So, finally got my lighting complete and Mr. "I got dibs!" Starscream is now open and transformed!

Preliminary thoughts only since it's late at night and i'll be going more in-depth tomorrow.

First and foremost, QC: One side of one stabilizer developed a small crack as I rotated the tailfin and my ankles were floppy as fuck. Thankfully, I was able to fix the ankles with some liquid Loctite, and he's able to stand with ease now, except for those times when my knee joints give out. This kinda shit is objectively unacceptable, but if you are willing to take the time to fix it, go ham.

As for Starscream now after he's all fixed up, I really like him. Aside from his sizeable backpack, he looks as sharp as a tack. He articulates great, love the articulated fingers, glad they didn't go with the dumb KFC ball-joints in the base shit, faces look great (haven't checked for doubles yet but at a glance I think i'm home free with every one), paint looks great, pretty much great across the board.

So yeah, I really like him, but at this point i'd advise anyone who wants in to at least be ready to face some issues, and prepare to deal with them.

If anyone is curious, this is the liquid Loctite that I used on the ankles, be prepared for a little bit of a splash zone, for lack of a better term, but with a couple coats around the ankle joint, you're pretty much home free.

 

Technically speaking, we don't know if that happened.

We saw Ironhide, Ratchet, Brawn and Prowl get killed on the shuttle, no question about that. But there's no evidence that their bodies were actually in the Autobot mauseleum and thus were obliterated when that crashed into a star. We never saw the actual bodies just a nameplate.

It all depends on what the Decepticons did with their bodies after they killed them. If they left them on the shuttle, then the Autobots would have their remains -- at least, what was left of them, since the shuttle was shut down and crashed: killed, Ironhide in close range by Megatron, their remains in hand of their enemies, left in a crashing shuttle...can't have been much left.

But what if the Decepticons just tossed the bodies out into space? Honestly, I somehow find it difficult to believe that the Decepticons just left those bodies on the shuttle. I find it more likely that after they took control they just tossed their corpses out into space. It wasn't that big of a shuttle and had to hold quite a few Decepticons: best to get rid of their corpses to get more space. In that case their bodies were lost and the Mausoleum was for them nothing more than a cenotaph, an empty grave to honour the lost comrade. Meanwhile, the actual body would float in space and that could be a way to resurrect them for later appearances.

 

Wow, some people in the "other thread" really needs an hug

 

Everybody talks scale, but now the seekers scale a little better with the carbots. And there'll actually be some differation in height between Shockwave, Soundwave, and Starscream.

 

Damn, hopefully they make some fixes whenever this gets reissued. Thanks for the review.

 

I haven't had time to handle my Screamer much since I got him, but I decided to look at his ankles specifically last night, and yes, like many of you, I guess I do have "loose AF ankles", but I normally just adjust his stance so that the tops of his feet are resting or touching/being supported by his shins, so I haven't had any trouble with him falling over, but if I want to pose him without the toe and shin supporting each other, it's definitely too loose and will not stay in place. I'll look at taking the foot apart and maybe adding some tissue paper or clear acrylic to increase friction in the post. I don't think I saw any cracks.

 

Well hold up now, i'm not done yet. I wanna give out a more detailed review after having him for the past couple days, which unlike earlier is mostly very very good, but there's just one thing holding me back currently. His knee ratchets. My attempt at tightening the only joint that so far needs fixing for me is like the Pearl of Bahoudin.

"... but once you have dug up the Pearl, you may not find it so easy to put back..."

It's the reconstruction of what it took to get inside that's getting me almost in a rage, haha.

Both that and i'm waiting for one more figure for a shot I wanna get that would be awesome.

 

Every animation error is easily explained by Season 3 episode 11 "Forever is a Long Time Coming" in which the Quintessons open up a time portal that stays open too long and quote "creates disaster throughout the Universe". The Time Portal's effects ripple into the distant past and future and retroactively explain every single instance of paradox in the series. It's sort of low-key brilliant.

 

FYI my ankle cracks were not visible unless I flexed the ankle post a bit. When I flexed the post a bit, the crack would start to open up. I didn't think I had cracks at first.

 

Just throwing this out there for sh*ts & gigs....


All the effort I put into the ankles to tightened them up seemed to have just vanished completely.

At one point, I was even seeping in crazy glue into the post. They were rock solid for a few days; and now it's like I never did anything to them. They are looser and dangle more than ever. Odd?

Either way, it doesn't really matter anymore...ever since using the thruster to counter pressure the foot, which I have posted up against his shins, there is no need for a tight secure ankle anymore. This does the trick 100% perfectly.

I was merely commenting on the oddity of all the fixes simply vanishing. lol

 

1983 - 2021: a long way...

 

I had the same exact thing happen to me. Several times. I think what's happening is that the post has a tiny crack and it's actually expanding to compensate for whatever goop we put in there to fix it. That's my best guess. After 5 attempts to fix it, the ankles are more loose than when I started which makes no sense. I'm thinking about trying out the fix where you replace the rivet with a screw, but I'm afraid of messing that up and causing damage.

 

Anyone speak to @Emperor Bruticus IV outside of the boards? I sent him fixed legs for his Starscream and am expecting him to send back the broken ones, but no reply to PMs — I’m a little worried something happened to him! Anyone else in touch with him lately?

 

Yeah, that makes sense.

Honestly, I'd just leave it now. Like I stated above, configuring the feet with the thruster applying counterpressure to the foot which is pressed against the shins makes it an absolutely "no issue".

 

I agree. I was messing with him yesterday to transform him and noticed the same looseness in the ankle return.

 

His profile shows him last online yesterday.

I assume my arms got to you Sam?

 

I SHOULD leave it alone, but my OCD demands that everything work properly. So I may still try to fix it..... maybe. My plan was to wait until Thundercracker shows up to see if anything was changed from Starscream for the ankles. And if Thundercracker's ankles work fine I will use him as my posing copy and Starscream will stay on the shelf. I might be tempted to get a Starscream re-issue if Thundercracker and Skywarp both have better ankles. Yup, I am aware that I have a collecting "problem".  

 

Amazing!

 

I think we have a new winner~! Him and his little midget bro!  

Original: Wh1tebase