Sunstorm (Universe)

Sunstorm is a Decepticon from the Unicron Trilogy continuity family (via the 2003 Universe series).

Whether acting as a skilled tactician, a religious zealot, or a dim witted thug, when you see Sunstorm you know that he's doing some dirty work for someone, or something, more sinister and dangerous than he. He attaches himself to an ideology at a moment’s notice, constantly switching between who he praises and worships. Even still, Sunstorm himself is a powerful combatant, controlling incredible amounts of heat and firepower, and transforming into a fast moving jet; although he sometimes can overestimate his capabilities.

He is the brother of Thrust, and shares the Mini-Con Inferno with him. He also sometimes works with a corrupted version of the Street Action Mini-Con Team.

He's not to be confused with the other Sunstorm in the Aurex universal cluster.

Fiction

Universe comic

You can tell this is the smart one because he's got the pointy head.

The strategist Sunstorm of Aurex 105.15 Gamma was the brother of Thrust but, unlike his brother, he was a cultist obsessed with the mythical Ultimate Warrior; instead of being involved in the war on Earth or against Unicron, he was off fighting a religious war in the Mirtonian Star Quadrant. When he learned from Thrust's Mini-Con partner, Inferno, that Galvatron had killed his brother, he vowed revenge... only to learn Galvatron had himself died in the Unicron Battles. Desperate, he prayed to the Ultimate Warrior to help him get revenge and Unicron answered, promising he would resurrect Galvatron for a beating if Sunstorm fought for him in the Universe War. This was considered a really good deal, and he became a massive Unicron zealot. Among other things, he captured the Street Action Mini-Con Team of Aurex 604.24 Gamma and used their Servility Program to brainwash them for a time. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/06

During the conflict, Sunstorm showed up with a Minion team led by Reptilion to recapture several abductees who had been accidentally diverted to an icy planetoid by Child of Primus interference; he tried to kill the Children team who came to rescue the victims. Silverbolt didn't recognize him at first, then realized he was "a Sunstorm" who they hadn't met before. A passing Tracks shot the villain down. Sunstorm joined Reptilion in battle later but was repulsed once more. Voice Actor Drama

But when Unicron began to lose the War, Sunstorm demanded he get Galvatron now. The tyrant was indeed resurrected in a new body...

And Galvatron kicked his ass.

Sunstorm died cursing Unicron and the Ultimate Warrior as Galvatron walked off with Inferno. Ask Vector Prime

Timelines

Sunstorm^[1] participated in a Decepticon attack on the Iron Hope during the Unicron Singularity crisis. Force of Habit

Shattered Glass

Sunstorm was a devoted acolyte of The Fallen, serving him during his alliance with Cybaxx and the forces of the Underbase. Sunstorm's heat and flame were constantly coveted by the Fallen, whose inverse polarity in this universe left him constantly cold and covered by crippling layers of ice. The Fallen often absorbed more energy from his follower than Sunstorm could part with, although the zealous jet did his best to serve without complaint.

Once the Fallen was cast out of that reality by Emulator and the crew of the Annex, Sunstorm appeared relatively placid. He signed on with Jetstorm and Side Burn to return many of the kidnapped cybernetic hybrids to their home planets. Coalescence

Toys

Universe (2003)

I can catch them all!

• Sunstorm with Inferno and Street Action Mini-Con Team (Multi-pack, 2004)

• Accessories: 2 missiles

A redeco of the Armada Deluxe-sized Thrust toy, Universe Sunstorm transforms into a bright orange F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. In jet mode, he has two pressure-launch missile launchers, and a rear-mounted bay specially shaped to store his Mini-Con partner Inferno in truck mode. Pulling Inferno back while he is pegged into this bay will fire his own spring-loaded missile. In robot mode, Inferno's missile launcher can be removed and attached to Sunstorm's arm. Sunstorm's own launchers were originally intended to be removable (they have molded-on pegs that would allow them to attach to his arms), but this feature was cut from the finished toy, and they remain stuck on his robot-mode legs, unable to reorient in a useful direction.

Sunstorm's central gimmick is an "assault" robot mode that involves turning his torso around 180 degrees and extending his winged backpack. Attaching a Mini-Con to the Powerlinx plug on his chest and pumping it up and down whirls Sunstorm's wings like a spinning blade. The fact that his launchers cannot be removed makes it awkward to use at best.

Strangely, the two pegs on the sides of his cockpit/butt-flap and the holes on the insides of his knees can be connected in robot mode. It is unknown if this was intended as part of the above gimmick, but it does make him a bit more stable to hold when using the spinning gimmick.

He was available only as part of a Walmart exclusive set which also included the Universe incarnations of Inferno, Grindor, High Wire, and Sureshock. Bizarrely, the toy photography on the back of the cards depicts all of the toys in the set in their original Armada decos.

• More information on Sunstorm at TFU

Cybertron

"Dunno why I'm the dumb one. Pointy's the one who cut a deal with Unicron."

• Sunstorm (Legends of Cybertron, 2006)

Cybertron Sunstorm is a redeco of the Legends of Cybertron Starscream mold, transforming into a Cybertronic jet fighter. His wing-sections/biceps hide flip-out weapons: the right arm hides a blade, while the left arm has a non-firing cannon.

This mold was also used the make Cybertron Ramjet and Skywarp, Universe Ramjet and Thrust, War for Cybertron Starscream, and Dark of the Moon Cybertronian Starscream.

• More information on Sunstorm at TFU.info

Notes

• These two Sunstorm toys used to be seen as separate characters but in 2015, Ask Vector Prime retconned that Universe Sunstorm is also a Unicron Trilogy character.
• Sunstorm may have been the first "new" character to the standard-retail-release Legends of Cybertron assortment, depending on whether the Ramjet toy is Universe Ramjet.
• Sunstorm being established as Thrust's brother by Ask Vector Prime was inspired by Unicron Trilogy characters such as Overcast or Repugnus being close relatives of the molds' original characters.^[2]

References