Intro:
After
the release of Optimus and Megatron (and their various repaints), Takara-Tomy
knew that they had to come out with a new character and a new mould, hence
Starscream seemed to be the most obvious choice.
So
far, the Alternity line has reused this mould several times for the other two
Seekers: Skywarp and Thundercracker, as well as the Toy Hobby Market exclusive
Banzai-Tron.
So
after having bought all 3 Alternity moulds so far, i.e. Optimus, Megatron and
Bumblebee, it was inevitable that I had to get this one.
Some of the
early photos that I saw online seemed to indicate it to be quite a promising
figure, and so I went for it.
Alternate
Mode:
I
ain’t that good with car identifications, but I do know a good-looking car when
I see one, and this Mitsuoka Orochi is definitely one heck of a car!
Mitsuoka
is a Japanese car manufacturer that produces cars solely for their local
market, and the Orochi is one of their more prominent cars. Originally designed
as a concept car, the actual car itself looks extremely slick and made for
speed.
As
far as comparing Starscream’s alternate mode to the photo of the actual
Mitsuoka Orochi, they look darn accurate, even to the black slit on the
headlights that make them look like the eyes of a serpent.
 |
| Eyes of a Serpent |
The thing
noticeably different between the actual car and Starscream’s alternate mode is
how the doors opened. Here, the doors actually swing outward to open, whereas
in the actual car, the doors open upward.
Anyways, the
doors open up to reveal the two seats and the dashboard inside.
There
is also the word “Mitsuoka” at the back of the hood.
Kibbles
are visible, with the hands and guns being so darn obvious down there. And if
you look closely, there is also a semblance of wings at the back wheels. I
wonder what they’re for.
Well,
Starscream has a somewhat 3rd mode, which is a Flying Car mode, so to speak. The wings can be swung outward, and
voila, you got yourself a Flying Car!
Yeah,
it’s weak, but I guess since Starscream is an Air Commander, he obviously needs
to be able to fly. Silly, but I get the justification. This mode kind of
reminded me of the Autobot warrior Tracks, and maybe, just maybe, we get to see
a Tracks remake of this figure.
Anyways,
the third mode aside (let’s forget that it even exist), I am really digging
this vehicle mode. I think it’s pretty awesome, slick and speedy-looking,
befitting for Starscream, if he ever needed to have a car mode.
Excellent choice
of car mode.
Robot
Mode:
Robot-wise,
it’s a different story.
Apart
from the paintjob that vaguely hints at the figure being Starscream, there is
little of anything else to suggest it either!
Heck,
even the head sculpt, of all things; do not indicate him being Starscream. What
Takara-Tomy should’ve done was to at least design the head to at least resemble
G1 Starscream. To be honest with you, this head is rather more suitable for
characters like Waspinator or any of the Insecticons. The light-piping is
really good though.
What
a pity.
The
robot mode is okay, nothing stellar, but not too bad either. Just like his
vehicle mode, Starscream looks slick and slender.
Articulation-wise,
Starscream has tons of it: the head is on a ball joint, as with his shoulders,
wrists and ankles; the arms rotate at two points: one below the shoulders, and
the other just above the elbow joints; there is no waist joint; the hips are on
very tight universal joints; the legs rotate slightly below hips; and finally
the knees bend.
So
yeah, I kinda dig the articulations, and I think he has fair amount of them.
Then
are some of those things that I don’t quite dig. First of them being the doors,
joined to the body via really loose ball joints; they detach way too easily for
my liking, especially during transformation. Then there is the locking mechanism
to lock the shoulder vents to the shoulders. It’s really not a locking mechanism,
as the supposedly locking pieces only sit on top of the pegs on the shoulders. The
wings, while looking pretty good from the front, kind of do not work for me at
least when viewed from the back. It’s like having the entire roof obviously
hanging on to the back of the robot.
So
in the end, the robot mode is kind of a mixed baggage for me. There are plenty
of things to nitpick about this figure, while there are some positives to point
out as well.
Overall:
So
do I think that this guy is good? Well, it depends. I really love the car mode,
and I think it’s the best looking car mode so far in the Alternity line. The overall
white color works well with this figure, although it does kinda worry me that
the white will get yellowish over time, although I won’t really be losing sleep
over it. \
The
robot mode is kind of a mixed baggage. You might dig it, or you might not. Overall,
it does look good – from certain angles. The head kinda works when you put into
perspective that this car is meant to be serpent/ snake themed – the head kinda
look serpent-ish, but really doesn’t work as Starscream’s head. I mean, he got
for eyes for goodness sake, what else am I to say about it?
Anyways,
if you can get past that, and enjoy the look of the robot based on the photos
taken, then please do, go make the purchase.
Oh,
by the way, please ignore the existence of the 3rd mode.
Final
verdict: 7.5/10.
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