I was quite anxious about getting this toy.
The original G1 toy is one of my favorite TF. Knowing there was gonna be a new version was a thrill. But seeing the first pictures and reviews was not reassuring.
But I finally got my hand on it (thanks to my local comic shop in France) and I'm relieved.
First of all, my main problem : the yellow mismatch between yellow plastic and painted plastic. While visible, it's not as garish as it seems on pictures. Many said it before me but it's better when you see it with your own eyes. So, DISCLAIMER, I altered all of the following pictures to reflect the way I see it in real life.



Sure, I would have prefered an all painted version, with better color matches. It's possible, as Bumblebee and Hupcab proved it. But it's okay.

Second problem, the windshield not tabbing correctly and showing disgracious gaps. No problems on mine. I flex the legs slithly inside at the moment of pegging it altogether and it stay in place, as intended. I'm not keen on the idea of a parting windshield, but if it means no faux parts, then I'm on board ! I hate faux parts. It's against the core idea of what is a Transformer for me.



Speaking of faux parts, I was disapointed at first that the toes were not made out of the "real" head lights.
But again, having the toy in hand, I made up my mind. The "faux" head lights are still in a believable place in altmode and can totally pass as additionnal head lights. So no real "faux part" for me here. It even give the car a more sci fi look.



To finish with the alt mode, I like how similar yet different it looks with his "brother".




My only real problem left with this toy, is actually the lack of spoiler. It's a big part of it's identity for me and it should have been included.
But I saw some 3D printed alternative and I don't like the choice they made. For me the spoiler should be part of the backpack in bot mode. It'd be more dynamic.
So if a third party company is seeing this ... I guess an add-on the the current backpack should be easily doable this way.

 

Dig the spoiler idea,that what I wanted too for an upgrade for him as well.

 

Anybody get the toyhax/reprolabels for the sunstreaker yet? I'm really curious about it.

 

Maybe I missed it - HOW do you get it to fit snuggly? I'm thinking about filing the pegs off. Please tell me there is a better way.

 

I'm not a fan of their labels anymore (I like their backdrops and would buy more if the ones I wanted weren't sold out). Covering up so much of the bot to simply match the painted yellow is just bonkers.

 

Thank you. Found my answer.

 

Prelude: Sunstreaker is that yellow Autobot guy that has been around pretty much since the start, but without ever really standing out. Just one of the guys, occasional bouts of Jet Judo notwithstanding. Occasionally he has a stand-out appearance in the comics, but mostly he is just that yellow Autobot guy (well, the OTHER yellow Autobot guy) from season 1. Now he has a new toy in Earthrise, which was gifted to me by my buddy Reyin. So let’s say go!

Robot Mode: Sunstreaker is a very extensive retool of Earthrise Wheeljack, but you barely notice that. You could probably call him a brand-new mold with merely some shared engineering, too, if you want, it’s not a clear distinction after all. Either way, the figure is clearly meant to be Sunstreaker, the resemblance to the cartoon character is very strong. They also included some callbacks to the original G1 toy, such as the top of his shoulders, which resemble the ‘missiles’ that G1 Sunstreaker had plugged in there.

Articulation is great, no complaints here, and the robot holds together well. I do have two complaints, though. One, the yellow plastic parts (such as the limbs) are not quite the same shade of yellow as the painted yellow parts (such as the chest plate). This is also somewhat reminiscent of the different shades of white on Earthrise Wheeljack, apparently Hasbro currently has a bit of a problem properly matching colors. And two, he really needs a better gun. Sunstreaker uses his signature top-mounted exhaust as a gun, which works, sure, but doesn’t look great. I gave him an extra gun I had lying around, it looks much better that way.

So bottom line, a pretty good robot mode as such, but in need of matching paint and a better gun.

Alternate Mode: Unsurprisingly Sunstreaker transforms into a yellow sports car, more specifically an unlicensed approximation of a Lamborghini Countach. Which brings us directly to my one major gripe with this car mode: where is the rear spoiler? A Lamborghini Countach needs a rear spoiler! There are even peg holes in place to plug it in, so where is it?

Apart from the missing spoiler, the car looks pretty good. No visible robot bits, everything holds together well. The different shades of yellow are visible here as well, of course, but I fear we shall have to live with that. So bottom line: a good car mode, but just like the robot needs a better weapon, the car really needs a spoiler. Hey, maybe some third party company can give us a plug-in spoiler that becomes a better weapon? I’d buy it.

Remarks: Sunstreaker was one of the original crewmembers of the Ark in the G1 cartoon and starred in the first season before slowly fading into the background to make room for newer toys. He also appeared in pretty much every G1-based comic series ever. He has yet to appear in Netflix’ War for Cybertron series, but maybe that will change when Earthrise starts in a few days. We’ll see. (Spoiler: he didn't appear!)

As for Sunstreaker as a toy, he is good, but falls short of great. Which is a pity, given that it wouldn’t have taken much to improve him. A spoiler, a gun, possibly a combination of the two, and matching tones of yellow, we would have been all set. As things stand, Sunstreaker is still a good figure, but with missed potential.

Rating: B-


Source: Transformers-Universe.com

 

Mine just came and I'm happy with him. I liked the universe mold well enough but to give him a unique design rather than a repaint is nice.

The engineering is a lot different than my other version exhaust. It's nice to be able to differentiate them so much.

That backpack makes for a second rate firearm, though.

 

Can someone post a picture of what he looks like with Trailbreaker's missile gun pegged onto one hand?

 

Good idea. So good, I had to print one up. Folds up nice and flush. Plugs into the back of the vent.

 

Anyone pick up the reprolabels set yet? If so how do you like it?

 

Just got my Spinout and Cordon and pulled out my Streaker to compare. The lack of a spoiler but holes for them AND the back being in black (dark green?) is still highly disappointing.

 

Who said there are no weapons for Sunstreaker?

He has reached God status.

 

Now I wish I’d gone with Netflix Prime instead of the ER version!

 

So nice to see an idea you got realised suddenly. I guessed the rear of the back of the vent could be used as a port.
Does it plug securely ?

Also, would you mind to share the file ?

 

Heavy/Scratch: - Sunstreaker spoiler

 

Great ! Thank you. I share an idea, you share the file. We share love for this character !

 

I took some time and put my other Sunstreakers out of storage for a comparison.
With the original G1 and the previous "CHUG" iteration.


The Generations one stay hight in my heart for this rich deep yellow that match the G1 prtetty well. And the dynamism of the torso sculpt. The Earthrise one is not good enought to replace him.

And a line up with the Binaltech one !


Now the Binaltech is not the most off color wise anymore.
I miss the Omnignix version for the masterpiece style. Hopefully soon, it'll be mine.

 

I wasn't planning to get him... I still quite like the Universe 2.0 Lambo mold, and while I'm not a stickler for scale, they tower over some of the other Autobot cars I've chosen to upgrade, like the Earthrise Datsuns.

With the murmurs of an Earth mode Sideswipe and Red Alert, and with this guy quickly seeming to disappear, I figured I'd get him now just to be safe. If I end up not liking the Sideswipe remold or if it ends up not existing, I can just sell him.

Anyway, he's a fun little figure. Nothing too special, a nice and simple transformation and decent poseability. The yellow is nowhere near as off as it seems like in pics.

 

What an annoying figure - he's good enough, but with just the slightest bit of extra effort he could have been great.

Leaving the holes where the non-existent spoiler should have plugged in is just Hasbro wearing it's cheapness on it's sleeve.