Toy Review: Generations Legends Class Starscream and Waspinator

When Hasbro launched last year’s Transformers Thrilling 30 Generations toyline, the company introduced a new and much improved Legends Class line-up featuring modern renditions of four of the most popular G1 characters.

Legends Class is the most affordable and smallest of modern Transformers size classes.  As such, these toys are usually a smidge taller than two inches, have simplified transformation schemes (around 5-6 steps at most), and have very basic articulation (4 is the average.)  Paint apps are also kept to a minimum, but how well-detailed the toy is varies depending on the figure.

This new Legends Class is bigger and definitely better.  The height is bumped another inch, articulation is increased to at least 8 points, and they now come with Targetmaster triple-changing minicons!  The drawback, of course, is an increase in price. Double, to be exact.  But is it worth it? Depends.  If we’re talking about Starscream, hell yes!
 
ROBOT MODE


While Starscream retains familiar design elements—the color scheme, the wings, the cockpit chest, and the null-ray blasters—the toy is mainly cast in gray plastic with a generous paint job on the wings.  The robot’s torso is cast in red plastic, while some small parts like the jet’s nosecone, the tail fins, and the feet are cast in blue plastic.  The forearms and the shins have excellent blue paint that matches the blue plastic parts very well.  The null-ray blasters are cast in red plastic, same as the torso, but are painted dark gray.

While the toy’s general appearance is classic Starscream, the proportions, however, are much sleeker.  There are more visible angles everywhere as compared to the old G1 design’s stiff and blocky appearance.  The chest is also considerably wider, and the legs are proportionally longer. This modern design matches his appearance in the IDW comics. 

To further highlight the differences, I’d recommend comparing this new toy with the deluxe Classics seeker mold released almost a decade ago.  Said mold is the most faithful rendition of the old G1 cartoon appearance.

As mentioned earlier, these new Legends class toys have more articulation points.   There was a time when you’d be very thankful for knee joints for toys of this size.  Now, elbow joints come as standard.  Starscream has ball joints on both shoulders, elbows, and thighs, while the knees have standard hinge joints.  The feet, which forms the thrusters in jet mode “Macross-style” also have pins, but the movement gained only serves the transformation process.

The cool part of course, is that by utilizing ball joints, poseability and range of movement are increased further.  This new small Starscream toy can do more cool poses than older, bigger, and more expensive Transformers.

I also dig the head sculpt.  It’s one of the toy’s best features.  Sure, the head does not move, but the face sculpt is impressively detailed and painted!  The eyes are painted red, the face is painted silver, and the helm is painted dark gray.  The sculpt is pretty crisp and definitely captures Starscream’s character.  Considering that this toy’s head is no bigger than a corn kernel, the work done is simply superb.

Those null-ray blasters on Starscream’s arms can also detach and be held by his open-sculpt hands.  These weapons have the standard 5mm pegs which makes it compatible with other Transformers toys.  The blasters also have 3mm pegs which enable them to be wielded by Starscream’s minicon, Waspinator.
 

 
 
JET MODE
Starscream used to convert into an F-15 jet, this toy’s altmode is an amalgam of the F-15 and F-22.  The transformation process is simple, but still engaging.  You basically peg the legs together, flip down the wings, flip up the chest to form the nose cone and canopy, slide the arms down, and peg them under the wings.  You can have him change modes in less than 10 seconds. It’s not lazy-simple, it’s fun-simple.    



The jet itself is big considering its size class and I love how the front landing gear unfolds when you form the nosecone.  In jet mode, Starscream is pretty solid and stable. Just make sure to tab in those arms properly and it’s all good.  There’s also a peg hole on top where you can attach Waspinator in his weapon mode, but it just makes things look weird, like dead-insect-humping-a-jet-weird.
 
WASPINATOR
Triple-changing “minicon” partners come as standard with these new Legends class toys.  In Starscream’s case, he is partnered with Waspinator.  This guy is, of course, the Beast Wars character.  The partnership is not that random, though.  The bio at the back of the packaging touches on an old Beast Wars episode where Starscream’s ghost possessed Waspinator.  In terms of scale, both robots should be just right since it was established in the old series that Beast Wars characters are significantly smaller than the G1 robots.
(minicon pic here)
 
Waspinator is about an inch and half tall.  He also has three modes.  The first is the robot mode.  Just as Starscream, Waspinator follows his established color scheme, minus a few yellows for simplicity.  He has only two points of articulation located in the shoulders.  The legs can also swing a little, but it serves no other purpose than to align his insect-mode’s hind legs.   Despite the small size, the head sculpt has fine details.  The eyes are even painted well.

Second mode is the wasp form.  You basically push the robot’s chest upwards to form the wasp head, place him face down on the floor, straighten the yellow green stinger, and adjust the robot’s legs to align the insect feet.  This mode really looks good.

The third mode is the weapon mode.  Move the wasp head down a bit, slide those wings together and the back of the insect moves forward to form the gun’s muzzle.  Swing the stinger downwards and it becomes a handle.  Overall, it’s cluttered, awkward, and looks more like a squashed insect than a gun.  You can, of course, have Starscream wield him but who goes to a gun fight with a giant dead insect?
 
ROBOT MODE OR ALTMODE?
Starscream is excellent in both modes.
Waspinator is best in his alt mode.
 

PROS
+   well-designed robot mode
+  good articulation
+ good poseability
+ excellent head sculpt
+ solid and stable in both modes
+ playable and fun
+ enjoyable transformation
+ Waspinator minicon is not half-bad
 
CONS
-          Minor paint smudges in some areas
-          Waspinator’s weapon mode looks awkward
-          Exposed head in jet mode (minor gripe, though)
 

 
RATING
5 out 5 – PERFECT

You can pass on Optimus, Megatron, and Bumblebee, but you really have to pick up Starscream.
It’s a very fun toy and it’s also the perfect desk accessory/companion for the times when you’re scheming of overthrowing your supervisor.

The price tag may turn off some people, seeing that it costs the same as a full-size Deluxe, but if there’s one toy in this wave that’s worth it, it’s Starscream.  Waspinator is just a bonus. — TJD, GMA News