Starscream is a rarer breed of Transformer, one that looks good in both of his forms. This guy is a fighter jet for a day job, and a pretty attractive one at that. He is pretty much based on an F-15 Eagle as best I can tell, and much like the real thing, it's just a stylish design, epitomizing just about every cool thing that people, especially kids, love about jets in the first place. It's sleek and deadly looking, and I'd say a lot of buyers would just be satisfied with a cool looking jet that fires missiles, but thankfully Starscream has a pretty okay looking transformation form as well. Although a little of the smooth, aerodynamic look is lost along the way, this robot form is still a nice design too. The details on both forms are impressive, with numerous little grooves and partitions sculpted into all the different parts of his body, as well as little circuits on his weapons. These give Starscream a sense of texture that's much better looking than bare plastic would be; it's these little flourishes that are the difference between the real deal and the $4 ripoff versions. This figure's head is in the very standard Transformers style, showing no particular expression, and with more "helmet" than face. There are some eyes, a nose, and a mouth sculpted in, although they're hard to see. The build lends itself to a pretty easy transformation, parts fitting together well and sliding past one another effortlessly when necessary. The only problems I have are with his ugly blue "feet" that extend a little too far and just don't mesh stylistically with his lower legs, and the fact that in robot form his back looks a little barren of interesting design elements. 

Sculpt Score: 8 / 10

 Starscream is another Transformer that relies almost exclusively on plastic colors to achieve his color scheme. The only painted areas are the orange/red on his chest, the silver streaks, a few of the blue spots, and the black/gray on his head and face. He's mostly molded in white plastic, that matches well throughout, with some blue plastics too, of which the painted blue matches the molded blue quite well. The lines on his wings are applied very cleanly, as are the blue spots on his legs, but some of the orange is a bit sloppy on the chest. It's not quite reaching full coverage, and there are a couple drips where they aren't supposed to be. His face is also messed up, one eye being painted way too big and low, coming off the sculpt lines considerably. Of course, his eyes are about the size of a pen's point, so who can really complain? I like his basic, and mostly white color scheme, and the accents really go a long way to add the necessary flair. I think this color style looks a lot more heroic than it does evil, so I have to question the design choice there, but it's not the toy's fault; it still looks good. I do kind of hate how his head is black, which is a color nowhere else on the figure, so it's a bit distracting. The decepticon decals on his wings are mostly straight, although I'm thinking one is angled funny, I really can't tell, so it must not be too bad. 

Paint Score: 7 / 10

 Starscream's articulation is without a doubt his weakest point. That's not to say it's abysmal. It just isn't good either. He has a swivel neck, ball shoulders, hinge elbows, ball hips, and hinge and swivel knees. You could technically say he also has hinges at the wrists and ankles, but those are just products of his transformation, and don't really add much to his posability. This is a decent amount of articulation, but because of various factors, there isn't a lot you can actually do with it. His shoulders are sort of limited by the wings behind them, especially with his missiles plugged into his arms and there doesn't seem to be much you can do with his hips or knees because of the short thigh. His head can't turn very far side to side either, because of the dangling cockpit hitting the air intakes next to his head. I do like the swivel at his knee, because it adds some much needed options for fun leg poses, but without an ankle that can angle from side to side, then you can't take full advantage of it. Basically, he has enough articulation to play with and find a pose better than just standing straight up, and not anything more. All of the joints work very well right out of the package, meaning nothing is stuck or broken, plus they are all tight enough to hold his poses. None of the articulation really takes away from his appearance, and really it blends in better than with most toys, because he's a robot and it just looks "natural".    

Articulation Score: 6 / 10

 

 Starscream has one great thing going for him in this category right off the bat: he's a Transformer! Transforming is the king of toy action features and Starscream is another one that's as fun as can be because he does it. His transformation isn't difficult, and both of his forms are fun to play with and look at. He has enough articulation to stage battles or find a semi-dynamic pose on the shelf (although a few more points wouldn't hurt) and he even comes with an extra action feature: missiles! The two huge cannons you can attach to his arms or under his wings (pictured below) can actually be fired quite a few feet with the press of the button. You might even be able to knock other, less sturdy, figures down with these bad boys. There's nothing particularly frustrating about Starscream, and he even comes in cool packaging with a biography and stats, which were always one of my favorite parts about toys as a kid--the story. Starscream doesn't really lack in any of the important enjoyment categories; he's just fun!

Fun Score: 10 / 10

 These figures have recently jumped in price a considerable amount, now resting anywhere from $10-$12. While that's not a huge amount of money for an action figure these days, it still feels a little high for this figure. Starscream isn't particularly big or little, coming up average on the "amount of plastic used" examination, but it all feels really tough and sturdy. His design is efficient and his transformation clearly took a little bit of effort and thought, so all of these things add up to higher costs. Not to mention he does come with some accessories and in nice packaging. The most important thing is how much fun he is, which will make him worth the money he costs you. He exudes seemingly high production values and he's a character that a lot of people love. He's definitely light on paint applications and his sculpt isn't bad at all, but it's all simple lines and geometric shapes, so it doesn't feel quite as worth the big bucks. In the end, he's a pretty decent value just because he's fun, and despite his cost, he's a good action figure that will stand up to a lot of play hours. 

Value Score: 8 / 10 

Summary

 8 - Pretty stylish in both forms, effective use of small details to add "texture", face is small and lacks any life, functions well in transformation, his "feet" are ugly, bare from the back. 

 7 - Kind of simple color design, but one that still looks good, some paint application issues with orange, one eye is evidently swollen because it's huge, decals are okay, some great straight lines on wings, colors generally work well together, white is all well matched. 

 6 - Everything works, there just isn't a lot of it, looks good with sculpt, a number of points are limited in range.

 10 - Articulation isn't super, but it does the job for playing or displaying, awesome built in action feature of transformation, includes accessories with cool play element, great design and backstory, packaging includes bio and stats. 

 8  - Price might be getting a little high considering basic paint and sculpt, comes with accessories, average sized figure, sturdy build and high production values, time clearly spent on development and transformation process design. 

Overall Score: 77 / 100 - This is a Good Toy

Starscream is as fun as it gets and features basic but high quality sculpting that's held back by mediocre paints and a weak articulation model.  

P.S. This could be the figure I'm giving away this month, just leave a comment for a chance to win (if it's the one).

-The Articulated One