TransFormers Revenge Of The Fallen Voyager Class Starscream
Packaging...
Pros:
SIMPLE BOXES MAKE THEIR TRIUMPHANT RETURN! (YAY!)
No more silly excess flaps and tabs such as Animated and Universe packaging had. (Or even TF07 for that matter.)
The new windows design shows off the figure nicely and makes sure the figure inside will be well lit while on display on store shelves, or in your own home.
Cons:
The windows on the side flaps of the box are the only downside. They *will* (not a maybe) wear out in time, so if you're a MIB collector (NOTE: Not MISB, MIB.) you'll have to decide whether or not you want to display them in the package, or outside of it. (Some of us like to return them to their packaging when we're done, but like a Lays Potato Chip, you just can't stop with figures like these.)
All in all, an excellent piece of work, and I love the hieroglyphs on the cardboard insert holding the figure. Hasbro really went the extra mile to make these packages stand out and do so with flair.
A solid
(even with the window flap problem.)
Starscream (F-22 Raptor mode)...
Pros:
Nicely detailed. (Panels out the wazoo, authentic landing gear.)
Solid. (Once this thing is locked up, none of his bits come loose.)
Cons:
Hands do not hide in vehicle mode. (You're up crap creek without a paddle on this one. You can see in the instructions that his hands were apparently able to fold in more (from what I can tell) but they dropped it.)
The Cybertronian tattoos are a bit hard to swallow at first. (Considering the level of detail in them, it kinda distracts from the figure underneath it all.)
All in all, the vehicle mode is just fantastic, even with the tattoos, you cannot mistake the awesome emanating from this TF. He looks incredible, and puts the TF07 'Screamer to shame. Absolute shame.
A solid
(The tattoos can be dealt with. The hands are just a terrible design, really.)
Transformation...
Pros:
Intricate. (He has a really involving transformation, it's not just pull here, snap there, no. Panels, pieces of the fuselage, things you wouldn't even expect to fit in...do. Amazing.)
Cons:
A bit fiddly. (You have to clear this piece and that piece to make sure another piece can fit into place (this goes for tfing to and from robot and vice versa) and it can be a tad confusing at first, and then irritating once mastered.
All in all, an excellent transformation and one you just wouldn't expect when you consider the original. Their transformations are so different, it's like night and day. And it's good.
A solid
(Due to the fiddly bits.)
Starscream (Robot mode)...
Pros:
He looks MENACING. (One of the best selling points for this figure, he looks like a robotic flying angel of death coming to crush your world, and surprise! That's exactly what he is!)
His Mech Alive feature is simple, but works well and conveys the whole "moving, living robot" thing without a hitch. (I'll miss Automorph to a degree, but Mech Alive...oh man, this is a terrificly neat idea.) It's activated by turning his head left or right, and gears will spin in his chest (quite visibly too.)
Has a nice range of motion. (Arms move up and down, side to side, elbow swivel. Head moves side to side, but not up and down..no ball joint. No waist, but once you see how he forms his robot mode, you'll see why and forgive it. Legs have articulation in the hips (forward, backward, side to side) Knees bend, ankle moves up and down, but not side to side for really dynamic poses.)
Cons:
His arm design in terms of elbow and hand design are kinda crappy. (His cannons sit there, permanently. (The whole pop out launcher thing was dropped. A terrible shame. It would've helped the figure immensely.) And instead of being on the side or bottom of the arm, they rest right on top so when you go to bend his elbow, you're stuck with that ridiculous cannon being in the way. His hand just dangles there like the skeletal structure's been broken without repair. NOTE: If you don't use the elbow, you can make some neat arm poses and use the hands as a normal robot would...within reason.)
His legs are skinny, and the whole chicken leg design is a bit hard to work with this time around. (If you straighten the leg too much, he doesn't look like his CGI counterpart, if you collapse it down for the full effect, he's too short and looks disproportional..or more so than he already does. The TF07 'Screamer might actually have a bit of win in this department.)
All in all, Starscream's robot mode does a capable job of capturing the CGI model in plastic, and the negatives are far outweighed by his looks, his overall posability, and his massive chest with gorilla arms (which happen to work quite nicely this time around.) The tattoos are again excessive in this mode as well, because there's a heckuva lot of detail in there and you might not see it because it's got a coating of paint slapped all over it.
A solid
Final Verdict...
ROTF Starscream is a must buy. He looks good in both modes, his transformation is just awesome, and he's definitely a lot more fun than the original. He's sleek, lean and mean, unlike the FAT behemoth we received the last time.
This is one excellent figure, even with all of the criticisms (which I admit, some seem petty, such as the tattoo issue, but I like to cover as many bases as possible.) and I highly recommend him to all. Even those sitting on the fence.
Oh and if 'Screamer is any indication for what's to come, Leader Class Optimus Prime (from what we've seen of him) should be absolutely friggin' insane. If the other figures are half as good as 'Screamer (or better, such as the case of Optimus) then ROTF is going to beat your wallet like Tyson, and you'll love it.
Daaang. To ROTF... *raises glass*
NOTE: Realize that I am not a perfect Christian, nor do I profess to be. I apologize if anyone's ever offended by me, I'm not perfect. Don't hold my posts and opinions against other Christians.
