Trick or Treat Through 31 Days of Toy Terror: Starscream Armor Scare Glow from Masters of the Universe x Transformers by Mattel

   Today I'm checking out a figure that might not exactly fit this year's theme but I'm still going to go with it. When you have your own action figure blog, you can do stuff like this, too. Besides, I've reviewed Scare Glow action figures during 31 Days of Toy Terror a few times in the past, so let's just call it tradition at this point. Yes, today I'm checking out the Masters of the Universe x Transformers crossover version of Starscream Armor Scare Glow. If you've kept up with my reviews over the years you've probably realized that out of all of the big 1980s properties, I've never reviewed much when it comes to Transformers. I reviewed two of the Transformers BotBots a few years back and that's it. I'm just not that big of a Transformers fan. When it came to Mattel putting out a MOTU/ Transformers crossover, I was wondering if we'd get MOTU vehicles that transformed but, no, we got a couple characters wearing Transformer armor. He-Man is dressed like Optimus Prime, Man-At-Arms is dressed like Bumblebee, Skeletor is dressed like Megatron, and Scare Glow is dressed like Starscream. I skipped the others but I was interested in Scare Glow. Surprisingly, the first time I found this guy he was on clearance. That's wild, right? He was originally $30 dollars at Target and is now $33, and Mattel Creations had him for $30 at one point, too, but I only paid $8 to $12 bucks. That sealed the deal for me and now you can reap the benefits. Let's check out the spooky skeleton, Scare Glow, dressed up like a Transformer for trick 'r treating. Knock on the door and ask join me after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 5 3/4ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, boot swivels, swivel/hinge knees, balljointed hips, swivel waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: 2 wing blasters, cape, crown, 2 pauldrons, and minicomic. 

Non-Scalper Price: $30 to $33 dollars

The Positives:

* This isn't just Scare Glow or Starscream: It's Scare Glow wearing Starscream armor. What's that mean? I'm not completely sure. I think the idea is that Skeletor somehow finds armor imbued with the memories of Megatron, so He-Man has to use armor imbued with the thoughts of Optimus Prime. Somewhere along the way Scare Glow gets Starscream inspired armor. That's what this figure is: Scare Glow cosplaying as Starscream. There's clearly a buff skeleton under here, just like Scare Glow's usual look, but he's sporting the Generation 1 Starscream jet look as armor. It's honestly a bit like a variation of Bludgeon. There's a lot of color with purple pauldrons that tie in with the Scare Glow cape design. It clearly uses a lot of unique parts, so that's a pretty cool feature for folks who mix and match their Origins figures. 

* The head looks like a mechanical Scare Glow wearing Starscream's helmet. The glowing red eyes and skeletal teeth are pretty cool, definitely giving this guy just enough creep factor for our purposes here at 31 Days of Toy Terror. 

* There's a lot of very geometric looking armor here, so it's clear that Mattel put some effort into these. It's a pretty small line (just four figures, I think) but the designs are nice. I love the pauldrons, too. They're extra pieces that fit over the shoulders, so you can remove them if you choose. 

* Scare Glow's legs have the typical "painted bones over black negative space" effect though they're more ivory here. He's also wearing some incredible boots. He's upgraded from furry purple boots with purple leather wrappings, hasn't he? It's the future, baby. Technology. They're cloning sheep now. 

* Scare Glow betrays Skeletor in the minicomic and shows up wearing this awesome crown inspired by the crown of Cybertron. It fits on Starscream's head and looks pretty nice up there. Definitely a very regal look. 

* The cape is a piece that's easily removable and adds a bit more Scare Glow to the design. There are two plugs on the cape that correspond with two holes on the rear torso, making this easy to pop on and off. 

* If you're at all familiar with Masters of the Universe Origins or any of the crossover lines, you have a pretty good idea about what to expect. No, he doesn't transform. He does have a number of joints, though. The range of motion is decent, though not wild, given the somewhat beefy, vintage inspired proportions of the line. Still, it's a solid figure for play and being able to swap most body parts with other figures is a clever gimmick that Mattel has kept in place throughout the line. 

* Included are two "wing blasters" that can be removed to form two ax-like weapons. Or place them together for a longer weapon. They each get a paint application on the wing/ blade and a stamp of the Decepticons logo. 

* They can also fit onto the sides of Scare Glow's biceps or on his back, giving you a few ways to display the figure. 

* The minicomic is pretty standard fare for MOTU Origins and similar sub-lines. It's short with solid art and it's just a neat, nostalgic way to show off the characters. I'm always down for these being included. 

The Negatives:


* You can see the little scuff on Scare Glow's shoulder. I'm complaining about that specifically; it's that there are lots of little scuffs and paint marks all over the figure. There's a good bit of slop here, which is never a good thing. 

* What does Scare Glow (almost) always do? Glow in the dark. This figure is supposed to as well but even after leaving him under a bright light for awhile, when I cut the lights and went to take a picture I got nothing. That's a ...now pardon my language, but that's a real bummer. 

   Starscream Armor Scare Glow isn't a bad figure at all, in fact I'd say he's a Good and a 1/2 figure, but it's weird that Mattel and Hasbro didn't consider making MOTU themed Transformers instead of Transformers themed MOTU figures. I'm not much of a Transformers fan, so this is one of the few MOTU themed products I'm not wild about, but having a transforming Wind Raider or Battle Ram, or even Battle Cat and Panthor, seems like a better fit than this guy. He is a cool figure, though but it's a shame that little things like the scuff marks in various places and the lack of a solid glow bring things down.

   

This is the first figure of Starscream that I've reviewed on the site. 

If you're looking for more of Scare Glow / Scareglow/ Karak Nul fan, check out my review of the MOTUC Scareglow, the MOTU Chronicles Scare Glow, the Masterverse Scare Glow and Scare Glow (exclusive), the MOTU origins Scare Glow, the Mega Construx Heroes Scare Glow and standard Scare Glow, the Funko POP! Scare Glow pencil, the POP! Rides Scare Mare & Scare Glow #999,  the Mondo Scare Glow and Scare Glow (Classic Variant), the Vinyl SODA Scare Glow, and the ReAction Scare Glow and Scare Glow (Clear).