how I think they could have made it work:

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I’ve been thinking about Starscream’s new design in rid2015.

 no matter how I look at it  “I thought it best to adopt a look as powerful as I was feeling” is a stupid stupid reason.

you mean he fought a war and somewhere during it or immediately before it (seeing how bumblebee recognized this as Starscream’s “old look”) – chose to have a weaker, smaller frame??? Starscream is a strategist – there is no way he would do something so astronomically dumb.

but the thing is –  I do like his more colorful design and softer face, I like how similar it looks to G1 Starscream I grew up with and it fits better in a more child-friendly show like RID as opposed to his old Muselmann-y look, and I can totally understand why they would change his design (it would probably help sell more toys too…)

but, that doesn’t excuse the terrible reason they give for it, so I actually came up with 2 different ways they could make the change in his design and still have it make some sort of sense:

1. make him smaller.

think about it – Starscream having a smaller, weaker frame before the war would make sense – he would have no need for a stronger or bigger one if he wasn’t a fighter.

you could tie it up with Starscream trying to make himself similar to Megatron (grey frame with weapons on the arm and sharp claws) and how, disillusioned with Megatron, he chose to have his original body back as a way of reclaiming himself! 

it could also be a sign of Starscream realizing his mistake in trying to imitate Megatron’s style of fighting (charging head first with brute strength), and instead choosing to fight in his own way – using cunning tactics and strategy and make the new/old frame a way to further distance himself from his former “master”.

2. change the reason (or at least give one!)

we are never told why Starscream changed his frame in the first place – and I would be fine with basically any reason that would make sense!

one that I saw in some fanfiction and theories is that Megatron forcefully had Starscream body altered – be it to make him smaller and thus less of a threat or just to humiliate him. if you put it like that, again, it could tie in with Starscream trying to take back control over himself and his life from Megatron after being crushed under his pede (sometimes literally) for millennia.

or heck, just say his smaller frame was more fuel efficient and the change was necessary in times of war! literally any reason is better than no reason!

these are just my thought on the matter though, what do you think?