Buster (G1)

Buster is a human and Decepticon Godmaster from the Super-God Masterforce portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

Buster? He hardly knew 'er!

Hailing from East Germany,^[1] Buster (バスター Basutā) was a deejay before he and his older brother, Hydra were recruited by the Decepticons. He is an enigmatic sort who does not really have much of a personality of his own, instead serving as a (vaguely creepy) extension of his brother's whim, following his lead in combat and turning to him for direction in all things. While Buster is not nearly as cruel and detached as the sociopathic Hydra, he remains a fearsome fighter of great power.

As a Godmaster, Buster is bonded to a Transtector from the G Nebula, which he can combine with his brother's Transtector to form the giant jet Darkwings. Like all Godmasters, Buster can manipulate Chōkon Power, with his specialty being the control of wind. Additionally, Buster possesses an affinity for birds, owning some and even being able to convey his thoughts to them.

Fiction

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Super-God Masterforce cartoon

Voice actor: Yoku Shioya (Japanese), Simon Broad (English, Omni Productions dub)

Yea that's right, give the scary German kid an exo-suit. That sounds like a good idea.

Buster and Hydra were in North America when they were approached by Giga and Mega, agents of the Decepticon leader Devil Z, and bonded to a pair of Transtectors that had taken the forms of jet planes. A Hero Is Chosen - His Name Is Ginrai The brothers were brought to a hidden island, where they were trained in the use of their new Godmaster powers until it was decided that they join up with the rest of the Decepticons already operating under the command of Blood. Blood's Pretenders and Headmaster Juniors were summoned to the island, where Buster and Hydra, disguised in suits of medieval armor, promptly attacked and bested them as a demonstration of their powers. Blood bristled at the notion that two humans could be stronger than true Decepticons, and challenged the two Godmasters to prove themselves by attacking the Mt Fuji Foothills Hang Gliding Competition Tournament. It just so happened that the Autobot Headmaster Juniors were participating in the contest, leading to a battle between the Godmaster brothers and the Autobot Pretenders. Although they had their Autobot foes massively overpowered, the arrival of Metalhawk left them outnumbered, and the brothers opted to withdraw. Super Warriors - The Godmaster Brothers Buster and Hydra next went into battle when the Decepticons attacked the tidal power plant on Viscas Island, but the battle was brought to an end when the Autobot Diver was able to lodge his Sea Axe in Buster's arm. Unable to heal the wound, Buster panicked and Hydra called retreat. Once they returned to the Decepticon base, Buster cursed himself, believing that he was less powerful than his brother. A Fierce Battle!! The Autobots Are in Trouble

Tori Amos and Dwight Schrute, on the lam.

When Mega and Giga revealed that there were other Godmaster on Earth, Buster and Hydra were charged with locating them before the Autobots did. Hydra decided that they would search North America first, on the basis that it was where they became Godmasters themselves, and with a little help from the Headmaster Juniors, the brothers were soon on the trail of a mysterious truck that had been rumoured to be able to heal any damage to itself. The brothers found the truck crashed at the bottom of a cliff along with the Autobot Diver, but when they attempted to take it, the truck's driver, Ginrai, revealed that he was indeed a Godmaster, and that that truck was his Transtector, by transforming to robot mode for the first time. Shocked by what they had witnessed, Buster and Hydra retreated. A Hero Is Chosen - His Name Is Ginrai Before long, however, the brothers were back on Ginrai's trail, and attacked numerous tractor trailers in their search for him, killing many of Ginrai's trucker friends before finally locating him. Buster held off the other Autobots while Hydra battled Ginrai, but the brothers were ultimately bested once more. Ginrai: God On of Rage!!

When Cancer was captured by the Autobots for interrogation, Buster and Hydra arrived to retrieve him. The Autobots released their prisoner, but Hydra immediately discovered a homing beacon planted on Cancer's shirt, and attacked the Autobots in retribution. During the fight, Buster seized the Autobot Minerva and placed his blaster to her head, only to have Cancer snatch her away, begging that nobody be killed. This distraction turned the tide of the battle and forced the villains to fall back. A Strange Friendship: Cancer and Minerva Things didn't go much better during the brothers' next battle with Ginrai, at Mount Yatsugatake in Nagano, where the brothers were blasted by Ginrai's newly obtained trailer. Friend or Foe!? The True Form of the Monster!!

Oh great, now you gave him a giant robot-exo-suit of mass destruction with a huge gun. That sounds like a great idea.

Hungry for revenge, Buster and Hydra were not content simply with destroying Ginrai, but also sought to discredit him and the Autobots into the bargain. Luring Ginrai into a battle in a city, the brothers loudly blamed him for starting the battle so that the population could overhear, and then summoned some Lobclaw Seacons to finish the Autobot off. Luckily, Diver and Lander arrived to deal with the Seacons, and the enraged Ginrai unleashed a blast of Chōkon Power that saw the villains off. Eliminate the Godmaster Ginrai

Learning that Ginrai had appeared on a television show in an attempt to find the remaining Godmasters on Earth, Buster and Hydra tried menacing a producer at the TV station in order to find out what Ginrai had learned from the correspondence that had come in. The tactic had no luck, so they resorted to searching the continent with the help of the Pretenders; the Pretenders later found Ginrai in Canada, but were unable to stop the next Godmaster, Lightfoot from joining the Autobots. Lightfoot: A Dramatic Encounter After this failure, the Decepticons were even more determined to recruit the next Godmaster, a Canadian forest patrolman named Ranger. During the battle with the Autobots that resulted in the Rocky Mountains, however, Buster and Hydra were left badly outnumbered and had to flee when the Headmaster Juniors abandoned them out of spite after they carelessly put Wilder in danger in their zeal to destroy Ginrai. An Enemy? The Third Godmaster, Ranger

Buster had always thought that "disarmed" was just a figure of speech.

Buster and Hydra stepped back from the front lines for a short time, instead trying their hand at formulating a plan for the Pretenders to carry out. This outlandish plot to capture doctors was soon botched, much to their distaste, Save the Little Girl! The Chōjin Warriors, the Godmasters and they again took an active hand in matters, starting with a scheme to divide and conquer the Autobot Godmasters, starting with Lightfoot. Hydra put his makeup talents to use disguising himself and Buster as reporters so that they could get close to Lightfoot's father Leftfoot and take him prisoner. The brothers sent a message to Lightfoot, who was faced with the choice of either joining the Autobots or having his Master-Braces (and hands!) cut off, but luckily, the other Autobot Godmasters soon arrived to help give the Darkwings Brothers one of their most severe beatings yet. When Buster's arm was actually torn off, the horrified Hydra called retreat, but they weren't above spitefully blowing up some factory buildings as they left. Life? Death? The Desperate Lightfoot

After serving as chauffeurs for Mega when she was posing as a fortune teller, Expose the Decepticons' Dark Trap! Buster and Hydra were next charged with destroying Ginrai's trailer. By posing as a movie producer, Hydra was able to lure Ginrai into a desert under auspices of performing some stunt-driving, while Buster planted the explosive charges that would be used in the stunt. A hidden, extra charge separated Ginrai from his trailer, and the brothers combined into Darkwings in an attempt to destroy the latter component. Before they could strike, Ginrai merged with his trailer and blew the villains out of the air with his Special Fire Guts attack. Ginrai was, however, subsequently badly wounded by Giga and Mega's combined form, Overlord, Super Ginrai Gets Blown Away in the Desert!? and the brothers decided to strike while the Autobots were a man down by attempting to destroy the Godbomber drone the heroes were in the midst of constructing. The brothers were duped into following a disguised truck into the nearby mountains, thinking that it was carrying Godbomber, when in fact, it was simply the Autobot, Road King, who joined with Ranger and Lightfoot in beating the brothers to a pulp. Will the Bomber Project Be Destroyed!?

In the next attempt to destroy Godbomber, Buster and Hydra attacked a Middle-East oil refinery in order to draw the Autobots out, only to be met with failure once more. Overlord - Terror of the Chōkon Tornado The Decepticons tried yet again, this time by separating Godbomber from Ginrai and having Buster and Hydra _target the unprotected drone. With a little help from Sixknight, however, the Autobot Headmaster Juniors discovered that they were able to pilot Godbomber and personally took out Buster. Destroy Godbomber!!

When the final Godmaster, Clouder, joined the Decepticons, the villains installed him within the Autobot ranks as a spy, who fed them inside information on the Autobots' base. Buster and Hydra proceeded to attack a nearby city in order to occupy the attentions of Ginrai and the Godmasters while the rest of the Decepticons initiated an all-out attack on the Autobots' headquarters Secret Orders! Destroy the Autobot Base!! and although the brothers were eventually defeated, the larger plan to destroy the base succeeded. Disaster! The Autobot Base Explodes

Soon thereafter, when BlackZarak arrived on Earth, Buster and Hydra traveled into space with the rest of the Decepticons when the villain prepared to unleash the unholy Death Para-Machine upon the Earth. Crisis! The Day of Human Extinction Later, they battled Lightfoot in northern Europe, God Ginrai - Save Cancer!? and when the Autobots attacked the Decepticon base in force, clashed with Ginrai and the Godmasters, until Devil Z brought the battle to an end by fusing with BlackZarak and collapsing the base into an undersea chasm. The Ultimate Combination!! BlackZarak, the New Lifeform

Frustrated by their numerous defeats at the hands of Ginrai, Buster demanded to know why they were unable to best their Autobot opponent. Hydra opined that he and Buster were weakened by their humanity, and the brothers petitioned Devil Z to use his powers to transform them into true robots. The evil being complied, fusing the brothers with their Transtectors and replacing their Jinchōkon Power—lost to them along with their humanity—with his own Devil Power. The Darkwings Brothers attacked Ginrai in the Grand Canyon, and Ginrai, appalled at what they had done to themselves, called upon his God Fire Guts attack. The brothers responded by diving at Ginrai in a flaming "Hellfire Attack", resulting in a huge explosion when the attacks collided. The battered brothers limped away from the battle, declaring it a draw. Battle to the Death!! God Ginrai VS Darkwings Reborn While Ginrai then went on to battle Overlord, Buster and Hydra attacked Lightfoot and Road King, trapping them in a cave. They then took on the Autobot Headmaster Juniors, almost cutting off Shūta's arms before Ginrai returned and saw them off. Autobots! Desperate Attack!!

During the final conflict on the Matterhorn, Buster and Hydra unveiled the mightiest weapon in their arsenal, the "Mach X Flight", allowing them to move faster than the eye could follow. They did not predict, however, that Ginrai could replicate the effect with his own Chōkon Power, and the Autobot once again proved to be their better, searing their bodies with his burning backwash and sending them crashing into the mountain. The brothers rejoined the other Decepticons at the mountain's peak, where BlackZarak unleashed his fury on the two failures, pummelling them until Overlord stepped in to try and stop the punishment. This only resulted in BlackZarak turning on him as well, at which point Ginrai arrived to save his foes and engage BlackZarak in final battle. Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z As the Autobot leader battled BlackZarak, Buster and Hydra recovered from their beating, with Hydra calmly writing it off as proof that they were weak, and that they needed to fight even harder. At that point, the Autobot Godmasters arrived and Buster and Hydra plunged into battle right away, despite the fact that they were on the verge of collapse. Eventually, they could fight no further, and combined into Darkwings to flee. In the moments that followed, Ginrai succeeded in destroying BlackZarak and Devil Z, which resulted in all the other humans becoming separated from their Transtectors. The Transtectors themselves continued to live as true super-robot lifeforms, and Buster and Hydra promptly joined with the other Decepticons in departing Earth. A Battle... and Then...

I want to tell you about the Transformers! This character article is a stub and is missing information on their fictional appearances. You can help Transformers Wiki by expanding it. The Autobot Warrior, Sixknight?! Appearance!! The Final Godmaster BlackZarak - Destroyer from Space God Ginrai: Showdown at the Decepticon Base

Generations Selects Special Comic

While battling Star Convoy in the Precursor World, Turtler remembered how Buster and the other Decepticons showed their lack of respect for him. Seacons comic 5

Victory cartoon

Hey, it's me. You know, the jet behind Overlord.

Buster and Hydra served as part of the Decepticon forces under Overlord's command, often battling the Autobot forces led by Ginrai in the G Nebula. Planet Micro - The Mysterious Warrior

Train Wars

After Violengiguar's defeat, Overlord's troop reformed and Hydra and Buster hired Black Shadow and Blue Bacchus to serve as support. Together, the four of them attacked the Autobot Second Army in G Nebula 89 to capture the transtector factory there. In the end, they were repelled by the Chōkon Power of the Godmaster Jr, Shūta Gō. Train Wars: Goshooter & Shūta Gō Chapter

Super-God Masterforce comic

Godmasterobics.

Decepticon leaders Giga and Mega unveiled their Godmaster warriors, Buster and Hydra, to the world by sending them to "welcome" the Autobot Godmaster, Ginrai, to Japan. After bombing Tokyo on their way to Harumi Wharf, Buster and Hydra merged into Darkwings and immediately attacked Metalhawk and the Autobot Headmaster Juniors, who were at the wharf awaiting Ginrai's arrival. After taking the Juniors out of the fight, the brothers then transformed into robot mode to tackle Metalhawk, but thankfully, Ginrai chose that moment to make his entrance and promptly launched the villains over the horizon with a blast of Chōkon Power. On Scene! Our Savior's Name Is Ginrai!

I want to tell you about the Transformers! This character article is a stub and is missing information on their fictional appearances. You can help Transformers Wiki by expanding it. Burn, Chokon! New Commander Super Ginrai!

When the Autobots traveled to the planet Athenia so that Ginrai could be appointed Supreme Commander, Buster and Hydra followed, joining up with the other Decepticons out in space and attacking the planet with Scramble 7. The Autobots were able to defeat Scramble 7, but Buster and Hydra informed them that they had been united under the leadership of Devil Z, and were heading back to Earth to await the Autobots' return. The Battle Begins! The Earth-Space Alliance Army Soon after, the two were present when Jin and Mirai were to be inducted into the Decepticons. Headmasters VS Masterforce

Buster and Hydra later joined the other Decepticons in an attack on Tokyo, God Ginrai's Amazing Divine Combination!, battled the Autobot Godmasters and Grand Maximus in space The Good and Evil Families of Earth and lured Ginrai into a Decepticon ambush atop Chomolungma. The Decepticons' Great Counterattack!

I want to tell you about the Transformers! This character article is a stub and is missing information on their fictional appearances. You can help Transformers Wiki by expanding it. The Great Turnabout of the Autobots

Eventually, the two brothers had Devil Z transform them into entirely robotic beings, and joined him in attacking the other Autobots and Decepticons as he attempted to drain their Jinchōkon and become the ultimate lifeform. The Autobots and Decepticons struck back by combining their powers together into the "Perfect Transform Attack", destroying Devil Z for good. As their leader was wiped out before their eyes, Buster and Hydra combined into Darkwings and fled into space. The Birth of the Super Life-Forms

Toys

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers

A scrub is a guy who thinks he's fly.

• Buster (Godmaster, 1988)

• ID number: D-305
• Accessories: Godmaster Transtector, "Sky Laser", "Plasma Missile"
• Known designers: Kōjin Ōno (TakaraTomy)

Released in the fourth year of Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers line under the Super-God Masterforce banner, Godmaster Buster is a redeco of the Hasbro-release Powermaster Nebulan Hi-Test, transforming from a human in a griffin-themed helmet into an engine compatible with any Powermaster/Godmaster robot.

He comes with his Godmaster Transtector, a redeco of the Hasbro-release Powermaster Dreadwind, transforming into an F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet. This body cannot transform to robot mode without a Decepticon Godmaster engine in the socket to unlock the transformation, though it's really just a tiny button that unlocks the process, so you can just press it in if you don't want to futz with engines and stuff. Going from robot to jet doesn't require an unlock, though. (He can fit an Autobot engine into the socket, but they will not unlock his transformation.)

On top of that, the jet can combine with the Hydra jet (both unlocked via Godmaster engine) to form the Darkwings super-jet.

• More information on Buster at TFU.info

• Darkwings (Godmaster multi-pack, 1988)

• ID number: D-306
• Accessories: Hydra Transtector, Buster Transtector, 2 "Sky Lasers", 2 "Plasma Missiles"
• Known designers: Kōjin Ōno (TakaraTomy)

Hydra and Buster were both made available in a special multi-pack as well. Both toys are identical to their individual releases.

This set came with a unique bio/Tech Spec for the Darkwings combined mode.

• Buster Dreadwind (Godmaster, 1988)

• Accessories: Godmaster Transtector, "Sky Laser", "Plasma Missile"

Essentially just a Japanese release of Hasbro's Dreadwind figure, this version of the Buster toy was only available by mail-order, for the price of 1980 yen and four Robot Points.

It is not known if the toy came in a standard Hasbro Dreadwind box with Japanese legal info on added-on stickers, but the odds are really good it was.

• More information on Buster Dreadwind (well, Dreadwind) at TFU.info

Merchandise

Transformers Caramel

• Buster (1988)

A pair of small non-transforming Decoy-style rubber figurines of Buster were released as part of Kabaya's Transformers Caramel line of candy toys, depicting Buster in both robot and jet mode. Around half the size of the more familiar Decoys, the two figures were bundled together, attached to a rubber sprue, and came in either blue, red, or yellow.

Transformers Gum

• Buster (1988)
  • Accessories: Godmaster Transtector

Part of the ninth wave of Kabaya's Transformers Gum candy toy series, this version of Buster is a snap-together model kit cast in blue, red and grey plastic. Although lacking in any paint applications, the figure features stickers for detail, and retains all the accessories and features of the actual Buster toy, including a functioning Godmaster gimmick and the ability to combine with Gum Hydra to make a Gum Darkwings.

• Buster (2014)
  • Accessories: Godmaster Transtector, 2 guns

Released as part of the 8th wave of Kabaya's 2009 series of standard model kits, Buster is a snap-together model kit that can transform into a jet. Buster retains all the gimmickry of the 1988 version, complete with fully transformable (and downright tiny) Godmaster engine, and can combine with the concurrently released Hydra kit to form Darkwings. Like most Kabaya model kits, he has no paint applications and relies on stickers for added details.

Surprisingly for a Kabaya kit, Buster is almost a de facto non-partsformer: the instructions require the rear portion of his jet to be removed and pegged onto the robot's back during the transformation, but one can choose to just leave that chunk of the jet plugged into his bottom and it won't really interfere with the rest of the transformation or the (already limited) sideways articulation of the legs. Ultimately, it's only a matter of aesthetics whether or not one decides to plug the rear of the jet into the figure's back.

Notes

• According to his supplementary bio card, Buster is 17 years old. As well, the card contradicts the Masterforce opening sequence by declaring him to be American rather than East German.
• Speaking of bio cards, both Buster and Hydra's cards list both the "Sky Laser" and "Plasma Missile" under their weapon listings, despite the toys not having two "different" rifles (other than the left/right mirroring). It's possible this is a mistake, and one brother is supposed to have the "Sky Laser" and the other the "Plasma Missile", but there is nothing in the rest of the bio to clue us in as to which brother would have which weapon.
• Buster is an oddity among Transformers with mouthplates in that his mouthplate doesn't wobble up and down when he talks, but instead opens vertically.
• Given his connection with birds, Buster might be named after the bustard.

Foreign names

• English: Dreadwind (Omni Productions dub)
• Italian: Tornado
• Mandarin: Tiānshà (China, 天煞, "Sky Devil")
• Russian: Smerch (Смерч, "Tornado")

References