TF: Fold the nose cone back till it locks back between the tail fins. Pull the arms away from the side of the under carriage, fold the hands out and turn so the wrists face forward. Pull the legs out to the sides, fold down and the twist bellow the hip so the front of the lower leg faces forward. (some additional fiddling might be necessary to get the hips without the screw facing forward) Fold out the feet and heel spurs. Push the legs up into the waist activating the TF noise and lighting up the gun ports, engines and eyes (you get the reverse noise when TFing back and this is the step that alters what the sounds do) Remove the missile launcher and place in the robot's hand.
Why do the eyes cast in blue light up green ? Well some years ago I wondered why Star Wars Force-FX Obi Wan Kenobi came with a green lightsabre. Apparently it's more expensive to produce blue LEDs then green ones. What I don't get is why they don't use a clear LED with blue plastic ?
Robot is physically very like Silverbolt even down to having a plane folded in two on his back. The colour choices are basicaly Silverbolt but there's two reds used - a darker one for the chest and a lighter one for the upper arms and landing gear flaps as well as some grey inexplicably appearing on the shoulders and upper legs. A button on his back activates just the gunfire sound (and concealed gunport lights) in this mode. His head turns, his shoulders move back & forth and swing to the sides, there's a bicep swivel and bending elbow. No waist, but the hips are articulated the same as the shoulders and the legs follow the arms - a swivel then the bend at the knee. There's some foot movement as part of the TF.
Overall: Decent plane & robot modes - the later with some odd colouring. But simple TF and lack of any special features (bar electronics) bring the toy down.
Repaints: I'd be surprised to see a G2 version that isn't a convention exclusive, but wouldn't be at all surprised to see a black Decepticon version with a Micromaster's name on it !
This version is a complicated array of colour swaps: the red all becomes *very* bright blue as does the grey and theblack of the feet. The white on the legs becomes grey but the forearms are a bright blue (just not as bright as before) the same as the cuffs on the hands and the body. The hands themselves and the head are mostly grey so I'm guessing this is a paint application. Finally the main part of the wing behind the robot is m oulded in purple.
As repaints go it looks superb and is dead on for the colours and prettuy close to the form of original Darkwing.
He uses the colours of the G2 Cyberjet Skyjack. Everything's black apart from the upper limbs and some detailing which is bright orange.
Yup, it works and is a fine homage.