Review #67a: Generations Leader Jetfire
and Macross VF-1S Valkyries (Bandai 1/55 and Yamato 1/60)
part 1: Fighter Mode
Hello, everybody! While I was still in the middle of taking the photographs for my last review, my doorbell rang and there was a package at the door. And in that package, a new Trasformers toy! The new Leader Class Generations Jetfire!
This is a toy that has been high anticipated since it was announced, and yet also divisive in the fandom for almost as long. Many were hugely excited for it, yet a vocal number of Transformers fans were quite critical of the design. What will my verdict be? Well I'm not just going to tell you here in the opening, am I? What would be your incentive to keep reading? Mwa ha ha ha ha!
I'm going to do something a bit different with this review, however. Normally, I don't do much with comparing one toy directly with another. But here, I will be doing exactly that.
You may (if you are a frequent reader of my reviews) recall that there was a Jetfire released in 2006 which I have already reviewed. For my detailed thoughts on that toy, I will direct you to my previous review. But I will undoubtedly be making some comments in this review about how this new toy compares to the older one.
You may also recall from my earlier Jetfire review that I did at the same time compare it with (and make some comments about) two other toys. Well, I will be looking at those two other toys again in this review! But rather then just looking at them briefly, I will be doing a full review, of each toy, simultaneously!
That may make for something of a huge task, and so I have decided to break this review up into multiple parts. Today I present part 1, where I will look at each of these toys in Fighter mode.
(One quick note before I do get on with it... Normally I take my photographs with my toys against a white backdrop. However, these toys are themselves mostly white.Very white. I was concerned that they might get lost against my standard backdrop, so in these photos you will just get to enjoy a lot of my carpet. Sometimes, depending on the angle of the photo, you may also get a little bit of the bottom my entertainment center. Enjoy!)
This is a toy that has been high anticipated since it was announced, and yet also divisive in the fandom for almost as long. Many were hugely excited for it, yet a vocal number of Transformers fans were quite critical of the design. What will my verdict be? Well I'm not just going to tell you here in the opening, am I? What would be your incentive to keep reading? Mwa ha ha ha ha!
I'm going to do something a bit different with this review, however. Normally, I don't do much with comparing one toy directly with another. But here, I will be doing exactly that.
You may (if you are a frequent reader of my reviews) recall that there was a Jetfire released in 2006 which I have already reviewed. For my detailed thoughts on that toy, I will direct you to my previous review. But I will undoubtedly be making some comments in this review about how this new toy compares to the older one.
You may also recall from my earlier Jetfire review that I did at the same time compare it with (and make some comments about) two other toys. Well, I will be looking at those two other toys again in this review! But rather then just looking at them briefly, I will be doing a full review, of each toy, simultaneously!
That may make for something of a huge task, and so I have decided to break this review up into multiple parts. Today I present part 1, where I will look at each of these toys in Fighter mode.
(One quick note before I do get on with it... Normally I take my photographs with my toys against a white backdrop. However, these toys are themselves mostly white.Very white. I was concerned that they might get lost against my standard backdrop, so in these photos you will just get to enjoy a lot of my carpet. Sometimes, depending on the angle of the photo, you may also get a little bit of the bottom my entertainment center. Enjoy!)
Toy #1: Bandai 1/55 VF-1S Valkyrie
This is a classic toy from the 80's. It was first produced by a company called Takatoku as a tie-in with a 1982 anime series named Super Dimension Fortress Macross. Unfortunately, by the time Macross was released in the United States, after having been rewritten to be the first third of a show titled Robotech, the domestic Robotech toy line was unable to include the toy based upon their show's most iconic mech! Why? Well, it seems that some company named Hasbro had already licensed that toy to use it in a competing toy line called Transformers!
This lead to the somewhat convoluted history of Jetfire in Transformers, specifically why he was named Skyfire in the toy and had a completely different character design. (For more details, as in my previous Jetfire review, I'll just link you to this article over at the Transformers wiki.) |
But back to this toy. Unfortunately, Takatoku was not a company that had long for the world, and within a few years of when this toy was first released, they were out of business. Fortunately, fate (and the huge popularity of Macross) would not let this toy die and the mold was eventually rescued by Bandai who have had great success reissuing it periodically. Also, it is a mold that they can get a lot of mileage out of! In Macross, there were many different variations of the VF-1 Valkyrie, which Bandai (and Takatoku when they still existed) could release just by changing the toy's coloring, changing the toy's head, and maybe (depending on exactly what version they were releasing) including some additional accessories. And for what was basically the same toy, fans were still happy to get multiple variants!
This particular VF-1 is specifically a VF-1S, in the color scheme flown by Roy Focker. The VF-1S happens to be the specific variant of VF-1 that was used to make the G1 Jetfire toy, although for use as Jetfire Hasbro blunted the nosecone a bit. (And, of course, Jetfire has his own unique red on white color scheme as opposed to Roy's black & yellow on white one.)
This particular VF-1 is specifically a VF-1S, in the color scheme flown by Roy Focker. The VF-1S happens to be the specific variant of VF-1 that was used to make the G1 Jetfire toy, although for use as Jetfire Hasbro blunted the nosecone a bit. (And, of course, Jetfire has his own unique red on white color scheme as opposed to Roy's black & yellow on white one.)
Bandai made a few refinements to the mold over the years, so this toy isn't identical to the original version, but the differences are not very extreme. The biggest one is that many of the details that were originally stickers are now painted on details. The pant job on this figure is very nice and quite sharp, to the point that much of the small text printed on it is actually legible.
As for the figure itself... For now, we're just concentrating on the Fighter mode, of course. Transforming airplanes are notorious for having alt modes that are obvious folded up robots stuck on the bottom of a jet. This is very much not the case with the VF-1 Valkyrie. Especially for a toy designed in the early 80's, without the benefits of the advances in toy design we've had in the last three decades, this is a most elegant toy! This is not to say it doesn't have some obvious transformation points or the occasional robot bits visible, but it is still very convincing as a jet with no overly obvious robot parts.
Even looking at it from underneath, it has very smooth lines for an 80's transforming jet toy. It does have a somewhat obvious robot head underneath, but this is not entirely inaccurate to how the VF-1 appeared in the Macross television show. The head on the toy is a bit larger and a bit more obvious, but the placement of it is not inaccurate.
The only other extremely obvious robot part is that, if you look at the jet from behind, you can make out the fists where they are hiding slid inside of what will be the arms. But they do not at all stand out too much, visible pretty much only if you are looking at it from this one angle.
As for the figure itself... For now, we're just concentrating on the Fighter mode, of course. Transforming airplanes are notorious for having alt modes that are obvious folded up robots stuck on the bottom of a jet. This is very much not the case with the VF-1 Valkyrie. Especially for a toy designed in the early 80's, without the benefits of the advances in toy design we've had in the last three decades, this is a most elegant toy! This is not to say it doesn't have some obvious transformation points or the occasional robot bits visible, but it is still very convincing as a jet with no overly obvious robot parts.
Even looking at it from underneath, it has very smooth lines for an 80's transforming jet toy. It does have a somewhat obvious robot head underneath, but this is not entirely inaccurate to how the VF-1 appeared in the Macross television show. The head on the toy is a bit larger and a bit more obvious, but the placement of it is not inaccurate.
The only other extremely obvious robot part is that, if you look at the jet from behind, you can make out the fists where they are hiding slid inside of what will be the arms. But they do not at all stand out too much, visible pretty much only if you are looking at it from this one angle.
The wings are variable position, able to swing forward to where they are almost perpendicular with the body of the jet. When folded all of the way back, you can also fold down the tail fins. This emulates how VF-1s sometimes appeared in Macross when they were grounded, with everything folded in to take up less space.
This toy has a good amount of die cast in it, mainly in the hip area, some of the internal joints, and the landing gear. The landing gear are spring loaded, and come out with some force when deployed. While I seem to be able to get them out safely these days, I remember as a child, especially with the rear ones, always whacking the hell out of my fingers with my G1 Jetfire's landing gear!
The sides of the body of the jet (what will be the robot mode's legs) do not lock in to the rest of the body, and will droop a bit if you pick up the Valkyrie in a way that doesn't support them. It is only a slight droop, however, and not the end of the world.
I do wish I could continue talking about this toy, as there is a group of accessories for it, known as "Super Parts" or as a FAST Pack, that turn it into what is known as a Super Valkyre. These accessories, consisting of various bits of armor and some rather prominent boosters, were included when this toy was released as Jetfire and are heavily associated with that character. Ah, what the hell, let me see if I can find at least one decent pic I can swipe from elsewhere online...
This toy has a good amount of die cast in it, mainly in the hip area, some of the internal joints, and the landing gear. The landing gear are spring loaded, and come out with some force when deployed. While I seem to be able to get them out safely these days, I remember as a child, especially with the rear ones, always whacking the hell out of my fingers with my G1 Jetfire's landing gear!
The sides of the body of the jet (what will be the robot mode's legs) do not lock in to the rest of the body, and will droop a bit if you pick up the Valkyrie in a way that doesn't support them. It is only a slight droop, however, and not the end of the world.
I do wish I could continue talking about this toy, as there is a group of accessories for it, known as "Super Parts" or as a FAST Pack, that turn it into what is known as a Super Valkyre. These accessories, consisting of various bits of armor and some rather prominent boosters, were included when this toy was released as Jetfire and are heavily associated with that character. Ah, what the hell, let me see if I can find at least one decent pic I can swipe from elsewhere online...
TFU.info to the rescue! Here you see this toy as Jetfire, although he is missing some stickers. (Most notably, there should be a large Autobot logo on the side of the booster.) You will note the aforementioned blunted nosecone.
I wish I had the equivalent pieces for my VF-1S, as they look really good on the toy! And if my vague three decade old memories are accurate, they were indeed a fun addition. I don't recall if I ever broke them myself, but I have heard tales that some of the clips that hold them on can be fragile. I understand that some of these clips have been redesigned by Bandai over the years, so maybe they are now less fragile? Not having them, though, I could not say. |
Well, that's about all for me on this toy in Fighter mode. I cannot yet give final thoughts on the toy, as of course we still have other modes to look at, but as a Fighter, this is still one of the most elegant designs, with very little robot kibble, beating out many more modern toys in this respect. Will my pleasure with this toy hold out when we get to other modes? Well, you'll just have to wait to find out! For now, we move onto the next toy...
Toy #2: Yamato 1/60 VF-1S Valkyre (with Super parts)
Now the VF-1 Valkyrie may be an awesome design, and the original Takatoku mold (with occasional slight refinement from Bandai over the years) was an excellent execution of that design which still holds up today... But what if the same design was executed with modern techniques?
There have been multiple attempts to find just that out over the years. A company with the Robotech license, called Toynami, has made the attempt, but to me their designs seemed to basically take the original toy and just tack on some extra articulation. (It was in fact an all new mold, but from what I saw of it elsewhere online, I was not greatly impressed.) In Japan, a company called Yamato managed to get the license to make a new VF-1 toy. Their first attempt, made in a 1/60 scale, was decent but far from perfect. Most notably, many complained about the less then perfect transformation which required completely removing large parts of it from one place in one mode to put elsewhere on another mode. Yamato's next attempt was in a 1/48 scale and was much better received. I'll admit to owning one of these myself, and it is a good toy! But man, is it huge! And pricy! Certainly not for the faint of heart to build a collection out of. And there were still a few areas where the sculpt could be improved. |
And improve it, Yamato did. Back to the drawing board they went, and they came out with a new 1/60 design, this time billed as having a "Perfect Transformation," that, while simplifying some of the extraneous details added to the 1/48, still managed to introduce many of the 1/48's basic improvements into the 1/60 scale while making things even better overall. The third time, it seems, really was the charm! (There is one big disclaimer to add to that, but it is a disclaimer we shan't really have to address until we start looking at the figure's other modes.)
(A quick side note, since Yamato did produce two very different 1/60 VF-1 Valkyrie toys, unless I specify I am talking about the original ones, assume I am speaking of their second design which is the one I am reviewing here.)
(A quick side note, since Yamato did produce two very different 1/60 VF-1 Valkyrie toys, unless I specify I am talking about the original ones, assume I am speaking of their second design which is the one I am reviewing here.)
The detail on this toy is incredible. If you were to see this sitting on a shelf, and not know it was a transforming toy, you could be forgiven for thinking it was a non-transforming model! Joints are very smooth. Everything locks together nicely. The hands visible on the back of the 1/55 version are here completely hidden. The head, while still visible, is smaller and somewhat recessed to make it less prominent. ("Less prominent" is how it should be. "Completely hidden" would not, after all, be accurate to the design.)
Some other nice changes when compared to the 1/55 include exposed jet intakes, better detail on the rear thrusters, and an under-slung gun pod. The wings are still variable, but they cannot come forward quite as far. And, of course, the tail fins still fold down (they would need to for transformation, anyway) so the storage configuration is still an option. |
A feature demonstrated early on in Macross is that if a Valkyrie is damaged beyond being able to operate, the entire nosecone can be removed and carried by another Valkyrie in order to evacuate the damaged Valkyrie's pilot(s). The functioning Valkyrie can carry the damaged Valkyrie's nosecone underneath itself, where it would normally carry its gun pod. Thanks to an optional clip, if you own more then one of these toys you can replicate this in toy form! (When doing this, the landing gear will not touch the ground. And also, I do not have a display stand for these. So forgive me for the strange camera angles that you may see in a few of the following photos.)
The cockpit opens, and inside you can seat one little pilot figure. (There are also some two-seater variants, including the cockpit of the under-slung nosecone in the above rescue configuration photos.)
The wings each have two attachment points underneath. These are for missiles included with appropriate Valkyrie variants. Most often included are four boxes of five missiles and four sets of three larger missiles. You could attach all of one kind or two of each depending on your preference. |
Again, for a toy with multiple modes, it is amazing how good a fighter jet this toy is. Even if it did nothing else, it would be a great looking and well constructed jet toy! But of course, it also transforms! Which... which we won't be getting to quite yet. But you know what we will be getting to? For this toy, I do have the FAST Pack!
This particular Valkyrie was sold with or without the Super parts... and I obviously had to buy the version... (wait for it...) without them! "But," you say, "isn't that them that I see in the photo to the right?" Yes, yes it is. But I very much wanted a TV series accurate Roy pilot figure, which was only available with the non-Super version. (Prior to this, they had only ever made pilot figures of Roy based on the very different flight suit he wore in the theatrical Macross film, and that was not the Roy I wanted!) The version of this Valkyrie that did come with Super parts came with a Hikaru (Rick in Robotech) pilot figure, as (spoiler for a 32 year old TV series!) by the time the FAST Packs were introduced in the show, Roy had long since died and Hikaru had taken over piloting Skull-1.
The Super parts were available separately, but I didn't need to buy them that way. This is because I did get them packaged together with Hikaru's VF-1J, which made no sense as that plane never featured Super parts in the show. Huh...? |
It made no sense... but whatever! It meant that I got to have my little Roy figure, and I got to have the FAST Pack armor for the VF-1S. (Of course, I still did have to buy the GBP-1S armor for Hikaru's VF-1J separately, but that's not important to this review...) And in these photos you may notice that there is now a different pilot in the VF-1S. Well, since Hikaru would be the one piloting it in this configuration, I borrowed the pilot figure from my VF-1J to fill in here!
This is really such a great looking toy.. Please forgive me as I indulge in few more photos...
The FAST Pack's most prominent feature is, of course, the two large booster thrusters added to the top of the jet, and each of these had three reaction control thrusters on their sides. (There's also three smaller thrusters revealed between them, on a piece that is the folded over tail assembly from the Valkyrie's regular configuration.) The fronts of these boosters, in the show, were also seen to be able to fire a plethora of micro missiles. ("Macross Missile Massacre" isn't a thing on TV Tropes for nothin'!) The sides of the body of the jet also get beefed up considerably with chunks of armor that also have reaction control thrusters all over them. And there's a bit more armor visible on the bottom. This armor connects over where the gun pod was previously attached, but the gun pod can now connect to the armor, instead.
The Super parts also come with new missiles to attach to the wings. These are much bigger missiles, and you are provided with two single ones and two double ones so that you can have three on each wing. These are (in the show) actually nuclear missiles (although for some reason the Japanese are touchy about nuclear weapons, so they were known euphemistically by the name "reaction missiles"), so in this configuration the already deadly Valkyrie packs a very impressive punch! It is no wonder that in the TV series, this configuration was introduced just prior to the climactic battle.
All of the parts attach very securely. No fragile clips here! This toy was designed from the outset with attachments such as this in mind, and it shows. You can, if you wish, pick this up by the boosters and shake it around a bit and everything will stay securely together. (Just keep a firm grip, you don't want the whole thing to fly from your hand and into the nearest wall!)
All of the landing gear still touch the ground, even still allowing enough clearance for the gun pod underneath! The nose does lean down a bit in this configuration when the Valkyrie is sitting on the ground, but that is accurate to how a Valkyrie is supposed to look in this armor, and thus not something that takes away from this figure.
The Super parts also come with new missiles to attach to the wings. These are much bigger missiles, and you are provided with two single ones and two double ones so that you can have three on each wing. These are (in the show) actually nuclear missiles (although for some reason the Japanese are touchy about nuclear weapons, so they were known euphemistically by the name "reaction missiles"), so in this configuration the already deadly Valkyrie packs a very impressive punch! It is no wonder that in the TV series, this configuration was introduced just prior to the climactic battle.
All of the parts attach very securely. No fragile clips here! This toy was designed from the outset with attachments such as this in mind, and it shows. You can, if you wish, pick this up by the boosters and shake it around a bit and everything will stay securely together. (Just keep a firm grip, you don't want the whole thing to fly from your hand and into the nearest wall!)
All of the landing gear still touch the ground, even still allowing enough clearance for the gun pod underneath! The nose does lean down a bit in this configuration when the Valkyrie is sitting on the ground, but that is accurate to how a Valkyrie is supposed to look in this armor, and thus not something that takes away from this figure.
Earlier I had talked about how well integrated the head was, looking much better on this toy by being smaller and more recessed into the Fighter's body. However, I didn't really show that off at the time with a close-up photo. That was because for some reason the photos I took to illustrate this were with the FAST Pack attached, and I didn't want to spoil it! But now that I have shown the FAST Pack off, allow me to backtrack a bit.
|
In the first photo, you see the head very nicely recessed, sleekly looking not at all out of place. It looks like a well integrated piece of the vehicle,nothing to draw too much unwanted attention.
Of course, (most) Valkyrie heads have lasers on them. (The VF-1S in particular sports an impressive four, two on each side.) And occasionally in the show, a Valkyrie was shown to use the head as a laser turret. The toy can replicate this, in that you can pull down the head and aim it around as seen in the second photo above.
Also plainly visible in the above photos (and present in all of these Super Valkyrie photos) are vent covers covering up the jet intakes. These are not parts exclusive to the Super Valkyrie, and are included with all of Yamato's 1/60 Valkyries. In the show, the jet intakes were only exposed when a Valkyrie was flying in Earth's atmosphere. If it was flying in space, or when it was transformed, the intake would be covered up. Now, this part isn't essential for the transformation, so Yamato can still claim that these toys feature a "perfect transformation" and don't require adding or removing parts... but frankly, when transformed, it wouldn't look right without these intake covers! They are also rather important to the look of the Super mode, hence why they are now attached. (As a nice touch, molded into the top of the cavity that the jet intake is in is detail to represent the open vent covers. You can see this if you scroll back up and look at the non-Super bottom view of the Fighter.)
Of course, (most) Valkyrie heads have lasers on them. (The VF-1S in particular sports an impressive four, two on each side.) And occasionally in the show, a Valkyrie was shown to use the head as a laser turret. The toy can replicate this, in that you can pull down the head and aim it around as seen in the second photo above.
Also plainly visible in the above photos (and present in all of these Super Valkyrie photos) are vent covers covering up the jet intakes. These are not parts exclusive to the Super Valkyrie, and are included with all of Yamato's 1/60 Valkyries. In the show, the jet intakes were only exposed when a Valkyrie was flying in Earth's atmosphere. If it was flying in space, or when it was transformed, the intake would be covered up. Now, this part isn't essential for the transformation, so Yamato can still claim that these toys feature a "perfect transformation" and don't require adding or removing parts... but frankly, when transformed, it wouldn't look right without these intake covers! They are also rather important to the look of the Super mode, hence why they are now attached. (As a nice touch, molded into the top of the cavity that the jet intake is in is detail to represent the open vent covers. You can see this if you scroll back up and look at the non-Super bottom view of the Fighter.)
The FAST Pack can be somewhat dissembled, pulling off bits to reveal engine detail underneath, or the forty aforementioned micro missiles housed in front of the large boosters.
Speaking of the large boosters, it is also worth mentioning that their nozzles are articulated, so you can pose them in different directions. |
One final little thing (for now) on how excellent the design of this toy is. Now that I have shared a whole bunch of photos of it, I want you to go back and look at them again. Look real carefully, now. What are you looking for? Screws. Exposed screws that would throw off the lines of this figure, ruin its sense of scale, and give away that this is just a toy. Go on, now. Look for 'em! There's only a few visible, and those are inside of a recessed hole under the cockpit that the Valkyrie's head sits in, someplace you'd almost have to be intentionally hunting for them to see them. (You can see them best on the second cockpit in the photo looking at the rescue configuration from underneath.) That really goes to show the attention to detail on this toy! Anything such as a screw or pin that might have spoiled its lines is safely hidden away from sight.
Well, that about wraps it up for that toy, at least in this mode. It takes an already wonderful design that has stood the test of time, and realizes it even better with modern toy engineering. Will it hold up, however, in other modes? After all, I did already hint that there is an issue that I would have to address later... But you will still need to wait to find out what that issue is! For now, we move onto the final toy we are looking at, the toy that I am using to justify writing all of this on a website strictly for the review of Transformers toys! Onto the new Jetfire!
Well, that about wraps it up for that toy, at least in this mode. It takes an already wonderful design that has stood the test of time, and realizes it even better with modern toy engineering. Will it hold up, however, in other modes? After all, I did already hint that there is an issue that I would have to address later... But you will still need to wait to find out what that issue is! For now, we move onto the final toy we are looking at, the toy that I am using to justify writing all of this on a website strictly for the review of Transformers toys! Onto the new Jetfire!
Toy #3: Transformers Generations Leader Class Jetfire
And so we have come to it at last, the 2014 Generations Leader Class Jetfire.
As a jet, this figure definitely seems to take its design cues more from the original G1 toy line's Jetfire then from the cartoon's Skyfire. Obviously this is far from identical to a VF-1, but you can see a vague similarity to it. Meanwhile, there is very little similarity other than coloring to Skyfire's vehicle mode. This stands in contrast to the 2006 toy, which seemed to strive more to be a hybrid of the two designs. (This is pure speculation, but one wonders if Hasbro was emboldened by when Harmony Gold's recent lawsuit against them was dismissed with prejudice.) |
It definitely dwarfs the 2006 toy, as it should when one considered a Leader Class toy when compared to a Voyager Class one. Although lifting both, they feel similar weights. They Voyager may even feel slightly heavier... Nope, my kitchen scale puts the 2006 figure (sans accessories) at 1.73 grams, while the 2014 figure (also sans accessories) tops it at 2.21 grams. Still, given the size difference, perhaps the Voyager Class version just feels denser, and the human brain translates this into a perception of weight? I don't know, perhaps if a psychologist ever happens to read this, he or she can chime in!
Compared with the Bandai VF-1S, however, there is no need to break out my kitchen scale, the VF-1S definitely has more weight. Size-wise, however, the two are very similar. They seem almost identical from nose to tail, and (when the wings are fully extended on each) from wingtip to wingtip. The body of the jet is similar in the front, but the new Jetfire is a bit wider in the rear.
Compared with the Bandai VF-1S, however, there is no need to break out my kitchen scale, the VF-1S definitely has more weight. Size-wise, however, the two are very similar. They seem almost identical from nose to tail, and (when the wings are fully extended on each) from wingtip to wingtip. The body of the jet is similar in the front, but the new Jetfire is a bit wider in the rear.
This Jetfire's cockpit is nicely pointed, unlike the G1 toy's blunted tip or the 2006 toy's boxy nosecone. Of course, the front bit of it is made of a rubbery material. His cockpit opens, and inside are two seats. The pilot figures from the 1/60 Valkyries are alas a bit big in them, and indeed the cockpit won't close with one in the front seat.
|
He has one front and two rear landing gear, all with functioning wheels. Funny, but on the two different Valkyries I've reviewed here today, I felt the fact that the wheels were real, spinning ones was a given that didn't need specification... but on a Transformer these days, sadly this is not something you can take as a given! There is one complaint I do have about them, however. While the front one does fold away nicely under the nosecone, the rear landing gear are permanently exposed. Especially on a figure this side, it seems wrong to not be able to fold them away.
The wings are variable. This Jetfire has both vertical and horizontal tail fins, and while the horizontal ones are fixed the vertical ones can be set to various angles.
From the top, front, sides, or most other angles, the body is rather smooth. Under the wings there is a bit that juts out a bit strangely on either side that does spoil the lines a bit. Spoiler: these are the robot mode's big pointy kneecaps. I think it would have definitely helped the vehicle mode's lines if the figure's kneecaps were either articulated so that they could fold flush against the body in vehicle mode, or if they just weren't giant and pointy. Fortunately, from most angles they really don't catch the eye. Likewise, the width of the back of the jet's body doesn't catch the eye too greatly, unless you are looking at Jetfire from behind. Then, it does look a bit overly wide, but not obnoxiously so. Overall, Jetfire does a decent job of avoiding the pitfall many aircraft based Transformers fall into of being obvious robots just tacked onto the underside of a jet. (This included the 2006 Jetfire, whose robot mode wasn't too obvious... Well, except for the fact that his arms just hung, completely unhidden, on either side of his vehicle mode under his wings!)
The wings are variable. This Jetfire has both vertical and horizontal tail fins, and while the horizontal ones are fixed the vertical ones can be set to various angles.
From the top, front, sides, or most other angles, the body is rather smooth. Under the wings there is a bit that juts out a bit strangely on either side that does spoil the lines a bit. Spoiler: these are the robot mode's big pointy kneecaps. I think it would have definitely helped the vehicle mode's lines if the figure's kneecaps were either articulated so that they could fold flush against the body in vehicle mode, or if they just weren't giant and pointy. Fortunately, from most angles they really don't catch the eye. Likewise, the width of the back of the jet's body doesn't catch the eye too greatly, unless you are looking at Jetfire from behind. Then, it does look a bit overly wide, but not obnoxiously so. Overall, Jetfire does a decent job of avoiding the pitfall many aircraft based Transformers fall into of being obvious robots just tacked onto the underside of a jet. (This included the 2006 Jetfire, whose robot mode wasn't too obvious... Well, except for the fact that his arms just hung, completely unhidden, on either side of his vehicle mode under his wings!)
Looking at Jetfire from underneath, you do start to see a bit of evidence of it looking like a folded up robot after all, but it really isn't all that bad. Yes, you see some obvious robot bits, but they are mostly hidden from view when looked at from just about any other angle. It is actually somewhat striking how similar everything is stored when compared with a VF-1 Valkyrie. The arms make up the center of the undercarriage, and are surrounded by the legs. It just seems to come off as a bit less well executed here, perhaps because the arms are so bulbous at the shoulder, causing them to not be able to sit fully flush together and leading to the excess width in the jet's body's rear. Still, while the complaints I make here are completely valid, I am still impressed that they don't stick out too obnoxiously when looking at the jet from most angles.
One thing many picked up on before this toy was even released, and one of the things some detractors complained about, is the fact that this toy uses a false cockpit for the robot mode's chest and that this cockpit just ends up sitting on the bottom just behind the nosecone. But, you know what? If you look at the screenshot from the G1 cartoon presented to the right above, there is a basis on the animation model for that bit being there! So I guess there is a bit of Skyfire in this very Jetfire based alt mode, after all!
I have mentioned how smooth the jet looks from most angles, but unlike the Yamato Valkyrie, it does have some visible clues it is a toy, with visible transformation joints, pins or screws, or attachment ports. Still, compared with many Transformers, the instances of such things are far from excessive! If not for the fact that I had just been looking at the nearly perfect lines on Yamato's toy, I'd probably have much stronger praise for this one.
Speaking, by the way, of attachment ports... Jetfire just wouldn't be Jetfire without some sort of FAST Pack attachments! Shall we have a look at those for this toy?
One thing many picked up on before this toy was even released, and one of the things some detractors complained about, is the fact that this toy uses a false cockpit for the robot mode's chest and that this cockpit just ends up sitting on the bottom just behind the nosecone. But, you know what? If you look at the screenshot from the G1 cartoon presented to the right above, there is a basis on the animation model for that bit being there! So I guess there is a bit of Skyfire in this very Jetfire based alt mode, after all!
I have mentioned how smooth the jet looks from most angles, but unlike the Yamato Valkyrie, it does have some visible clues it is a toy, with visible transformation joints, pins or screws, or attachment ports. Still, compared with many Transformers, the instances of such things are far from excessive! If not for the fact that I had just been looking at the nearly perfect lines on Yamato's toy, I'd probably have much stronger praise for this one.
Speaking, by the way, of attachment ports... Jetfire just wouldn't be Jetfire without some sort of FAST Pack attachments! Shall we have a look at those for this toy?
A pair of big boosters clips onto top of the jet, while four bits of armor with forward pointing guns on them plug into ports on the undercarriage. It is all nicely reminiscent of the VF-1 Valkyrie's armor... except... That is a bit shiny, innit? Oh, the chrome! Oh dear god, the chrome! Other then a bit of black detailing on the front and back of the boosters (and an unchromed white and black chunk between the boosters that anchors them to Jetfire's body) the armor pieces are entirely covered in gaudy, shiny red chrome!
|
All the red chrome is another point of contention on this figure. Many were disappointed in it. This disappointment no doubt stems from early promotional photos of the toy that displayed a more matte finish on these pieces that looks a lot better, including black paint on the guns on the armor pieces, giving it a more dynamic look. The fact that the stock imagery on the box the toy comes in, and the illustrations on the instructions, still show this earlier deco, just help rub in that this isn't the deco we got! I know, I know, "final product may vary" and all that. But many felt the red chrome looked cheep, and expected better from a Leader Class toy.
|
If the chrome seriously bothers you, it looks like the Tarara version of this toy, when released, will have a deco closer to the one everyone was hoping for, so you may wish to hold out for that. In fact, I myself considered doing so. But the Takara one will run you considerably more (about $30.00 or so) and I couldn't justify the extra cost at this time. (That, and I was also eager to get my hands on it, and didn't want to wait!)
Still... while I would have vastly preferred the matte finish with black painted guns, and while I am typically not a fan of pointless chrome, having Jetfire in hand, it doesn't look that bad, and I suppose it is growing on me. Am I just resigning myself to the version of the toy I decided to buy? Maybe. But I can live with it.
Deco of it aside, let us talk about the implementation of the armor. The four pieces on the undercarriage are nicely implemented. I like them better then the only two pieces of such armor on the 2006 toy. The larger pair of these pieces wraps around the rear landing gear and has a little hole on them for the landing gear to poke through. Having this armor on makes those permanently deployed rear landing gear much less of an eyesore, although I do still wish it could be folded away for times when you don't have the armor on.
As for the large boosters atop the jet... I dunno. They look fine, and I suppose they do what they are intended to do. But I cannot help but feel a bit underwhelmed. They seem a bit small. I don't think the length of them is the problem, however. Maybe it is their girth? The similar pieces on a VF-1's FAST Packs, or on the 2006 Jetfire, seem a bit thicker and just give off more of a feeling of power behind them. Maybe the smaller nozzles on the rear of them contributes to this feeling, as well? While this Jetfire features two nozzles on the rear of each rather then one, the fact that they are individually smaller just makes them feel as if they have less of an oomph. Also, I feel that something has been lost, with those nozzles not being articulated on this figure.
Also, the 2006 Jetfire had the flip out guns on the front of the boosters. (I recall being tickled that flipping out only one of them gave you a look reminiscent of a Strike Valkyrie, a Super Valkyrie variant from the theatrical film version of Macross.) That has been lost here, and the boosters are just solid chunks that just sit there.
This Jetfire's boosters aren't bad, and they do their job. I just can't help but to feel that they're not quite as nice as what came before. (Both attach to their respective Jetfires with similar clips... It is a pity that Hasbro didn't make them identical. Being able to swap between the two if you had both could have been a fun addition to this toy's play value!)
So, in jet mode, I suppose as far as the FAST Pack is concerned, this is one area where the 2006 toy has a slight edge! For most of the pieces, I do like this armor better. But for the most prominent piece, the 2006 toy wins.
There is one other area where the 2006 toy wins, and that is storage for the gun Jetfire holds in his hand in robot mode. The 2006 toy's gun splits in half and stores away nicely. For this toy, however, there is no place for his gun to go! Wait, no... There is one place. It's just a bloody stupid place!
Still... while I would have vastly preferred the matte finish with black painted guns, and while I am typically not a fan of pointless chrome, having Jetfire in hand, it doesn't look that bad, and I suppose it is growing on me. Am I just resigning myself to the version of the toy I decided to buy? Maybe. But I can live with it.
Deco of it aside, let us talk about the implementation of the armor. The four pieces on the undercarriage are nicely implemented. I like them better then the only two pieces of such armor on the 2006 toy. The larger pair of these pieces wraps around the rear landing gear and has a little hole on them for the landing gear to poke through. Having this armor on makes those permanently deployed rear landing gear much less of an eyesore, although I do still wish it could be folded away for times when you don't have the armor on.
As for the large boosters atop the jet... I dunno. They look fine, and I suppose they do what they are intended to do. But I cannot help but feel a bit underwhelmed. They seem a bit small. I don't think the length of them is the problem, however. Maybe it is their girth? The similar pieces on a VF-1's FAST Packs, or on the 2006 Jetfire, seem a bit thicker and just give off more of a feeling of power behind them. Maybe the smaller nozzles on the rear of them contributes to this feeling, as well? While this Jetfire features two nozzles on the rear of each rather then one, the fact that they are individually smaller just makes them feel as if they have less of an oomph. Also, I feel that something has been lost, with those nozzles not being articulated on this figure.
Also, the 2006 Jetfire had the flip out guns on the front of the boosters. (I recall being tickled that flipping out only one of them gave you a look reminiscent of a Strike Valkyrie, a Super Valkyrie variant from the theatrical film version of Macross.) That has been lost here, and the boosters are just solid chunks that just sit there.
This Jetfire's boosters aren't bad, and they do their job. I just can't help but to feel that they're not quite as nice as what came before. (Both attach to their respective Jetfires with similar clips... It is a pity that Hasbro didn't make them identical. Being able to swap between the two if you had both could have been a fun addition to this toy's play value!)
So, in jet mode, I suppose as far as the FAST Pack is concerned, this is one area where the 2006 toy has a slight edge! For most of the pieces, I do like this armor better. But for the most prominent piece, the 2006 toy wins.
There is one other area where the 2006 toy wins, and that is storage for the gun Jetfire holds in his hand in robot mode. The 2006 toy's gun splits in half and stores away nicely. For this toy, however, there is no place for his gun to go! Wait, no... There is one place. It's just a bloody stupid place!
Why? Just... why? Seriously, whoever the Hasbro designer who said, "Hey, let us take this nice looking jet mode and have a big honkin' gun jut awkwardly forward out from under the nosecone! Yeah, that'll look awesome!" is should be taken out behind the Hasbro headquarters and executed by firing squad. Okay, maybe death is a bit extreme, so strike that suggestion. Still... why?
Still, not the end of the world. Just leave the gun off when using this mode. A bit annoying in this day and age where most Transformers toys integrate all of their parts in all of their modes, but it isn't the end of the world.
This toy has various extra 5mm ports on it. There is one under each wing. There is one on either side of the booster pack. There is one on each of the other armor pieces. There is even one on either side of the above offending gun. What does this mean? It means you have additional options on how to attach the various armor parts!
Still, not the end of the world. Just leave the gun off when using this mode. A bit annoying in this day and age where most Transformers toys integrate all of their parts in all of their modes, but it isn't the end of the world.
This toy has various extra 5mm ports on it. There is one under each wing. There is one on either side of the booster pack. There is one on each of the other armor pieces. There is even one on either side of the above offending gun. What does this mean? It means you have additional options on how to attach the various armor parts!
Overall, as far as the Fighter mode goes, how do I feel about this new Jetfire? Is it perfect? No. It certainly pales in comparison to the Yamato VF-1. But the Yamato toys are less "toys" and more "expensive adult collectables." For what you can expect to find in domestic, mass market retail, this thing ain't half bad!
Is this better then thee 2006 Jetfire toy? Not in every way. But weighing the two against one another (not as literally as I did earlier) I feel that this one has more in favor of it compared to the earlier toy then against it. So overall, yeah! I like it!
Well, I like it so far... We'll see if my warm and fuzzy feelings continue as we look at other modes! But for now, to conclude the first part of this review, here are a few group shots. First, the three toys here along with the 2006 Jetfire toy:
Is this better then thee 2006 Jetfire toy? Not in every way. But weighing the two against one another (not as literally as I did earlier) I feel that this one has more in favor of it compared to the earlier toy then against it. So overall, yeah! I like it!
Well, I like it so far... We'll see if my warm and fuzzy feelings continue as we look at other modes! But for now, to conclude the first part of this review, here are a few group shots. First, the three toys here along with the 2006 Jetfire toy:
And second, the three of these toys for which I have FAST Packs:
Until next time, folks!
Part 1 of this review added 14 October 2014 by Yotsuya. Continue on to part 2!