Slingshot (G1)/toys
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Slingshot will be the only Aerialbot for your toy collection.
Toys
The Transformers
- Slingshot (Aerialbot, 1986, 1991)
- Team ID number: A4
- Japanese ID number: C-53
- Accessories: "Neutron rifle"
- The Transformers Slingshot transforms into a white Sea Harrier jumpjet. While the other three Aerialbot limbs follow a standard design with similar proportions and parts distribution, Slingshot is unusual in that he is much, much thinner than the other jets (partly due to his vehicle mode), with stick-like arms and his front landing gear is mounted on his chest, as the Harrier nose cone on the toy is far too short to accommodate fold-down landing gear.
- As a Scramble City-style combiner, Slingshot can be connected to any free arm or leg slot on Silverbolt to form Superion, and indeed can also combine with any other Scramble City combiner. However, his nominal placement is as the left arm of Superion.
- Slingshot, along with his teammates, were released in the 1990 European/Australian "Classics" reissue series of Generation 1 toys.
- In Japan, the Aerialbots were also later all made available again as mail-away items during Return of Convoy. The smaller toys cost 1000 yen (120 more than their original retail price!) and 2 robot points.
- Superion (Gift set, 1986)
- Japanese ID number: C-55
- Accessories: "Neutron rifle"
- Slingshot was also available in a Superion boxed giftset, along with the rest of his teammates. All of the toys in this set are identical to their individual releases.
- Slingshot (1990)
- Accessories: "Neutron rifle"
- Slingshot, along with his teammates, was rereleased without changes in 1990 as part of the European "gold-boxed" Classics reissue line.
Generation 2
- Slingshot (Aerialbot, 1994)
- Team ID number: A4
- Accessories: "Neutron rifle"
- For Generation 2, Slingshot was redecoed in gold and silver with orange and blue tiger striped stickers on his wings which proudly proclaim his name.
- This toy is infamous for being one of the most breakable Transformers toys ever released. If you still own it, never touch it again.
Transformers
- Cybertron Sling (Micron, 2009)
- A redeco of the Classics Mini-Con Thunderwing, Sling(shot) now transforms into an F-14 Tomcat swing-wing fighter jet.
- Sling was only available by signing up for a Transformers-themed Visa credit card through Pocket Card Co., Ltd. Sling was sent to those who got the Autobot-themed card, with Vorter sent to those who get the Decepticon card. Everyone braced for these being super-expensive to obtain on the secondary market, but in the end, apparently these got dumped to dealers in large numbers and now are among the cheapest of the Japanese promo Microns available.
- This mold was also used to make Cybertron Nightscream, Noise Effect, Boltflash, and Barrel Roll.
| Transformers: Classics mold: Thunderwing | ||
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Kre-O
- Quickslinger (Kreon Micro-Changer, 2012)
- Collection: 1
- Bag number: ***** 44
- Accessories: Logo brick, built-up "Deconstructo Blaster"
- Part of the first normal wave of Kre-O Micro-Changer Kreons, "Quickslinger" is a blindpacked-bagged mini-figure, though a stamped ID number can be found on the back of the bag, top-right corner. He comes with extra parts so he can be converted into a tiny, tiny plane, and his pistol is built-up with extra parts in order to make it look bigger. He also comes with a 2x4 block with the Kre-O logo on the side, which he can use as a stand so he can look taller.
- He uses Ratchet's helmet and the Starscream wing-pack.
- Quickslinger's pre-production photography shows him with a black crest on his helmet, aka "exactly like Ratchet's helmet". This version also sports a slightly different chest decoration, and a burgundy tailfin and nosecone rather than the final version's red.
- Quickslinger (Kreon Micro-Changer, 2016)
- Collection: 1
- Accessories: Logo plate, built-up "Deconstructo Blaster"
- In 2016, Collection 1 was re-released in a whole new production run for Dollar General stores in the US as part of a large collection of re-released Kre-O sets. But where most of these releases are nigh-identical to the originals, the re-released Micro-Changer blind-bags use the almost-entirely-retooled 2015 Kreon, with slightly-differently-hued plastics than the originals. (It is possible for some of the add-on pieces to be in the older hues.) Quickslinger's torso and face tampographs have also been reworked to be slightly more detailed, and the formerly-bare legs now have extra detail tampographing on them. All of his light gray paint has been replaced with shiny silver.
- He also uses the revised Ratchet helmet, which has had the crest trimmed so as not to cover his eyes.
- Sadly, this release has no individual-identification code on the bag, requiring you to use the feel-through-the-bag method or just buy blind and hope.
Bot Shots
- Autobot Air Force (Five-pack, 2013)
- Series: 2
- Number: T012
- Fist strength: 437
- Blaster strength: 808
- Sword strength: 365
- Quickslinger is a redeco of the Starscream mold. As such, he turns into a super-deformed jet with a spring-loaded transformation back into robot mode. He was available in a five-pack with Silverbolt, Skydive, Autobot Firestrike, and Air Raid.
Generations
Combiner Wars
- Quickslinger (Deluxe Class, May 2015)
- 4 OF 5: Superion
- Accessories: Rifle, gun/fist/foot
- Hasbro's Combiner Wars release of the Unite Warriors "Sling" figure is a redeco of Firefly with a new head sculpt, renamed "Quickslinger" for trademark reasons. Unlike his Unite Warriors counterpart, Combiner Wars Quickslinger features blue eyes instead of show-accurate orange. His cardback bio contains a cute reference to his old name, citing how for his enemies, "there's a good shot they'll end up in a sling."
- Quickslinger comes with a copy of "Combiner Wars #3" (actually Robots in Disguise #11). Along with "Brake-Neck" (a similarly renamed Wildrider), he was released as part of a promotion named "May Mayhem" that, as far as its official United States release was concerned, was (at least in theory) a "shared exclusive" between various online retailers (such as Hasbro Toy Shop, Amazon, BigBadToyStore, and Entertainment Earth), the online storefronts of major "big box" retailers (such as Toys"R"Us, Walmart, Target, and Kmart), and comic book stores that order through Diamond Distributors. It was still available at general retail in Hasbro's Asian markets, though.
| Combiner Wars mold: Firefly | ||
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But hey, the big guy got some problems instead.
- Superion (Collection Pack, 2016)
- Accessories: Rifle, individual Aerialbots guns/fists/feet
- A Generation 2-themed redeco of Combiner Wars Quickslinger is molded in durable and flat gold plastic rather than the fragile swirly one seen in his original Generation 2 toy, and he's packed along with the other Aerialbots (including Powerglide), and sold as a giftset.
- Similar to the "May Mayhem" single release of Quickslinger, the Superion "Collection Pack" was also a "shared exclusive" between various online retailers and the online storefronts of major "big box" retailers in the United States, but was available at general retail in Hasbro's Asian markets.
| Combiner Wars mold: Firefly | ||
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Titans Return
- Blunderbuss & Broadside (Voyager Class, 2017)
- Titans Return Broadside comes with tiny Aerialbot jets (specifically in the alternate modes of their Combiner Wars figures, with a representation of Quickslinger rather than Alpha Bravo) molded on a sprue; once cut off this sprue, the jets can be attached to his carrier and robot mode ports.
Unite Warriors
- Takara's Unite Warriors iteration of Combiner Wars Sling (also identified on the bilingual packaging by his English name, Slingshot) is a retool and redeco of the Combiner Wars Firefly mold from the same set, sporting a new head sculpt. He transforms into a white Harrier jump-jet as well as either an arm or a leg for Superion. He comes with a weapon that transforms into either a foot or a hand. He can form the limb of any other Combiner Wars-style Combiner or into Godbomber's legs as well. His cartoon-based deco includes black lines painted on the top of his jet mode, mimicking the appearance of the joints for his cockpit and tail from the original G1 toy that were included on his animation model. Sling was only available in a Superion multi-pack with the other Airbots.
| Combiner Wars mold: Firefly | ||
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Legends
- Broadside (November 25, 2017)
- ID number: LG53
- The Legends release of Broadside also includes five Airbot sprues, redecoed in a different shade of gray to match Broadside's cartoon-accurate appearance.
