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Star Saber - Transformers; Victory, Takara Meat and Potatoes; 4.5 Perks; 5.0 Homer Factor; 5.0
			Description; ah, Convoy ISN'T a truck.  Instead, Star Saber is two components; one smaller jet fighter that also transforms into a Brainmaster/Headmaster robot and a larger jet 'trailer' section. Both section merge to form a super-jet and a super-robot which is approximately 11" tall.  The smaller jet folds into the front of the 'trailer' forming the head and chest of the super-robot form.  The side-mounted 'engines' of the 'trailer' mode then split up to form the legs and arms of Star Saber.  The nose of the smaller jet is detached and becomes the hilt of the Star Sabers giant sword.  The smaller jet is mostly red with yellow trim and looks vaguely like an F-15 Eagle.  The 'trailer' section is mostly blue, while the engine/limbs are mostly white.  Unfortunatley, the entire piece sports the lack of detail which was standard in Transformers pieces from this time.
Hurray for Internet shopping!!  As we suffered from Transformers withdrawl in the late '80s, Japan was still pounding out new cartoons, and new TOYS.  Transformers-Victory, Transformers-Zone, and even a few toys from the suddenly canceled -Return of Convoy kept the market going... and going.  Although they're VERY pricey, you can get pieces from this period from assorted Internet shops.  And I mean PRICEY; Star Saber easily goes for $250.  The cool part is you get versions of Optimus/Convoy you wouldn't imagine.  Bad news; although the toys are still fun, they are far from perfect.... The meat and potatoes of this piece... ok, they're rather 'eh.'  Ok, fine, they SUCK in many ways.  The sculpting is very mediocre; there are a few obligatory panel lines and hatches, but over all there is no detail on this thing.  Articulation is like wise 'eh' with only the shoulders bending, and some articulation in the elbows in super-robot mode.  'So what's the difference between this piece and Piranacon?' you ask?  Well, although the sculpting on Piranacon isn't as detailed as a Beast Wars piece, an attempt was made for detail; panels here, some scales there.  On Star Saber, there is very little, if any, sense of detail.  There are whole swaths of plastic that could have have used a little SOMETHING to give this piece some 'oomph.' So why do I LIKE it?  The perks make up for everything... well, almost everything.  The transformations on this piece rock.  Rather then going with ANOTHER truck/semi transformation, this version of the Cybertronian leader is  GIANT JET.  Good start.  He splits into two sections; a smaller fighter 'cab' that also transforms into a robot, and a larger 'trailer' section which can also operate as an independent fighter.  This 'trailer' also transforms into a rather lame 'battle-station' mode.  Ugh.  Star Saber is also a brainmaster/headmaster, so the 'cab' comes with a smaller robot that turns into the head of the 'cab' in robot form.  Both pieces merge to form a very large fighter plane, and also turn into the Super Robot that is Star Saber.  Star Saber comes with a decent sized rifle, and the nose of the small 'cab' detaches to become the handle of a giant sword, hence the name.  Not as impressive as the blazing-sword of Voltron, but still pretty cool.  Homer factor is still high for me on this.  I know, this piece is far from perfect.  But like I said, the perks on this thing make up for most of the dificiencies in the piece. Final verdict.  It really depends.  If you're a Optimus/Convoy fan, and can live with problems like this, it's definitely a lot of fun.  However, if you're looking for a toy that is also a piece of art, you may want to stay away from this one considering the price-tag.