It’s been 30 years since the introduction of the Transformers, and the conniving, traitorous, self-serving Starscream remains one of the most popular characters in the history of the line. Many will recall his role as “Megatron’s punching bag” in the original G1 cartoon, but in the current IDW comic Robots in Disguise, Starscream is one of the key mastheads of series; his motivations and actions impact the direction of the book to a significant degree. Even though he’s now “the chosen one,” he’s still the same old Starscream, opportunistically seeking the angle that’ll serve his agenda best.
During the events of the comics, Starscream received an upgrade based on his look from the Armada days, which is what we see here. This has never been among my favorite looks for the character, and I’m not crazy about the color scheme — Starscream will forever be red, gray, and blue to me — but despite my reservations and misgivings, I am actually quite fond of this figure, which surprises me. I was completely ready to skip it entirely, but I’m glad I picked it up because it’s quickly become one of my favorite renditions of the character.
Starscream comes packed with Dark Cybertron #1, the current “event” comic series that is actually still going on now, so this figure’s release is rather timely. It makes both the figure and the comic feel especially relevant, and it’s pretty great to see an indie (meaning not a Marvel or DC title) getting this kind of exposure in all the major retailers. The Transformers’ narrative beginning was in the comics, so it’s awesome to see the comics become the primary narrative source once again 30 years later.
Robot Mode
Starscream’s ‘bot mode is sleek and effective. It reminds me a lot of the old G1 Jetfire figure (the original based on the Robotech design), so it takes a little bit of effort on my part to truly see this as “Starscream.” I’m getting there, though.
His proportions are near-perfect, and he does a reasonably good job of hiding the “hollow syndrome” he is definitely afflicted with. To aid this, his giant shoulder cannons hang on his back adding a much-needed sense of mass to the figure.
The shoulder cannons can be folded down onto his shoulders, which reveals the orange missiles resting within each cannon. The cannons can be fired by simply pushing in the clear orange plastic bits at the far end of each. They’re a bit difficult to activate at first, and I was sure I was going to break mine because I had to use an uncomfortable amount of force, but after seeing each missile successfully fly across the room, I can confirm that they do work.
I love the way he looks with the missiles folded down on either side of his head, but in order for this to happen, the rest of the cannons have to be extended in the air and out from his body to a near-comical degree. It’s too bad because he does look cool when viewed from the front, so this is my key gripe with the figure.
Close up, this is one grumpy-looking Starscream. Given the bio on the back of the card, he certainly does look as though he’s about to take out his frustrations on Megatron.
As you can see, the paint on his face wasn’t applied very carefully. The gray paint doesn’t cover his face entirely, but I suppose it does a decent job of making him look as though he’s constantly lurking in the shadows, plotting.
It’s refreshing to get a new Transformers figure with light-piping that actually works well. When his eyes are illuminated, it almost looks as though pupils can be seen in each. I have to believe his eyes were designed this way because they’re way too symmetrical to suggest otherwise. It adds a lot of personality to the figure too. To be honest, though, I am used to seeing Starscream with some kind of smirk on his face, but this meaner-looking one is something I could get used to.
For accessories, Starscream comes with two clear orange swords that can fold up to become part of his wings in his jet mode. The swords are pretty cool and do look like swords, mostly, despite that very visible joint right in the middle of each.
As cool as the swords are, they succeed in highlighting the lack of wrist articulation the figure has. A wrist swivel of some kind would have been appreciated here because as it is, there isn’t a lot he can do with the swords outside of a few very basic poses.
His colors may not really suggest “Starscream” to me due to my lingering G1 bias, but this figure is an improvement on both molds we’ve seen previously. He’s the most satisfying version in terms of basic play value, and he just looks like the better-executed action figure. His limbs aren’t an odd, gangly mess, and he dodges the “blocky” bullet that most G1 homages are saddled with. And he looks cool posed on a Decepticon shelf, or …
… an Autobot shelf since factions don’t really mean much these days.
Jet Mode
Starscream’s alt mode is almost as effective as his ‘bot mode. There’s just one thing holding it back that I can’t seem to overlook no matter how hard I may try — his head isn’t as integrated into/concealed by his alt mode as it should be. The entire back of his head is a clear orange plastic due to the light-piping effect, so it doesn’t match the orange plastic that comprises the lion’s share of his alt mode. There’s a panel that covers his face on the underside of the jet, thankfully, but I can’t help but wish something similar had been implemented on the topside.
Aside from that, it’s a handsome jet mode. His cannons are much more effective here than in his ‘bot mode, and this aids in his looking like a true threat in the skies. His swords are meant to attach to his wings, but I’ve read several accounts of the swords breaking or becoming saddled with stress marks as a result, so I’ve opted to leave them be and not attach them.
I think Starscream here will be the sleeper hit of this wave. Scoop and the Minicon team seem to be the more in-demand figures from this assortment, but I think anyone who gives this figure a try will be as pleasantly surprised as I was. The wave is currently being found at all the major retailers, but if hunting isn’t your thing, then he can be easily ordered through Fwoosh sponsor Big Bad Toy Store. Give him a shot — he’s honestly a really fun figure, even if he doesn’t meet your standards of a definitive, default Starscream.
