Hasbro and Takara have quite wisely been trying to get a deluxe sized Decepticon jet in every line they've made since Armada - Armada Thrust, Energon Starscream & Slugslinger, Cybertron Thundercracker, Classics Starscream, Movie Dreadwing, Universe Octane and ROTF Breakaway (most with associated recolours) (has there been a dlx Animated jet ?) spans the roll of honour. Some have been great (the Energon ones) other less so....
Thundercracker's a nice jet - almost entirely moulded in grey plastic - whose nose doesn't bend nearly as much as the pictures make out. He's got silver tail fins, missiles (moulded under the wings) and small fore wings. The underside of the toy features three sets of fold down landing gear. He comes with an Earth force chip - Sun rising over planet numbered d98d - which causes a missile launcher to spring out the top of the toy - this fires an orange projectile, the same colour as the cockpit canopy.
TF: fold the undercarriage forward under the nose to form the legs & waist. Fold the arms out to the sides passing the missing launcher through the top of the jet to form his left arm. Finally fold back the wings and tail to form the robot's back and reveal the head. So the transformation in Cyberjet Hooligan to a tee..... and then it all goes wrong.
There's a lot of light blue on the toy on the head, shoulders, upper legs and feet. This just doesn't look evil enough, and clashes with the safety orange highlights elsewhere on the toy. The only new clear orange is found on the lightpipe for the eyes. The legs are too long and thin compared to the arms.... well the right arm at least cos the left arm ends just below the elbow with a connector into the entire top of the centre of the plane and the missile launcher. Unlike Hooligan this isn't something replacing the forearm and wrist, this is a huge lump of plane hanging off the arm with a missile launcher in it.
So nothing a recolour, remold of the legs, a proper left hand and turning the missile launcher into a removable weapon wouldn't solve.
Thundercracker was available in Japan as Galaxy Force toy GD-03. In The UK & the US it was sold as part of the first Galaxy Force assortment - a superbly balanced case of toys with 2 Autobots, 2 Decepticons and 2 of each toy. Thundercracker is one of six Cybertron Deluxe toys released boxed as an exclusive for Wal*Mart. He came with a recoloured Minicon Downshift and it's Tiny Tin.
The toy is recoloured and named Skywarp, though this isn't your usual Black w Purple colour scheme. The jet is mainly purple (for the grey) - it reminds me of G1 Cyclonus or the Predator Skydive. The cockpit and the missile are picked out in a rather fetching red. Although the TF exposes a lot more dark grey (on the arms) and light grey almost white (on the shoulders and upper legs) the resultant robot still has a lot of purple to it...... and all the problems I listed with the original. Problem is now he has to stand behind classics Starscream which is a superb jet toy. Key remains an Earth one now numbered d02r.
Worth it to boost your jet army, and the colour scheme works well enoughthat I'd like to see it on the classic Starscream toy, and also on the superior LOC Thundercracker.
Mine came with the Euro Giant Planet Map completing my Maps for Europe as well as the US.
The grey of Thundercracker's jet mode becomes a desert yellow covered in brown camoflage. The clear plastic becomes clear light blue. On the robot mode the light blue becomes dark grey with the arms a lighter grey. The key is now a clear purple version of the Sideways/uUnicron key with a silver Decepticon symbol painted on it.
It's an interesting colour scheme but the toy sdaly maintains all the previous faults.