Toy Review - DotM Deluxe Thundercracker

Toy Review - DotM Deluxe Thundercracker

(Please post photos, comments or even a fully comprehensive review - these are just brief details)

Toy Review - Thundercracker
Series - Dark of the Moon
Sub-line - Mechtech
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - Redeco (Starscream)
Wave - 3
Released here - May 2011
Approximate Retail Price - $24-30
Approximate Size - 14cm
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode - F-22 Raptor fighter jet
Main Features/Gimmicks - Convertible Mechtech weapon
Main Colours - Dark blue, grey, red
Main Accessories - Mechtech weapon


http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/mt21.jpg

My first DOTM Figure, he's purdy looking with minimal hasbro grey and a very nice shade of blue, the way they have coloured his head gives him a vague Tentakil vibe. Mech Tech weapon is cool. I like the idea of a chainsaw wielding seeker and the gun mode has a neat null ray look to it. I wish he came with two though.

Recommended!

I bought this rather than Deluxe Starscream, and it's a great mould and everything locks in place. So far, the DOTM line has the best movie toys: this is the best cinematic Starscream-mould yet, and at a sensible scale:

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/7457/summer1j.jpg

+its Thundercracker
+nice blue colouring
+good alt mode

-rubbish robot mode.
-starscream's head sculpt
-chicken legs
-mech tech weapon is a chainsaw and half of starscream's mechtech weapon which is useless and looks out of place.

While this figure does look nice. I ended up returning it before I opened it. Why? I have a Voyager Movie Thundercracker. Just could not justify getting a deluxe too. After all its just a movie figure.

Yeah, if I already had Voyager moofie Thundercracker, I wouldn't bother getting this Deluxe. But I don't, so the Deluxe works well for me. :) I wasn't impressed enough with the TF1 Voyager Starscream mould to buy repaints/retools of it as Thundercracker, Skywarp and Ramjet - but a cheaper Deluxe is fine by me. ;) Now I hope they'll do Skywarp (Ramjet, Thrust and Dirge would be nice, but I can live without them)

edit: *facepalms.self* Of course I already have ROTF Dirge -- Duh!! And they probably should repaint that mould as Thrust and Ramjet (certainly would be more appealing that a random repaint like Jetblade IMHO :p)

I was never a fan of the voyager Starscream from TF1 and do not like the aesthetic of the "tattoos" on subsequent Starscreams. However this figure looks quite nice in alt mode in packaging, the colours used are very eye catching and different when seen next to morbid grey Sideswipe, over yellow bumblebee and been there seen that black and hasbro grey bird/hover thing.

The normal arms and legs hidden under the wings is nicely hidden (still obviously there, but in a different configuration). The folding away of the wings and tailfins is different simplistic and adds to the basic transformation scheme that is easy enough for any youngster to memorise.

Sadly as it is a movie Starscream figure, the chimp arms and chicken legs are still present, making an awkwardly shaped and rather ugly robot mode. The head is also unchanged and very ungainly. The feet balance nicely in robot mode, but the posability of the figure is limited.

The Mechtech weapons remain consistant, rather lame and their inability the remain deployed is a detraction to the whole concept. The chainsaw does not work well with the Jet, and the blade does not look right in either mode due to it's moulding.

Thundercracker looks fantastic in Jet mode, but suffers in robot mode due to keeping Starscreams proportions. If the robot mode proportions do not bother you it is a very good deluxe figure, and well worht a pickup, especially with the toy sale prices coming soon.

the robot proportions don't bother me cos it's a movie verse toy - so I can accept that he'd look like Starscream. :) Interestingly, when I got this toy they also had Generations Thundercracker on sale at the same time; so I guess if anyone wanted a "better looking" Thundercracker, they could go for that - whereas people looking for a Thundercracker with movie aesthetics can go for the DotM figure. :D

Or if you're awesome, get both! No such thing as to many Thundercrackers.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gutsman Heavy

Or if you're awesome, get both! No such thing as to many Thundercrackers.

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i still regret buying the dotm version but i still love the generations and alternity thundercrackers ^_^

Blasphemer! Sell me his mech tech weapon then! :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gutsman Heavy

Blasphemer! Sell me his mech tech weapon then! :p

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no! you sell me your mechtech weapon! or we can swap, i'll give you the golden blade mechtech for your blue chainsaw. (then my thundercracker can dual wield chainsaws muhahaha...)

Hey! I'm trying to rip you off here dammit!

Removing the spring has made the Mech Tech weapon much better. TC now wields his chainsaw permanently!

Picked it up today - I still don't really like the mold that much but the colours are very good.

Definitely get this over Starscream (who I'm hoping they re release in G1 colours to go with Skywarp because even though this mold is a bit shit it's still far better than the Classics Seeker mold)

This is great deluxe size representation of the Starscream design
and he's also got a wicked color scheme...

Thundercracker is clearly a Newcastle Knights fan...

;)

I voted 'only if something else' because as much as this mould is one of the better Dlx movie moulds, I'd only recommend getting Thundercracker if you plan on getting all three Seeers (with JP Skywarp if Hasbro don't end up releasing one).

There was potential for the 2nd & 3rd Movie to have Starscream's minions included, especially since they included so many "clones" to save ILM money... and they didn't need to be talking roles either - just background troops to make up numbers and cannon-fodder. It would have guaranteed sales of the Starscream redecos, and make this a definite yes for being in the movie.

Don't get me wrong, this toy is good enough on its own to be worth buying, but with so many movie toys being release, and so many new cast character toys, I'm just being selective on which ones to recommend as a definite buy.

The colourings are nice on Thundercracker, making it a good tribute to the Gen1 character. But like the Starscream toy, this one suffers from the short-legged, stumpy look, thanks to the engineering that didn't want any robot kibble sticking out of the jet mode. (one mode always has to suffer I guess)

This figure has an undocumented bonus blade weapon. I don't know why it was included... unless they wanted the jet mode more balanced with its attached weapons after it was photographed for the packaging. I remember coming back from BotCon with a box full of toys and weapons, and having this blade weapon left over... it took me ages to work it out (probably with the help of someone revealing who it belonged to).

I bought it cheap on sale mainly because I wanted to see what this deluxe F-22 design was like and I didn't want another starscream. the rotf voyager was pertty good and I also have the Movie Masterpiece.

I also hate the tattoo design on the screamers so the pretty blue that decorates this TC is a welcome change.

I have come to grips with the shape of the movie starscream/seeker design, I actually quite like it's alien, not so human appearance.

as such, I like the vehicle mode for it's clean lines, and lack of kibble, I found the transformation to be quite novel and elegant for a figure this size and the robot mode is stable and fairly posable, it certainly looks a lot better than the 2007 seeker mold, in either mode.

I say Only if cheap though, as I don't see a full set of seekers coming out in this mold and not being an on screen character it's not critical for a movie collection. And we already pay too much for transformers here so if you can get it on special it just means you're a little closer to paying what our international buddies pay for the same thing.
As a transformers jet tragic though I had to get at least one version of this mold and I am full up on tattood starscreams:p.

Very well worth it though if you are into transformers jets, the movie jets or thundercracker.