Post by Garvy on Dec 1, 2005 10:30:46 GMT 8
Star Wars/Transformers: Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter[/quote]
I managed to pick this up yesterday.
To be honest, when news of this line first came out, I was very skeptical, as I think most collectors were and still are. Fine, Star wars is a great line as is Transformers. Does it really make sense to try integrating the two?
Anyway, as of yesterday, the ones I saw were the Tie Fighter, General Grievous' wheel bike and this baby.
First off, I chose this one because, as of this first wave of SW/TF hybrids, this one looked fairly decent in its jedi starfighter form as compared to say the Darth Vader Tie fighter which had a lot of visible inconsistencies.
Ok, packaging wise, I think its fairly decent. The ship is adequately visible from the bubble. Packaging to me seems more "U.S. transformeresque".
Interestingly, it also includes a mini Obi-Wan figure one can use as a pilot.
This was, for me, a major selling point, as perhaps unintentionally, it was like a throwback to the diaclone days when Takara's initial line transforming mecha came with small pilots. Its unfortunate though that the diaclone pilot is too small for this ship. Darn!
Similarly, the ship could even pass for a Star Wars Action fleet type of ship. For that line, Galoob/Hasbro also had small pilots for the various ships that came out. I did have the opportunity of comparing the miniature Obi-Wan pilot with an action fleet mini-figure. They're not compatible as Obi-Wan is taller and wider.
Star Wars/Transformers: Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter (loose in starfighter mode)
For the ship itself, its a fair representation of the jedi starfighter as depicted in Revenge of the Sith but there are definite misproportions. The wings are a bit bigger than they should be. Had Hasbro made the ship longer, this could have addressed the misproportion but all in all, its ok. Another giveaway of the misproportion is the R4-unit dome. If you compare it to the Obi-Wan figure, R4 would be too big, as in way too big! Looking at the figure compartment, I honestly think that with some slight redesigning, Hasbro could have made a larger pilot as the pilot compartment itself is fairly roomy. Again, this could have helped in reducing the scale inconsistencies.
Star Wars/Transformers: Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter (loose in starfighter mode-another angle)
Apart from the transforming feature which I have yet to experiment with, a cool accessory is that in robot form, this toy has two lightsabers. The lightsabers actually serve double duty as missiles when the toy is in ship form! Nice touch!
All in all, I would probably recommend this more for Star Wars collectors given its uniqueness insofar as Star wars toys go. It really is a charming piece to have.
For the TF fans, if you also love SW, I'd recommend it. If not, you may want to pass. Obviously, it doesn't fit in with the TF universe. But, if you just want one more transforming starship, you may want to give this one a second look.
Am now curious to see how Darth Maul's Sith Infiltrator will look like! It is also being released under the SW/TF line.
keeping the site active as a place to dump info for easier backtracking. 