Starscream
Within a few months, we will start seeing all the merchandising that will support the new Transformers movie coming this July. I was lucky enough to get 2 of the Fast Action Battlers figures to review. I have no idea if this is the final production model or not, so there could be changes. This is the review for one of the most controversial characters of the movie, Starscream.
Alt Mode
Starscream's alt mode is a F22 Raptor military jet. Supposedly, this movie will give the first public view of this new aircraft. The jet is mostly tan in color. There is a missile under each wing held by (unfortunately) his robot mode hands. This is sized as a deluxe but has the features of a basic. I was not sent instructions on proper transformation and studied the figure for a good 10min because I was in disbelief I had it right. I could very well have it wrong. In fact, I'm hoping I have it wrong.
His robot mode legs sorely stick out from the back of the plane. Not only does this ruin the overall look, but it also leaves a major gap up front. Whoever thought this out really didn't concentrate too hard. Perhaps it's not too late to add a swivel joint so the legs can at least rotate under the fuselage. Transformation is a snap. Fold his legs down, pull down the nosecone, then grab the back end. It basically folds right into his robot mode.
Robot Mode
His robot mode is very strange looking to say the least. He retains the tan look, although darker shades come out here (taupe maybe?). His legs and feet look like they belong on a mechanical chicken. His arms are rather small in proportion to the rest of him, but do contain molded fingers.
The legs do have decent articulation. The hips are very poseable, but there are no knee joints persay. While it looks like the knees are permanently bent at 90 degrees, there is a joint behind the knees that does bend. With this, you can get some decent leg poses. The arms have no elbow joints and only move fore and aft. The head has good movement but has the double jeopardy of being limited by the rear flaps and being recessed into the body a bit.
There are 2 gimmicks to be had on this figure. There is a lever on the side of his bicep that, when pressed, flips out a claw blade on his forearm. There is also a lever on top of his shoulder that, when pressed, springs his arm upwards. This is apparently a slashing action. Overall, I wasn't too impressed with the look. The proportions seem all wrong in both modes. I can only hope this is mistransformed. Otherwise, my score reflects how dismal this figure is. My score is also based on the figure being no more than $7. If it is, deduct a full point for every dollar beyond that.
Reviewer | Blitzwing |
Date | February 26th 2007 |
Score | (5 out of 10) |
Reads | 13297 |
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