DSC_8051
With the end of Summer approaching, we get the first Commander Class entry in the Transformer Siege line, Jetfire.
Up until this point, the figures have been, at most, glorified Voyager figures, clad in armour add-ons that add some bulk and size to the main figure (Leader Class), but not to a point where their $70 CAD MSRP was justified.
The Commander Class, naturally priced more than the Leader Class, is probably close to double the size of a Voyager, close to 13 inches in height, and is even larger than the old Ultra Class figures.
Jetfire is a name used for several characters over the years, and the one the Siege line refers to is, of course, the original G1 character. Originally introduced as a scientist friend of Starscream, Jetfire initially aligns himself with the Decepticons at Starscreams urging, only to defect later on due to.... well.. reasons I can't remember, providing the Autobots with much needed aerial support and a mode of mass troop transportation.
There have been, unsurprisingly, several official toys for this particular version of the character, but none of the releases have ever actually resembled his G1 cartoon aesthetic... until now.
And it is glorious.
Jetfire towers over all of his namesake releases, and a large portion of my collection, if I'm being honest, with the exception of exceptionally tall Leader releases of the past. To put things in perspective, Jetfire is only slightly shorter than any of the recent combiner sets from Hasbro.
Being one of the larger figures, my first concern was that Jetfire was some airy, hollow brick, like larger figures of the past, artificially made larger. I'm happy to say that while things aren't perfect, at least this didn't feel like some oversized dollar store release. The figure is nice and hefty, and the various cavities are used to hide bits and pieces needed for conversion into vehicle mode. There's also a nifty flip panel to swap from Autobot to Decepticon.
Articulation wise, Jetfire isn't going to blow your mind (it's really the Deluxe size figures that seem to be winning at this game), but it's decent for a mass release figure. You've got head swivel and tilt up, shoulders, upper arm, wrist, limited waist, knees, and ankle tilt along with futzable heels. Overall, I find that the limitations of the legs and feet allow for some decent posing, but nothing overly dramatic.
While not a point of articulation, but it's worth mentioning that one of the good things Hasbro/Takara did was engineer a ring that holds Jetfires weapon when the fist is close,and when it is opened, the ring conceals itself into the palm of the hand.
There is some excellent detailing of little mechanical details on the body of Jetfire, no doubt made possible due to the increased price point. Use of multiple colours of plastic is also a nice touch, again, probably due to the increased price point. Face sculpt is definitely, unsurprisingly, an homage to the G1 animation model
Love the blue of the jet canopy.
Paint wise, well Jetfire isn't exactly a very dynamic looking fellow, being predominately a giant white robot with some red/white here and there for accents. As far as I can tell, actual paint apps on the figure include the thighs, feet, back of lower leg, the Autobot sigil, the red lines on the wings, white patch on the backpack, the various paint apps on the face and battle mask. gun barrels, and paint on the chest armour. Overall, paint masking is actually pretty good, probably due to the use of a unified production line shared with Takara.
So effectively, Jetfire is the base white of the plastic. The paint apps, possibly due to use of unified production, are cleaner than in the past (as with all of Siege), with some minor masking quibbles on the back of the leg and the silver on the face.
The benefit, as it were, to this lack of paint, is that it's quite easy to see if there are any poor finishes on the actual plastic itself. Couldn't find any, really. Assembly was good with no major gaps. Joint strength actually is pretty good, with the exception of the hips. Quality of the plastic is.. well, it'll get the job done. At least it's not as flimsy as the pre-Siege stuff on larger figures.
Collectors of the Siege line will undoubtedly know that the gimmick this time around is the C.O.M.B.A.T. system, where you attach various weapons and armour pieces to dedicated hardpoints on the figure (each sold separately, of course). In the case of Jetfire, this kind of has been a way of life for the toy since Day One, where the original figure featured removable armour and weapons, a gimmick that was carried forward to pretty much every other G1 Jetfire toy, though in varying degrees.
The base Jetfire figure, sadly, has fixed red ankle pods and red jetpack, both of which were removable back in the day.But you do get a battle mask (homage to the G1 toy which did not have a face even close to that of the animation model), chest armour (as mentioned above), wrist guns, wing and jetpack mounted guns, and a double barreled gun that can split into two single barreled pieces. There are also two three-piece blast effects that can be used to imitate weapons fires or jet booster discharge.
These loose pieces can be assembled into a single package that is applied to vehicle mode to make it even more menacing in appearance.
Having gone through it, transformation into jet mode is actually fairly well thought out. As mentioned earlier on, the cavities of the body are used to store various components that make up the jet form, most notable being the true nosepiece of the jet and extension to the jetpack boosters. The only disappointing/funny part is the head basically gets shoved up the jetpack intact.
As with other Siege figures, you can definitely see that Hasbro/Takara has upped their engineering game.. or at least they have the budget to have such items made, including the addition of additional supports for the jet to keep it standing, as it were.
Addition of the blast effect and care package of death, as stated, do add to the aggressive appearance in this mode, and is definitely awesome to behold, though from a toy perspective I do miss the more all-around bulking up of some of the other G1 Jetfire toys.
Overall, articulation limitations are a bit disappointing, at least for me, but the strengths of this figure outweigh the weaknesses. It is G1 in appearance, decently armed, and more importantly, gigantic in size. Truly one of those characters that they finally got around to making a worthy toy of.
That's about it for now on this figure... why for now? Because now I get to put on some Reprolabels that I've been savings since the middle of July.
Here's hoping they turn out..
DSC_8051
With the end of Summer approaching, we get the first Commander Class entry in the Transformer Siege line, Jetfire.
Up until this point, the figures have been, at most, glorified Voyager figures, clad in armour add-ons that add some bulk and size to the main figure (Leader Class), but not to a point where their $70 CAD MSRP was justified.
The Commander Class, naturally priced more than the Leader Class, is probably close to double the size of a Voyager, close to 13 inches in height, and is even larger than the old Ultra Class figures.
Jetfire is a name used for several characters over the years, and the one the Siege line refers to is, of course, the original G1 character. Originally introduced as a scientist friend of Starscream, Jetfire initially aligns himself with the Decepticons at Starscreams urging, only to defect later on due to.... well.. reasons I can't remember, providing the Autobots with much needed aerial support and a mode of mass troop transportation.
There have been, unsurprisingly, several official toys for this particular version of the character, but none of the releases have ever actually resembled his G1 cartoon aesthetic... until now.
And it is glorious.
Jetfire towers over all of his namesake releases, and a large portion of my collection, if I'm being honest, with the exception of exceptionally tall Leader releases of the past. To put things in perspective, Jetfire is only slightly shorter than any of the recent combiner sets from Hasbro.
Being one of the larger figures, my first concern was that Jetfire was some airy, hollow brick, like larger figures of the past, artificially made larger. I'm happy to say that while things aren't perfect, at least this didn't feel like some oversized dollar store release. The figure is nice and hefty, and the various cavities are used to hide bits and pieces needed for conversion into vehicle mode. There's also a nifty flip panel to swap from Autobot to Decepticon.
Articulation wise, Jetfire isn't going to blow your mind (it's really the Deluxe size figures that seem to be winning at this game), but it's decent for a mass release figure. You've got head swivel and tilt up, shoulders, upper arm, wrist, limited waist, knees, and ankle tilt along with futzable heels. Overall, I find that the limitations of the legs and feet allow for some decent posing, but nothing overly dramatic.
While not a point of articulation, but it's worth mentioning that one of the good things Hasbro/Takara did was engineer a ring that holds Jetfires weapon when the fist is close,and when it is opened, the ring conceals itself into the palm of the hand.
There is some excellent detailing of little mechanical details on the body of Jetfire, no doubt made possible due to the increased price point. Use of multiple colours of plastic is also a nice touch, again, probably due to the increased price point. Face sculpt is definitely, unsurprisingly, an homage to the G1 animation model
Love the blue of the jet canopy.
Paint wise, well Jetfire isn't exactly a very dynamic looking fellow, being predominately a giant white robot with some red/white here and there for accents. As far as I can tell, actual paint apps on the figure include the thighs, feet, back of lower leg, the Autobot sigil, the red lines on the wings, white patch on the backpack, the various paint apps on the face and battle mask. gun barrels, and paint on the chest armour. Overall, paint masking is actually pretty good, probably due to the use of a unified production line shared with Takara.
So effectively, Jetfire is the base white of the plastic. The paint apps, possibly due to use of unified production, are cleaner than in the past (as with all of Siege), with some minor masking quibbles on the back of the leg and the silver on the face.
The benefit, as it were, to this lack of paint, is that it's quite easy to see if there are any poor finishes on the actual plastic itself. Couldn't find any, really. Assembly was good with no major gaps. Joint strength actually is pretty good, with the exception of the hips. Quality of the plastic is.. well, it'll get the job done. At least it's not as flimsy as the pre-Siege stuff on larger figures.
Collectors of the Siege line will undoubtedly know that the gimmick this time around is the C.O.M.B.A.T. system, where you attach various weapons and armour pieces to dedicated hardpoints on the figure (each sold separately, of course). In the case of Jetfire, this kind of has been a way of life for the toy since Day One, where the original figure featured removable armour and weapons, a gimmick that was carried forward to pretty much every other G1 Jetfire toy, though in varying degrees.
The base Jetfire figure, sadly, has fixed red ankle pods and red jetpack, both of which were removable back in the day.But you do get a battle mask (homage to the G1 toy which did not have a face even close to that of the animation model), chest armour (as mentioned above), wrist guns, wing and jetpack mounted guns, and a double barreled gun that can split into two single barreled pieces. There are also two three-piece blast effects that can be used to imitate weapons fires or jet booster discharge.
These loose pieces can be assembled into a single package that is applied to vehicle mode to make it even more menacing in appearance.
Having gone through it, transformation into jet mode is actually fairly well thought out. As mentioned earlier on, the cavities of the body are used to store various components that make up the jet form, most notable being the true nosepiece of the jet and extension to the jetpack boosters. The only disappointing/funny part is the head basically gets shoved up the jetpack intact.
As with other Siege figures, you can definitely see that Hasbro/Takara has upped their engineering game.. or at least they have the budget to have such items made, including the addition of additional supports for the jet to keep it standing, as it were.
Addition of the blast effect and care package of death, as stated, do add to the aggressive appearance in this mode, and is definitely awesome to behold, though from a toy perspective I do miss the more all-around bulking up of some of the other G1 Jetfire toys.
Overall, articulation limitations are a bit disappointing, at least for me, but the strengths of this figure outweigh the weaknesses. It is G1 in appearance, decently armed, and more importantly, gigantic in size. Truly one of those characters that they finally got around to making a worthy toy of.
That's about it for now on this figure... why for now? Because now I get to put on some Reprolabels that I've been savings since the middle of July.
Here's hoping they turn out..