Toy Review - RtS Special Ops Jazz

[Blurrprimecoolboz2008]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWg2gXeFBnE

[griffin]

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

Toy Review - Special Ops Jazz
Series - Reveal the Shield
Sub-line - N/A
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 1
Released here - expected here Jan 2011 (released globally Nov 2010)
Approximate Retail Price - $25-30
Approximate Size -
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Race car
Main Features/Gimmicks - (Flip out speakers in both modes)
Main Colours - White, black, blue, red.
Main Accessories - gun

[Vector Prime]

Ooh yeah!!!! Definite must buy - even if you have to pay full retail at Myers to grab it.

Special Ops Jazz is a great homage to the G1 character and is easily one of (if not) the best Deluxes in ages.

Pros:
He's Jazz!
Fold out gun and speakers
Cool alt mode design
Perfect transformation
Great articulation for action poses
Tall - great value for money for a deluxe

Cons:
Lack of paint apps on the rear end of alt mode on Hasbro release

It's a definite must buy on sight (as soon as it's released at retail) - I just couldn't wait and pre-ordered him when he was announced.

I've had it for almost a month now and must say that he does not disappoint in any way (except the lack of paint in alt mode which doesn't bother me greatly since I display him in bot mode anyway)

Go buy it, you know you want it! 9/10

[VERT]

He is so good I have two of him right now.

[5FDP]

For the first time I think I am torn between getting the RtS version (convenient local buy) or the United version (superior paint job). Is anyone else going through this dilemma and what have you decided on?

[kaiden]

For the first time I think I am torn between getting the RtS version (convenient local buy) or the United version (superior paint job). Is anyone else going through this dilemma and what have you decided on?

hasbro bot-mode and united alt mode?

personally i wont do that - just getting the united version.

[Vector Prime]

For the first time I think I am torn between getting the RtS version (convenient local buy) or the United version (superior paint job). Is anyone else going through this dilemma and what have you decided on?

Well from what I can see in the comparison pics - the United version is 'whiter' and has better paint apps in alt mode on the rear and side but looks very similar (besides the whiteness) in bot mode.

The United one will most likely have him packaged in his alt mode so I'll be getting one to leave MOSC (since it's his alt mode that really shows the improvements in paint apps) and be keeping the RTS one displayed loose.

Get one of each, but if you had to choose only one, that decision would probably have to be based upon how you intend on displaying him.

[GoktimusPrime]

For the first time I think I am torn between getting the RtS version (convenient local buy) or the United version (superior paint job). Is anyone else going through this dilemma and what have you decided on?

Personally the Hasbro version looks fine enough, but if the United version appeals to you more that much, then I'd say wait for that one. That's what I did with a lot of the Universe figures; passed them up in favour of their Henkei counterparts. I haven't seen Jazz around anywhere yet.

[tjparkside]

very cool figure...i like the special feature of speakers(g1 show nod)...great vehicle mode & awesome robot mode..a nice version of jazz!

[SharkyMcShark]

I saw this on shelves, caved and picked it up.

Meh.

The robot mode looks nice from certain angles but has a few things that really annoy me. First, and this is largely down to the torso being a small piece of gray plastic, but the chest looks too large. It's not as bad in person as in pictures but it still detracts from the figure. Feet pre posed at an angle also turns me off. Either make the ankles posable or have them molded straight up and down. The double jointed knees are nice but in honest the lower legs are a bit of a mess all in all. This is exacerbated on my particular sample by the joints in the lower legs being too loose. Every time I try to make him pose it turns into a crap shoot.

The chest not locking in is slightly annoying but its not really that bad, as the joint it all hinges on does a good job keeping it all in place. You still have to hold it in place if you're going to pose the arms.

Pleasantly it manages to avoid many of the previous failings of 'car hood becomes chest' style transformers. The arms and legs are the right length (in the past the arms on similar bots have been stubby). The gun is nice, and it looks nice if you're just going to pose it on your desk. I also really like the head sculpt. It could be a little less frowny but otherwise its very good, and unmistakably Jazz.

The car mode is molded nicely. I feel it would be more 'Jazz' ish without the rally spoiler but I can't really complain, it looks nice either way. The lack of paint on the back third of the vehicle is a major downer. Seriously, it's just not good enough that Hasbro is not bothering to paint in headlights and hubcaps anymore (generally speaking). While the United version rectifies this arguably it's a bit dumb to have to pay over the odds (for a deluxe) to correct something so simple that shouldn't have been an issue in the first place. So yeah, vehicle is molded nicely but the paintwork fails.

Finally, the speakers. I don't like them at all. Personally speaking I think they look dumb, but objectively speaking when I look at them all I can think of is all the other stuff I'd rather them have used the budget for this figure on instead. Better paint apps. Or a shoulder cannon. Or better lower legs. Or a proper locking mechanism for the chest. Or an extra joint in the doors that would let them fold down and behind the roof in robot mode for that G1 cartoon accurate no shoulder doors look. Any of these things would in my mind be an improvement to the figure.

Overall if I had to give it a number 6/10. Robot mode is nice looking but functionally flawed. Car mode desperately needed a lick of paint.

As an aside, I can't remember the last time I bought a Transformer and everything on it was the right tolerance, and nothing was too loose, too tight, or broken in some way (well okay, it was TakaraTOMY's release of AA Highbrow a few months ago, but I can't remember the last time before that).