Horri-bull

This fan really has a soft spot for not only Transformers: Generation 2, but also the 1987 and 1988 years of the Generation One era. This figure is one of my favorites from when I was a kid. This is the Decepticon Headmaster Horri-bull! The gimmick behind the Headmasters was simple. The pilot of the vehicle or trainer of the beast could transform into the head of the robot. Horri-bull was part of the second wave of Headmaster Decepticons released in 1988 (the first wave was part of the 1987 line). The bull transformed into the body while the trainer became his head. To transform the body, you remove the tail (becomes the gun), flip back the rear portion to form the legs, flip out the hands on the front legs to form the arms, and flip back the bull's head. Then you would take the trainer and fold him in half to transform him into head mode, and the you plug the head into the body.

This figure was another Generation One brick with his only articulation being in his shoulders and his knees. However, all Generation One toys have a certain charm that plays with the imagination of the kid in all of us, and unless they are the Firecons, it is impossible to not enjoy the classics of Generation One (someday I'll review a Firecon, and you'll know why they were so bad). The chest piece could also open to reveal a power meter for the robot's tech specs. With all Headmasters, their heads could be swapped and the specs would change for the body.

Due to Horri-bull being released in 1988, he faced the same problem as all toys in the United States from 1988 onward. Horri-bull only appeared briefly in the comics, and he had no appearance at all in the animated series. Horri-bull never even appeared in animated form in the commercials. Horri-bull did appear in the Japanese exclusive animated series Transformers: Super-God Masterforce which detailed the adventures of the Powermasters, Headmasters, and Pretenders.