Hairsplitter is a Decepticon-allied Nebulan Targetmaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

Nobody likes Hairsplitter (aka Shrute). He's a pencil-pushing bureaucrat who gets his kicks by writing memos that point out the inefficiencies of others. Even though he's moved from the Nebulos Department of the Environment to the Decepticons, and changed job titles—from ecological efficiency expert to Targetmaster—he's the same nit-picking dink he always was. He remains precise in everything he does, from snitching on layabouts to searing his name on a microchip in laser rifle mode. Presumably, his partners Spinister and Singe hate him as much as his co-workers did.^[1]

Fiction

War for Cybertron Trilogy marketing material

R is among the most menacing of sounds. That's why it's pronounced murder and not mukduk.

Shrute was an Air Force Espionage Raider and a member of the Decepticon Phantomstrike Squadron. After countless attacks had been made on several of the Autobot resistance's positions by Shrute and the rest of the Phantomstrike Squadron, the Autobot Alphastrike Counterforce was called into action. Final Strike Figure Series marketing material^[2] Dispatched to the outer edge of the Sea of Rust, inside an underground base, Siege Teletraan-1 Data Files Alphastrike analyzed the Phantomstrike Squadron's attack patterns, anticipating their next strike. Final Strike Figure Series marketing material^[2]

While the Phantomstrike Squadron was stationed in Darkmount, south-east of Alphastrike's position,^[3] Greenlight—who had been tracking them from her drop point in a nearby deserted Decepticon zone—attempted to transmit the all-clear for the attack to commence, but the Phantomstrike Squadron discovered her transmission and corrupted its signal. Teletraan-1 attempted to retrieve the full transmission from the Decepticons to gather the location data needed to assess the threat. Following this, a battle ensued between both strike teams. Siege Teletraan-1 Data Files

Generations Selects Special Comic

In 2050, Spinister wielded Shrute and Singe as the Autobots and Decepticons charged into battle against the Dinobots. Volcanicus comic 2

Games

Transformers: Earth Wars

Shrute was introduced to the Earth Wars by Hook. He immediately began berating the rest of his team (Blot in particular) for their poor living standards. Hook brushed off the excessive pedantry as being "officious". As a M.E.D.I.C. bot, Shrute cpuld be equipped to another bot to boost shielding. Earth Wars

Commercial appearances

Spinister wielded both Hairsplitter and Singe in a battle against the three Autobot Double Targetmasters, firing them both wildly in their gun modes while chasing down his targets. Double Targetmasters commercial

Toys

The Transformers

"What kind of bear is best?"
"That's a ridiculous question."
"False. Black bear."

• Spinister (Targetmaster, 1988)

• Known designers: Takashi Kunihiro (TakaraTomy)

Part of the fifth year of The Transformers product, Hairsplitter transforms into a "twin lock-target laser rifle" in basically one and a half steps. As a Targetmaster, his handle is a 5 mm post, making him compatible with a lot of toys throughout the entire franchise. His base also features a 5mm post-hole, nominally used to combine him with his pack-in partner Singe to form a super-rifle.

Singe and Hairsplitter were only available with the Decepticon Targetmaster Spinister in 1988. No version of this character or mold was released in Japan.

• More information on Hairsplitter at TFU.info

Combiner Wars

"Identity theft is not a joke, Singe! Millions of families suffer every orbital cycle!"

• Spinister (TFSS 4.0, 2016)

Combiner Wars "Shrute" (likely due to trademark reasons) is a redeco of Thrilling 30 Holepunch, transforming into a double-barreled gun. He can also combine with his pack-in partner Singe (or any other iteration of the Caliburst mold) to form a super-rifle, with either one forming the "front" part.

He was only available as an accessory with Spinister, the third figure released in the Figure Subscription Service 4.0.

This mold was also used to make Timelines Cline, and Combiner Wars Zputty.

War for Cybertron: Siege

"I'm the Assistant Squadron leader."
"Assistant to the Squadron Leader."
"Same thing."
"No, it's lower, so..."
"It's close."

• Decepticon Phantomstrike Squadron (Multi-pack, 2019)

• Hasbro ID number: WFC-S27
• TakaraTomy name: Phantomstrike Squadron (ファントムスライクスコードン)
• TakaraTomy ID Number: SG-EX
• TakaraTomy release date: 2021 January 20
• Hidden message code: TELEPORT
• Accessories: 2 "Fire Blast effects"

Part of the Amazon-exclusive "Decepticon Phantomstrike Squadron", "Shrute" is a redeco of Aimless, transforming into a "Manifold Ion Particle Blaster" and back. He includes two "fire blast" effect pieces that can be used to simulate his blaster mode firing, and can slot onto the various hardpoints found on other figures and weaponry from the same line to simulate blaster fire or explosions. The actual gun barrel piece can detach from his back, revealing a 3 mm peg, and connect to his arm for robot-mode use.

This set also includes Skywarp, Fracas, and Terror-Daxtyl. It was made available at general retail in Taiwan without prior announcement from Hasbro, and was an Amazon exclusive for North America (which also labels the set as "Final Strike Figure Series: Part 2") and a TakaraTomy Mall exclusive in Japan.

Hairsplitter's original partners, Spinister and Singe, were also each remade and released separately as part of Siege.

Age of the Primes

• Spinister vs. Topspin (Multi-pack, 2025)

• Known designers: Mark Maher (Hasbro), Amy Bence (packaging)^[4]

Age of the Primes Hairsplitter (yes, he got his name back) is not a repaint of his above War for Cybertron: Siege figure, but rather of Legacy: Evolution Sunbeam. This was done for parity with the Targetmasters included with Legacy: Evolution Needlenose and Legacy: United Quake. Because of this, Hairsplitter only has one barrel in gun mode rather than two. As with Sunbeam, he transforms into a blaster for his partner Spinister to wield, which can combine into a larger weapon with the also-included Singe, like their original toys.

Hairsplitter was included in a two-pack with Spinister, Singe, Topspin, and Headmaster Freezeout as part of the “Wreck ‘n Doom Collection,” which was exclusive to Amazon in the US and available in limited quantities on Hasbro Pulse. The set was revealed on January 13, 2025 and went up for preorder the following day.

This item is currently scheduled for release, but is not yet available at mass retail.

Notes

• Hairsplitter is the only Double Targetmaster to have a 'generic' recolor—a Mini-Con based on his character model appeared in Armada.^{[citation needed]}
• Hairsplitter's trademark-friendly name, "Shrute", is derived from Rainn Wilson's character, the fellow pencil-pushing petty bureaucrat Dwight Schrute from The Office.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Shrute (シュルート Shurūto)

References