Air Raid (G1)
| The name or term "Air Raid" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Air Raid (disambiguation). |
- Air Raid is an Autobot Aerialbot and later Cyberjet from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Some might call Air Raid reckless, the way he dives out of nowhere, charging enemy units head on. Air Raid would laugh at that. A rash and fearless young warrior who loves surprises (especially those that leave his foes too stunned to fight back), he has only one real goal in life: to have fun. Needless to say his attitude puts him in a lot of danger, but you can be sure he's enjoying himself the whole time.
Air Raid combines with his fellow Aerialbots to form Superion.
- Japanese name: Air Rider
- French-Canadian name: Bombardo
- Italian name: Tornado
- Russian name: Naletchik (Налетчик, Raider)
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Generation 1
Thanks to his previous connection to the Creation Matrix, Buster Witwicky began experiencing dreams and visions of new Transformers, beginning with an etching of Superion he made without even being consciously aware of it. Devastation Derby! By sharing his visions with Optimus Prime, Buster was able to clarify the images and understand the future of the evolution of the Cybertronian race — amalgam model robots like the Constructicons' Devastator, capable of a more-streamlined merging into a more powerful form. It was these visions which allowed Optimus Prime and Wheeljack to conceive of and construct the Aerialbots. Second Generation!
Working on a plan to reverse engineer the gestalt technology the Decepticons used to create Devastator, Optimus Prime and the Autobots staged a daring raid on the Decepticon base of operations, giving Bumblebee enough time to digitally record the Constructicons' electrical transformation pattern for study. Command Performances! Working off that blueprint, Wheeljack successfully created Air Raid and the Aerialbots. During the new warriors' testing phase, however, the Autobots were alerted to a Decepticon operation at Hoover Dam. Only the Aerialbots were fast enough to reach the location in time, and so Prime was forced to send them into battle before their programming was completed.
Air Raid proved to be the most effective of the new Aerialbots in battle. After his fellow jets took a few hits in battle with the Cybertronian Seekers, Air Raid singlehandedly shook their formation and tore up Ramjet's nosecone with his torque rifle, giving the other Aerialbots time to regroup.
The Aerialbots eventually turned the tide on the Decepticons and drove them off, giving them time to focus on the energy siphon which was the core of the problem. At Silverbolt's command, they merged into Superion and began dismantling the drill device. A problem arose, however, when Bombshell's cerebro-shell controlled pawn Ricky Vasquez pointed Megatron (in his gun mode) at the giant Autobot. Because the majority of the Aerialbots were not programmed specifically to protect human life, Superion only saw a potential threat that needed to be eliminated. As the human fought against the Decepticons' control, Silverbolt too fought inside Superion's gestalt mind to protect the human. In the end, Silverbolt was forced to disengage Superion to keep him from destroying the human. Luckily, Ricky was more successful and managed to break the cerebro-shell's hold long enough to point Megatron at the drill and destroy it, ending the threat. Aerialbots over America!
After the near disaster at Hoover Dam, Optimus Prime had the Aerialbots shut down and their programming completely erased. Returned to a blank slate, he then inputted fully-programmed personalities for them with the Matrix before their next mission. It, uh...didn't help. In battle with Menasor as Superion, the Aerialbots were attacked by Circuit Breaker, deactivated, and captured by RAAT. It was only a lucky break that they were eventually freed. Heavy Traffic!
As Grimlock took over the Autobots, Air Raid and the other Aerialbots took an extended leave of absence from the war, since the Dinobot commander focused Autobot resources on repairing their fallen comrades and prepping the Ark to become spaceworthy again.
Sometime later, it was Air Raid, Skydive, and Fireflight who were the first to respond to a distress call from Buster Witwicky, the Autobots' old human ally who had been prisoner to the Decepticons for nearly a year. This led the combined Autobot and Decepticon forces into battle with Starscream, who had acquired the nigh-infinite power of the Underbase for himself. The Aerialbots were his first victims, wiped out in a single blast of cosmic power in the skies over New York City. Dark Star
Along with the other deactivated Autobots aboard the Ark, Air Raid and the Aerialbots were eventually revived by the Nucleon super-energy Grimlock and the Dinobots recovered from Hydrus Four.
Earthforce
One dark and stormy night, Air Raid heard a commotion in the halls of Earthforce's makeshift shuttle base, and turned on the lights to fight Skydive and Wheeljack struggling with each other in the dark. The story was, Skydive had come by to relieve Wheeljack from guard duty, only to find the post abandoned and signs of a serious struggle in place of his comrade. There was a smoldering patch of ground, a hastily discarded blaster, and animal tracks all over. Thinking quickly, Skydive concluded that one of the Predacons had entered the base and ambushed Wheeljack where he sat. He rushed back to the shuttle and found the door had been forced. Seeing a shadowy figure carrying a heavy burden in the dark, Skydive figured it for the Predacon carrying Wheeljack's remains and LEAPT into action!
As it turned out, Wheeljack had just overheated the makeshift heating unit he had brought out to keep warm. Getting tangled in the smoking heater, Wheeljack knocked over his own table and broke the lamp. The noise brought an angry polar bear over, and a frantic Wheeljack tore out of there carrying the still smoldering heater, forcing the door to the shuttle when he reached it. Then some NUT jumped him from out of nowhere!
Air Raid suggested everyone go to bed and forget the incident ever happened. The motion carried. Mystery!
Air Raid was present with the entire Earthforce team outside Autobot Earthbase when Wheeljack unveiled his brand-new unbreachable defensive system. This was unfortunate, as Wheeljack had forgotten that, once activated, the system could only be turned off from the inside. Prowl elected to run the gauntlet and reach the shutdown console inside, and the Aerialbots provided air support for him. Air Raid and his buddies gunned down the Acid Bats at the entryway, giving Prowl his chance to get through. The House that Wheeljack Built!
Marvel UK future timelines
In 2008, Air Raid and Beachcomber rushed to defend Autobot City from Quintesson invaders. Their crew was quickly overwhelmed, however, and so were the duo when they ran to get some more help. Space Pirates!
Another Time and Place
Air Raid joined Silverbolt and Skydive in an assault on Hydrus Four, blasting open a medical center occupied by the Decepticons in order to rescue the Dinobots and prevent the resurrection of Megatron. Another Time and Place
Generation 2
After the defeat of Bludgeon and his Decepticons on Klo, the Autobots split into smaller combat units throughout the universe. Once Optimus Prime and Grimlock learned of the threat posed by the second generation Cybertronian army, though, the Autobot forces reconsolidated under their command. Air Raid and the other Aerialbots were first seen after the Autobots had retreated to an asteroid sanctuary for retraining. They were, um, outsmarted by Hot Rod. The Power and the Glory Later, he was rescued by the Decepticon Skywarp in the skies over Ethos while battling G2 Cybertronians. Escalation! Still, he managed to do a little better against the Cybertronian Empire the second time around, popping jets out of the sky so that the Dinobots could, ah...greet them on the ground below. Total War!
Cartoon continuity
- Voice actor: Rob Paulsen (English), Kenyū Horiuchi (Japanese)
At one point during the eternal war with the Autobots on Earth, Megatron grew fed up with how his opponents ruled the roads and created a group of Decepticon cars known as the Stunticons. In order to give his new warriors life, he brought them to Cybertron and tracked down the ancient supercomputer, Vector Sigma, to input cybernetic personalities into the Stunticons. Thanks to a series of traps and drones in their way, the Autobots failed to prevent Megatron from succeeding and returning to Earth. Seeking to even the playing field, Optimus Prime conceived of the idea of retrofitting several broken-down Cybertronian ships into Earthen jets, and bringing them to life as a team of Autobot flyers. With the help of his technical savvy soldiers, Hoist, Wheeljack, Ratchet, and Prime's own creator, Alpha Trion, Optimus' plan was enacted and the Aerialbots were born. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2
Aerial Assault War Dawn Cosmic Rust
After the death of Megatron and the retaking of Cybertron, Air Raid and the Aerialbots became part of the Autobot Fleet. When Ultra Magnus, Kup and Spike were kidnapped to Quintessa, the rescue party alerted the Aerialbots to swoop by for covering fire and pick-up. Air Raid and Skydive made the strafing run that took out the Quints' defensive proton cannon. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2 When the Quintessons destroyed their own planet to get at the Autobots, the resulting blast wave destroyed the Aerialbots' ship, sending Air Raid and the rest hurtling through space. They eventually impacted on Goo #8739B, and were rescued by Wreck-Gar and the Junkions. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3
When Perceptor's science team were attacked in space, Air Raid and the Aerialbots accompanied Rodimus Prime in rescuing them. As Superion, they confronted a horde of Quintessons and drove them off. After Silverbolt disengaged their super mode, Air Raid still wanted to chase after the Quints, but Silverbolt reigned him in. Air Raid chastised him for having no sense of adventure, to which Silverbolt retorted that was exactly why he's in charge. Forever Is a Long Time Coming
One lovely afternoon in space, Air Raid was playing cat-and-mouse with Scourge and Cyclonus. Once he had finished his fun, Air Raid led the Decepticon duo into an asteroid field where his fellow Aerialbots were waiting to spring an ambush. The Aerialbots messed the Decepticons up pretty badly, especially after they transformed into Superion. Eventually, they chased the Decepticons through a strange warp in space. This proceeded to have no consequences for anyone whatsoever. Fight or Flee
Air Raid and the Aerialbots were spending a relaxing day watching home movies on Teletraan II when things suddenly got serious, as the Autobots' computer off-handedly informed them Trypticon was never destroyed in his last battle with Metroplex. When they tracked Trypticon to his new staging grounds, Air Raid and the Aerialbots launched from Broadside, but the Decepticon presence in Carbombya was more than they had anticipated. Still, Air Raid paid tribute to his leader Silverbolt by reciting his famous battle-cry, "Good-bye, cruel world!" He dipped his singed tailfins in the ocean and managed to make a hasty retreat with Broadside and his fellow Aerialbots. The Aerialbots soon returned with reinforcements and drove the Decepticons from Carbombya. Thief in the Night
During a battle in space, Air Raid and the Aerialbots may or may not have been present. Superion, at least, was surely there on the planet Eurythma...sometimes. Carnage in C-Minor
After Sky Lynx took some hostile fire over the planet of Junk, Rodimus Prime dispatched Air Raid and the Aerialbots to investigate. They were caught in a crossfire between the brain-addled Junkions and the Quintessons, who were responsible for messing with the Junkions' air waves, and their minds. Even after becoming Superion, the Aerialbots took heavy fire and had to be brought back to First Aid on Cybertron for repairs. The Big Broadcast of 2006
On one occasion, Air Raid was buzzing too close to Trypticon during a battle on Earth, and the dinosaur city unleashed his full plasma breath. Air Raid's tail-fins were scorched and he had to set down in a small lake, but his sacrifice gave Silverbolt a chance to fly down Trypticon's throat now that his flame was temporarily used up. The Aerialbot leader was then able to cause serious internal damage to the giant Decepticon before flying back out again. And Air Raid totally planned it that way. No, really. The Ultimate Weapon
During the Decepticon invasion of Japan, the Aerialbots fought against Astrotrain when he tried to derail a bullet train full of passengers. The Burden Hardest to Bear Sometime thereafter, Air Raid and the Aerialbots were recruited by Rodimus Prime to rescue the body of Optimus Prime from Swofford and Morgan. Unfortunately, this only meant they were among the first Autobots exposed to the hate plague. Despite the madness induced by the red dust, the Aerialbots were apparently still willing to form Superion. Superion ran amok, causing serious property damage, infecting Defensor, and taking several other Autobots out of action. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1
When the Decepticons invaded Cybertron searching for the Plasma Energy Chamber, the Aerialbots tried to stop them. Unfortunately, they didn't reckon with Sixshot. Flying heedlessly into battle, Air Raid was shot down first by the Six Changer's siege tank mode. The Rebirth, Part 1 The Combaticons then took his power pack to use as fuel for the giant rocket engine they were constructing for Galvatron. The Rebirth, Part 3
Dreamwave comics continuity
Air Raid spent time as Superion's leg, then died. Oh, in-between that, he punched Starscream. Prime Directive
Toys
Generation 1
- Air Raid (Aerialbot, 1986/1991)
- Team ID number: A5
- Japanese ID number: C-54
- Accessories: "Torque rifle"
- Air Raid transforms from a black F-15 Eagle. He can combine with his fellow Aerialbots to form Superion, and as a Scramble City-style limb toy, he can also combine with any Scramble City team leader, though his nominal position is as Superion's left leg.
- In Japan, the Aerialbots were 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
- All five Aerialbots were also available in many markets as a gift set. The toys were unchanged from their individual releases.
Generation 2
- Air Raid (Aerialbot, 1994)
- Team ID number: A2
- Accessories: "Torque Rifle"
- The first Generation 2 Air Raid was a redeco of the original. His plane mode was primarily blue and featured stickers with a pattern reminiscent of the costume of a human superhero. His robot mode was mostly white and silver .
- Air Raid (Cyberjet, 1995)
- Accessories: 3 missiles
- Air Raid's second Generation 2 appearance was a redeco of the Cyberjet Skyjack, transforming into an F-117A Nighthawk. He features a pressure-launch missile launcher that becomes his right arm in robot mode. His non-loaded missiles can be stored in clips on the undersides of his wings.
- This toy was sold in Japan without changes (though it did come with an extra decal sheet) as Aero Raid. This mold was also used to make the 2004 Universe version of Air Raid, and Robot Masters Delta Seeker.
Universe (2003)
- Air Raid & Wind Sheer (Deluxe, 2004)
- Accessories: Missile
- For the Universe line, the Cyberjet Air Raid was redecoed again and released in a two-pack with the Decepticon Wind Sheer at the Deluxe price point. The lack of bios for Universe characters leaves open the possibility that this is not the original Air Raid. Then again, there's nothing that says it isn't, either.
Universe (2008)
Classic Series
- Aerial Rivals (multi-pack, 2008)
- A redeco of the Cybertron Soundwave's Legends of Cybertron figure, Air Raid's colorscheme is based upon his Generation 2 Cyberjet incarnation and was only available in a set with Blades, Skydive, Ramjet, and Thrust.
- The packaging back mistakenly swaps Air Raid and Skydive's names.
G1 Series
- Superion (Multi-pack, 2008)
- Accessories: 2 dual-barrel cannons, connector piece, Autobot-type energon star
- Available only as a component of Superion, this version of Air Raid is a dark grey and black redeco of Energon Windrazor/Treadshot, transforming into a small, futuristic fighter resembling an F-22 Raptor. He can also form a leg or arm to any Energon-series "Powerlinx Combiner" super robot, though his nominal placement is as the left leg to Superion. He comes with two double-barreled guns and a connector piece, which can form hand-held weapons as well as become a footplate or "hand" for his combined mode, plus a blue "super energon" Autobot-style energon star that fits over his spark crystal.
- Air Raid was released, along with the others in this box set, in Universe (2008) packaging in Australia and Singapore, but it is unknown if this version will be released anywhere else. This set has recently been announced as a Target-exclusive set in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Superion packaging for North America. Thus, this toy doubles as Movie Air Raid.
- This mold was also used to make Fun Publications Transformers Collectors Club-exclusive Breakaway.
