Air Military Mini-Con Team

Like a vast, predatory bird...

The Air Military Mini-Con Team specializes in supporting ground-based units with precision bombing and lightning-fast strategic strikes, rarely leaving anything more than burning craters and wrecked metal in their wake.

An alternate-dimension incarnation of the Air Military Mini-Con Team was trapped in the void between worlds with their master Ramjet. These Mini-Cons were little more than mindless slaves to Ramjet's will (and ultimately to the will of Unicron), though, lacking the developed personalities and souls of their other counterparts.

The Air Military Mini-Con Team is composed of...

• Gunbarrel the cargo plane.
• Terradive the "Blackbird"-style stealth jet.
• Thunderwing the "flying wing" stealth bomber.

Fiction

Armada cartoon

It WAS a good idea to store your Mini-Cons in an unguarded exterior closet...

The Air Military Team were hidden away in storage on the moon, apparently trapped there for a million years unlike their fellow Mini-Cons who had been scattered over the Earth. They were found and recruited by Thrust to the Decepticon cause, and incorporated into his battle strategies. Alongside the Air Defense Mini-Con Team, the Decepticons now possessed a rather large air force for vanquishing the Autobots. After Thrust lured the Autobots into a tight ravine with a false Mini-Con signal, the trio joined with Starscream in strafing the trapped Autobots. They were eventually overcome when Hot Shot fired on the jets, bringing them down. Tactician

The Air Military Team and Air Defense Team were used in Thrust's next offensive as well. Gunbarrel and the others used the Autobots' prohibition against firing on Mini-Cons against them, keeping Jetfire distracted and surrounded in mid-air, cut off from his landbound fellow Autobots and unable to fire back at his attackers. Linkup The Air Military Team were assembled again to do battle with Jet Optimus alongside Megatron and his Dark Fleet armor. Desperate

On the moon, Gunbarrel and Thunderwing were among the Mini-Cons put to work by Megatron constructing a new space cruiser. When the Autobots lay siege to the Decepticon base, Perceptor sought out the Mini-Cons and tried to get them to accompany him to freedom. Their servility programming was too strong to overcome at first. After Gunbarrel and Thunderwing saw Perceptor valiantly risking his life against Megatron, however, the Mini-Cons shrugged off the chains of their oppression, and fled to the warp gate chamber where the Autobots transported them to safety on Earth. Rescue

Cybertron comic

The Air Military Team serving Ramjet arrived with their master, Thunderclash, and Nemesis Prime to the Cybertron of Aurex 405.0 Epsilon. The Unicron Singularity Crisis had forced the near-complete desertion of the local Cybertron, leaving it ripe for the evil Heralds' plan to resurrect Unicron. Balancing Act The Team faithfully assisted as their master fought Vector Prime as Nemesis Prime proceeded to Primus's spark chamber in order to use the Dead Matrix, Balancing Act, Part 3 Balancing Act, Part 4 Balancing Act, Pt 5 only for Vector Prime to emerge victorious as he blasted Ramjet through a dimension gate into the nothingness in between worlds, the Mini-Cons going with their master. Revelations Part 1

Toys

Armada

"You know, we get repainted into girls later on."
"Really?"
"Yeah, expensive girls, too."

• Air Military Mini-Con Team (Basic, 2003)
  • Takara ID number: MM-11
  • Takara release date: June 12 2003

• Known designers: Hironori Kobayashi (Takara)

The Air Military Mini-Con Team (Gunbarrel, Terradive, and Thunderwing) are a trio of tiny robots who turn into tiny military aircraft. As Mini-Cons, they each have a Powerlinx port that allows them to connect to toys with compatible Powerlinx plugs, activating gimmicks on the larger toys when attached to a "live" plug. Each one also has a third weapon mode that larger toys can use via Powerlinx attachment.

This version of the Team was nominally available as a three-pack, sold in fifth assortment of Mini-Con teams in Hasbro's Armada line. In Japan, the pack was part of the massive first wave of Takara's Legend of the Microns product. Aside from packaging, there are no noteworthy differences between the two companies' releases.

These molds were also used to make the Sonic Assault Team, Sky Scorcher Mini-Con Team, Sky Attack Mini-Con Team, and Caliber Mini-Con Team.

• Thrust & Air Military Micron (Multi-pack, 2003)
  • ID number: MS-06
  • Takara release date: June 12 2003

In Japan, the Air Military Team were also available in a multi-pack with Thrust and his Mini-Con Partner Inferno.

All toys in the set are identical to their individual (Takara) releases.

• Air Military Micron Exdimensions (Basic, 2003)
  • ID number: MM-12
  • Takara release date: July 17 2003

Released in the fifth wave of Legend of the Microns as part of the Exdimensions series, the entire Team was redecoed in primarily black plastics with some gray-wash, a rare instance of deco layout change in the Exdimensions. Unforiteinatly, the softer vinyl plastic parts were changed to harder transparent plastics, making them more fragile than the regular release (Terradive's nosecone/claws are particularly prone to breaking). This release was normal retail, but produced in more limited numbers than the normal deco.

This release of the Air Military Mini-Con Team was repurposed as the Nocturnal Assault Mini-Con Team.

• Unicron with Dead End (Bonus pack, 2003)

Late in the U.S. line, Walmart stores received exclusive Unicron toys that came with the Air Military Team in a bubble attached to the top of the box. This set was sold for the normal retail price of Unicron... hey, free Mini-Cons!

Universe (2003)

• Ramjet w/ Thunderclash, Gunbarrel, Thunderwing, & Terradive

Part of the Toys 'R' Us exclusive "Spring Value Pack", the Air Military Team was very slightly redecoed for inclusion with Ramjet.

The box-back shows a significantly different coloration for the team; why these colors were not used is unknown.

• Fireflight with Firebot and Thunderwing (Deluxe, 2004)
• Stockade & Magna Stampede with Prowl & Terradive (Ultra, 2004)
• Autobot Whirl with Makeshift & Gunbarrel (Ultra, 2004)

The Air Military Team were redecoed in tan and white for the 2003 Universe toyline, but were split up among three different Autobot multi-packs.

Thunderwing came in a Deluxe set with Fireflight. Terradive was packed in an Ultra-class set with Stockade and Magna Stampede, and Gunbarrel came in another Ultra-class set, this one with Whirl.

Notes

Foreign names

• Japanese: Air Military Micron (エアミリタリーマイクロン Ea Miritarī Maikuron)
• French: L'équipe de Forces Aérienne des Minimodus ("Air Force Mini-Con Team")
• Korean: Air Military (에어밀리터리 Eeo Milliteori)
• Spanish: Los Minimodus - Equipo de las Fuerzas Aéreas ("The Mini-Cons - Air Force Team")