Yeah, totally. I picked him up in a lot and he didn't impress me much. Granted, mine is loooooooooose, but still. Classics Starscream is still my fave.
The design/transformation is heavily based on G2 Smokescreen(who is awesome!), but with wings added and bulked up a bit. So he should be awesome too. Sadly, he doesn't quite live up to my expectations because: 1.) He is bulked up a bit make the jet look to think/chunky 2.) The jet mode also doesn't seem to fit together very smoothly or tightly. 3.) The 'ghost' colors, even on the Japanese version, still seem all over the place and jumbled to me. 4.) He's got lots of joints for great articulation BUT, the range of motion of some joints is unnessarily restricted. For example: he has squared off shoulder pads and squared off upper arms, thus stopping the arms from rotating at all if the arm isn't at a right angle from the shoulder pad. 5.) Perhaps I'm just unfairly judging him against the greatness of G2 Smokescreen.
Dude... are replying to me? Because I did not say anything about Smokescreen's toolings being used to make the actual new toy: If you're trying to nitpick about semantics and phrasing, realize I never said anything to imply molds/tools were re-used. I just said the design and transformation(ie the engineering, as your wikia quote mentions) were used as a basis. I even say he's bulked up a bit... ie a new size, new proprotions (again like your wikia quote says), so obviously new tools/molds.
He's very heavily sculpted with battle damage, all over the place in both modes. The air intakes, the wings, most of the right side of his body is damaged/scarred as part of the mold. You can see some of it here (not to mention another gallery of the figure), http://tfkenkon.com/collection/act176/ Also remember there are four versions, the US/Energon Starscream, and 'Energon Starscream' (the G1 deco), then the Japanese/Superlink Nightscream and Nightscream Reverse. The last one there came with an exclusive energon star and extra weapon (from the Terrorcon Insecticon). You can see pics of all four here, http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Starscream_(Armada)#Energon_3 Starscream died in Armada. In Energon/Superlink, Alpha Quintesson created an assassin to serve his ends. In Superlink, he was named Nightscream, in Energon, Starscream. However, the assassin was incomplete and possessed several ghostlike qualities, as well as amnesia. Alpha Q stated that the spark came from a wandering Decepticon spark, which most fans believe was Thrusts, not Starscreams (Since Thrust died on Unicron, while Starscream died light years away from where Nightscream was created). Really, this Decepticon is Starscream in name only, and even then only in the US. In Japan he was never thought to be Starscream or have any connections to him, and was instead a totally new, fresh character. In terms of pure articulation, Energon/Superlink and Classics/Universe are pretty much the same save for Energon/Superlinks having a bicep swivel. Both have some hinderance issues in their shoulders, and Nightscream has a fuller range of motion on his head, but that's really it. Head, shoulders (both ways), elbows, hips (Ball), knees, calf/lower leg swivel.
Year Energon Starscream is top notch. Really, all Decepticons as a whole were great in Energon. The Autobots' toys were slaughtered by the Powerlink Gimmick.
