Decepticon Small Headmasters Fangry and Squeezeplay

I'm on the march to the end of the US G1 line, and it's been a slow, cumbersome process to get there.
Currently, I'm at a point where getting good specimens are going to be expensive, or there are characters that I couldn't really care about.  Seriously, getting excited about Micromasters is just hard.  The exciting thing is that I'm finishing a ton of subgroups along the way.  Recently, I completed the Decepticon small Headmasters when I got Squeezeplay and Fangry.

We'll start with Fangry since I purchased him first.  The interesting thing about the small Decepticon Headmasters is that the beast modes are comprised of two different animals.  For Fangry those animals are a wolf and a bat.  I think, I'm not entirely sure.  Based on some good old fashioned Andrew Wildman art, the wolf part is definitely right.

TFwiki.net

Man, could Wildman draw.  Love that guy.  Anyway, Fangry in real life does not look like that.

Fangry has a transformation scheme that I wasn't expecting.  His head goes where is, um, butt is and his tail splits into arms.  As far as robot modes go, it isn't horrible, but it isn't spectacular.  The purple just reminds me of late 80's Decepticons for some reason.  I keep wanting to say that Fangry is Roadgrabber for some reason, and I think it's because they use the same shade of purple.

Squeezeplay wound up being my favorite of all of the small Headmasters, Autobot and Decepticon.  He's supposed to be a crab monster thing.  I guess the claws are crab-like, but I'm also seeing some sort of snake.  Or I'm just wrong.  Either way, it still looks better than Fangry and Horri-Bull, even with the teeny, tiny legs.

The only downside to Squeezeplay is the monster head drooping down on his backside, there.  For the record, I wound up buying an unused Squeezeplay that was barely attached to the bubble, but Lokos was still sealed.  As you can see, he isn't unused anymore, but I still haven't busted open the packet containing the paperwork.

I think that Squeezeplay may be the most articulated G1 figure ever.  Dude can just straight pose.  Waist articulation and bending knees?  Hell yes.  Almost Masterpiece level, right there.  This is how I have him in my display case.  Just simply stunning.

Final shot: all three small Headmasters together.  Such a nice, nice grouping.

MP-36 Megatron

Oh boy, the big one, Masterpiece Megatron.  I knew that at some point Takara would work to update the horrible thing that was MP-05, a figure so bad that I put him in my closet a couple of months ago.  I'm still not sure what to do with him, but that's not what I set out to talk about.  What I want to talk about is how incredible MP-36 is.  I sincerely think that this is what the entire Masterpiece line has been leading up to.

I can't believe that I let this guy sit at my mailbox at the UPS Store for almost a week before I picked him up and then waited almost two weeks after that before I even opened him.  I was hesitant on what to do with him since I wasn't super excited about him when he arrived.  Reading so many rumblings about scratching pain, parts breaking off and just poor QC gave me pause.  Couple that with the fact that I knew that I'd be getting a Megatron with orange plugs that I wasn't sure would come off, and I was just unsure of what I wanted to do with him.

Upon opening him up, I don't know what all of the complaints were about.  Megatron 2.0 is a delight.  I don't think I've ever handled a better Transformer.  Ever.  There are no wasted parts or details on this guy.  In more capable hands, there would be an infinite amount of awesome poses, but I'm not that guy; I'm still working on it.

Transforming into gun mode had me pretty nervous.  I've seen pics of what people have done to their Megatrons through forcefully putting pieces into place.  My MP-05 Megatron broke on his first transformation, so I've been extra careful with figures since that fateful day, but I sweat still poured from my brow while I slowly folded, slid, and moved parts to and fro.  At one point, I even looked up different YouTube videos just to make sure I was doing things correctly.  All in all, I think it took me about an hour to transform him for the first time.  It took me about two minutes to get him back to robot mode after that.  Perhaps I was being a tad bid overly cautious, but I didn't want to break something that I had spent so much money on.  Oh, as far as the scuffing on the barrel in concerned?  Never happened.

I'll admit that the Megatron 2.0's price point had me a little concerned at first.  It seems like the prices on Masterpiece figures seem to be going up all of the time.  Once I had Megatron in hand, that price was damn worth it.  This guy has a plethora of accessories and swappable faces.  I didn't photo them all, but they're all incredible, like the mace.  Takara has been forcing the energy mace on every Megatron release since the book-style series it seems, and this is the first time I really enjoyed it.  It's proportioned much better than all former versions.

The chain from the mace can be removed and replaced with a jointed piece and I really dig it.  Takara really nailed this accessory.

There's the obligatory pistol from The Transformers: The Movie, but I'll spare everyone the ubiquitous setup shots form the movie.  I'm also not going to showcase all of the battle damaged parts that come with Megatron.

The accessory that I like the least would be the sword. Yeah, I get the significance of it all, and I know it's place, but I still think it's cheesy.  This one is much improved over the one that came with MP-05 and it even breaks down into two pieces so Megs can hold just the sword hilt.

 Megatron loves walking among his troops.

Megatron is a stone cold killer, and I think that this pic conveys that feeling. I may redo this picture with a better setup and more bodies.

Finally, someone to lead my Decepticon army.  Hopefully we'll get more Decepticons in the near future.  Aside from the Megaplex repaint, that is.

Masterpiece Megatron 2.0 is the ultimate Masterpiece figure, in my opinion.  It's been six years since MP-10 was released. ushering a new age of unified scale, and those six years have been leading up to this bad boy.  Don't have him?  Go get him.  Now.

Needlenose

Photo from www.botchthecrab.com

I'm getting so close to finishing the Decepticon Targetmasters that I can practically taste it.  Needlenose brings me one step closer to that goal.  I've always liked Needlenose because he reminded me of a knight, but I don't think I'm really alone in that thought. Besides, Needlenose belongs to best group of Targetmasters - the Double Targetmasters!

Why not use a "snap!" sound?  Pic from tfwiki.net

I missed the start of Simon Furman's Matrix Quest event, actually, I missed issues 61-64, due to moving and finding a place to buy comics.  As such, issue 65 is when I was first properly introduced to Needlenose.  I seem to remember seeing him on the cardback from the Autobot Double Targetmasters, but I'm not sure.  At any rate, this was where I remember seeing him in all of his Geoff Senior drawn glory.  I've seen every Transformer drawn by every artist, but to me, Geoff Senior is the only person that can draw Needlenose.  Weird, innit?  I don't particularly remember Needlenose doing a whole lot, but his visual has always stuck with me.  

Pic from tfwiki.net

I don't even want to discuss Needlenose in the IDW continuity.  For the most part, his portrayal has been decent, but the entire plot point about him being Tracks' brother is just pushing it for me.  Their helmets are vaguely similar, so that means that they're related?  Ugh.  See, I'm discussing it and I didn't want to.  Let's get on to the toy, shall we?

Needlenose's alt-mode is an F-16, which isn't shocking.  I'm too lazy to look it up, but I'm fairly certain that most Decepticon alt-modes are jets.  Maybe not most.  The vast majority.  two out of 5?  At any rate, there are posts under the wings to mount Needlenose's two Nebulons  - Sunbeam and Zig-Zag.  It's a nice look; very tough looking.

Zig-Zag is the Nebulon in the black outfit.  According to his bio, he's an incompetent mechanic.  Man, these Nebulons had some weird jobs before joining the Decepticons.  Not a lot of mad scientists, that I'm aware of.  Just thugs and ninnies.  Even Sunbeam (what?) is a surfer.  Did Bob Budiansky quit caring about what he submitted for tech specs by 1988, or had someone else taken over writing chores?  If so, was that person 7?  Ugh, looking at this picture reminds me that I need to dust my fiures more often.

I really need to get some decals for Needlenose.  He looks so naked sans stickers.  That helmet is just exquisite and certainly better looking than Tracks'.  It's odd to see lavender on a Transformer, but it looks pretty good.  At least I think it's lavender.  I'm kind of color blind, not in a major way, but I do have issues from time to time.  The yellow on his face really stands out as well.  Needlenose has perhaps the best looking robot mode of the Decepticon Double Targetmasters and the second best of all of the Double Targetmasters.  Quickmix has the best, by the way.

The best part about Double Targetmasters is that their looks can be customized in regards to the weapons.  Want a guy who can dual-wield?  Done.  Want a BFG?  Done.  Wand a BFG with a single barrel?  You get where I'm going with this.  Just so nice.  Now that Needlenose is out of the way, that just leaves Quake,  Gotta catch them all...

Slugslinger

Pic from www.botchthecrab.com

If there's one Targetmaster out of the three original mold Decepticon Targetmasters that gave me pause before purchasing, it was Slugslinger.  It's very hard and very expensive to find one in decent condition. Most of the ones that I ran across were yellowed and Caliburst just seems destined to have as many possible.  After what seemed like an eternity, I finally tracked one down to replace the super yellowed and weaponless version that I had somehow acquired as a kid.

Slugslinger was always one of my favorite looking Decepticons, at least in vehicle mode.  Slugslinger looks like be belongs in Star Wars to me.  Twin cockpits?  That is just so damn cool!  I mean, it leads to a ton of questions, but those questions can just wait.  Who wouldn't want to pilot this thing?

Caliburst gets to pilot him, I guess.  I mean, he could if he wasn't mounted to the Slugslinger's top in jet mode.

Maybe I'm just a sucker for figures that have a lot of blues.  This light blue and off-white combo just really pops.

The blue carries over to Caliburst, and it meshes well with the gray on his legs and the red on his face.  You have no idea how glad I am to finally be done photographing all of the large Decepticon Targetmasters.  Every time I even think about going from gun to Nebulon or the other way, I get a nervous twitch.

Robot mode for Slugslinger isn't great.  Toy safety and articulation being what they were in 1987 means that Slugslinger won't be running any marathons.  Or will he?

Well, no, Slugslinger won't.  While he won't be mistaken for a Masterpiece Transformer anytime soon, Slugslinger can be made to look like he's sulking off to his room.  I kind of wish that Slugslinger's wings would fold back a tad because he kind of looks like a robot with a jet on his back.

I'm so happy to be finished with the large Targetmasters.  Looks like I just need to get those pesky small Targetmasters to complete the set...

Targetmaster Scourge

Picture from www.botchthecrab.com

Man, these Decepticon Targetmasters just keep coming fast and furious, don't they?  I'm on a quest to knock these out as quickly as possible.  My goal is to have every US Master figure in the next couple of months.  Since I'm so behind on posts, I'm only actually missing two of the small Headmasters.  At any rate, lets get on to the abomination that is Scourge.

I'm not really sure which I like the least - Cyclonus or Scourge.  In terms of being "Decepticon Jets", they're both major letdowns compared to the Seeker's that came before them.  I'm tempted to declare Scourge my favorite of the two just because Cyclonus looks so frakking hideous.  Scourge does have more articulation than Cyclonus, and seems to have better proportions.  The Targetmaster version features widened fist holes to allow Scourge to hold Fracas.  These widened fist holes also allow the rocket booster on Scourge's head to be held as well, but it looks funny.

Speaking of Fracas, here he is.  He looks just like Nightstick.  Kind of.  Since we're talking about Decepticon Nebulons, I would be remiss if I didn't mention how much the clip holding him together frightens me.  I've only transformed him a couple of times, and I was sweating bullets each time.

This is how Scourge normally looks without the addition of Fracas.  The regular Scourge that I own is a painted top, so seeing the stickered top is a bit of a treat.  Ugly, but a treat.  The painted top is so much better looking.

Attack mode Scourge!  All I had to do was remove the rocket and replace it with Fracas.  It's almost like they planned it!  Those guys are smart.  I don't know if I really like the look of it, frankly; it looks shoehorned on.  And yeah, I know that Scourge wasn't originally designed to accommodate the Targetmaster.  It just doesn't look right.

Here's a shot of my painted top Scourge with Targetmaster Scourge.  Man, I really need to get some new decals for Targetmaster Scourge.  But now I'm having a crisis of faith over this, however.  Should I try to track down an unused sticker sheet or just go with some Reprolabels?  Decisions, decisions.

Targetmaster Cyclonus

Photo from www.botchthecrab.com

This guy.  This freaking guy.  I just really don't like Cyclonus.  Well, let me backtrack that statement a bit.  I love Cyclonus the stalwart second-in-command of the Decepticons as shown in season 3 of the series.  I love the honor bound non affiliated warrior as depicted in IDW's More Than Meets The Eye
series.  The figure designed by Floro Dery?  I can't stand it.  It's so freaking ugly and it just epitomizes the horrible designs from that year.  However, I have to get the Targetmaster version so I can say that I completed the Targetmasters.

The thing that I do like about Cyclonus is his vehicle mode.  Dery did a really good job with this.  By adding Nightstick to this mode, Cyclonus looks incredibly formidable.  Very nice looking.

I just wish that Nightstick could pilot Cyclonus.  That would be so freaking nice.  Nightstick is the best part of Cyclonus, even if he sports the oh-so-boring black/grey scheme that a lot of the large Nebulons for the Targetmasters had.  I mean, that color scheme was only used for the existing characters that were drafted into becoming Targetmasters, but you get what I mean.

Here's a shot of Nightstick all by his lonesome.  Or is it Haywire?  Maybe it's Fracas?  Perhaps I like beating a dead horse?

Robot mode is where Cyclonus has always left a bitter taste in my mouth.  Look, I appreciate all that Floro Dery has done for the Transformers and their designs.  Without him, the Coneheads wouldn't have their distinctive look, but damn do the 1986 guys look horrible.  Gah.

Here's Targetmaster Cyclonus with my blue-eared variant.  It's hard to tell from this picture (because I'm a horrible photographer), but aside from the new port on the spaceship mode, Cyclonus had his fist holes widened to accommodate Nightstick.

 Seriously, I can't think of a better looking jet.  Hey, that's another Decepticon Targetmaster down!  I just need...a lot of them to finish off the crew!  Huh, I wonder if I can do that?

Misfire!

Photo from www.botchthecrab.com

I've been putting off getting the Decepticon Targetmasters for a long time.  Unlike their Autobot counterparts, the Decepticons are far more expensive.  From what people tell me, it all has to do with the Nebulon.  As far as the Nebulons go, the Autobot ones have a pin connecting their torsos to the legs and the Decepticons have pegs.  The pegs on the Decepticon Nebulons tend to break the clips on the legs.  Broken Nebulons means higher prices.  Hence my hesitation.

After a ton of deliberation, I decided that it was time for me to pull the trigger on Mifire.  Misfire has one of my favorite box art poses in the history of G1.  Every time I see it, I'm instantly reminded of Nick Roche art for some reason.

Misfire's vehicle mode is some sort of Cybertonian jet.  Spaceship maybe?  Some sort of super-duper bumper car?  Whatever it is, it's kind of magenta in color.  Not a fan of magenta.  Still, it looks cool.

Misfire is one of the most articulated late period G1 figures.  He has movement in his shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees.  The specimen that I got is in really great shape.

I don't know why, but every time I look at Misfire, I can't help but notice just how much he looks like Nick Roche had a hand in designing him.  I don't know him, but I think that maybe Nick Roche is a time traveler.  Or perhaps he felt that the design for Misfire was so great that it didn't need to be changed.  I'm good either way.

I decided to transform Aimless because I like to live dangerously.  There's a fix that can be done to the Decepticon Targetmasters where the protrusions on the body are shaved off using an X-acto knife, but I can't bring myself to do that.  I'll need to at some point if I want to transform him more often.

Aimless is perhaps my second favorite of the Decepticon Nebulon Targetmasters.  He looks bulky and mean.  The light blue and gray work well together.

As nice as the figure was, the box that came with Misfire could use a little upgrading.  There's a large stain on the lower corner, and I'm not sure if it's oil or wood stain.  Still, it's a box.  I've never been a fan of keeping or collecting G1 boxes, but it just seemed right to keep this one.  I even bought a reproduction bubble and insert to display Misfire and Aimless.  It looks great sitting on top of my Detolf shelves.  Now I see why MIB and MISB collectors get out of collecting that way.  Still, I'm a take-it-out-of-the-box kinda guy, so I don't think this will become a habit for me.