Jetstorm (Armada)
| The name or term "Jetstorm" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Jetstorm (disambiguation). |
- Jetstorm is a Mini-Con from the Armada portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.
Jetstorm is bottling up a whole lot of anger and resentment against the Decepticons. He hides it all under an air of good-naturedness, and tends to simply follow whatever plans his teammates Runway and Sonar come up with. He's afraid of his own anger, especially since he knows that evil intent can warp the power of the Air Defense Team's combined mode, the Star Saber, so he tries hard to stay calm and cool. It's better to be thought of as simple-minded than unleash an evil onto the universe for the Decepticons to control, he figures.
- Japanese name: Mach
Fiction
Armada cartoon
Jetstorm's Mini-Con panel was found embedded in an Antarctic ice wall by Starscream but Red Alert managed to retrieve Jetstorm for the Autobots Soldier
Dreamwave Armada comics
When the Decepticons began hunting down Mini-Cons, Jetstorm lived Mini-Con Village B13 along with his teammates Runway and Sonar. The Decepticons eventually attacked B13 and captured them, but they escaped and took refuge in the garbage disposal district, where they managed to salvage an old starship. The Air Defense Team planned to break their fellow Mini-Cons out of the Decepticon base, then take to the stars in search of freedom. When they found another runaway Mini-Con, Sparkplug, Jetstorm extracted a Decepticon tracking device from his shoulder. With Sparkplug's help, they successfully then went through with their plan. Dreamwave Armada issue 2
However, their ship malfunctioned and crashed on Earth, where the Jetstorm and the others lay dormant for a million years. After awakening thanks to a reactivation signal, they hid in Rapid City whilst thinking up a new plan letting Runway think up a new plan to get them and their brothers into space again. Before long, they were found by the Decepticons, who captured them and forcibly combined them into the powerful Star Saber. Dreamwave Armada issue 6 Megatron used the sword to attack the Autobot base, but Optimus Prime took it from him and begged the Air Defense Team to fight Megatron's control and remember who they were. His pleas got through, and Jetstorm and his teammates separated and fought back against the Decepticons. They still didn't want to join the Autobots, though, and went back into hiding. Dreamwave Armada issue 7
Some time later, the Air Defense Team was summoned to a strange structure in Kansas. Mindlessly, they flew to to the structure and entered it, and it turned out to be a starship designed to bring them to the Moon. Dreamwave Armada issue 8 Jetstorm and Sonar were left imprisoned on Dualor's moonbase while Runway was taken on a tour around the place. Dreamwave Armada issue 9 Shortly after Runway was reunited with them, the Decepticons attacked the moonbase. Dreamwave Armada issue 10
Following the evacuation of the moonbase, Jetstorm and his teammates disappeared for a while. They returned when a larger threat than the Decepticons showed up in the form of a Herald of Unicron. Against their better judgment, the Air Defense Team came to Megatron's aid and combined into the Star Saber, allowing him to defeat his powerful opponent. Worlds Collide, Part 3 of 4 Thankfully, Megatron didn't get to keep his hold on the Star Saber, as the Land Military Mini-Con Team distracted him and allowed the Air Defense Team to separate and escape. Worlds Collide, Part 4 of 4
The Herald of Unicron was soon followed by Unicron himself, so all the Mini-Cons on Earth gathered to join the fight against him. After returning to Cybertron, Jetstorm joined the rest of the Mini-Cons in channeling their energies through the Mini-Con Matrix and heavily damaging Unicron. The End
Panini Armada comics
Jetstorm was among the Mini-Cons who ended up near Lincoln, Nebraska when their ship crashed, but he disappeared shortly after being reactivated. Deep Trouble! He began leading his team on various heroic deeds around the country, such as diverting a falling satellite from crashing in Chicago. However, this accident turned out to be bait set by Starscream, who was out to capture the team. Jetstorm was quickly grabbed by the Decepticon and urged his teammates to save themselves. He ended being saved by a team of Autobots, and while he denied their invitation to join the Autobots, he didn't notice that Starscream had placed a tracking device on him... Devices and Desires!
In their quest to get off Earth, the Air Defense Team decided to steal a human spaceship from NASA. However, when they broke into a hangar, they found soldiers from the Extra-Terrestrial Response Division waiting for them. They incapacitated Runway, and Jetstorm only had time to warn Sonar against not hurting the humans before they two were taken down and captured. Jetstorm and the others were taken to Area 54, where he and Sonar quickly woke back up. Curious about the ERTD's apparent knowledge about Mini-Cons, Jetstorm hacked their database and found that they had previously captured the Land Military Team as well. However, his hacking triggered an alarm, and the Air Defense Team were forced to escape. 'We Are Not Alone!'
Before the team could plan a way to save the Land Military Team, Starscream followed the tracker on Jetstorm and captured them. He disengaged their personality chips and combined them into the legendary Star Saber, which he promptly used to assault the Street Action Team. However, Starscream didn't know only the will of the Air Defense Team members could keep the Star Saber's power in check, so without their personalities intact, the weapon quickly went out of control. As its power threatened to rip the Earth apart, Optimus Prime showed up and urged Jetstorm and the others to separate our of their own free will. His words reached them, and the planet was saved. The Two-Edged Blade! The Air Defense Team subsequently told the Autobots about the Mini-Cons captured by the ERDT and managed to track them down thanks to Amos Hume. They found that the humans were attempting to auction them off, so Jetstorm and the others interrupted by disabling their technology with pulse disruptor beams. He then suggested that they let the auction owner be dealt with by the human military forces converging on the area. Sale of the Century!
Toys
Armada
- Air Defense Team (Mini-Con Team, 2002/2003)
- Japanese ID number: MM-02
- Jetstorm transforms into a Concorde Super Sonic Transport jet plane. He also forms the middle portion of the Star Saber sword, which can be held by any other Transformer that has 5mm fist-holes. This version came with his partners Runway and Sonar.
- This mold was also used to make Mad. It was later retooled to make Energon Scattor, Quantum, and Cybertron Thrust.
- Hot Rod and Jolt with Air Defense Micron (Multi-pack, 2003)
- Japanese ID number: MS-01
- For the Team's Takara release, they were available both as an individual set, and in a multi-pack with Hot Shot.
- Air Defense Micron X-Dimension (Mini-Con Team, 2003)
- Japanese ID number: MM-07
- A redeco of the Air Defense Team was available in a shorter run in Japan. The X-Dimension 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 does not appear to be official.
- Mach (Change Micron, 2003)
- Available only in individual boxes each with a small bag of sugar-pellet candy, the Kabaya candy toy versions 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.
- Mach (Micron Booster, 2003)
- Booster ID number: 3
- Part of the first Micron Booster set, sold only in individual blind-packed boxes, this version of the Air Defense 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, the other colors turning predominantly black and purple.
- This coloration was altered for the Takara Air Assault Mini-Con Team, who are separate characters from the Air Defense Team.
- Air Defense Micron Anime Color (Mini-Con Team, 2003)
- Cast entirely in blue and clear-blue plastics, this incarnation of the Air Defense 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 Micron Legend cartoon ending theme, "Never Ending Road", by Psychic Lover.
Notes
- The Air Defense Team is the only one of the three "legendary Mini-Con weapons" Teams to not appear in either of Armada's sequel-series.
- Runway and Jetstorm's names are reversed in the original Air Defense Team's instructions. Their names are also reversed in several licensed Armada print material, like the coloring and activity books put out by Bendon Publishing, as well as in the DK Readers book "The Quest". This did not occur with the Dreamwave comics, however.
