Animated Skywarp (Activator)

*I'm so scared that no one will be able to find this exclusive figure!*

Series: Animated (Takara)
Year: 2010
Allegiance: Decepticon
Class: Activator Store Exclusive

Prelude: There are many facets to Starscream’s personality. He can be ambitious, arrogant, scheming, lying, greedy, and things you better don’t ask about. He can also be quite the coward, though, and that part of his personality has taken root in the clone called Skywarp. And apart from the retail Voyager figure that was available in the West, Takara also released an exclusive Activator version of the cowardly Seeker. So fight your fear and let’s say go!

Robot Mode: I’ve already reviewed the Starscream, Ramjet, Dirge, and Thundercracker versions of this figure, so there isn’t really anything new I can say about the mold itself. Just a few words on the differences here.

Skywarp has been repainted in his traditional colors of black and purple, very close to the colors of the Voyager figure. Instead of silver we have a slightly blueish grey and the cockpit on the chest is a solid orange here instead of a transparent canopy. The only real deviation is the head. For some reason the helmet is purple instead of black, even though the first promo pictures for this figure also showed it with a black helmet. No idea why that was changed.

And that’s really it in terms of changes. Otherwise it’s the same excellent figure as the other Activator Seekers, though I did notice that the joints on this one are a lot more loose than on the previous versions. Both arms easily come off the shoulder joints when moved, for example. Maybe the mold was already showing signs of wear at this point or I got a Monday’s version, who knows? Still, the Activator Seeker is still better than the Voyager version, at least in robot mode, and it looks great in Skywarp’s colors.

Alternate Mode: Nothing new here apart from the colors, too, of course. Skywarp transforms into the same futuristic fighter jet as Starscream with forward-swept wings. The Jet transforms back into robot mode with a trigger-launched auto-transformation and it has a rear landing gear, too. The only downside is that you can clearly see the robot mode arms underneath the wings in this mode. The Voyager version actually looks better in jet mode. Still, a nice jet and here, too, it looks fabulous in Skywarp’s colors.

Remarks: Skywarp was among the clones Starscream created to fight Megatron for control of the Decepticons, but just like the rest of them he eventually betrayed their creator to fall in with the Decepticon leader. Skywarp is also the only one apart from Starscream himself who got both a Voyager-class figure and an Activator in the Animated line (plus Thundercracker, if you managed to score one of the few Voyager class figures that made it out of the factory before the line was cancelled). Skywarp’s Activator figure was exclusive to Japan and available only as a prize in a lottery held in association with Family Mart.

So what else can I write here? Not much. Skywarp is merely another color variant of the Animated Seeker Activator and while that is a fabulous figure, it’s not really worth the extra money needed to obtain a Japanese exclusive figure unless you’re an absolute Animated nut like me. So bottom line: a very nice figure (loose joints and all), but there are much cheaper versions of it to be found.

Rating: B