Aerial Assault

Somewhere in the Middle-East we see a market where it seems that old busted cars are the things that everyone wants to sell, trade of fix, and we then get to see some kid take a wheel although another guy attempts to stop him. Meanwhile another man is driving along in a car but stops when he gets to a group of people.
 

He gets the group to start loading parts into a truck although the kid we saw earlier sees them do this. Meanwhile up in the sky, the Aerialbots are on patrol and have been sent out to try and find out any information about several planes that have gone missing in the area recently, but Silverbolt then receives a distress signal. The signal reveals that several people have been trapped by an avalanche so the group go and check it out. 

They head down into the canyon and find the avalanche zone, but Silverbolt sees that it could be the perfect place for an ambush...and it is as the Combaticons and Dirge appear and attack. The two sides open fire on each other.
 

  The tide of the battle is soon turned however when Optimus Prime and a small group of Autobots show up and with the Decepticons outnumbered, Onslaught gives the order to retreat. However Slingshot managed to get himself damaged during the battle and he is taken back to a nearby jet base where Ratchet fixes him up, but he can't get his weapons systems online yet as they need to replace a special console to do that, and the replacement is at Autobot HQ. The console can be sent to the base they are at but it'll take a while.
 

Skydive then mentions about the missing planes in this area and that he'll remain at that base in his jet mode so he can be stolen, that way they'll be able to find out who the thieves are. Slingshot says that he'll also stay behind as he needs to wait here for the base technicians to install his new console anyway. And several hours later, the two Autobots find themselves being dismantled by a big group of men who are taking apart many planes. And to make it worse, before they can contact the other Autobots their radio transmitters are disabled.
 

The plane parts are all put into boxes and covered up with laundry sheets before being taken back to the marketplace we saw at the start of the episode. That kid we also saw is back once again and is wondering what is going on as a group of three discuss that some of the parts they have are far too complicated for them to use as car parts so the group leader tells them to put them back in the boxes and they will be gotten rid of.
 

Swindle then heads over and says that they'll be lucky if the cars that have been made can even get out of first gear, but he then transformers and gives a lift to the group leader who leads the group out of the market. The kid follows them on his bike and manages to somehow crash it into the back of one of the trucks without being detected where he makes a rather startlingly discovery in one of the boxes of laundry.
 

A couple of Autobots! Both Skydive and Slingshot are missing a lot of parts though but want to know more about what is going on and where they are going. The kid introduces himself as Hassan, and he is also trying to bring down the plane thieves, and he knows the name of their leader: Ali. The vehicle convoy comes to a stop outside a large palace of Prince Jumal, who is currently missing. The guards search them as they are looking for missing jets which are being smuggled but they cannot find anything wrong with the group.
 

When the group moves inside the Decepticons appear and begin to take the cars to pieces and use the smuggled parts to build new drone fighters for Megatron to use, as well as using them to build a new super weapon. When Blast Off finds the two Aerialbots he doesn't think they'll be any use and moves them in a hangar nearby. Hassan finds them and proves to be quite the engineer as he puts the two Autobots back together, although Slingshot is missing a piece from his chest area.
 

However Hassan has a plan for that and takes apart the car used by the Price of the land, and despite the Autobots wondering if it's OK for them to do that, Hassan says that he's sure the Prince won't mind. Skydive then asks Hassan if he could get his Autobot buddy a new weapons console. Meanwhile, we get to see Megatron's new super weapon. A purple flying griffin fortress. Riiiiiight.
 

The two Aerialbots then receive a signal -Silverbolt and Air Raid are on the way! And as they arrive, Onslaught spots them so he, Ramjet, Dirge and Blast Off transform and attack, but the dreaded Decepticon drone jets are also activated and called into the battle as Megatron and Rumble head inside the griffin fortress.
 

They don't notice that Hassan also climbs aboard as most of the Aerialbots engage in battle, taking out the drone fighters with ease. Slingshot can't join the fight though as he still hasn't got a new weapons console.
 

Inside the griffin fortress, Hassan is busy stealing a console for Slingshot when Megatron orders Rumble and Frenzy to activate the weapons system and soon the fortress reveals several laser cannons which open fire on the three flying Aerialbots. Slingshot decides to help even though he hasn't got and working weapons systems and attempt to stop the Combaticons from transforming into Bruticus.
 

Hassan gets the console and attempts to leave the griffin, but is too late as Megatron orders Rumble to make the fortress to take off. He fails to get out in time as the griffin's engines activate and soon the fortress is up in the sky. And Slingshot, who was riding on top of Blast Off to stop him from merging with the other Combaticons, is thrown off the space shuttle Decepticon and ends up crashing into the griffin's head which has some nasty tentacle-like surprises.
 

This finally gives the Combaticons the chance to transform into Bruticus, who decides to go and take on the Aerialbots. But Hassan also manages to get to Slingshot and install the new weapons console in him, which lets Slingshot free himself and get him and Hassan out of there.
 

Fireflight then bothers to turn up which means that the Aerialbots can transform into Superion, who knocks down Bruticus but then finds himself under attack by the fortress. However, Superion prevails and manages to kick the purple griffin straight into an oil refinery, which is apparently enough to ground it.
 

The occupants spill out and an angry Ali is silenced by Megatron who doesn't get much of a chance to say anything as Bruticus manages to land in the field after trying and failing to grab Superion. The Aerialbots fire on the oil, which catches fire and causes a big explosion which sends the Decepticons flying into the air. Later on, the Aerialbots corner Ali and they learn that he was the one who kicked out the Prince of the land just so he could smuggle planes. The Aerialbots want to find Prince Jumal to let him return to power and deal with Ali, but they can't find him.
 

But then Hassan walks in and reveals that he is Prince Jumal and that thanks to the Autobots, he can return. Slingshot is upset as he was wondering if he can keep his new chest or not but Jumal makes some joke that he doesn't mind as he always fixes up old junkers. Slingshot wonders if Jumal is calling him an old junker, but he isn't. Haw de haw haw.

This episode seems to get a lot of negative stick off fans, mainly due to the stupid purple fortress thing which gets destroyed in seconds by Superion.

Another problem is that this episode was originally broadcast before "Starscream's Brigade", rumoured to be because of production problems on the latter. This means that the Combaticons appear before they are actually made. This episode was also broadcast before "War Dawn", yet the Aerialbots don't come across as jerks to humans and other Autobots here whilst they will in one episodes time until they wise up.

Strangely, we have the Aerialbots fight the Combaticons here whilst their rivals are the Stunticons. The Protectobots are usually the ones who take on the Combaticons.