Toy Review: Transformers Generations Air Defense Mini-Con Team

Review:  #913

Name:  Air Defense Mini-Con Team (Runway, Jetstorm, Sonar)

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Autobot

Line:  Generations

Year of Release:  2025

Size Class:  Mini-Con

Mold Status:  new

AIR DEFENSE MINI-CON TEAM:

A brand new take on the Air Defense Mini-Con team, which is a nice surprise.

These are new renditions of Runway, Jetstorm and Sonar, who each have their own alternate and robot modes, as well as being able to combine into Star Saber.

Unfortunately, they only come in a set along with Nemesis Prime, making them a pricey addition if you only want Star Saber.

RUNWAY (JET MODE):

Runway transforms into a jet, with noticeable undercarriage kibble.

The legs stick out from underneath the nose, while the arms stick out from the wings.  It's a bit more forgiving here given the small size.

These are proper Mini-Con size, so they're much smaller than most figures.

He's predominantly white with a splash of grey, so can look too monochromatic compared to his teammates.

RUNWAY (TRANSFORMATION):

He's very easy to transform, you pretty much need to fold the jet cockpit back.  Split the legs and the arms and you're done.

RUNWAY (ROBOT MODE):

Runway's robot mode is somewhat chubby thanks to the bigger wider torso.

He has a lot of kibble on his back though, as it's one-third of the jet mode there.

He's even smaller in robot mode, but for such a small figure, he has some decent sculpted detailing.

From the side, you can see just how much his backpack (and even his torso) protrudes from the main body.  It's a good thing that he has decent balance.

Articulation is good for such a small figure, with joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, hips and knees.

A solid robot mode and figure overall.

JETSTORM (JET MODE):

Next up is Jetstorm, who transforms into a Concorde-like jet.

While he still has a lot of undercarriage kibble, it doesn't seem as bad here given that it doesn't stick out underneath the cockpit.

The blue on white looks fresh and pops out in person.

A nice little jet mode.

JETSTORM (TRANSFORMATION):

Again, very simple, and somewhat reminiscent of Runway, however he is more complicated.  The cockpits folds to his back, while the tailfin folds around his head to form the torso.  Apparently this piece is somewhat fragile and can break if too much force it put onto it if something get caught.  Otherwise, straighten the legs and you'll have him in robot mode.

JETSTORM (ROBOT MODE):

Jetstorm's robot mode looks good, there's a lot more grey that comes out, so that blue chest is really helpful in contrasting the drabber colors.

He still wears most of the jet mode on his back, but they're slimmer pieces so it isn't as bad as Runway.

He's tiny in robot mode, as you'd expect.

From the side, you can see that there are pieces protruding from the front and back.  He has big heelspurs to keep his balance.

He has the same articulation as the rest of the set, which is joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, hips and knees.

He can pull off some good poses, but he'll always be finnicky due to the smaller size.  It's still a great little figure though.

SONAR (JET MODE):

Lastly, we have Sonar, who transforms into a wider shuttle, and it brings a nice difference compared to the other two.

The only negative here is the 5mm peg / handle that sticks out the back, otherwise, this is a really nice jet mode.

Thanks to the wider body, Sonar also doesn't appear to be as small as the other two.

A nice little figure.

SONAR (TRANSFORMATION):

Transformation is semi-complex for such a small figure.  The front half splits into two to form the legs and feet.  While the sides unfold to become the arms.  Flip the handle back to also reveal the head.

SONAR (ROBOT MODE):

Robot mode brings a bit more blue, especially in his legs.

The wings acting as shoulder pads look great, and gives him a more imposing silhouette.

Due to the wider stance, he also doesn't appear as small either.

He's the only figure of the trio without any kibble on the front or back, which is quite impressive.

Articulation is the same as the others, joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, hips and knees.

A cool little figure that looks more dynamic than the others.

STAR SABER:

And of course, the star of the show is the ability to form Star Saber, just like the original.  For Runway and Jetstorm, all they need to do is be in jet mode with the nosecone folded back.  While Sonar is more involved, including a bit of a confusing contortion for his arms to get it into hilt mode.

To form the blade, Runway connects to Jetstorm, who then pegs into Sonar.  There are multiple pegs used, and the end result is a really solid piece that doesn't come apart easily.

It's in a vague sword shape (unlike the cartoon which cheated and just morphed it into a shining blue blade).  The underside reveals all the robot parts, so it is not really designed to look good from that side.

In Star Saber form, it's now roughly the size of a Deluxe, which is pretty decent.

A shot from the side shows that this is pretty thick for a sword, but given what the individual components have to do, it's very forgivable.

Star Saber has a regular 5mm post to be able to be held by other toys.  He pairs well with the other Armada updates we've been getting over the past few years.

Even though it looks big, and made from three Mini-Cons, most larger figures are able to hold it without sagging.

The size pairs better with figures that are Leader sized or above, otherwise, it's a bit too out of proportion for Deluxes and even some Voyagers.

When posing, you'll probably want to strategically angle the sword so only the smoother better looking side is facing you, as otherwise it'll look like a mess (and be harder to tell that it is a sword).

The set comes with Nemesis Prime, who at least is bulky enough to look okay with the sword.

Even though there are no story connections between Nemesis Prime and Star Saber, the pairing could have been worse.

OVERALL:

The new Air Defense Mini-Con Team is a nice set, and is a good update to the original figures (which of course are harder and harder to come by at a decent price now).  Granted, you're forced to buy Nemesis Prime, but at least that is a good-ish repaint.  Star Saber itself is really cool, and if you like the concept, then the price is still worth it.

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The Boys - Season 4 (2024)

The fourth season of The Boys is eight episodes long. The season continues with the group, led by M.M. as they continue their quest to tear down the corrupted society dominated by the supes. Even after all that has happened, the supes still holds most of the power, and it feels as if the group is getting more desperate each time. They are backed by the CIA so it’s not as if they don’t have resources, but they are also highly pressured given the urgency.

Homelander controls Vought now and holding so much power, politically and physically, everyone fears him and bows to his will. However, even all that sucking up gets to him, given that he cannot get any proper advice when he needs it. It’s interesting to see that Homelander is more irked with his ageing. While his power hasn’t waned yet, he knows that it is only a matter of time. He will age, get weaker, lose popularity and everything else that makes him what he is now, and it’s an existential crisis. This is an intriguing angle to get towards.

We knew that Homelander was a manufactured “product” of Vought, and we get glimpses of what happened in his childhood. The glimpses that we see makes it no surprise why Homelander is so broken and mentally unstable now and getting worse as time goes on. He has significant flaws, but you also can’t help that it wasn’t completely his fault. The show constantly explores what happens when someone who isn’t perfect gets so much power, and it leads to some very disturbing scenes.

Homelander is trying to gain more political power, and that includes rebuilding The Seven (which has somewhat diminished in its importance as time goes on). Given that most of the original members have departed, it needed fresh blood and these new characters, as expected, can be unlikable. There are several plot threads that are concurrently going on, and this means that characters are constantly plotting against each other. There are constant twists and reveals, and often it does this in the most horrible way possible to those characters, often crossing multiple lines.

The show has always walked headfirst into gore and violence, designed to shock the viewers. At first, this season seems to take a more toned-down approach from the surprise and disgust of the scenes. Then comes the middle of the season and it comes back in full force, seemingly able to constantly find new ways for visual gore that’s repulsive to watch, and even more to think about what it means if you did it in real life. It can be vomit inducing and too much at times.

The pacing is not too slow this season, and it goes by at a decent rate. Each episode is progressing the plot, whether it’s Homelander’s plot to attempt a coup on obtaining total power over America (while also continuing to show how he just cannot handle as much as he thought he could), or the Boys’ plans to stop him. The Boys’ themselves seem scattered, with Butcher coming on and off, giving that he’s running out of time. Every other plan that the Boys are trying to action seems to go awry. Nothing truly seems to go their way and their whole team seems to be imploding.

Even throughout just this season, there are constantly shifting alliances. One episode, these two will work together, in the next, they change allegiances. It leads to a case where you sometimes can’t remember who has made a deal with whom. This all ends at the season finale, where we get unexpected plot developments and it massively shifts the paradigm. It was a good season finale, and it felt like the whole season wasn’t wasted, progress was made, and the plot advanced by a significant margin. It puts all the characters into a tough spot and nicely sets up the final season.

Overall, the fourth season of The Boys helps capture what made the series so good in the first place. While it still has the dark humor, and a lot of gore and violence, to the point where it is uncomfortable to watch, the plot developments manages to capture your attention and interest. You’re keen to see where this will go. The characters manage to straddle the line between being someone you’d love to hate, and someone that is just annoying.  Although it does suck where innocent characters die.

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