Toyworld TW-06 Evila Star
Bottom Line (*** ½ stars- <out of a possible 5>)
By Stygian360
Introduction:
Astrotrain is undoubtedly a fan favorite and not just by me, but by many fans the world over. There is a debate raging currently regarding how timely a character is who transforms into at least two modes that no longer apply in the modern world- the space shuttle program having been retired and steam powered trains for the most part having been retired as well- but the character worked just fine in the 80’s and in my opinion works even better as an action figure today. That said, the company executing this figure- Toyworld- isn’t exactly known for 100% G1 faithful translations. In fact when pictures of Evila Star first surfaced that fear became real, especially where color choice was concerned. But before we get too deeply into any of that discussion let me just say that Evila Star had a lot to live up to. So, does he measure up? Let’s find out.
Articulation:
Evila Star is amply articulated and has everything a collector could possibly want- swivels and ball joints in all of the appropriate places and then some. I would go into detail describing how each joint swivels or moves in concert perfectly- which it does for the most part- but you’re here to also find possible problem areas. So let’s delve into a major one, which in this case are his space shuttle wings. Clearly Toyworld had no idea what to do with these in robot mode.
Going through all of the various modes the wings slide deftly on a pin up and down just as designed, but unfortunately do not peg anywhere in robot mode, which is a problem. This causes his wings to swing back and forth pretty much freely slapping the back of both arms and in general looking awkward. If you can find just the right don’t move, don’t breath (DMDB) position then consider yourself lucky. During this review I could not. At one point I even pinned his arm back to hold the wings from slapping forward. Again, this is really only an issue in robot mode and deft collectors may find just the right way to get these wings to pin back (could be I just missed it), but I couldn’t hence it impacted my overall enjoyment of what is arguably one of his most handsome modes. Otherwise I found his articulation and various functioning which acts in support of articulation great with no major flaws or worries.
Paint:
I find that these days the exception to great paint apps for a third party release is notable only because it is so rare, and in Evila’s case he’s very solid with no problem areas. Unlike some releases he’s not simply molded in the majority colors with only spot applications of paint. Instead as far as I can tell there is liberally applied paint, especially the copious amount of black in locomotive mode, and what’s here is solid.
Transformation:
The three distinct transformations for Evila Star were fairly simple and straight forward even considering the triple-changer nature of the toy. In fact I will call this out as one of Toyworld’s overall strengths as their designs are typically elegant and no nonsense. These aren’t dirt simple transformations mind you- going into shuttle and locomotive had me scratching my head a few times for sure- but simple enough that he wasn’t thrown at a wall or left in a half transformed heap while I wiped the sweat from my brow. In other words you’re going to enjoy this figure. My only issue was shuttle mode; which didn’t peg together satisfyingly enough, especially in the front section. Admittedly I could have simply had a piece out of place which acted as an obstruction. Overall I wasn’t as satisfied with shuttle as I was robot and locomotive modes, but with this degree of transformation buffet it’s tough to complain too loudly. And of course, it’s Astrotrain, so yeah. In fact as someone who loves Astrotrain I was definitely making plenty of space choo-choo noises.
Bottom Line:
If you can get the shuttle wings to stay back in robot mode then you’re a better person than I am and my hat is off to you. But ultimately you’re going to have loads of fun with this action figure and I highly recommend a purchase. As mentioned; his paint work is very solid, his transformations are fun and all three of his modes are going to put a G1 collector smile on your face. But those wings...
Robot Mode:
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Space Shuttle Mode:
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Train Mode:
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