Aerial Assault

Slingshot and Skydive allow themselves to be captured by plane-nappers to discover who the thieves are.

Detailed synopsis
In an unnamed Middle Eastern country, the Aerialbots are searching for clues to a group that is stealing planes. After flying over a bazaar (in which is a hauntingly familiar jeep being driven by a suspicious man loading equipment), the Aerialbots receive a distress call. Heading into a nearby canyon, they are attacked by the Combaticons and Dirge, and Slingshot ends up being buried within a cave by Blast Off. However, Optimus Prime, Jazz, Ratchet, and Hoist arrive and drive off the Decepticons. After unearthing Silverbolt, the Autobots return to a nearby air base for repairs. Slingshot is fixed, but his weapons systems have been damaged, and he needs a new console from the base. Skydive gets the idea to let himself serve as bait, which Silverbolt, in his infinite wisdom, believes is a good idea, and Slingshot decides to join as well. As night comes, the two Aerialbots are soon stolen by the plane-nappers, but they are disassembled and their radios are disabled.

Transporting their ill-gotten planes in laundry trucks, the plane-nappers manage to get past security, but are followed by a young boy named Hassan. Getting into the truck carrying the Aerialbots' nose cones, he meets up with them and identifies the man heading this operation as Ali. As it turns out, Ali has deposed Prince Jumal, the young ruler of the country, and has allied with Megatron to create both plane drones for conquering the oil fields of the Middle East, and a...Giant Purple Griffin that will...do...stuff. As the convoy reaches the Palace, the Decepticons begin reassembling the planes, but the Aerialbots cause themselves to short-circuit, leaving their parts free to be reassembled. They manage to get everything except Slingshot's chest plate, but Hassan manages to borrow the front grill assembly from a car that Prince Jumal owned.

As the Decepticons prepare to mobilize, Skydive and Slingshot manage to contact the other Aerialbots, who come to help. Meanwhile, Hassan has slipped aboard the...fortress to steal a new weapons console for Slingshot. As the Aerialbots arrive, Blast Off, Vortex, and Ramjet take control of the drone forces. The Aerialbots are able to dispatch the drones and their commanders, so Onslaught decides to off them himself, only to be stopped by Slingshot. Blast Off orders the Combaticons to transform into Bruticus. Slingshot bravely tries to prevent the merge, as Fireflight's absence prevents his own team from merging into Superion. Eventually, Bruticus forms after Slingshot is thrown into the head of the now mobile...fortress. Hassan gets a weapon console to Slingshot, frees them, then heads to attack Bruticus. Fireflight finally arrives, and the Aerialbots form Superion and damage the...fortress, causing it to crash into an oil field. Superion separates into his Aerialbot components, causing the diving Bruticus to fall into the oil field. The Aerialbots then set fire to the field, forcing the Decepticons to retreat.

At the palace, the Aerialbots are trying to figure out what to do with Ali and what he did with Prince Jumal, only to discover that Hassan is Prince Jumal. He explains that Slingshot may keep the new chest plate as a gift, as Jumal's hobby is fixing old junk cars. Slingshot feels honored...until he thinks that Jumal is calling him a piece of junk.

Stats
Original airdate: ???

Written by: Douglas Booth

Animation and/or technical glitches

 * When Bruticus punches Skydive, the cel is misdrawn. Now that is one hell of a punch if the artist drawing Skydive felt it.

Continutity errors

 * The Combaticons first appeared in this episode, but their origin is explained in Starscream's Brigade, which premiered well after this episode aired. Somebody was obviously impatient to sell toys.

Transformers references

 * References

Real-world references

 * References

Miscellaneous trivia

 * The Giant Purple Griffin has become one of the most mocked creations in Transfandom. Obviously.

Keywords
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