Review – Revoltech Transformers Starscream
“It’s only a matter of time, really. Soon, the Decepticons will follow me instead of Megatron. I’ve learned all I can from him, and the lust for power that makes us so similar is the same thing that will forever prevent us from working together.”
— from More Than Meets the Eye Volume 2, The Transformers Official Guidebook
In the early 90s Hasbro released a series of Transformers toys that, to be honest, completely missed the point of Transformers toys; the “Action Masters” series included Transformers that didn’t Transform. Lame.
It’s kind of funny that today, after almost twenty years since the Action Masters series was released, I’m about to tell you just how much I love Kaiyodo’s non-transforming Starscream Revoltech figure. Yes, it doesn’t transform. Yes, it’s just a chunk of plastic with a lot of joints and some extra bits. Yes, it’s an awesome toy that is going to the office with me so that Starscream can live on my desk and be near me as I work.
I first encountered the Revoltech Starscream when poking around the web at a few different toy sites. www.slashtoys.com clearly explains the Revoltech figures:
“The Revoltech line of action figures, from Kaiyodo of Japan, features an innovative joint system that allows the figure to demonstrate a wide array of realistic poses.”
“Unlike any other PVC action figure, the Revoltech Figures are designed with an innovative joint system that allows the figure to demonstrate poses that are incredibly dynamic and more realistic than ever before.”
That’s an understatement. The joints on this toy are fantastic and the included stand — shown at right — allows you to pose the figure in more poses than you can imagine; and all while ignoring the laws of balance! Starscream’s legs move, knees, elbows, hands, head, torso . . . hell, even his feet move! And what’s really great is that every joint moves with a satisfying “click” sound — the poses can be locked into place and the joints are strong enough to hold the pose! This is definitely a superior action figure.
For accessories, Starscream comes with a total of five different hands — fists, pointing, a hand to hold Megatron (keep reading), and a “actiony” hand pose that I can’t explain — and Megatron is gun mode.
The Megatron gun’s stock and scope are removable, and you’ll have to remove the stock to fit in the gun into Starscream’s hand. The Megatron-holding capability is really the weakest point on this toy so I shoved Megatron back into the box; why bother with it if it’s difficult?
You can see Megatron in Starscream’s right hand in the image at left. It’s not that he can’t hold the gun, it’s just that snapping the gun into place involves a few seconds of terror as I force it and feel as if something is about to snap. Rather than go through that I’ll just let Megatron rest for now.
This is my first Revoltech figure (though I’ve already ordered more off of eBay) and it’s more impressive than any other non-transforming Transformer toy I’ve ever seen. Maybe some of the other (like Optimus Prime and Megatron) will be even more impressive, though, because at www.collectiondx.com the review of the Revoltech Starscream makes it sound like this particular toy is a weak release:
“The fit and finish on this toy is really nice, and there are some nice touches, such as the fins on the back of the legs, the moving cannons on the arms, and the nice back detail – a view we don’t normally get to see on Starscream. However Kaiyodo doesn’t give a whole lot else with the toy.”
“Included accessories are Megatron in gun mode, a few extra hands, and a stand. Thats it. What about Starscream’s crown and cape? How about a variant head?”
“There are a few variant hands, nothing remarkable.”
If this toy isn’t remarkable, then I can’t wait to see a Revoltech figure that is remarkable.
BaseGuardian, at www.superheroesbase.com, sounds like he’s a bit more foregiving than www.collectiondx.com is, because he gives the toy a 9 out of 10; that sounds about right to me, though I never try to bother with numerical ratings when discussing toys.
Closing Thoughts
As BaseGuardian says at www.superheroesbase.com:
“By scraping the transforming gimmick, the figure can be design to be more cartoon (anime) accurate.”
It pains me to say this, but I have to agree. If the old Action Masters Transformers had looked like this I probably wouldn’t complain about them. The Revoltech Starscream looks great, can be posed in many different ways, and feels like a sturdy, quality toy. I’m really looking forward to getting Optimus Prime and Megatron; maybe I’ll even bring out the Megatron gun-mode piece from Starscream and see if Prime can hold it.
A little on the expensive side for a toy — I paid just under $20 for this at the local Hastings — but a beautiful piece of work.
You can find several great photos of this toy at www.tformers.com.
Philip Reed has a tummy ache right now and is gonna go relax.
Y’know… I always liked the Action Masters. They didn’t transform, but at least you could have an Optimus Prime that could sit down. That’s why the newer lines of Transformers figures are so awesome; they’ve integrated excellent robot modes with great articulation into the mix.