The Energon Pub

by **decepta-scott** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:07 am

My starscream is cracked!!!! In several places!!!!!
Granted I got him loose on ebay but he was fine when I recieved him. I have only transformed him a few times and a few days ago I find three cracks!
The first I noticed was on the plastic hole that holds the pin that keeps his foot on. The second and third are on both feet on the holes that keep his small "stabelizer wing things" on the side of his foot in place.
I can also see the plastic weakening by the peg that holds his left wing on. (left if you look at him straight on.)
Now, I had to buy three dirges because of simular defects. Get this. My firts dirge sported a fist that was put on upside down, a broken foot hinge hole and a broken left wing hinge hole.
I returned him no problem thinking I just got a defective fig and that the next would be fine. I was wrong. The foot and fist were o.k. but the left wing hinge was turning white where it was so weak and his left elbow hinge hole was broken.
Third times a charm right? No! Third time he was all in one piece but he still had the weakened white space on his left wing hinge and a small crank on his foot hinge hole.
I looked at my thrust when I got home and he also had that white weakened left wing hinge as did my thundercracker when he arrived a week ago.
Does anyone else have this problem with their seekers? Surely I am not the only one to have went through this. I love the look of theese figs. They are the reason (them and cyber megs) that I took to collecting the bots. They look great in both forms and screamer is my all time fav. Id hate to have to keep replacing them due to defective parts.
The obvious answer to stop further damage is to stop transforming them and I will. I only transformed them a few times anyway. It stinks though that I will not be able to see them in their kick ass plane modes again because of weak plastic/poor design.
Yeah though. Anyone else got any stories on their seekers messing up like this?
Have a nice morning all!
Scott.

News Credits: 1 · by **dirk2243** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:20 am

Are you talking movie or the Classics/generations line? And if movie, which one?

by **alternator77** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:38 am

that right there is the main reason i never get the "itch" to buy mass release figures of off ebay or anywhere else. if you had bought it at a store you could return it for credit or a replacement.

by **soundwave85** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:38 am

If you are talking about generations dirge I must have got lucky because mine is perfect except for the decepticon symbol missing the forehead.

by **Doubledealer93** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:02 am

both my classics starscreams have the cracked tail fin problem. but once they crack all the stress is released and should not crack anymore. i have transformed mine with the crack and they are fine.

by **Starscream's Girl** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 5:33 pm

This is why I really don't transform my figs once they are in 'bot mode. All my Starscream figs are fine. Not sure which one you're talking about.

by **Valandar** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 6:46 pm

Yeah, you have yet to say which of the KAZILLIONS of Starscream figures you mean.

Is it:

G1 Starscream
G1 Pretender Starscream
G2 Starscream
Machine Wars Starscream
World's Smallest TF Starscream
Robot Masters Starscream
Armada Starscream
Energon Starscream
Cybertron Starscream
Cybertron Supreme Starscream
Cybertron Legends Starscream
Classics Starscream
Movieverse Starscream (any size)
Animated Starscream
Beast Wars Second Starscream
Titanium War Within Starscream
Masterpiece Starscream
Universe 2.0 Legends class Starscream
Generations Legends class Starscream
BotCon 2008 Shattered Glass Starscream

Or any of their reissues, repaints, or mild remolds?

News Credits: 13 · by **grimdragon2001** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:27 pm

my starscream has the same tailfin cracks, and skywarps hinge has a small piece broken off. i guess a weak point is enevitable

News Credits: 1 · by **Gauntlet101010** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:01 pm

None of my Classics Seekers have any problems with them. Sorry to hear you have had such bad luck.

News Credits: 1 · by **RhA** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 4:24 am

Nope, all my seekers are fine. Animated Screamer had a small tab on his back that broke on mine, if that's what you mean.

News Credits: 2 · by **Nemesis Destron** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 4:28 am

Gauntlet101010 wrote:None of my Classics Seekers have any problems with them. Sorry to hear you have had such bad luck.

Yeah dude, my condolences but no problems with mine...I hope. :shock:

by **decepta-scott** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 7:49 am

Sorry all. Im speaking of universe screamer and generations dirge, thrust and cracker.
So only those two fans had the probs Im having hu? Ill bet if you guys look at the left wing hinge on your seekers you will see the weakend white looking spot Im talking about.
Im betting it has something to do with the way they are mass produced. Maybe when they are being removed from whatever machine puts on their wing something hits the left wing and weakens it.
I am being clear enough yes? That is, when I say left wing hinge you guys know what Im talkin about right? Its most noticeable with dirge, but can clearly be seen on all my seekers left wing hinge.
I have just won a loose classics sky warp for 20.00 and loose ram jet for 30.00 I sure hope they dont show the same problems my other seekers have.
I am also going to get the white version of universe screamer (I believe that would be the U.S.A. version?) because I like the toon color scheeme and so that Ill have a back up should he decide to crack some more.
Perhaps my galvatron is blasting on Starscream at night as I sleep. All screamer did was set his mostly dead butt adrift in deep space with no way to repair himself or get back home and assume control of his decepticon army. Ya aint gotta blast a guy to dust and dog stomp his bran new kick ass crown over such trivial things. Besides, Ill bet screamer did it on accident.

by **Valandar** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 8:21 am

Well, the Classics mold (it first came out as Classics Starscream) has been used MANY times. I have eight versions (Classics Starscream, Ramjet and Skywarp, Universe 2.0 Starscream and Acid Storm, and Generations Dirge, Thrust and Thundercracker) , and none have that problem.

by **decepta-scott** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 8:56 am

Valandar wrote:Well, the Classics mold (it first came out as Classics Starscream) has been used MANY times. I have eight versions (Classics Starscream, Ramjet and Skywarp, Universe 2.0 Starscream and Acid Storm, and Generations Dirge, Thrust and Thundercracker) , and none have that problem.

????? I dont get it. I wonder why? The figures I got on ebay were in GREAT shape until I transformed them a few times and the ones I bought off the shelf got damaged as well. All well. Glad to hear you arent having problems with yours.
Also who is acid storm? Please tell me he isnt a seeker. I just finished my seeker collection. I have screamer, cracker, skywarp, dirge, thrust and ramjet.
I know of that orange screamer clone that is a comic character. Is acid storm something like him because I know he wasnt in the toon.
Thanks.

News Credits: 13 · by **grimdragon2001** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 9:09 am

acid storm is a green seeker, and one of the rainmakers. he was only in one episode and even then very briefly

by **NTESHFT** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 9:55 am

The only problem I have with any of my seekers is Ramjets stripe on his left shoulder isn't painted, and T thrust's paint is kind of Swirly, but it looks awesome to me.

News Credits: 1 · by **Gauntlet101010** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 12:02 pm

If it keeps happening to you, maybe you're bending it in an odd way? I dunno, all my seekers are okay. The only times I've had problems were with the krystal klear KO and when I removed the wings off Universe Screamer to replace a part with bits that came with the Coronation Set. And neither of those times really count in my book.

by **Optimum Supreme** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 8:47 pm

The only problems I have with Classics and Universe Starscream are the missile launchers don't fit well in their shoulder sockets. Fit great in the fists, so I guess he's just switched from null-ray to some sort of blaster. Universe's also seems a little loose in the wing, but not Classics.

No such issues with the launchers on any of the three Generations seekers, though Thundercracker just feels very cheap, like they went with cutrate plastics and the molds were wearing out. His cockpit barely wants to fold into his chest, which hasn't happened on any of my other seekers. For all his cheap feeling, he still looks damn good. Maybe my favorite looking of all the uses of the mold I've got.

Beyond that, Trust had two of the same missile launcher, but a very nice person helped me fix that, and besides the common "missing crest" in his decepticon symbol, Dirge also had a missing paint app on one of his boobies/landing gear. The black line down the side was there on one, not on the other. A black sharpie more or less took care of that one, though it doesn't quite match, it's closer than the bare blue plastic was.

by **SquirrelStampede** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 8:52 pm

My initial Starscream was missing a missile, and my first Skywarp's cockpit tab never fit right. No problems after that, except for some slight whitening around joints. Hope they last, but if they break, I'll find a way to repair-it adds character.