Review: #22
Name: Starscream
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Dark of the Moon
Year of Release: 2011
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 1)
Variations: repainted with a different MechTech weapon as Thundercracker
JET MODE:
Starscream transforms into what he had transformed into for the past two movies, that is, a F-22 Raptor. Unlike the disaster of the previous two Voyager sized toys, this jet has no weird bits hanging out, and is quite sleek.
At first glance, you might mistake him for the Leader version, as they have really similar panel lines (despite a vastly different transformation). He still retains the tattoos, ruining the realism. Starscream features landing gear, each of the three wheels are molded solid, so you cannot roll him along.
If you have a look from the side, you do see how much undercarriage kibble he has. It's quite thick, but that's the price you pay for everything tucking into the body with nothing sticking out. That said, it's about on par, in proportion, when compared to the Leader class's version. The main protruding part at the underside is his arms.
The jet nose is made from rubber, and on mine at least, the nosecone is not attached securely, it wriggles in it's place and I know with time, it will eventually detach. Hopefully I will be there when it falls off so I can glue it back on, but it is just something to take note of.
When compared to a standard deluxe, he is about the same size. Size does not equal mass however, he feels small and light. It only appears to be the same size due to the wingspan, Starscream does not have as much bulk on him as previous deluxes.
Now, let's not forget the MechTech weapon (the reason why Starscream is so small...), in this case, it's weapons. Starscream has two weapons that can each plug into slots under each wing, which is analogous to his G1 self, and it looks alright there. The blades on the weapons do stick out the back somewhat. It is a nice plane, and due to it's size, a lot more fun than the leader.
MECHTECH WEAPON:
Both weapons are guns, they look a bit weird and 'bloated', due to them supposedly representing two different sorts of weapons. I guess they do the job but their strong point are not as guns.
One of them is spring loaded and converts into a knife, it doesn't lock on on it's own which is annoying and a characteristic of the Deluxes' MechTech weapons. It is actually quite hard to activate by just pushing the button, coz however way you hold it, you will be blocking some moving parts, it's a lot easier to grab the blade itself and pull it out.
Starscream's weapon is more unique due to it's ability to combine and lock together into a huge blade weapon. It looks wicked, and was one of the reasons why I decided to get Starscream. One of the best MechTech weapons available.
TRANSFORMATION:
Starscream's transformation was another thing that won me over with this figure. It features a different, ingenious transformation compared to the other Movie Starscream's available. It's easy to convert, and fun to do it too, there are no frustrating parts, everything flows through very nicely. I might have exaggerated a bit, but I do think it's one of the best transformations to do on a toy, as it's complex enough to be interesting, but not fiddly so it's actually fun, and you can do it within a few mins.
ROBOT MODE:
Starscream's robot mode is well-proportioned, but I do think the Leader version is a lot better in terms of looks alone. However, once you start playing with him, you might have second thoughts. The biggest disadvantage with this version would be the pale grey, bordering off-white, plastic used, if it used the same gunmetal shade as the Leader version then he would looks heaps better.
He shares a few aspects with the Leader version, like the jet nosecone, and the folding panels on his back. One really good aspect of this mode is that it uses the landing gear as heelspurs, making Starscream really solid, he does not fall over easily... in any pose.
A big chunk of him still juts out the back, making his legs look so thin, and the folded up panels doesn't look so good from this angle.
The head sculpt is spot on, and looks great, apart from the blue 'gills', it captures the look perfectly. Too bad his eyes are just solid red plastic, it wasn't even designed to lightpipe, so that's a bit of a disappointment. Lightpiping eyes would have been wicked.
Starscream has four MechTech ports in this mode, one of each arm, and two on his back. Of course, you can attach each of his two weapons onto each arm, and it really reminds me of the null-rays the original Starscream has, pretty sure this is a direct reference... Anyway, since his hands are open palmed, he cannot hold them. I guess if you plug them onto his back, you can pretend they're rocket boosters or something.
On comparison with the Leader classed figure, of course the bigger one is more detailed, that said, this smaller version does have one thing that excels. What is this you ask? The jointing in the arms, finally, Starscream can bend his elbows in a way that doesn't have his palms facing up in the air, this was one of the most pivotal aspects that sold me this figure. This extra joint is really useful for more natural looking poses.
I love displaying the combined weapon attached onto his arm, it looks great, even though the weapon is longer than Starscream is tall!! The jointing is great as well, with everything you will need to pull out some awesome poses.
The only problem is his size, if it was a bit small in jet mode, it's even more obvious here. He feels small, and he clearly has less bulk to him than a normal Deluxe, and pairing him up next to Red Alert really brings this out, probably the figure's only downfall. However, this is still a great robot mode that captures the essence of the character model very well, one of the best Movie Starscream figures ever produced.
OVERALL:
A great toy overall, and one that is worth getting. Yet I can only recommend him on a sale, due to his small size, I cannot admit that he is worth full price. One of the only Deluxes in the Dark of the Moon line I was interested, I think he is a stellar figure. Thundercracker does have a better and more striking colour scheme but his MechTech weapon is not as good. While Starscream is on the shelves and sales are happening, get him quick!!
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Some good photos can be found at Seibertron's gallery.
Credit: pictures and text are all mine, but I've linked a few pages to TFwiki.net and Wikipedia as reference for some terms
Have a look at this page for a few more reviews (currently done 33% of the figures I have... finally...). Once more, thank you for taking the time to have a look!