Triggerhappy (Transformers)

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Triggerhappy
Transformers character
Triggerhappy-boxart.jpg.jpg
Generation 1 Triggerhappy in box art
First appearance

"Brothers in Armor!!", The Transformers: Headmaster #4, January 1988
Created by

Hasbro
Voiced by

Charlie Adler (English)

Michihiro Ikemizu (Japanese)
Information
Species Transformer
Abilities

Affiliation

Decepticon
Alternate mode

Cybertronian jet fighter
Function

Gunner
Motto

"Have gun, have fun!"
Partner

Blowpipe
Series

Transformers: Generation 1
Transformers: Generations
Sub-group

Deluxe vehicles, Targetmasters
Tech specs

ST07 IN07 SP07 EN07

RN05 CO09 FB08 SK06

Triggerhappy is a fictional character from the Transformers series. He appeared in season 4 of the Transformers animated series voiced by Charlie Adler. Even though the series ended after season 4 in the US, he continued to appear in various comic book series and in the Japanese TV episodes.

Transformers: Generation 1

Fictional biography

Profile: Long suspected of having one too many disconnected circuits in his logic center, Triggerhappy is a crazed, computerized creep who thinks everything is a big joke. Even in the midst of a raging battle, he's usually too busy laughing uncontrollably and drooling lubricant to look where he's shooting. Worse for him, he doesn't pay much attention to who's shooting in his direction either. He is seemingly intoxicated by the sounds of his own gunfire, staggering about blissfully as he blasts away. The occasional battlefield success he has is a result of the panic his wild shooting sprees sometimes generate among opponents. Those who've known him for a long time trace his erratic behavior back millions of years ago, to an episode in a Decepticon warrior-trainee boot camp: Triggerhappy was practicing the use of a proton machine gun while riding a hoverboard. He slipped and fell on his head, all the while firing wildly away. A half dozen of his teachers were unintentionally disintegrated. Fearing the worst, Triggerhappy was happily surprised when the camp's commander lauded him for his lethal expertise and graduated him on the spot. He has adopted that manic offensive strategy ever since, although no one is sure if he acts this way because of his initial success with it or because the bump on his head shook a few wires loose.

Triggerhappy is paired with Blowpipe, the conniving, envious brother-in-law of the evil Nebulan group's leader, Lord Zarak. On Nebulos, Blowpipe managed Lord Zarak's political career and was chiefly responsible for arranging his rise to fame and power. When Lord Zarak fell from grace and allied himself with the Decepticons, Blowpipe thought it prudent to follow, so he did.

Abilities: Triggerhappy transforms to a turbo-thrust jet fighter, with a maximum speed of 1980 mph and range of 4,000 miles. He's equipped with two twin side-mounted, rapid-fire photon pulse guns, used mostly for attacks on other flying craft. Blowpipe is bio-engineered to have the ability to convert to a powerful compressed air cannon, which Triggerhappy wields in robot mode.

Weaknesses: Needless to say, given the wasteful manner in which he uses his weapons, Triggerhappy often finds himself out of ammunition during the most inopportune occasions - such as in the middle of a full-scale Autobot counterattack.

Animated series

The Transformers

Triggerhappy was introduced in "The Rebirth", the three-part fourth-season finale to the original Transformers animated series.

When the Decepticons attempted to seize the power of the Plasma Energy Chamber in 2007, the Autobots intervened and aborted the opening. However a blast of energy struck the ship sending their shuttle out of control towards a distant planet named Nebulos. Due to the Autobots possessing the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber, Galvatron ordered Cyclonus, Triggerhappy and the other future Head/Targetmasters to pursue them.

The Decepticons managed to capture six Autobots, but were defeated by the Autobot Headmasters during a rescue attempt. The Decepticons were then captured themselves by the Hive, who sought to replicate the Headmaster process with them, but Cyclonus was able to bargain them down to taking only the heads of the animal-based Decepticons, offering up the weapons of the others as alternatives. Using Nebulan technology, the guns were engineered into a transforming exo-suits which were donned by five members of the Hive, creating the Targetmasters, giving their Transformer wielders ten times the accuracy and firepower. Triggerhappy was partnered with Blowpipe.

Triggerhappy himself did not get much character development. He was another foot soldier with a habit of frequently cackling during battle.

Transformers: The Headmasters

Although The Rebirth marked the end of the Transformers cartoon in the US, in Japan, a different direction was taken - ignoring the events of The Rebirth, a brand new, exclusive 35-episode series, Transformers: The Headmasters, was produced to take its place, which introduced the Targetmasters towards its conclusion. Notably, in Japan, the 1986 characters were not re-released as Targetmasters - only the six new characters featured in Headmasters.

In the world of Transformers: Headmasters, there are no Nebulons - the Headmasters themselves are simply small Transformers, who, having settled on the planet Master, learned to transform into heads and connect to lifeless larger bodies named Transtectors. It was to Master that the Decepticon forces returned after the Autobots forced them to flee Earth, and consequently, a ship was dispatched by the planet's inhabitants to alert the Earth-bound Autobots to the Decepticon invasion. At the same time, the youthful Autobot, Wheelie, had summoned three of his old superior officers - Pointblank (Blanker in Japan), Sureshot and Crosshairs - to Earth to aid in the clean-up operation currently going on, when Autobot Headmaster Chromedome accidentally activated one of the plasma bombs the Decepticons had left behind. Heading out into space so that the bomb might harmlessly explode out in the void, the Autobots then crossed paths with the approaching Master ship, which was being pursued by the Decepticon Sixshot and three new troops - Slugslinger, Misfire and Triggerhappy. As Pointblank and his men tangled with the Decepticons, the Master refugees offered their help by transporting away the plasma bombs, only to have the bombs detonate in the middle of the battlefield.

Recovering from the explosion, Pointblank, Crosshairs and Sureshot discovered that the six Master refugees had been fused to their arms. Although Fortress was able to surgically remove them, a bond now existed between the larger Transformers and the Master refugees, who could now freely attach and detach to their wrists as guns. Unfortunately for these new Targetmasters, the same had happened to Slugslinger and his fellows. The Targetmasters joined up with Fortress's crew on the mission to Master, but quickly clashed with the Headmasters - Pointblank and his men were hard, experienced warriors who thought little of the Headmasters, and Pointblank spent a good deal of time attempting to soothe Chromedome's fiery temper to improve his battle ability.

In episode #29, "The Master Sword Is in Danger!!", the Autobot and Decepticon Targetmasters participated in a battle on the planet Master where Zarak first sent in the Decepticon Duocons. In this battle the Decepticons are able to obtain a computer disk that contains information on the Master Sword.[1]

In episode #30, "The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide" the Autobot Targetmasters follow Soundblaster to the planet Master where they are ambushed by the Decepticon Targetmasters. The Autobots are washed away when the Decepticons blast a dam above the Autobots during the fight. Surviving the flood the Autobot Targetmasters discover a cave entrance to the Decepticon base. Despite being discovered by the Autobots, the Decepticon are able to escape with their new weapon.[2]

Books

Triggerhappy appeared in the 1988 Ladybird Books story Decepticons at the Pole by John Grant.[3]

Comics

Dreamwave Productions

Although Triggerhappy and Blowpipe did not appear in the stories published by Dreamwave Productions, they did get a biography printed in their More Than Meets The Eye series.

IDW Publishing

In Spotlight: Blaster Triggerhappy appeared in a flashback among the Decepticon forces led by Razorclaw who attacked the Autobots on Cybertron just after Blaster was attacked.[4]

Triggerhappy appeared in The Transformers: Stormbringer #4. He was among the Decepticon forces sent against Thunderwing when the Wreckers were unable to stop him.[5]

Marvel Comics

Triggerhappy appeared among the troops of Scorponok in The Transformers: Headmasters issue #1, "The Ring of Hate!"

Triggerhappy was among the Decepticon troops who first met with the Nebulans led by Zarak in the Transformers UK Annual 1998 story Doomsday for Nebulos.

He became a Targetmaster when bonded to the Nebulan Blowpipe in in The Transformers: Headmasters issue #4, "Brothers in Armor!"

Triggerhappy first appeared in the regular US Marvel series with issue #49, "The Underbase Saga Part 3, Cold War!" In this story he was a member of the Decepticon forces under Scorponok's command. They were tricked into fighting the Decepticon forces under Ratbat's command by Starscream, who used the battle to steal Scorponok's ship and get to the Underbase.

Triggerhappy appeared in issue #58 "All the Familiar Faces!" where he was among the Decepticon forces led by Scorponok in an attack on the MacDill Airforce Base. The Autobot force leader Optimus Prime realized both sides had been manipulated into fighting by someone else, and just as Scorponok realized Optimus may be correct both groups were attacked by Starscream in his new, powerful Pretender shell.

Triggerhappy appeared in issue #59 "Skin Deep."

Triggerhappy appeared in issue #69 "Eye of the Storm" where Mindwipe and Triggerhappy abandoned Scorponok for he failures in leading the Decepticons. They were then recruited by Shockwave, Starscream and Ravage.

Triggerhappy appeared in issue #71 "Surrender!" where he voiced doubts over Shockwave's leadership of the Decepticons, but was talked into remaining with his group.

Triggerhappy appeared in issue #72 "All this and Civil War 2" where Scorponok easily overcame the combined firepower of Mindwipe, Runabout, Runamuck, Triggerhappy to face Shockwave in single combat.

Triggerhappy appeared in issue #73 "Out of Time!"

Triggerhappy appeared in issue #74 "The Void!"

Triggerhappy appeared in issue #77 "Exodus!" where he was among the Decepticons who backed Bludgeon's plan to conquer an inhabited world for the Decepticons once they abandoned Cybertron, rather than go with the Autobot plan to start from nothing on an uninhabited world.

Toys

  • Generation 1 Triggerhappy with Blowpipe (1987)
This toy is patented in the US as patent number D302033. [6][7]
  • Universe Triggerhappy (cancelled)
A remold of Universe Cyclonus as Triggerhappy [8].
  • Generations Titans Return Deluxe Blowpipe & Triggerhappy (2017)
A retool of Autobot Brainstorm; this is the first version of the character with a Headmaster/Titan Master partner rather than a Targetmaster.

References

  1. "The Master Sword Is in Danger!!". Transformers: The Headmasters. No. 29, season 1.
  2. "The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide". Transformers: The Headmasters. No. 30, season 1.
  3. John Grant (1988). Decepticons at the Pole. Ladybird Books. ISBN 0721410685. 
  4. http://www.the-hub.co.uk/reviews/comics/idw/blaster/index.html
  5. http://transfans.net/comics_guide_detail.php?id=667
  6. http://www.google.com/patents?id=OzU7AAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4#v=onepage&q=&f=false
  7. Alvarez, J.E. (2001). The Unofficial Guide to Japanese and International Transformers. Schiffer Publishing Ltd.. p. 27. ISBN 0764312820. 
  8. http://tformers.com/erik-arana-posts-design-work-for-unproduced-universe-classics-g2-megatron-triggerhappy/25920/news.html

External links