Jetstorm (Movie)

Jetstorm is a Decepticon from the Transformers portion of the movie continuity family.

I just want to tell you both good luck. We're all counting on you.

Very few Autobots want to go up against Jetstorm at close range. While there are certainly stronger and more heavily armed Decepticons out there, none of them fight as dirty as Jetstorm. Spending ages perfecting his fighting style, he aims for particularly weak and painful joints, knows the full list of low blows and cheap shots, and generally does anything possible to win. Precious few make it out of a scrap with him without extensive damage such as shattered optics or limbs damaged beyond repair.^[1]

Fiction

IDW movie comics

Screw having a visible head. Watch me being killed alongside those other guys.

Under the command of Soundwave, Jetstorm was a crew member of the Nemesis on its mission to locate a Star Harvester. He was working with navigations on the bridge when the sudden appearance and disappearance of the Ark scooped out a chunk of the ship, depressurizing the bridge and sucking him out into the vacuum of space. This didn't much affect Jetstorm, who merely transformed and flew back inside, where he and the crew boarded the Longshot and followed the Ark to Earth. Convergence chapter 1

Years later, Jetstorm was one of the reinforcements sent down to Earth by Soundwave, making his landing in the Middle East. He scanned his alternate mode at a nearby U.S. air base before destroying it. Alliance #3 Jetstorm was eventually hunted down by the Autobots and their human allies. During the subsequent battle, he was destroyed by Optimus Prime, but had managed to kill many soldiers, including Salani. Alliance #4

Toys

Transformers (2007)

• Jetstorm (Ultra Class, 2008)

• Accessories: 2 missile launchers, 2 missiles, Key
• Known designers: Joe Kyde (deco artist)

A Toys"R"Us exclusive redeco of Cybertron Sky Shadow, which in itself is a minor retool of Cybertron Jetfire, Transformers Jetstorm transforms into a white and gray cargo plane resembling a modified Antonov An-225. Jetstorm features sound effects activated by pressing either of the side aft engine nacelles. He comes with a purple Planet X Cyber Key, which when inserted into his tail assembly in either vehicle or robot mode causes a pair of translucent red cannons to extend and the compartment they are mounted on to raise. Pressing the engines now activates a different sound effect. The tail section can be swiveled up to form an attack mode somewhat resembling the "gerwalk" form of a Macross Valkyrie.

Unlike the very similar keys included with Mudflap and Universe Dirge, the keys packed with Jetstorm and Divebomb do not use the movie-style insignia, and are instead painted according to the traditional insignia molded into the reverse side. In robot mode, Jetstorm has a tendency to topple back due to the heavy, battery-operated gimmicks of the tail section, though he is more stable if one puts him in an action-oriented pose. In this mode, he features two pop-out (non-firing) missile pods in his waist and wields two spring-loaded missile launchers (mounted under his wings in vehicle mode).

This toy was also sold exclusively at The Warehouse in New Zealand.

• More information on Jetstorm at TFU.info

Notes

• Despite being part of the "Allspark Power" rebranding of the movie line, Jetstorm (like all of the new-character store exclusives) has no "Allspark blue" on him.
• According to Hasbro designer Joe Kyde's design notes on Hasbro's Transformers website, Jetstorm was loosely inspired by the AC-130 Spectre gunship that appears in the Scorponok battle scene at the beginning of the live-action movie. His secondary colors were intended to be the color-wheel opposites of his casemate, Wingblade, though it was acknowledged that this accidentally makes him a dim Octane homage.
• Joe Kyde also notes that Cybertron Jetfire (and by extension Jetstorm) was inspired by the Russian/Ukrainian Antonov An-225 Mriya aircraft - which carried the Buran orbiter (the Russian counterpart of the NASA Space Shuttle) in real life - and observes that through a "complete design fluke", Classics Astrotrain can be attached to Movie Jetstorm by putting the front landing gear into Jetstorm's head socket.

References