Legacy Pointblank

Pointblank is tired of the endless Cybertronian war. He believes that words are more dangerous than weapons, which is why he speaks but sparingly. Pacemarker always tries to cheer up his partner, but without much success.

Signature Weapon: Peacemaker - His partner Peacemarker transforms into a stereophonic sonic blaster, which takes out enemies with ultrasonic waves.

Prelude: It always seems like, among the many gimmick groups that proliferated during the late 1980s, the Decepticon versions of these gimmicks were more beloved among fans. Pretenders, Powermasters, Targetmasters… you get the point. Excluding 1986 movie characters that picked up a Targetmaster somewhere long the way, we haven’t seen the Autobot Targetmasters much since 1987. But now Pointblank gets a new figure (and not a repaint) in the Legacy line. So, grab your Targetmaster weapon before it decides to run off and let’s say go!

Robot Mode: Since it’s been well over three decades, let us first compare this new Pointblank to his G1 predecessor. The resemblance is pretty strong as both figures look very much alike, are almost the same size, and carry the same colors to boot. Legacy Pointblank’s red is a bit darker and he is obviously much better articulated than the G1 figure, but otherwise we have a very close match, right down to the Targetmaster weapon (more on that below).

Resemblances aside, Pointblank is a good figure with an interesting design and a cool look. Articulation is fully up to modern standards, no real restrictions here, and apart from having hollow lower legs (when looked at from the back) the robot looks very wholesome and together. Nicely done. The only thing that looks a bit out of place is that tiny bit of the front windshield that hangs off the back, but it’s not a big thing.

In terms of weapons Pointblank only has his Targetmaster companion for a gun. The original figure had an additional weapon / accessory piece that resembled an engine block with wings, part of the car mode which could be wielded by the robot. That piece is missing here, sadly, but Pointblank is capable of holding the G1 version of the part if G1 Pointblank feels like lending it out.

So bottom line, a nice robot mode. Nothing really extraordinary or revolutionary here, but a good Deluxe robot with a nice G1 callback.

Alternate Mode: Pointblank transforms into a futuristic sports car, closely resembling the car mode we saw in “The Rebirth” and also a pretty close match to his G1 counterpart. The transformation is not terribly difficult, but you need to transform him in the right order (hood first, rear last) otherwise you get stuck. The finished car looks very good, though, with no visible robot bits (not even from underneath). Peacemaker in gun mode can be fastened to the rear of the car to give it firepower in this mode, too.

The only thing “wrong” with this mode is the absence of the additional blue engine/spoiler part G1 Pointblank had, which gave the original car mode a certain unique flair. Now if you never saw the original, you will probably not miss that part, but I have the G1 version and I do miss that part. Not a big thing, mind you, but I do miss it. And while Pointblank can miss the G1 part in robot mode, you cannot plug it into his car mode, sadly.

Not much more I can write here. Apart from the missing part, a very nice car mode.

Partner: Pointblank comes with his Targetmaster companion Peacemaker (and why exactly is a green-skinned alien from a distant planet named after an Earth gun model?), who transforms from robot to gun. And by transform I mean he folds in half, done. It’s pretty much the same design as back in the days of G1, only a bit smaller and a bit more detailed, but with the same complete lack of articulation. I know a lot of people have complained about Peacemaker being smaller and less articulated than the Siege Battlemasters, but personally I don’t really care much. Peacemaker will stay in gun mode anyway.

Remarks: Pointblank’s first and only TV appearance outside Japan came in the fourth season of the G1 cartoon, the three-part “The Rebirth”. He was basically just one of the crowd of new toys there, doing little to stand out. He had a much larger role in the Japanese Headmaster series and has plenty of comic book appearances under his belt, but he never really had that one stand-out story to make him into a memorable character apart from being one of the Autobot Targetmasters. And may I just say that the whole Targetmaster concept never really made sense to me? Who wants a gun that can decide to run off in the midst of combat?

Hasbro has brought us the complete line-up of Decepticon Targetmasters in recent years, but the Autobot Targetmasters still await a resurgence. And I’m not talking about the 1986 movie characters, who were reissued with Targetmaster companions, but the new characters from 1987. We got a Crosshairs as an Ironhide repaint in Siege, but that was pretty much it. Legacy, however, brought us the first Pointblank since 1987 and it’s a pretty good figure for the most part. The missing engine/spoiler part was originally supposed to be included, but was eventually cut for cost. Maybe I’ll look for a third party upgrade here one of these days.

So bottom line: I like Pointblank. He’s not a must-have or anything, but a nice, solid Deluxe class figure that closely resembles his G1 counterpart. Nicely done. I’m putting a minus behind the rating for the missing part.

Rating: B-

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