Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series Skywarp

Release Date: May 2026

RRP: $42.99/£34.99

With Studio Series Thundercracker's release earlier in the year the floodgates were open for a whole new range of Seekers - undoubtedly the biggest retool/redeco weapon in the Transformers arsenal. With the Transformers: The Movie 40th anniversary celebrations well underway Hasbro haven't waited long to get all the heavy-hitters out on the market either, with Studio Series Skywarp showing up at retail only a few months after Thundercracker. Despite only having a limited appearance in the movie (and one that ultimately ended in his death/reformatting), this fan favourite Decepticon was an obvious choice to join the ever-popular Studio Series.

Skywarp comes boxed in revised Studio Series packaging, which was revised last year for more synergy with the concurrent Age of the Primes line. As well as the large window section on the front of the box there's also brand new artwork of Skywarp in both modes, which isn't just a recoloured version of Thundercracker's artwork either. This is accompanied by the generic Transformers logo, Studio Series branding and character name. One side of the box continues the same artwork alongside an Transformers: The Movie 40th anniversary logo, whilst the other repeats robot mode art. On the back of the box are images of the figure in both modes, accompanied by a step counter, a small (and incredibly generic) character bio and image from Transformers: The Movie. Like Thundercracker the bio and image reference the character's final moments before he's thrown out of Astrotrain, which makes sense given it's the character's most notable appearance in the film. Inside Skywarp is tied down to a cardboard tray, with his "accessories" in a separate bag taped to the side. Said accessories are his wing tips, tailfins and arm blasters - all of which are part of his body and thus need to be attached when initially taking the figure out of the packaging.

True to his original Generation One self in both cartoon and toy forms, Skywarp is a straight redeco of Thundercracker - swapping out the latter's blue colouring for a striking black and purple palette. The Studio Series version also sports very slight retooling in that Skywarp has a different facial expression to his fellow Seeker. Whereas Thundercracker had an open-mouth grin, Skywarp instead sports a stern frown. This expression was seen on some copies of Thundercracker, but was obviously intended as the face for Skywarp. Unlike Thundercracker however, this version makes use of the mould's light-piping gimmick rather than having the eyes painted. Much like the previous version of the mould it's the most cartoon-accurate version of the character Hasbro have ever produced, not only closely adhering to the show model but also looking a lot like a smaller version of the latest Masterpiece version as well. It's quite the departure from the Siege/Earthrise version of the mould, which sported a considerable amount of moulded detailing rather than matching the smooth panels from the cartoon. Sadly Skywarp isn't 100% accurate to his cartoon self though, with the Studio Series figure featuring black shoulders rather than purple. This is supposedly due to the parts being cast in unpaintable black plastic, and although it is a shame that the figure slightly misses the mark of total G1 accuracy the figure still looks pretty damn close. It's not the first Skywarp figure to have black shoulders rather than purple, and it probably won't be the last either.

As was the case with Thundercracker, the tailfins can be attached to the figure in two different ways, depending on whether you want a cartoon or toy-accurate look. For a toy-accurate Skywarp you simply need to plug them onto the sides of the lower legs, but for a more cartoon-accurate look they inside plug onto the back of the main wings out of sight. While it's technically cheating as they should fold up into the legs (as per the Masterpiece figure), unless you're looking at the figure directly from the back they aren't noticeable at all. It's a simple solution that may lack the complexity of a proper transformation, but works wonderfully for a figure of this size and price point.

Being exactly the same mould with no differences other than colour scheme and face sculpt, Skywarp also has identical articulation to Thundercracker. That's certainly nothing to scoff at however, and altogether includes;

- Ball jointed head

- Swivel hinge shoulders and hips

- Hinged elbows, knees, ankles and feet

- Bicep, waist, wrist and thigh swivels 

The arm blasters connect via standard 5mm pegs, so can be rotated into position on the arms to suit whatever pose Skywarp is in. The front of the crotch/skirt piece is also attached via a hinge, allowing it to move upwards and in turn give the legs more clearance when posing. It's a single piece that covers both sides, so the whole part has to be lifted up even if you're only moving one leg. Even on the second use of this mould, the waist swivel continues to really stand out - adding something to a mainline Hasbro Seeker mould that's (for the most part) always been missing. It adds so much to poses despite just being a single swivel joint. The way the feet work is also very good, with the combination of the ankle tilt and hinge front-foot part making balancing in particularly dynamic posing no issue whatsoever.

Skywarp transforms into a black and purple F-15 fighter jet in 27 steps, offering a transformation with a lot of interesting steps but nothing ever so complex that it isn't easy to memorise. Folding the two small grey plastic pieces of his waist into his torso area so that the arms can clip in properly is a good example of something small yet makes a quite a difference to how it all fits together. And when all the steps have been completed, you're treated to a jet mode that's every bit as clean as the robot mode. While there may be the odd bit of panelling here and there to give the vehicle a little more depth/detail, again it feels like it could have leapt straight out of the cartoon. Behind the cockpit is a fully sculpted interior with chair and control panel, which is a really nice bit of extra detailing that could have easily been missed. That all said some buyers might be slightly turned off by the underside of the vehicle, which leaves a big gap where the cockpit section once sat. Being the least visible part of the vehicle mode (you'd quite literally have to be looking underneath to properly notice) it doesn't feel like that much of a deal-breaker, but there are some Transformers fans out there that prefer a more solid vehicle mode from all angles. Luckily for you there now upgrade kits out there for all three Seekers that resolve this issue as well as filling some of the other small gaps on the figure, so if this does prove to be an issue for you then you have an easy way to fix it.

In jet mode Skywarp features an opening cockpit as well as retractable landing gear situated under the nosecone - both of which are simple vehicle mode inclusions but were absent from the Earthrise version. Although no effect parts are included with the figure, they can be attached to the figure in various places if you're feeling that your flight display isn'y dynamic enough. Sadly the toy lacks a designated socket for a display stand to fit into for aerial display, but the gaps on the underside means there are plenty of places to slot one in. The result is a simple jet mode which may not be heavy on gimmicks, but looks just as good/clean as the robot mode with just as much display/shelf presence. Skywarp's jet mode looks fantastic when displayed alongside Thundercracker, and the pair will undoubtedly look even better when joined by Starscream to complete the trio.

Buying the same mould multiple times to get all of the Seekers has just become routine at this point, but figures like Studio Series Skywarp are what stop it from feeling like a chore. Like the previous version this mini-masterpiece of a figure stands out as one of the best new G1 moulds the Studio Series has to offer, and while sticklers for accuracy will lament the lack of purple shoulders this doesn't stop Skywarp from being a figure that's both incredibly faithful to the cartoon and a lot of fun to pose and display in both modes. Hasbro are going to be milking this mould for years to come, and as it proves to be just as much fun second time round it isn't hard to see why.