The Energon Pub

by **Optimum Supreme** » Tue Mar 03, 2015 4:18 pm

TheTheoretician wrote:I may be in the minority here, but am I the only one who thinks Classics Skyfire is superior to Generations Jetfire? Sure, scale-wise a Leader is more befitting for the character, but otherwise Classics/Henkei just seems superior to me:

-Sturdier build without excessive hollowness
-Wrist swivel
-No faux cockpit/chest for forcing a compromise between a Valkyrie and the cartoon robot mode
-Awesome backpack whose cannons can fold over the robots shoulders for total badassery
-More weapons overall, including spring-fired missiles and eight cannons on his HELMET only, the guy is a freakin´ walking arsenal, but still feels slick and nimble
-More straightforward, but at the same time more clever transformation (love the nose cone split into the robot´s pectorals)
-Jet mode closer to the animation model (if that is preferred, as for my opinion, we have Macross if one wants a real Valkyrie)
-Better head sculpt
-Better battle mask (the perfect reference to the original toy instead of blue shades...)
-Overall, a robot mode that looks more like a robot and less like a guy in a racing helmet packing excessive wing junk protruding well over his shoulders, adorned by metallic red... somethings sticking into the air...
-I can´t stress enough how this is one of HasTak´s best molds EVER...

Each to their own I guess, but seriously, look at this picture:

r_leader-class-jetfire-339.jpg

To the left, a classic that has aged gracefully, but still aged. To the right, the perfect amalgam of cartoon Jetfire and the original G1 toy. In the middle: The biggest question mark of the latter years of releases, in my humble opinion...

You make a lot of good points, but to me Generations Jetfire just looks a lot cooler than Classics Jetfire. Neither one is perfect, but if I had to pick between those two, I'm goin with the big guy.

Actually I'd pick the original Jetfire (over pretty much any Transformer, not just the other Jetfires), but I'm glad I don't have to choose, and have all three of these.

News Credits: 22 · by **Rodimus Prime** » Tue Mar 03, 2015 7:26 pm

I finally got my Generations Jetfire, and I like it. I prefer the robot mode to the jet mode, and I actually dig the chrome. I moved the big guns from the leg and attached them to the backpack boosters, and now he looks cool next to my other Jetfires. For $25, he was worth it.

by **Optimum Supreme** » Tue Mar 03, 2015 8:02 pm

Rodimus Prime wrote:I finally got my Generations Jetfire, and I like it. I prefer the robot mode to the jet mode, and I actually dig the chrome. I moved the big guns from the leg and attached them to the backpack boosters, and now he looks cool next to my other Jetfires. For $25, he was worth it.

Wow, you got a bargain!

Yeah, the chrome really grew on me after getting the figure, I'm glad I didn't go Takara.

News Credits: 22 · by **Rodimus Prime** » Tue Mar 03, 2015 8:30 pm

Optimum Supreme wrote:
Rodimus Prime wrote:I finally got my Generations Jetfire, and I like it. I prefer the robot mode to the jet mode, and I actually dig the chrome. I moved the big guns from the leg and attached them to the backpack boosters, and now he looks cool next to my other Jetfires. For $25, he was worth it.

Wow, you got a bargain!

That depends on your point of view. I didn't think he was worth a penny over $25, so I think I got a fair deal. Had he been $20 or less, it would have been a bargain.

Yeah, the chrome really grew on me after getting the figure, I'm glad I didn't go Takara.

Yeah, me too. For some reason that red just looks dull.

by **Dagon** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 4:46 pm

TheTheoretician wrote:I may be in the minority here, but am I the only one who thinks Classics Skyfire is superior to Generations Jetfire? Sure, scale-wise a Leader is more befitting for the character, but otherwise Classics/Henkei just seems superior to me:

-Sturdier build without excessive hollowness
-Wrist swivel
-No faux cockpit/chest for forcing a compromise between a Valkyrie and the cartoon robot mode
-Awesome backpack whose cannons can fold over the robots shoulders for total badassery
-More weapons overall, including spring-fired missiles and eight cannons on his HELMET only, the guy is a freakin´ walking arsenal, but still feels slick and nimble
-More straightforward, but at the same time more clever transformation (love the nose cone split into the robot´s pectorals)
-Jet mode closer to the animation model (if that is preferred, as for my opinion, we have Macross if one wants a real Valkyrie)
-Better head sculpt
-Better battle mask (the perfect reference to the original toy instead of blue shades...)
-Overall, a robot mode that looks more like a robot and less like a guy in a racing helmet packing excessive wing junk protruding well over his shoulders, adorned by metallic red... somethings sticking into the air...
-I can´t stress enough how this is one of HasTak´s best molds EVER...

Each to their own I guess, but seriously, look at this picture:

I like the Leader, but I think the Classics Voyager is a better toy. I think it looks nicer, it does more, and regardless of what anyone wants to try and say differently, I find the weight and feel of the Classics figure to be better. The Leader looks good and has a funner transformation, but for me, chrome isn't a feature or an equivalent exchange value for playability and/or fun, both of which I find in abundance in the Voyager. And, as dumb as it will sound I know, I don't feel like the newer Generations figures have that same soul that the older ones do, and while I can't quanitfy that with anything even close to a useful definition, for me at least, it's true. The newer figures may look a bit nicer, but they are much like their plastic and forearms in the character department: thin and hollow.

News Credits: 8 · by **NuclearConvoy** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 6:22 pm

fenrir72 wrote:
ScottyP wrote:
GuyIncognito wrote:What's all this about quality? G1 figures had metal parts, but they were bricks with four points of articulation, and they broke pretty easily. Very few of mine survived fully intact. They were subject to rust, yellowing, and GPS.

I'm thinking of, roughly, 2002-2010. Occasional gimmick intrusion aside, and occasional GPS use aside (rawr), these were big toys with some pretty hefty plastic, with increasing complexity as time went by.

Galaxyforce comes to mind..........boy were they big and "whole"

Galaxy Force Lord Megatron, so awesome! Felt great in my hands.

News Credits: 60 · by **fenrir72** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 10:00 pm

Optimum Supreme wrote:
TheTheoretician wrote:I may be in the minority here, but am I the only one who thinks Classics Skyfire is superior to Generations Jetfire? Sure, scale-wise a Leader is more befitting for the character, but otherwise Classics/Henkei just seems superior to me:

-Sturdier build without excessive hollowness
-Wrist swivel
-No faux cockpit/chest for forcing a compromise between a Valkyrie and the cartoon robot mode
-Awesome backpack whose cannons can fold over the robots shoulders for total badassery
-More weapons overall, including spring-fired missiles and eight cannons on his HELMET only, the guy is a freakin´ walking arsenal, but still feels slick and nimble
-More straightforward, but at the same time more clever transformation (love the nose cone split into the robot´s pectorals)
-Jet mode closer to the animation model (if that is preferred, as for my opinion, we have Macross if one wants a real Valkyrie)
-Better head sculpt
-Better battle mask (the perfect reference to the original toy instead of blue shades...)
-Overall, a robot mode that looks more like a robot and less like a guy in a racing helmet packing excessive wing junk protruding well over his shoulders, adorned by metallic red... somethings sticking into the air...
-I can´t stress enough how this is one of HasTak´s best molds EVER...

Each to their own I guess, but seriously, look at this picture:

r_leader-class-jetfire-339.jpg

To the left, a classic that has aged gracefully, but still aged. To the right, the perfect amalgam of cartoon Jetfire and the original G1 toy. In the middle: The biggest question mark of the latter years of releases, in my humble opinion...

You make a lot of good points, but to me Generations Jetfire just looks a lot cooler than Classics Jetfire. Neither one is perfect, but if I had to pick between those two, I'm goin with the big guy.

Actually I'd pick the original Jetfire (over pretty much any Transformer, not just the other Jetfires), but I'm glad I don't have to choose, and have all three of these.

One part on what Theo mentioned, henkei Skyfire had a much more feet folding mechanism over the Legends one. But that was the result of his transform (henkei) transform design. If you try that on Legends, another massive re-engineering again.

News Credits: 4835 · by **william-james88** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 11:30 pm

I am resurecting this thread because I just found this listing on amiami:

It's about 200$ US and is currently available for preorder. The alt mode struck me because the legs were just as visible (if not more so) than on Generations Jetfire. And I find Jetfire looks even better than this. While some people thought he felt like a KO, I see it as us getting an official product in a style of a 200$ toy that looks as good if not better.

News Credits: 60 · by **fenrir72** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 12:45 am

william-james88 wrote:I am resurecting this thread because I just found this listing on amiami:

It's about 200$ US and is currently available for preorder. The alt mode struck me because the legs were just as visible (if not more so) than on Generations Jetfire. And I find Jetfire looks even better than this. While some people thought he felt like a KO, I see it as us getting an official product in a style of a 200$ toy that looks as good if not better.

From the much derided Macross II Lovers Again. Though the Valkyries designed sported a more curved smooth look as compared to the ones released in SOC line which are monstrously sexy with all the rough mech parts showing.

News Credits: 11 · by **RAR** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 12:41 pm

Jetfire looks somewhat cheap as he uses single sides parts instead of clam-shelled parts and has more gaps in him than a 90 year old's teeth.

by **Optimum Supreme** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 1:56 pm

william-james88 wrote:I am resurecting this thread because I just found this listing on amiami:

It's about 200$ US and is currently available for preorder. The alt mode struck me because the legs were just as visible (if not more so) than on Generations Jetfire. And I find Jetfire looks even better than this. While some people thought he felt like a KO, I see it as us getting an official product in a style of a 200$ toy that looks as good if not better.

I wish Gen Jetfire had a viable gerwalk mode. :-(

by **thedistinctroom** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:44 pm

To express a little dissent...

CW Ultra Magnus feels like a KO and it disgusts me. Brittle. No grip in his hands. Hollow, honeycomb design. Sparse paint apps. Weightless. Assembled with pins instead of screws. In fact, all of the new Leader Class toys are generally quite flimsy, when compared with earlier renditions from over half a decade ago.

I still find myself buying them though. Bah! :BOOM:

News Credits: 4835 · by **william-james88** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:53 pm

thedistinctroom wrote:To express a little dissent...

CW Ultra Magnus feels like a KO and it disgusts me. Brittle. No grip in his hands. Hollow, honeycomb design. Sparse paint apps. Weightless. Assembled with pins instead of screws. In fact, all of the new Leader Class toys are generally kind of flimsy.

And the first to come out was Leader Grimlock from AOE. I blame him.

by **Fox Thiagarajan** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:54 pm

Is Leader Magnus really that bad? I def would like to know. I'm on the fence about picking him up.

News Credits: 60 · by **fenrir72** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 11:34 pm

Drift082111 wrote:Is Leader Magnus really that bad? I def would like to know. I'm on the fence about picking him up.

Oh you're gonna pick him regardless "D". Same as us all (TT ver. for me)

by **Fox Thiagarajan** » Sat Jul 25, 2015 12:02 am

fenrir72 wrote:
Drift082111 wrote:Is Leader Magnus really that bad? I def would like to know. I'm on the fence about picking him up.

Oh you're gonna pick him regardless "D". Same as us all (TT ver. for me)

Well put. I preordered the TT version but was veering towards the Hasbro one to try and save some cash. It's looking like it will be the Takara Magnus.

by **MarcusCole1978** » Sat Jul 25, 2015 6:26 am

Is Leader Jetfire awsome out of the box, nope

however with a little love and paint....

sometimes all it takes is a little TLC - I was on the fence about this figure but now he is one of my all time favourites.

News Credits: 4835 · by **william-james88** » Sat Jul 25, 2015 12:49 pm

Interesting, so for you the mold was good it was just the paint apps that were lacking. Nice!

by **MarcusCole1978** » Sat Jul 25, 2015 1:22 pm

The molded detail with current generations transformers is very crisp and it seems a lot of effort goes into creating the molds. This is cost effective for Hasbro/Takara as they only have to do it once per figure. Painting takes a lot longer but I would rather have the detail to work with

by **Optimum Supreme** » Sat Jul 25, 2015 2:30 pm

Cool custom job! Got any pics of alt mode?

by **MarcusCole1978** » Sat Jul 25, 2015 2:34 pm

Not as yet, he is always displayed in robot mode, next time I have the camera rig set up I'll try and remember to take a few pics

News Credits: 25 · by **Ironhidensh** » Sat Jul 25, 2015 7:27 pm

Rodimus Prime wrote:I finally got my Generations Jetfire, and I like it. I prefer the robot mode to the jet mode, and I actually dig the chrome. I moved the big guns from the leg and attached them to the backpack boosters, and now he looks cool next to my other Jetfires. For $25, he was worth it.

This is how I feel as well. I absolutely love Generations Jetfire, but a big part of that is because I only paid $20 for him. If I had paid full price, I'd be incredibly disappointed.

News Credits: 4835 · by **william-james88** » Sat Jul 25, 2015 11:31 pm

Ironhidensh wrote:
Rodimus Prime wrote:I finally got my Generations Jetfire, and I like it. I prefer the robot mode to the jet mode, and I actually dig the chrome. I moved the big guns from the leg and attached them to the backpack boosters, and now he looks cool next to my other Jetfires. For $25, he was worth it.

This is how I feel as well. I absolutely love Generations Jetfire, but a big part of that is because I only paid $20 for him. If I had paid full price, I'd be incredibly disappointed.

I am in the same boat since I bought hi for 29$ cdn which is about 25$ US (at the time). I absolutely love this toy and I will defend it till the end, he just exudes so much style. But I cannot say that I would have been as pleased if I bought him for the full 50-55$. I cant say I wouldnt have been as happy, but same with the reverse. I am hoping to do the same with Leader Ultra Magnus.

News Credits: 293 · by **shajaki** » Sun Jul 26, 2015 11:51 am

I paid full price for Hasfire and even Takfire, and I was still happy given his shortcomings. I'd like to add, Leader Thundercracker feels a little more solid for some reason. Ans the solid blue plastic makes the gaps far less visible.

News Credits: 1 · by **SkyWarpt** » Sun Jul 26, 2015 4:12 pm

I paid full price for mine and I'm still happy with my purchase. Now if if I paid $100-$200 for him I would expect no gaps, sturdy construction, die cast in all the right places. Pretty sure I paid the same for him as have leader class going back to Cybertron era... I would prefer a higher cost to maintain quality, but hastak does have the job of catering to the masses.