Post by CkRtech on Dec 2, 2004 22:50:39 GMT -5
![](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/tfreviews1/sky1.jpg)
Prankster?
Ahhh, Skywarp. This second seeker I am reviewing was the first to be resurrected by Teletran-1 on Earth in 1984. He immediately grabbed his leader Megatron, who immediately started giving out orders. Skywarp actually did teleport during the early years of the Transformers cartoon. He was typically under the leadership of Starscream while on assignment with fellow seeker, Thundercracker. Skywarp has a small fan-following out there, but his character is typically shoved to the background behind many other first year characters.
![](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/tfreviews1/sky2.jpg)
One thing rather odd about him is his tech spec says he is “not too smart” yet it gives him a 9 on the intelligence scale. (This puts him on even ground with Wheeljack, who also has a 9 level intelligence rating…..yeeeeeah) I don’t know if intelligence is the main topic to focus on with Skywarp, but his tech spec says otherwise. I think Skywarp was a good fighter in the cartoon and provided a different perspective to the personalities of the Decepticon bunch (more so in the earlier episodes). He didn’t fall into a cliché as much as Megatron and Starscream did.
I didn’t have a Skywarp as a kid. I have been through several of him as an adult collector. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I immediately paired his name with his looks when I first saw him when I got (back) into Transformers just a few years ago. Watching the cartoon and picking up the toy gave me a new-found appreciation for him though. He is a typical first year seeker mold.
![](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/tfreviews1/ss4.jpg)
Toy Facts
Skywarp is one of three original F-15 Transformers released in 1984. Like the others, he has fifteen different pieces to worry about when completely taken apart. His toy differs from the catalogue and instructions as he does not have the amount of purple they show. The nosecone, horizontal stabilizers, missile launchers and missiles are all black instead of purple. (Speaking of catalogue differences, did you notice that the wings on the seeker robots have switched sides?) There has been a Mexican version of the Skywarp toy which does have a purple nosecone. (Good luck finding that one!)
Disappointments
Well aside from the toy itself, it would have been nice if Skywarp had seen more screen time in the show. As for the toy, the “eye stickers” would have to be traded in for painted eyes & the wings would have to sit higher on the back so Skywarp would look more like he did in the cartoon.
I don’t know if it is an odd trend, but of all the seekers I have been through – the Skywarp toy has seen the most amount of teethmarks on the nosecone. Stop chewing on your Skywarps, people!
![](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/tfreviews1/sky4.jpg)
![](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/tfreviews1/sky5.jpg)
![](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/tfreviews1/sky3.jpg)
Collecting Skywarp: (modified from Starscream)
All those pieces that make up the toy make it look really neat, but also make it hard to complete! Other than actually having all of the pieces for the Skywarp toy, there are many other small facts which hurt you when trying to piece together a Skywarp (Or other seeker). The molds were changed quite a bit as time passed, and a piece from an early mold might not work with a later mold. For example, the pegs on the wings changed in size and therefore don’t fit properly into the fuselage. The peg size of the horizontal stabilizers and vertical fins also changed. This makes things really hard as the body, horizontal stabilizer and vertical fin all have to be from the same mold to fit together correctly. Usually, the vertical fin and body don’t have trouble connecting together. There are countless other variants, but no other changes should affect him much.
One of the most important things to check when buying a seeker is swinging belly syndrome. Transform Skywarp into robot mode and see if his head/cockpit piece stays in its resting place. Make sure it doesn’t try to fall backwards - leaving his stomach sticking out in mid air and his head thrown back.
Look for stress marks or breaks on the long missiles. Check paint on the metal piece of the body. There is quite a bit of surface area to cover on that section. Make sure there aren’t any chips or other dings in it. Skywarp’s metal piece is harder to notice dings on then Starscream because of the neutral gray color as compared to Starscream’s red color.
Also – give him a little shake. See if any pieces fall out. With all those different peg sizes, you want to make sure somebody hasn’t mismatched parts on him.
There is no G2 version of Skywarp.
The copyright for Skywarp should be located on the outside of his left leg. The rubsign is located behind the cockpit on the left side of the plane.
Accessories – the landing gear will probably cost you the most money. The long missiles go for about the same. It is hard to order parts online because you have to make sure you know which peg size to order (for wings, stabilizers, etc), and the seller has to know what you are talking about. This makes it kinda tough.
No chrome involved with Skywarp, but there are some fake chrome laser guns that can be attached to his arm. They look pretty cool, but are indeed fake.
Skywarp is a must own. The original trio of seekers has great historical significance to the Transformers toy line as well as the original cartoon.
![](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/tfreviews1/sky6.jpg)