Sunstreaker got delivered in my Pile of Loot, and I opened him yesterday. This line blows my mind.
I preface this with saying that Sunstreaker was my first Autobot, along with Gears. I transformed that beautiful yellow Lambo back and forth and back and forth thousands of times. Total muscle memory. Knowing that sequence, I went right into this guy, and was surprised with every unlock and pull.
Firstly, everything clicks and tabs together securely. Knowing where those tabs are would have helped before transforming, so I'd know where to release them. This came into play right away with the canopy. Pulling the legs out took care but also required force. Finding that balance is a challenge. Feeling the legs separate was immediately gratifying, as that's something I always wanted the original to do. But bending them? Spreading them? I should know what to expect with this line, but experiencing it is just a little surreal. Bending the ankles felt tricky, like they were stuck. And he winds up with weird kibble at the heel, which I'm sure is meant to stabilize the feet.
Unfolding the arms worked just like the original, but opened up with more articulation in the shoulders, as they separated from the torso. Converting the torso was tricky. I had broken the cockpit from my original when I was a kid, so seeing it here was a reminder of how incomplete my childhood toy was. Folding the torso back took some finagling, but I got there. The head feels like it's on more than one hinge, I noticed as I folded and unfolded it. It can also turn left and right. The chassis fold up to close up his back like the original, but click and lock into place better than my old copy.
He comes with separate hands and rockets for his shoulders. Those plug in easily. But he also comes with a rifle, and the hand sculpt is solid with no hole. I couldn't figure it out, so I referred to the instruction sheet. The hands are for show. He actually has articulated hands built into his forearms, revealed by unfolding them! What a great revelation. I know they pulled it off with Optimus; I shouldn't have doubted this figure.
With the exception of a waist swivel, he has the full range of motion you'd expect from a modern Transformer. He comes with a sprue of missiles that I will not be removing. He comes with a decal sheet I also will not use. Some of those have been incorporated into the sculpt, which looks so great. He comes with a Diaclone driver! This is the first Diaclone micro pilot I've handled. Has swivels at the shoulders and a hinge for the two legs. He has blue legs, and tan paint on the front of the torso, I suppose is meant to resemble Spike. Fits perfectly in the driver's seat, in both car and robot mode. He's way out of scale with the car though. In car mode, he has no spot to store his rifle, or at least I haven't found a spot for it.
My only minor quibble is the heel kibble. Didn't really feel like a solution. Besides that, they killed on this figure. I know Sunstreaker isn't one of the main players. But Takara treated him that way. They spared no expense to make this pose in a way I could only imagine as a kid in 1984. I almost feel spoiled that this was the first car in this scale that they translated. I really hope they get around to as many characters as possible in this line. Soundwave might be my next most wanted. I've already preordered Ultra Magnus, and am eagerly awaiting Arcee, an entire figure that I could only dream of. I know the line is pricey, but so far, it feels worth every penny.
I preface this with saying that Sunstreaker was my first Autobot, along with Gears. I transformed that beautiful yellow Lambo back and forth and back and forth thousands of times. Total muscle memory. Knowing that sequence, I went right into this guy, and was surprised with every unlock and pull.
Firstly, everything clicks and tabs together securely. Knowing where those tabs are would have helped before transforming, so I'd know where to release them. This came into play right away with the canopy. Pulling the legs out took care but also required force. Finding that balance is a challenge. Feeling the legs separate was immediately gratifying, as that's something I always wanted the original to do. But bending them? Spreading them? I should know what to expect with this line, but experiencing it is just a little surreal. Bending the ankles felt tricky, like they were stuck. And he winds up with weird kibble at the heel, which I'm sure is meant to stabilize the feet.
Unfolding the arms worked just like the original, but opened up with more articulation in the shoulders, as they separated from the torso. Converting the torso was tricky. I had broken the cockpit from my original when I was a kid, so seeing it here was a reminder of how incomplete my childhood toy was. Folding the torso back took some finagling, but I got there. The head feels like it's on more than one hinge, I noticed as I folded and unfolded it. It can also turn left and right. The chassis fold up to close up his back like the original, but click and lock into place better than my old copy.
He comes with separate hands and rockets for his shoulders. Those plug in easily. But he also comes with a rifle, and the hand sculpt is solid with no hole. I couldn't figure it out, so I referred to the instruction sheet. The hands are for show. He actually has articulated hands built into his forearms, revealed by unfolding them! What a great revelation. I know they pulled it off with Optimus; I shouldn't have doubted this figure.
With the exception of a waist swivel, he has the full range of motion you'd expect from a modern Transformer. He comes with a sprue of missiles that I will not be removing. He comes with a decal sheet I also will not use. Some of those have been incorporated into the sculpt, which looks so great. He comes with a Diaclone driver! This is the first Diaclone micro pilot I've handled. Has swivels at the shoulders and a hinge for the two legs. He has blue legs, and tan paint on the front of the torso, I suppose is meant to resemble Spike. Fits perfectly in the driver's seat, in both car and robot mode. He's way out of scale with the car though. In car mode, he has no spot to store his rifle, or at least I haven't found a spot for it.
My only minor quibble is the heel kibble. Didn't really feel like a solution. Besides that, they killed on this figure. I know Sunstreaker isn't one of the main players. But Takara treated him that way. They spared no expense to make this pose in a way I could only imagine as a kid in 1984. I almost feel spoiled that this was the first car in this scale that they translated. I really hope they get around to as many characters as possible in this line. Soundwave might be my next most wanted. I've already preordered Ultra Magnus, and am eagerly awaiting Arcee, an entire figure that I could only dream of. I know the line is pricey, but so far, it feels worth every penny.