Steel Wind

Steel Wind is an Autobot-allied Mini-Con from the Generation 1 and Unicron Trilogy continuity families.

He flies on SILVER WINGS!

Steel Wind is the leader of the Clear Skies Team, a trio of fliers who roar into action whenever Decepticon energy-mining threatens the ecology of whatever world they're on. Even more so than his teammates, Steel Wind simply loves to enjoy the view from way up high, and often flies lost in thought, staring down at the landscape below him. Though he doesn't have much of a temper, a sure-fire way to rile him up is to wreck the scenery. Steel Wind is also unnervingly precise in his attacks, allowing him to inflict maximum harm onto his opponents while reducing collateral damage to a minimum.^[1]

Fiction

Classics

Steel Wind was one of many Mini-Cons tasked by the Last Autobot to restore Cybertron to its former glory during the Autobots' absence. After his work days, he enjoyed floating by the trans-hyperwave caster tower outside Proximax that broadcasted messages out to the Autobots in space. He would stay tuned to the signal even when far away from the tower, though he had trouble maintaining contact with it over long periods of time.

He was part of a team of Mini-Cons that escorted the Mini-Con leader, Modus Prime, and Broadside to Altihex’s abandoned energon refinery for an inspection. Along with the two other members of the Clear Skies team, he flew overhead, keeping recon. Unexpectedly, an explosion rocked the refinery after the ground-based Mini-Cons had entered it. Steel Wind and Nightscream immediately went in to look for survivors, with Steel Wind dropping fire-retardant bombs on the inferno as he went. Unfortunately, Modus Prime nonetheless perished in the explosion.

Alongside the rest of his team, Steel Wind attended a meeting at Hacksaw’s request after the Dinobot Mini-Con had taken over as the Mini-Cons' leader. During the meeting, Steel Wind felt someone messing about with the signal from the trans-hyperwave caster tower. This, as well as other clues, pointed towards a conspiracy that had taken place to eliminate Modus Prime. Unwilling to let the volatile Clear Skies team look into the happenings on their own, Hacksaw led the investigation himself, with the aerial Mini-Cons backing him up from a distance. In their absence, Hacksaw was murdered as well. This time around, however, the culprit had been uncovered. Broadside had bumped off both leaders in order to gain control of Cybertron himself, in order to claim it as a world where Autobots would not be welcomed. Steel Wind and others loyal to Hacksaw stormed Broadside during a planet-wide announcement to reveal his plot to the populace. Unfortunately, Broadside's words had already swayed many to his way of thinking, and in-fighting began between the once-peaceful Mini-Cons. The New World

Ask Vector Prime

In Aurex 615.03 Epsilon, Steel Wind and the Clear Skies Team were among the many Autobot-aligned Mini-Cons who were dispatched aboard the Hyperion to the Beast Wars of Alpha Q's universe. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/23

Beast Wars: Uprising

Steel Wind was a member of the Temple Guard at the High Pavilion of Iacon. At the end of the Grand Uprising, he fought to hold back the army of the Resistance from seizing the Builder Assembly. One of the last eight out of 400 Micromasters to survive, Steel Wind fought a losing battle outside the Builders' siege bunker. When five of the eight Micromasters were killed, Flak ordered Steel Wind back inside the bunker while he and Heavy-Tread charged the enemy for one last hurrah.

After the Builder Assembly raised the bunker into the sky, however, over four dozen flying Resistance fighters claimed the platform. Steel Wind was ordered down by Lio Convoy himself, and lowered his weapons instead of dying needlessly. When the Vehicons arrived and turned against the Builder Assembly at Galva Convoy's command, the Vehicon Apocalypse truly began. Recognizing the situation for what it was, Steel Wind fled the High Pavilion as part of the Resistance, realizing only Lio Convoy had a chance of dealing with the change in circumstances. Derailment

Toys

Classics

He fights with NERVES OF STEEL!

• Clear Skies Team (Mini-Con Team, 2007)

Part of the second wave of Classics Mini-Cons, Steel Wind transforms into an A-10 "Thunderbolt" ground attack plane. As a Mini-Con, he has a "Powerlinx" socket that allows him to attach to larger toys that have compatible Powerlinx plugs.

He was only available as part of the Clear Skies Team, packaged with his teammates Nightscream and Thunderwing.

This mold was also used to make Henkei! Henkei! Skyglide, and Universe Skyhammer and Sky Shadow. It was also intended for a 2011 toy of unknown name which was canceled.

• More information on Steel Wind at TFU.info

References