Just received this guy in the mail. (Thanks btw, you know who you are.)
One word: IMPRESSIVE.
Okay. Now, many words...
Packaging
Pros:
Follows the fantastic Classics visual design. (Works nicely for him)
Masterpiece Starscream is embossed in the plastic lid at the top of the box, backed by silver ink. (Really stands out)
The box is a really nice display piece, especially the construction of it, with the cardboard base. (Packaging's quite a bit bigger than you'd think.)
Literally like seven twist ties, and a few rubber bands. (None of which actually hinder your removal from the packaging. Puts DVD Prime to shame. Shame!)
Cons:
All plastic, with a piece of cardboard for the base. (Quite hard to get in and out of, and if not careful, you'll get cut. I have the knicked finger to prove it.)
Giant "ONLY AT WAL-MART" sticker kinda throws the whole thing out of whack. (Though, it can be removed, still...it's a con.)
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Instructions
Pros:
Clear.
Concise.
Actually make sense.
Cons: Again, no text. (except for the explanation of all the gimmicks and how the base works)
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Starscream Robot Mode
Pros:
Heavily detailed.
Panel lined.
Quite poseable. (Articulated fingers, bending knees, forward and side to side hip movement, head's on a ball joint (looks up, side to side, you can tilt the head for different poses), full range of movement in his arms, even has a waist that turns)
Has the G1 color scheme just about perfect.
Can hold the Prime Megatron gun in his hands. (This is a given, but it's still a plus.)
Not quite as tall as you'd expect, but not terribly small either, seems to be just the right size. (Bigger than an Alt, for sure.)
Has both the smirking face and the regular face (which is a really nice touch.)
Cons:
Has slight balance issues due to his heels being the afterburner cones, and they're balljointed. (Not to mention the weight of the "skirt" as it sticks out of the back, throwing him slightly off kilter.)
Fingers are small and pop off waaay too easy. (These could be lost in a heartbeat.)
The head is on an arm and it doesn't say if you should bring the head forward, or leave it sitting back. (If you pull it forward, it can't move on the ball joint. If you leave it sit back, the ball joint can be utilized and he looks fine like this...but that arm was installed for a reason, so I'm sure it must be usable?)
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Transformation
Pros:
Intricate.
Nicely handled.
Not overly difficult, not incredibly easy either, literally right down the middle. (I'd dare say...almost perfect!)
Die cast metal holds the key parts together.
Cons:
Somewhat cumbersome in some spots. (It's kinda hard to move the torso pieces into place, because they're so tight, yet you have to hold the rest of him with your other hand.)
Some pieces pop right off during transformation, and you're not expecting it, so you think you've broken it. (Fortunately, the pieces that pop off aren't bolted on, so no breaky breaky.)
The paint on the die-cast pieces just chips in huge chunks if you're not careful. (I was pulling off of my finger tips left and right. If you watch what you're doing it, won't chip, or at least not much. I was slightly impatient. My fault.)
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Jet mode
Pros:
Incredibly detailed.
Nice realistic features. (Air brake, afterburner covers lift up to expose all the lines underneath, detailed 3-point landing gear that hides perfectly in both modes, radar under nose cone.)
The G1 colors, while goofy, don't ruin the overall presentation considering this is based on a real life vehicle. (I think a realistic color scheme would've been boring.)
LARGE. (Much bigger than you'd expect. Incredible that that much of him collapses into the robot mode.)
Dr. Arkeville looks great sitting in his cockpit behind the canopy, it's just so neat. (Needs a little bit of silver paint to bring out the detail on his scalp and his robotic arm, a little bit of black paint to show his shoes, etc. Even though he's just got a little dab of flesh paint, he's still incredibly detailed for such a small, small piece of plastic.)
Cons:
Due to the construction of the figure, doesn't seal up on all sides, so there's a gap. (He holds together just fine. He locks together tightly, but there's still unsightly gaps everywhere.)
Wing flaps could break easily if dropped. (In fact, it's a big concern on the tail wings...they're only held on by a thin rod of plastic.)
Rockets and Ion Blasters don't plug in as tightly as they could. (They hold onto the wings, no problem. They're just easy to remove. One good jolt could pop 'em off.)
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Display base
Pros:
Simple functionality keeps it from being ridiculous to deal with, yet allows it to remain stylish without sacrificing for function.
Name is clear and legible, Decepticon symbol is a nice shade of Purple and really stands out from the rest of the base.
Holds all of his accessories. (Except for Dr. Arkeville. The Blasters or Missiles can only sit on there two at a time, not all at once. The Megatron claw plugs into the underside of the base.)
Clear arm is solid and fully supports his weight with no problems. (Looks good in Jet mode because he looks like he's taking off. Even covers the hovering robot mode quite nicely as well. Not perfect, but it gets the job done.)
Cons:
The claw for Megatron sits on the underside of the base, and if the base is bumped or moved with enough force...you could drop the claw and never know it.
No spot for Dr. Arkeville. (Which, I realize he's supposed to ride inside of Starscream, but it would be nice to display 'Screamer as a model piece, and have a place to store Arkeville as well.)
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Overall
I haven't been this impressed with a TF in quite some time. He's...incredible. A great alt mode, a great robot mode. (heck, I even got used to the "skirt"!) Heavily detailed and captures his G1 character in a high level of quality. (Provides the best of both worlds...covers the 'toon and gives you a realistic alt mode right down to the panels on his wings.)
He's very light...almost too light. Some of his plastic feels like it came out of a model kit, while other pieces feel rugged and solid. (Speaking of, he's definitely more user friendly than a lot of people would have you believe. I can't comment on the original, it probably is as bad as they say, but this one...no. He's tough enough to take a lickin' and keep on tickin'.)
For the price you pay, he's an excellent purchase and I HIGHLY recommend him. If you find him, grab him immediately. You won't regret it!
I'm glad we finally got him at the price point he is, because it's just right size, detail, pricing. Had I spent the dough they command for the Japanese original...I'd have kicked the crap out of myself and still be angry to this day. $100.00+ is waaay too much money for this figure. Way too much.
Masterpiece Starscream is a great figure and a solid
Go get him people, do it now.
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.
) the arm that 'Screamer's head is attached to, I've found the purpose. You are supposed to push the head forward. There's a small notch on the top of the cockpit (chest at this point) where his chin rests. If you pay close attention, you'll see it.
[ Click to attempt signal recovery... ]
