I finally found two Deluxe Class movie toys in Target today - Jazz and Bumblebee. I took some pics to start off the review thread and will post some notes on the toys shortly.
Here you go:
Bumblebee Deluxe:
Bumblebee 01
Bumblebee 02
Bumblebee Pose
Bumblebee Upper
Bumblebee Head 01
Bumblebee Head 02
Bumblebee Movie Comparison
Review -
Bumblebee Vehicle Mode:
Positives:- Nicely detailed reproduction of the classic camaro.
- Car paint is applied neatly
- Seams are visible but don’t break up the cars lines too much
- No kibble – weapons can be stored underneath.
Negatives:- Rust effect is slap-dash and not very convincing
- Tyres are molded plastic, and the back wheels are the same size as the front (unlike the movie car)
- Windows are painted a horrid metallic blue colour. Smoky see-through plastic would’ve been better.
Transformation:
- Amazingly engineered considering the size of the toy.
- Body is broken up into intricate pieces, but “Automorph” takes care of a lot of the detailed movement for you, particularly around the headlights.
- Pieces unfold easily and are strong enough to withstand moderate force despite their elegant design.
- Simple and fun. Automorph is great.
Bumblebee Robot Mode:
Positives:- Nicely detailed with a decent attempt to mimic the movie aesthetic.
- Well proportioned – can be displayed in a variety of poses without falling over.
- Very poseable arms (shoulders, elbows and wrists) and head (360 degree rotation).
- Cool shoulder-mounted missile-launchers that can also be placed in figure’s hand.
- Nice to see the Autobot symbol on the chest.
Negatives:- Some people will find the face extremely ugly. I don’t mind it, but it IS pretty terrifying to look at.
- Legs are cleverly designed, but have a poor range of motion.
- No twist or rotation in the torso.
- Feet could have been more elegantly designed.
Final Comments –
Whether you like the movie designs or not, you should still be able to appreciate this toy.
Lovely figure, despite its shortcomings. Compromises obviously had to be made because of the toy’s size, but I feel like Hasbro made the right choices overall. Transformation is great fun, and there is lots of play value in both modes. Weapons don’t feel like an afterthought and are incorporated into the vehicle design nicely.
Automorph technology is going to change Transformers FOREVER.
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Jazz Deluxe
Jazz 01
Jazz 02
Jazz Pose
Jazz Upper
Jazz Head 01
Jazz Head 02
Jazz Movie Comparison
Review -
Jazz Vehicle Mode:
Positives:- Fairly accurate car mode.
- Like Bumblebee the seams are visible but don’t break up the cars lines too much
- Nice black rims.
Negatives:- Plastic is low-grade, so the surface is full of imperfections.
- Some kibble lurks around the back of the car.
- The headlights and windows are painted the same disco-metallic blue as Bumblebee’s. Again, smoky or clear plastic would’ve been better.
Transformation:
- Beautiful. These toys have some of the most simple, but elegantly designed transformations ever seen in the TF line.
- Once again, “Automorph” guides you through a good portion of the transformation. It’s really fun to see it do its thing. Automorph rules!
- Pieces unfold easily and are strong enough to withstand moderate force despite their delicate construction.
Jazz Robot Mode:
Positives:- The legs and torso are very movie accurate.
- Well proportioned – can be displayed in a variety of poses without falling over.
- Nice, well-balanced paint application. Molding makes it look a lot more complicated than it actually is.
- Nice extendable weapon that can be clipped to either arm to recreate the morphing guns as seen in the film.
- Very little kibble. Car roof can be worn on the back, or on the arm as a shield.
- “Light piping” on head works very well. Illuminates the visor beautifully.
Negatives:- Head is molded with “battle mask” on - which looks horrible, quite frankly. A face would’ve been nicer.
- Limited rotation in the knees.
- No twist or rotation in the torso.
- Forearms are VERY flimsy. Comprising of two thin pieces of plastic, they are difficult to transform and horrible to pose. Hands are not worth mentioning (see pics)
Final Comments –
Jazz is remarkably movie-accurate, and as he seems to be the fan-favourite (certainly in terms of design) he should definitely be picked up. His poseability pretty much guarantees that he’ll be displayed in robot mode.
Once again, Automorph is nicely incorporated into the transformation, making it effortless and rewarding to change him from vehicle to ‘bot and back again (Alternators begone!)
The shortcomings mentioned in the review are to be expected in a toy of this size, but hopefully won’t be evident in the larger “Leader” class figures.
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