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Transformers Toy Review Archive (older series, 1984 to date)
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ravimus prime's review of: BM Ultra Jetstorm

Name: Jetstorm
Allegiance: Vehicon
Function: Aerodrone General
"Cruelty is, perhaps, the most enjoyable sin."

A high-tech flying Vehicon, Jetstorm is a fast-talking hotshot with a mean attitude and a twisted sense of humor. Spends as much time taunting his opponents as blasting them. Loves his job as General of the aerodrones and is fiercely competitive with his fellow Vehicon Generals. Glowing eyes are equipped with powerful radar for scanning and tracking Maximals. His pulse missile system is thought-guided and deadly to the core. Quickest of the Vehicons, Jetstorm is despised by all who know him.

As with many Beast Machines characters, more than one version of Jetstorm was made. The first, a deluxe, reviewed by our very own numbat. The second, well this one I'm reviewing, was an ultra. This is a popular figure among fans. In 2002, Jetstorm (commonly called Ultra Jetstorm) was recoloured into Cyclonus, only sold at Botcon. Jetstorm also has a variant. One version has light metallic blue paint, the other, dark metallic blue. I got mine about a year ago, at a clear out sale. I was very happy seeing the toy I wanted for years. Read on for the review...

Vehicle Mode:
Jetstorm's alternate mode is a futuristic Cybertronian jet. His structure is brilliant, extremely sleek with reverse wings. The robot mode legs can be seen underneath the jet, but it's not that noticable. Overall, it resembles G1 Cyclonus' jet mode. The main colours here are metallic blue, red and yellow but this mould is infamous for it's paint chipping. Hasbro decided not to use a prymer, and thus the paint comes off easily. However I have yet to experience this problem, as mine is still is perfect condition but it has only been out of the box about a year. I am told this happens to all these figures eventually. Flip a switch at the rear of the jet and a big turret pops up from the jet's main body. This causes some of the jet to light up. Missiles can be fired from this turret, and when you rotate it around, the cockpit moves in synchronisation. This is a cool gimmick, and adds a bit of life to Jetstorm. The neck of the jet can be moved in several ways, but anyway other than straight looks a bit stupid. Jetstorm comes with "drones" that resemble missiles, and can be attatched to the underside of the jet. Very solid vehicle mode overall.

Robot Mode:
Alright, Jetstorms face sculpt reminds me of Depthcharge from Beast Wars. It's smooth, unlike the deluxe Jetstorm, who had a more mechanical looking face, but some of his characteristics have been carried over, like the bat ears. I don't particularly like this head sculpt. Big bulky chest, arms, legs and torso. Despite being bulky, Jetstorm is still sleek and looks brilliant, with one exception. His arms are really short. His arms can barely reach past his chest. You can't tell this from most pictures so beware. His hands are tiny as well. In fact I usually close the panels that contain his hands, so that his arms look longer and you can't see his ridiculous hands. The turret from his vehicle mode now rests on the main body, and the missiles stick out from over the chest. The drones can be attatched to the legs, but it doesn't look great. I have a big problem with the colours though. The colours look awful in contrast. Baby blue on the face and hands. A load of other shades of blue all over the toy. The crayola red and yellow. I think a darker, more uniform colour would have been better, like on the tech specs. Press a button behind Jetstorm's head and he lights up the same way as the vehicle mode with the addition of the eyes. A good few problems for this mode I'm afraid.

Hover Mode:
Such an excuse for a mode. Fold down the cockpit from the crotch area and stick it between his legs, then open his leg panels to reveal thrusters. It really isn't a necessary mode to put in, but it doesn't make the toy any worse. It takes nothing away from either mode. Again, everything else carries over from the robot mode. But it does add to the play value, and show-accuracy, though it's still not entirely show-accurate.

Transformation: 8. Difficult enough. It becomes easier after a while though.
Durability: 8. The drones can easily fall out. Paint issues as mentioned before.
Fun: 9. Because it's fun. You'll see what I mean. The gimmick adds to the "play" value.
Price: X. Varies. Case fresh from $15 up to $50. I got mine for €15 when a toyshop here pulled out a load of old transformers they had in a storeroom, and sold them for the price of a Cybertron deluxe.
Overall: 8. It was really hard to give an overall score for Jetstorm. He appeals to so many people, but he doesn't woo me. Think about the problems I mentioned and you decide.
 
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