Blast Master is an Autobot Micromaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Wouldn't it be more convenient if my rockets faced down?

Blast Master (aka Payload) loves receiving orders. He's eager to load up on equipment. He's enthusiastic about blasting off into space. He's delighted to engage in battle. He's also quite likely to screw up bigtime, thanks to all this reckless enthusiasm.^[1] His combiner partner on the Astro Squad is Phaser.

Fiction

War for Cybertron Trilogy marketing material

After Cybertron fell, the Autobots left their homeworld aboard the Ark, traveling through space in pursuit of the AllSpark. Earthrise webpage^[2] Blast Master was a Space Command Special Ops Private. Earthrise toy packaging

When Sky Lynx was sucked into a volatile rift, Blast Master, Ironworks, Overair, and the rest of the Astro Squad encountered the roving comet carrying a densely populated city known as Botropolis. They set up base and hitched a ride on the moving comet to search the universe for signs of Sky Lynx. Encounter 5: Botropolis Rescue Mission

Toys

The Transformers

The Cybertronian equivalent of "Bob Smith."

• Astro Squad (Micromaster Combiner Squad, 1990)

Released in the seventh and final year of the original Hasbro Transformers toyline in the US (sixth and non-final year in Europe), Blast Master transforms into the back half of a black and white Space Shuttle. As a Micromaster Combiner, he can connect to the half-a-vehicle mode of any other Combiner to make a new vehicle mode, and can also attach to any Micromaster Combiner Transport.

He was only available as part of the Astro Team, along with Phaser, Missile Master, Moonrock, Barrage, and Heave.

• More information on Blast Master at TFU.info

• Shuttle Rocket W Team (Shuttle Rocket W Team, 1991)

• ID number: C-364
• Accessories: Micro Trailer #4

A year later, Blast Master was released in the Return of Convoy part of the original Takara Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers toyline, as part of the Shuttle Rocket W Team.

The other three toys in the set are Phaser, Missile Master, Moonrock; Missile and Moonrock are identical to their Hasbro releases, while Phaser can sometimes have less paint than normal. The set also comes with Micro Trailer #4, a storage/launching vehicle for Micromasters which can also attach to a Micromaster half-vehicle, plus a decal sheet with extra stickers to adorn your Micromasters with.

Generations

See? Much more convenient.

• Autobot Cosmos & Payload (Legends Class, 2014)

• Series / Number: 02 / #006
• Known designers: Joe Kyde (Hasbro), Emiliano Santalucia (concept artist)

Part of the fifth wave of 2012-onwards Generations Legends Class toys, Thrilling 30 Autobot Cosmos comes with "Payload" (trademark reasons), who transforms into both a modified X-37B space shuttle^[3] and a double-barreled blaster for Cosmos to wield via its 5 mm post. Blast Master can also plug into the black pegs on the front of Cosmos' vehicle modes via ports in the engines.

Payload was redecoed into the campaign figure Astrotrain and Combiner Wars Cybaxx and Spacewarp.

• More information on Payload at TFU.info

War for Cybertron: Earthrise

And now they're pointed up again. Well, it was nice while it lasted.

• Fuzer & Autobot Blast Master (Micromaster, 2020)

• Hasbro ID number: WFC-E16
• TakaraTomy ID number: ER EX-11
• TakaraTomy release date: October 23, 2020

Part of the second wave of Earthrise Micromaster two-packs, "Autobot Blast Master" transforms from a robot into the back half of a space shuttle. In a rare moment for modern Transformers toys, the figures are sponsored by NASA, and the shuttle bears the organization's logo twice on its rear.

Blast Master can combine with his partner Fuzer to form his complete alt mode, which has ports on the back thrusters to add blast effects or to stand up on a post to simulate taking off. However, if one wants to keep the Micromasters separated, Blast Master bears a comically small crew cabin on his front. It tucks away out of sight when Blast Master combines with Fuzer. Also, Fuzer and Blast Master each have a fold-out 5 mm post, allowing the combined duo to be handheld as a weapon with Blast Master's rockets serving as gun barrels. They can also be held separately as two individual weapons, as Fuzer's tiny thrusters can be used to attach blast effects as well.

Blast Master suffers from his back weight; getting him to stand up properly without altering his knees is a monumental challenge. Additionally, most copies of Blast Master have the 5 mm peg in his chest reversed, with the flat end facing toward his head.

• Botropolis Rescue Mission (Galactic Odyssey Collection, 2021)

• Known designers: AJ Piejko-Brown (packaging)

Released as part of the Encounter 5 set of the Earthrise "Galactic Odyssey Collection", "Autobot Blast Master" is a redeco of his mass-retail figure, with new red and black accents creating a deco for the combined vehicle mode that is a dead-ringer for fellow space shuttle Micromaster, Universe Storm Jet.

Blast Master is part of an Amazon-exclusive six-pack consisting exclusively of Autobots, bundled with fellow Micromasters Fuzer, Moonrock, and Missile Master, and the Modulators Overair and Ironworks. The Modulators are designed to combine into a giant space station which the Micromasters can interact with. Blast Master and Fuzer specifically dock onto a redeco of Earthrise Doubledealer's missile, which attaches to Overair.

This release corrects the chest peg assembly error from the last; Blast Master's chest port is now assembled with the flat end facing away from his head.

Notes

• Generations Payload's Tech Specs mostly match those of the Astro Squad, with 'Teamwork' and 'Cooperation' mapped onto 'Rank' and 'Fireblast'. The only differences are that the 'Teamwork/Rank' and 'Courage' values have both been increased from 7 to 8.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Blast Master (ブレストマスター^[4] Buresuto Masutā, ブラストマスター Burasuto Masutā)
• French: Explo-As (Canada)
• Italian: Zenit

References