Intro:
In
the original G1 continuity, the Supreme Leaders of the Autobots are often
characterized as holders of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership a.k.a. Creation
Matrix. But ever since the Japanese created their own definition of G1, that
concept was eventually abandoned, beginning with Fortress Maximus in the
Headmaster series. Although Rodimus Prime was also one of the Supreme Leaders
of the Autobot, there was no mention of the Matrix at all, and that trend continued
with the subsequent leaders in subsequent series.
In
Victory, we were introduced to another new Supreme Leader of the Autobots –
Star Saber. He was depicted as being close friends with God Ginrai – another
one of the Autobots’ leaders
Star
Saber was also described as having known Deathsaurus for a long time – since
childhood even.
Star
Saber is a Brainmaster – with the smaller robot that was supposed to reside in
the chest of the bigger robot, and subsequently forming its face. There is no
specific name for the human-sized robot. Star Saber’s smaller robot is called
“Brain of Courage”.
I
have been wanting to have the original G1 Star Saber for a long time, and has
been on my most-wanted list for quite some time, but since it’s way too expensive
for my current budget, I could at least settle for this.
A
shout-out to fellow collector Farid, for selling to me this twin-pack Star
Saber/ Victory Leo set to me, which I once showcased in the Transformers 30th
Anniversary Expo in Genting Highlands.
This
review will be divided into 3-parter: each for Star Saber, Victory Leo and the
Victory Saber combined mode.
This
entry will obviously focused on Star Saber.
Alternate
Mode (Saber and V-Star):
Since
this is the Robot Master version of this character, which is obviously way
smaller than the original G1 mode, there is no “Brain of Courage” mode.
The
smallest robot mode available is Saber. Saber transforms into a small red color
jet.
It
looks quite good and quite accurate to its original cartoon depiction, which is
always nice.
In
this mode, the back portion of the jet, called V-Star will pull an
Optimus-trailer, and disappear from sight.
More
often than not, in the original series, Saber would stand on top of V-Star and
use it as a glider to charge into battle.
In
robot mode, Saber is a miniature brick. The shoulders and hips swing forward,
but the knees swing the wrong way.
Combining
Saber in jet mode with V-Star, you finally get that iconic spacecraft mode that
is iconic to the character.
On
top of the jet mode, there is a divot to store the blade of the sword.
Overall,
it’s a neat alternate mode.
Robot
Mode:
Transforming
this figure from its jet mode to robot mode, I could almost hear Transformers:
Victory theme song playing inside my head.
The
robot mode looks very slick and smooth, as if paying homage to another popular
Japanese Super Robot – Mobile Suit Gundam.
Star
Saber’s head sculpt does look similar to God Ginrai’s face designs, but with
different color schemes.
In
this mode, Star Saber isn’t much a brick as his original G1 action figure. The
shoulders are on ball-joints, so they can move in all direction. However, due
to the design of the shoulders, they do have limited range of motions.
The
elbows bend, and most importantly, Star Saber also has a waist joint!
The
hips are on ball joints, and as such, they can swing forward, albeit limitedly.
There are no knee joints, but the toe flaps can move downward, mostly due to
transformation joints.
I
like the robot mode. The articulations notwithstanding, it’s a wonderful
looking robot.
Overall:
Overall,
this Star Saber action figure does stay true to its animated depiction. It’s
good to finally have a version of Star Saber in my collection.
Highly
recommended.
Final
verdict: 8.5/10.
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