Gunbarrel (Armada)

Let's see what you can see... This article is in need of images. Specifics: fiction, first Universe toy

Gunbarrel is a Mini-Con from the Armada portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.

Here he leads with his iron foot.

Gunbarrel leads the Air Military Mini-Con Team with an iron fist. He's domineering, overbearing, and mean to the core. He's even carved victory notches and his personal motto "Death from above!" into his armor. He's basically a huge hardass, but he's also one that gets undeniable results. His Team is feared and respected on both sides of the conflict, and that's the way Gunbarrel likes it. He also respects the strength and skill of others when he comes across it.

An alternate-universe incarnation of Gunbarrel is partnered with the herald of Unicron, Ramjet, but shares none of Gunbarrel's personality traits... he hasn't got a personality anymore. Untold millennia of servility to the dark Transformer have left him—and his fellow Mini-Cons—little more than drones, utterly subservient to his master's will.

Fiction

Armada cartoon

Gunbarrel and the Air Military Team were hidden away in storage on the moon, apparently trapped there for a million years unlike their fellow Mini-Cons who had been scattered over the Earth. They were found and recruited by Thrust to the Decepticon cause, and incorporated into his battle strategies. Alongside the Air Defense Team, the Decepticons now possessed a rather large air force for vanquishing the Autobots. After Thrust lured the Autobots into a tight ravine with a false Mini-Con signal, Gunbarrel and his flying partners joined with Starscream in strafing the trapped Autobots. They were eventually overcome when Hot Shot fired on the jets, bringing them down. Tactician

The Air Military Team and Air Defense Team were used in Thrust's next offensive as well. Gunbarrel and the others used the Autobots' prohibition against firing on Mini-Cons against them, keeping Jetfire distracted and surrounded in mid-air, cut off from his landbound fellow Autobots and unable to fire back at his attackers. Linkup

Gunbarrel and his squad were assembled again to do battle with Jet Optimus alongside Megatron and his Dark Fleet armor. Desperate

On the moon, Gunbarrel and the other Mini-Cons were put to work by Megatron constructing a new space cruiser. When the Autobots lay siege to the Decepticon base, Perceptor sought out the Mini-Cons and tried to get them to accompany him to freedom. Their servility programming was too strong to overcome at first. After Gunbarrel and the others saw Perceptor valiantly risking his life against Megatron, however, the Mini-Cons shrugged off the chains of their oppression, and fled to the warp gate chamber where the Autobots transported them to safety on Earth. Rescue

Cybertron comic

One version of Gunbarrel was a slave of the dimension-hopping Megazarak, and was abducted by Unicron from Aurex 304.0 Epsilon along with fellow underling Sky Blast. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/01 They fought inside the Pit during the final stage of the Universe War, apparently as Children of Primus. Both were destroyed by Razorclaw. Revelations Part 2

The version of Gunbarrel allied with Ramjet came with his master and Nemesis Prime to Cybertron during their mission to destroy Primus using the Dead Matrix. Their first move was to blast their way into the Vector Sigma chamber, where they neutralized both the supercomputer and Alpha Trion. Balancing Act Gunbarrel, his fellow Mini-Cons and numerous Scrapmetals later listened to Ramjet explain Dark Scorponok's vampiric behavior, then stood beside their master as he met Skyfall. Balancing Act, Part 3 They all came with Ramjet and Nemesis Prime as they headed for Primus's chamber, but were confronted by Vector Prime. Balancing Act, Part 4 As Ramjet dueled with the ancient Transformer, the Air Military Team powerlinxed with him to increase his strength, minus Gunbarrel Balancing Act, Pt 5 who tried to escape after his master was banished by Vector Prime, only to be shot down with a smartnuke by Over-Run. Revelations Part 1

Toys

Armada

• Air Military Mini-Con Team (Mini-Con 3-pack, 2003)

• Takara name: Air Military Micron
• Takara ID number: MM-11
• Takara release date: June 12, 2003
• Known designers: Hironori Kobayashi (Takara)

Armada Gunbarrel transforms into a multi-engined military cargo plane of undetermined model. He also has a third "weapon" mode, a six-barreled (non-firing) cannon.

As a Mini-Con, he has a "Powerlinx" socket on the underside of his vehicle mode that allows him to attach to larger toys with compatible Powerlinx plugs, activating special gimmicks on the larger toys when attached to a "live" plug.

He was normally only available in a three-pack with his teammates Terradive and Thunderwing. In the Hasbro line, the Air Military Mini-Con Team was released in the fourth assortment of Mini-Con teams. In Japan, it was part of the fourth wave of Legend of the Microns product, released in June 2003. Aside from packaging, there are no noteworthy differences between the two releases.

• More information on Gunbarrel at TFU.info

• Thrust & Air Military Micron (Multi-pack, 2003)

• Sonokong name: Sniper & Air Military
• ID number: MS-06
• Takara release date: June 12, 2003

In Japan, the Air Military Microns were also available in a multi-pack with Thrust and his Micron "Thunder". All of the toys in the set are identical to their individual releases.

Sonokong also released the set in Korea under their Eunha Yeongung: Cybertron line. All of the toys are identical to their Japanese release, other than packaging. This was also the only way to obtain "Sniper" (Thrust) and the "Air Military" in Korea.

• Air Military Micron Exdimensions (Mini-Con 3-pack, 2003)

• ID number: MM-12
• Release date: July 17, 2003

A limited-edition (yet still standard retail) "Exdimensions" redeco of the Air Military Microns was released in Japan. The entire team was redecoed in black, clear-black, and white plastics, plus given a light white paint-wash. Gunbarrel got a little bit of extra-special deco, with his engine intakes outlined in chrome silver.

This toy also doubles as the separate character Glide.

• More information on Exdimensions Glide at TFU.info

• Unicron with Dead End (Bonus pack, 2003)

Late in the US line, Walmart stores received exclusive Unicron toys that came with the Air Military Mini-Con Team in a bubble attached to the top of the box. This set was sold for the normal retail price of Unicron… hey, free Mini-Cons!

Universe (2003)

• Ramjet with Thunderclash, Gunbarrel, Thunderwing, and Terradive (Ultra Class, 2004)

Available as part of a Toys"R"Us-exclusive Universe "Spring Value Pack" with his master Ramjet, this version of Gunbarrel was redecoed in mostly darker shades of his original colors (despite what the boxback photography showed, see "Notes" below).

This set also came with redecoes of the Mini-Cons Thunderclash, Thunderwing, and Terradive.

• More information on Spring Value Pack Gunbarrel at TFU.info

• Autobot Whirl with Gunbarrel & Makeshift (Ultra Class, 2004)

Gunbarrel was also redecoed for the regular-retail Universe series in tan and white. He was again only available in a multi-pack, this time with with Whirl and Makeshift, released in the third "official" wave of Ultra Class releases (Universe has a few ".5" half-waves, which ultimately put this pack in the fifth set of Ultra releases, yes it's confusing).

This deco of Gunbarrel was repurposed as Thunderstick in "Force of Habit".

• More information on Universe Gunbarrel at TFU.info

Notes

• The packaging for the Toys"R"Us Universe Ramjet sets shows an Air Military Team in very different colors (at right). Gunbarrel is pictured with a deco extremely similar to the Generation 2 Skyscorcher Terradive.
• Gunbarrel's name is a multilingual pun on ganbaru (頑張る), Japanese for 'hard-working' or 'dedicated'.^[1]

Foreign names

• Japanese: Glide (グライド Guraido), Gunbarrel (ガンバレル Ganbareru)
• Korean: Glide (글라이드 Geullaideu)

References