Micromaster Combiner Squads

The whole switching gimmick for these wasn't the best, seeing as swapping anything didn't really make you a new realistic vehicle. But "E" for effort I guess. There are four squads: Metro and Astro for Autobots, and Battle and Constructor for Decepticons in the USA. In Japan they were divided in to two combiners in a package with a MicroTrailer, all were Cybertrons.

We'll start with the Constructor Squad. The four sets are all gang molded, but in three or four colours instead of the two like the Patrols were, with the smaller parts gang molded between the sets in red. This and most of the Metro Squad I picked up from my Scottish friend, along with the parts for Snapdragon etc. They turn into a dump truck, a crane truck and a shovel truck. 

From left to right: Knockout, Grit, Stonecruncher, Excavator, Sledge, and Hammer. The gang molding is very apparent here with the chests being the colours of the other vehicles. This set was also recoloured for the Combiner Transports that were posted a few weeks back. 

Next up, the second Decepticon set, the Battle Squad. I really like this set, the SR-71, halftrack that splits into a car and a tank, and a giant cannon truck make up this set. Seeing the colours on this and the Constructor Squad, I begin to wonder how they thought they could pass them off as Cybertrons. 

From left to right: Half-Track, Meltdown, Fireshot, Vanquish, Direct-Hit, and Power Punch. Fireshot is the basis for Fansproject Flameblast. Makes me wish they had went for a black shuttle instead of the white one for that release. 

First up for the Autobot side, we have the Metro Squad. The vehicles in this set are great, especially the fuel truck and hovercraft.  Even the firetruck isn't bad. Probably the most difficult piece to attain for the US Micromasters for me was Roadburner's bucket, by the time I got it, and to this day, I can't mention a bucket without my wife making a comment lol. 

From left to right we have: Roadburner, Wheel Blaze, Strikedown, Power Run, Slide, and Oiler. I think Oiler's bot mode is one of the neatest for Micromasters with the arm mounted smokestacks/guns and the way the torso looks. 

Last, but definitely not least, the Astro Squad. This Squad was the one that led me to start the completion of my Micromasters. Given to me by a good friend at TFcon a couple years ago with a bunch of other stuff like Motormaster and some accessories I needed to complete other gestaults. They are a really cool set. From the shuttle, to the radar rover, to the rocket transport. Missile Master's missile might have caused me extreme grief if I hadn't seen one on Transformerland. (and subsequently given along with an incomplete Phaser and a few others by a good friend.) 

From left to right: Phaser, Blast Master, Heave, Barrage, Missile Master, and Moonrock. Blast Master has been renamed in his Generations release to Payload. He comes packed with Cosmos, I think I was the only one at last year's reveal that was more excited for the Micromasters than the scouts. Don't get me wrong, the scouts look great, but I'd never have thought we would get any classics Micromasters that were tiny.

I think these guys were a neat idea, I would have liked to see a couple more that were stand alone like Half-Track and Meltdown, or even Oiler and Slide work well with more than their actual partner. But as it stands, they are a cool set. Now to find those blasted micro trailers...