TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:
Alternate Mode:
Additional Image:
Box Art:
Technical Specifications:
STR
INT
SPD
END
RNK
CRG
FPR
SKL

ganon578's review: Sunstreaker

Name: Sunstreaker
Function: Warrior
Allegiance: Autobot
Group: Universe Deluxe Classic Series

"They can’t beat the best."

Sunstreaker is a fighter for a cause, and that cause is Sunstreaker. If it’s not in his best interest (and not too threatening to his paint job), he’ll take out anyone he needs too, no matter where he is. Still, he’d rather be back home, kicking back, polishing his chrome and preparing for a good, old-fashioned arena right, rather than hunting Decepticon assault squads across deep space.

Sunstreaker was the first of the new Classics/Universe line that I really wanted, and also happened to be the first that I got. I never had one during the G1 days, but now that I’ve had the opportunity to pick one up (and an updated one too) I can’t complain at all. This figure has got some really cool features, and also looks really good on a shelf as part of a collection.

Alternate Mode:
This mode is actually really good, and I’m not a person to go nuts about an alternate mode. I really like the car design in this mold; it’s a good throwback to the G1 Lamborghini that Sunstreaker was then. It keeps that same Lambo feel without actually being one; it’s a slick looking sports car that definitely looks like it can get some speed on the highway. The yellow color really stands out, and the black highlights here and there give some really good contrast to a simple but effective look. I give Hasbro a lot of credit for going out of their way to provide attention to detail in this one, there are clear plastic parts for the headlights, small red paint spots for the turn signals, a small black grill in the front of the car, and some ribbing on the top of the car for some texture. The back end of the car also gets some surprising attention to detail, with a majority of it getting painted a dark silver color, with red taillights, and a license plate on the back reading “WE R 84”. The wheels get a cool chrome finish on the rims, and a spoiler and turbocharger system on the top of the car are small bits that make a sweet car out of an otherwise simple look. There’s also some cool detail in the rear fenders that make the car look sporty. The quality here is good too; the alternate mode feels very solid and nothing easily comes off (the turbocharger detaches, and Sunstreaker’s gun fits nicely underneath the car to provide exhaust pipes). Size-wise, in car mode, Sunstreaker is slightly smaller than Classics Rodimus. Overall, this is a high quality mode.

Robot Mode:
Transforming from the alternate mode can be a chore at times. It took me quite a while to figure out how the arms all fit into place, and how they slide around without breaking something. Maybe it’s my gargantuan hands, but I couldn’t help but feel like something was going to break while shifting parts around. However, when something did pop off, it went right back on due to a lot of ball joints, which is also a bonus since things can be moved out of the way so other things can be shifted. There are some really cool aspects of the robot mode. One cool part is actually in the transformation; to get Sunstreaker’s head up, you rotate the top/windshield of the car, and out pops his head from the inner workings of the car. This is kind of like the automorph feature in the movie line figures, but it really works well here. This figure has an impressive amount of articulation in this mode, and for the most part, it seems really balanced, so you can set him up in multiple positions for some really cool display looks. Ball joints in the shoulders and hips, rotating and bending arms, bending knees, moveable feet, and rotating wrists and neck make this one cool robot. There’s also some great detail going on in this mode too; the head has a great paint job, with yellow running through the solid black, a silver face, and some blue eyes that really stand out and give Sunstreaker some character. There’s a red Autobot symbol on the top of the car too, which then becomes situated in the middle of his chest, and there’s also some red streaks running on the shoulders for some added detail. Clear blue plastic lines the thighs, and a mixture of silver and black plastic for the arms and legs give the figure some really nice color and makes it look like Hasbro really did a great job here. Plus, his former tailpipes are now his electron pulse blaster. At first I thought it looked a little small for him, but it fits nicely. Just for measurement purposes too, Sunstreaker in robot mode is slightly larger than Classics Rodimus, so it appears that Hasbro really tried to make good use of space inside the car for the robot mode. I really dig both modes in Sunstreaker, but I think the robot mode takes it due to all the articulation and added detail.

Transformation: 8. There are some tricky parts, and I really like the automatic rising head feature (kind of like the automorph in the movie line).

Durability: 7. Solid, but some parts can pop off during transformation. Luckily it’s mostly ball joints, so things pop right back on. I can’t help the feeling though that this is slightly lower quality plastic.

Fun: 9. Some cool transformation points, along with a massive amount of articulation in robot mode. This figure is balanced well, so you can get him into cool positions. Car mode is slick as well.

Price: 10. $10 US Retail; you get a good figure for a cheap price.

Overall: 8. Sunstreaker is a great addition to any classics collection, and you can’t beat the great articulation in this guy, plus, he’s got a good paint job too.