Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Skystalker is Something That Exists

OK, funny story here. I finished this one up, did my (bad) photography, attempted proofreading, and put it in the publication buffer. Then a fairly compelling rumour materialised that the Core Class, a concept commented on a lot in this article, was being retired.  That may be very well have been confirmed by the time you are reading this. Hmm. That kinda puts a different filter on things. Please enjoy this belatedly re-edited article. Its been bumped up as its vaguely topical.

In Transformers collecting, there's certain subcategories I tend to fixate on. I think its the Autism. These are often small, toy first, curios. Something which I have not really seen before, and if its something I can easily acquire cheaply, good. You might think this would lead me to enjoy the modern Core class, but honestly no. I've picked up a few, but that slot has been middling as toys and too full of big names. We probably didn't need Optimus and the seekers in this size class when Siege and Earthrise already did them bigger. Twice. We probably didn't need a Dinobot combiner again either. That one left so little impact on me that I almost forgot about it. I've actually scrapped a Core class review because it was too negative, and while that Soundwave was pretty good, I've yet to find a core toy I can honestly say I'm a big fan of. Maybe that's why the class is supposedly being retired? It never really had a winner? But what I recommend is almost any toy from the time when this fixation started, the Revenge of the Fallen toyline, and its scout class. These, for better or worse, are what I consider measuring stick for smaller transformers that aren't also heads or guns. And our subject today will be a personal fave of myself and no-doubt many people, Skystalker. He’s a random guy whom is remembered solely for his toy, but his toy is rather a nice one.

 

 

Skystalker's alternate form is a fictionalised drone, with elements of the F22 and the BAE Corax according to the wiki. While pilotless vehicles and non-sentient robots were part of Transformers more or less from day one, the idea of a Cybertronian choosing human military one for a disguise was something new. Military drones in 2009ish certainly weren't well known, and while Soundwave would soon adopt such a form, Skystalker was ahead of the curve. Aircraft are always cool, but this one has the advantage of being novel, and fairly distinctive in shape. Plus its black with silver, which is always a winner. Gotta love the airforce style Decepticon markings, and the foldable landing gear has actual working wheels on it. These are all great until you look on the underside and see most of the robot mode like a horseshoe crab. And indeed realise that the sensor upfront is his face. There's significant overlap between the modes, which is an objective flaw, but I've seen people ignore that for much bigger, more modern, and more expensive toys. This was 8 dollars back in the day, wasn’t it? Something like $11.69 after inflation? We can make reasonable allowances for the pricepoint. Besides enabling jet-plane whoosh noises, Skystalker has two party pieces. The first, the best known, is a "plug on top" combination with the contemporary Mindwipe toy, evoking memories of the old G2 Dreadwing thing. I think people at the time overhyped this somewhat, combiners of any description being thin on the ground back then, but it was/is a modest positive. They do look good together, and you’ll often see them sold as a pair because of it. The other thing, a feature much less talked about, but far more involved, a third or intermediate "Battle Mode". A few of the scouts had this, although with Skystalker it was more deliberate in design. It was a classical plane with legs, or Gerwalk mode, allowing you full use of the leg articulation and actual avian poses if you try. What stops this from being incidental to the point of being a fan mode is the way the toes are spring-loaded to snap shut. Possibly on some kind of mecha-pigeon or unlucky skydiver. This further adds to the character of the toy, and why that Laserbeak repaint worked so well. Corax means raven BTW. I think that had an influence on the design team. So Skystalker is looking pretty decent on the altmode side of things, provided you don't flip him over. How does the robot mode do?

 

Also pretty decent. Actually pretty good, although in much the same manner/ratio/vibe as the drone form. The robot mode adds a lot of burgundy and beige to the colour mix, with a somewhat anonymous cyber cyclops look overall. He looks lanky and thin, with only three digits on each open hand, although the use of the engines give him powerful-looking legs. . Like a lot of toy-first ROTF toys, he's not strictly humanoid, but hes not a metal chandelier either. The word "avian" comes to mind again. The wings kinda just hang from the upper arms, but due to the transformation these are individually posable. This leads to Skystalker's generally good articulation, featuring a lot in the way of unrestricted balljoints and a thigh swivel that feels above and beyond the specification. He lacks a waist joint, and the toes take some getting used to, but you really don't feel the omissions. Again, there is character, and he doesn't feel limited by standards of a scout, or indeed a comparable modern robot form. But wait, there's more. If all Skystalker did was be posable, cheap, and attractive in robot form, that would have been fine, but he has two weapon accessories too. The typical number at the time was zero, and these are uniquely good ones. Two axes detach from the wings, and connect via a 3mm to the open palms. This allows you to change the angle of the weapon, which is good for posing, while a 3mm clip lets them connect to the forearms and other contemporary toys. The implementation of these is quite characterful and its not a matter of these simply stowed on the underside of the wings either. These are integrated with wings and sculpting thereof, each weapon stored into the wing opposite to the relevant hand. On the downside, loosing these accessories is bad for the altmode. On the upside, the geometric segments cut out of the wings add more visual flair. Oh, and these weapons feature two plastic colours and actual paint. How often do you see that?

A good toy is not always a perfect toy. What makes a transformers toy good is not merely matter of counting joints, considering accuracy, and checking how clean the underside is. Those are helpful metrics, true, but they aren’t everything. Skystalker has a messy underside, and no fictional presence, so two of those metrics aren't kind to him. But when I look at this chap, or a certain Cyberjet, I can’t help be disappointed with your average core class. There is a creativity here that more modern toys can lack. Is that why the core class disappointed me? Maybe its an unfair comparison to be making. The brand was flushed with money in 2009, and everything sold. Maybe another Optimus or seeker is just the safe bet, and those aren't actually bad toys, are they? Well, maybe that seeker. But if you think I’m wrong, try him yourself. He may not be easy or cheap to obtain, but there’s good reasons for that.