Allegiance: Minicon
Size: Mini-Con (3-pack)
Team Gimmick: Ability to combine into the Star Saber sword
Overall Rating: 5.6
 

Jetstorm

Difficulty of Transformation: Easy
Color Scheme: Transparent lightly purplish plastic, blue, light gray, and some black, white, and bright red
Individual Rating: 6.8

    Vehicle mode is an airplane. This mode is rather nice, considering the tiny scale of it. It's very detailed, both paint-wise and mold-wise, with little windows even etched into the sides- and the front teeny tiny cockpit windows are even painted! Heck, there's even a mini fold-out landing gear. Cuuuute! The only real problem I have with this mode is the robot extras hanging on the bottom. Although it ruins the "sleekness" of the plane from a side view, it's tucked rather efficiently under the plane mode, with just the very top of the knee "sticking out" from the side. It also gives the transparent wings a more "solid" view from the top, so it hinders as much as it helps, really. The Minicon port is on the underside, in the center of the bulk of the plane mode.
    Robot mode is pretty nice, although the transparent plastic tends to hinder it quite a bit, moreso than the other two 'bots in the Air Defense Team. See, practically all of Jetstorm's body is transparent except for his legs, which... looks kinda weird. The detailing is still pretty good, though, and the wings complement the mode rather than hinder it. The plane nose is also folded up onto the back, so it doesn't get in the way. Jetstorm's chest plate- made up of the tail of the plane mode- sticks out farther, than I'd like, however. Jetstorm has excellent articulation for a Minicon- he can move at the shoulders, elbows, knees (at two joints), and the hips. His Minicon symbol is engraved on his right knee.
    Jetstorm is a nice all-around Minicon, although he suffers from all the transparent plastic in him, which takes away from what would otherwise be a solid look. He has a few other minor flaws, but nothing really bad.
 

Runway

Difficulty of Transformation: Very Easy
Color Scheme: Transparent lightly purplish plastic, light gray, silver, bright red, and some black
Individual Rating: 4.6

    Vehicle mode is a jet- I think it's called a Concorde, if I'm not mistaken. Anyway, this mode, as you can easily see, suffers immensely from having practically the whole robot mode sticking out from its underside. And, unlike Jetstorm, Runway's robot kibble doesn't intergrate itself into the alt mode well at all- it sticks out everywhere- even the hands, which have "engines" on the sides to help in trying to intergrate them into this mode, stay at an awkward angle in this mode rather than just horizontal. Not to mention you can clearly see the hands sticking out of the back... However, that major complaint aside, the rest of the mode is all right, with superb mold and paint detailing for such a small Minicon. Again, all of the windows are molded onto the side of this tiny thing (although only the front one is painted). There's also a nice "bubble" pattern detailed on the wings, and Runway has a fold-out landing gear, just like Jetstorm. Runway also has the rather pointless distinction of having two Minicon ports on his underside, both of them practically right next to each other. They're both slightly off-center, though, and as such, he can't fit onto a larger Transformer's appendage without being obviously off-center.
    Runway's robot mode is pretty bad. Although his head and chest look alright, his legs are two skinny, and, combined with his waist, don't "lock into" anything, so you have him almost always standing at an awkward angle. His arms also can't move much, as the engines on the sides of his chest get in the way. In addition, the cockpit does not fold up like Jetstorm's does, so Runway is left with an odd-looking structure coming out of his rear... Runway also has rather dismal articulation for a Minicon, it just being limited to his elbows (no shoulder articulation), his hips, and his knees. His head can also move a little back and forth, but it looks odd if you have it at anything other than a central position. The Minicon symbol is very hard to find, as it's barely noticeable on the transparent plastic on the top of Runway's left wing-shoulder.
    Runway has at least one huge problem wrong with both of his modes, and, as such, is easily the weakest of the Air Defense Team. Meh.
 

Sonar

Difficulty of Transformation: Very Easy
Color Scheme: White, blue, light gray, transparent lightly purplish plastic, and some black, dull gold, and bright red
Individual Rating: 7.6

    Vehicle mode is an experimental space shuttle prototype. Kinda cool to see such a "might-have-made-it" vehicle get made into a Transformer, really. Anyways, this mode is practically perfect all around, around with good mold detailing and GREAT paint detailing. If you asked for anything more, than you probably should stick to McFarlane statues, my friend. However, there is one GLARING problem with Sonar here, and it's a side effect of him forming the handle of the Star Saber. The handle just sticked out blatantly from the bottom, and considering that Sonar has no landing gear or anything to stablize him, it's impossible to keep him horizontal on any surface- he always leans to one side as a result of that stupid handle. Sonar also has the same pointless characteristic of a second Minicon power on his underside, and suffers from the same problems there as Runway does. His Minicon symbol is on the top of this mode, just slightly to the rear of center.
    Sonar's robot mode is dang cool, and definitely the one that stands out the most amongst the Air Defense Team members. Unlike the other two members, Sonar is mostly made of solid, not transparent, plastic, so he does't suffer from not looking "solid" in this mode. The handle also doesn't interfere with this mode as it does with the alt mode, as it just hangs off Sonar's back here and doesn't interfere at all. In fact, it almost looks like he has his own sword sheathed back there... Anyway, the mold and paint detailing is all good, as is the nifty-looking robot face and arm-wings. The only problem I have with this mode- and it's relatively minor- is that Sonar has no forward knee or hip articulation, just side-to-side. The other articulation he has is good, though- his shoulders, elbows, and feet can all move in an understandable range of motion.
    Sonar's definitely the coolest out of this bunch of Minicons, and it one of the better Minicons overall, too. Wiggy.
 

Star Saber (Gestalt form)

Difficulty of Transformation: Very Easy
Color Scheme: Transparent lightly purplish plastic, white, blue, silver, light gray, and some bright red, black, dull gold, and black
Individual Rating: 3.3

    Behold, the Star Saber! I mean... Behold, three planes stacked on top of one another! 'Cause really, that's what it looks like. This...thing... only vaguely resembles a sword, and is entirely too thick at the "blade" portion to really imagine it actually cutting through anything. And heck, you're looking at the good side- the other side has a bunch of mini-robot parts on it. Ick. And if that weren't bad enough, this thing falls apart if you so much as look at it the wrong way. If placed in Super Optimus Prime's fist, the sword is supposed to "light up" if you press a button- that's why all the transparent plastic is there- but only the bottom third actually lights up at all. Eh.. no, I'll pass.

    Sonar and Jetstorm are both pretty good Minicons, but Runway and the Star Saber are both icky. It's up to you if the good overpower the bad with this set.

Review by Beastbot

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