Artfire

Artfire is an Autobot from The Headmasters portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

Reissue me. I'll sell well. Trust me. I won't kill Soundwave, I swear.

Artfire (アートファイアー Ātofaiā) is a Targetmaster sniper. He is patient, and thinks of his friends first, but there are times when he ignores orders because of that. His body can withstand temperatures of up to 8,000 degrees Celsius.

His primary Targetmaster companion is Nightstick, who transforms into a "space beam gun", though he sometimes allies himself with Sparks.

Fiction

The Headmasters comic

Along with fellow Targetmaster Ricochet, Artfire joined Chromedome and Daniel in attending to a fire in a large metropolitan area. Artfire and Nightstick aided those trapped in buildings while Ricochet and Nebulon used his fire hose to quench the flames.

Slugslinger, Misfire, and Triggerhappy, the culprits of the blaze, arrived and made more trouble. The Autobots defeated the Decepticons quickly, and all was well. The Headmasters #7

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Legends comic

In the late 1980s, Artfire was among the Autobots on Earth who fought to protect the Transform Super Cog from being stolen by the Decepticons, but the Battlechargers were able to get past their defenses. Slugslinger's Ambition

Train Wars

Once Mach, Night, and Snow stopped Nightbird's attempt at hijacking G Liner and stealing their still unactivated brothers, Artfire assisted in the cleanup efforts. The Train Wars: The Origin

United

Guido Guidi both loves you and hates you.

A devastating nano-virus plagued the Earthbound Autobots, a plague that Headmasters or Targetmasters like Ricochet were mysteriously immune from. Perceptor charged Ricochet with leading a team of unafflicted Autobots including Artfire to Nebulos, where the supreme scientist Zella had crafted an antidote.

As Ricochet's team arrived on Nebulos, an army of Decepticons led by Straxus appeared via an inter-dimensional portal. The nano-virus was part of a larger plot to draw out the Headmasters and Targetmasters so that their Nebulan partners could be collected. As Ricochet, Kup, and Chromedome concentrated their attacks on Straxus, Ricochet slipped through the battle to pick up Zella's antidote. With Straxus defeated, the Decepticons fled.

The antidote was successful, and Artfire was there as Optimus Prime personally thanked Ricochet for his brave efforts. The Fierce Fighting on Planet Nebulos

Beast Wars: Uprising

Artfire was an Autobot soldier who joined the war effort on Nebulos, fighting alongside the World Watcher alliance against the Decepticons and the Hive. When Targetmaster technology was developed, Artfire was teamed with a Nebulon named Fracas. However, Fracas later betrayed the World Watchers to the Hive, bringing Targetmaster tech to the Decepticons.

Fracas teamed with Scourge, one of the most infamous Decepticons in history, officer to Galvatron himself. After their defeat and trial, Galvatron and Scourge were sentenced to death while Fracas was turned back over to Artfire for extradition. A Brush With Infamy–Prologue

Toys

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers

I cost more than my Masterpiece toy! (NOTE: This sample is missing its stickers.)

• Artfire (Targetmaster, 1987)

• ID number: C-108
• Accessories: 2 "wings", gun mount, left & right fists, "Nightstick" Targetmaster

Sold in the back end of the third year of Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers toyline, Artfire is a redeco of Inferno, transforming into a Mitsubishi Fuso fire engine. His robot mode fists are slightly retooled to allow him to use any Targetmaster gun (or other 5 mm post accessory), plus he came with a new mounting block accessory that clips into the ladder to allow him to use the gun in vehicle mode. He came with his Targetmaster partner Nightstick, who replaced the original mold's rifle and wrist-mounted missiles.

As he and Stepper were Japan-exclusives and tail-enders of that year's product, they were considered very rare in the west, and for a while, commanded hefty prices on the secondary market (though apparently in Japan, they weren't considered terribly desirable). While Stepper was eventually reissued which caused demand -and prices- for him to drop dramatically, Artfire has not, plus he has not had anywhere close to the number of new toys that Stepper has, so he's still not exactly cheap.

This base mold is also used by Grapple and RoadHauler.

• More information on Artfire at TFU.info
• Translation of Artfire's tech-spec at Soundwaves Oblivion

United

Sure, but where's Hauler?

• Artfire (Voyager, 2012)

• Release date: December 17, 2012
• Accessories: "Nightstick" and "Sparks" Targetmaster partners

Available only as a mail-away exclusive offered through Transformers Generations 2012, United Artfire is a white and red redeco of Universe Voyager Class Inferno, but with Reveal the Shield Solar Storm Grappel's extending crane arm instead of Inferno's water-cannon. He transforms into a fictional six-wheeled variant of the 2002-2007 Pierce Contender series of firetrucks.

Artfire comes with two Targetmasters: Sparks, a redeco of Power Core Combiners Pinpoint, and Nightstick, yet another redeco of Universe Nightstick.

This sculpt was also used to make Timelines Spark, Generations GDO Protectobot Hot Spot, and 2014 Transformers Protectobot Hot Spot.

• More information on United Artfire at TFU.info

Masterpiece

Why do I exist?

• Artfire (2017)

• Release date: May 27, 2017
• ID Number: MP-37
• Accessories: "Extinguisher rifle", "Nightstick" Targetmaster partner, two faces

Masterpiece Artfire is an extensive redeco of Inferno, transforming into a Mitsubishi Fuso fire engine. He comes with a few of the accessories the original mold had (the gun and the additional face), has molded disc details on both shoulders and added paint application details that were absent in the original Masterpiece release (but present in the original toy).

He also comes with his Targetmaster Nightstick, who can turn into a gun, and be held as a normal gun or attach to Artfire's wrist in Headmasters "Target on!" style, as well as mount on the ladder in vehicle mode. Whereas Inferno only had a hidden wrist barrel in his right arm and Grapple only had one in his left arm, Artfire has barrels behind both arms (albeit only chrome, as opposed to the chrome/flat-color choice you get with the other two versions of this mold).

If purchased from a seller supplied by Hasbro Asia, Artfire comes with a collector coin, mounted on a folding card styled to resemble the front of his truck mode (robot mode chest).

Generations Selects

YOU'LL GET CAUGHT UP IN THE... ARTFIRE!!!

• Artfire & Nightstick (Voyager, 2021)

• Series: War for Cybertron: Kingdom
• ID number: WFC-GS26
• TakaraTomy release date: March 26, 2022
• Accessories: "Nightstick" Battle Master, "extinguisher blaster", nozzle, 2 fire hoses, 4 Fire Blast effects

A Generations Selects add-on to Kingdom, Artfire is a redeco of Kingdom Inferno, and thereby a retool of Earthrise Grapple, transforming into a firetruck inspired by the Japanese Mitsubishi Fuso F-Series FT fire ladder truck in 17 steps. Unfortunately his deco is off, using black plastic in most places where the original Artfire is more stony-gray.

Artfire comes with the same hand-nozzle and blaster as Grapple. His fire ladder can be ratcheted around to several different angles, with a tab at the base serving as storage for the nozzle. The armature that his head and ladder are mounted on is a newly molded piece (previously used on Inferno), solving Grapple's issue by having shorter and sturdier pegs that connect to his feet in vehicle mode.

A notable first for a Hasbro release of a "Generation 1" Targetmaster in the War for Cybertron Trilogy, Artfire is packaged with his original partner, Nightstick! Much like Siege Fracas, Nightstick is a redeco of Siege Firedrive, including the same blast effects along with those included with Siege Aimless, all in transparent blue to represent spraying water.

Unfortunately, the white plastic used to make the head bucket and connecting joint for the fire ladder has been reported to yellow quickly.

Artfire and Nightstick were released as TakaraTomy Mall exclusives in Japan.

This mold was also used to make Velocitron Speedia 500 Collection Road Hauler.

Merchandise

Transformers Character Card

• Stepper & Artfire Set (June, 2024)
  • ID number: 89 & 90

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 and Artfire along with character profiles and tech specs.

• Translation of Artfire's Transformers Character Card

Notes

• Stepper and Artfire's Targetmaster partners' names were switched from their English-language counterparts (Nightstick and Fracas). There has been some speculation among fans that "Stepper" and "Artfire" may have been switched as well, given that Artfire is the one with a ladder to step on and Stepper is the one with art of fire on him. This is fueled by the fact that Hot Shot, the Ricochet homage in the 2001 Robots in Disguise franchise, was named Art Fire in Japan (albeit with a different pronuncation), not Stepper.
• According to Aaron Archer, Artfire was on the "short list" of potential reissue candidates had the Commemorative Series returned.
• In the Generations 2011 Vol. 2 comic "The Fierce Fighting on Planet Nebulos", Artfire's form is based on a recolor of the Universe Inferno mold with a recolored Power Core Combiners Pinpoint as his Targetmaster partner. According to artist Guido Guidi on the Allspark message board, he made up this design on his own initiative, and there weren't any plans to release it as a toy at that point. Whether the toy that was announced a year later was based on Guido's rendition, or was just a coincidence, is unknown.