I think that it's a massive improvement over the G1 toy, although admittedly I consider the G1 toy to be pretty rubbish. I suppose many of the drawbacks of the toy are carried over from the fairly sub-par G1 design. JMHO.

Also, minor correction on nomenclature (TT = TakaraTOMY, HB = Hasbro)...
* The small brain unit is called "Brain of Courage" (勇気のブレイン; yuuki no burein) [TT] or "Energon Figure" [HB]
* The core robot/jet is called "Saber" (セイバー; seibaa) [TT] or "Sabre" [HB]
* The flying mobile battle platform is called "V-Star" (ブイ・スター; bui sutaa) [TT] or "Victory Star" [HB]