Transformers: Masterpiece Sunstreaker

 

 So, this has certainly been a long time coming. Back at the start of 2018, Masterpiece Sunstreaker was released to the praise and acclaim of practically the entire Transformers collecting community, no mean feat, considering how infrequently that community agrees on anything.

So obviously, what we’re all clamoring for in late April is another article on Masterpiece Sunstreaker. Well, my Coffinittes, your prayers are about to be answered.

Continuing in the tradition of the Masterpiece line presenting screen accurate toy versions of G1 characters (I know that there are also Beast Wars entries in the line. –mr), Sunstreaker does not disappoint. Coming complete with a slew of accessories that hearken back to one or two frames of the 1984 cartoon, this is probably the most definitive plastic version of the character we’re likely to ever get. He comes with a tiny blaster that folds out from between the spoiler halves, like in that episode where Sunstreaker had a tiny blaster fold out from between the halves of his spoiler to fire at someone. He has another small blaster that stores inside his leg, just like in that episode where he pulls a small blaster out from inside his leg. He also has a regular-sized blaster. He comes with swappable faces, and best of all, an alien mask from that episode where Sunstreaker and Hoist are cast as aliens in a movie that is filming nearby. (my wife calls the mask the Cross-eyed Greedo face. –mr) And, he comes with a little Chip Chase, Masterpiece Chip Chase to you.

Sunstreaker comes packaged in vehicle mode, so let’s start there. What a gorgeous vehicle mode it is! Officially licensed by Lamborghini, as most of the Masterpiece v. 2.0 cars have been licensed by their manufacturers, Sunstreaker’s alt mode presents a challenge, as it is based on a real car, but apparently a heavily modified version of one. So this is a realistic fictional car, then? Sure, why not. The color is bright and strong yellow, really eye catching and vibrant. The car can actually be displayed two different ways: accurate to the G1 toy with the big chrome intakes on the back, or closer to the real-world Lambo, with the intakes folded away. It only takes a few steps to realize either mode, and they are both pretty excellent. I find the G1 accurate mode preferable, so that’s the look Sunstreaker had for most of the time he was in vehicle mode. But with the engines folded away, the car takes on a super slick and smooth look, a testament to the engineering of the toy. A few years ago, this kind of different alt mode look would have probably been achieved through parts forming or, far worse, some kind of disruption to the lines and smooth of the alt mode in general. Aside from this, the car mode is packed with fun: scissor doors and pop up headlights on the front end, as well as the briefly mentioned fold out blaster beneath the spoiler. The doors do, but the Chip figure cannot fit inside: this is not a new or strange development for a Masterpiece figure, although it kinda seems like it should be. None of the Masterpiece cars allow for a figure to fit inside, but there is something about the opening doors that usually makes me think that they open so as to allow a figure to ride inside. The windows are all translucent, so you can see the inside of the car, even though it’s just a folded up robot. The car window has a long wiper blade, but it is molded on and does not move.

 

The alt mode is super nice, as has long been a hallmark of the Masterpiece line. But it is truly appreciated with the Autobot cars, as they are largely a sporty bunch, and the quality, appearance, and detail of the Masterpiece versions recall those olden days of the Alternators series, but better.

You can't beat the best.

As for robot mode, Sunstreaker is a real treat. The figure does have a great and involved and challenging, but never frustrating or too difficult, transformation. It is the satisfying kind that captures your attention while engaged and leaves you feeling accomplished afterwards. There is a real stress factor involved in transforming this figure, and while repeated transformation usually builds confidence in a person, repeatedly transforming Sunstreaker generally left me afraid that this time, something was going to crack or snap or some paint would chip or something, none of which actually happened.  It’s also kind of surprising how such a long, lean robot emerges from such a low to the ground, sleek car. Loud Pedal and Road Rage sort of provide the same kind of surprise. Sunstreaker looks like his on-screen self, as well as his G1 toy self, complete with the black areas on the legs. Probably the coolest compromise is the backpack, an amalgamation of the behind-the-head engine vents found on the toy and the backpack on the animation model. On the Masterpiece it is clearly more of a backpack than a headpiece, but viewed from the front, the vents sit behind the head and do frame it enough to be a passable toy reference. The car doors fold up inside the hollow spaces of the legs, and at first, it seems like there’s going to be some leftover space, or gaps on the toy that will bring down the whole experience. This is not the case however, as parts that fold away do a great job of eating up that empty space, giving everything a very full look. It also means that the slender and agile looking robot mode is not burdened with panels and car parts. The chest is a fake window: the actual windows of the vehicle mode fold into the legs or swivel around the back of the robot and perch under the backpack.

The robot mode is excellently posable and has nothing that impedes it. Present on the shoulders are those yellow pylon things, I never was sure what they were intended to be really, with no partsforming required. Sunstreaker can get into all kinds of poses and stances, and is overall a more slender bot than other Autobot car molds to this point. He looks good from just about every angle, with the exception of the read, and that is only marred by the car windshield and hood clipping in beneath the backpack part. They fold up neatly, and a small arm holds them in place. But this is kinda the only weakness on the figure. There is a degree of concern that this folding and storage may lead to scratches on the windshield or of the Autobot logo on the hood, and manipulating the parts into position is generally a tense action, as they pass by the chromed spoiler parts, and there is a tendency of chrome to chip and flake. So for a moment, Sunstreaker presents a minefield of moving parts around, but with the appropriate degree of care, everything works out just fine. The bright yellow of the figure is also something that stands out among the other Masterpiece figures in my collection, an incomplete one to be sure, even among other strongly colored molds like Loud Pedal and Road Rage. Sunstreaker flat out eclipses duller painted molds like Bluestreak.

Also cartoon accurate.

But for all of its engineering and good looks, it’s also a fun figure. The accessories are a fine blend of screen accurate and plain fun, things like the alien mask certainly being fun, while something like Masterpiece Chip Chase is kind of an eyebrow-raising pack in. Chip can be removed from his wheelchair, because apparently one time he sat on Sunstreakers’ shoulder, but the wheels on the chair do not move. Just pointing that out, not that anyone probably really expected a rolling wheelchair. But I guess you never really know.

This Masterpiece was a figure I was excited about from the very minute it was announced. Sunstreaker was the first Transformer I ever had, and somewhere long ago and far way it broke. I never tried to replace it over the years, but have always loved it from afar and from memory. Masterpiece Sunstreaker does not disappoint at all. It looks terrific in both modes, and it is a figure truly representative of the idea of being a “masterpiece”. Everything about Sunstreaker is great, and he deserves all of the praise and hype he’s gotten over the past four months.