The Energon Pub

... I am an idiot,
but put that fact aside for now. I have the trasnformers ultimate guide book and I check out wiki for info, but I am still lost on this subject. so I decided to embarras myself and turn to you guys/gals for help.

what the hell is a target/head/power master?

from what I have gather a
headmaster = a bot whose head turns into a smaller bot?
and a target or powermaster = a bot whose weaponry turns into another bot.

please aid me in my quest for information.
I'm dyin out here.

Headmasters are a sub-group of characters from the Transformers meta-series, distinguished by their ability to detach their heads when transforming into their alternate modes, with the heads then transforming themselves into a humanoid form.

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

Powermasters were a sub-group within the Transformers 1988. They were defined by the inclusion of a miniature figure which "unlocked the secret of the transformation" - in other words, the toy could not transform from vehicle mode to robot mode unless the figure was transformed into engine mode and connected to the larger figure.

PrimeNumber wrote:Headmasters are a sub-group of characters from the Transformers meta-series, distinguished by their ability to detach their heads when transforming into their alternate modes, with the heads then transforming themselves into a humanoid form.

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

Powermasters were a sub-group within the Transformers 1988. They were defined by the inclusion of a miniature figure which "unlocked the secret of the transformation" - in other words, the toy could not transform from vehicle mode to robot mode unless the figure was transformed into engine mode and connected to the larger figure.

That's the American version. The Japanese versions of Head and Targetmasters were different. Instead of a humanoid binary bonded to a component part and partnered up with a Transformer, the Japanese Masters were actually a third race of Transformers that fled Seibertron to form their own colony on the Planet Master. The robot that makes up the head of the Headmaster was the same charecter and personality as the robot itself. Targetmasters were Masters that had no larger body and were an offshoot of the main race. They Transformed into weapons.

Headmasters and Godmasters (the Japanese term for Powermaster) in Masterforce, were slightly different then their American counterparts. While a human was the Godmaster or Headmaster he or she was also the robot. The reason for this is they combine with inanimate Transtecters to reanimate the robot in question. However after a period of time Godmaster Transformers have no need for their human partner and become their own charecter with their own personality, although they still share traits with their Godmaster partners.

To add to what Prime Number and Goribus said, TransFormers: More than Meets the Eye #8, by Dreamwave, fully explains the Headmaster, Powermaster and Target master processes, using information from both previous US information as well as some Japanese information. According to it, the process was originally meant to combine with the Micromaster process, as they did in the Japanese Headmasters series, where a smaller robot would become the head of a larger body in order to conserve energy outside of combat. IT was ultimately perfected by Brainstorm and the Nebulan, Arcana to modifiy carbon-based humanoids to act as the heads, while the two personalities bonding on a mental level, sharing memories and thoughts to varying degrees. When connected as the head, the robot's consciousness usually maintains control of the larger body with the humanoid enhancing his abilitie, though the two of them can choose the degree of cognitive input and control each holds at a given time. While smoot partnerships greatly enhance performance. Conflicting ones impede it.

The Powermaster process was, according to this source, first concieved of by an ancient Decepticon named Gigatron to be used as a method of thriving on "hostile environments" by capturing and reformatting natice creatures. That was the plan, though that never came to be. Instead, the process was once again perfected on Nebulon through a partnership between Cybertronians and Nebulans, reformatting humanoids so that they can transform into engines for the Cybertronians. In this form, Energy the humanoid consumed through eating food, is transferred to the Cybertronian thus increasing power while simultaneously decreasing the need for Energon, and thus allowing the Transformer to survive on worlds without the need to refuel.

The Targetmaster process, like the Headmaster Process and Powermaster process were first concieved of on Cybertron, The key difference is that it was initially perfected theree too many eons ago suing smaller robot partners allowing the warrior and weapon to form the ultimate team in combat. Evedicne of this version of the process can be seen in the parnerships of Banzai-tron and hs parner, Razor-sharp. IT was later modified by the Cybertronians and Nebulans to allow a humanoid to transform into a weapon. In either case, the process allows the Targetmaster partner to handle aiming duties while the warrior handles tactics, and other maneuvers. The targetmaster partner can also draw energy from the larger robot to enhance firepower of his weapon mode. A variation of this process also allows two humanoids, each who can become weapons in their own right, to combine into a single larger weapon which has either acting as the barrel and the other boosting the power.

And here we go again confusing the poor person.

Simplest explination is that the Head, target masters were basically created componets that linked with their larger robot. Think, sadly, of the Gundam series where the robot linked with the human inside so that they were of the same mind.

Headmasters were a human or nebulan that folded up much like a minibot and connected to the Transformer where they had to work in tandom to function.

Target masters were transformers that became a weapon and fired on their own free will allowing for mulitasking. (as did the Head masters)

Power masters were basically a robot that needed a key to unlock it to transform. In this case it's a smaller robot. That's the basics of it.

Night Striker wrote:And here we go again confusing the poor person.

Simplest explination is that the Head, target masters were basically created componets that linked with their larger robot. Think, sadly, of the Gundam series where the robot linked with the human inside so that they were of the same mind.

Headmasters were a human or nebulan that folded up much like a minibot and connected to the Transformer where they had to work in tandom to function.

Target masters were transformers that became a weapon and fired on their own free will allowing for mulitasking. (as did the Head masters)

Power masters were basically a robot that needed a key to unlock it to transform. In this case it's a smaller robot. That's the basics of it.

Simpler is often better. I understand the concept of the -masters (both US and Japanese versions), but if I hadn't Night Striker and Prime Number's explanations were the easiest to understand.

Don't mean to insult Tramp, and thanks for all the effort, but some of your explanations are overlong and complicated.

Maybe, I try to make them as concise as possible, but I am taking them right from the book, just rewording them and condensing them as much as I can. It would take too long to rewrite the entire passages, and I don't think anyone wants that anyway.

But Tramp you have to remember that you can't just reword an exact definition from a book or a comic. I mean the whole Headmasters/Targetmaster/and Powermasters ideas are very big and complex concepts that I didn't honestly get until I watched the shows of it. It's not one of my favorite ideas to come out of transformers to be honest.

For someone new to Transformers you wouldn't write down a long history of Primus and Unicron, the Quintessons connections and the Vok ideas. You would put it simply as, "They are robots that have very sophisticated AI and internal systems that allow them to convert or transform from a robotic form to a car or a truck by folding onto itself in various ways."

Im by no means saying that you're wrong in writing out your version of it, but I'm used to condesning and rewriting whole passages for friends of mine to explain stuff. And besides simplistic answers allows for the person to get the basic backbone of it.

Also the micro masters came out 2 years after the first Headmasters hit the market.The connection between the 2 were made as a retcon almost 2 decades later.I dont think he wanted a in continuity answer to his question just a basic one.

haha thanks for the info everyone. it pretty much cleared up everything I was confused about.

thanks

You're welcome.

De-Nada

Night Striker wrote:But Tramp you have to remember that you can't just reword an exact definition from a book or a comic. I mean the whole Headmasters/Targetmaster/and Powermasters ideas are very big and complex concepts that I didn't honestly get until I watched the shows of it. It's not one of my favorite ideas to come out of transformers to be honest.

For someone new to Transformers you wouldn't write down a long history of Primus and Unicron, the Quintessons connections and the Vok ideas. You would put it simply as, "They are robots that have very sophisticated AI and internal systems that allow them to convert or transform from a robotic form to a car or a truck by folding onto itself in various ways."



Im by no means saying that you're wrong in writing out your version of it, but I'm used to condesning and rewriting whole passages for friends of mine to explain stuff. And besides simplistic answers allows for the person to get the basic backbone of it.

Very Welcome Blitzwingaling. *laughs* Um thanks Deceptiwho.