Panini - Armada #7

Cover Date: 5 Nov 2003

Price: £1.75

Main Story

Title: The Two-Edged Blade

Script: Simon Furman

Pencils: Andrew Wildman

Inks: Bambos Georgiou

Colour: Junior Tomlin

Letters: Neil Porter

Plot

Starscream ambushes the Air Defence Team, and manages to take control of them by suppressing their personality chips, and forcing them to combine into the Star Sabre, so he can use it to usurp Megatron.

Elsewhere, the kids and Street Action Team are playing outside, when Starscream attacks them, intent on taking the Mini-Cons to help with his attempt at leadership. The Street Action Team combine into Perceptor and engage Starscream in battle, whilst the kids go for help.

Perceptor is able to hold off Starscream for a while, but is easily outmatched by the Decepticon. Before he can capture them though, the Star Sabre starts to over-load and causes a storm to rage. Optimus appears, having been summoned by the kids, and he explains that only the Air Defence Team can control the power of the sword, and has Starscream re-engage their personality chips, so he can reach them and have them separate.

Starscream retreats, leaving the Mini-Cons behind, and the good guys celebrate their victory, just as an elderly man appears behind them, ready to pass on a message....

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck

Decepticon

Starscream - Fighter Jet

Megatron - Tank (Mentioned)

Mini-Con

Jetstorm - Concorde Jet

Runway - Stealth Jet

Sonar - Space Jet

High Wire - BMX

Sureshock - Scooter

Grindor - Skateboard

Perceptor - Street Action Team Gestalt

Human

Rad White

Carlos Lopez

Alexis

Reverend Amos Hume

Tales of the Mini-Cons...

Title: Sale of the Century!

Script: Simon Furman

Pencils and Inks: Lee Sullivan

Colour: Junior Tomlin

Letters: Neil Porter

Plot

At Area 54, the now closing ERTD are trying to make money from their assets, and are showing off the Land Military Team again, but (of course) they "malfunction" again and attack the humans.

Luckily, the Autobot arrive with the Air Defence Team, and manage to disable the ERTD devices inside the Land Military Team, freeing them from their control.

Shortly afterwards the new Mini-Cons are taken to the Autobot shuttle, where Wreckage is reunited with Amos Hume, who reveals that he kept his promise to give Wreckage''s message to his allies, and learned that it was a locator code, allowing the Autobots to find them.

In the aftermath, the Autobots leave, and the remaining ERTD members are left behind, waiting for the authorities to arrive and deal with them.

Characters

Autobot

Hot Shot - Sports Car

Mini-Con

Wreckage - Twin Rocket Mounted Personnel Carrier

Bonecrusher - SCUD Missile Truck

Knock Out - Rocket Mounted Personnel Carrier

Jetstorm - Concorde Jet

Runway - Stealth Jet

Sonar - Space Jet

Human

Reverend Amos Hume

Rad White

Carlos Lopez

Alexis

Doctor Quint

Hathaway

ERTD Personnel

Military Buyers

Notes

• Again, despite this issue's cover, Megatron is no where to be seen...it is Starscream who goes after the Star Sabre.
• The Air Defence Team's combined mode has a colour scheme similar to the Dark Star Sabre, this also happened in Dreamwave too!
• When Starscream attacks the kids and their Mini-Cons, the Star Sabre is nowhere to be seen....was it hidden behind his back?
• Unlike in Dreamwave, the Street Action Team actually combine into Perceptor here! The team DO combine during the Dreamwave Energon comics, but that's using their Energon toy models of course.
• In the Land Military article, we see the team linked up to Megatron, this never happens in the comic, but they do join with them in the cartoon.
• The ERTD guys failed in controlling the Mini-Cons in 1959, and without any visible modifications they try it again in 2003.....
• The Air Defence Team appear to have joined the Autobots in the side story.
• Hot Shot is the Autobot who pilots the Mini-Cons to the others, he is also the Autobot who is allied to the Star Sabre in the cartoon
• This issue concludes both the Land Military and Air Defence Team storylines....we see neither group again!

Other Features

Various Contests and Adverts

Cyber Space! - Article on upcoming episodes and showcasing a website

Data File #13: Cyclonus

Red Alert's Clinic! - Learn what sort of a person you are...I'm type B according to this...

Star Sabre: The Ultimate Weapon! - Pull-out poster

Meet: The Land Military Team! - Article on the Mini-Con team

Data File #14: Crumplezone

Robo Dreams! - Decipher what character the Mini-Cons are thinking of.

Starscream's Hate Mail! - More mail!