DE 
EN 
Series: Cybertron
Year: 2005
Allegiance: Decepticons
Class: Voyager Store Exclusive
Constantly plotting behind his leader´s back, Starscream is using the Decepticon forces left under his command on Earth to further his own ambitions. He desires the power granted by the Planet Key, believing it will finally give him the power to destroy Megatron and the Autobots. With a mighty array of weapons, including his fearsome Null ray cannons, he is second to none in aerial combat and skill with an Energon blade.
Prelude: Hey, you know that awesome Voyager-class Starscream figure from Takara’s Galaxy Force? Yeah, bad news, you won’t be getting that in the Cybertron toy line. Why don’t you buy that huge Supreme Class Starscream instead? No? Okay, fair is fair, you’re getting the Voyager Starscream, but only in a two-pack with a Vector Prime figure you probably bought already and only at Toys R’Us. Oh, and it will have a different paintjob than in the cartoon, too. What do you mean, unfair? The Supreme version has the cartoon paintjob, but you didn’t want that one! Transformers fans, nothing’s ever good enough for them. Let’s say go!
Robot Mode: This figure here is a repaint of Galaxy Force Starscream, which I first reviewed way back in 2006 (I also reviewed his repaints Botcon Shattered Glass Starscream in 2008 and Universe Dirge in 2009). Whichever way you put it, it’s been a while, so I think we can give this figure here another go.
Starscream here hails from a time when Voyager class figures were pretty big and massive. Sure, they had fewer joints and parts, but they were chunky. Starscream looks broad and powerful and while his coloring is more reminiscent of Thrust, it still works for him, I think. There is no doubt that he transforms into something that flies, what with the cockpit on his chest and the wings on his shoulders. Those massive, massive shoulders with the thrusters on top. I love this guy, can you tell?
The detailing on this figure is pretty amazing and his articulation is as good as it got back in 2005. No twisting wrists or ankle tilts and the transformation precludes a waist swivel, but otherwise Starscream can move pretty well. Which is good, because his Cyberkey gimmick consists of two giant blades. Enter the Cyberkey into the slot on his back and he unfolds two blades from those pods attached to his shoulders. Now he can do all sorts of cool sword-fighting poses. Also, all the joints are pretty tight and there is a satisfyingly loud click-click every time you move them. For some reason that makes me feel pretty good.
The only slight downsides to this otherwise amazing robot are the immobile guns on his chest (in the cartoon he could flip them forward) and that he looks a bit unfinished from behind (mostly the open legs). He also comes with a handgun that launches a single missile, but that weapon is pretty superfluous and he never used it in the cartoon, either. So bottom line: still a very nice robot mode, my favorite Starscream from the Unicron Trilogy. Of the four different paint jobs of this mold, though, I have to say that this one is the most boring one.
Alternate Mode: Starscream transforms into a huge space jet, somewhat inspired by the Tetrajet design used in the G1 cartoon pilot More than Meets the Eye and probably the precursor for the War for Cybertron / Fall of Cybertron Seeker design seen in the Moon Studio Games. The transformation is pretty straightforward and not complicated. It’s actually easier than transforming him back into robot mode, because once those feet are properly tabbed in to form the jet nose, it takes some doing to get them apart again.
The jet could hail from any number of different science fiction worlds and just looks fabulous. The sculpted guns now point forward, it has a working (though non-retracting) landing gear, and you can even activate the Cyberkey gimmick in this mode, too. The only slight downside is that you can see Starscream’s head on top, but unless you look very closely it just looks like a part of the jet. So bottom line: a great jet mode. My favorite Seeker design, though Fall of Cybertron Starscream comes close.
Remarks: As written above, this particular version of Starscream was only available at Toys R’Us in a two-pack with an unchanged Vector Prime figure and was the only way to get the Voyager Starscream mold outside of importing it from Japan (at least until Botcon 2008). The fact that they went with the Thrust colors instead of the normal Starscream ones was presumably just another ploy to motivate fans to buy the much larger (and much more expensive) Supreme-Class Starscream instead.
The pictures for this review were provided by my buddy Flo, who seems dead set on collecting even the most obscure and exclusive Japanese limited edition blind-packed Transformers as long as they are from the Unicron Trilogy of toys. I have since acquired this version of Starscream for myself, but given the already very nice pictures I have, I saw no need to take new ones (especially since my version is missing a tail fin). So, many thanks to Flo. And bottom line for this figure: while I do consider this particular paintjob the most boring one of the four versions available, it is still a great figure and at least one version of it should grace the home of every Starscream, Unicron Trilogy, or Jet Transformers fan.
Rating: B+
Robot Mode: This figure here is a repaint of Galaxy Force Starscream, which I first reviewed way back in 2006 (I also reviewed his repaints Botcon Shattered Glass Starscream in 2008 and Universe Dirge in 2009). Whichever way you put it, it’s been a while, so I think we can give this figure here another go.
Starscream here hails from a time when Voyager class figures were pretty big and massive. Sure, they had fewer joints and parts, but they were chunky. Starscream looks broad and powerful and while his coloring is more reminiscent of Thrust, it still works for him, I think. There is no doubt that he transforms into something that flies, what with the cockpit on his chest and the wings on his shoulders. Those massive, massive shoulders with the thrusters on top. I love this guy, can you tell?
The detailing on this figure is pretty amazing and his articulation is as good as it got back in 2005. No twisting wrists or ankle tilts and the transformation precludes a waist swivel, but otherwise Starscream can move pretty well. Which is good, because his Cyberkey gimmick consists of two giant blades. Enter the Cyberkey into the slot on his back and he unfolds two blades from those pods attached to his shoulders. Now he can do all sorts of cool sword-fighting poses. Also, all the joints are pretty tight and there is a satisfyingly loud click-click every time you move them. For some reason that makes me feel pretty good.
The only slight downsides to this otherwise amazing robot are the immobile guns on his chest (in the cartoon he could flip them forward) and that he looks a bit unfinished from behind (mostly the open legs). He also comes with a handgun that launches a single missile, but that weapon is pretty superfluous and he never used it in the cartoon, either. So bottom line: still a very nice robot mode, my favorite Starscream from the Unicron Trilogy. Of the four different paint jobs of this mold, though, I have to say that this one is the most boring one.
Alternate Mode: Starscream transforms into a huge space jet, somewhat inspired by the Tetrajet design used in the G1 cartoon pilot More than Meets the Eye and probably the precursor for the War for Cybertron / Fall of Cybertron Seeker design seen in the Moon Studio Games. The transformation is pretty straightforward and not complicated. It’s actually easier than transforming him back into robot mode, because once those feet are properly tabbed in to form the jet nose, it takes some doing to get them apart again.
The jet could hail from any number of different science fiction worlds and just looks fabulous. The sculpted guns now point forward, it has a working (though non-retracting) landing gear, and you can even activate the Cyberkey gimmick in this mode, too. The only slight downside is that you can see Starscream’s head on top, but unless you look very closely it just looks like a part of the jet. So bottom line: a great jet mode. My favorite Seeker design, though Fall of Cybertron Starscream comes close.
Remarks: As written above, this particular version of Starscream was only available at Toys R’Us in a two-pack with an unchanged Vector Prime figure and was the only way to get the Voyager Starscream mold outside of importing it from Japan (at least until Botcon 2008). The fact that they went with the Thrust colors instead of the normal Starscream ones was presumably just another ploy to motivate fans to buy the much larger (and much more expensive) Supreme-Class Starscream instead.
The pictures for this review were provided by my buddy Flo, who seems dead set on collecting even the most obscure and exclusive Japanese limited edition blind-packed Transformers as long as they are from the Unicron Trilogy of toys. I have since acquired this version of Starscream for myself, but given the already very nice pictures I have, I saw no need to take new ones (especially since my version is missing a tail fin). So, many thanks to Flo. And bottom line for this figure: while I do consider this particular paintjob the most boring one of the four versions available, it is still a great figure and at least one version of it should grace the home of every Starscream, Unicron Trilogy, or Jet Transformers fan.
Rating: B+
Picture Gallery:
Picture Copyright: Philip S.
