Walgreen's Jetfire *Proofed, Ganon 1/16/18*

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Tantrum
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Walgreen's Jetfire *Proofed, Ganon 1/16/18*

Post by Tantrum »

Name: Jetfire
Line: Generations (Walgreen's Exclusive)
Size: Voyager
Bio: "The Autobot scientist JETFIRE is always looking to upgrade and improve Autobot technology."

This whole line seems odd. It's Legends designs scaled up to Voyager size G1 characters. If you're young enough that big, simple figures appeal to you, you probably don't have much concern for a 30 year old cartoon. If you're old enough to like G1, you probably have better versions of these characters, already. For example, I own the CW Leader Jetfire. But, I have a hard time getting the chest to fold away, and prefer the mask look to the face, so I bought Walgreen's Jetfire.

Robot mode: The bot mode looks great, but doesn't have enough articulation for a modern figure. He can do the splits, and kick forward or back, but that's it for the legs; even his knees are immobile. His arms fare a little better, with shoulders that move on two axes and elbows that swing forward. But, he has no arm swivel or wrist articulation.

His wings can lock into either of two positions, and his guns can be hand-held or shoulder mounted. Both of these are likely intended for the Seeker retool. They're also nice here though, since they offer some options for his look.

The rear wings don't fold away next to the tailfins like you might expect. Instead, the tail fins fold next to the rear wings so he can fit into the somewhat flat box. They don't look too bad, but it would've been nice to have them fold away like most other jet bots this size.

Alternate mode: He transforms like CW Legends Thundercracker, but instead of the toes folding out to hide themselves, they fold forward to reveal thrusters. The thrusters look nice, but this has the unfortunate side effect of having the feet simply hanging underneath the jet. The arms are clearly visible from above, but are hollow from this angle, which makes them stand out less.

The wings can lock into either of two positons: straight out to the sides, or swept back. The guns are intended to be mounted underneath the wings, but can also be mounted to the sides via the shoulder holes, or on top of the jet via screw holes.

Landing gear is present, but doesn't fold away or actually roll. Molded and painted bits on the roof evoke the G1 toys jet backpack, since this guy's only accessories are two guns. This works pretty well, though.

Transformation Design: It's CW Legends Thundercracker scaled to Voyager size, with better proportions and worse articulation. A more elaborate transformation could've hidden the arms better in jet mode, and the tail fins & rear wings could've folded away in bot mode. On the plus side, it's quick and easy.7/10

Durability: Nothing seems particularly likely to break, but nothing seems particularly robust, either. The tail fins are a softer plastic than the rest of the figure for some reason.7/10

Articulation: He doesn't have knees. He lacks arm and thigh swivels. HE DOESN'T HAVE KNEES. The only modern TFs I've seen with less articulation are gimmicks like 1-steps and Power Battlers.3/10

Fun: The multiple wing and weapon positions give him some variety, and he's quick to transform.8/10

Aesthetics: He looks great. The box photo makes it look like the bits on either side of his head are painted, but they're plain white. The arms aren't hidden well in jet mode, but that's par for the course these days, and I've seen worse.8/10

Price/Value: US$17. They took a Legends design, scaled it to Voyager size, and charge a Deluxe price for it. The simplicity and lack of articulation make him seem like a KO you'd get for $10, but he is better made than those.6/10

Overall: Jetfire shouldn't work as well as he does, but I'm pretty happy with him. I can't see myself buying too many more figures from this line, though. $17 G1-themed Voyagers sound great, but the cut corners are too much. HE DOESN'T HAVE KNEES. I can only recommend him with reservation, but he's good if you want a G1-themed Jetfire and will settle for one less articulated than the original.7/10
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jet2b.JPG
jet2a.JPG
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jet1a.JPG
Alleged "poems"
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Tantrum
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Post by Tantrum »

More pics, including one with TLK Voyager Hound for scale.
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scale.JPG
bot2.JPG
bot1.JPG
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ganon578
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Post by ganon578 »

Proofed. Nicely written. He looks like a fun figure, but I don't think I would personally pull the trigger on him. It's a very odd size-class/target audience, especially with the simplistic and smaller 'evergreen' figures coming.
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