TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:
Alternate Mode:
Box Art:
Technical Specifications:
STR
INT
SPD
END
RNK
CRG
FPR
SKL

Neuronutter's review of: Cliffjumper

Name: Cliffjumper
Function: Autobot Brawler

In G1 Cliffjumper was a reckless warrior with little regard for, well, pretty much anything except his desire for a scrap, even taking a potshot at Megs in the first episode. The packaging for this toy describes Cliffjumper as an “Autobot Brawler” a fitting description for the character and it also lists a nice bio on the back of the box. The Classics bios have been very well done and this is no exception. Cliffjumper, along with Ramjet, is the first in the inevitable repaints and remolds for the Classics range, and while I really like Ramjet, I’m not so keen on Cliffjumper.

Alternate Mode
Cliffjumper is a straight repaint from the brilliant Bumblebee mold. He’s bright red with large sort of flame shaped grey patches and blue headlights, as well as the trailer in red, grey and blue. I actually really like the colour scheme, even the odd grey flames, and like with Bumblebee, the overall effect is very cute. This toy has a lot of play value, as well as display worth and seems exceptionally well designed.

Robot Mode
I simply love Bumblebee’s robot mode: It’s brilliantly engineered, perfectly executed and fits the character perfectly. All of the above apply to Cliffjumper too. My toy, however, has loose hips limiting his poseability, but I expect that probably doesn’t affect the whole line.

And now for the niggles. One of the slight retools from Starscream to Ramjet that should have been carried onto Cliffjumper is his head. There is no change between Bumblebee and Cliffjumper except for the colour, yet somehow the plastic on the head feels cheaper and seems a slightly lighter shade of red than the rest of his body making his head look odd. It might be my imagination however. From looking at Cliffjumper in the cartoon, it would’ve been a simple matter of changing the head mold very slightly to give the character a completely different feel to Bumblebee. The changes made to Ramjet really make the point that he’s not just a simple colour change, but a complete retool giving a separate character and making the purchase of another of the same mold worthwhile. With Cliffjumper I feel a little cheated, like Hasbro couldn’t be bothered changing anything about this mold. It even says on the box that Cliffjumper “carries a unique gas-pistol” which of course the toy doesn’t come with. Again it feels like a cheap cop-out by Hasbro, and while I didn’t mind the lack of a gun with Bumblebee, it feels really poor with Cliffjumper. I was really hoping they’d include a gun similar to the one in DW’s comics with Bumblebee and with Cliffjumper the absence of a gun feels even more noticeable.

To sum up: I love this mold, Bumblebee is an inspired toy, I just wish Hasbro had put a little more effort into Cliffjumper the way they did with Ramjet. A slight change in the head mold or the inclusion of a weapon for someone who is supposed to be a warrior would’ve made this a great toy, but as it is it’s just about passable. If you missed Bumblebee then this is worthwhile, if not then it depends on how much you like this mold, but overall Bumblebee is superior to this toy. Personally, I will be picking up everything from the Classics range except for the pointless Minicons, I just hope more effort will be applied to other repaints.

Marks out of 10 for the following:

Transformation: 5 for difficulty, 10 for design and brilliance. I simply love the design of this toy.

Durability:8. The toy feels strong and nothing feels fragile.

Fun: 8. A lot of play value combined with a good display piece makes for all round fun!

Price: 7. I got this from BBTS cheaper and earlier than you can find in the UK. Bumblebee felt like value for money even at RRP, Cliffjumper feels more overpriced.

Overall: 6. Bumblebee would get a 9 or a 10, but the lack of any change to the mold gives Cliffjumper a lower score. Sadly, I’m not too impressed by this toy.