The Gamer Edition subline is honestly a laughing stock. We have the so-so Bumblejumper duo that do some things better than their 2010 counterparts and some things worse, a Barricade that sucks dick, an Optimus Prime that is the best out of the bunch despite being hollow from the inside, and a Megatron that has limited knee articulation and a worse tank mode and fusion cannon than the old toy. So Starscream was next on the chopping block, and fans were already unhappy when we saw in-hand images of the toy. So with all that said, does it hold up better with a more personal look? Let's find out.
Before we begin, I should point out that the shoulder pylons come disassembled out of the box. They snap onto the kind of pegs with a slit in-between, which I know is my least favorite kind of peg. Why Hasbro chose to make them separate pieces, I don't know.
Here we have Starscream in his Cybertronian jet mode. A lot of the criticisms of this design relate to the toy rather than the model they used in the game. Obviously, the wings are far too small on a seemingly elongated body, but the designers claim it's the hover mode he utilized when not swooshing around Cybertron. Problem is that many fans will likely prefer seeing longer wings given how logical it is to go with them rather than what we end up with. The rest of the altmode looks okay apart from the aforementioned elongated look, though the middle section looks worse than the original version.
Weapon storage is nothing all that special. It's the usual method of slapping the weapons on top. The null ray works in a way, what with its decent integration within the alt mode.
On the flip side you can leave his head out and pretend he is a Sweep, though the cockpit doesn't tab all the way in. And yeah, I don't like how rubbery it is. I thought they learned their lessons from the deteriorating plastics found on Titans Return Mindwipe and Weirdwolf.
Transformation is fairly involved, at least compared to Megatron. I appreciate that it doesn't feel lazy like his leader, and it doesn't feel like a slap in the face like Barricade with his unfinished robot mode. Still, Starscream ends up looking fatter than he normally does in the game. I know he is chunkier design than he normally is compared to his G1 self, but it's the chest that makes the otherwise accurate proportions to the limbs look off. Yeah I checked the CAD to Toy posts and realized only the cockpit throws things off. The colors are accurate to the CG model, and the details are generally present to make this figure look complete in spite of some weird budget decisions Hasbro makes nowadays. I even find amusing how the insignias for the robot mode are facing upright while the ones in jet mode are now upside down, an inverse of the jet mode orientations and a silly jab at G1 Starscream's upside down symbols.
His head sculpt is small yet looks great, capturing a meaner G1 influence that takes the basic G1 head and makes it feel more competent with the slight angles. I love it. Also nice to see it being blue like in the game, something Takara did despite them likely never having said game in their markets. Starscream's articulation consists of a ball-jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward shoulder movement, bicep rotation, double-jointed elbows, wrist rotation, a waist swivel, front/back hip movement, outward leg movement, thigh swivels, knee bends, and pretty deep ankle pivots. With his arm articulation, he can hold his null ray rifle with both hands in a convincing manner; the 5mm post isn't long, so the grip will depend on its tolerances as well as the hands.
You can also swap it with the right forearm as always with the Gamer Edition toys, though it looks stupid on him. Also is it be or does his rifle look bent? He can also hold his mace with an equally short 5mm port.
The head of the mace can come off like on Megatron's for some reason. And for quick comparison with his 2012/3 counterpart, you can tell that while the new version is able to try and look as close to the player model if it weren't for the cockpit, the original definitely looks pretty good with how the chest and overall altmode look. I even like the weapons he comes with, even if they look oversized on him. The black helmet is from the Hasbro release of the mold; Takara, as mentioned before, looks much closer to the game.
For a size comparison, here he is in-between Megatron and Barricade. Starscream's height is the most accurate out of the bunch while Megatron ends up being a bit undersized and Barricade...with problems of his own. Honestly, I don't hate this version of Starscream. A lot of initial images and reviews made him look like he'd be another flop for the Gamer Edition subline, and he admittedly is, at least he isn't totally shit once you mess around with him. As I said before, if he had a more proportionate chest, he'd look better than he currently does. I recommend you get him on clearance if he'll reach a discounted price tag before the third Junkion we've ever had in SS86.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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