TAKARA produces some of the best renderings of the most popular and classic characters from the massive Transformers franchise. Now they’ve brought in a new pair of Masterpiece Collection figures of Starscream and Optimus Prime that is sure to please die-hard fans of the robots on disguise. Here’s a look!
GHOST STARSCREAM
Ghost Starscream measures 13” long in jet mode and 10” high in robot mode.
An intricate mixture of plastic and die cast, the almost completely translucent Ghost Starscream features a Gen 1-inspired color scheme. Extensively articulated, the figure is equipped with arm-mounted removable guns, and should be accompanied by decals, missile accessories, and a missile-rack display base configured to support both robot and jet modes; presumably this version will include the same switch-between facial expression feature found in Starscream’s non-spectral Masterpiece counterparts.
In Transformers: The Movie, Starscream seizes an opportunity to eliminate the badly-wounded Megatron, and is later, on Cybertron, amid pompous trumpet fanfare provided by the nonplussed Constructicons, crowned the leader of the Decepticons. Immediately afterwards, Galvatron, the reconstituted version of Megatron, arrives and matter-of-factly destroys the puzzled, crown-adorned Starscream with a single cannon blast. In the cartoon episode “Starscream’s Ghost”, the mendacious Air Commander, discovered by the fugitive Triple Changer Octane in a moldering Decepticon Crypt, returns as a semi-translucent specter. Starscream’s new insubstantial form enables him to take possession of Galvatron’s highest-ranking warriors, providing him with a unique path to vengeance.
SLEEP MODE OPTIMUS PRIME
Measuring approximately 12” tall, the MP-04S Masterpiece Convoy Sleep Mode & Trailer Complete Version is a mixture of plastic and die-cast, accompanied by Ion Blaster, gun Megatron with scope, stock and silencer, Energon Axe, the Matrix of Leadership, and Trailer/Combat Deck.
The flat-nosed truck mode is outfitted with rubber wheels and working suspension; the robot mode’s aesthetically-integrated articulation provides intricacies such as working finger joints and adjustable mouthplate. Convoy’s opening chest housing grants access to the Matrix of Leadership accessory.
This version of Prime is rendered in the lifeless shades of grey and black assumed by Prime’s chassis in the aftermath of the Decepticons’ assault of Autobot City. Arriving at a crucial moment, Prime plowed through multiple Decepticon warriors in the process of working his way to Megatron. In the ensuing hand-to-hand duel, Megatron, despite his initial boastful vow to destroy Prime with his bare hands, implements every oddly discarded weapon and piece of detritus he can find. When Optimus finally gains the upper hand, retrieving his gun, Hot Rod launches his own blundering attack against Megatron, enabling the Decepticon leader to use Hot Rod as a shield while he blasts Prime repeatedly with a discarded pistol. Prime finally delivers the decisive blow, crushing Megatron’s chest, although he succumbs to his own wounds immediately afterwards. As Perceptor delivers his sorrowful prognosis to the small handful of Autobots surrounding the ebbing Autobot leader, Optimus produces the Matrix of Leadership, bestowing the fabled artifact to the reluctant Ultra Magnus.
Posted by actionfigurecanada 
