Sunrunner (G1)

This article is about the American Micromaster. For his Japanese counterpart, see Sunrunner (Zone).

Sunrunner is an Autobot Micromaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Hi, I'm better than you. And smaller.

Sunrunner, as one of the relatively scarce flying Autobots, has a bit of an (ahem) air superiority complex. Warriors who can't fly are barely even warriors in his optics. "Groundhogs", he calls them. This attitude does nothing to endear him to his fellow Battle Patrol members, but he doesn't care—after all, he knows he contributes more than his fair share as the only flying member of the team. This can create tension between him and Flak, however. The team strategist wants credit for his brilliant tactical layouts, yet Sunrunner is always there to remind them how indispensable his air support is to the plan. He may be right, but that only makes Sunrunner's self-congratulations that much more irritating.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

Sunrunner appeared exclusively in the UK portion of the Marvel Comics continuity.

Sunrunner and the Battle Patrol were among the first dozen or so Autobot Micromasters created by Emirate Xaaron on Cybertron to replenish the Autobot ranks. Considered walking, talking top-secret technology, the Micromasters were each implanted with a suicide switch that would utterly destroy them if they were ever captured by the Decepticons. On a routine scouting mission, though, Sunrunner and his Patrol were ambushed by Thunderwing in an attempt to gain access to their secrets. Following their leader, Big Shot, the Battle Patrol chose to go down fighting like Autobots instead of blowing themselves up. Noble, perhaps, but they were still captured in the end, and the Decepticons pilfered the secrets of Micromaster technology from their bodies before the Battle Patrol were rescued by the other Autobot Micromasters. A Small War!

Marvel UK future timelines

In 2009, after the Time Wars, Galvatron and the Decepticons had assumed near total control over Cybertron. Sunrunner was part of a small band of Autobots under the command of Rodimus Prime attempting to mount a resistance against the Decepticon rule. After Galvatron and the Triggercons dismantled one of their outposts and all the Autobots inside it, however, the Autobots went into retreat, fleeing for Earth. Aspects of Evil! Sunrunner and the rest of the Battle Patrol were seen on the bridge of the Autobot shuttlecraft with Kup and Red Alert, as more than 400 Autobots fled their homeworld in defeat. The Void!

Transformers Comic-Magazin

Sunrunner and the Autobot Micromasters battled against their Decepticon counterparts in New York City. New York — A City Sinking in Terror

Sunrunner and the Battle Patrol were later erroneously depicted as Decepticons trying to steal Earth's resources. The Transformers' Grand Hour: Headmaster of the Dimensions

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

Sunrunner and Sidetrack made up the obnoxious duo of the "Rank-'N'-File Brigade", as Big Daddy called them. These two Battle Patrol members were all cylinders hot for the Autobot cause, and more than willing to berate any Micromasters who they felt weren't living up to the Auto-brand. After Big Daddy and his team lost one of their own rescuing the guzzler Roadbuster from the Decepticons, he was in no mood to get flak from Sunrunner and Sidetrack about how they didn't do it efficiently enough. B.I.G. decked Sunrunner onto the floor of the barracks, and then cut out on the Autobots with his Hot Rod Patrol. Destined for Nothing

Sunrunner hadn't forgotten that little episode sometime later, when Big Daddy and his team came back to the base looking for support after the Insecticons tore up Little Iacon looking for them. After they had left, Sunrunner and Sidetrack took the liberty of changing the passwords and deactivating the signal-identifiers in their Auto-brands, leaving the Hot Rods up the mercury creek without a paddle. Recipe for Hate

Beast Wars: Uprising

On a dystopian, fuel-deprived Cybertron, Sunrunner had managed to stay mobile, but had permanently rusted into his vehicle mode. When Lio Convoy exposed the truth of the Games and the Builders' manipulation of the Maximals and the Predacons, Sunrunner and Tailwind were sent to strike the renegade Maximal down, but failed. Broken Windshields

2019 IDW continuity

• First appearance: Transformers #25

When the Decepticons were broadcasted their rule to Iacon, Hound, and Kup recruited Sunrunner along with Sidetrack, Topshot, and Flak to the Autobot resistance. During the raid on the occupied Senate chambers, Sunrunner helped pinpoint Clench's location so that Flak and Sidetrack could destroy him. Prime Later, at the Forge Pyramid, Sunrunner provided air support when the Autobots inside came under fire. Titans

After the Autobots retreated to Crystal City, it eventually came under siege by Strika and the Decepticon army. Kup organized the Battle Patrol for long range bombardment before the Decepticons got any closer. Strika used Storm Cloud to spot their position, though, and deployed her own artillery, forcing them to scatter. A Dust of Crystals

Toys

The Transformers

Wears clothes, unlike that other ego.

• Battle Patrol (Micromaster Patrol, 1989)

Released in the sixth year of the Hasbro The Transformers toyline (fifth in the European line), Micromaster Sunrunner transforms into a modified E-2C Hawkeye AEW (Airborne Early Warning) plane, with the real aircraft's distinctive circular radar antenna dome replaced with a great hulking missile rack. His robot mode features an unusual design where the shoulders (being the engines) are topped by propellers, and by comparison with many Micromasters he has a better proportioned robot mode due to his engines/arms being separate from his fuselage/body. (The More Than Meets the Eye guide book shows these propellers, but incorrectly calls him a "jet" anyway.)

He was only available as part of the Battle Patrol, along with his teammates Big Shot, Sidetrack, and Flak. Sunrunner is gang-molded with his teammate Flak, causing the two toys to share plastic colors.

Sunrunner was redecoed in Japan to make the other Sunrunner.

• More information on Sunrunner at TFU.info

Merchandise

Transformers Trading Card Game

• Private Sunrunner, Battle Patrol-Air Defense (2019)
  • Wave 4: War for Cybertron: Siege II
  • Rarity: CT
  • Card Number: T25/T52
  • Stars: 5

Private Sunrunner, Battle Patrol-Air Defense is one of forty-eight double-sided character cards available in Wave 3 of the Transformers Trading Card Game, War for Cybertron: Siege II. In order to represent Sunrunner's size as a Micromaster, Private Sunrunner, Battle Patrol-Air Defense is the size of a battle card, about half the size of a normal character card.

The card features original artwork for both modes, with line-art by Ken Christiansen.

Notes

Foreign names

• French: Sol-Air (Canada)
• Italian: Sirio