Toy Review: Transformers Generations Legacy United Cybertron Starscream (Voyager)

Review:  #807

Name:  Starscream

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Decepticon

Line:  Generations - Legacy: United

Year of Release:  2024

Size Class:  Voyager (Wave 2)

Mold Status:  new

JET MODE:

Based upon his appearance in the Cybertron cartoon, Starscream transforms into a Cybertronian jet.

It's a tetrajet and looks fairly faithful to the original.

Size-wise, Starscream is a good size in jet mode, he feels bulky and chunky (although maybe not in a great way).

Starscream comes with a mini cyber-key, although it just slots into place and doesn't activate anything.

The blades in each wing are flipped out manually now, it's cast in translucent purple plastic.

The robot gun usually pegs underneath the jet mode, but it can also peg on top, underneath the tailfins.

He has some undercarriage kibble, and is a bit too chunky underneath.

Otherwise, this is a good jet mode.

TRANSFORMATION:

He transforms very similarly to the original toy.  The sides are the arms which flips down.  The front splits in half to form the legs, and then you fold the cockpit down for the torso.  It's a simple transformation.

ROBOT MODE:

The goal of this figure is to give the character an update, and he has much slimmer proportions, giving him a lanky look.

He has giant shoulder pads as kibble, and the tailfin on his back.  Given the shoulder pads are the key defining trait of the character design, he doesn't actually have that much kibble.

The head sculpt is okay, it's typical Starscream.

In robot mode, despite his tall lanky look, he's only average in height and size.

Articulation is good, with joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles.

He comes with a purple gun, and the cyber-key can peg to the back of it.

He can hold the gun in either hand.

The cyber-key can stay where it was in jet mode, which is his back now.  You can manually flip down the blades in either shoulder.

The blades are another key defining trait of the character design, even though they are a bit awkward to pose with.

An interesting thing is that the shoulder pieces (the jet's wings) are attached via 5mm pegs, so you can actually remove them and peg them anywhere there are 5mm slots.

The original toy has proportion issues, and it seems worse here.  Given how his legs fold up for jet mode, his thighs are long, emphasizing his lanky stature

The gun can store on his back when not in use.

Despite the lankiness, this is still a decent robot mode, but can feel somewhat generic.

OVERALL:

Starscream is a solid update to the original (which wasn't too bad either).  He retains the gimmicks of the original (just manually executed rather than springloaded), and is a faithful update.  Although his proportions makes him look stretched, it's still a good figure.

-----------------------------------------------------------

For other Transformers reviews, have a look at this page and this page.

Purchase from Amazon using this link.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

Attack on Titan: The Final Season - Part 4 (2023)

Attack on Titan: The Final Season - Part 4 is the fourth and final part of Attack on Titan. It is almost 90 minutes long, or around four episodes. This is it, the big finale after all these years. It begins immediately after the previous part where Mikasa and Armin’s group, along with the rest of the titan shifters, arrive to try to stop Eren. Contrary to previous parts, we get a solid thirty to forty minutes of action in which the characters duke it out. It can feel like the plot is pulling abilities out of thin air for several of the characters, so it can be cheap as it tries to create some sort of challenge to even the playing field.

It continues the theme of the characters putting aside their differences, pushing down their feelings in order to do what is right. And it hurts them to put aside some of what they most cherish. With how unstoppable Eren seemed, it almost seems a shame to see him stopped. It’s not explained very well, still, with several of his powers. It can very much feel like the plot is pulling whatever it needs to finish off the story, and this includes some design of the titans, and the thing that had taken ahold of Eren.

The ending is… okay, although if you take a step back and looked at the story from beginning to finish, you come to realize how unexpected and completely different the final sections were compared to the beginning. The mystery and intrigue were built up so well, along with the intense fear of the characters fighting the titans, it was always going to be near impossible to have a satisfying reason. Yet, Part 4 provides an ending that feels like the author just threw whatever could stick and slapped together a conclusion that isn’t great.

Overall, Attack on Titan: The Final Season - Part 4 finishes up and you can call it a relief that we can see an ending (too much anime doesn’t even reach anywhere near the endings of their source material). It has an action-packed beginning and a quick wrap up of the aftermath. To be frank, it’s not a great ending by any means, there’s just too many questionable developments and answers. It is a shame to see the hype slowly lose its steam towards its ending with this final season, as it felt like a completely different anime in terms of tone and direction.

---------------------------------------------

For other reviews, have a look at this page and this page.

Support this blog by purchasing from Amazon using this affiliate link.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

Toy Review: Transformers Generations Studio Series Optimus Prime (Transformers One) (Deluxe)

Review:  #806

Name:  Optimus Prime

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Autobot

Line:  Generations - Studio Series

Year of Release:  2024

Size Class:  Deluxe (A Level Assortment)

Mold Status:  new

VEHICLE MODE:

Based upon his appearance in the Transformers One movie, Optimus transforms into a Cybertronian truck and it is a slightly different take than usual.

The robot axe stores on the back and it is plugged in between the legs.

In the Deluxe sized class, Optimus is a typical size, not too big and not too small.

There are concealed wheels that allows him to roll.

The biggest flaw in truck mode are the exposed robot fists.  They're noticeable when looking at him from any sort of angle other than level with it, which is quite disappointing.

There are also four blasters pointing to the front, which is a somewhat weird design.

This is an okay truck mode, and it does give off the vibe of a younger Optimus.

TRANSFORMATION:

Annoying, the front blasters have to be detached for transformation and plugged back again for robot mode, so this figure has some parts-forming.  The transformation itself is relatively simple, as the back forms the legs, and the sides form the arms.  There isn't anything new here that we haven't seen before in a previous Optimus figure.

ROBOT MODE:

Optimus' robot mode is familiar and unique, he continues the theme of a younger looking Optimus.

The only piece of big kibble is the roof on his back.  This is also where the separate gun piece is pegged into... and it's not a solid peg.  That connection is poorly designed as it likes to frequently fall off.

The head sculpt is okay, still recognizable as Optimus but not particularly amazing.

Size-wise, Optimus stretches out by a decent amount, so that he's taller now, and tall-ish for a Deluxe.

He comes with a cardboard scene depicting a scene from the movie.

Articulation is good, he has joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, knees and ankles.

Surprisingly, he carries an additional gimmick, which is that his chest opens up to reveal the Matrix of Leadership.

There are grooves carved into his fists so that you can peg the Matrix into to make it look like he is holding it.

The other gimmick is the axe, which pegs over his fist such that it looks like the axe is morphed from it, a neat touch.

When not in use, the axe can store on his back.

This isn't a bad figure overall but there are some proportion issues, such that his legs are too long.

The waist skirt is also a separate piece that looks a tad bit too big to look good, like he's wearing a nappy.

This is an okay robot mode, there's just too much minor design flaws that sours the experience.

OVERALL:

Optimus is an okay figure.  The character is a nice design but the designer didn't translate it particularly well into toy form.  The fact that you have to detach a random piece to transform is downright disappointing in this day and age.  Adding insult to injury is that piece is only loosely stored in robot mode, so it loves to fall off.  The big and loose waist skirt is another issue.  These don't completely ruin the figure, but both could have been easily fixed.

-----------------------------------------------------------

For other Transformers reviews, have a look at this page and this page.

Support this blog by purchasing from Amazon using this affiliate link.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)