Phil's
Power Core Minicon Airlift
and
United Targetmaster Micron Recoil & Spoilsport
Review

Power Core Minicon Airlift

Robot Mode: Airlift is the Minicon supplied with Power Core Skyhammer. His body and lower legs are cast in clear orange plastic while his upper legs, arms and head are solid black plastic, with most of the head covered in a layer of metallic paint. The arms are each a gun, moulded to resemble a chain gun. The knees, hips and shoulders are ball jointed plus the waist turns and in a neat twist (ho, ho) the head turns with it (Thank you to Mr Marshall for pointing this out to me on Saturday. In centre of his chest is a Minicon socket, while on his back is a Minicon peg.

Armour Mode: Bend the legs at the knee and the hip. Raise the arms up about 45 degrees and fold them out to the side by the same amount. Yeessssssss. Attached to a Power Core Commander it makes it look like the Minicon is doing something very naughty with the larger toy.

Vehicle Weapon Mode: Fold the legs back at the knees and the hip pegging the tiny pegs on the heel spurs into the back of the upper body. Raise the arms straight up and attach onto a Minicon post using the hole on the robot's chest. For an alternative weapons mode fold the barrels back 180 degrees so the majority of them runs alongside the bulk of the Minicon. Yes it is a box with gun barrels but the adaptability is nice.

Robot Weapon Mode: From robot mode turn the waist 180 degrees. Fold the legs up at the hips & waist pegging the tiny pegs on the heel spurs into the front of the upper body. Either point the arms straight up or fold the arms down to the sides. Yes, it's essentially the vehicle mode weapon again but I like the little twist to the transformation that results in the Minicon post not the socket sticking down.

I'm liking this toy. OK the armour mode isn't greet but the head turning with the waist and the way the weapons are similar but don't transform identically appeals to me.

United Targetmaster Micron Recoil

To launch the Transformers United range in Japan a promotion was run releasing recoloured Power Core Minicons as the Targetmasters for United and Henkei characters. Airlift was used as a new version of Recoil, Kup's Targetmaster. The black arts were kept but the clear orange was swapped for a more traditional solid grey, while the portions of the head that were coloured on Airlift now look like they're chromed. While a little different in form from the original Recoil the United Micron retains the dual barrelled design.

Recoil was a Toys R Us Japan exclusive sold on January 1 2011 with the purchase of Y3000 of United product: A United deluxe has an RRP of Y2300 and a Voyager of Y3600.

Targetmaster Micron Spoilsport

Spoilsport was the Targetmaster for Sureshot. No Generations Sureshot exists but that didn't stop Takara Tomy from making a Spoilsport as part of the second wave of promotional Targetmaster Microns.

Spoilsport was part of the Dark of the Moon "Movie Preview Campaign", given away on March 5th at Bic Camera and Yodobashi Camera stores with the purchase of over 3000 yen worth of Transformers product.

This Spoilsport is effectively an inverse of United Targetmaster Micron Recoil with a black body, head & lower legs and grey arms & upper legs. Unfortunately this isn't the colour scheme used by the original Spoilsport who had red legs and a black body, arms & head. I like the Targetmaster but for it to be Spoilsport I feel they should have got the colours right.

Of the nine Power Core Minicon molds, Four were used for the Targetmaster campaigns. Airlift's is the only one to be used twice. Both Waterlog & Pinpoint have holdable gun modes and weren't used.

Email Philip

Phil's TF Review Page