- Nightstick is an Autobot Targetmaster from The Headmasters portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Nightstick (ナイトスティック Naitosutikku) is the Targetmaster partner of Artfire. He transforms into a "space beam gun", the exact effects of which are unknown. Nightstick assists his partner in various fire and rescue duties, often helping retrieve those who are trapped in burning buildings where a giant robot that turns into a truck would be too bulky to reach. By all visual evidence, he and Artfire share a cooperative relationship, though Nightstick appears to take orders and direction from his partner and does as he's told.
Fiction
The Headmasters comic
In an Earth city, the Decepticon Targetmasters Slugslinger, Misfire, and Triggerhappy set a blazing inferno. Chromedome and Daniel were having trouble controlling the fire when Artfire and Ricochet, accompanied by their partners Nightstick and Nebulon, showed up to help. Artfire quickly quenched the blaze while Nightstick helped rescue the people trapped in burning buildings. With the fire under control, the Autobots then set their attentions on the Decepticons and sent them into a retreat. The Headmasters #7
Beast Wars: Uprising
- See: Fracas#Beast Wars: Uprising
Games
Transformers: Earth Wars
Nightstick followed Star Saber in protest of the High Council's decision to relieve Optimus Prime of command. New Order Star Saber appreciated Nightstick's offer of extra firepower, though he stated it would not be necessary right away in going after the Enigma of Combination and Forge Fire Amulet. Relic Gambit They sought out Optimal Optimus's help against Starscream having broken Deathsaurus out of custody. 7th Year Anniversary
Toys
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers
Ignore that guy I'm with! He's my ex.
- Artfire (Targetmaster, 1987)
- Nightstick is identical to Fracas, Hasbro Scourge's Targetmaster partner. Nightstick was released with Artfire, a retool of Inferno. This was the only release of Nightstick in Japan; Scourge was never sold as a Targetmaster.
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United
- Available only as a mail-away exclusive offered through Transformers Generations 2012 Vol. 1, Nightstick is yet another redeco of Universe Nightstick. He comes with Artfire, a redeco of Universe Voyager Class Inferno/Grapple, and Sparks, a redeco of Power Core Combiners Pinpoint.
- This toy was repurposed as Dia.
Masterpiece
- Available with Masterpiece Artfire, Nightstick is the first Takara Masterpiece Targetmaster, preceded only by Hasbro's "Offshoot" version of Firebolt.
Generations Selects
- Artfire & Nightstick (2-pack, 2021)
- The first Battle Master released in the Generations Selects line, Nightstick is a redeco of Siege Firedrive and an add-on for Kingdom. As a part of the C.O.M.B.A.T. System, Nightstick comes with blue redecos of both Siege Firedrive's and Aimless's "Fire Blast" effects, which can be attached to the ends of his gun barrels to simulate water shooting out of his blaster mode. Said effect parts are also compatible with 5 mm ports. Nightstick's gun barrel piece can be detached from his back and connected to his arm, although he cannot accommodate "Fire Blasts" attached as well due to the additional weight causing him to fall over.
- Nightstick comes packaged with his nominal partner, Artfire. As a redeco of the Firedrive mold, Nightstick transforms into a twin-barrelled gun as opposed to the traditional rifle mode of his previous figures.
- Artfire and Nightstick were released as TakaraTomy Mall exclusives in Japan.
Merchandise
Transformers Character Card
- Released as part of the twelfth wave of the e-HOBBY exclusive Transformers Character Card series, this pair of holographic trading cards depict super-deformed art of Stepper (with Nebulon) and Artfire (with Nightstick) along with character profiles and tech specs.
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Notes
- Nightstick's name is a source of confusion. Here's the story: Cyclonus and Scourge weren't Targetmasters in Japan, but Takara still sold their weapons, partnered with the Autobots Ricochet and Artfire. Takara tried to carry their names over, to varying degrees of success. One was called "Nightstick", but the other was called "Nebulon" (which is how Scourge's on-package bio referred to his partner). On top of that, they were switched: the Nightstick-lookalike was called "Nebulon" and vice-versa. To the Japanese audience, there was no problem, since they had no knowledge of the English-language versions. But, years later, Hasbro would release the Nebulon toy in North America as the Autobot "Nightstick". Which, while technically "corrected", really only makes everyone's heads hurt just a little bit more.
- It probably doesn't help the confusion that in the American comics and cartoon, their character models ended up switched, so that Scourge's Fracas looked like Nightstick, and Cyclonus' Nightstick looked like Fracas. So, in essence, Artfire's Nightstick is identical to how Cyclonus' Nightstick was depicted in said fiction.
- Hasbro never ended up releasing Artfire in the 2000s with a localized name. Unfortunately, this set up Viz Media's 2020 U.S. reprint of The Headmasters manga to name Artfire's partner "Nightstick" side-by-side with Ricochet's partner "Nightstick" in the same story. Everyone loses!
- In the Beast Wars: Uprising story "A Brush With Infamy–Prologue", this Nightstick is replaced by the regular Fracas—who later defects to the Decepticons—as a playful way to explain why they look identical.[1]
- Normally, the TFWiki strives to present main images of characters which accurately present their original (toy) design in the relevant series of debut. In the case of Nightstick, partner of Artfire, our only color illustration available is the 2022 Earth Wars mobile game render, based on the 2011 United toy because in almost 40 years, Nightstick's original toy has never been drawn in color for the sake of being Nightstick. What makes it even more hilarious is that Nightstick's Decepticon opposite number in the game is Fracas, who in the game looks closer to their original 1987 shared toy.
References
