TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:
Alternate Mode:
Box Art:
Technical Specifications:
STR
INT
SPD
END
RNK
CRG
FPR
SKL

Warcry's review of: Triggerhappy

Name: Triggerhappy
Nebulan Partner: Blowpipe
Allegiance: Decepticon
Sub-Group: Targetmaster
Generation: One
Function: Gunner
Motto: "Have gun, have fun."

Usually too busy laughing uncontrollably and drooling out oil to look where he's shooting. Loves the sound of his guns blasting away. Wild and unpredictable. Paired with Blowpipe, a powerful compressed-air cannon who is also the conniving, envious brother-in-law of Lord Zarak, the Nebulan leader of the Decepticon Headmasters. In jet Mode, has side-mounted, rapid-fire photon-pulse guns. Maximum speed: 1,980 mph

Triggerhappy is a figure I'd wanted ever since I first saw him on the catalogue sheets, back in the 80's. His robot mode looked very well-designed, but what has always caught my eye is his jet mode. Futuristic, with massive cannons on either wing, he always seemed to be something special. I always thought the Targetmaster process was wasted on him, though. What good is a little guy that turns into a gun when you've got guns six times his size attached to your arms?

Anyway, about a year back I finally got my hands on one. He didn't come with Blowpipe, which didn't bother me at all, but lowered the price significantly. The parts that were once white are now a faded yellow, but his stickers are still intact and it really doesn't take much away from the appearance.

I had high hopes for this guy, and he didn't disappoint. Some things were better than I expected, some worse. But overall he's pretty damned good.

Alternate Mode:

Triggerhappy is an impressive futuristic starfighter in vehicle mode. He doesn't even vaguely resemble any modern aircraft (in fact, I seriously doubt he would be able to fly in atmosphere), with short wings and huge twin cannons on either side of his fuselage. His main engines are mounted in-line with the cannons, giving the impression that they're a single, powerful assembly. He's mostly dark blue, though his guns and most of his engine arrays are (or in my case, were) white. The rearmost segments of his engines are a nice copper colour.

Triggerhappy's Nebulan partner, Blowpipe, can attach to a socket at the rear of the fuselage, but really, what for? Any weapon you attach there is going to look out of place, and with the huge twin cannons, any other weapons are superfluous.

There are a few design problems with this mode, unfortunately. While he looks good from above, his robot legs are clearly visible under his fuselage from pretty much every other angle. His robot mode head is an even bigger problem; it slides into the rear of his fuselage in jet mode, but it's held in place by a small notch. Even the slightest impact can make it pop out, bringing me no end of annoyance.

Despite those flaws, Triggerhappy's jet mode is very eye catching.

Robot Mode:

Triggerhappy has one of the more humanoid robot modes to come out of the G1 line, but he still manages to look like an alien robot. Like many other Decepticon jets, his cockpit module forms his chest and his main weapons hang off his arms (with the barrels pointed upwards, unfortunately). His chest, lower arms, and lower legs are dark blue, while his upper arms and legs, as well as the cannons on his arms, are 'white'.

Triggerhappy is surprisingly large, towering over all of the other first wave Targetmasters I own. Well, maybe not towering, but he's about a head taller than the likes of Misfire or Crosshairs. He looks surprisingly sleek, too, despite the bulk on his arms. His torso is slim, and the thin slats that fill the space between his lower torso and arms have the appearance of a half-cape more than anything else. His legs are very thin, but Triggerhappy is balanced well enough that he can stand with no problems.

Triggerhappy has above average articulation for a G1 figure; his arms move at shoulder and elbow, while his legs move at hip and knee. However, the leg articulation is worthless. The tip of his fuselage falls below the plane of his waste, and it prevents you from swinging his legs forward more than 45 degrees. His knees are no better, ruling out the possibility of dynamic poses. That's par for the course as far as G1 goes, though (the only G1 figures I'd associate 'dynamic posing' with are Hun-grrr and maybe Misfire, but that's another topic entirely...).

The only serious problem I have with Triggerhappy's robot mode doesn't have to do with the figure itself, but his accessories. Basically, he needs a weapon; a guy named Triggerhappy could hardly be without one. But because he's a Targetmaster (and one who's weapon had detachable parts, yet!), it's a bit difficult to find the guy with his gun included. Nebulans seem to get lost or broken even more easily than regular weapons, so if you want to find this guy with an intact Blowpipe included, expect to pay a bit more (that's not as bad as it sounds, though; the only thing wrong with my Triggerhappy is a bit of yellowing, and I paid maybe $10 for him without Blowpipe).

It's possible to flip his jet mode main guns down and use them in robot mode, but that looks...ridiculous. At the moment, my Triggerhappy is running around with the missile launchers from my ancient G1 Thundercracker, and that's an adequate solution. Weapons concerns aside, Triggerhappy is an impressive robot.

Transformation: 5. They should have done a better job hiding his legs and head in jet mode.
Durability: 9. Aside from the yellowing plastic, he seems pretty much invincible.
Fun: 8. A pretty jet with big guns, and a pretty, vaguely poseable robot.
Price: 10. Triggerhappy himself is cheaper than he has any right to be. If you want to pick Blowpipe up with him, you'll have to invest a few dollars more.
Overall: 9. If you're looking for a low-priced G1 Decepticon, you literally couldn't pick a better figure. Highly recommended.