Titan Master question

[Dominic]

Are there any official profiles for the smaller Titan Master figures? Titan Masters that are packaged with larger figures have descriptions (short as they are). But, do the $5 figures?

And, is there any content to establish what the Titan Masters are? Are they robots or super-humans (aliens?) that have abilities they confer on larger robots? (I find myself liking the second idea. But, if there is an official backstory, I would like to know about it.)


My best guesses for the $5 Titan Masters is that each has an ability to counter one of the deluxes.

-Apeface: Forensic data recovery. If Chromedome/Stylor can erase and edit memories, then it makes sense for the Decepticons to have a data recovery tool.

-Brawn: Determines probabilities, to counter Weirdwolf/Monzo (or whatever they are named now). Monzo can slow and reverse time for short durations. I figure Brawn could make certain outcomes inevitable, and push for them. (At some point, Weirdwolf's time powers would have to fail.) This also builds on the idea of Brawn being stubborn.

-Clobber: Resistant to mental control, to counter Mindwipe/Vorath's mind control. Maybe he can run on some kind of automated (instinctive) drive that does not require deliberation, and thus cannot be subverted?

-Crashbash: Some kind of inertial draining. If Blurr/Haywire can move at superspeed, this could bring them to a sudden (possibly catastrophic) stop.

-Nightbeat: Increased sensors, to counter Skullcruncher/Grax's cloaking tech.

-Siren: Cancels and nullifies special abilities, as a counter to Scourge/Fracas' being able to steal abilities. Alternatively, Siren could "amplify" abilities, giving characters that have been duplicated an edge over Fracas.

-Skytread: Cancels gravity, allowing for flight and similar feats. Cancels out Highbrow/Gort's ability to increase gravity.

-Terribull: Some kind of renewing/responsive attack. This would counter Hardhead/Durox being able to self-repair. The more Durox focused on repair, the more damage that Terribull's attacks would do.

[Shockwave]

This is as much characterization as they have. There is nothing official on the packaging, they have not appeared in any fiction as of yet.

[Dominic]

I figured there might be some buried online content or something.


Maybe "Titans Return" will have something? (I started "Revolutio" last night.)


-edit: Just did some checking, there is online content (as posted by Dvandom). Oddly, i was close with Nightbeat. Skytread and Siren have no content. I was way off on the others.

[Sparky Prime]

I came across scans of a Titans Return booklet on Seibertron.com (which is also now available online) that was handed out at SDCC 2016. Not sure if this is the same online content you mentioned Dom, but either way I figured it was worth mentioning as it gives some backstory as well as some mini-bios for several of the Titans Return characters...

When the universe was still forming - when the Autobots and Decepticons as we know them had not yet come to exist - the Titans were created. The giant, sentient robots took the form of massive spaceships and fanned out across the galaxies on a mission from their creators. Their directive: discover the powers and mysteries that lurked beyond the boundaries of the known world. Titan Masters traveled with the Titans, a crew of caretakers charged with keeping the systems of the Titans running at peak performance. They also carried a much greater purpose.

Each Titan Master has a unique ability in their spark. Titan Masters can share that ability with other Transformers robots. They are the only known bots who can transfer powers to others.

Titan Masters were given this ability as a gift to share with other civilizations. Like the Titans that carried them, they were eventually lost to history, forgotten by all but the few who were tempted by the potential of their power and reckless enough to seek them. None succeeded.

Now, the Titans and the Titan Masters have returned, sending the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons into uncharted territory. Titan Masters share their abilities by becoming the head of another robot. With the right Titan Masters, a warrior could have limitless power at their disposal - and the Decepticons have taken notice. The battle for the Titan Masters has begun!

It should be mentioned that the Titan Masters aren't the same in the IDW comics... So far we've only been introduced to two of them, Infinitus and Sovereign. Infinitus is the true identity and form of Sentinel Prime and was once an agent of Nexus Prime. While Sovereign was the true identity of Garrison Blackrock and was an agent of Onyx Prime sent to Earth to find the Enigma of Combination.

[Dominic]

And, apparently, Minicons have been completely forgotten despite showing up in the current "Aligned"-focused series. (Unless, we now assume that Minicons no longer confer power.)

[Sparky Prime]

And, apparently, Minicons have been completely forgotten despite showing up in the current "Aligned"-focused series. (Unless, we now assume that Minicons no longer confer power.)

Well the Minicons really haven't provided a power-up since Armada. The RiD15 cartoon sorta brings back the concept, but in that, only 7 special Minicons are capable of sharing a 'power surge' with a Transformer they've linked with. The rest of the Minicons in the series don't have any special powers or abilities.

But yeah, Hasbro's basically replaced the original concept of the Minicons with the Titan Masters here. And some of the abilities these Titan Master have seems a bit odd if the intent of these powers was to share them with other civilizations. Rot-Gut for example, whose especial ability is to generate a "Toxic Rust Cloud".

[Dominic]

The few Minicons in "Cybertron" gave up-grades. But, that is still UT era.

The "Universe" box sets mentioned Minicons granting some kind of power, but only in vague terms.


I figure characters like Rotgut would work in demolitions or something.

[Sparky Prime]

The few Minicons in "Cybertron" gave up-grades. But, that is still UT era.

The Cyber-Keys replaced the Minicons as power-ups in Cybertron. The few Minicons that Powerlinked with other Transformers were never shown to give any sort of up-grades. At most, they acted as an extra weapon.

The "Universe" box sets mentioned Minicons granting some kind of power, but only in vague terms.

I'm talking in terms of the cartoons.

I figure characters like Rotgut would work in demolitions or something.

I suppose, but still, seems like an odd ability to share with other civilizations. But then, transforming into heads to share this ability seems odd as well...

[JediTricks]

The official Hasbro site has profiles for the figures, it just took them a while to get characters online. Some of the Titan Master abilities for wave-2 character were not what I expected.

[Dominic]

Any idea who Sawback is supposed to be?

I am intrigued by the Doublecross (or whatever the new name is).