Air Defense Mini-Con Team (Armada)
| This article is about the Armada jet Mini-Con trio who become the Star Saber. For the Cybertron military vehicle Mini-Con trio, see Air Defense Mini-Con Team (Cybertron). |
| This article is about the temporarily corrupted-to-evil Air Assault Team. For the new-character Unicron minions, see Aerial Extermination Mini-Con Team. |
The Air Defense Mini-Con Team is easily one of the most important Mini-Con Teams, as together they form the Star Saber, quite possibly the mightiest weapon known to all Transformer-kind. When held by Decepticons, they become the dark, twisted Air Assault Mini-Con Team, forming the Dark Saber.
Even without their sword-form, the trio are skilled and extremely valuable warriors, with a wealth of technical skill, military planning, and good old-fashioned luck.
The Air Defense/Air Assault Mini-Con Team is composed of
Fiction
Toy pack-in comics
While demolishing a Decepticon satellite dish, the Air Defense Mini-Con Team detected a Mini-Con distress signal and reported it to Optimus Prime. The Autobot leader ordered them to wait till they had backup, but the impatient Mini-Cons set out on their own, finding the distress signal to be a trap by Galvatron. Capturing the three, Galvatron forced them to combine into the Dark Saber. The weapon was of little help in battle with Optimus Prime and Jetfire, who rescued the Mini-Cons by combining and kicking Galvatron away. Released from captivity, the Mini-Cons were reprimanded by the two Autobots for their disobedience. Armada Volume 3
Armada cartoon
Dreamwave Armada comic
Toys
Armada
- A trio of high-tech jets, Runway, Jetstorm and Sonar can combine to form the Star Saber sword, which can be held by any other Transformer that has 5 mm fist-holes. The Team's main body is cast in transparent plastic in order to utilize the light-up-fist gimmicks in Super Mode Optimus Prime and the Takara releases of Hot Shot.
- This mold-set was used the make the Takara Air Assault Micron, and remolded to make the Energon Saber Mini-Con Team, Blizzard Intervention Mini-Con Team, and the Sky Terror Mini-Con Team.
- Hot Rod w/ Jolt & Air Defense Micron (Multi-pack, 2002)
- ID number: MS-01
- In Japan, the Air Defense Team were available both in an individual release and in a multi-pack with Hot Shot and Jolt. All of the toys were identical to their individual releases.
- Air Defense Micron Exdimensions (Micron Team, 2003)
- ID number: MM-07
- A redeco of the Air Defense Team was available in a shorter run in Japan. The Exdimensions Air Defense Team changed the opaque plastics to orange and red, and the paint trim to match. Though fans have dubbed the combined form the "Fire Saber", this name is not official.
- This deco was repurposed as the Zephyr Blade Mini-Con Team.
- Air Defense Micron (Change Micron, 2003)
- Available only in individual boxes each with a small bag of sugar-pellet candy, the Kabaya candy toy version of the Team replaced the clear plastics with opaque white. This version is actually a completely new mold-set, with various small differences from the Hasbro/Takara releases.
- Air Defense Micron (Micron Booster, 2003)
- Part of the first Micron Booster set sold only in individual blind-packed boxes, this version of the Team is almost wholly identical to the normal retail release. The only difference is that this version is cast in slightly-sparkly plastic and uses slightly-sparkly paint. The difference is almost unnoticeable unless you look at the two versions side-by-side.
- Air Assault Team (Mini-Con Team, 2003)
- A "tainted by evil" redeco of the Team released by Hasbro, this version of the trio replaces the transparent plastic with opaque off-white (though early versions seen in stock photos use a transparent purple instead), the other colors turning predominantly black and purple.
- This coloration was slightly altered for the Takara Air Assault Micron, who are separate characters from the Air Defense Team.
- Air Defense Micron Anime Color (Micron Team, 2003)
- Cast entirely in blue and clear-blue plastics, this incarnation of the Team is supposed to represent the Star Saber as it appears in the cartoon, with a glowing blue "energy blade". It was only available as a pack-in with the CD single of the Legends of the Microns cartoon ending theme, "Never Ending Road".
Notes
- The Air Defense Team is the only one of the three Armada "legendary weapon" Mini-Con Teams to not see release in either of the Armada sequels.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Air Defense Micron (エアディフェンスマイクロン Ea Difensu Maikuron)
- French: Équipe de Défense Aérienne des Minimodus ("Air Defense Mini-Con Team"), Équipe d'Attaque Aérienne des Minimodus ("Air Attack Mini-Con Team")
- Korean: Air Defense (에어디펜스 Eeo Dipenseu)
- Spanish: Los Minimodus - Equipo de Defense Aérea ("The Mini-Cons - Air Defense Team"), Los Minimodus - Equipo de Ataque Aéreo ("The Mini-Cons - Air Attack Team")
