Starscream [Legacy United/Voyager Class]

Starting off our annual 3 months of Halloween is the newest version of Starscream from the Transformers Legacy United toy line. This version of Starscream is an update of his appearance from the Cybertron/Galaxy Force series that ended the Unicron Trilogy and pretty much lead up to the release of the live action movies (with Classics rounding out the toys). This version of Starscream is perfect to start our spooky season with. Not only did he spent the majority of Energon as a ghost, but also lead a force of Ancient Deceptions at one point. Whom were hidden on Earth for a long time posing as monsters of our folklore and myths! Super robots and monsters go hand and hand!

Starscream's design in Cybertron was heavily influenced by his depiction in the War Within comic series, which was influenced by the Cybertronian Tetrajet Seeker design seen in the original cartoon. It's a really cool look and fun to see the update improve upon the original toy which I've always held in high regard. Honestly, it's not that different from that original toy. Maybe not as chonky and the Cyber Key gimmicks are removed. Thanks to modern engineering, Starscream has more articulation than before, though the original wasn't lacking in that department. All around, this toy is an improvement, though I do like that chonk the original had. It's just satisfying. Starscreams arm mounted swords fold out without the need for a Cyber Key like the original, however this toy does come with a Cyber Key! That's really neat as they were so heavily ingrained in the original Cybertron line. This one is much smaller and not backwards compatible. It really doesn't serve any function other than appearances and that's fine. The throwback is cool. While I had a love/hate relationship with the original Cyber Key gimmick, I always liked the keys individually. The Cyber Key can be placed either in the docking location behind Starscream's head or on his rifle.

Transformation to jet mode isn't hard and not terribly unlike the original. I don't know if this is a common problem, but my Starscream's right arm kept coming off at the shoulder and constantly found myself re-attaching it. This led to some annoyance in transformation as that area has to be configured in a certain way. The extra articulation added some aggrivation in transformation as I found myself constantly re-adjusting parts to make them fit just right. The extra movement is cool in robot mode, but was a little troublesome in conversion. That could be a personal issue admittedly. Once transformed the jet looks great and holds together firmly. You can attach his rifle on top or underneath the jet (I choose underneath) and everything just works well. I've always liked this design and it works well updated here. While I had a little trouble (mentioned above), overall I'm happy with this new version of a classic design. I've been a big fan of the Unicron Trilogy since it's introduction and these new toys of the characters are very appreciated.