INFO/PHOTO THANKS AND CREDITS: Hasbro/Takara, Dave’s Transformers, Remy’s TFKenkon.com, TFU.info, Toysnjoys.com, Google.com, cliffbee.com, bwtf.com, cosmicrust.com, and several other pic sources we weren’t able to list.

GENERATION ONE
Named for his ability to bypass Autobot barricades, this Micromaster led the Race Track patrol like a verbally abusive, obsessive coach.

ENERGON
Not given much of a say in the cartoon, this combiner-center military madmech was named Onslaught in Japan [and colored slightly differently there] after the Combaticon he was an obvious tribute to.

It’s Scorponok month, so I guess its a good time to review one of our TFOTM’s toys.Presenting: BEASTWARS SCORPONOK

Scorponok, one of the original members of Megatron’s Darkside crew. He was one of the predacons who stole the Golden Disk artifact from the Cybertron archives during the Beast Wars era.

More »

(All pics found from the net. My digicam sucks.)BACKGROUND

Okay, this is my first original transformers purchase in a veeery long time! My last TF purchase would be a Gen 1 Optimus Prime, MIB from Nova Fontana at the SM North Carpark back in ‘97. (More in this in the future.)

When the Masterpiece Prime and the Alternators line came out, it was just too expensive, and I really can’t afford another hobby (I’m in diecast car collecting), except perhaps if they made a new Bumblebee based on the New Beetle. I am a 100% VW enthusiast, after all.

We do know that the chances of a VW-based Bumblebee coming out in the near future, or rather, coming out ever, would be pretty slim since VW won’t license their products to anything related with war.

Then came this.

More »

Starscream is the original Transformer traitor. Being second-in-command of the Decepticon army, he has, time and again, openly declared his ambition of overthrowing Megatron and placing himself as the rightful leader. His outright ruthlessness and cruelty has made him a fearsome figure within the Decepticon ranks; but his treacherous ways has also earned him Megatron’s (as well as other notable Decepticon officers’) loathe and distrust.

Starscream was once a scientist and explorer during the Golden Age of Cybertron who worked with Jetfire before the civil war broke out. He eventually joined the Decepticons as a warrior as he saw it as “far more exciting” than continuing with his scientific pursuits. His skills as a warrior were glimpsed at during the gladiatorial recruitment activities run by Megatron during the creation of the Decepticon army. His skills coupled with his cold-bloodedness earned him a spot in the Megatron’s inner circle which might have lead to Starscream’s self-awareness of his worthiness of being the Decepticon leader.

Starscream was also second-in-command of the Decepticon contingent aboard the Nemesis that attacked the Autobot ship the Ark; and was among those Transformers who crash-landed and became trapped in stasis on Earth for four million years. When everyone onboard was revived, Starscream was a chief player in the Transformers continuing war on Earth and beyond.

Starscream earned the rank of Decepticon Air Commander because he is the fastest and most skilled flyer in his jet mode. He can reach speeds of up to Mach 2.8, and can climb up to sub-orbital altitudes of 52 miles; and nose-dive down to ground level in mere minutes. It is notable, though, that these nose-dives often overload his gyro-circuitry leaving him briefly disoriented. Still, such skills make him a formidable air warrior; particularly in surprise air, blitzkrieg-like attacks and hit-and-run air operations. He also has considerable strength and offensive capabilities that he has fine-tuned during his gladiatorial days in Cybertron.
Starscream’s arms are mounted with launchers (that are also mounted under his wings when in jet mode) that can launch two types of weaponry. His cluster bombs can be shot up to a distance of 40 miles, each of which can level an area of 10,000 square feet. His primary and favourite weapon, however, is the null ray. It can interrupt the flow of electricity in any circuitry it hits for periods of up to two minutes, effectively rendering any electronic device or machine - including Transformers - temporarily inoperable.
In addition to his physical capabilities, Starscream also possesses a high intellect that has proven to be very useful for the Decepticons. His scientific background has no doubt helped the Decepticons in developing new and better technology in their war against the Autobots. Plus, his experiences in hand-to-hand and field combat has allowed Starscream to become a very efficient tactical warrior and leader thus placing him high in the chain of command and becoming one of Megatron’s lieutenants.

With all these attributes, Starscream, however, has developed an overconfident attitude towards himself, becoming too ambitious and overrated of his skills and capabilities. This has also led him to believe that he is the supposed Decepticon leader; and has become a treacherous character in the eyes of the other Decepticons. While this has aided him in certain instances, oftentimes it has backfired against him putting him in a number of tight situations with Megatron, the Autobots, and his fellow Decepticons.

GENERATION ONE ANIMATED SERIES
During the period when they were stranded on Earth, Starscream continuosly plotted to overthrow Megatron. This obsession has contributed to the Decepticons’ repeated defeats under the Autobots as well as to some unexpected but historic events in Transformers history.
When Starscream was introduced in the pilot episode, his first lines have solidified in every viewer memory his treacherous character:

“The Autobots would have lost eons ago have I been in charge.”
“My time will come, Megatron.”Starscream’s treacherous ways has, since then, become one of the foundations of the Transformers mythos and has also contributed to a number of memorable episodes in the Generation One series.
After being revived by Teletraan-1 and leaving the Ark, the Decepticons went off to continue with their goal of conquering Earth. Starscream’s petty action of shooting the Autobot ship in the hopes of burying the Autobots forever in stasis only brought forth the opposite: it accidentally threw off the body of Autobot leader Optimus Prime within the range of the reconstruction beam, thus allowing the Autobots to be revived and the Cybertronian civil war to continue on Earth. Starscream also had his chance to destroy Earth when he destabilized Doctor Arkeville’s – a human Decepticon ally – exponential generator. He also joined forces with the Decepticon triple-changers Blitzwing and Astrotrain in betraying Megatron; but his backstabbing ways backfired when he, too, was double-crossed by the pair. Another highlight for Starscream came when he decided to go on his own against Megatron and created his own “army:” the Combaticons. He created this famous combiner team after stealing the imprisoned personality components of five renegade Decepticons and installing them into five World War II vehicles left over from the Battle of Guadalcanal. As his own private army, the Combaticons were used by Starscream to overthrow Megatron. Unfortunately for them – and more so for Starscream – they were defeated and were exiled. Though Starscream attempted to exact revenge, he, too, was betrayed by his own army and was forced to ally himself back with Megatron. His assistance in defeating the Combaticons combined form, Bruticus, by revealing the giant robot’s weak spot however, earned him another day to live by – as well as another day to betray – Megatron.GENERATION ONE & TWO COMIC BOOKS
Starscream was also one of the prominent characters in the Transformers comic books. Similar to his animated counterpart, the Marvel comic series also showed his desire for the leadership of the Decepticons; though in this medium, it was usually through snide remarks about Megatron’s capabilities. Following a failed attack on the Ark, Starscream was deactivated and placed in stasis inside the Ark.
His character had an “upgrade” when notable Transformers UK writer Simon Furman portrayed his ambitious and scheming character with more subtlety, and by making him more intelligent and cunning such that he got the recognition of being indeed one of the most formidable warriors in the Decepticon army.
In the Transformers UK mega-serial, Target: 2006, Starscream was seen being revived from stasis and teaming up with future Decepticon leader Galvatron. The latter tolerated Starscream, aware of the irony of the situation: Starscream believed that by working with Galvatron his future was saved, but because of Galvatron, Starscream’s future will be denied since Galvatron will eliminate him in the year 2006 (in the comic’s alternate-future rendition of The Transformers: The Movie). When the Autobots from the future duped Galvatron into turning against Starscream, a repainted Skywarp stood in for him and was the one destroyed by Galvatron. Believing his timeline altered, Galvatron returned to his future, while the future Autobots returned the true Starscream to stasis. Returning to the US stories, Starscream escaped from stasis by the new Decepticon leader, Ratbat, and appointed him to be second-in-command. Starscream, however, immediately went back to his treacherous ways. Upon learning of Ratbat’s plan to acquire the power of the Underbase (a database containing all information gathered by the Autobots during their existence), Starscream orchestrated a battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, giving him the opportunity to seize the database’s energy. Imbued with the great power, Starscream went to Earth and deactivated a great number of Transformers who stood against him. As he steadily grew into a gigantic being, Starscream was defeated by Optimus Prime, by tricking him into absorbing more of the Underbase’s energy. It was more than his body could handle and it ended up destroying him.
Starscream’s shattered remains were turned over to Autobot surgeon Ratchet by Megatron and Starscream was reconstructed as a Pretender. He then went to Earth and attacked Optimus Prime and Scorponok’s forces. Ratchet, however, disobeyed Megatron’s request to reprogram his mind, and Starscream’s original cowardly personality remained.
Now a Pretender Transformer, Starscream joined forces with Shockwave in instigating the Decepticon Civil War, and was transported to Cybertron along with all the other Transformers to battle Unicron. Following the Transformers’ victory, the duo fled the planet in a restored Ark but discovered some unlikely company onboard: Megatron and Ratchet. Starscream proceeded to kill the Autobot but was defeated in a brief fit of rage on Ratchet’s part. The surgeon then proceeded to crash the Ark on Earth to prevent Megatron (who at this point teamed up with another alternate timeline Galvatron) from threatening the universe once more. From this point, Starscream would return in the Marvel Generation Two comic series.
In the Generation Two series, Megatron was the sole survivor of the Ark. After a deal with human terrorist organization Cobra, restored a number of Transformers for his new army. Starscream was one of them. He, however, betrayed Megatron (as usual) when he realized he was going to be eliminated by the Decepticon leader and alerted the Cybertronian general Jhiaxus of the location of the joint Autobot/Decepticon base
Starscream had been deactivated in the crash of the Ark, but Megatron, who had also been on board, was the only survivor and over the next few years restored the Ark, entering into a deal with the human terrorist organization, Cobra, which saw him obtain a new body and weapons. Desperate for troops and in spite of his own misgivings about doing so, Megatron then reactivated Starscream. Starscream served Megatron with at least a semblance of loyalty, ferrying him to his showdown with Bludgeon. But when he realized Megatron was going to eliminate him after his new Matrix-created army was up and running, he (predictably) betrayed him by alerting the forces of the Cybertronian general Jhiaxus to the location of the joint Autobot/Decepticon base.
Throughout the course of the series, Starscream in time acquired the Creation Matrix. He used it to merge himself with the Decepticon ship, the Warworld and eventually turned himself into a living weapon. However, he found his mind affected by the innate goodness of the Matrix, and rejected it in order to preserve his own personality.
Dreamwave’s take on the Transformers also allowed presented more angles on the character and story of Starscream. In the War Within series, Starscream was seen as an excellent gladiator and again as a traitorous and scheming character. Following the disappearance of Optimus Prime and Megatron, went on to form his own faction: the Predacons. When the other splinter factions attempted to reconcile their differences, Starscream’s Predacons attacked the reconciliation ceremony. The attack occurred concurrently with the return of Megatron, who immediately subjected Starscream to physical torture for stealing his glory.
The two Generation One mini-series once again featured Starscream, but it was in the second mini-series where his familiar treacherous character was once again put in the spotlight. After cowardly disposing of Megatron (who was defeated by Shockwave) on their return trip to Cybertron, he immediately went to conceive his own plans in betraying Shockwave. This was, however, cut short when the rebel Autobot forces attacked Iacon and defeated Shockwave. Starscream took command over a number of Decepticons and escaped back to Earth carrying five Decepticon personality components. Similar to the animated series, he eventually created these five into the Combaticons.
Following the second mini-series, Starscream became one of the central characters in the ongoing series’ first major story arc as he came face-to-face with his very own, Shockwave-spawned, super-powered clone, Sunstorm. Bringing the Autobot scientist Jetfire back online, Starscream and his former colleague deduced the clone’s nature, and created a power siphon to drain his energy. Starscream, ever the traitor however, turned the tables on everyone by freeing Sunstorm. His clone then took him to a mysterious Cybertronian seal beneath the ocean’s surface. His clone claimed that only Starscream could open the seal. Upon doing so, he unlocked a reservoir of a powerful liquid which Sunstorm intended to use to empower his “brother,” so that they could achieve his goals together. Predictably, Starscream also betrayed Sunstorm. The clone fell into the liquid and created a chain reaction causing him and Jetfire to be destroyed. Starscream then returned to the Decepticon base, only to find out that Megatron and Shockwave have returned, and to receive the punishment he deserved from his leader. Eventually, Starscream gave hints to Megatron of his discoveries from his encounter with Sunstorm much to Megatron’s surprise. At this point, however, Dreamwave’s run came to an end and did not bring full closure to the Transformers’ and specifically, Starscream’s fate.A SHORT REIGN BUT A LASTING LEGACY
Starscream’s fate was much clearer in the animated Transformers: The Movie. After his fight with Optimus Prime, a beaten Megatron sits inside Astrotrain as the Decepticons retreated back to Cybertron. Starscream finally got his big chance to dispose of the Decepticon leader when he personally threw Megatron off into space. He then proceeded to naming himself the new leader of the Decepticons. His reign, however, would be shortlived. During his coronation, Megatron returns, this time with a new body courtesy of the chaos-bringer Unicron. Now known as Galvatron, he derided Starscream’s coronation as “bad comedy” and gave the traitor a taste of his new power. Galvatron obliteratd him wih one blast of his cannon mode and urned Starscream into ashes. Starscream’s body may be gone, but his treacherous spark survived. He continued to exist in a ghost-like form. When Octane sought refuge from his pursuers in the crypt, Starscream’s ghost seized control of Cyclonus body, and worked with the triple-changer to turn Galvatron over to the Autobots and take leadership of the Decepticons for themselves. Galvatron escaped and returned to blast Starscream out of Cyclonus. Starscream then went to possess the body of a Sweep and eventually, their leader Scourge. While inside Scourge’s body, he bargained with Unicron. In it, Starscream was to perform three labors for the planet-eater in exchange for getting his body back. Stealing the eyes of Metroplex and the transforming cog of Trypticon, Starscream’s body was restored so that he could make the final connection between Unicron’s head and Cybertron, thus allowing the planet to become the chaos-bringer’s new body. But as with past examples, Starscream refused and betrayed Unicron. An explosion caused by the Autobots hurled Starscream and Unicron’s head off into space with the Decepticon last seen tumbling out of control through space, as Galvatron opened fire on him. Starscream’s ghost even survived the Generation One era and made his way into the Beast Wars. In the first season episode “Possession,” his spark was seen wandering on prehistoric Earth (probably through the same transwarp gate the Maximals and Predacons traveled through, although the exact details remain unknown) and ended up in the Darksyde’s computer console. Possessing Waspinator’s body with Terrorsaur watching, Starscream went on with this traitorous ways, acquiring the trust of Megatron. He told the Predacon leader that he was defending Galvatron against Unicron and was destroyed, with his Spark enduring. The truth, however, was he was planning to overthrow Megatron (as usual). When his real intentions were discovered by Blackarachnia (who knew the truth behind his death), he took the black widow Predacon under his wing, teaching her the ways of treachery. This, ironically, resulted with Blackarachnia betraying him. Caught in an explosion, Starscream’s spark was forced out of Waspinator’s body and wandered in space once more, vowing revenge on both the Maximals and the Predacons. In the show’s second season, the reason as to how and why Starscream’s spark survived death was revealed: a mutation in his spark had rendered it indestructible. Maximal experimentation to replicate this effect resulted in the creation of the insane monster Protoform X, better known as Rampage.
Additionally, Starscream himself was also seen physically, though lifeless. This time he was lying in stasis lock, in the final episode of season two when Megatron entered the Ark in an attempt to change the future (Generation One) by destroying Optimus Prime. In the end, Starscream did manage to achieve what he long desired: he gained the leadership of the Decepticons (though briefly as it was), and he established a legacy that spanned generations.

Galaxy Force Starscream

Galaxy Force (known in the US as Cybertron) is the transformers series of the year 2005. This is the conclusion of the Unicron saga (Armada, Energon). However unlike the previous two series the story presented is not connected and presents a new story in a different point of view from the previous ones. Galaxy Force was indeed a new series without having any tracable link to Superlink (Energon in the US), while Cybertron tried to connect the series with the previous one.

Galaxy Force Starscream, or GF Screamer (for short), is the Takara only mold of Starscream that depicts him in Voyager class (Mega Price Point for pre-Cybertron toy series).

Review

I will review GF Screamer in three categories:

- Sculpt (Form and Color)
- Articulation (Moveable Parts and how can it be moved)
- Fun Factor (How did I enjoy it)

Sculpt

Jet Mode

GF Screamer’s jet mode shows a futuristic heavy-set jet fighter that for some reason reminds me of the X-Wing Fighter of Starwars (maybe it’s just the color). The colors sported by this jet is gray with a good amount of red along the body. The nosecode is colored black, while the c0ckpit glass is purple. Some yellow-orange splashes are painted to detail the exhaust panels and some of the missles mounted on the jet. Black jet engine exhausts are also seen below the jet. And to mark its allegiance, small purple decepticon logos are painted on the wings of the jet.

The c0ckpit is centered along the vehicle with two turrents adorning each side. A few more glass-look-a-like parts adorns the roof just past the c0ckpit giving it a more sci-fi look, indeed the ship looks something more of a spacecraft than a jet. After that is sculpted mounted missles which don’t fire but provides more of a fightercraft look. Also a large fin adorns the rearside of the jet, making it even more sci-fi.

In a aesthetic quality it looks great and would definitely something a kid will have fun with, but for someone who is concerned about the believability of the vehicle it’s something you’ll be skeptical about, you see the jet looks too heavy and the wingspan is too short to able to lift this jet off the ground. But since this is a vehicle more suited for space-travel, you’d let it pass through.

Like Energon Ironhide, GF Screamer’s head is seen while in vehicle mode, but its better hidden. See the photo of the Jet below.

GF Screamer’s head is directly infront of the large fin. Good thing that the head is not visible unless you actually take a good close on it. Nice work on that, Takara.

Robot

A complex toy at first, but after trying it, you’ll discover that GF Screamer is one of the easiet toys to Transform. The nosecon of the jet actually forms the robot’s feet and by detaching them and stretching out the legs you’ll end up with an almost transformed Screamer. Just pull down the legs and fold out the upper torso to reveal the head and your almost there.

The toy is sculpted wonderfully. More black is seen now as opposed to teh jet mode since both the arms and upper legs are painted black. GF Screamer wears a black helm with red opaque plastic as its eyes. The plastic shines quite nice with a camera giving GF Screamer a menacing look. The toy is even sculpted with a scowl!

TRIVIA: Does Starscream’s head sculpt and paint looks more like G1 Animation Thundercracker… YES. Because Starscream, Thunderscracker and Skywarp all share the Black Helmet and Red eyes feature (During the G1 Animation era - except Starscream has a darker face)

Screamer’s legs are sculpted quite nicely and when fully stretched the toy is quite taller than one expects (from looking at the jet mode). The arms however looks quite short as the shoulders has some parts of the jet that stretches beyond the arm’s length.

Though simplistic in form, the toy really grows on you and it looks great. Its ones of the simple-yet-effective transformer designs.

Articulation

Voyager class means the toy is quite large, and with that more areas to articulate and GF Screamer doesn’t fail. He’s articulated in the head, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees and feet. Though no waist articulation, the toys works for me well. However the arms could use some work as most of the time the arms get pulled off from the joint that fastens it to the shoulder, though no harm done since the arm is connected to the shoulders via a peg.

Now for kicks, The KICK TEST.

GF Screamer is top heavy which requires that both legs touches the ground when making GF Screamer stand, so the Kick Test was a bit difficult to pull off, though Screamer was able to stand by one leg.

Fun Factor

GF Screamer’s gimmick is when you stick a Cyberkey in his back, his two lasersabers appear. The sabers are made of Transluscent purple plastic that swings from GF Screamer’s forearms.

Overall

A nice vehicle mode and robot mode with easy transformation makes the GF Screamer quite enjoyable to own. Nothing incredibly new to add to the TF scene, but nothing overly lacking to be noticable. The arms are quite shorter than what you’d expect. But the look of the toy somehow makes up for it.

I give it a B+. (89/100)

Recommendation: If you get a chance to get it, its worth it since this is the only mold of its kind. Hasbro never released it. That plus the toys is quite enjoyable on its own.

** Thanks to PROTOFORM-S for lending the Starscream for Review.

INFO/PHOTO THANKS AND CREDITS: Hasbro/Takara, Dave’s Transformers, Remy’s TFKenkon.com, TFU.info, Toysnjoys.com, unicorncottagecompany.com, Google.com, cliffbee.com, bwtf.com, cosmicrust.com, and several other pic sources we weren’t able to list.

GENERATION ONE
Starscream led the pack of the original “Hunter-Seekers”.
PRETENDER
Featuring a menacing humanoid warrior pretender shell in battle armor.

ACTION MASTER
This non-transforming Starscream rode a transforming jet/assault platform into battle.

GENERATION TWO: SKYRAIDER
One of the first figures reissued during Generation 2, this Starscream had new safety-regulation fitting launchers and new sticker deco.

MACHINE WARS
A dangerous-looking black redeco of the Euro-exclusive G1 Skyquake, this Starscream did not come with a gun but had a handful of missiles… and towered over Megatron in the MW line!

BEAST WARS SECOND: STARSCREM
This typo-named jet was a straight recolor of G2 Smokescreen with an ominous black and yellow stealth paint job.

BEAST WARS THE SECOND: HELLSCREAM
Reformatted as a Cyborg Beast, Starscrem took on the name Hellscream and the fearsome form of a cyborg shark as an extensive BW Cybershark remold.

REISSUE STARSCREAM
This pre-TF Collection reissue had two e-Hobby versions: Ghost Starscream, which represented his post-TFTM look, and Black Starscream, which according to Hirofumi Ichikawa’s bio was a nod to his Machine Wars look.

TFC REISSUE STARSCREAM
This book-box reissue included a DVD.

TRU REISSUE STARSCREAM
A TRU exclusive, this Starscream was among the first waves of reissues in the US.

ARMADA
partnered up with an apt partner in Minicon Swindle, this Starscream could use his left wing as a weapon — and represented the most fully-fleshed out Starscream personality in the cartoon. His powerful Null Laser Cannons were but one of his Minicon-activated features.

MICRON LEGEND — SUPER MODE
ML Starscream Super Mode [Thundercracker in the US] was meant to represent an all-new character in the cartoon, but things were changed around later on thanks in part to animation studio We’ve/Aeon. Dubbers sneaked in the line “I look like Thundercracker!” [Screamer’s reaction to his new colors] as a nod to the original plan.

WORLD’S SMALLEST TRANSFORMERS
Screamer was also one of the first WST’s, redecoed immediately into Thundsercracker and Skywarp and even some [unauthorized?] ‘ghost’ versions.

ENERGON
The first hyper-powered Starscream was in BW2 Hellscream colors for the most part, and resembled a would-be zombie brought back to life following events in Armada. The character was a zombie as well, sadly… although the toy was very good, as a totally new mold improving on the earlier G2 Smokescreen design.

ENERGON ENERGON
Released with minor color differences [and a pack-in Energon weapon] in Japan as Nightscream-R[eborn], E2 Starscream bore a strong G1 homage color scheme.

ROBOTMASTERS
This popular character was also one of the first Robotmasters figures, an all-new mold reused for the magazine exclusive Black Starscream and RM’s line-closing Skywarp/Thundercracker set.

CYBERTRON: SUPREME
Hasbro/Takara surprised fans [and thrilled kids] by making this upsized “King” version of Starscream, representing himself receiving an unbelievable power boost. This was the first mainline Screamer to come with a crown.
Image

GALAXY FORCE
The regular-sized Starsceam only came out in Japan with a Decepticon-standard Cyber Planet key.

CYBERTRON: TRU VOYAGER
Packed in versus Vector Prime, this maroon Voyager version was a TRU value pack exclusive.

CYBERTRON: MICRO SERIES
Bearing the same weapons [sword on right arm, blaster on left][ as the Supreme version, this teeny LoC Starscream was later recolored into Sunstorm [regular release], Skywarp [SDCC exclusive] and Ramjet [Botcon 2005].
Image

MASTERPIECE
Hinted at by sketches in THS02’s paperwork, MP03 was originally designed to be G1-accurate in both color and sculpt but was changed [for the better, for the worse, your mileage may vary] into something new-looking by outsourced, famed mecha designer Kawamori. The trademark smirk, however, was still there as one of the two possible faces.

TITANIUM SERIES
An inaccurate but nice-looking War Within Starscream, this was released as thecounterpoint to TS RiD Prime and was recolored from TS TWW Thundercracker… and may become a Skywarp in the future.

CLASSICS
First seen in a presentation by Botcon-goers in 2005, Classics Starscream is sure to be the basis for many new Seekers [we’ve already seen a Skywarp!].

Kids (and not-so-young kids) have the most original ideas and wildest imaginations. I, for one, am one of them; and being a Transformers aficionado, I have also cooked up some of the most unbelievable ideas with our favourite robots in disguise. One of them is the idea (a belief, perhaps?) revolving around Starscream and Axl Rose. And since we are currently featuring our favourite treacherous Decepticon as Cybertron Philippines Transformer of the Month - as well as the revitalized news surrounding Guns N’ Roses’ long-awaited album in years, Chinese Democracy believed to be due in early March - I guess now’s a best time as any to explore this idea I’ve had for quite some time now.

1985 was the year I was exposed to the Transformers. Like any 80’s kid, I got myself acquainted with memorable characters like Sideswipe (my personal fave), Optimus Prime, Megatron, and, of course, Starscream. We went along for the long ride from Season One to the animated movie to the final years of Generation One; and even during the last gasps of the Generation Two years. Unfortunately, all great things come to an end (but eventually comes back for nostalgia) and I went on from being a kid to a teenager.

I came of age in the early 90’s, and it was in 1992 when I was first heard of heavy, guitar-based rock and metal bands like Nirvana, Metallica and, of course, Guns N’ Roses. Like any high school kid back then, I embraced the raw, energetic sound the Gunners delivered - the great guitar parts, the attitude, and yes, the profanity - the rock (pronounced: RRHAHKK!) sound that Axl Rose and company put forth into their songs. And it was during this dark and confusing time in my life that some bits of my old romance with the Transformers was rekindled - thanks to Axl’s voice.

It was instantaneous: the moment I heard Axl Rose’s shrill, rasping and grating voice in the cassette player (yes, I still used cassette players back then), Starscream’s trademark voice came back to my mind. I used to joke with classmates and bandmates that Axl Rose was Starscream - and managed to convince a few of them, too. Never in both the histories of the Transformers franchise and of the rock world did the voices of Starscream and Axl Rose were duplicated by anyone else. Both voices were purely original productions of human (and Cybertronian?) vocal chords. Often imitated, but never duplicated.

Now before all of you go on your ways and claim my eccentricity, think about it. Really. And I have some solid evidence for it. Listen to Starscream’s menacing laughter in the Generation One episode “Starscream’s Ghost” (season 3), then expose your eardrums to the Guns N’ Roses song, “Get In The Ring,” and wait for the part where Axl is laughing maniacally. See, err, I mean, heard that? Notice the similarity? I knew you would.

For a little backgrounder on the personalities behind the voices, Generation One Starscream was voiced by Chris Latta. Along with Starscream, he is also best known for voicing Cobra Commander in the G.I. Joe animated series - both of whom carried the trademark shrill and raspy sound which made the characters always seem duplicitous and conniving regardless of what they were saying, as well as adding an element of comic relief. He also provided the voice for the Autobot mad scientist Wheeljack and the Autobot’s human ally Sparkplug. Chris also played a number of roles for television and films, as well as being a successful stand-up comedian. Unfortunately, Chris Latta died from a cerebral hemorrhage in 1994.

(A little bit for us Filipinos: we often refer to Starscream’s raspy voice as “tunog lata” to the point of creating a minor annoyance to our eardreams. It really is coincidental that the actor behind Starscream’s voice is named “Latta.”)

Axl Rose, on the other hand, is the lead singer for Guns N’ Roses. The only remaining original member of the band, Rose still places high in numerous polls as one of hard rock’s all-time greatest frontmen and is also infamous for his onstage antics and disputes with former bandmates. Rose lived - and still lives - a very troublesome life. He has been involved with a great number of violent incidents since childhood, and fame only pushed the Gunner to the edge. In spite of all the negative media, Rose is still remembered for his voice talents in Guns N’ Roses. Oh, and Axl Rose is still very much alive and actually promised to come out with the new GN’R album this year.

With the new Transformers live-action movie coming to theaters this year, here’s one Transfan rooting for Axl Rose to be Starscream. Even for just five minutes. Who knows? He might appear in the sequel, yes?

Guns N’ Roses album, Chinese Democracy, is scheduled to hit stores March 6. Unless Axl changes his mind again (for the nth time!).

The Transformers live-action movie will hit theaters 04 July 2007.

After 2004’s Landmark MP-1 Convoy and its less than stellar 2005 repaint MP-2 Ultra Magnus comes the first Masterpiece Decepticon, MP-3 Starscream.

First announced when THS-02 Hybrid G1 Convoy was released in early 2006, multitudes of fans eagerly anticipated this next new addition to the premium (and quite pricey) Masterpiece line, later that year. They then rejoiced when it was announced that Starscream would be designed by Macross co-creator and original pre-Transformers Diaclone designer, Shoji Kawamori. This new mold as everyone was predicting was ripe for repainting / retooling to create the other seekers and coneheads.

Later, when prototype pics began leaking over the internet, everyone was ecstatic, as Starscream’s robot mode looked exactly like he did in the old Generation 1 cartoons. Until a month later when the painted samples were revealed, everyone wondered why their favourite Decepticon Air Commander was painted blue, and his robot mode was only 9.5-10″ tall.

This led to some fans (including myself) deciding to skip MP-3 altogether and wait for a show accurate version, much like what they did to the G1 re-issue TF Collection Starscream who was repainted to match his anime incarnation.

As months went by, no news came about if a show accurate version would ever be released either from Hasbro or Takara, what was leaked however was Takara’s plans for MP-5 Megatron.

This was when it hit me, since Megs is coming and that a Starscream repaint has not yet been announced, I pondered to give the MP-3 a shot.

After picking up my unit, the first thing I noticed after seeing that the box was larger than those of the MP-1 and MP-2.

The box dimensions are exactly taller by an inch and wider by an inch and a half. The depth of the boxes on the other hand are the same as the previous TF Masterpieces.

The entire package is also considerably lighter, which fans had initially speculated that the entire thing would be made of plastic and no die-cast content.

Another thing worth noting is that after opening the box, Starscream is packaged in jet mode, which was in a way unexpected since Takara / Hasbro packaged their larger toys in robot mode.

The jet mode looks impressive and at the scale of 1/60 it is quite comparable to most Macross Valkyries.

I was however awed by the intricacy of the sculpt; they really paid good attention to the details of the F15 fighter plane, of which the alternate mode of Starscream and the seekers were based from.One other thing that sets him apart from the other Masterpieces are that his faction symbols and other details are decals, which for me is so 1980’s since computerized painting has evolved in leaps and bounds since then.

In this mode, you can detach the default “null ray” missiles to attach the more contemporary warheads included in the package.

Among his other jet mode accessories apart from the warheads and the base, is an attachment that could hold MP-1’s Megatron rifle in tow, now that’s continuity for the line if I ever saw one.
[

Rear viewAnother detail that was added is his hidden radar inside the jet’s nosecone that could be opened. He also comes with Dr. Archeville that could sit inside the cockpit.

Transforming him to robot mode is both challenging and scary at first. Mr. Kawamori is a genius when it comes to utilizing jet parts to form his robot mode. I would advise everyone to be extremely careful as some joints may have a tendency to break when using more than enough force. Thing to watch out for are his wing flaps which may be prone to breakage.

During the course of his transformation, it is then that you will note that he does have some die cast content in him, namely the brace base that holds all the plastic parts together, which is somewhat only around 8% of his total embodiment. It is also at this point that you will understand why Starscream had to be cast in plastic, since the multitude of moving parts would result in a severe case of paint chips, not to mention, it transforms a lot easier in plastic, like in the case of Alternators.

You will also understand the logic behind the paint scheme, Mr. Kawamori’s aim is to create a real life accurate F15 that could transform into Starscream, thus his red shoulders had to go, since this would impact the realism of his jet mode.

In robot mode, as in his alternate mode, he can also hold the Megatron rifle accessory
Other nifty details include a second face that contains his signature smirk, as well as hidden breast missiles that were first showcased in his Robot Masters figure incarnation.

One of the downsides is that he looks quite short beside Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus, but he is taller than Alternators / Binaltech bots.

.As I have said earlier, I was initially turned off by his size and colours, but after a while, he kind of grows on you, and he is now one of my favourites.

One bad thing to watch out for, is that this is actually my Second MP-3, the first one after transforming to robot mode actually had a factory defect in that his right fingers were missing / not attached. Good thing the retailer was able to replace my defective unit with a new one.

While a show accurate version with painted on decals as tall as MP-1 and 2 would have been grand, I somehow believe that Takara truly gave us a Masterpiece. I actually love it so much that I’m also willing to get this mold again if it gets repainted as Skywarp, Thundercracker and even Sunstorm.

• In the Generation 1 series, when Megatron transforms into his pistol mode, he is usually caught and fired by the Decepticon Starscream.

• In the episode where Starscream possesses Waspinator, they could not use Starscream’s original voice actor(Chris Latta), because he had unfortunately passed away several years prior. So they used the voice actor for Terrorsaur. Also, because the actor’s impression of Starscream and Terrorsaur is so alike, Terrorsaur has very few lines in the episode.

• Fastest flyer of group, can reach Mach 2.8 and an altitude of 52 miles.

• In episode 29 of TF: Cybertron (King of Treachery, Evil Completely Unleashed), Starscream absorbs the Spark of Primus, and is transformed into a gigantic sized version of himself.

• The Cybertron incarnation of Starscream is based on the redesigned versions of the original Starscream created for Dreamwave’s War Within series.

• Starscream is also the only G1 character to have appeared in more than one timeline on earth… three in fact. He appeared in G1 during the prehistoric period (along with Autobot Skyfire) and he appeared again during the 1984 years of Transfomers Animated Series. He again came back as a “spark ghost” during the Beast Wars era and it was later revealed that at that time the Ark has crashed unto the earth and putting the transformers inside of it under static lock.

• Another trivia would be Starscream is the only G1 character to have appeared both body and mind during the Beast Wars series, albeit on separate occasions.

• Starscream was mistakingly shown in his earth alt form in the episode where they were reviewing skyfire’s memory. they showed skyfire and starscream flying off to explore the galaxy until they reached the earth — starscream was shown as an f-15.
  

A new month… A new TF character to be featured:

Now that’s what I call a dead giveaway.