Thunderwing (Armada)

Thunderwing is a Mini-Con from the Armada portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.

Thunderwing strives hard to overcome his being the physically weakest of the Air Military Mini-Con Team by focusing on his skill at stealth. Spying or sneak attacks, Thunderwing is only heard when it's too late. He gets along well with his commander Gunbarrel, believing in the superiority of his disciplined combat style.

An alternate-universe incarnation of Thunderwing is partnered with the herald of Unicron Ramjet, but shares none of Thunderwing's personality traits... he hasn't got a personality anymore. Untold millennia of servility to the dark Transformer have left him -and his fellow Mini-Cons- little more than drones, utterly subservient to his master's will.

Fiction

Armada cartoon

Thunderwing and the Air Military Team were hidden away in storage on the moon, apparently trapped there for a million years unlike their fellow Mini-Cons who had been scattered over the Earth. They were found and recruited by Thrust to the Decepticon cause, and incorporated into his battle strategies. Alongside the Air Defense Team, the Decepticons now possessed a rather large air force for vanquishing the Autobots. After Thrust lured the Autobots into a tight ravine with a false Mini-Con signal, Thunderwing and his flying partners joined with Starscream in strafing the trapped Autobots. They were eventually overcome when Hot Shot fired on the jets, bringing them down. Tactician

The Air Military Team and Air Defense Team were used in Thrust's next offensive as well. Thunderwing and the others used the Autobots' prohibition against firing on Mini-Cons against them, keeping Jetfire distracted and surrounded in mid-air, cut off from his landbound fellow Autobots and unable to fire back at his attackers. Linkup

Thunderwing and his squad were assembled again to do battle with Jet Optimus alongside Megatron and his Dark Fleet armor. Desperate

On the moon, Thunderwing and the other Mini-Cons were put to work by Megatron constructing a new space cruiser. When the Autobots lay siege to the Decepticon base, Perceptor sought out the Mini-Cons and tried to get them to accompany him to freedom. Their servility programming was too strong to overcome at first. After Thunderwing and the others saw Perceptor valiantly risking his life against Megatron, however, the Mini-Cons shrugged off the chains of their oppression, and fled to the warp gate chamber where the Autobots transported them to safety on Earth. Rescue

Cybertron comic

The alternate-universe Thunderwing and his teammates came with Ramjet and Nemesis Prime to Cybertron during their mission to destroy Primus using the Dead Matrix. Their first move was to blast their way into the Vector Sigma chamber, where they neutralized both the supercomputer and Alpha Trion. Balancing Act Later, Thunderwing and Thunderclash found Dark Scorponok wandering around on the surface of Cybertron in search of fuel. After alerting Ramjet about it, Thunderwing sat down and listened as his master explained why Scorponok was acting like a zombie. Balancing Act, Part 3 The Mini-Cons came with Ramjet and Nemesis Prime as they headed for Primus's chamber, but Vector Prime stopped them. Balancing Act, Part 4 As Ramjet dueled with the ancient Transformer, the Air Military Team powerlinxed with him to increase his strength. Balancing Act, Pt 5 However, it still wasn't enough, and Ramjet and his Mini-Cons ended up getting blasted into a portal where they would be trapped for eternity. Thunderwing and Thunderclash tried to escape the portal's grip, but began to crumble like their master and were sucked in. Revelations Part 1

Superdeformers

As part of some sort of attack, Thrust hurled Thunderwing in his jet form at Hot Shot. The Mini-Con was snatched out of mid-air before he could reach his target by Blurr, who promptly scurried away, thanking Thrust for the free Mini-Con. Superdeformers

Toys

Armada

What's a pretender?

• Air Military Mini-Con Team (Mini-Con 3-pack, 2003)

• Takara name: Air Military Micron
• Takara ID number: MM-11
• Takara release date: June 12, 2003
• Known designers: Hironori Kobayashi (Takara)

Armada Thunderwing transforms into a "flying wing" stealth bomber. He also has a third weapon mode, a spinning blade that makes use of his unique free-spinning Powerlinx socket.

He was normally only available in a three-pack with his teammates Gunbarrel and Terradive. In the Hasbro line, the Air Military Mini-Con Team were released in the fourth assortment of Mini-Con teams. In Japan, it was part of the fourth wave of Legend of the Microns product, released in June 2003. Aside from packaging, there are no noteworthy differences between the two releases.

• More information on Thunderwing at TFU.info

• Thrust & Air Military Micron (Multi-pack, 2003)

• Sonokong name: Sniper & Air Military
• ID number: MS-06
• Takara release date: June 12, 2003

In Japan, the Air Military Microns were also available in a multi-pack with Thrust and his Micron "Thunder". All of the toys in the set are identical to their individual releases.

Sonokong also released the set in Korea under their Eunha Yeongung: Cybertron line. All of the toys are identical to their Japanese release, other than packaging. This was also the only way to obtain "Sniper" (Thrust) and the "Air Military" in Korea.

• Air Military Micron Exdimensions (Mini-Con 3-pack, 2003)

• ID number: MM-12
• Release date: July 17, 2003

A limited-edition (yet still standard retail) "Exdimensions" redeco of the Air Military Microns was released in Japan. The entire team was redecoed in black, clear-black, and white plastics, plus given a light white paint-wash.

This toy also doubles as the separate character Flame.

• More information on Exdimensions Flame at TFU.info

• Unicron with Dead End (Bonus pack, 2003)

Late in the US line, Walmart stores received exclusive Unicron toys that came with the Air Military Team in a bubble attached to the top of the box. This set was sold for the normal retail price of Unicron… hey, free Mini-Cons!

Universe (2003)

• Ramjet with Thunderclash, Gunbarrel, Thunderwing, and Terradive (Ultra Class, 2004)

Available as part of a Toys"R"Us-exclusive Universe "Spring Value Pack" with his master Ramjet, this version of Thunderwing was redecoed in mostly darker shades of his original colors (despite what the boxback photography showed, see "Notes" below).

This set also came with redecoes of the Mini-Cons Thunderclash, Gunbarrel, and Terradive.

• More information on Spring Value Pack Thunderwing at TFU.info

• Fireflight with Firebot and Thunderwing (Deluxe Class, 2004)

Thunderwing was also redecoed for the regular-retail Universe series, now sporting a tan and white deco.

He was again only available in a multi-pack, this time with Fireflight and Firebot. The packaging for this toy lists both Mini-Cons as Autobots.

• More information on Universe Thunderwing at TFU.info

Notes

• The packaging for the Toys"R"Us Ramjet sets shows an air Military Team in very different colors. Thunderwing was given a black deco with flames on the back, very similar to the Generation 2 Cyberjet Skyjack.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Flame (フレイム Fureimu), Thunderwing (サンダーウイング Sandāuingu)
• Korean: Flame (프레임 Peureim)