Review: #136
Name: Sunstorm
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: BotCon 2013 - Souvenir Set
Year of Release: 2013
Size Class: Deluxe
Variations: too many to list, the notable ones: repaint of the original Classics Starscream (which was subsequently repainted into the rest of the Seekers and Coneheads), BotCon Thundercracker, G2 Ramjet, Universe Acid Storm and the Japanese counterparts of the same characters.
BIO CARD:
Just a quick section showing the bio card that was provided with the set. The BotCon theme for 2013 was Machine Wars (which I personally thought was the least interesting theme over the past few years), but I think the Rainmakers set that Sunstorm was part of was based upon the Decepticon jets from a G1 episode (and nothing to do with the actual Rainmakers?).
JET MODE:
Sunstorm is an obvious repaint of the Classics Starscream mold which has been used to death already. He's in a yellowy orange color scheme which looks great here.
There are some nice sculpting and details as well as lots of subtle paint applications. Some of the nicer paint applications include his air intakes (especially where the sides are painted to match the body) and the black paint on the tips of his wings and tail fins.
I think we're all familiar with this mold by now, it's at a decent size and heft. The two guns underneath each wing (the guns are removable) are spring-loaded missile launchers.
There's still the gap underneath the fuselage. He has two molded wheels which flip out at the front and two molded ones at the back. The black bit in the middle of the nose is his head (his whole helmet was painted black, which looks good in robot mode, but with the side effect of clashing in jet mode), and the nose tip is made of a soft rubber (but still pretty pointy and hard).
While not impressive on his own, Sunstorm looks great with his fellow Rainmakers as set. Even better if you're going to display him with the numerous repaints of the mold.
TRANSFORMATION:
The transformation is super simple and it's at this point that the mold really shows it's age (around 7 years since it was first released at this point). It's not clever by today's standards but this does mean that he's easy and fun to get between the modes. I still like how his nose folds into his chest, it's not what you could expect since it rotates first instead of flipping straight forward. There are also traces of mold degradation such as some loose joints (particularly the wings) and pieces not fitting into each other perfectly. This doesn't present a problem, it's just some nitpicking. While there's some loose joints, there's also some really tight joints which is a pain.
ROBOT MODE:
Sunstorm in robot mode is probably where you're going to leave him. He looks great here, but I wish that the yellow plastic used was a shade darker.
Nothing much to say here, the robot mode is fairly kibble free, looks clean and blocky like everyone's favorite G1 toys.
The head sculpting is great and looks just like Starscream... which is should. Too bad the head is on a swivel joint, with the range hampered by the piece hanging off the back of the head. I love the painted eyes and face.
A quick comparison with the Universe Starscream toy which really shows the paint applications shining here. There's silver paint detailing here and shoulder paints there. The only part that looks a bit bland is the solid color of his torso (but it's character accurate).
As mentioned earlier, his null-rays are spring-loaded missile launchers. What I've noticed in this release (or at least on mine) is that the springs are really powerful, which means the missiles launches really far.
Here's a comparison with the other two in the set. You'd notice that they all share the same paint applications/layout.
Poseability is also where the mold shows it's age. While Sunstorm's articulation is by no means bad, you can instantly suggest a few areas of improvement. In particular, his elbows lacks a swivel and the range of some of his limbs can be better.
Posing him is also hindered by his heelspurs, or to be more accurate, how they could be much better. A lot of times you'll find Sunstorm falling on his back. His wings needs to be adjusted each time you pose the arms since the his null-rays knocks into them.
Sunstorm looks impressive with his fellow Rainmakers. Since he's the most well-known character out of the three, I would consider him to be the unofficial leader...
The robot mode looks great and displays well, only lacking in some articulation.
OVERALL:
For an exclusive toy, Sunstorm is neat. However, the price doesn't come cheap, initially selling for $100 (plus tax) for three Deluxe toys, he was already at three times the normal price. Now, after selling out and secondary prices skyrocketing to around $170 to $200 before shipping, it's hard to recommend these guys when you're shelling out nearly $70 for one Deluxe toy. While the Rainmakers set is easily the most interesting and popular set at BotCon 2013, only get it if you really, truly, cannot live without them.
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For other Transformers reviews, including the other two in the Rainmakers set, check out this page here.