Title:
Starscream (Jet Mode)
Description:
Starscream (Decepticon Jet, 1984/1985/1986/1990)
Japanese ID number: 22
Accessories: Left & right fists, 2 missile launchers, 2 null-rays, 2 cluster bombs, left & right wings, left & right tail fins, left & right tail wings, landing gear
Starscream’s first toy began life as ”Jet Robo” from the Diaclone line, transforming into a grey, red and blue F-15 Eagle fighter jet. To transform Starscream, one must essentially take most of his plane parts off and transform his body, then reattach most of plane parts on again, along with the addition of two blue fists. If you don’t mind being fiddly, though, transformation can certainly be achieved by only removing the fists, weapons and landing gear (which can store in Starscream’s cockpit). Owing to the modular nature of his design and the fact that it is impossible to store all the parts in either mode, it can be quite difficult to find an intact original set of this toy.Starscream is armed with a pair of missile launchers that mount on his arms in robot mode, and under his wings in jet mode, with a pair of specialized projectiles for each. In jet mode, two short ”cluster bomb” projectiles are fitted into the launchers to make them resemble the drop tanks a real F-15 carries, while in robot mode, they are replaced with the long barrels of Starscream’s null-rays. The original Diaclone version of the mold featured spring-loaded firing mechanisms in these launchers; while this feature was removed for the Hasbro release of the toy, it was left intact for the Takara version, and all subsequent reissues.The Diaclone version of the Starscream mold featured tailfins with solid tips and solid fists, and both these features carried over to the earliest Transformers releases. Soon, however, the Transformers mold was modified to add hollow tips to the fins, and tabs to the insides of the fists to allow them to hold onto his arms tighter, resulting in a visible slit on either side of each one. These altered versions became the standard for all subsequent reissues of the mold. Like all his 1984 brethren, a rubsign was added to Starscream in 1985.The Italian release of Starscream (as ”Astrum”) by GiG put him in a generic ”Distructor Planes” box, featuring names and tech specs for all three planes in the assortment.Starscream’s mold was redecoed into the concurrently-available Thundercracker and Skywarp. It would later be redecoed again to make Sunstorm, and retooled into Dirge, Ramjet, and Thrust. On top of this, given his role as a major Generation 1 character, Starscream himself would be reissued many times down the years, the first being still in his original packaging in Australia in 1990. Subsequent reissues had more distinctive presentation, and this article strives to list each one under its own header. The long lifespan of his toy actually began in 1986, when Starscream remained part of the assortment for that year despite the departure of nearly every other 1984 toy from store shelves.
Japanese ID number: 22
Accessories: Left & right fists, 2 missile launchers, 2 null-rays, 2 cluster bombs, left & right wings, left & right tail fins, left & right tail wings, landing gear
Starscream’s first toy began life as ”Jet Robo” from the Diaclone line, transforming into a grey, red and blue F-15 Eagle fighter jet. To transform Starscream, one must essentially take most of his plane parts off and transform his body, then reattach most of plane parts on again, along with the addition of two blue fists. If you don’t mind being fiddly, though, transformation can certainly be achieved by only removing the fists, weapons and landing gear (which can store in Starscream’s cockpit). Owing to the modular nature of his design and the fact that it is impossible to store all the parts in either mode, it can be quite difficult to find an intact original set of this toy.Starscream is armed with a pair of missile launchers that mount on his arms in robot mode, and under his wings in jet mode, with a pair of specialized projectiles for each. In jet mode, two short ”cluster bomb” projectiles are fitted into the launchers to make them resemble the drop tanks a real F-15 carries, while in robot mode, they are replaced with the long barrels of Starscream’s null-rays. The original Diaclone version of the mold featured spring-loaded firing mechanisms in these launchers; while this feature was removed for the Hasbro release of the toy, it was left intact for the Takara version, and all subsequent reissues.The Diaclone version of the Starscream mold featured tailfins with solid tips and solid fists, and both these features carried over to the earliest Transformers releases. Soon, however, the Transformers mold was modified to add hollow tips to the fins, and tabs to the insides of the fists to allow them to hold onto his arms tighter, resulting in a visible slit on either side of each one. These altered versions became the standard for all subsequent reissues of the mold. Like all his 1984 brethren, a rubsign was added to Starscream in 1985.The Italian release of Starscream (as ”Astrum”) by GiG put him in a generic ”Distructor Planes” box, featuring names and tech specs for all three planes in the assortment.Starscream’s mold was redecoed into the concurrently-available Thundercracker and Skywarp. It would later be redecoed again to make Sunstorm, and retooled into Dirge, Ramjet, and Thrust. On top of this, given his role as a major Generation 1 character, Starscream himself would be reissued many times down the years, the first being still in his original packaging in Australia in 1990. Subsequent reissues had more distinctive presentation, and this article strives to list each one under its own header. The long lifespan of his toy actually began in 1986, when Starscream remained part of the assortment for that year despite the departure of nearly every other 1984 toy from store shelves.
Theme:
Transformers G1
Manufacturer:
Hasbro
Year:
1984
Date Added:
2021-01-15 13:02:41
Date Added:
2021-01-15 13:02:41
