Studio Series 06 Starscream ***Proofed Skyquake87***

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ganon578
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Studio Series 06 Starscream ***Proofed Skyquake87***

Post by ganon578 »

Name: Starscream
Function: Air Commander
Subgroup: Studio Series (06)
Size Class: Voyager

Starscream soars amid skyscrapers with tactical precision to annihilate opponents.

Truth be told, I’m not much of a fan of the movie designs. I feel like they’re too busy and too alien looking for my tastes, and therefore I don’t have much, if any in my collection of Transformers. However, I really do fancy Starscream in general, and I thought it would be nice to add a movie version of the character to my shelves. The Studio Series figures have provided a great gateway into grabbing movie-verse figures with collectors in mind, though still at mass retail. The ones I have are high quality and come with neat backdrops in the packaging. This particular version is modeled after the 2007 movie look (Mission City Battle), and the mold has since been re-decoed into the ROTF version (21). Starscream hasn’t exactly opened the flood gates for movie figures to invade my shelves, but I’ve bought a few others since, and this one in particular is a fantastic way to get acquainted with the line.

Alternate Mode:

Starscream’s alternate mode is a Lockheed-Martin F-22 Raptor (officially licensed, as noted on the packaging) just like in the 2007 movie. The color palette is matched closely to a traditional F-22, with some white detailing along the wing edges and some darker grey Air Force and Decepticon symbols. In a nice stroke of detailing, there’s a mix of grey/tans on the jet itself, which gives it a somewhat weathered look. Molded panel lines are all over as well. For as bland of a jet mode as this could have been, there’s enough detail throughout to really make Starscream look nice.

As you might expect though, there’s robot bits on the underside. However, everything is tucked rather nicely, and even though the bottom is a bit chunkier than a real F-22, the engineering team has done a great job of hiding most of the parts. The jet has folding landing gear, meaning you can get some flight stands and have a very nice looking jet in flight on the shelf. Starscream’s missile launcher also has storage options on the very back underside as well as on the wing. I’m not the biggest fan of alternate modes, but this one is a beauty and I wouldn’t think twice about displaying it in jet mode.

Robot Mode:

As I understand it, SS06 shares a good bit of engineering with the DOTM deluxe Starscream mold, though they’re not entirely the same. The transformation is surprisingly intuitive and not terribly complex. As it is, it’s fun and everything fits/tabs together nicely in each mode.

The robot mode itself is very nicely proportioned and detailed, with some darker parts unfolding in the transformation. These give a nice bit of depth to the robot mode, while also breaking up the greys to feature some additional copper colored parts and reveal a ton of detail. Molded details are done very well, and the head sculpt is particularly clean and defined. The robot is well balanced and can get into some very nice battle poses. Articulation helps a lot here, and the arms and legs have multiple points for bending and twisting. There’s no waist joint, and that’s totally fine since the limbs do such a nice job. Starscream comes packed with only one accessory: the missile launcher. Sadly, the saw blade didn’t come too, but that weapon wasn’t used in the 2007 movie, so I suppose Hasbro was accurate on that one. The missile launcher can be pegged into his wrist (while folding his hand to his forearm) or it can be pegged to the outer forearm itself. Additionally, it can be stored on his back if you don’t want to use it. There’s a lot of good options here that should make most collectors pretty happy.

Marks out of ten for the following:

Transformation Design: Complex and yet, intuitive. Everything folds/unfolds really well to produce two nice modes. 8/10.
Durability: Very sturdy. The back wings might be a little prone to breakage in the eveny of a fall. 7/10.
Fun: Two nicely done modes, and a good amount of articulation too. As a collector’s item there’s a lot to like. 8/10.
Aesthetics: The jet mode is pure beauty. The robot mode is well detailed and proportioned. Both modes have a great, very screen accurate look. 9/10.
Articulation: The limbs give you all the articulation you need. 8/10.
Value/Price: This guy was $30 USD, but the Studio Series sometimes go for cheaper online. $30 is pushing it, but for a few bucks less you can’t go wrong for such a nice figure. 8/10.
Overall: I would highly recommend SS06, or the redeco SS21. The mold is great in both modes, and it would come down to your personal visual preference. I own both and I don’t plan on getting rid of either. If you’re a fan of the movie-verse or Starscream (or both) I think that you won’t be disappointed. 8/10.
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