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For past updates, click here.
Links to my scans of the catalogs and the mail-order and contest forms for figures in this series can be found at the bottom of the page, along with a scan of the battle scene found on the back of the boxes for the figures.
For my video captures from this series, check out my video capture page here.
Click on a link here to go directly to an entry, or scroll down:
Browning
Devil Z and Black Zarak
Ginrai, Super Ginrai, Godbomber, and God Ginrai
Grand and Grand Maximus
Hydra, Buster, and Darkwings
Mega, Giga, and Overlord
Metalhawk
Seacons and King Poseidon
Shuta, Cab, and Minerva
Sixknight
Wilder, Bullhorn, and Cancer
Browning is a Destron who transforms into a pistol-sized silver and black
gun. Unlike Megatron, he does not grow or shrink when he transforms, so
he literally remains tiny in either mode. Near the middle of the Masterforce
series he first appeared as a pistol given by
Mega
to the Destron Headmaster Junior
Cancer
to serve as his companion and friend. Thanks to Cancer's respect for
the Cybertron Headmaster Junior
Minerva,
Browning also helped her out sometimes. He also serves as comic
relief, as when he was left to fly a helicopter by himself in one
episode. ^_^ As a gun he is a force to be reckoned with, able to
amplify or concentrate his wielder's power.
The following are some pictures I found of the Browning figure:
Below is an English translation of Browning's specs card (from the back of the box), his bio info card (from inside the box), and his tech specs "SPECCHART" graph card (from the back of the box), respectively, by Doug Dlin (apcog@hotmail.com):
BROWNING Destron
Function: Gunman
Transformation: Pistol
Abilities: The only Transformer ever made on a scale for humans.
Cannot attack by himself as a pistol, but can deliver a
tremendous blow to his enemies using the power of the
person holding him.
Weapon(s): Sniper Shot
Final Attack: The "Capsule Burst"--Can fire all sorts of capsules, the
type depending on the circumstances.
Card Info:
Codename: Browning Code No.: D-308
Level: 50 Origin: unknown Age: unknown
Profile: Treated by Cancer as a pet, this Transformer may not have
much power due to his little size, but he is willing to do
anything for Cancer. While he hates the Cybertrons as his
enemies, he is nice to Minerva.
Str Int Spd End Rnk Crg Frp Skl
7 4 5 8 5 6 9 7
Devil Z is an immobile, pulsating energy entity who led the Destrons
on Earth throughout the Masterforce series. His voice happens to
sound similar to Black Zarak and
Megazarak
from the earlier Headmasters series.
In fact, he was Megazarak, eventually taking over Black Zarak when the
monolith arrived on Earth from outer space, and gained mobility. He is
capable of severing the humans' bonds to their Transformer bodies, or
transtectors.
Here (21K, series, 11/2/98) is another view of Devil Z from the side atop a pedestal, with the human Destron Godmasters.
Near the end of the series Devil Z caused paranormal activity all over the world, and stripped the Destron Headmaster Juniors and Overlord of their transtectors when they started to rebel against him. As Black Zarak he could throw Devil Thunder Rings which can paralyze his opponents. When God Ginrai knocked off his head in a fiery display, Black Zarak transformed the rest of his body into a two-headed hydra, with the new heads formed by moving his clawed arms above his shoulders. Despite stripping Ginrai of his direct connection to the God Ginrai body, Black Zarak was eventually destroyed when Ginrai and the Cybertron Headmaster Juniors powered up God Ginrai with an enormous amount of Masterforce energy to blast through Black Zarak's energy shield.
Here is a picture I found of the Black Zarak figure in all of his modes. The picture came from one of the Masterforce catalogs. In addition to a recolor of the original Scorponok, he is given a new, better head and a large spear.
Base, scorpion, and robot modes (49K, figure, 11/2/98).
Here are some of my scans and snapshots involving the Black Zarak set:
Additional pictures of Black Zarak can be found in the catalog section below.
Here are my pictures of Black Zarak in action from the series:
Ginrai, Super Ginrai, Godbomber, and God Ginrai
By the way, I choose "Ginrai" as the spelling rather than "Jinrai" because the
original opening sequence (intro) for the Masterforce series actually has his
name written that way, even though the Japanese romanization rules recommend
the other name. ^_^
Ginrai
Ginrai (Hi-Q) is a human tractor trailer driver. His involvement in the war actually was a result of chance. He was supposed to deliver some goods for Diver (Waverider), an aquarium curator who is one of the Cybertron Pretenders (though Ginrai didn't know that at the time). While stranded at a repair shop, Ginrai asked the shop owner if he had a spare he could use. The spare cab happens to look exactly like the original Optimus Prime. It turned out that the cab had been abandoned because its previous drivers had experienced paranormal symptoms within it, which was probably the result of the cab trying to find a new personality template.
Despite those rumors, Ginrai used it to deliver the goods to Diver without a problem. Once there, however, he found in the glove compartment a sphere with a pair of bracelets inside. Ginrai tried them on, but was trying hilariously to take them off when Diver saw him. Knowing that they were Cybertron Godmaster bracelets, Diver went along with Ginrai on another delivery to try to recruit him. Neither of them noticed that a dent caused earlier by one of the delivery workers to the cab's bumper slowly smoothed itself out.
At some point along a cliff road the cab began taking control of the steering wheel and plunged off the high cliff. Diver jumped out and changed to his robotic self, but couldn't save the cab from crashing to the ground with its cargo trailer on top of it. The Destron Godmasters Buster (Dreadwing) and Hydra (Darkwing) happened to see Diver there and began beating him up with their Godmaster powers.
The cab was severely damaged, but Ginrai managed to survive. While trying to reach the cab's door handle, the injured Ginrai happened to cross his bracelets. This summoned an exosuit which covered and transformed him into an engine which miraculously repaired and transformed the cab into a robot very similar to Optimus Prime when attached to it.
Buster and Hydra were surprised by the appearance of the first Cybertron Godmaster and fled when Ginrai telekinetically raised several large nearby rocks after learning who Diver really was and what the Destrons had been doing to him.
Even so, he remained undecided about actually joining the Cybertrons until his close friend Dan was killed simply for driving a cab that looks like Ginrai's by the Destrons, who had no idea what the Godmaster's driver look like.
Although he didn't do this the first time, Ginrai later used some commands whenever he transformed. When he crosses his bracelets and yells out "Masterforce!" an exosuit covers him (44K, series, 9/4/98). This enables him to combine with the cab in engine mode when he next shouts "Transform, god on!" to change it to a robot.
It must be stressed that Ginrai is not Convoy (Optimus Prime), despite how similar they look. Ginrai's brash personality is more like Hot Rod's than the original Optimus Prime's. In battle he can be very quick with his punches and kicks. Combined with his Godmaster ability to draw upon Masterforce energy, he is very invincible. As for why his body is so similar to Optimus', it was originally built for Optimus according to the Masterforce "Big Picture Book" compilation video as reported by Jordan Derber (jsdst5+@pitt.edu).
Ginrai didn't actually get the Powermaster Optimus Prime trailer until later, when he and the cab both sensed it when they were near a tunnel where a huge black crystalline rock had been discovered. The rock actually contained the trailer, which burst out when Ginrai was close enough to it. However, it wasn't until later, in a battle against the first appearance of King Poseidon (Piranacon), that the trailer combined with Ginrai to form an even larger robot named Super Ginrai (15K, series, 9/4/98). Here (49K, series, 9/4/98) is Ginrai in robot mode during the formation of Super Ginrai right before he combines with his trailer, and here (51K, series, 9/4/98) is how Super Ginrai looks afterwards. Needless to say, he trashed King Poseidon. :)
However, notice that Super Ginrai didn't have all of the weapons that goes with the figure until later. It is probably because he didn't know how to summon them yet if they were hidden away somewhere, or they weren't built for him until later. As for the trailer's base mode, that doesn't appear until much later near the end of the series itself. However, it can be seen twice in the first original opening sequence (intro) of the Masterforce series.
Here are my pictures of Super Ginrai from the series:
Below is an English translation of Super Ginrai's specs card (from the back of the box), his bio info card (from inside the box), and his tech specs "SPECCHART" graph card (from the back of the box), respectively, by Doug Dlin (apcog@hotmail.com):
SUPER JINRAI Godmaster
Function: Supreme Commander
Transformation: Super-trailer
Abilities: Possesses the Ultramatrix, which far surpasses solar
energy. Has the ability to instantly teleport various
forms of matter.
Weapon(s): Super Electromotive Rifle, Particle Beam Cannon
Final Attack: The "Special Fire Guts"--Condenses the Godmasters'
mightiest super-god power ever into his gun, then
converts that tremendous power into roiling flame,
reducing all opponents to ashes.
Card Info:
Codename: Jinrai Code No.: C-307
Level: 76 Origin: U.S.A. (Japanese) Age: 20
Profile: A gentle intellectual, he is usually a quiet commander, but
when the Destrons start attacking, he becomes a warrior whose
bravery is second to none. Well versed in various martial
arts, he is willing to lay down his life to defend against
destruction and invasion.
Str Int Spd End Rnk Crg Frp Skl
9 10 8 10 10 10 9 10
To help Ginrai counter Overlord, a double Godmaster who severely trashed the much smaller Super Ginrai in the Destron's first appearance, and Black Zarak (recolored Scorponok), the Destron leader coming to Earth, the Cybertrons built a second trailer for him named Godbomber (46K, series, 9/4/98) from specs given by Grand, the Pretender for Grand Maximus (recolored Fortress Maximus). Godbomber was a drone who served as Super Ginrai's power-up armor into God Ginrai (49K, series, 9/4/98), the most powerful Cybertron robot in the Masterforce series.
God Ginrai later made appearances in the next Japanese Transformers series, Victory.
Here are my pictures of God Ginrai from the Masterforce series:
The following are my pictures of Godbomber from the series:
The following are pictures I found of the Godbomber figure from his box.
The following are some pictures which I found of the actual Ginrai, Super Ginrai, and God Ginrai figures:
The following are some pictures from Ebay of the Junior versions of the three figures: LATEST!
For a site with some pictures of the God Ginrai figure along with a large excellent scan of Godbomber from his box and of the box itself, check out this site.
Curiously a Japanese catalog has a version of God Ginrai (47K, figure, 9/4/98) and Godbomber which might have been a prototype, since it was not mass-produced as far as I know. Actually I think it looks in many ways better than the final released version, with a huge looking gun, little red wings from the chest armor to cover his thin arms, thicker lower arms and hands, larger wings, a better chest armor overall, and feet extensions for Super Ginrai which look more like feet.
Additional pictures of Ginrai, Super Ginrai, Godbomber, and God Ginrai can be found in the catalog section below.
Below is an English translation of Godbomber's specs card (from the back of the box), his bio info card (from inside the box), and his tech specs "SPECCHART" graph card (from the back of the box), respectively, by Doug Dlin (apcog@hotmail.com):
GODBOMBER Cybertron
Function: Armored Warrior
Transformation: Armored Trailer
Abilities: Performs the "Super-God Combination" with Super Jinrai,
becoming God Jinrai. Acts in accordance with Jinrai's
orders. He can also move when Shuuta, Minerva and Cab all
work as one.
Weapon(s): God Cannon
Final Attack: The "Machine-Gun God Cannon"--Firing projectiles
machine-gun style, he opens up a beehive of holes in his
foes, destroying them.
Card Info:
Codename: Godbomber Code No.: C-309
Level: 60 Origin: unknown Age: unknown
Profile: A new warrior constructed by the Cybertrons on Earth after
they receive information from the Cybertron space warrior
Grand Maximus. Godbomber performs the "Super-God
Combination" with Super Jinrai, becoming God Jinrai. The
project to build him is called the Bomber Plan.
Str Int Spd End Rnk Crg Frp Skl
9 6 8 8 6 6 10 7
The following is Doug Dlin's English translation of God Ginrai's specs card (from the back of the box), his bio info card (from inside the box), and his tech specs "SPECCHART" graph card (from the back of the box), respectively:
GOD JINRAI Godmaster
Function: Supreme Supreme Commander
Transformation: Double Trailer
Abilities: The Cybertron's most powerful warrior ever, born of the
"Super-God Combination" of Super Jinrai and Godbomber. His
abilities as Super Jinrai are multiplied five-fold.
Weapon(s): Super Electromotive Rifle, Particle Beam Cannon, God Cannon
Final Attack: The "Super-Psionic God Fire Guts"--Concentrating his
spirit, he transforms his body into an enormous fireball
and attacks his enemies. This is the ultimate single-
strike final attack.
Card Info:
Codename: Jinrai Code No.: C-310
Level: 79 Origin: U.S.A. (Japanese) Age: 20
Profile: The ultimate Cybertron warrior, born of the "Super-God
Combination" of Super Jinrai and Godbomber, whom it took all
the power of the Cybertron space warrior Grand Maximus and
the Cybertrons on Earth to build.
Str Int Spd End Rnk Crg Frp Skl
10 10 9 10 10 10 10 10
My own model of Godbomber, and the corresponding version of God Ginrai:
Having seen the Masterforce series, however, I thought I
could make a more faithful and better version of God Ginrai by
building my own version of Godbomber, using cardboard, tape, and super
glue as my main materials. I got rid of the large gap at the bottom of
the front portion behind the front set of wheels, and streamlined him
as much as I can. Like the actual figure, he basically transforms by
splitting up and rearranging his parts (for transformation instructions,
click
here).
Overall I gave God Ginrai a pair of wings which can be extended or retracted, actual robotic-looking feet reminiscent of the original Optimus Prime, lower arms which can bend and swivel at the elbows as well as extend or retract, robotic-looking fingers which can be moved individually (so he can give Overlord, Megatron, or any Destron the finger ^_^; ), and a huge maneuverable missile launcher. God Ginrai stands about 12 inches tall from his feet to his head, while Godbomber has the same height as Super Ginrai as seen in this picture (19K, figure, 11/2/98).
Here are some of my pictures of my model of Godbomber:
I added larger upper arms to God Ginrai, and small extensions to Super Ginrai's arms that allow him to cover his fists in vehicle and base modes. Those extensions also happen to support God Ginrai's blue lower arms so that they can be extended past his chest to look like he is about to launch the lower arms out on an attack run before they return to him. Here are my pictures of this later and better version of God Ginrai:
Here are pictures of my Super Ginrai (Powermaster Optimus Prime) in his non-robot modes with the sides of his fists covered by the small extensions I added to his arms:
Occasionally during the Masterforce series Ginrai would only transform partly to God Ginrai. He would transform to Super Ginrai, attach only the wing portion from the Godbomber trailer, and then fly off carrying the rest of the Godbomber trailer with the Cybertron Headmaster Juniors and their vehicles inside. Here are a few of my pictures of something like this:
If you want to see my original preliminary pictures of God Ginrai without his arm extensions and larger upper arms, click here to access them. The link also contains pictures of my version of God Ginrai in vehicle mode with Godbomber as Ginrai's secondary trailer.
Here are some scans of the schematics I drew while designing and building my version of Godbomber. His parts are meant to be add-on armor for Powermaster Optimus Prime:
Grand Maximus (recolored Fortress Maximus) is the larger body for
Grand, a Cybertron Pretender. Grand was the one who gave
Metalhawk
and the other Cybertron Pretenders the specs for Godbomber, the power-up
armor for
Super Ginrai. He sounds as if he has the same
voice as
Fortress
in the earlier Headmasters series. According to the Masterforce "Big Picture
Book" compilation video as reported by Jordan Derber
(jsdst5+@pitt.edu), Grand Maximus is
actually Fortress Maximus' younger brother.
Here (43K, figure, 11/2/98) is a picture I found of Grand Maximus in all of his modes from a Japanese catalog. Unlike Fortress Maximus, Grand Maximus comes with a Pretender shell for the Headmaster robot. Grand Maximus' colors basically look like a switch of Fortress Maximus' red and blue colors. Like for Fortress, Grand's Headmaster, Gran, was never seen in the animated series itself.
Here is a set of pictures of Grand Maximus' box, courtesy of Jaremy Pyle (jdpyle@prodigy.net):
Additional pictures of Grand Maximus can be found in the catalog section below.
Here are some of my pictures of Grand Maximus from the series:
Hydra (Throttle for the recolored Darkwing) and Buster (Hi-Test for the
recolored Dreadwind) are Darkwing brothers from East Germany with great
acrobatic abilities who work for the Destrons. Before joining the Destrons,
Hydra was actor, and Buster was a radio D.J. The bespectacled Hydra is the
intellect of the two.
They have great loyalty to both
Mega and Giga.
Since they were the first Godmasters to appear in the series, they had the initial upper hand with their Godmaster abilities against the Cybertrons. Their transformer bodies can join together to form a super jet called Darkwings (Dreadwing).
However, their superiority was later threatened when the first Cybertron Godmaster, Ginrai, shows up. This wouldn't have been a problem in itself, if only Ginrai's close friend Dan hadn't been killed by Hydra in the Destrons' attempt to destroy cabs that look like Ginrai's in order to eliminate him. ^_^;
Near the end of the series, feeling outclassed by Ginrai's latest incarnation and looking for greater power, Hydra and Buster were turned completely into robots by Devil Z.
Here (56K, figure, 11/2/98) is a picture I found of the front of the Darkwings giftset. One difference between the figures in this set and the non-Japanese version (Darkwing and Dreadwind) is that the light blue color is changed to red in the Japanese version. Another difference is that Buster's upper legs are grey while Dreadwind's are white.
Here (54K, figure, 11/2/98) is another picture I found of the duo in various modes.
Additional pictures of the duo can be found in the catalog section below.
Here are some of my pictures of both Hydra and Buster from the series:
The following is an English translation of Hydra's specs card (from the back of the box), his bio info card (from inside the box), and his tech specs "SPECCHART" graph card (from the back of the box), respectively, by Doug Dlin (apcog@hotmail.com). The cards are available from either the giftset box together with Buster or Hydra's own box.
HYDRA Godmaster
Function: Space Aviation Officer
Transformation: Tornado Jet
Abilities: Can combine with his younger brother Buster to form
Darkwings. Has incredible jumping power even when just
suited up in his armor.
Weapon(s): Sky Laser, Plasma Missile
Final Attack: The "Wing Thunderbolt"--Gathering ambient electricity
from the air, he generates a powerful bolt of lightning
and causes it to strike his enemy.
Card Info:
Codename: Hydra Code No.: D-304
Level: 52 Origin: U.S.A. Age: 20
Profile: Hydra was an assassin who made his name in America's criminal
underworld. Having lived the lone-wolf way of life, he is
always planning to betray his companions. Hydra firmly
believes that Humanity should be ruled by the Destrons. He
and Buster are brothers.
Str Int Spd End Rnk Crg Frp Skl
4 8 6 10 7 10 6 8
The following is a similar set of card translations for Buster, also done by Doug Dlin. As for Hydra, Buster's cards can be found on either his own box or the giftset box he comes in with Hydra:
BUSTER Godmaster
Function: Space Aviator
Transformation: F-16 Fighting Falcon
Abilities: Can combine with his older brother Hydra to form Darkwings.
Has short-range flight capability even when just suited up
in his armor.
Weapon(s): Sky Laser, Plasma Missile
Final Attack: The "Wing Dead Hurricane"--Manipulating the surrounding
air at will, he creates a tremendous hurricane that
destroys his enemies.
Card Info:
Codename: Buster Code No.: D-305
Level: 57 Origin: U.S.A. Age: 17
Profile: While not as cool and extreme of character as his older
brother Hydra, Buster is far more gentle. He loves birds and
owns some, and can even convey his thoughts to them.
Str Int Spd End Rnk Crg Frp Skl
8 7 6 10 5 9 6 7
Next are Doug Dlin's English translation for the specs card and tech specs numbers for the duo's combined jet form, Darkwings:
DARKWINGS Godmaster
Function: Space Aviation Officer/Space Aviator
Transformation: Giant Sonic Double Jet
Abilities: By combining and transforming into this super jet, Buster
and Hydra can display all of their extraordinary super
flight techniques.
Weapon(s): Double Sky Laser, Double Plasma Missile
Final Attack: The "Wing Thunder Hurricane"--Concentrating both their
powers, the Darkwings duo simultaneously generate
lightning and hurricanes and send these forces crashing
into their enemies.
Str Int Spd End Rnk Crg Frp Skl
8 8 6 9 8 9 8 9
Both
Mega and Giga (21K, series, 11/2/98),
seen in my picture with their exosuits,
are the highest ranking Destrons on Earth under the command of the
noncorporeal
Devil Z.
Using the technology used to create the Destron Godmaster robots for
Hydra and Buster,
the two created Overlord, a double Godmaster composed of a modified SR-71
Blackbird jet and a tank. In Overlord's robot mode the tank forms the legs
while the jet forms everything else. His special abilities include firing
sets of six shells from his left side, firing a double-barreled turret from
his right side, and launching the black jet on his left arm on attack runs.
He can also generate hurricanes.
In Overlord's first appearance, he severely trashed Super Ginrai, blasting and knocking the poor Cybertron to the ground, and stomping over his back before leaving him for dead.
Overlord also has a base mode, which made several appearances during the series as Destron headquarters.
The following are pictures I found of the Overlord figure in all of the described modes:
Additional pictures of the Overlord figure can be found in the catalog section below.
The following is an English translation of Overlord's specs card (from the back of the box) and Giga's, Mega's, and Overlord's tech specs "SPECCHART" graph cards (from the back of the box), respectively, by Doug Dlin (apcog@hotmail.com):
OVERLORD
Function: Ambassador of Destruction (really!)
Transformation: Megajet, Gigatank, Command Base
Abilities: Makes double-team attacks with jet and tank.
An amalgamation of killing weaponry, he can rapidly produce
missiles and other weapons with his internal arms factory.
Weapons: Transtector Destroyer Cannon
Ultimate Attack: "Dis-relive" ("live" with a long "i")
Intensifying the mightiest super-god power ever, he can inflict
destructive damage on the regenerative abilities of the Cybertrons'
transtectors.
Tech Specs
Str Int Spd End Rnk Crg Frp Skl
Giga 8.9 7.8 6.7 9.5 9.8 6.9 6.9 7.0
Mega 7.0 7.8 9.8 6.9 9.3 7.0 6.9 8.5
Overlord 9.7 9.9 8.7 9.6 10.0 9.7 10.0 9.0
Here are some of my pictures of Overlord from the series:
Here are my pictures of Mega and Giga from the series:
Metalhawk is the leader of the Cybertron Pretenders left on Earth to keep
an eye out for Destrons. His human form named Hawk is actually human-sized.
After summoning his suit, he calls out "Pretender!" to make his larger
robot form appear out of nowhere all around him, and then "Transform!"
to change into his jet mode.
Here (33K, figure, 5/29/99) is a picture of Metalhawk's box, the pretender, and the robot figures, courtesy of Colbey (flywheels) (cjhop@bellsouth.net).
The following are my pictures involving the Metalhawk figure:
METALHAWK Pretender
Function: Space Commander
Transformation: Human Mode, SF Jet Mode
Abilities: In SF Jet Mode, can travel from Earth to the Moon and back
in 15 minutes. Has the highest short-range jumping power
of all the Pretenders.
Weapon(s): Jet Rifle, Titanium Saber
Final Attack: The "Shining Arrow"--While in mid-air, he aims and fires
an arrow of light at enemies on the ground. The arrow
becomes a giant sword of light, striking a final blow
from right over the enemies' heads.
Str Int Spd End Rnk Crg Frp Skl
9 10 10 8 10 10 9 9
Card Info:
Codename: Metalhawk Code No.: C-201
Level: 75 Origin: Seibertron Age: Unknown
Profile: The valiant, daring commander of the Cybertron Pretenders.
He gave the Headmaster technology, received from his fellow
Cybertron Chromedome, and Headmaster Jr. transtectors to some
Earth children.
King Poseidon is composed of six Seacons, but only one of them, their leader
Turtlar (28K, series, 11/2/98)
(Snaptrap) seen in my picture of him from the series, is actually sentient.
The rest of them are mindless drones which can make multiple copies of
themselves, much like the hordes of Insecticons in the original American
TV series. None of the Seacons, not even Turtlar, ever transformed to a
robot in the Masterforce series. However, Turtlar can combine with any
five distinct drones to form their only robot form, King Poseidon.
In his first appearance he would have defeated
Ginrai
if the Cybertron had not stumbled upon a way to combine with his trailer to
form Super Ginrai.
The following are my pictures of King Poseidon from the series:
Here is a picture of the front of the giftset for King Poseidon, taken by Ryan Kowalchuk (omega@transfans.com, TransFans web site):
Shuta (a recolored Siren), Cab (Hosehead), and Minerva (a recolored and sex-changed Nightbeat ^_^; ) are three young teenagers who later became Cybertron Headmaster Juniors. They have a treehouse where they meet often early in the series, together with Cab's pet parrot and armadillo.
By the way, Shuta is also known as Shooter, with his entire name being Go Shooter, combined into "Goshooter" on his figure's box. Cab's name is spelled "Carb" on his figure's box (abbreviation for carburetor, perhaps?), while Minerva's name is spelled "Minelba" on her figure's box.
When Metalhawk first gave the three their robot bodies to allow them to help the Cybertrons, he explained the bodies by introducing them to Chromedome, last seen in the Headmasters series, on a monitor. The trio are often seen aiding those affected by the Transformers' battles, and serving as comic relief. They also joined the other Cybertrons in several battles against the Destrons.
In the later part of the series they became increasingly important. In one episode, aided by the wandering Cybertron robot Sixknight, they saved Godbomber from the Destron Godmasters Hydra and Buster while Ginrai was incapacitated by Mega and Giga. In the process they learned that they can control and energize Godbomber with their combined Masterforce energy. This fact was used against Devil Z/Black Zarak when the Destron leader stripped Ginrai of his control of the God Ginrai body in the final battle of the Masterforce series.
Here is a picture I found of the Cybertron Headmaster Juniors figures:
Here are some of my pictures of them from the series:
For many more pictures of Minerva from the Masterforce series, check out this shrine to her.
If you see Sixknight (recolored Quickswitch) for the first time in the
Masterforce series, you would have thought he is a Destron from his
destructive behavior. He is a six-changer with robot, jet, drill tank,
gun, hovercraft, and puma modes, as seen in a
picture (41K, figure, 11/2/98)
I found.
Additional pictures of Sixknight can be found in the catalog section below.
Initially Sixknight was a wandering Transformer robot who belonged to neither the Cybertron or Destron faction. When he asked the Destrons if he could join them, they told him he would have to defeat the Cybertron Ginrai. However, his defeat by the human forced him to re-evaluate himself and eventually side with the Cybertrons. He aided them once against the Destron Headmaster Juniors, and another time against Buster and Hydra while the Cybertron Headmaster Juniors are trying to activate Godbomber without Super Ginrai. He died while fighting Black Zarak to allow God Ginrai to rescue their new ally Overlord near the end of the series.
Here is another picture I captured of Sixknight from the series:
Wilder is the leader of this group of Destron Headmaster Juniors, which includes Bullhorn (Horri-Bull) and the young Cancer (Squeezeplay), who joined to promote his martial arts. Wilder wanted the power that came with it, allowing him to take his revenge against a gang, the Cool Guys, who broke up his former motorcycle gang called the Jack Boys. Wilder's attempt to force them into his group failed when the Cybertron Headmaster Juniors were drawn into this by one of the former Cool Guy's young sister.
The trio were no match for the Cybertron Godmaster Ginrai, who took Cancer as prisoner in their first fight and knocked out the other two. Strapped to a bed, Cancer was interrogated by Ginrai, who started torturing him since he was mad at the Destrons' destruction. However, Cancer was saved from that by Minerva, who still tended to his injuries even though he treated her roughly at first. Ever since then Cancer would help Minerva, and vice versa, with Cancer's tiny pet robot/gun Transformer Browning lending a hand occasionally. However, when Black Zarak attacked Cancer's homeland toward the end of the series, he virtually defected to the Cybertrons. Wilder and Bullhorn later followed him when the Destron leader left them behind to be destroyed with their base when the Cybertrons attacked it. In response, Devil Z stripped them of their Transformer bodies, which were turned completely into robots loyal to him. Despite this, they and a former Destron Godmaster, Clouder, gathered some military equipment to rush in and join the Cybertrons, but their help ultimately wasn't needed.
Here (45K, figure, 11/24/98) is a picture I found of the Destron Headmaster Juniors figures. From top to bottom are Wilder, Bullhorn, and Cancer. They are actually the same as the versions outside Japan.
Here (13K, series, 11/24/98) is my picture of Bullhorn from the series.
The following is an English translation of Wilder's specs card (from the back of the box), his bio info card (from inside the box), and his tech specs "SPECCHART" graph card (from the back of the box), respectively, by Doug Dlin (apcog@hotmail.com):
WILDER Headmaster Jr.
Function: Commander
Transformation: Wolf Mode
Abilities: Can run at up to Mach 3 on land. Has sharp claws and
fangs. Specializes in swift attacks thanks to his agility.
Weapon(s): Molecular Disruption Blaster, Wing Shield
Final Attack: The "Rising Moon"--When bathed in moonlight, he can arch
his entire body and use it like a laser scalpel, cutting
down his enemies in one stroke.
Card Info:
Codename: Wilder Code No.: D-301
Level: 56 Origin: U.S.A. Age: 13
Profile: A former biker gang leader, this big-hearted youth is an
unusually intelligent evil pretty-boy. A cool commander, he
is feared even by his teammates. He feels a fierce sense of
rivalry toward Goshooter.
Str Int Spd End Rnk Crg Frp Skl
6 8 6 8 6 8 6 8
Although actually a Masterforce catalog, it mainly contains figures from the preceding Headmasters series along with this series' Pretenders, Godmasters, and Sixknight. This catalog was scanned by Jeff Morris (jbmorris@steel.ucs.indiana.edu) and added on 2/12/00.
Added on 1/21/00, the second catalog came with my Black Zarak, while the third catalog's only change, added on 2/12/00, was scanned and donated by Jeff Morris (jbmorris@steel.ucs.indiana.edu). Both are the catalogs for the Masterforce series.
Added on 1/21/00, this catalog came with my Landcross giftset, with figures for characters in the Masterforce series. The front side contains figures for the characters in the upcoming Victory series, while the back side contains figures for the characters in the Masterforce series which were still being sold at that time.
Updated on 1/21/00, this catalog came with my Dinoforce giftset and was the last one containing figures for characters in the Masterforce series. Like for the other catalog above, the front side contains figures for the characters in the upcoming Victory series, while the back side contains figures for the characters in the Masterforce series which were still being sold at that time.
For more catalogs, check out my inserts page or check out The Ark Archives.
Masterforce and Victory Mail-Order Form
I scanned in this form, also included with Victory packages, and added this on 4/21/99 and updated it on 1/21/00.
Added on 2/12/00, the following two were thanks to Jeff Morris
(jbmorris@steel.ucs.indiana.edu),
who scanned them for me:
Lander (Landmine) Mail-Order Form
Lander wasn't actually available in stores in Japan. This is the mail-order form for him.
Super Ginrai Naming Contest Form
This contest is a fill-in-the-blank type in which one has to fill the circles with the correct Japanese characters for Super Ginrai's name. ^_^ Most noteworthy is a neat picture of the prototype Godbomber, never released for mass-production anywhere.
The back of the boxes for the figures in the Masterforce series has a neat battle scene (194K, figure, 9/24/99). It is actually identical to the ones on the American packages for figures during this era, with drawings of Powermaster Optimus Prime, some Pretenders, and a couple of Powermasters.
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