Power of the Primes Voyager Starscream Pictorial Review
Friday, December 15th, 2017 12:15pm CST
Categories: Toy News, Reviews, Site ArticlesPosted by: william-james88 Views: 25,143
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Jet Mode
The Jet mode is as serviceable as Silverbolt's was. It is still a robot hiding under a jet (even more so than Silberbolt). Unlike Silverbolt though, we are treated to a staggering amount of foil stickers. While they don't look anywhere near as good as paint, I did not find this to be the main flaw with the toy. It does give more of a sense that this is a toy for an audience much younger than me (which is exactly what it is), but none of it was peeling and the application was fine, with lines meeting up.
I remember Hasbro stating that they really tried to have that exact shade of off white plastic fans associated with Starscream back when they released the Combiner War leader figure. However, I always found the end result rather dull. The plastic is a tad bit lighter/brighter here but not by much. The red and blue are much brighter though and make me realize how the colours on the leader figure look faded.
You can open the cockpit to place a Prime Master or Titan Master (it's more made for them in their "cube" mode). I don't find it to be a great look. You can place the smaller figures all across his jet mode though.
A big issue I have with this toy is a design flaw with two robot leg panels which fold down so that the legs (which make up the back of the jet) can recede closer to the jet body. These panels each have a peg for them to stay secure to the knees in robot mode. Howver, them being symetrical means they end up protruding at the same spot and hit one another in jet mode so it looks like the jet is permanently split in the back. To me, this is a much bigger mishap than the use of stickers.
Robot Mode
The conversion from jet to robot is more complex than I thought and by that I mean that it isn't just 3 steps. There is a nice moment where you have to pivot the wings 180 degrees. I always love when Takara gives us transformation with big movements like that, it makes the transformation feel more dynamic.
The end result isn't great though. This mode is where the biggest flaw with figure comes into play, the proportions. Having his forearms be the same colour as the armour gauntlets was a bad idea. He looks like Popeye. The feet are giant too, plus he has a small head. These proportions have given a false sense of scale in the past (he is smaller than I imagined) so I have several comparison images below to give a sense of scale. I don't know about you, but he really seems to not mesh in style with any of the other toys we would line him up with.
Now a reason for the odd proportions is that his arms hide the combiner ports. And to that I say "so what?!" Silverbolt's did as well but you don't see him with giant gauntlets. And those giant gauntlet flaps dont even cover anything since the combiner hole ends up being in his inner wrist so there is no point to his arms looking this big aside from the designers wanting to do something new and different. While I will always give an A for effort, the result and actual grade is far from spectacular. And plus they expect you to add the combiner feet to make even bigger gauntlets. Thanks, but I will pass. The null rays are nothing to write home about either. They just seem there like it was in their contract and they didn't find a way to get out of it in time.
I really dislike those feet stickers. They definitely make this toy look like something from Imaginext. The head is also very generic. We have had tons of Starscream heads but they always find some way to invigorate them, like the Ghost Starscream head we got in Untie Warriors or the one we got in Robot in Disguise. But here it really is simply generic. And so is the combiner head for that matter. Which leads me to...
Torso mode
Firstly, the transformation into torso mode is stellar. It is by far the most involved transformation we have ever gotten from a combiner torso and it has a unique look which doesnt seem to be just a leftover from other modes (like Volcanicus). Plus it has a fun homage to movie Stasrcream's Doritos body and is incredibly solid. I still stand by the fact that the best torso is Silverbolt's (well, technically for me it's Galvatronus, but you catch my drift) but his chest can become undone. With Starscream, it's rock solid. Plus you can tab in the null rays for storage in an elegant manner. There is the idea that you can also plug in his enigma of combination and well, you will see the results below. The face is quite dull though, as generic as his robot mode face, and the crown seems to have the same contract the null rays got. But it is cool to have the cockpit form the chest, making him look like a bigger version of himself. I think that is very witty and gives a lot of sense to the smaller fake cockpit we see in his robot mode.
There are of course flaws with the combiner mode, but not necessarily the torso. The combiner feet are far too narrow and while I appreciate the ankle tilt, him being so wide at the torso makes me avoid spreading his legs since it looks off and the lack of ratchets at the robot mode elbow makes him harder to pose properly. Adding the extra hands to the back of the feet is something I do not recommend. Firstly, with so much kibble in the front of his torso and most legs having more bulk in the front, he has more of a tendency to fall forwards, so there is no point to enforcing heels. Plus, you have to be really parallel to the feet or else you will just make any stance more unstable. So basically, adding them only raises the possibility of him being unstable while never adding to the stability.
All in all, I don't think I will keep this toy, but there is a lot of potential with the torso mode which is why I am still going to pick up Elita-1.
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Posted by Sabrblade on December 15th, 2017 @ 12:43pm CST
Landmine is Alpha Trion.JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:bodrock wrote:Lamdmine is definitely a simple repaint and slight mold change with Metalhawk's head-fin. Whether I pick him up is all about the Core's "face" and power-up it provides....
His function is Mystical Scientist, but he's mostly about mixing liquids... like a bar tender *hint hint*
Posted by Ig89ninja on December 15th, 2017 @ 12:52pm CST


Posted by steals_your_goats on December 15th, 2017 @ 12:53pm CST
Posted by RodimusConvoy13 on December 15th, 2017 @ 12:54pm CST
steals_your_goats wrote:Will could you have made the combined mode look any dorkier? Seriously would one interesting pose have killed you?
Do your own pictorial reviews, dude. Jesus.
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on December 15th, 2017 @ 12:54pm CST
Sabrblade wrote:Landmine is Alpha Trion.JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:bodrock wrote:Lamdmine is definitely a simple repaint and slight mold change with Metalhawk's head-fin. Whether I pick him up is all about the Core's "face" and power-up it provides....
His function is Mystical Scientist, but he's mostly about mixing liquids... like a bar tender *hint hint*
Whoops.

Posted by steals_your_goats on December 15th, 2017 @ 1:03pm CST
RodimusConvoy13 wrote:steals_your_goats wrote:Will could you have made the combined mode look any dorkier? Seriously would one interesting pose have killed you?
Do your own pictorial reviews, dude. Jesus.
I didn't say it was a bad review I said that there wasn't a single interesting picture of the figure. I feel like if someone is going to post a review of something they should showcase the figure. Especially if they feel said review is front page worthy. If I want to look at static poses of a figure I'll look up the stock photos.
Posted by RodimusConvoy13 on December 15th, 2017 @ 1:04pm CST
steals_your_goats wrote:RodimusConvoy13 wrote:steals_your_goats wrote:Will could you have made the combined mode look any dorkier? Seriously would one interesting pose have killed you?
Do your own pictorial reviews, dude. Jesus.
I didn't say it was a bad review I said that there wasn't a single interesting picture of the figure. I feel like if someone is going to post a review of something they should showcase the figure. Especially if they feel said review is front page worthy. If I want to look at static poses of a figure I'll look up the stock photos.
There was definitely a nicer and more constructive way you could have said that.
Posted by Flashwave on December 15th, 2017 @ 1:29pm CST
william-james88 wrote:Albatross250 wrote:They better re-release Combiner Wars sets again.
Bruticus is by far the best CW ever built (Except you, Jet-Molded Blast Off)
For CW, sure I guess we could say Bruticus was the best. But Unite Warriors Computron and Grand Galvatron are still better
Given the number of people who mixed and matched Computrons, not sure I can ssyvhe was "best." unless you are willing to lump both Computorns together. although Ibdo love the Takara figures a lot, but i defunately switched out Afterburner and used the Hasbro gun and hands and feet I dont get the love for Galvatronus. Breakdown is too small, and I dont love Roller half as much as I want to. For me, best combiner is Ruination/Baldigus. But some of that is nostalgia , RID was my first jumping on point.
Anyway, on topic. I have said this before, but Repugnus is a perfect example of how you can build an exsuit around a TitanMatlster and still have a modicum of posability. Sure the hip joint is a solid bar, but the legs MOVE. Why sare we stuck with these poseless bricks? I cant even repurpose their weapons, the pegs are too inser for most fists to hold.
I want a Titanmaster to shove in Overlord's chest. I think one of thrm will be Grimlock's matrix, but I need one more.
D-Maximus_Prime wrote:I'm actually happy Elita looks like she has a retooled chest. I am still really on the fence with her and Inferno, but I do want an Inferno, and the chest remold actually makes her look pretty good. And I gotta hunt down a Chromia to go with the team.
And with that release date for the wave 2 Prime masters, I'm thinking wave 2 will be where the line slows back down to where it is supposed to be. Can't wait to start seeing these guys
I will definately be getting Elita and Inferno. Elita because I dont expect msny figures to come out for her. Inferno, i have too many bots assigned to "Protectobots" status -using Hasbro Strafe and nNosecone as skyfeather and hHeatrock, and Rook and Mirage go well with the pair to complete "Rescue Force"- I could use another torso
Posted by bodrock on December 15th, 2017 @ 1:42pm CST
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Sabrblade wrote:Landmine is Alpha Trion.JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:bodrock wrote:Lamdmine is definitely a simple repaint and slight mold change with Metalhawk's head-fin. Whether I pick him up is all about the Core's "face" and power-up it provides....
His function is Mystical Scientist, but he's mostly about mixing liquids... like a bar tender *hint hint*
Whoops.Early morning can do that to you. Alpha Trion is the brains of the bunch, so any one linking to him becomes an everlasting know-it-all, like yoghurt.
Alchemist Prime isn't a very original name, is it? But that ability to build a mean cocktail can be crucial!
I think I already got Alpha Trion covered.

Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on December 15th, 2017 @ 1:53pm CST
bodrock wrote:I think I already got Alpha Trion covered.
Funny thing: if we count Legends Alpha Trion (the one with Ultra Magnus) towards Combiner Wars as per the mold origins, every part of the Prime Wars Trilogy has an Alpha Trion somewhere

Posted by bodrock on December 15th, 2017 @ 2:31pm CST
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:bodrock wrote:I think I already got Alpha Trion covered.
Funny thing: if we count Legends Alpha Trion (the one with Ultra Magnus) towards Combiner Wars as per the mold origins, every part of the Prime Wars Trilogy has an Alpha Trion somewhere
That's true! But I do prefer my Ultra Maggie's innerbot to be Minimus Ambus.

Posted by Sabrblade on December 15th, 2017 @ 3:56pm CST
That's okay. Takara Legends Alpha Trion is instead that Ultra Magnus's Matrix of Leadership.bodrock wrote:JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:bodrock wrote:I think I already got Alpha Trion covered.
Funny thing: if we count Legends Alpha Trion (the one with Ultra Magnus) towards Combiner Wars as per the mold origins, every part of the Prime Wars Trilogy has an Alpha Trion somewhere
That's true! But I do prefer my Ultra Maggie's innerbot to be Minimus Ambus.
Posted by bodrock on December 15th, 2017 @ 4:12pm CST
Sabrblade wrote:That's okay. Takara Legends Alpha Trion is instead that Ultra Magnus's Matrix of Leadership.bodrock wrote:JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:bodrock wrote:I think I already got Alpha Trion covered.
Funny thing: if we count Legends Alpha Trion (the one with Ultra Magnus) towards Combiner Wars as per the mold origins, every part of the Prime Wars Trilogy has an Alpha Trion somewhere
That's true! But I do prefer my Ultra Maggie's innerbot to be Minimus Ambus.
I like that -- Ultra M finally getting his due as leader.
It really makes me wonder how he could have looked as a Prime; is Optimal Optimus getting an altered look as a bearer of the Matrix? Or is having all 3 of Primal's looks enough?
Posted by Evil Eye on December 15th, 2017 @ 4:26pm CST
Posted by Agamemnon on December 15th, 2017 @ 4:39pm CST

I gotta say...if I had more self control, I'd skip the Voyagers so far. I'm liking nearly everything else I have seen so far. But, Will is doing a nice job of convincing me to not invest in Grimmy and Screamer...
Posted by william-james88 on December 15th, 2017 @ 8:35pm CST
steals_your_goats wrote:If I want to look at static poses of a figure I'll look up the stock photos.
Can you please provide us with stock photos of Starscream's Combined mode? We didnt have any to post yet.
Flashwave wrote:Given the number of people who mixed and matched Computrons, not sure I can ssyvhe was "best." unless you are willing to lump both Computorns together.
I actually did: https://www.seibertron.com/transformers ... -g1/39500/
For me, best combiner is Ruination/Baldigus. But some of that is nostalgia , RID was my first jumping on point.
He's pretty awesome, and once again proves that the best came from UW and not CW

Currently working on more POTP news

Posted by william-james88 on December 15th, 2017 @ 8:50pm CST
Regarding the voyagers, we also have a pictorial review of Starscream for those who want to know more about the figure before purchasing. And there might be some hesitation because this news also showed us the price these voyagers are going for: $29.99 USD. This is the MSRP price jump indicated by Hasbro in their official product descriptions. The Prime Masters also show that price jump in comparison to Titan Masters, where they are $5.99 USD, so one dollar more. The Deluxes however, show a price of $16.99 which is less than the $19.99 MSRP. You can see all MSRPs per class here.
These toys are also listed on the Toysrus website but not currently available. We did place a screenshot below to show the prices of each class. These are the hottest toys right now among the fan community so please post your findings in the sightings section and sightings forum.




Posted by Flashwave on December 15th, 2017 @ 8:52pm CST
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on December 15th, 2017 @ 9:11pm CST
... and think unified subgroups are called out now?
Posted by Sabrblade on December 15th, 2017 @ 9:13pm CST
Yeah, it looks like the team combiners are getting their subgroup names attached to their individual names, as the Terrorcons looks to have "Terrorcon" prefixes on them too.JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:I've been blind for not noticing Grimlock's "Dinobot" prefix. Don't worry, it's a separate trademark, probably for consistency across the other Dinobots who do require prefixes. Think we can expect the same for the Terrorcons?
... and think unified subgroups are called out now?