Toy Review - Siege Jetfire

[GoktimusPrime]

For anyone who missed him and was waiting for a non-existent retail release (THANKS NZ FOR TAKING OUR STOCK)

I didn't see any Jetfires in NZ so they've apparently sold out by the end of 2019.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

It's a good figure and I'm happy with him overall, but the alt mode being full of gaps annoys me - it's pretty unnecessary when all it had to do was turn into a brick with wings

My only real gripe woth this otherwise great figure os that the nose doesn't really peg in for vehicle mode. It's sort of held in place by some adjacent pieces that tab on to some very flimsy plastic. No where near as solid as I'd like.

Thes two comments cover my concerns as well. While the robot mode is pretty damn spanking, the vehicle mode is pretty atrocious. It only looks good from the top. Why is this? Admittedly though, in jet mode, mainly because of its size, it extremely swooshable and the more I look at it, the more forgiving I become.
But come on man, transformation isn't all that complex and the vehicle is that gappy??? It's also somewhat awkward. Having to wiggle the shins up over the thighs and then connect the leg boosters to the backpack booster just seems really fiddly. I often find the locking tab for the legs comes undone while I mess about with the boosters.

Kind of final whinge is the titan master seats in the booster back pack. I have to unplug the legs and boosters to access that seat? They couldn't have come up with a better way? That is almost as bad the Ark Titan figure, where you pretty much have to half transform the torso to access the bridge for the minifigures.

Quite obviously all the work went into robot mode, which is pretty nice. But the plastic doesn't feel as good as I'd like it. It's a tad bendy and cheap feeling. Or is that just me?

The armoured mode for robot looks nothing like JetSkyfire in any way at all, but I do think it looks pretty awesome. It just becomes another character. Definitely has an "air guardian" feel to it. I'd be likely to use the armoured mode for the Shattered Glass version TBH. It's a shame the armour just sits on top of the plane like a big blocky thing. Coz it looks daft.

Now that I have bought this guy, I've finished getting all the commanders released so far, and it's a good thing I got him late. If I had picked him up first, I would be much more sceptical of the commander class toys. Jetfire is definitely the weakest.

Lots of whingeing in this post, but generally, I like Jetfire and it's a decent enough figure with good presence on the shelf. Probably not quite worth a lot of dollars and I wouldn't recommend paying through the nose for one.

For a bit of reference, I've been undecided on Jetfire for a long time. Here in Japan, he got a regular release, but the numbers were so limited, I never saw one on the shelves. PLUS he was expensive, coming in at the 19800 yen (compared to the other commanders a 15000ish) and considering how Icould generally grab at Titan class figure for about 22000 yen, Jetfire seemed a bit to pricey for his worth. This one I found nice and cheap, so decided to bit the bullet, with a bit of peer pressure.

[GoktimusPrime]

Gah, the board deleted my reply and I can't recover it.

In summary...

• Jetfire's animation model has gaps and non-aerodynamic recesses; can't blame a toy for being source-accurate. Even MP Skyfire has gaps (although less pronounced, but it's also a significantly dearer toy)

• The cockpit is non-essential Easter egg. Improving it would've exceeded the toy's budget.

• Yes, the armour is daft. Blah blah copyright blah. But given that this toy is based on the cartoon model, who's going to display Siege Jetfire in armoured robot mode? How many MP collectors display Skyfire with the faceplate on?

• Jetfire has a simpler transformation than other Commanders, but I also find this toy a lot more fun to play with than say Rodimus Prime (which I find laboriously tedious to transform)

• Plastic quality is fine on mine. The whites are mismatched, but it was like that out of the box, not due to partial yellowing. I do find that annoying.

• When it comes to buying older toys, I recommend try before you buy. Meet up with another collector who owns one and see for yourself.

(P.S. Speaking of meeting up, please check your PM inbox)

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

You raise some mansplainy points there Gok my old chum.

Gah, the board deleted my reply and I can't recover it.

This is why if I end up typing a lot on this board, I copy paste it into a txt doc before posting.

In summary...
Jetfire's animation model has gaps and non-aerodynamic recesses; can't blame a toy for being source-accurate. Even MP Skyfire has gaps (although less pronounced, but it's also a significantly dearer toy)

Okay, I'll concede on this point, but from a toy point of view it's pretty sloppy and I don't think the animation model has so many bit where you can see right through the guy. Plus (this may be me) but the nose of the jet is always wobbly.

The cockpit is non-essential Easter egg. Improving it would've exceeded the toy's budget.

This is a hasbro problem, not an end user problem. If they're gonna add something that enhances play factor, they should do it properly. I'd be happier if they skipped it entirely, because I wouldn't know. But now that I know, and find it frustrating to use, I am frustrated. - To summarise, it is a half arsed non-essential easter egg.

I suspect not many people make use of this easter egg (because of its difficulty in use) and if they hadn't included it, everyone's opinions would be the same as they are now. (Mine a tad better in fact)

Yes, the armour is daft. Blah blah copyright blah. But given that this toy is based on the cartoon model, who's going to display Siege Jetfire in armoured robot mode? How many MP collectors display Skyfire with the faceplate on?

Firstly, nowhere did I mention MP Jetfire and his mask, so that is a moot point.
I was mainly referring to the armour on the Jet mode looking daft. From a design point of view, it would've been nicer if it could fit in a bit better to make the already bulky jet more sleek and aerodynamic.

When the robot mode is armoured up, I think it looks awesome. It also doesn't look anything like Jetfire, which I don't have problem with. Hence my comment about Shattered Glass Jetfire using the armoured robot mode.

Jetfire has a simpler transformation than other Commanders, but I also find this toy a lot more fun to play with than say Rodimus Prime (which I find laboriously tedious to transform)

Indeed he does, and yet, the connection of the boosters to the boosters and leg clicky-in-bits don't work all that well together. It's a tad fiddly and requires a bit of messing around. Therefore, it should be a bit better designed. As a minor aside, I rather enjoy Rodimus Prime's transformation and yes, while it does take some time to do, I still rather enjoy it.

Plastic quality is fine on mine. The whites are mismatched, but it was like that out of the box, not due to partial yellowing. I do find that annoying.

I think the plastic is fine, but it does feel a little bendy. Although TBH, I'd prefer bendy plastic that bends over rigid plastic that snaps.

When it comes to buying older toys, I recommend try before you buy. Meet up with another collector who owns one and see for yourself.

Yes, I would have preferred this option as well, but alas, it never occurred, and so here we are now.

(P.S. Speaking of meeting up, please check your PM inbox)

Checked and replied my friend