TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

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Kamen's review: Jetfire & Jetstorm

Name: Jetfire, Jetstrom, Safeguard (combined form)
Function: Autobot Elite Guard Aerial Combatants
Subgroup: TFAnimated Entertainment Pack

"We are kicking much Decepticon skidplate!"

Created using the most advanced techniques known to Autobot science, Jetstorm and Jetfire were cloned from tech recovered from Starscream. Brought online in a secret laboratory deep beneath Cybertron, they are the first Autobots created specifically to battle the Decepticons. Though they are young, they are extremely intelligent, working their way through the Elite Guard boot camp in record time. Together they are potentially the most powerful Autobots of all time, especially when they combine into their Safeguard form.


Jetfire and and Jetstorm are both names that have been around for a while. The later is probably best known for his Beast Machines appearance, and the former for his appearance in the original Transformers cartoon, where he was also known as Skyfire. Although, the Jettwins in Animated have several obvious homages to both previous incarnations, they are unique characters in their own right.

Two quick notes before we get started:

The Jettwins come packaged with the Rise of Safeguard comic. I won't be reviewing it in depth, but it deserves a mention. The comic explains the origins of the Twins and serves as kind of a teaser for Season 3 of the cartoon. I liked it, but if you're not into the comics, then you probably won't care. And if you like the comics, if you don't like the toys, the comic is definitely not worth the $20 price tag.

The toys themselves share basically the exact mold, therefore I'll only review the mold as a whole, while mentioning the few differences between the two.


Robot Modes:

This is the mold they are packaged in. A wise choice (the reasons for which I'll get into gory detail momentarily). Their sculpt has the thin, streamlined appearance of the line with smooth detailing. They do have a fair amount of bulk in their torsos, but not enough to give them odd proportions. And, contrary to early promo shots, they do have hands, a fact hidden by the lack of paint and their being ensconced in the nose of their alt. modes. Though twins, each individual figure has enough detail to make them unique. Basically, this means a different head. Jetstorm has triangular head and visor eyes, an obvious homage to the Beast Machines character of the same name. His mouth is slanted in a self-satisfied smirk; this detail more than any other goes a long way to make these guys enjoyable. Jetfire's head is rounder, and he sports a pair of flight goggles sculpted on top of his head. The very top of his head is molded out of translucent orange plastic, and sculpted to look like flames. He also has a grin, this one lope-sided. Again, too cool. On their arms and legs each one also has translucent plastic. Jetfire has orange plastic in a flame sculpt. Jetstorm has blue in, what I assume is, an icicle sculpt.

Their colours also distinguish them. Jetfire has a main colour of creamy white, used for his chest arms and legs. A bright orange fills out his limbs and a few details. Brown makes a few appearances around edges. On the other hand, Jetstorm is mostly dark and light blue, and gold in the same deco pattern as his twin. They both have Elite Guard insignia on their hip guards.

The twins' articulation is in a word, fantastic. Surprisingly, the only ball joints are in their shoulders. The rest comes from a brilliant combination of swivel and hinge joints. Even their heads are only on a hinge, with a swivel at the neck, yet they have more range of motion than most other figures. Simple but brilliant.

In short, their robot modes are the stars of the show.

Vehicle Modes:

Here we go. The twins' vehicle modes may be what break your desire for these figures. The main bodies do actually look very good , sleek and fast, with a snubbed nose, and an X-wing-like cockpit that, oddly, can be opened. However, hanging off the rear of the planes are a pair of legs or arms since each leg has a fist molded on the end. With the comic having been read, I do appreciate this mode a little bit more, but I still don't think they look much like planes on the rear end. A extra annoyance is the ease with which the hip guards pop off. And those buggers are among the hardest pieces to stick back on.

There is hope, however. Because of the extreme articulation of the leg pieces, the rear of the planes can be arranged in a near limitless manner. The legs simply cannot be hidden, no matter the configuration, but the possibilities help immensely, and a huge amount of play-ability.

*Police Line*Do Not Cross*Combined Vehicle Mode:*Police Line*Do Not Cross*

Move along. Nothing to see here.

Combined Robot Mode (Safeguard):

Admit it. The real reason you're considering this set is because the Jettwins are a combiner team. And a unique one at that because they combine vertically, with Jetfire on the right and Jetstorm playing the southpaw. You'll either like or hate the mishmash of colours. I think it works fine and is visually interesting, but aesthetics are personal thing. Physically, Safeguard has quite a bit of bulk in his upper body, and his limbs are thick enough that he looks powerful even with his thin thighs and biceps. His head, the only new bit of molding, merges bits of each of the twins features; the angular visage of Jetstorm with the two eyes, ear muffs, and chin strap of Jetfire. The only detractors from this mode are threefold. The arms have the robot mode feet hanging off the wrists, annoying but not a big deal. On Safeguards back, the robot arms stick out. They're supposed to, forming an big X, but they tend to look odd. However, they can be arranged in different configurations, so you may be able to find something you like. Finally, Safeguard has been split crown to crotch. Where the two halves of his body come together, he has a very obvious cleft that keeps the thing from looking like a solid piece.

Although he loses his head articulation, Safeguard has pretty much the same articulation as his individual components. He does have one huge issue, though. His waist connection seems very weak. So weak that manipulating his hips will cause the halves of his body to come apart. I've found that keep pressure on the panels below his armpits negates the problem, but that in no way excuses the issue.

I have ended up really liking this mode and the pack as a whole, and I cant wait to see them in Season 3!

Marks out of ten for the following:

Transformation: Not overly difficult individually. The combination is a bit more involved. 7

Durability: They feel very sturdy, but the lack of ball joins makes permanent breakage more likely, and those hips pads are the most annoying pieces EVER. 6

Fun: This will depend a lot on your personal preferences. I think they are wildly entertaining enough in their robot modes to make up for the deficiencies of the other modes. 8

Price: Two Deluxes and a comic for the regular Voyager price. Not precisely a deal, but not bad. 5

Overall: These figures, probably more than most others, will require you to like them from the get go. I really see fans either loving or hating them vehemently, so if you're on the fence, think a bit before picking them up. 5