Aerialbot Air Raid and Stunticon Breakdown join the cast of warriors in Activision's upcoming War for Cybertron today, both ditching their gestalt groups for a chance to shine in the solo spotlight.
Back when the 80's cartoon was airing, the Aerialbots and Stunticons were a big deal. Until then (with few exceptions), the Autobots were cars, and the Decepticons were planes, or cassette tape recorders, or guns. The introduction of a group of good airplanes and bad cars, both of which combined to form giant killer robots, made my little early teen heart flutter with joy.
Now one member of each gestalt group gets a chance to go solo for their respective sides, likely to provide some sort of balance between the two different teams. It's the same mechanic used in the Revenge of the Fallen video game, with Jetfire and Sideways playing the roles of Autobot plane and Decepticon car.
Does this mean there's no chance of seeing Menasor or Superion in the game? Most likely. In fact, these two are lucky there being included at all, as they didn't exist in the cartoon until long after the Transformers came to earth. This makes me think that the developers might be taking some cues from the IDW comic book series, where the Stunticons have only just been given the ability to combine.
What I am trying to say here is that I know far too much about Transformers.
Look for the game to hit the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on June 22, and be sure to check out the newly-updated Transformers: War for Cybertron website for the pictures of Air Raid and Breakdown in their vehicle forms.