Caliburst (G1)

Caliburst is a Decepticon Targetmaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.

"Hi, I'm Caliburst. You may remember me from such films as Hive Propaganda and The Creature from Planet Earth."

Like his binary bonded partner Slugslinger, Caliburst is merely putting on an act and playing the role of the cold and fearless Decepticon warrior he outwardly projects; it's just that he's generally more adept at keeping the mask up because of his former life as an actor. While not a good actor, more the kind to be found in the freezer section next to the other pork products, Caliburst does know the importance of staying in character. Given that he joined the Transformer conflict for the money because there was no one left on Nebulos that could stomach appreciate his "talent", he has an incentive to not screw up.

Slugslinger treats his partner fairly well, mostly due to the direct link between the condition of the Decepticon's backbone infrastructure in combat and the condition of his weaponry.

Fiction

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Johnny Haymer (English), Ken Narita (Japanese), Thomas Rau (German), Serge Bourrier (European French)

Caliburst was a member of the Hive, the secret ruling body of Nebulos who could control machines with their very thoughts, and used that power to dominate the peasants. Their sole regret was that the development of their mental powers had left the Hive's physical bodies all but useless. When the Decepticons arrived on Nebulos, the Hive's leader Zarak saw an opportunity for rebirth, and the Hive joined forces with the Decepticons in order to undergo the bio-mechanical engineering necessary for them to move once more. While some of the Hive physically linked with the Decepticons as Headmasters (as the Autobots had recently done with Nebulan rebels), Caliburst was one of the newly conceived Targetmasters who binary bonded with Decepticon blasters instead. When paired up with Slugslinger, Caliburst suggested that name for himself because he'd never missed a shot in his life. Slugslinger retorted that was because Caliburst had never fired a shot in his life. The Rebirth, Part 2

Caliburst and the Decepticon Targetmasters returned to Cybertron with the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber and Zarak's powerful new city-bot, Scorponok. Once the plasma energy was released, however, Scorponok was struck by the power and launched into deep space with Caliburst and the other Decepticons still on board. The Rebirth, Part 3

Marvel The Transformers comics

Caliburst would have been a really bad Shakespearean actor, had he been born on Earth. Once appreciated by the acting world, he eventually became known more for overplaying his parts than playing them. Looking for a venue where his craft would be appreciated, Caliburst joined the Decepticons when Lord Zarak offered to pay for his services, and underwent the Targetmaster process to binary bond him to the equally outspoken Slugslinger. Shortly after the Decepticon Targetmasters had their trial run against Fortress Maximus and his Autobots, the Decepticons of Nebulos left the planet and made their way towards Earth. Brothers in Armor!!

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Headmasters cartoon

Caliburst and his five friends were refugees, having fled their home planet of Master when Scorponok and the Decepticons began an all-out siege on the world. They were being chased through space in their starship by the Decepticons when they came across the Battleship Maximus. Fortress gave them safe haven aboard his starship, and the Master citizens attempted to show their gratitude by removing the deadly plasma energy bombs Fortress was trying to dispose of. Their efforts came too late, however, as the plasma energy bombs exploded aboard their ship in space, bathing everyone nearby with energy. Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 1)

Although they survived the explosion, for Caliburst and two of his fellow refugees, the ending was not a happy one. The plasma energy somehow fused each of them to a different one of the Decepticon trio who had been attacking them, creating Targetmasters. Caliburst was now the eternal partner of Slugslinger and became a member of the Decepticon army at his side. As a Decepticon, Caliburst was forced to join in the invasion of his own planet. Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 2)

In a battle for the data of the Master Sword, Caliburst bonded with Slugslinger to fight the Autobots. The Master Sword Is in Danger!! Caliburst again joined his partner when the Autobot Targetmasters landed on Master to investigate the possible presence of the Decepticons. The two forces battled each other, and the Decepticons were able to wash the Autobots away in a surge of water from an elevated lake. The Decepticon Targetmasters returned to the other Decepticons to report of their triumph over the Autobot Targetmasters. When the Autobot Headmasters sneaked into the Decepticon's hidden cavern base, the Targetmasters were there to greet them. A battle ensued that the Autobot Targetmasters joined, but the Decepticons eventually retreated. The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide

Caliburst, Blowpipe, and Aimless were later assigned to watch out for any intruders, and they spotted the Autobot Targetmasters. They went off to report their presence to the other Decepticons and joined their larger partners in attacking the Autobots. During battle, the Decepticons were distracted by an aircraft sent by the natives of Master, allowing the Autobots to escape. Nevertheless, the Decepticons were soon sicced on a Master city, killing the natives. The natives fought back with aircraft, and their combined efforts with the Autobots forced the lesser Decepticons to flee into Scorponok's transtector. After a showdown between the Zarak Shield and the Master Sword, the Decepticons left Master for Earth. Operation: Destroy the Decepticons

Caliburst played part in the decisive battle with the Autobots at the North Pole. When the Final Formation put an end to Scorponok's machinations on Earth, the Decepticons retreated into space. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)

Legends comic

Brainstorm retold the story about how he and his people, including Caliburst, fled Cybertron under the leadership of Fortress and settled on Master. Bonus Edition Vol. 31 Years prior to becoming a Targetmaster, Caliburst was one of six Master warriors who were kidnapped by Scorponok and exposed to plasma energy, removing their ability to speak. When Scorponok returned to Master in 2011 and tried to recapture them and continue his experiments, the six of them fled from the planet. Mutant Targetmaster Birth Chapter

In 2021, Caliburst and the Decepticon Targetmasters were battling their Autobot counterparts in space when Scorponok detonated a black hole, creating a plasma energy shockwave that caused the smaller Targetmasters to vanish. Targetmaster Chapter Prologue When they were located in the void of space, the six had been supercharged with plasma energy and gathered together into a clump of guns. The Decepticon Targetmasters attempted to transport them into the Legends World using Alpha Trion, but the plasma energy was too dangerous and Trion instead scattered them across the dimension. Mutant Targetmaster Birth Chapter Furthermore, the combination of plasma energy with the Legends World's unique energies mutated the Targetmasters, granting them new powers. Bonus Edition Vol. 45

Slugslinger eventually rediscovered Caliburst and found his power was to fire anti-electrons, a substance that would incapacitate any Transformer. He used this ability to take out all opposition and capture Blowpipe and Aimless, who he combined with Caliburst into the Plasma Energy Chamber gun, but he was ultimately defeated and accidentally exposed to the anti-electrons himself. Caliburst was then captured by Hot Rod and Shaoshao Li. Bonus Edition Vol. 55

The Headmasters comic

Caliburst and the Decepticon Targetmasters attempted to disrupt the Autobots' efforts to put out a blazing fire on Earth. The Autobots' split focus left them vulnerable, until the Battleship Maximus extinguished the entire fire in one sweep. Ricochet and Artfire then turned their full attention on Caliburst and his allies, driving them from the scene. The Headmasters #7

Titans Return marketing material

The ancient Titan Master Caliburst was partnered with the Decepticon Slugslinger, granting his host the ability to fire at ultra-high-speeds.^[1]

War for Cybertron Trilogy marketing material

During the war for Cybertron, Caliburst was an Air Force Weapons Raider. Earthrise toy packaging

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Commercial appearances

When the Transformers' war resumed its course on Nebulon, Caliburst accompanied Slugslinger into battle alongside his fellow Decepticon Targetmasters. As they fought against their Autobot counterparts, Fortress Maximus and Scorponok grappled in the distance. Headmaster comic book commercial

Games

Transformers: Earth Wars

Transformers: Earth Wars

Toys

The Transformers

• Slugslinger (Targetmaster, 1987)

• Takara ID number: D-90

Released in the fourth year of Hasbro's US The Transformers toyline (third year in Europe and in Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers line), Targetmaster Caliburst transforms into an "automatic machine gun". Caliburst's transformation, like Blowpipe's, is slightly more involved than many Targetmaster weapons; his gun barrel is a separate piece that plugs into his back. Once his legs are folded up, the barrel has to be snapped into place where the legs were, the resulting weapon longer than many of the other first-year Targetmasters. This backpack uses the same-sized peg as Caliburst's normal handle, the good old 5 mm post, thus it can also be used as a hand-held blaster on its own.

Caliburst was only available packed in with his larger partner Slugslinger.

• More information on Caliburst at TFU.info

United

• Caliburst (Promotional Micron, 2011)

• Release date: March 5, 2011

United Caliburst is a redeco of Power Core Combiners Backwind, transforming from a robot to a hand-held gatling gun.

Though his instructions only show the hand-held gun mold (held by United Scourge since there was no modern Slugslinger for him to partner with at the time), as a Power Core Combiners Mini-Con, he also has a hook/gun armature configuration meant for use on a larger robot's vehicle mode, plus a chest-armor mode.

He was only available as a Toys"R"Us exclusive campaign item in Japan, given away with the purchase of over 3000 yen worth of Transformers product as part of a Dark of the Moon "Movie Preview Campaign", beginning on March 5.

This mold was also used to make Beacon and United EX Firebug.

Titans Return

• Caliburst & Slugslinger (Deluxe Class, 2017)

• Known designers: John Warden (Hasbro)

Part of the sixth and final wave of Titans Return Deluxes, Caliburst is now a Titan Master, a redeco and retool of Blowpipe, transforming into the head of his pack-in partner Slugslinger. The head sculpt is based on Slugslinger's Marvel-created animation model rather than the original toy's head.

As a Titan Master, he is also compatible with basically any other toy in the series: he can combine with any Titan Mater vehicle/beast, "pilot" any Legends-class toy, and form the head of any Deluxe-and-up humanoid robot.

Legends

• Targetmaster Slugslinger (Deluxe, 2017)

• Release date: December 30, 2017
• ID number: LG55

Released in the twenty-fourth wave of TakaraTomy's Legends toyline, Caliburst transforms into a gun based on his original gun mold, but considerably stumpier; the gunbarrel backpack is also permanently affixed. However, his robot mode has better articulation, which is to say it has any articulation.

He was only available packed in with his larger partner "Targetmaster Slugslinger", replacing the twin guns that came with the Titans Return version of the toy. Because of this, Slugslinger was lightly retooled to have a centered 5 mm post-hole on his jet mode top to accommodate the single gun, plus his now-"Headmaster" head-robot is now just Slugslinger's "core" piloting a Transtector.

War for Cybertron: Siege

• Caliburst (Battle Master, 2019)

• Hasbro ID number: WFC-S30
• TakaraTomy ID number: SG-27
• TakaraTomy release date: August 24, 2019
• Accessories: Cannon, "Fire Blast effect"

Part of the third wave of Siege Battle Masters, Caliburst is a straight redeco of Blowpipe in totally new colors so as not to make it aggressively and toy-buying-discouragingly obvious he's a straight redeco, transforming into an "Oxidation Cannon". The actual gun barrel piece can detach from the back just as before, but this time revealing a 3 mm peg, allowing it to connect to Caliburt's arms as his own personal artillery piece. However, thanks to its size, it makes him very easy to tip over at the slightest provocation.

As a part of the C.O.M.B.A.T. System, he includes a new "Fire Blast" effect piece that can be used to simulate his blaster mode firing, and can slot onto the various hardpoints found on other figures and weaponry from the same subline to simulate blaster fire or explosions. The outer peg of the effect part can also attach to 5 mm ports.

War for Cybertron Trilogy

Wow, I'm actually closer to my original deco than when I was alive!

• Sparkless Seeker (Battle 3-pack, 2021)

• TakaraTomy ID number: WFC-20
• TakaraTomy release date: January 29, 2022

Part of the third assortment of War for Cybertron Trilogy toys, ostensibly tied in with Kingdom (even though the "sparkless" were a Siege plot point), "Sparkless Caliburst" is a redeco of his Siege figure in a "dead" color scheme. Sparkless Caliburst comes with the same "Fire Blast" effect piece as before, but in a much darker shade of purple.

Sparkless Caliburst was only available packaged with the Voyager-sized Sparkless Seeker and fellow Battle Master Sparkless Singe. This set, like most of the Netflix War for Cybertron Trilogy toys, was a Walmart exclusive in the U.S. and Canada.

Merchandise

Transformers Trading Card Game

• Raider Caliburst, Air Force-Weapons/Oxidation Cannon (2019)
  • Wave 4: War for Cybertron: Siege II
  • Rarity: UT
  • Card Number: T30/T52
  • Stars: 6

Raider Caliburst, Air Force-Weapons is one of forty-eight double-sided character cards available in Wave 4 of the Transformers Trading Card Game, War for Cybertron: Siege II. As a Battle Master, Raider Caliburst, Air Force-Weapons begins the game in Bot Mode. Instead of being sent to the KO Area once his Health drops to zero, the card is flipped to the Upgrade side, becoming the Oxidation Cannon, and equipped in the Weapons slot of another character on the player's side of the battlefield . In order to represent Caliburst's size as a Battle Master, the card is the size of a battle card, about half the size of a normal character card.

The artwork for Bot Mode is reused from the Siege Caliburst toy's packaging art. The Oxidation Cannon received original artwork, with line-art by Andrew Griffith.

Notes

• Caliburst's English voice seems to be patterned after Rodney Dangerfield...which is rather appropriate for an acting ham.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Caliburst (キャリバースト Kyaribāsuto, カリバースト Karibāsuto)
• French: La Terreur de l'Ouest (European dub, "The Terror of the West")
• Russian: Calibros (Калиброс)

References