TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

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

Sir Auros' review of: TRU Reissue Jazz

Name: Jazz
Allegiance: Autobot
Function: Special Operations Agent
Sub-Group: NA
"Do it with style or don't bother doing it."

Jazz loves Earth culture. Always looking to learn more. His knowledge of Earth makes him the indispensable right-hand man to Optimus Prime. Takes most dangerous missions. Very cool, very stylish, very competent. Equipped with photon rifle, flamethrower, full-spectrum beacon, 180db stereo speakers. Creates dazzling, disorienting sound and light shows. Versatile, clever, daring, but prone to be distracted.

Right up there with Optimus Prime and Starscream, Jazz was always one of those Transformers I always really wanted as a kid and as an adult collector I've wanted to buy the figure for some time. Until Toys R Us dropped the price they were charging for their reissues, Jazz was always just slightly too rich for my blood, but at $20, I had to finally buy the figure. Overall, I'm pleased with it and the slight mold changes don't really bother me like they may others. The one overarching problem I have with the figure is something most of the G1 figures have in common and that's the difficulty getting certain stickers placed properly and getting some to even stay on. I picked up the Prowl reissue at the same time I got Jazz and while Jazz isn't nearly as bad as that figure for stickers, his rear fender stickers are a real pain to get placed perfectly.

Vehicle Mode:
Jazz' porsche mode was probably of the reasons I was so attracted to the character as a kid because it just looked cool. I never got a chance to see the figure in stores as a kid, so I didn't know then that the vehicle mode isn't such a smoothly designed piece of work. It's very apparent that there's a robot in this thing and there are a lot of places where the body of the car is uneven. There's also a problem with the top of the roof connecting to the back windshield of the car. It really doesn't. The end result is a fairly decent vehicle mode and despite not being perfect, I like it a lot. I suppose I should also note the differences between this reissue and the original US release. The reissue has a lot of the Japanese "meister" (the mold's name in Japan) sticker, but other than that, I don't see a lot of differences in the vehicle mode.

Robot Mode:
Jazz' robot mode seems to follow the same formula the other early Autobot cars use as far as transformation. The arms are under the hood, the back of the car becomes the legs and feet and the front of the car is the chest. The robot mode doesn't really disappoint. The arms have a surprisingly large amount of articulation, which is nice since the legs have none to speak of. Jazz has a really badass little gun and a rocket launcher that you can mount on his shoulders around his head. I like the gun and missiles now being black instead of chrome. I didn't have an original Jazz, so going from the pictures, if the missiles have been lengthened, it's not by much and they don't look awkward or anything anyway. The biggest gripe I've heard about this version is that the face was remolded to have a grin. Well, it's been remolded, but if that's a grin then I'd hate to see a grimace. He really looks like he's either constipated or he's smiling for a cheesey school photo or something. Doesn't really bother me though since it's not something you really tend to notice unless you're looking at it up close. I'm quite pleased with the robot mode overall and was kind of surprised to find the arms had a reasonable amount of articulation. Keep in mind that I actually only had THREE G1 Transformers as a child and couldn't get a lot of the reissued G2 stuff, so I've only heard of the early G1 cars and their lack of articulation and whatnot. The rumors, judging from Jazz and some others, aren't as close to the fact as you'd think.

Transformation: 8 - I did have to look at the directions to figure out how to get the chest proper. Bonus points for the way the arms fit in vehicle mode though. That's something still used today with certain Alternators.
Durability: 6 - The paint sadly chips fairly easily (in places with heavier wear) and I'm really not sure how long some of these stickers will stay on...
Fun: 9 - He's a neat little guy and my interest in the character does affect how much fun I think he is.
Price: 8 - Currently dropped down to $20 at TRU and I think that's fair. Wouldn't pay the originally asked $35 for it though.
Summary: 9 - Nice figure worth picking up if you're a diehard collector or have casual interest in the whole nostalgia wave (especially since this is a character you're likely to remember).