Arms Microns Skywarp & Thundercracker

Review by Laserwave13:

Prelude: Since Hasbro for whatever reason seems unable to deliver the figures that we know from the actual show, it is no wonder that there are no Seekers and Starscream stays lonely. He was available as First Edition from both Hasbro and Takara, but after that Hasbro just gave us a useless redeco of him in the second Entertainment Pack, of course with another Bumblebee. Yet again Takara has to fill in the blanks and they did an awesome job on that. Let us focus on the differences to keep this short, for a full review of the toy I recommend First Edition Starscream.

Packaging: Everyone that knows or already has a figure from the Arms Micron line knows what to expect here. A beautiful and elaborate box including instructions, sticker sheet, and of course the Micron that needs to be assembled. Only thing out of the ordinary is Thundercracker not being a normal retail figure and therefore lacks a number on his box. Where Skywarp says AM-06, he is just an exclusive AM-EX toy. Also, he features a special Micron like Orion Pax did, this time the same one that Skywarp comes with, only fully chromed.

Skywarp: My personal favorite of the three classic Seekers, simply because I like his color scheme of black and purple the best. Apart from his added Micron ports he is a mere repaint of First Edition Starscream. But it has to be that way when it comes to Seekers. And it looks awesome. Colors are extremely vibrant and very well placed. The purple is so shiny next to his black parts, it looks just stunning. A few of the usual metallic stickers add even more detail. The jet mode is nothing new but very much good enough and the robot mode just kicks butt. And no, the added ports do not take anything from him. They could have given him the missiles that Starscream has for his arms, but nothing is perfect, I guess. He is simply the same amazing figure that Starscream was before him, only that Skywarp looks a lot better. Fully recommended.

Thundercracker: Finally the third and final of the three classic Seekers, only available as an exclusive, but worth every cent. He is more like a repaint of Skywarp than Starscream, because he also features the new added Micron ports. And he, too, looks better and more colorful than Screamer. Whether he looks better than Skywarp is a matter of personal preference, I think. The combination of blue and black does not pop like Skywarp, but is amazing in its own way. Sadly he also misses the missiles from Starscream, but that was to be expected. Personally I do not have a problem buying this toy for the third time; it is simply that good and looks even better now. And whenever possible, the three Seekers need to be complete. So also fully recommended.

Balo: A few words on the included Microns. For Skywarp this was a new mold, for Thundercracker it is a redeco fully covered in shiny chrome. Nice that both of them have the same Micron and the chrome fits well with the blue. But even though the Micron itself is not a bad one, it is sadly totally useless for a jet Transformer. This drill thing or whatever it is supposed to be does not fit on a jet in any way that would make sense. The chrome feels thick and well-applied, so no worries about scratching it anytime soon. Next to the golden R.A from Orion Pax this is a nice addition and recommended to all fans of bling.

Conclusion: Is it necessary to complete all the Seekers in Prime, even if this will never happen on screen? Definitively and absolutely, yes! If you have the chance of getting your hands on them, by all means do it. Whether Starscream is a Hasbro or Takara First Edition doesn’t really matter, they only have some very minor differences. But if you like this mold and redecorated First Edition figures, this is your treat. Especially if you are a Seeker nerd like me. Both look great and are no less than fully recommended.

Rating: A