Moving on to the articulation design of Transformers: Generations Fall of Cybertron Deluxe Class Starscream after focusing on its robot mode look and details in the previous posting. ^^
Just side-to-side swivel for the head.
With either chest panel blocking its view, there's not much point turning the head to either side. ^^;
Starscream can be posed looking upward, but that involves detaching the neck base before bending the head to the back, which is definitely not an intended articulation point in robot mode. ^^;
Since they are not pegged into anything, the still hingable shoulder blocks in robot mode after transformation allows the arms to be bent forward/backward.
The wings can be bent forward to reveal them more when viewed in front, or to the back to make them look more integrated with the backpack.
A full 360-degree swivel for the shoulder joint.
With the shoulder fins blocking its path, the arm can be lifted from the side for a limited degree only.
With the shoulder armor rotated around so that the fins are positioned on the the underside, the arm can be lifted and bent all the way to right next to the head.
Biceps swivel.
A full 180-degree elbow bend.
The elbow joint features some simple gear details.
The elbow joint is so flexible the forearm can be bent slightly in reverse, an articulation point that is perhaps just as unnatural as the head's upward tilt shown earlier on. ^^;
Then again, as you will find out later on, this unnatural elbow bend is actually needed for one of the figure's gimmicks. ^^
The fists do swivel around the wrist joints.
Due to the way the backpack tabs into the back of the waist during transformation, there's no articulation point for the waist at all.
Very flexible ball-type joints for the hips that allow Starscream to perform full sideways and forward splits. ^^
When lifted forward, either thigh would often collide with a peg near the edge of the backpack that protrudes forward (it's the peg that lock the folded leg in place beneath the jet mode's main body). ^^; It's not a serious hindrance to the thigh's articulation, as there's ample space next to the hip joint for the thigh to be adjusted out of the peg's way. ^^
Separated thigh swivels also allow the legs to be rotated around the hip joints.
90-degree knee bend.
Despite its bulky appearance, there's a ball-type ankle joint incorporated into each foot. ^^
While it does allow the foot to be bent inward for a considerable degree (considering the foot's size ^^), rotation to all other directions is limited. ^^;
An articulation point from its transformation design: the single toe on either foot can be hinged downward.
Despite its highly flexible hip articulation and good knee bending range, performing a natural-looking kneeling pose proves to be a really difficult task for Starscream - the knee bend is just not wide enough for both legs to be positioned properly on the surface. ^^;
Overall, I think the articulation design for Starscream is rather typical, but still very well done. Most of its articulation capabilities are comparable to those on Transformers Specialist Decepticons: Galvatron or "Transformers: Prime - Beast Hunter" Bumblebee, the previous two reviewed Deluxe Class Transformers figures, although I also feel that Starscream moves better than those two in comparison. ^^ For that, the flexibility of Starscream's articulation is definitely one of its strengths, besides the nice-looking robot mode details as discussed in the previous posting. ^^
A look at the triple-barreled Gatling cannons' gimmicks on Starscream in robot mode:
Each cannon has two pegs that can be used as handles for Starscream to hold the weapon.
Either one of the said pegs can be used to mount the cannon for a 5mm port behind Starscream's forearm.
As shown above, the shorter peg allows the cannon to be connected as closely as it could to the forearm.
Using the longer peg as the connector, there's a visible gap between the cannon and the forearm.
In combined form, there's a large portion of the cannons' bulk that is going to be offset to one side no matter which handle is used to hold it. ^^;
The same bulk issue can be observed when the cannons are mounted to the forearm. ^^;
To show Starscream holding the linked cannons with both hands, the elbows need to be bent in reverse - this is where the application of this unnatural joint design as highlighted earlier on comes into effect. ^^
With the bent elbows, the hands can be positioned close enough to the pair of long pegs to grab on to them.
When held using both hands, the combined cannons instantly look heavier, and more powerful. ^^
The 5mm port on the outer side of either leg can be used to hold the cannons in singular or combined forms.
The ports beneath the wings, the primary connection point of the cannons in jet mode can still be used to hold the weapon, ...
... but with an unavoidable collision between the cannons and the shoulder armors, even with the wings fully bent to the back, makes the wing ports less favorable as a weapon attachment point in robot mode. ^^;
The tail fin port can still be accessed in robot mode to hold the combined cannons.
With much of the cannons' bulk hidden away behind the robot mode, the backpack port seems like the most ideal attachment point for the combined cannons, but this configuration also leaves Starscream with no weapon to wield. ^^;
While the cannons can be equipped to Starscream in a wide range of configurations, its combined mode's bulk makes it somewhat difficult to be mounted on the figure itself, other than to have Starscream hold it with both arms, in which the poses possible would be limited, or to have the weapon stored on its back, in which the cannons would be hidden, and Starscream left weapon-less. ^^; In the end, a dual-wielding Starscream appears to be the best display option to show off the figure with its Gatling cannons. ^^
Some action poses from Starscream coming up in the next posting. ^^
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