The Energon Pub

[grandamgt2k]

I have the Starscream G1 figure and I wanted to point out some items that maybe someone can help me with. The issues I have are as follows...

* no rubsign present
* blue fists instead of black
* lighter blueish color in the nose cone, feet and afterburners
* no trademark stamp
* plastic support on canopy is different

[Delicon]

Do you have this?

[grandamgt2k]

Not like that. Here are some pics. The figure on the bottom is the one in question. Notice the different color blue parts, the canopy, no Takara Copyright and of course no rub sign and fists are blue instead of black.

[BeastProwl]

Could be a KO or a re-issue. Were's Jelze?

[grandamgt2k]

Could this be a pre rubsign diaclone Japan issue only?

[Jelze Bunnycat]

Could be a KO or a re-issue. Were's Jelze?

I'm a toy identifier, not a variant know-it-all

Anyway, I pulled out Fred's Workshop for this one and found something quite interesting:

Though covered in the Stampings and Rubbies page, it deserves a mention here. You can have several manufacturer-stampings on the jets. From a completely blank leg (the Pre-TF and first TF issue; often confused with fakes), to a Takara-only stamping, to Takara with dates, to Hasbro/Takara (Japan), and on the reissues, Hasbro/Takara (blocked dates) but CHINA. What fun.

Type 1) Pre-Tf: NO manufacturer-stamping on leg.
Type 2) TF: No manufacturer-stamping on leg.
Type 3) TF: Takara-only on leg.
Type 4) (Insert transitional stamping here.)
Type 5) TF: Hasbro/Takara shared.
Type 6) TF: G2, Hasbro/Takara (**date China).
Type 7) TF: TRU reissue, Hasbro/Takara shared (** China).

It seems the bottom one is either a Diaclone original with (repro) Transformer stickers, or a 1984 Starscream. As rubsigns were introduced in 1985 I'm suspecting the latter. Here's a little reading material:

Fred's workshop G1 Seeker variants page

[grandamgt2k]

I am concerned about this because I currently have this listed on eBay. If this turns out to be some kind of ko then I will pull the auction however if it shows merit then I will leave it. I made some of these discoveries after the auction was listed...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/180863620295?ss ... 1558.l2649

[GuyIncognito]

I am concerned about this because I currently have this listed on eBay. If this turns out to be some kind of ko then I will pull the auction however if it shows merit then I will leave it.

If I were you, I'd leave it on eBay, and just make it clear in the description that you're not sure of the origin of the figure.

[Optimum Supreme]

My Thundercracker pre-dates rub-signs and has the same type of canopy as the one in question. They reinforced them with the other type somewhere down the line, as my Dirge has the other type of canopy.

It was a good change, btw, as my TC canopy snapped off and had to be glued back in place, while the Dirge one is still completely fine.

[grandamgt2k]

Hey dark Optimum - thats very helpful. The only thing that bothers me about my figure in question is the lack of Takara Hasbro markings, other than that your Thundercracker sounds similar to mine.

[kirbenvost]

Starscream always had blue fists though. The black fists are from Thundercracker or Thrust.

[Delicon]

Starscream always had blue fists though. The black fists are from Thundercracker or Thrust.

This confused me, too. I don't even see fists in your picture, did you mean feet instead? Still blue, though...

[grandamgt2k]

I didn't include the fists in the picture but they are the same shade of blue as seen on the bottom figure. I just assumed they were supposed to be black. Guess I just need to pay closer attention to details.