr is a problem. The holes in Blurr's hands seem like they are wider at the top, and narrow to 5mm at the bottom. When using Blurr's included weapons, you kind of get a sense of this when you put the weapons in his hands and they feel loose until they click into place when they are all of the way in. But as mentioned, these Targetmaster partners have somewhat shallow pegs. Even with the previously mentioned adapters, you're not really adding much peg length. Certainly not enough to fit in Blurr's hand well enough to stay there. I thought the attachment was tenuous in vehicle mode, there you at least had some small bit of friction helping to contribute. In robot mode, it is only gravity and luck that will hold Haywire in Blurr's hand. Pose his hand in a way where gravity won't help, or bump the figure slightly, and Haywire will fall out of the fist. You can get a tighter attachment by turning Blurr's fist upside down and plugging Haywire into the bottom of the fist... but then you have an upside down fist!
Then we come to Hot Rod. The MasterShooter Firebolt plugs well into Hot Rod's hand. And it plugs in with the fist folded out properly, unlike Fansproject's Firebolt, which you may recall from that figure's review in the past has a 5mm post that blocks the 4mm post unless you fold the fist part way in. So looking at Firebolt strictly based on interaction with Hot Rod's robot mode, the MasterShooter version does seem superior. And, as a bonus to those with such preferences, the MasterShooter one certainly has a more G1 looking gun mode.
Blurr is a problem. The holes in Blurr's hands seem like they are wider at the top, and narrow to 5mm at the bottom. When using Blurr's included weapons, you kind of get a sense of this when you put the weapons in his hands and they feel loose until they click into place when they are all of the way in. But as mentioned, these Targetmaster partners have somewhat shallow pegs. Even with the previously mentioned adapters, you're not really adding much peg length. Certainly not enough to fit in Blurr's hand well enough to stay there. I thought the attachment was tenuous in vehicle mode, there you at least had some small bit of friction helping to contribute. In robot mode, it is only gravity and luck that will hold Haywire in Blurr's hand. Pose his hand in a way where gravity won't help, or bump the figure slightly, and Haywire will fall out of the fist. You can get a tighter attachment by turning Blurr's fist upside down and plugging Haywire into the bottom of the fist... but then you have an upside down fist!
Then we come to Hot Rod. The MasterShooter Firebolt plugs well into Hot Rod's hand. And it plugs in with the fist folded out properly, unlike Fansproject's Firebolt, which you may recall from that figure's review in the past has a 5mm post that blocks the 4mm post unless you fold the fist part way in. So looking at Firebolt strictly based on interaction with Hot Rod's robot mode, the MasterShooter version does seem superior. And, as a bonus to those with such preferences, the MasterShooter one certainly has a more G1 looking gun mode.
But alas, I cannot get past the aforementioned issue that, while it works well with the robot mode, the MasterShooter version does not interact at all with Hot Rod's vehicle mode. So unless you have that one version of the Hot Rod mold I mentioned that would be an exception to that, I have to side with preferring the Fansproject version of Firebolt.
Here's one last photo before I get on with my final thoughts: the pair of Deception Targetmasters together in robot mode, along with Galvatron in the background so you can have the main (post-movie) bad guy trio!
Here's one last photo before I get on with my final thoughts: the pair of Deception Targetmasters together in robot mode, along with Galvatron in the background so you can have the main (post-movie) bad guy trio!
Yeah, I do not want to be a lone Autobot running into that trio!
So, final thoughts. All four of these are great individual robots, and make nice transformations into weapons. The weapons have what on the surface seems like good options for interactivity, featuring 3mm clips and a double-stepped peg compatible with both 4mm and 5mm peg holes, plus an adapter to make the 5mm peg more accessible or add a 5mm peg hole to the weapon itself. But all of this potential interactivity is for naught if it doesn't go well with the figures these were designed for.
Firebolt: Firebolt alas cannot avoid comparison with Fansproject's Sidearm version of the same character. The MasterShooter toy has a better robot mode, and in gun mode has better interaction with Hot Rod as a robot. Also, while Fansproject's version had a nice looking gun mode itself, for those that care the MasterShooter version is certainly more "G1" looking. But, unless you have the exact right version of the Hot Rod mold, MasterShooter's Firebolt cannot at all interact with Hot Rod's vehicle, so for me (who doesn't have that exact right Hot Rod) the Fansproject one wins hands down. But if you do have the 2012 Takara Deluxe Rodimus Prime, this Firebolt will work very well for you.
Haywire: I suppose one cannot fault MasterShooter Collectables too much for the fact that Hasbro didn't include any attachment points on the vehicle mode. This Blurr was not officially intended to be a Targetmaster. So if the tenuous vehicle mode attachment was this figure's only strike, I'd be more forgiving. But the lack of a strong attachment for the gun with Blurr's robot mode brings my opinion down drastically. I suppose MasterShooter was doing their best to have a somewhat standard design to their attachment options, and they did try to provide a veriaty. But their options failed to be sufficient to deal with Blurr's hands that require a deep 5mm peg, and thus Haywire is almost useless with Blurr's robot mode.
Recoil and Fracas: These two are pretty much perfect! The only minor issue is that Recoil could sit better in Kup's hand if he had a deeper 5mm peg, but he stays well enough to pass for me.
I've thus far only seen these four sold as a set. (Quick addendum: since putting this review up a few days ago, I have seen them available individually.) If you are fine with having two perfect figures and two with some issues (or only one with issues if you have that aforementioned specific Hot Rod) then those two good ones are well worth it. And with the plethora of attachment options, it is possible you will find other figures in your collection for Haywire and this Firebolt to work with. But if you were hoping for a Haywire to work with Blurr, or with a Firebolt to attach to your Hot Rod's vehicle mode, you will be disappointed.
But Recoil and Fracas... Bull's-eye!
Review added 6 April 2013. Please comment!
So, final thoughts. All four of these are great individual robots, and make nice transformations into weapons. The weapons have what on the surface seems like good options for interactivity, featuring 3mm clips and a double-stepped peg compatible with both 4mm and 5mm peg holes, plus an adapter to make the 5mm peg more accessible or add a 5mm peg hole to the weapon itself. But all of this potential interactivity is for naught if it doesn't go well with the figures these were designed for.
Firebolt: Firebolt alas cannot avoid comparison with Fansproject's Sidearm version of the same character. The MasterShooter toy has a better robot mode, and in gun mode has better interaction with Hot Rod as a robot. Also, while Fansproject's version had a nice looking gun mode itself, for those that care the MasterShooter version is certainly more "G1" looking. But, unless you have the exact right version of the Hot Rod mold, MasterShooter's Firebolt cannot at all interact with Hot Rod's vehicle, so for me (who doesn't have that exact right Hot Rod) the Fansproject one wins hands down. But if you do have the 2012 Takara Deluxe Rodimus Prime, this Firebolt will work very well for you.
Haywire: I suppose one cannot fault MasterShooter Collectables too much for the fact that Hasbro didn't include any attachment points on the vehicle mode. This Blurr was not officially intended to be a Targetmaster. So if the tenuous vehicle mode attachment was this figure's only strike, I'd be more forgiving. But the lack of a strong attachment for the gun with Blurr's robot mode brings my opinion down drastically. I suppose MasterShooter was doing their best to have a somewhat standard design to their attachment options, and they did try to provide a veriaty. But their options failed to be sufficient to deal with Blurr's hands that require a deep 5mm peg, and thus Haywire is almost useless with Blurr's robot mode.
Recoil and Fracas: These two are pretty much perfect! The only minor issue is that Recoil could sit better in Kup's hand if he had a deeper 5mm peg, but he stays well enough to pass for me.
I've thus far only seen these four sold as a set. (Quick addendum: since putting this review up a few days ago, I have seen them available individually.) If you are fine with having two perfect figures and two with some issues (or only one with issues if you have that aforementioned specific Hot Rod) then those two good ones are well worth it. And with the plethora of attachment options, it is possible you will find other figures in your collection for Haywire and this Firebolt to work with. But if you were hoping for a Haywire to work with Blurr, or with a Firebolt to attach to your Hot Rod's vehicle mode, you will be disappointed.
But Recoil and Fracas... Bull's-eye!
Review added 6 April 2013. Please comment!
A reader commented that they would like to see how these pair with G1 figures. As hand held guns, they would pair well with any figure who could hold 4mm or 5mm peg, I suppose. As far as specifically pairing them with a G1 Targetmaster figure, the only one I have is Orion Pax (a repaint of Kup), so let us take a look!
The following photos are Orion Pax wielding both the MasterShooter Collectables Recoil and his own Targetmaster partner, Barrelroller (a recolor of the original G1 Recoil). Pardon the non-standard backgrounds, I didn't feel like dragging out my usual backdrop for a few quick extra shots.
The following photos are Orion Pax wielding both the MasterShooter Collectables Recoil and his own Targetmaster partner, Barrelroller (a recolor of the original G1 Recoil). Pardon the non-standard backgrounds, I didn't feel like dragging out my usual backdrop for a few quick extra shots.
It works. I will mention that I had to use the adapter for vehicle mode since Orion Pax's (and thus, also Kup's) vehicle mode peg hole is somewhat recessed. But that is why MasterShooter included these adapters!
So if you have a G1 Targetmaster and want him to have a partner who kicks his arse in articulation, or if you lost the partner and don't mind replacing him with a third-party option rather then tracking down an authentic G1 one, you could use these.
Addendum added 10 April 2013.
So if you have a G1 Targetmaster and want him to have a partner who kicks his arse in articulation, or if you lost the partner and don't mind replacing him with a third-party option rather then tracking down an authentic G1 one, you could use these.
Addendum added 10 April 2013.