(NOTE: Because this is a repaint, this is not a full-blown review. This mainly covers any changes made to the mold and the color scheme, and merely compares it to Classics Masterpiece Starscream. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of Classics Masterpiece Starscream here.)

    Well, this was inevitable-- honestly, given how difficult the original Masterpiece Starscream was to get in the U.S., I'm surprised it took this long. Anyways, this version of Masterpiece Starscream takes the same general mold, but with the same changes made that first appear in the U.S. with Masterpiece Thundercracker. The mold is also colored in more traditionally "classic" Starscream colors-- there's no battle damage on this one, it's just straightforward Starscream's colors, with light milky gray being the main color, along with a fair amount of red on the chest and metallic blue on the rear wings, lower legs and arms, and nosecone. The light milky gray plastic is a bit of a disappointment-- I wanted something a bit more metallic-looking on a Masterpiece figure, in particular-- but the dark blue looks really nice with its metallic shade, and contrasts against the gray and red quite well. He's got a nice transparent orange cockpit too, along with some metallic gunmetal gray paint around it and on a few other places like his chest and face, which are painted quite well. As you'd expect, Starscream also has the white/red lines on his main wings, and some "F"-shaped lines on his rear wings, both of which look nice. That said, even if it's accurate, there is a bit too much unbroken gray, particularly in jet mode. I rather liked the "battle damage" on the original MP Starscream, to be honest. Just like with the other MP Seekers, Starscream has the usual platform and transparent stand with his name on it.
    Beyond the MP Thundercracker mold changes, nothing specific has been changed mold-wise for MP Starscream 2.0. Unfortunately, this includes the lack of mold renewal, which means that the issues I mentioned with MP Acid Storm and Sunstorm are even MORE egregious on Starscream. This mold is almost falling apart at this point-- the rear side wings fall off at a touch, the back wing pieces can come off easily during transformation, and I've heard reports even of badly-molded sliders on the back that you use for the wings during transformation. This is just... unconscionable, especially for a Masterpiece toy that's had these issues two times already even before its release.
    I WANT to wholeheartedly recommend Masterpiece Starscream 2.0, given how accurate he is to his traditional colors, the original one is really hard to find, and at only $60 this is a big price drop from the other recent TRU-exclusive MP Seekers. However, the myriad mold issues have all just come to a head here, and it just doesn't quite make that "recommended" purchase because of it. It's a real shame.

Review by Beastbot

(Pics from Hasbro.)

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