Got me a Masterpiece Starscream through the post today (many thanks Gutsman!). Gotta say that this bot is way lighter than what I was expecting. Considering the many reviews and feedback from collectors that I'd read before about MP SS, I was still very much surprised by the weight (or rather the lack of it).
Generally, when it comes to Masterpieces, one would expect the best of everything to be pumped into the toy so that the name befits the item in question. However, in the case of SS, I'm kinda disappointed... the lack of diecast metal bits actually tarnishes the Masterpiece brand name quite significantly seeing as how MP Optimus Prime has set the high benchmark for the amount of diecast in TF Masterpieces (just love diecast... yesssss). The quality of plastic used for the toy should also be improved upon as there were heaps of unsightly white stress-marks seen at the joints of the toy upon transformation (especially at the wings).
Sculpt-wise, MP SS is a beauty waist-up... waist-down the legs could've been done better. The kibble we get hanging on both sides of the waist are an eyesore... it also limited the range of motion for the hip joints which then limited poseability which is a big thing for me as I love posing me bots.
So what do I like about it? Well, one thing I like about MP SS is the cool gimmick incorporated into the head... the ability to switch faces... one that's kinda serious in appearance with another that pulls a sly grin. That was a thumbs-up IMO. The jet mode for SS is just fantastic and very realistic, much like the Yamato Macross 1/48 scale VF jets. There are heaps of detail and you get multiple panels which can open and close... much like the actual plane. You'll also get a figure of the Professor who gets to sit snugly into the cockpit and the cockpit actually shifts upwards so that it is parallel to ground when SS is in bot mode. Thus sparing anyone (unfortunate enough) who's in the cockpit from being in an uncomfortable position. I thought that that was a cool and thoughtful feature... for the little passenger, that is.
Oh, I didn't quite like the sticker sheet that came with MP SS . It had a dull appearance (in terms of clarity) and when pasted on SS, you could see the borders of the sticker in the background. The choice of clear stickers would've made heaps of difference.
So yeah, unfortunately I'm not very impressed by this bot mainly due to the quality issues... it's not worth the money it's going for. The design is great but the choice of melancholic colours in bot-mode becomes very apparent and SS just seems way too dark even for a Decepticon.
Would I recommend it? Maybe the anime-correct version that Hasbro's gonna come out with (is it out yet?) would be a better option than this Takara version. At least then, even if the same plastic is used, you won't be able to spot the stress-marks due to the lighter shade of plastic of the anime-correct version... plus the cost should be much lower compared to Takara's. Oh, there's also Skywarp to consider and black never goes out of fashion. B+
