PotP Jazz ***Proofed Skyquake87***

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ganon578
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PotP Jazz ***Proofed Skyquake87***

Post by ganon578 »

Name: Jazz
Function: Cool Cat
Subgroup: Power of the Primes
Size Class: Deluxe

Jazz is good at everything he does. The improvisational special ops agent takes on the most dangerous missions with daredevil bravado. He gets the job done and does it with style.

All of the Power of the Primes figures come with a randomly packed art card that gives additional powers granted by one of the Primes, as well as an appropriate short bio. The one I received with Jazz is Nexus Jazz: Some Call it a Combiner. He Forms a Combo.

DJ JAZZY JAZZ is back!!! It’s been a short while, my homies, and now we have a new, eye-poppin’, slang talkin’, strut walkin’ Jazz ready to slay the world with coolness… but he kind of trips over his own feet. The last couple ‘Generations’ Jazz figures we received hit stores in the 2010-2012 timeframe, so we’ve had a bit of a dry spell for Jazz fans. Those figures include the superb Special Ops Jazz during the Reveal the Shield run, as well as a figure from the Fall of Cybertron video game line. While the former was a great figure that was highly regarded by the collecting community, the latter wasn’t so much.

Racing Car Mode:

Jazz’s alternate mode on this go around veers from the Martini-Porsche track to bring you a Le Mans-styled sports/racing car, with a little Porsche subtlety thrown in. To me it doesn’t really look all that Jazz-y, but it works well enough. I get the feeling that much like the Combiner Wars cars, Jazz is destined for repaints and retools galore. Even though this one doesn’t really feel like Jazz, the alternate mode is really nice. Molded design is abundant, especially just behind the cockpit, and there are some really nice touches to be found: the clear plastic windshield, the clear blue headlights, and the paints apps are all well done. Hasbro went the extra mile to give some red and blue striping at the bottom, as well as nice crisp racing stripes down the middle, accompanied by Jazz’s traditional #4. All of it, including the Autobot symbol on the front and the lettering on the sides is incredibly crisp. There was even some hubbub that the acronym ‘MAGA’ can be found in Cybertronix on the side, which is some unsanctioned nod to President Trump’s campaign slogan. How that managed to sneak past everyone for a mass retail release is beyond me, and honestly quite funny. The only downside with the paint will be found on the top of the cockpit, as it is painted over the clear plastic which will likely lead to some scratching down the road.

At any rate, the car mode is pretty solid, and the wheels roll well. There are 5 mm ports on the back, top and sides for pegging in the included gun and Prime armor. The armor works best on the top, as it emulates a suped-up engine block for some added horsepower. The gun could also do this, as it has a resemblance to a suped-up exhaust pipe. I think both accessories work quite well in this case, considering the Deluxe Dinobots come with giant spiky hands that double as nothing, this one is a win.

Robot Mode:

Transforming Jazz into robot mode is quite simple, and will remind you of some of the Combiner Wars style. It is different though, so there’s enough new to keep you interested, but not so new as to be complicated. The most interesting part you’ll find lies within the head transformation, as the middle section of the hood folds all up to become part of Jazz’s lower chest. In the end there aren’t any major gaps up there, and the robot mode is left mostly kibble free, save for a bit of the backpack he features. It’s not a huge chunk though, so it’s easy to dismiss. Sadly, this version of Jazz is missing his usual ‘wings’ on his back, but I’m OK with that. While I like the design of ‘wings’ on the back of Autobot cars, they typically make it difficult to display on a tight shelf. Otherwise, the rest of the molded detail is done fairly well, but you will notice some hollowness in the arms. Paint apps are spread out well, and I’m glad Hasbro made the effort to give Jazz black shoulders and lower legs with some added silver tossed in. That coupled with the way the chest is displayed breaks up the monotonous white color. The head mold is nice, but I’m saddened that Jazz, again, has a blank facial expression. To add insult to injury, the silver paint is a bit thick, covering his lips and chin a bit too much. At least his visor is a nice shade of blue!

Jazz has some fairly standard articulation, which is pretty good at the elbows and from the waist down. His shoulders are another story altogether: while he does have some range, the design hampers some movement. Looking at static pictures doesn’t make this readily apparent, but there isn’t an easy way to move his arms in an outward fashion. They can hinge up and down, swivel out and back, but there really isn’t an option to widen them. I think that’s the sorest part of the figure, as Jazz is a character that needs a good range of motion. It’s nearly there, but those shoulders hold him back so much!

Jazz comes with two accessories: a blaster and a piece of Prime Armor that doubles as a combiner hand or a foot extension. Jazz features some subtle tab gaps in his chest that aren’t readily noticeable, but are used to plug in his armor. It’s a fiddly way to get it plugged in, but I suppose it works. You can also use this piece as a ‘blaster’ of sorts in his fist, or even a shield/buckler pegged into his forearm - I prefer the latter. There’s a removable clear piece to house a Prime Master that works in any arrangement on Jazz.

Combiner Limb Modes:

Just like the other Deluxe figures in this line, Jazz is backwards compatible with Combiner Wars figures. Jazz can transform into either a leg or an arm, both of which are easy to do, as you would expect. Both modes functionally work, but I prefer to keep Jazz as a leg, since the top of the car doesn't tab in terribly well when in arm mode. Moving the arm can be tricky with that part constantly coming loose. The leg mode is much more stable, and is pretty stout when all snapped together.

I think there’s a fair amount of play value here, even if the figure doesn’t work as well as I would want.

Marks out of ten for the following:

Transformation Design: Simple and easy, this one harkens to the Transformation sequences of the CW line. Nothing outstanding, but the chest is neat. 6/10.

Durability: Fairly solid all around, but paint scratches on the roof are likely to happen. 7/10.

Fun: There’s quite a bit of play value with Jazz, so that’s nice. The Prime Armor can do several things, but I don’t find it super enjoyable. He's backwards compatible with Combiner Wars, and the car mode is good. 7/10.

Aesthetics: Jazz doesn’t look 100% like Jazz, but that’s OK. He’s got enough there to fit the bill, and the paint apps are crisp. I only wish the face was a touch better. 7/10.

Articulation: Overall good, but the shoulders are terrible and really kill what could have been a dynamic figure. 7/10.

Value/Price: There’s some fun value here with the different things you can do, especially if you have some old Combiner Wars stuff lying around. The unfortunate part is that normal retail prices are on the rise. 5/10.

Overall: I think Jazz ranks just a hair above average. He’s not a bad figure, but his shoulders are. He’s got some good mojo going on, but parts of him aren’t terribly Jazz-y. He’s mostly kibble free and looks sharp in most respects, and has a fairly solid car mode. 6/10.
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ganon578
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Post by ganon578 »

And some photos to go with...
Attachments
JazzArt.jpg
Car2.jpg
Car1.jpg
Jazz2.jpg
Jazz1.jpg
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Tantrum
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Post by Tantrum »

You mention the arm and leg modes, but didn't really review them. Just a couple sentences on each would be enough. How do they look? Does the kibble get in the way of articulation? You could reuse your combined mode pics from Starscream. Other than that, good review.
Alleged "poems"
that don't follow a rhyme scheme
are not poetry
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ganon578
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Combiner Limb Photos

Post by ganon578 »

Man! You caught me being lazy!!!

Thanks for the feedback, that helps flesh it out. More detailed on that end, with it's own section as it should be. I kind of phoned it in on the arm/leg modes, and they are proper advertised modes for the Deluxes. Pics included too!
Attachments
JazzLeg.jpg
JazzArm.jpg
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Skyquake87
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Post by Skyquake87 »

I really like the alt-mode for this version of Jazz. The robot mode isn't so great, and I think I'll be more interested if this mold gets done up as Backstreet. That said, I much prefer the crisp white plastics of this version of Jazz over that weird pearly-white they used for the RTS toy which made him look a bit ... fuzzy to me.
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