Sonar is a member of the Air Defence team and forms the hilt of the Star Saber. He looks like he's a sort of rounded space shuttle in vehicle mode - mainly cast in blue and grey plastic except you can't tell because it's mostly painted white. Underneath or on top - your choice - is the piece that forms the handle of the Star Saber which in this mode looks like a solid fuel booster.
Cast in the handle are two minicon sockets. He's much less blade like than the other two jets and when attached to a larger to he just looks like a space shuttle. I suppose with a little imagination you could think of him as a shield.
TF: Pull out the front of the shuttle. Separate and fold the tips out to the side to form the feet. Rotate the feet so they point forward out the blue side of the leg. Fold the booster onto the top of the shuttle and fold up his head. Fold the forearms down from under the wings.
Robot mode has ball jointed ankles, knees & hips that bend to the sides (it's a small toy so I won't hold it against it too much), shoulders that move back & forth and elbows that bend.
Another jet minicon that's decent in both modes
In Japan Sonar was known as Shuttler and was released as part of Micron Legend as pack MM-02 with the rest of the Air Defence Team. They also were available in giftbox MS-01 with the Japanese version of Hotshot..
The Air Defence Team were on of the first to be recoloured in the US and UK. Clear plastic becomes pale grey, grey plastic becomes black and blue becomes purple. Red paint ops become gold.
The loss of the clear plastic does affect the (admittedly poor performing) gimmick in combined mode but the individual robot & jet looks great in these new colours.
Never Ending Road is packed with the Air Defence Team that form the Star Sabre
These are the first real CD singles I've ever owned - they're the smaller size ones.
CDJapan also threw in 2 posters advertising the CDs - cool !
Just built the Star Sabre - looks fabulous in blue.
The Star Sabre holds together the best of any of the ones I've got (about equal with Hotrod's ) Exchanging pieces reveals the problem is with the tab on Runway rather than the hole on Jetstorm - the rest of the Firesabre can slot OK into the Blue SS's Sonar, but the Blue SS fit's loosely in the Firesabre's Sonar - as does it's blade.
If it comes down to getting one, I'd go for the Blue Star Sabre & End Theme set. "
The Air Defence team were one of two minicon teams released with a CD single in Japan. Grey plastic becomes blue matching the existing blue plastic, and the clear colour becomes clear blue. The plane looks nice, but the robot is a little odd looking - very blue. However the combined form is really what you're buying this set for.
The Air Defence team appear in Micron Booster v0. This set looks very similar to the originals but I'm told that there's some metallic flake added to the plastic. I've never been able to spot it in the pictures I've seen !
Kabaya issued a series of Minicon toys with candy in Japan during 2003. The Air Defence team take the clear plastic of the originals and replace it with opaque bright white plastic. Effective repaint, though like the Air Assault Team the solid paint used in the recolour limits the combined mod.
Shuttler looks a little odd in robot mode here - the grey and the new white clash and make me wonder if it wouldn't have been better to make the grey white as well.
Skyboom is the least altered in jet mode of the three members of the team gaining a pair of extra fins on the side of the shuttle.
Yellow isn't the best colour for a clear repaint - looks too much like urine ! (see Shining Ultra Magnus)
The Japanese version of the Energon Sabre was numbered SC-08 and Skyboom was renamed Laser
My notes say that the Energon Sabre seen in Micron Booster V1 is the first Energon toy to be repainted !
Ramjet's shuttle mode looks a bit of a mish mash with silver nose and rear, red wings, white bodyside with a top in black and blue and a dark purple booster section. But most of these colour are Ramjet reminiscent. Robot mode is reasonably well balanced although the silver feet against the black legs says he's wearing shoes !