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I am the presence anointed to carry forth the light.
Series: Cybertron
Allegiance: Decepticon
Categories: Legends
Year: 2006

 

Prelude: When your toyline includes a subline of smaller figures aimed at a somewhat younger audience, it’s a given that it contains most of the major characters from the accompanying cartoon. It also means that we get repaints, of course, and few figures have been the basis for more repaints than the Seekers, no matter what series we’re in. So here we have Cybertron Legends Class Sunstorm, repaint of Cybertron Starscream. Will he burn the infidels in the name of Primus? Let’s say go!

Many thanks to my buddy Scourge for loaning me Sunstorm for pictures and review.

Robot Mode: Sunstorm is, as mentioned above, a repaint of Cybertron Starscream, whom I have previously reviewed. It’s been seventeen years, though, so I think a fresh look at the figure is warranted.

As a figure Sunstorm is more or less identical to the Voyager Class Starscream, just a good deal smaller. But he has the same basic layout and even the same level of articulation (mostly). Sunstorm has elbows, knees, everything. He cannot turn his head, but I think that’s the only real difference to the larger figure. Naturally Sunstorm has received a new paintjob, being mostly yellow and orange with some silver and light grey parts. He is still recognizable as a (Cybertron-style) Seeker, but looks sufficiently different from any of the others.

This is one of the few Cybertron Legends Class molds that actually includes the full gimmick of the larger figure, as Sunstorm carries flip-out weapons in his shoulder pods. One big difference from the Voyager figure (apart from the size) is the type of weapons, though. Here Sunstorm takes his cues from Supreme Starscream, having a blade on one arm and a null ray cannon on the other. Of course the weapons are not triggered by a Cyberkey, but otherwise it works the same as with the larger figures. Oh, and one other difference: for some reason Sunstorm’s face carries a much, much grumpier expression than the larger figure. Adorable, really!

So bottom line for the robot mode: Sunstorm is a very good miniature version of the larger Cybertron figures. Very nicely done and no complaints.

Alternate Mode: Of course Sunstorm transforms into the same science fiction style space jet that Cybertron Starscream does (in any size class). The transformation is practically identical, the only thing missing is the longer jet nose that the larger figures unfold from their feet, the Legends figure thus has a slightly shorter nose. Otherwise, though, it’s the same jet, just a lot smaller and with new colors. The wings are a bit shorter, too, but aerodynamics were never really a consideration for Cybertronian jets, I believe.

And that’s pretty much it. Much like in robot mode, a very good miniature version of the jet mode of the larger figures. No complaints here, either.

Remarks: It’s the year 2024 and Hasbro has apparently decided to put an end to its most recent foray into the Legends scale that is so popular with third party companies these days. The Core Class was not the first time Hasbro ventured into this segment, though. Nearly twenty years ago the then-current Cybertron line of toys featured an entirely new subline in the Legends class figures, which portrayed most of the main characters from the Cybertron cartoon at a smaller scale, as well as a number of repaints, naturally. Sunstorm was one such repaint. The character never appeared in the cartoon, but had gained a bit of short-lived fame for appearing in the Dreamwave G1 comic book series two years earlier.

Apart from Starscream, this mold was also used for Ramjet and Thrust, as well as Dark of the Moon Starscream.

Looking back, I gave Legends Starscream a C+ rating back in 2007, mostly because I am not really invested in Legends-scale toys personally, I believe. Leaving that issue aside, though, I have to say that Sunstorm is pretty much as perfect a Legends-class figure as existed back in the day. So keeping that in mind, there really isn’t anything wrong with Sunstorm. So if you like Legends scale and you like Cybertron, this is a figure you should definitely get at least one version of.

Rating: A

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