General Information:
Release Date: July 2016
Price Point: $4.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General (Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart etc.)
Accessories: Terri-Bull Titan Master, Vehicle
Very early on in the life of the Transformers line the toy line began to move away from the sole gimmick of transformation. Once figures like Combiners were introduced it became clear Transformers could be more than just a robot that changed from one form to another. In 1987 Hasbro and Takara took a bold step into a new play pattern by introducing Headmasters. Headmasters were Transformers whose heads detached and became smaller figures that could then pilot or ride the Transformers in beast and vehicle forms (or in a couple cases, their battle station or city forms!). Now almost thirty years after they were originally introduced the Headmaster gimmick has returned in a new form: Titan Masters!
Titan Masters focuses on the return of small robots to Cybertron that can unlock incredible power, and it is up to the Transformers to merge with them and harness those abilities and strengths. In some ways the story resembles "Armada" which had a similar conceit for the Mini-Cons. In true "Generations" fashion, Titans Return gives us characters from the Headmasters era in new forms that pay homage to the originals.
Packaging:
The Titan Master figures are packaged on a bubble card. The front of the card is universal across the assortment. It features Fortress Maximus' head floating above his body. To the side is a black bar with the "Generations" logo above the vertical "Transformers" logo. The insert in the bubble has a render of the figure in head mode. The head and vehicle are in the area under Fortress Maximus' head. The back is almost universal in that it features a diagram of the Titan Master "eco system" showing that the heads can attach to Deluxe, Voyager and Leader Classes. The difference however is in the bar code, which is specific to each character.
Terri-Bull is the new name for a G1 Headmaster known as "Horri-Bull". While it is likely trademark reasons led to this name change I'm also guessing someone in marketing didn't necesarily want the word "horrible" associated with a Transformers product. That said, the name "Terri-Bull" is just as fun of a pun as "Horri-Bull" so I think it's pretty great.
Robot Mode:
Terri-Bull's robot form appears to be an original design. I scrolled through looking at the designs of all the G1 Headmasters and I could not find any specific one that matched the details of this design. There are some similarities between this figure and the G1 Headmaster for Horri-Bull, Kreb. Both have curves on the chest section and some bands wrapped around the arms near the elbow sections. But other key details including a vent like piece on the chest and angled details on the legs appear unique to this design. On the one hand I would have loved a Kreb homage as the sculpt is a very unique and organic looking one. On the other this figure looks distinctly robotic which fits in with the Titan Master narrative.
While his sculpt may not be based on G1 Kreb's, the colors do take inspiration from Kreb. The head, arms and thighs are metallic blue while the torso and lower legs are grey. The metallic blue is particularly beautiful and looks fantastic. The only paint application is on the face, which is painted yellow.
Like most Titan Masters, Terri-Bull has five points of articulation. This includes the head, arms, hips and knees
Transformation to Head Mode:
Push the arms down to the sides. Fold the legs up. I've found the most secure way to attach the head to a Titan Master body is to have Terri-Bull's face pointing in the opposite direction than the larger face.
Head Mode:
While Terri-Bull's robot form isn't based on Kreb, his head mode is based on Horri-Bull's. Both have a distinct helmet with a section on top that ends in a six sided section. A small crest rests on top of that. On either side are thin sections that have some extra details on them not found on the G1 version. Perhaps the most distinctive features are the eyes and mouthplate. The eyes are six sided instead of being thin or visor eyes. He has a mouthplate with a distinct nose section that angles inward toward the middle and then extends forward onto the top of the mouthplate.
The head is mostly cast in metallic blue plastic. The face is painted a light brown color, calling back to the metallic gold used on Horri-Bull's face. The eyes are painted red, the color often used for Decepticons in Generation One. Overall the head looks great and functionally I've had no issues with it when attached to larger robot bodies.
Tank Mode:
Terri-Bull's vehicle is packaged in tank mode. It has a solid looking rectangular design. Each of the tread sections is covered with armor that angles downward in the front and back. There are lots of cool details including two rockets on either side and wheels with treads on the sides. The tank's main armament is mounted on top with two dual barrels. It's a very cool looking mini-vehicle.
This vehicle is mostly cast in metallic blue, the same shade as Terri-Bull himself. The weapon barrels are cast in the same light grey used on Terri-Bull. The turret section is painted light brown. These small vehicles are not heavily painted which is a bit of a shame. The sides have a lot of wonderful details that would look great with some silver or black details to bring them out.
The cannons on the vehicle can move up and down and slightly to the left and right. The turret itself cannot move. Instead it serves as a place for Terri-Bull to sit in. Slide the legs in there to connect him to the two small pegs inside and he holds in place nice and tight. There is an interesting weapon mode for this vehicle that is sort of "in between" the two vehicle forms. Swing out the cockpit of the jet mode and swing out a peg in the back and the tank forms a five barreled weapon that can be held by larger figures. The front of the jet cockpit is even sculpted to look like it has a barrel in the nosecone. I like the idea of an extra mode for this vehicle. It adds play value to the set.
Transformation to Jet Mode:
- Make sure Terri-Bull is separated from the vehicle.
- Flip the vehicle over and swing the cockpit out.
- Swing the panels on the sides out.
- Slide Terri-Bull's head into the slot in the back of the cockpit and attach the legs to the back section (there is a slot there for the tab on the legs).
Jet Mode:
The fighter jet mode is a really thick looking jet. The cockpit section looks a lot like a scifi jet including the cockpit section that narrows in front to a weapon barrel and the extra cannon barrels on the bottom. The wings com up at angles on the sides and Terri-Bull's legs actually appear to form angled vertical fins on the back. In some ways it reminds me of vehicles from the early days of Transformers, especially the Powerdashers. It appeals to me in a very retro way.
This mode mostly shows off metallic blue plastic. The cockpit windows are painted black with a Decepticon symbol on top. Like the tank mode this form could use a lot more deco but after reviewing the other three Titan Master vehicles I've come to expect minimal deco on these vehicles.
Final Thoughts:
Terri-Bull has a fun vehicle and a nicely sculpted robot/head form. I love the way the new name of this character is just as much of a pun as his original one. He could use a few more paint apps, but that's common across this whole assortment. If you're into this assortment at all I'd say bump this up to the top (or near the top) of the list to pick up.
