One of the more upsetting decisions Takara made with this line is to limit the amount of paint apps applied. It seems the heads, and a couple of crucial body parts are being painted, but everything else is molded in a certain color. To add more detail to each figure, Takara included a sticker sheet. Some of the figures, like Ratchet, actually need the stickers to add most of the red colors to his body. I was worried Skywarp would be the same way, but luckily he isn’t. Aside from no Decepticon symbol, which comes on the sheet, I really think Skywarp looks fine as is. The stickers they want you to add really just make him look more like Starscream’s paint apps. I really want the two figures to look as distinct as possible, so I decided not to add any.
Skywarp’s articulation is the same as Screamer’s. His head, shoulders, and hips are all ball joints. He has swivel biceps and a waist. His elbows and wrists are double hinged, while his knees and ankles are single hinged. His double jointed wrists also make for great gesturing and give the toy quite a great personality.
Skywarp comes with one accessory, his Minicon named Balo (or Baro, depending on your translation). I think Balo is supposed to look like a robotic buffalo, hence the name, but I really think he looks more like a goat or ram. Like I said, this little guy comes on a sprue and you have to assemble him yourself. I heard some complaints about this, but I actually like it. It’s easy to figure out and I had fun assembling him.
Balo‘s weapon mode can either be a ginormous throwing star, or a gun shaped like a massive drill. Personally, I prefer the robot/animal mode. But it is cool that he can combine with other Micron’s to form ridiculously shaped super weapons.
Balo‘s head, antlers, and tail are all hinges, while his legs are double hinged. The figure has sculpted detail, but no paint. Everything except for his clear power core has been molded gray. His color comes from the sticker sheet. I debated about putting them on or painting him, but since he’s my first Micron I decided to try it out. The stickers look a bit cheap, but they also add some nice metallic colors to an otherwise bland look. We’ll see how they last over time, but I’ll definitely replace them with paint if they fall off.
I am extremely happy with how Skywarp turned out. His colors are fantastic, and I love his little Micron companion. I think I like him more than Starscream, which is probably bad news for me and my wallet because I can’t wait to pick up more Seekers. I want every color…
-Vault
Thanks for the reminder that I don’t own FE cliffjumper.
Nice looking guy that skywarp though. Love that minicon.
Nice review! Skywarp looks great! Makes me wish they’d do Starscream in G1 colors.
Excellent review and great pics. But then, I expect nothing else from this site.
Still, I just can’t get that excited about these new TransFormers. Most likely because I haven’t seen a single episode of Prime yet (and probably won’t until the DVDs come out, if ever). Could be because the robots look a bit spindly and not “machiney” enough, if you get my drift. I’ve got three of them so far, but only because of my character (Soundwave & Wheeljack) and muscle car (Cliffjumper) foci.
Besides, I had enough hassle and unnecessary expense collecting the “Classics” and “Masterpiece” versions of all the Seekers so far. I ain’t going through that again with a new line and a new look.
Still, doesn’t keep me from enjoying a darned good review.
Season one came out on DVD/Blu Ray a month ago. I highly recommend it. It’s one of the best Transformers shows in the last decade, if not ever. Great voice acting, writing, and animation.
Yes, some of the designs (especially Decepticons) are a bit on the spindly side (Starscream’s honestly one of my least favorite designs on the show), but they look tons better than the models from the live action movie.
Well, it hasn’t come out on DVD here in England yet, mate. But if it is going to get released over here, it shouldn’t be too far behind the States. Thanks for the heads-up.
With you on the live-action movie models, also. I once did a feature called “Action Figures Separated at Birth,” comparing action figures who look ridiculously similar to each other (such as Grizzlor and Chewbacca). My partner-in-crime, Tresob Yr, made an excellent suggestion for the last chapter: Revenge of the Fallen Megatron and a crumpled wad of aluminium foil in a vaguely humanoid shape. Except that the wad of foil can turn into loads more things.
Wow, he looks sharp! I really dig the FE Starscream, enought that I’m skipping the “Powerizer” version. I hope Hasbro eventually releases Skywarp & TC using that mold in the U.S.
With the exception of the Masterpiece version, Skywarp has always been very difficult to obtain in the last 6 years or so. Kinda wish I picked a different favorite Seeker…
Could’ve been worse, mate. You could’ve picked Thundercracker or Sunstorm. };D