When Classics Starscream first came out, fans everywhere rejoiced. After all, this was the most G1 cartoon-accurate mold of our favorite treacherous air commander.
Then, Classics Skywarp came out, and everyone realized how pathetic Starscream's toy was. Putting it simply, Hasbro didn't give SS the respect he deserves.
This is why SS was the second-to-last pegwarmer in the shelves, outlasted only by a blander Astrotrain. But is the toy really that bad?
I got my Classics SS just this afternoon, but this is not the first time I've seen one. An officemate has one displayed on his desk, and studying SS closely, the worst I can say is the flushed out details, and lots of areas of gray plastic... And by the time I wanted one, there were no more TF classics on the shelves. Damn.
Now, Classics SS would be my last toy purchase for the year.
JET MODE
What can I say? Starscream's is the only mold in the entire Classics line that retains all of the G1 cartoon attributes. Prime, Bumblebee, Mirage all got updated. Megatron got updated, too, I guess... And Hot Rod, well, he looks like his old toy, and his cartoon model, but SS is the most exact!
Mold-wise, at least. SS still turns into an F-15 with the same color scheme, but this time, the paint job pattern is different.
The red paint only covers the outer areas of the wings, leaving the main body in plain plastic gray. Too bad, really. SS's mold had lots of details that could have been brought out by a decent paintjob.
I'm sure panel-lining won't work well here. But if the toy looked just like the picture on the package, with the gray plastic parts covered in metallic silver paint, the toy would not look cheap and too plasticky.
As a comparison, Ramjet volunteers for a side-by-side examination.
Same body, different wings and nosecone.
See, Ramjet is not entirely covered in paint. His base plastic is plastic white, but the flat red paint covering his wings did a good job of bringing out the details and panel lines. Ramjet looks less of a cheap toy.
Also, I noticed that SS's wings are a bit on the flimsy side.
ROBOT MODE
Starscream's robot mode is very impressive. It's really cool how they managed to find a way to faithfully translate the animation model into a toy.
Sure, Masterpiece Starscream may have better articulation and details, but Classics SS is waaay more G1. Except, again, for the paint patterns.
The price for this faithful translation, though, is the limited articulation.
Plus, the wings get in the way of the arms when you're doing some posing.
Transforming SS between modes isnot really that difficult. The fuselage-head-nosecone part may be a bit confusing for the newbies, though...
In robot mode, SS has more color, and looks closer to his G1 cartoon self.
The face needs to be painted, again to bring out the detail.
Here's a shot of the back view, with the wings folded, we're treated to more gray plastic. What does this mean? Always display SS facing the audience.
While this deviates from the original look, I prefer to leave the arm cannons on the wings. This way, you could exploit the articulation of the arms better, without folding down the wings.
SS is also a bit top-heavy because of the wings, which by the way, are also flimsy, but hey, SS passes the kick test!
Funny thing I discovered in this seeker molds, the ball joints on the legs tend to loosen up, but both can still pass the kick test.
Despite these flaws, the toy is very playable in general. Fun factor is also very high.
ROBOT OR JET MODE?
Robot mode! Jet mode is not that G1-looking anyway, right? Plus robot mode looks waaay better and has more color.
PROS
- most accurate G1 cartoon seeker mold
- good jet mode
- very good robot mode
- spring-loaded cannons have not-so sensitive triggers
CONS
- needs more paint
- limited articulation
- flimsy wings
- quality control issues
RATING
3 of 5
SS scores average. The toy may be lacking in some departments, but it's still very enjoyable.
And because it's just cool to see seekers fight each other...
One I have since "tweeked". I darkened his face, gave him some panel lines, and equiped him with some G1 null rays cannons. I'll probably be a sucker still when Takara releases their version of Classic Starscream.
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