Toy Review - TFPrime FE Deluxe Cliffjumper

[griffin]

(Please post photos, comments or even a fully comprehensive review - these are just brief details)

Toy Review - Cliffjumper (first Dlx version)
Series - TFPrime
Sub-line - none
Size/class - Deluxe
Wave - 0.5 (First Edition)
New/remould/redeco - New
Released here - Maybe not here at all (Released globally Nov/Dec 2011)
Approximate Retail Price - ($24-30?) US$12
Approximate Size - (14cm)
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Muscle car
Main Features/Gimmicks - none
Main Colours - Red, black
Main Accessories - none?

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/prime08.jpg

[Paulbot]

This is a great figure. I caved and got it at a bit of a premium off ebay but I think it was worth it.

To start with, it's a nice looking car, although it does have a few extra panel lines the way Cliffjumper transforms makes those acceptable.

The side panels and doors of the car fold together to make the legs and manage to take the rear windows with them (and hide them) in order to give the shoulders more room for posing. I like how the legs swing only one way in the transformation, giving this the feel of a directed, well-structured transformation. There's more twisting of the waist (a common thing I've noticed in all the toys so far).

The arms fold out really nicely, with the shoulders snaping quite nicely into place. The hands can flip around to reveal guns (something not documented on the packaging or instructions - don't be tricked into thinking that he's weaponless).

The car's bonnet doesn't just swing to the back, it locks in behind the neck and with a few swings the front lights manage to make it back into position to be Cliffjumper's ribs. It's there to make the toy more accurate to the cartoon and a nice little finishing touch. Really happy with the final looking 'bot.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Sweet little bot, kinda like Generations Warpath in that his small size for a Deluxe sorta works what with the original Cliffjumper being a minibot. If he's typical the size difference for the Prime toys as opposed to CHUGURETC is quite noticeable.
Decent transformation, though there are some small steps that are easy to overlook without the instructions.
Bot mode is where he really shines, vehicle mode is a pretty nice muscle car but as Paulbot notes he's packed full o' panels and getting his rear panels can be a bit fiddly a la RtS Windcharger.

Final verdict, get him if cheap and/or if you're a fan of muscle car alt-modes.

[loophole]

any chance that one of you guys could take a pick of him with some CHUG figures?

[Paulbot]

any chance that one of you guys could take a pick of him with some CHUG figures?

An odd assortment but these were the only CHUG ones immediately at hand.

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lx7rj2sL161qbguy1o1_500.jpg

And with Prime Bumblebee who's taller than Cliffjumper
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lx7rhgsjb81qbguy1o1_500.jpg

[loophole]

An odd assortment but these were the only CHUG ones immediately at hand.

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lx7rj2sL161qbguy1o1_500.jpg

an odd assortment works well and so does cliffjumper in this case, thanks Paulbot

[griffin]

This was the only First Edition figure I was actually impressed with. It was a little fiddly, but not as bad as other figures. I was just amazed at how the arms and leg bits fold together, into proper limbs, from an accurate car mode... without it cheating like many movie toys by being a shell-former.
And not only is it kibble-less in robot mode - it actually incorporates the front of the car mode into the back of the robot, by way of hinges to fold up against the robot (most figures just have a back panel just hanging off or away from the actual body of the robot). That was very impressed by that. Whoever designed the engineering of this figure - I am in awe of their abilities.
A "must buy" figure... even if you don't like TFPrime or intend to buy any of the toys.
(I don't see how the next Dlx Cliffjumper mould could possibly outdo this one)

[SharkyMcShark]

Great figure.

Car mode is realistic, which deals with one of my biggest complaints about Animated. Paint is a lovely deep red (I have the Takara version, I dont really know of the differences between the two). It can appear sparsely painted, but remember that the roof of the car is all clear blue plastic that has been painted over - the paint matches well too. No complaints about this mode at all.

Transformation is delightfully involved - there are numerous little complexities that they didn't have to engineer in but did anyway. Things like the outer bits of the bumper folding in to the middle of the bonnet so that the 'headlight belt' is more streamlined, and the bits of car window folding into the legs instead of sticking out are great touches that give the feel of a high quality product.

Robot mode is also really good. Wasn't initially keen on the amount of red showing but it works in person. Well articulated - my only gripe in this area is that I wish the shoulders could move down a bit further. It looks at times like he's permanently bunching them up. Other minor complaint - the wrist cannons don't really sit in place when the hands are out. They're held in position by the gauntlets to some extent but they flop around a little bit, occasionally making small gaps in the robot mode forearms. It's a tiny gripe really. Otherwise flawless.

Buy it. 9/10.

[GoktimusPrime]

My main gripe about this toy is the lack of wrist articulation, so the hands are permanently positioned where the palms are aligned with the inside elbows - great if he wants to do bicep curls, but otherwise not so good for other poses (like holding a gun properly). Yeah I know he is in built guns, but still... it bugs me.

I have the TakaraTOMY version and it suffers from a minor QC issue - a small smudge of silver paint on one of the panels (I should be able to remove it with some rubbing alcohol). Getting some of the vehicle mode panels to align properly can be fiddly, but otherwise it's a pretty neat toy and I am satisfied with it overall. :) 7/10

[SharkyMcShark]

My main gripe about this toy is the lack of wrist articulation, so the hands are permanently positioned where the palms are aligned with the inside elbows - great if he wants to do bicep curls, but otherwise not so good for other poses (like holding a gun properly). Yeah I know he is in built guns, but still... it bugs me.


Let's all remember where we were when Gok got something wrong.

The wrists do swivel.

[GoktimusPrime]

The wrists do swivel.
They do?!? I tried turning mine and they didn't budge... maybe I need to apply more excessive force... I'll try it when I get home.

[GoktimusPrime]

Okay, I played around with Cliffjumper earlier this evening. At first the hands still wouldn't turn even though I used quite a lot of excessive force... any more and I probably would have snapped the hands off (there was even an indent in my thumb where I'd been pushing against the hands -- the indent lasted for several minutes after I finished mucking around with Cliffjumper and there was a tingling sensation... that's how hard I was pushing).

So then I stopped and examined the forearm section and pushed the inside section (where the gun is concealed) thoroughly in all the way and tried again. It was a bit stiff, but indeed the hands did turn!! :D Praise Primus!

You just gotta be sure that the inner forearm sections are pushed in all the way first... which can be easily overlooked because they don't securely lock in (not on mine anyway) and easily come out just ever so slightly that at a glance you wouldn't notice, but it does impede on the wrist articulation.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/prime_cliffjumper_wrists.jpg

So my opinion of this toy has improved, however I do wish that the inner forearms could 'lock' in better and better prevent the outer wrist "guards" from obstructing the hands' articulation. Revised rating for this toy: 8/10

[griffin]

Just want to put a warning out there for this otherwise flawless toy - be careful with the head/neck ball-joint. Mine popped off while transforming it, and I noticed a stress mark on the socket inside the head. Unfortunately, the light-piping gimmick of the eyes has been moulded into a piece that goes all the way through the head to be the socket for the neck. It isn't a strong, load-bearing type of plastic... and even though the ball-joint isn't part of the transformation to take on any intentional force, the action of the head popping out and being placed back in IS excessive to the piece of plastic. So be careful... especially as the toy ages and the plastic becomes less flexible over time.

[Decepticon]

Why does this Cliffjumper look like a goat, with hooves and all? It kinda irritates me now cos all I see is a goat staring back at me.:(

[GoktimusPrime]

Why does this Cliffjumper look like a goat,
Because that's how the cartoon designed him. Not the toy's fault. (one disadvantage of having Transformers designed as show characters first and toys second) - but it's most likely because of the bullhorns hood ornament on the vehicle mode. This certainly wouldn't be the first time we've had Transformers whose robot mode head was 'based on' the alt mode; just look at Beast Wars Neo and Car Robot (RiD).


with hooves and all?
They help him to count!

"Hey Cliffjumper, how many live action TF movies have there been?"
*clop.clop.clop*

The feet don't really look like hooves.

You know what I really love about this toy? It's not Bumblebee! Not a repaint. Not a retool. A purely original Cliffjumper toy. The first original Cliffjumper toy since 1984! :D

[Decepticon]

The first original Cliffjumper toy since 1984! :D

Is it really? Didnt realize that.
I must admit I have the RID Prime Cliffjumper and he looks more of a goat than this one. I still believe he has hooves!:D

[GoktimusPrime]

Is it really? Didnt realize that.
Well there was Energon Cliffjumper who was an original mould, but he's not really based on or inspired by G1 Cliffjumper -- he's just an Autobot buggy who happens to carry the name 'Cliffjumper'. TF Prime Cliffjumper is the first Cliffjumper toy since 1984 who is meant to be a homage to G1 Cliffjumper and is NOT a repaint/retool of Bumblebee.


I must admit I have the RID Prime Cliffjumper and he looks more of a goat than this one. I still believe he has hooves!:D
Okay, but this thread is discussing First Edition Cliffjumper, so I assumed that was what you were talking about. If you like, there's another thread for discussing TF Prime RiD Cliffjumper here (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=12873). :)

I don't have TFP RiD Cliffjumper; since I already have FE Cliffjumper I sure don't feel like paying $30 for TFP RiD Cliffjumper (even if he's a new mould). Maybe if I find one on sale... (because the head problem griffin mentioned is kinda worrying me - having TFPRiD Cliffjumper means I can keep that in vehicle mode and FE in robot mode and won't need to transform them back and forth much).

[GoktimusPrime]

I just noticed today that this toy has two faux wheels on the back of the upper legs for no apparent reason (because all four wheels are clearly visible in robot mode). The cavity in the robot body is quite spacious - big enough to fit a Diaclone pilot!

Pics!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/prime_cliffjumper_fauxcavity.jpg
Aaah the irony that of all the TF Prime toys to hold a Diaclone, it's the toy that's a homage to a Microman-based character. ;)

[1orion2many]

I had a look at Tets's Cliffie on Saturday, All I can say is the plastic flow marks were shocking. I had a look at mine and it doesn't seem to be suffering the same condition. Mine is the U.S version where as I believe tetsters version is the Japanese one. Would it be correct in assuming the glitter affect is only in the Japanese version so that's why my Cliffjumper isn't suffering extrusion flow:confused:

[GoktimusPrime]

Mine's a Takara version and I haven't noticed any unsightly marks. Do you remember which part of Tetsuwan Convoy's Cliffjumper had those marks? Maybe Tecchan got unlucky with QC? :confused:

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Mine (Takara FE) has some slight swirlies. I'm not too fussed.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

There is substantial swirlies all over the place. Bonnet and boot are the most noticeable ones, the side panels have a few minor ones, but the bonnet is definitely the worst.

[GoktimusPrime]

Comparison pics between Takara and Hasbro versions can be found here (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=289534) :)

[The_Damned]

well i got a second tf prime cliffjumper and found him to be quite a nifty little figure and i totally recommend him.

[SharkyMcShark]

Mega necro here, but I've just discovered that

a) this toy actually has a further step in his transformation, and
b) it will more than likely break the toy

I never knew that the bumper that ends up on his butt was meant to fold down in on itself a second time. I tried it and snapped off in my head (fortunately I'd heard that this was likely and was trying it out of curiosity on a junker Cliffjumper I had laying around).

Has anyone ever actually got this exceedingly fragile joint to work?

[Sinnertwin]

Mega necro here, but I've just discovered that

a) this toy actually has a further step in his transformation, and
b) it will more than likely break the toy

I never knew that the bumper that ends up on his butt was meant to fold down in on itself a second time. I tried it and snapped off in my head (fortunately I'd heard that this was likely and was trying it out of curiosity on a junker Cliffjumper I had laying around).

Has anyone ever actually got this exceedingly fragile joint to work?

Did that hurt ? :D Just kidding :p
I'll have to have a look at mine, don't really remember. But then again, i only transformed him once and stuck him on the shelf :o

[BigTransformerTrev]

I got the RID version then later on bought the FE Terrorcon version. I think the Terrorcon version looks pretty cool :D