The Energon Pub

Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:20 am

Hey all,

Lately I've been interested in picking up a Voyager Starscream to oppose my Voyager Prime. I have no interest in Megatron (can't stand his looks, Alt or Bot) so Screamer seems like the next best candidate to be my main villan. However, I realize that there are some options, and I'd like some suggestions on which Screamer I should look for. Keep in mind, though, that I'm not interested in the Leader-class figure, amazing though it is, because it would be too big and I'm not a fan of electronic gimmicks.

Option #1 - '07 Movie Voyager Starscream - Probably not the most popular choice. I know that this mold is generally considered to be inferior, but I'm wondering if there are any fans out there.

Option #2 - ROTF Voyager Starscream - The most likely candidate at this point. Looks like a much better mold, and there's always a chance I can find one on the cheap. However, from the in-box ones I've seen, the placement of the 'fingers' behind his engines look a little kibble-ish. The Tattoos don't really bother me either way, so they aren't an issue. Any fans or detractors care to comment?

Option #3 - Potential Transformers 3 Voyager Starscream - Obviously this can't be predicted, but there's at least a small degree of certainty that there will be a Voyager Screamer from the next movie. There is no way to tell if this figure would be either a repaint or a new mold, but should I wait and see if it's the latter?

Thanks for the advice!

News Credits: 241 · Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:31 am

I have a sneaky suspicion that RotF Voyager Starscream will be repainted for TF3. Which leaves 2007 and RotF. Between the two the RotF one wins out, but the 2007 ones does have its charm despite being a box with wings and a cockpit.

Have you ever looked at Leader Starscream?

Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:40 am

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:I have a sneaky suspicion that RotF Voyager Starscream will be repainted for TF3. Which leaves 2007 and RotF. Between the two the RotF one wins out, but the 2007 ones does have its charm despite being a box with wings and a cockpit.

Have you ever looked at Leader Starscream?

Thanks for the reply.

I have looked at LeaderScream, and while he is a work of art, I'm motivated to avoid him by two major factors: 1) I'm cheap, and 2) I don't want a figure that big to 'oppose' Voyager Prime. I'd like them to be somewhate comparable when displayed facing off.

Looking through the other galleries, I'm admittedly impressed with '07 Screamer's bot mode (despite the lack of hands) but his alt-mode is pretty weak compared with ROTF's.

News Credits: 241 · Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:50 am

Well, which Voyager Prime do you have? 2007 mold or Battle Blade? If you want consistency, pick the figure that matches the Prime's line. Another thing to consider: aside from the Nebular Starscream, the RotF Starscream has not been repainted at all, making it more unique.

News Credits: 7 · Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:55 am

I don't think the '07 SS is that bad, but the ROTF SS is a vast improvement. Far sleeker, more accurate bot mode, more convincing alt mode, and he has actual hands. While ROTF SS hands stick out in Raptor mode, the rest of him is nicely hidden within, as opposed to how the '07 SS has his bot parts in the bottom of the jet, his head still visible (incidentally, he can have a Gerwalk mode).

Sun Sep 05, 2010 11:52 am

Leader is still the best. But Voyager SS is still a good choice. And like GoldRabbit said;

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:but the 2007 ones does have its charm despite being a box with wings and a cockpit.

Sun Sep 05, 2010 1:13 pm

Thanks for all the opinions so far! I'm leaning towards the ROTF version, mainly because I think he'll still be easy to find at retail (I'm sure I saw one or two at Zellers recently) and I think his Alt-mode is far superior (despite the "hands"). Of the two versions, I think I would prefer the Nebular Starscream colours, but as a Target Exclusive I doubt I'd be able to find him around here (Manitoba, Canada) and buying him online looks to be a bit of a pricy venture.

One quick question for all you Starscream experts out there: How does the Leader version size up against the G1 Masterpiece Seeker mold, in both Alt and Robot modes? Ever since Leaderscream got released by Takara under the Movie MP line, I've wondered how he sizes up against the main MP line version of himself.

News Credits: 241 · Sun Sep 05, 2010 1:28 pm

Autobot Strider wrote:Thanks for all the opinions so far! I'm leaning towards the ROTF version, mainly because I think he'll still be easy to find at retail (I'm sure I saw one or two at Zellers recently) and I think his Alt-mode is far superior (despite the "hands"). Of the two versions, I think I would prefer the Nebular Starscream colours, but as a Target Exclusive I doubt I'd be able to find him around here (Manitoba, Canada) and buying him online looks to be a bit of a pricy venture.

You won't find him at Target. K-Mart on the other hand...

Sun Sep 05, 2010 3:41 pm

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:You won't find him at Target. K-Mart on the other hand...

Yeah, that's what I meant. Unfortunately, we don't have either Targets or K-Marts in my neck of the woods, so I'm SOL either way!

News Credits: 241 · Sun Sep 05, 2010 3:54 pm

Autobot Strider wrote:
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:You won't find him at Target. K-Mart on the other hand...

Yeah, that's what I meant. Unfortunately, we don't have either Targets or K-Marts in my neck of the woods, so I'm SOL either way!

What I find weird is that we still get K-Mart commercials in Texas while they're all but gone from that state!

News Credits: 1452 · Mon Sep 06, 2010 7:49 pm

Autobot Strider wrote:
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:You won't find him at Target. K-Mart on the other hand...

Yeah, that's what I meant. Unfortunately, we don't have either Targets or K-Marts in my neck of the woods, so I'm SOL either way!

If it was a Target exclusive it would be a Zellers exclusive up here in Canada. Just go with '07 Deep Space Starscream... Shhhhhhinnnny.

Tue Sep 07, 2010 8:45 am

Blurrz wrote:
Autobot Strider wrote:
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:You won't find him at Target. K-Mart on the other hand...

Yeah, that's what I meant. Unfortunately, we don't have either Targets or K-Marts in my neck of the woods, so I'm SOL either way!

If it was a Target exclusive it would be a Zellers exclusive up here in Canada. Just go with '07 Deep Space Starscream... Shhhhhhinnnny.

Yep-the Deep Space version is the way to go if you are set on the voyager size. I say pull out the extra dough and get the Leader SS. Then get a Leader Prime-you can pick up Leader Prime cheaper in a lot of places ($35). That is only about twelve dollars more than a voyager figure at this point.

Tue Sep 07, 2010 9:05 am

While the ROTF version has hands and a bit more accurate face, I'd still go with the '07 version. It's bigger and sturdier, while the ROTF one feels cheap and undersized (and has a tendency to have loose leg or ankle joints making him harder to stand). The '07 version also has light piped eyes and isn't all marked up with those tattoos. It is also very stable and one doesn't have to fiddle with him as much to get him to stand-even on carpet.

Additionally, the '07 SS has 3 compatible seekers out there-Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Ramjet-who are of the same mold ( but with different head molds for TC and SW ). The ROTF one, on the other hand, is a lonely monstrosity without a team.

News Credits: 2 · Tue Sep 07, 2010 9:19 am

Prime Riblet wrote:
Blurrz wrote:
Autobot Strider wrote:
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:You won't find him at Target. K-Mart on the other hand...

Yeah, that's what I meant. Unfortunately, we don't have either Targets or K-Marts in my neck of the woods, so I'm SOL either way!

If it was a Target exclusive it would be a Zellers exclusive up here in Canada. Just go with '07 Deep Space Starscream... Shhhhhhinnnny.

Yep-the Deep Space version is the way to go if you are set on the voyager size. I say pull out the extra dough and get the Leader SS. Then get a Leader Prime-you can pick up Leader Prime cheaper in a lot of places ($35). That is only about twelve dollars more than a voyager figure at this point.

Then find a leader Jetfire to combine with Prime. :lol:

This is never ending.... :lol:

By the way, if you sure can wait, maybe take the chance and wait for TF3 version even though he could be just a repaint. I'm not a big fan of his tattoos but leader class is a different story.

News Credits: 3 · Tue Sep 07, 2010 5:31 pm

ROTF is probably better overall, but Deep Space looks pretty nice in bot mode. Personally, unless you find either cheap that's hard to pass up, I'd probably just wait to see what the 3rd movie has to offer as they'll probably all still be available via eBay for near retail cost next summer. These figs don't appear to be growing much in value as the market is oversaturated and so many are kept MISB...

Autobot Strider wrote:One quick question for all you Starscream experts out there: How does the Leader version size up against the G1 Masterpiece Seeker mold, in both Alt and Robot modes? Ever since Leaderscream got released by Takara under the Movie MP line, I've wondered how he sizes up against the main MP line version of himself.

Leader is about an inch and a half taller than MP in bot mode. And MP is about a half inch longer in alt mode, but much more sleek. The MP has much more accurate proportions, where the leader still has too much bulk in its undercarriage. But they could probably display together okay in alt mode…can't say the same about bot mode, though.

News Credits: 9 · Wed Sep 08, 2010 4:20 am

I'm not going to comment on option three!

I think 07 is better than ROTF overall.

07 has a bulky jet mode but the figure is very poseable. ROTF has a near perfect jet mode (apart from the fingers but you can hide them by spreading the arms a little so they hide under the tail fins) but just isn't poseable. His bot mode is flimsy and hard to stand and the arms are just terrible with the hands facing that way.

As your main desire seems to be a partner for Prime I say go with 07 cos at least he's poseable.