MP Skywarp (Hasbro Edition) Review

[cliffjumping jazz]

A little over 2 years ago, Wal*Mart released a G1 colored Hasbro MP Starscream. It was a dream come true for those who wanted to collect MP figures without paying import prices, but it turned out to be quite an elusive item. Hasbro has teamed up with Wal*Mart once again to bring us a stateside release of Masterpiece Skywarp.

 

 

We'll start with the robot mode. He's typical Skywarp colors, black, purple, and silver. Just behind the arms you can spot 2 purple Decepticon insignias. Also present are his signature Null rays. Being that he's a straight repaint of Starscream, all changes are cosmetic.

 

 

Skywarp does have some jet parts hanging off of his hips, however they don't look particularly bad. But they do get annoying while posing, but I'll save that for later. Because his heels are the thrust vectors, standing him can be a pain, but as evident in the pictures above, it's not impossible, but if you do have problems standing him, a display stand is included.

 

 

First of all the stand is nice, it features Skywarp's name in silver print and also a purple chromed Decepticon insignia and nice molded detailing all around.

Articulation:

Head: ball joint(rear-mounted)/ Shoulders: ratchet,pin(360* forward & back/90*spread)/ Upper Arm: unlimited rotation(360*)/Elbow: pin hinge(2)(about 300* inward bend)/ Wrist: rotator(360*)/ Hand: thumb(ball joint mounted), index finger(ball joint

mounted, pinned at upper finger for 90* bend), 3 outer fingers(same as index but all 3 are molded together)/ Hip: ratchet(about 80* forward and back, about 25* spread)Lower Thigh: pinned for 360* rotation/ Knee: ratchet(90* bend)/ Toe: 360* side to side rotation/ Heel: ball joint(minor movement)

Overall posing is set up well in the upper body, but the lower body, specifically the hips, could have been done better. The 3 outer fingers on each hand are molded together which is a shame considering how much fun is added by having articulated figures.

Score: 9.50/10

 

Gimmicks

 

 

Skywarp has 2 faces, the first is a simple indifferent look, which suits Skywarp well.

 

 

The second is an evil smirk, more suitable for Starscream. The second face differs from Takara's second face, which was more of a "I Gotta Poo!" face. Also pictured above is the hidden chest missles which Starscream used in one episode.

 

 

Skywarp also comes with an unpainted black Dr. Arkeville figure, which is rather useless for Skywarp.

 

Transformation is simple, doing things in the correct order is where it gets tricky.

 

 

Let's move on to jet mode, where this figure really shines. He is of course modeled after an F-15 Eagle. The main colors stay the same, but with a little less silver and some more purple. This figure differs from the Takara version in that the color scheme is far more accurate to the original toy.

 

 

The molded detailing is fantastic all around. The jet features 3 point landing gear that deploy from the belly and nose. One thing that still amazes me is the lack of any real noticable robot parts on the bottom, it's near perfect. The pictures above show the jet sporting the null rays as seen in the cartoons but they can be swapped out for 2 pairs of missles.

 

 

The jet also features deployable air brakes, movable thrust vectors and flaps, and an opening cockpit which can seat Dr. Arkeville. Also features, hidden within the nose cone is a radar dish, once again, this feature was used by Starscream in one episode, and there is also a small clip that can be attached below the nose cone, this can be used to hold the small Megatron gun that came with MP Optimus. The stand can also be used to display this figure in jet mode.

 

Score: 10/10

 

Robot mode: Looks great, with some slightly better articulation in the hips, it could have been perfect. 9.50

Jet mode: This jet is beautiful the best we'll probably ever get. 10

Overall: An excellent figure that should not be missed. 9.75/10

[deceptikhan]

GREAT REVIEW!!! I like the pics along with the intricate detail. The only thing that you could improve (like i mentioned in your last review i read) is using the articulation word "rotator". How about "swivel joint"? Anyways, looking forward to seeing Skywarp in Walmart still. Im sure he's still there, they had like 10 of them right before christmas for 59.99.

 

Btw, does anybody know a fix for the hip joints on his/screamer's legs?

[cliffjumping jazz]

GREAT REVIEW!!! I like the pics along with the intricate detail. The only thing that you could improve (like i mentioned in your last review i read) is using the articulation word "rotator". How about "swivel joint"? Anyways, looking forward to seeing Skywarp in Walmart still. Im sure he's still there, they had like 10 of them right before christmas for 59.99.

 

Btw, does anybody know a fix for the hip joints on his/screamer's legs?

thanks, and yes, the word rotator seems to be a terrible habit of mine :tflaugh fixed.

[sgt__york]

HASBRO edition.... Anyone know if there is going to be a Takara version (Import) of the Hasbro G1 version also.. like they did with Starscream??

[Liege Evilmus]

IDK, they already reissues Skywarp twice in Japan, and the difference isn't as drastic as with Starscream. Then again if there's enough surplus, who knows?

[cvg_1948432637]

IDK, they already reissues Skywarp twice in Japan, and the difference isn't as drastic as with Starscream. Then again if there's enough surplus, who knows?

Yes...great review and pics to boot. But my only personal complaint with the figure I got was that it was a pain to pull the nosecone out and get the head to fold back while transforming him. He looks great next to my Anniversary Prime.

[Yuyuyami]

My problem with the figure is how crappily his torso stays together. I've done some mods to try to alleviate it, like jamming a knife in his shoulder ratchets to weaken them, using glue to tighten his pecs, tightening the slider screws and gluing the crotch tab in place so the nose won't pop out as easily, but it's still too shifty for my tastes. I used to hate the runners hanging off his thighs, but I removed them, sliced the ball joint off and glued them to the sides of his legs. Now his tails and elevators act like heels, so he stands very well and most of his leg poseability is unlocked.

 

Also, the megatron gun clip I use to hold Dr. Arkeville under the stand. It's a neat way to deal with that waste of plastic.

 

 

When I opened his chest missile cabinets, I started singing "Oh, I got missiles in my nipples! Missiles in my nipples! I've got missile nipples!"

[Frostshock]

This is the only MP figure i have but i love the mold and as a character collector of skywarp its perfect