« Transformers: The Headmasters ep 4 »
"Nobody move! This is a raid!"
"The Great Cassette Operation" カセット大作戦 () (Cassette Daisakusen)
Production company	Takara, Toei
Airdate	July 24, 1987
Writer	Toyohiro Andō
Director	Jōhei Matsūra
Animation studio	Toei
Continuity	Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

When Soundwave is resurrected as Soundblaster and Cybertron is attacked by the Madmachine, the Autobots respond by recreating Blaster as Twincast.

Synopsis

Due to color change, he can't be considered mint in package.

In the Decepticon base on Chaar, using the advanced technology of planet Master, a new body has been constructed. Soundwave's head is affixed to it and energy infusion begins as the Decepticon's cassettes look on. Soundwave is reborn... as Soundblaster! Soundblaster reports to Galvatron who shows off their latest weapon, the Madmachine, which emits electronic-disrupting rays.

On Earth, Sixshot and Trypticon attack an oilfield, in order to draw out Metroplex. Their activity is detected by Jazz and Ultra Magnus, who predictably direct Metroplex to intercept. Metroplex quickly gains the upper hand, only for the Madmachine to rise out of the ground and blast him with energy. While Metroplex is crippled, Trypticon knocks him down, however Galvatron orders the two Decepticons to withdraw as the Madmachine has exhausted its power. While Magnus and Jazz struggle to get Metroplex operational again, on Chaar, Galvatron celebrates the successful test.

In Soviet Russia, the bug sprays you.

Reports of this deadly new device soon reach Rodimus Prime, who believes the Decepticons' true target is Vector Sigma on Cybertron. The four Autobot Headmasters volunteer to head to Chaar and destroy the device, but Rodimus has a more subtle approach in mind, intending to send out the cassettes to do some spying. Unfortunately the loss of Blaster has left them dejected and unable to perform the task. The typically brash Headmasters don't look too kindly upon this dereliction of duty, and an argument ensues, but Daniel Witwicky sticks up for them. Rodimus cheers Daniel and the cassettes up by revealing that Fortress Maximus is preparing to use Master technology to recreate Blaster.

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work we go...

Meanwhile, the operation to increase the Madmachine's power is near completion.

The Autobots gather to watch Blaster's rebirth as Twincast. Alive again and reunited with his cassettes, Twincast is immediately charged with investigating the Madmachine. Rodimus also sends the Headmasters and Throttlebots to protect Vector Sigma. Twincast heads to Earth, where he sneaks into Trypticon under cover of a firefight between the Aerialbots, Combaticons and Triple Changers.

Due to color change, he can't be...oh right, we already did this joke.

The Decepticon Headmasters space bridge to Cybertron with the Madmachine and immediately run into the Autobot Headmasters, who lure them away from the weapon and pin them down while the Throttlebots attack the Madmachine. While a great plan in theory, the Madmachine simply zaps the Throttlebots, leaving them easy pickings for the three Decepticons.

On Earth, Twincast and his cassettes burst in on Sixshot, who flees when they shoot at him. Eject accesses a console, and the Autobot discover than the Madmachine is being sonically controlled by Soundblaster from Chaar. After reporting the news to Rodimus, Twincast blasts his way through the Constructicons and uses the Decepticons' space bridge to transport himself to Chaar. As the fight against the Madmachine on Cybertron continues to worsen for the Autobots, Twincast encounters resistance in the form of the Decepticon cassettes. While his cassettes deal with their counterparts, Twincast destroys Soundblaster's sonic control and the Madmachine goes haywire, allowing it to be easily destroyed by the Autobots. The Decepticon Headmasters retreat to cheers from the Autobots. Twincast returns to base, and has to immediately correct Daniel who calls him by his old name.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Galvatron has reused some of Soundwave's parts, along with some other new parts, and has reconstructed another Soundwave, and renamed him New Soundwave."

—The Narrator

"It's good to be back."

—New Soundwave's first words.

"My job is done! See ya!"
"Darn it!"

—Blaster and Galvatron

Notes

Continuity notes

• Blaster and Soundwave died in "The Mystery of Planet Master".
• After speaking in tape mode in "Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime", Ratbat now speaks in robot mode.

Animation and technical errors

• When Soundblaster takes his first steps, his hands are missing.
• When Arcee and the Headmasters are trying to stop the Cassettes from leaving, she is missing her Autobot insignia. When it comes back in the next shot, it's a Decepticon insignia instead.
• Following the appearance of Arcee's Decepticon insignia, as the shot moves to Rodimus Prime, his insignia has turned traitor as well.
• When the Aerialbots fly in, Slingshot is colored like Fireflight, and Fireflight is colored like Air Raid. Air Raid, however, is colored correctly.
• When the Combaticons form Bruticus, Bruticus is colored entirely like Onslaught.
• The Throttlebot that Weirdwolf attacks is actually Freeway in Searchlight's colors; moments later, Skullcruncher attacks Searchlight in Freeway's colors.
• While attacking Mindwipe, Rollbar and Goldbug's colors are swapped.
• While Hook is trying to stop Twincast from boarding the Space Bridge, his helmet alternates between being completely white and completely green. In both instances, it should be black.
• During the fight with Mindwipe, Goldbug's helmet briefly turns gold before returning to its normal blue color.

Continuity errors

• Daniel's sudden concern appears to be random — the previous episode had him happily playing video games with Wheelie and never mentioning Blaster's demise at all, and now he's suddenly so depressed that all he can do is mope. The capriciousness of youth, perhaps?

Foreign localization

English

• Title: "The Resurrected Billy Against the Decepticons" (Omni Productions dub)
• Original airdate: August 2, 1992

• Title: "Operation: Autobot Deployers" (Shout! Factory sub), "The Autobot Cassette Operation" (Shout! Factory menu)

• As title indicates, the Mini-Cassettes are referred to as "Deployers" within the episode.
• Slang names, such as "Deceptocreep" and "Autojerk" are used.

Italian

• Title: "La missione dei Cassettebots" ("The Cassettebots Mission")
• Original airdate: ?

Mandarin

• Title: "Kǎ-shì Cídài Dà Zuòzhàn " (卡式磁带大作战, "The Great Operation of Cassette (Robots)")
• Original airdate: ?

Russian

• Title: "Reshayuschaya Bitva Cassetnykh Robotov" (Решающая битва кассетных роботов, "The Ultimate Battle of the Cassette Robots")
• Original airdate: ?

Home video releases

Laserdisc

1996 — Transformers: The Headmasters Set (Takara) — Japanese audio only.

DVD

2002 — Transformers: Takara (Sony Wonder) — Omni dub only.
2002 — Transformers: The Headmasters — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
2005 — The Takara Collection Vol 1 — Transformers: Headmasters (Metrodome)
2007 — Transformers — The Complete Takara Collection (Metrodome)
2007 — The Transformers: Headmasters (Madman Entertainment)
2009 — The Transformers: Japan Generation 1 — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)
2011 — Transformers Japanese Collection: Headmasters (Shout! Factory) — Japanese audio with optional English subtitles only.
2012 — Transformers: The Japanese Collection (Shout! Factory) — Japanese audio with optional English subtitles only.