The features of this figure still are far from being my favorite in the movie’s line-up, but what drew me to it was the excellent paint detailing which brought it closer to his movie appearance than the original did.

A boy’s first car should be a special event in his life. Finding the right girl is also important, and to do that, he needs a special car. But for Sam Witwicky, he is completely unaware of how special his car really is… until it drives away from his house all by itself… and changes into a giant robot! Sam soon finds himself as the key to ending an intergalactic battle between two factions of a race of alien robots which can change shape at will- the peaceful Autobots and dangerous Decepticons- as they fight to find and retake the powerful AllSpark Cube that created their race. But enemies lie in wait on Earth as well. While the Decepticons are already on our planet looking for their long-lost leader Megatron, the United States secret government organization Sector 7 already knows about the alien robots, and will do anything to keep them hidden. It is not until the great & noble Optimus Prime and several other Autobots crash-land on Earth in their search for the god-like Cube that the 10,000 year-old stalemated war begins anew- with the fate of both races in the hands of these intelligent, powerful alien robots in disguise… and a boy and his car.

The Autobots have been searching long and hard for the AllSpark Cube since their leader, Optimus Prime, desperately cast it into space to prevent Megatron from getting his metallic claws on it and bringing a new order of domination and suffering to the already-demolished planet of Cybertron. Before then, both Autobots and Decepticons waged a long war against each other for possession of the Cube. Among the Autobots’ ranks, Jazz was noticed early on by the high command for his smooth style in both peace and war. In addition to being a smooth talker and sharp thinker, his small size also lent to his unique agility on the battlefield. Eventually, he was noticed by Optimus Prime as having leadership potential, since he could get along very easily with both fellow warriors and superiors. Though not particularly strong physically, Jazz- with his love of life and culture- was selected by Prime to stand by his side as they searched the galaxy for the AllSpark. Upon hard-landing on a planet thought to contain the ancient life-giving artifact, Jazz was quick to pick-up on the native culture, and assumed the disguised form of one of their smaller sports vehicles- certain to draw attention to himself even if they don’t know what he really is. At the time, only the similar-sized Bumblebee could match Jazz’s interest in the primitive biological species. Though the shortest of the Autobots- standing only 13’ (4.3m) tall- Jazz is also a brave and competent warrior- spotting a small plasma cannon hidden inside his shield, and adjustable magnetic grapplers on his arms for clinging and leaping from Cybertron’s metal-faceted towers and bridges. For his trip to Earth, he studied many of its languages through a planet-wide information network, and so he is fluent in English- even to the point of being able to understand and use the nuances & slang from the streets of America! Jazz’s voice is performed by the young and multi-talented Darius McCrary.

Jazz’s vehicle mode (back) is that of a Pontiac Solstice™ GXP street roadster designed and manufactured by General_Motors_Corporation™ under their Pontiac™ brand-name. Though it debuted as a convertible automobile with a retractable fabric roof in 2006, Pontiac’s first attempt at a roadster was rather small comparatively to other companies’ designs in the past. For its appearance in “Transformers”, several small modifications were made to the prop vehicle(s) used for Jazz’s disguised form, most notably the new hardtop cover for the passenger area, and a spoiler along the back. The 2009 production version- a coupe- will officially feature the hard top as well; though it was custom made by the production team for the stunt cars used at the time the film was being made before 2007. The toy version is very faithful to the real car, also seamlessly incorporating the [external] changes that the production team made to the stunt vehicle: rounded nose with low split front grills, and painted domes for both the parking and headlights; low-sitting passenger section with seat backs and steering wheel featured inside; and the thin spoiler hanging above the red painted brake lights above the merged back bumper, license plate, & exhaust ports. More for the sake of the transformation, the spoiler can be repositioned either raised up all the way, or flattened down. Also, because the hardtop was added to the stunt car(s), the raised shapes behind the passenger and driver’s seats remains.

Unlike the standard version of the Deluxe-class Autobot Jazz, for the Premium Series repaint, all silver-colored ABS parts have now been painted silver to give them a new-car shine like that of the real car seen in the movie! Additional details include a clean-up of the turn signals on the front bumper (they now look like the accurate half-circles rather than dot-like eyes), thin silver rims have been painted on, the back bumper has been painted silver as well to blend in better than the plain black ABS used, the two small triangular vents on either side of the car have been painted in black, and the inserted brake & reverse lights have been painted in with both red and white. A new paint apps that I completely missed the first time around was the non-existent back window (which the car has in the movie) has been painted in with a very subtle metallic-blue, though it still doesn’t match the quality of the transparent-blue windows in front. And finally, the silver ABS on the collapsible rifle (see below) has also been painted silver.

‘Automorph Technology’ is a new special feature that is fairly unique to the 2007 movie figures. What Automorph does is when one specific section moves, there is an internal system of gears and levers which moves another part in the same region. (Although, I’m sure a similar function has presented itself in the other lines from the various anime-inspired series. I do know for certain that the huge “Transformers Galaxy Force” Primus figure had such function(s) in his back armor, leg weapon units, and chest/head.) In the Deluxe-class Jazz figure, there is one Automorph function:

• As the windows and passenger section are flipped downwards, the head is flipped upwards 90-degrees. At the same time, the center section of the nose is nudged forward slightly, and the parking lights on either side slide inwards a little bit.

This moving of the three sections of the nose is so slight that it hardly makes any difference, and sometimes you even have to assist the Automorph function by helping those side sections move inwards since there doesn’t seem to be enough leverage via the internal mechanism for it to work properly. (And to be honest, it doesn’t really change the look of the nose that much, even though this is how it works on the movie’s CG character model as well.) The neck section is on a spring, but it doesn’t really come up that whole 90-degrees and just kinda hangs there. But fortunately, it isn’t that noticeable when all is said and done. Also, to start it all off, raising those hood panels out of the nose section is really hard to do since you have to twist the arm while it’s still transformed in vehicle mode… which it’s not designed to do! Even though they fit fairly well, you can’t just pry them out; you have to wiggle the retracted shoulders to get the arms released in order to change them.

Jazz’s robot mode (back) only partially resembles the awesome Autobot from the film. Like Optimus Prime from the movie, Jazz’s head perhaps best resembles his G1 counterpart’s from the original 1984 TV series, spotting a wide blue visor for his eyes, a black mouth, and small antenna-like ears (though these are pointed forward slightly instead of straight up). The visor is transparent-blue, and extends through to the back of his head, so that when light shines on it, his visor lights up. (Now, does this light-piping actually work...? Yes, it does! And very easily too, I might note.) For his torso, the lower front portion of the nose of the vehicle mode is more-or-less intact, while the windows and trunk cover are repositioned onto his back. His arms, however, are surprisingly small and disproportionate compared to other figures from the movie’s line-up; and nowhere near matching his on-screen counterpart’s. There are no elbows to speak of save for a pair of tiny black levers, and his forearms- composed of only the hood and headlights from the car- are flat and hollow; his three-fingered hands are tiny nubs themselves! (Oh, BTW, in the movie, Jazz has four fingers, not three.) The lower torso and legs have the majority of detail in the figure, spotting sharp angles, round paneling, and pipe details. (A small silver Autobot symbol- the only one to appear on the figure, BTW- is printed where a belt buckle might be.) To Takara’s credit, however, some of the details on the legs do match what appears in the film, so they get some points from me there.

Poseability is rather on the poor and uncoordinated side. So I’ll just get the one small good thing out of the way real quick: his head uses a ball-and-socket joint, and is very flexible; more-so than just about any other transformable figure in the line! There. Now for the rest… His elbows can only shift forwards about 45-degrees. Unfortunately, they can twist backwards further than they can forwards; and because of how bulky his shoulders are, it’s hard to tell (unless you own him) whether-or-not he’s bending his arms at all! His knees have a similar problem, though I can’t figure out why they did it this way. The lower legs can bend both forward and backwards about 45-degrees; all other transformable figures in the 2007 line- not including repaints from past lines- can bend their knees at least 90-degrees backwards. This makes posing him even more limiting. The shoulders, hips, and ankles, however, are helpful and more on the standard side of flexible.

In the movie, Jazz uses a small sub-machine gun merged within a horseshoe-shaped shield as his only weapon, in addition to his electromagnet-pulling capability. But for whatever reason, Takara decided to give the toy form of Jazz a telescoping rifle... which, oddly enough, is called a “sword” on the packaging and all promotional materials! However, the rifle is multi-functional. Primarily, the right (or left) forearm swings open to reveal a socket, into which the post on the rifle fits. For this to work, the associative hand does not grip or fit the rifle, and so it is folded backwards and hidden to make room for the rifle. The trunk cover & spoiler from the vehicle mode can separate from his back to make a shield [which does not appear in the film]. Since Jazz’s hands can’t hold it, there is a peg on the back of it that can fit into either of the wheels on the shoulders.

. . .

For the Premium Series repaint, significant changes have been made to the robot mode in terms of paint applications and plastic coloring only; all molds remain the same between it and the original Deluxe-class figure first released in 2007. With the original, the hood/arm panels were originally silver ABS, but that has been changed to black ABS, and then painted over with silver, while the inside of each hollow arm remains the new black coloring of the plastic. (Nice idea!) All areas in robot mode that have silver ABS- like in vehicle mode- have been painted silver as well! However, the lower torso and legs have been completely reworked to include brown, black, and new pale-gold paint; notably in the lower legs and feet.

What the Instructions *Don’t* Tell You

[fanfare sounds]

The Premium Series Deluxe-class Jazz set, fortunately, has only two small marks in this frustrating category:

• In the movie, two of Jazz’s car wheels move inside of his heels; however here, the back wheels end up on the back of his lower legs. To compensate for this, two small round parts are fitted under the back bumper which eventually come to end up on the outside of his ankles. What needs to be done- and I misunderstood this for quite a while- is both ‘wheels’ need to be flipped forward and down about 180°. Depending on how well the tooling was during manufacturing, they will gently snap into both positions. They don’t spin like wheels, but they give the illusion of wheels there, and they expand the appearance of the feet a little.
• The rifle is actually multi-functional in how it can be used. It can fit into the same slot on the shield that is used to connect it to his back, so now you can have Jazz armed with some kind of upper arm-mounted cannon. (Why? Beats me... But it’s ugly and don’t work very well.) The rifle can also fit onto the spoiler in vehicle mode, to give the car form a [non-functional] weapon.

But the instructions don’t tell you any of this...

The only reason I got this guy was because I wanted a standard-looking figure of the character to contrast the Final Battle version [I covered for CDX earlier]. But I delayed too long, and lost that chance. But with this new Premium Series release, I got a second chance, and I’m not sorry now that I waited. While I still find the poseability of the figure abhorrent, especially in the knees and elbows, and the workings & proportions of the arms, I have to say that the detailing on the figure is up to spec and has become a little more respectable. On the other hand, I wish that they had released a new and more movie-accurate version of his submachine gun (which the Final Battle ver. tried to recreate, but went too far beyond). In particular, I got this figure because the repaint corrected many of the complaints I had with the original, and the changes for the Premium Series also exceeded my expectations; it wasn’t just some wacky coloring, or some kind of nostalgic tribute to the original G1 character (which I found rather annoying and cheap). The features of this figure still are far from being my favorite in the movie’s line-up, but what drew me to it was the excellent paint detailing which brought it closer to his movie appearance than the original did. So, as a repaint, I recommend getting the Premium Series Deluxe-class Autobot Jazz figure.

--Renewing the Charge--

[DISCLAIMER: This last section is not supported, advertised, or endorsed by either Hasbro, DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures, or Warner Brothers Records. It is a fan-supported effort completely independent from all companies affiliates with the 2007 film "Transformers".]

Not even a week after "Transformers" entered theaters on July 3rd and became a blockbuster, scores of fans were clamoring for a copy of the original musical score by Steve Jablonsky. However, WB Records said in an official statement that the score would not be released for the foreseeable future. In protest, a fan-supported online petition was set-up to persuade the record company to reconsider. By the end of two months, over 5500 signatures had been recorded (your's truly at #1112).

Victory for the signers was claimed when “Transformers: The Score” was released in October that same year, containing just-shy of one hour of the original score. Jablonsky also personally wrote to the creators of the petition thanking them for their efforts. The CD would go on to become the 32nd best-selling soundtrack on Amazon.com at the time of its release.

However, victory was short lived. Because the CD was so popular, it disappeared from shelves rapidly, and was not restocked. By the end of 2007- a mere two-and-a-half months later- new CDs were no longer being produced, but were still being sought after. Reports of online price scalping were not uncommon when stores ran out, easily selling for double the original prices. (Don't worry- I got my own copy in October, and loved every minute of it!)

. . .

Well, the folks at The Knight Shift who brought you the first petition have come back, and they are saying "Give the people what they want". I recently learned that a new Petition 2.0 is now up, and is accepting signatures once more. This new effort is directed at Warner Brothers Records, and is asking for an extended reissue of "Transformers: The Score", with the potential for additional original tracks to be added.

(Yours truly is petition signer #563.)

If you signed the original petition, I both thank you and ask you to put forth your effort on this new petition as well. If you did not sign the original petition, but got the CD, please sign this new petition. If you are a fan of Steve Jablonsky, please sign this new petition. If you are long-time Trans-fan, or you simply enjoyed the film the movie, then please sign this new petition. I thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed the original CD release, and I want others to share in it as well.

Even a year later, the Voyager-class Ironhide figure is still awesome, even if quirky. But Hasbro- convinced by the overwhelming popularity of the movie's toys- listened to the fans, and fixed at least one of those flaws by adding new paint details.

A boy’s first car should be a special event in his life. Finding the right girl is also important, and to do that, he needs a special car. But for Sam Witwicky, he is completely unaware of how special his car really is… until it drives away from his house all by itself… and changes into a giant robot! Sam soon finds himself as the key to ending an intergalactic battle between two factions of a race of alien robots which can change shape at will- the peaceful Autobots and dangerous Decepticons- as they fight to find and retake the powerful AllSpark Cube that created their race. But enemies lie in wait on Earth as well. While the Decepticons are already on our planet looking for their long-lost leader Megatron, the United States secret government organization Sector 7 already knows about the alien robots, and will do anything to keep them hidden. It is not until the great & noble Optimus Prime and several other Autobots crash-land on Earth in their search for the god-like Cube that the 10,000 year-old stalemated war begins anew- with the fate of both races in the hands of these intelligent, powerful alien robots in disguise… and a boy and his car.

The Autobots have been searching long and hard for the AllSpark Cube since their leader, Optimus Prime, desperately cast it into space to prevent Megatron from getting his metallic claws on it and bringing a new order of domination and suffering to the already-demolished planet of Cybertron. Before then, both Autobots and Decepticons waged a long war against each other for possession of the Cube. Ironhide quickly rose through the ranks over the millennia to become one of Prime’s best warriors; eventually rising to become one of his senior officers as weapons specialist. Honed by his experience from the loss of friends and colleagues over time, he developed a shield of caution and awareness about him that would lead to a path of distrust and caution about the smallest things on the battlefield- where sneak attacks were the norm in a civilization that constantly shifted its physical appearance. Yet Ironhide remained ever-loyally by Prime’s side when a signal was received from a distant planet by one of their scouts that a clue had been found to the location of the Cube. Hard-landing on the planet (Earth), he narrowly escaped detection from a small family of intelligent natives and quickly assumed the appearance of one of their all-terrain vehicles- a black GMC TopKick pickup truck. He would find many oddities on this new world that would test his trigger fingers- including the primitive, aggressive, & undisciplined nature of humans. But later on, he would once more prove how skilled and powerful he was against the Decepticons- this time, in the defense of humans, in the Mission City battle. Ironhide stands 26’ (8.7m) tall in his upright robot mode, and is armed with two large cannons- one covering each of his forearms. He also has a set of micro-missile launchers embedded in his knuckles. For his trip to Earth, he studied many of its languages through a planet-wide information network, and so he is fluent in English. Ironhide’s voice (as well as that of Decepticon Barricade) is performed by the well-respected & experienced voice-actor Jess Harnell.

Ironhide’s vehicle mode (back) is that of a real medium-sized GMC TopKick™ C4500 4x4 pickup truck, designed by General Motors Corporation™ and manufactured by Monroe Truck Equipment™ (aka MTE). Though slightly less well-known than the Daimler-Chrysler Dodge Ram™, the TopKick is a versatile and powerful vehicle design that is able to be adapted to many different roles- some examples I’ve read state commercial-grade pickup trucks, medium cargo trucks, and tow trucks. For its appearance in “Transformers”, several small modifications were made to the prop vehicle(s) used for Ironhide’s disguised form, specifically:

• customized 20” aluminum black-painted wheels to fit new 40” tires
• removal of a pair of the back wheels (giving the truck four wheels instead of the standard six)
• new extended-height chrome smokestacks behind the cab
• horizontal stainless steel step tubes
• customized front & rear bumpers with powder-coat texture
• a powerful 16,000lbs winch on the front bumper
• Road Armor™ reinforced front and rear bumpers installed
• raised Autobot symbol on the tailgate

In anticipation of the marketing scramble surrounding the release of the first live-action film featuring the legendary Transformers, MTE announced that they would be producing a limited-run line of GMC TopKick 6500s specifically customized to look just like Ironhide’s vehicle form from the movie! (Here- read the small article for yourself.)

This Voyager-class toy of Ironhide also differs slightly from the real vehicle in several ways:

• The tall, vertical side-view mirrors on the doors were condensed down to smaller PVC square shapes; most likely because they might catch on things like hair, clothes, etc. and break off.
• The extended pale gray smokestacks directly against the back of the cab were cut down to just the height of the roof (*whew!* More on this later...)
• Instead of those... “horizontal stainless steel step tubes”(?)... that you stand on to get into the cab beneath the four doors, Ironhide’s large metallic-blue arm cannons hang there instead, looking like giant cylindrical gas tanks like you might find on a semi-truck... like Optimus Prime! However, removing them reveals the small arms hidden underneath, though they look more like they're part of the suspension system for the forward wheels or part of the transmission. From all angles, this is the largest break in the illusion for the vehicle mode. (Well… except when you flip him over, that is!)

But other than that, this is a spot-on match to the real TopKick- shortened, wide nose with molded Road Armor™-branded bumper, large 4-door cab with frosted-silver windows, and equally-sized truck bed with top cover! As mentioned above, if you look at the tailgate door in back (which does not open), you can see the Autobot symbol molded in between those gears! All four free-turning ABS wheels are not marked but do have appropriately-detailed tire tread & rim patterns. Also the red GMC trademark is molded on the front grille, and the “4 x 4” trademark symbol is stamped just under the pale-gray smokestacks on either side. The headlights are painted bright neon blue.

Since this is a Premium Series repaint, a few new details have been added other than the change in color to the headlights (which were originally painted silver over the transparent-blue ABS). The most apparent is that all of the black truck panels have been painted over this time with a shiny black finish, as opposed to being left the original black ABS; this makes him look like he’s been all polished up! Oddly, though, the tires also have this shiny coat of paint. The rims of all four wheels have a thin ring of silver paint added, as have the raised ridges along the top of the cab, the winch & fog lights on the front bumper, and each of the four door handles. Oh... and a new larger silver Autobot symbol has been added to the hood; which will be split down the middle when he transforms.

‘Automorph Technology’ is a new special feature that is fairly exclusive to the 2007 movie figures. What Automorph does is when one specific section moves, there is an internal system of gears and levers which moves another part in the same region. (Although, I’m sure a similar function has presented itself in the other lines from the various anime-inspired series. I do know for certain that the huge “Transformers Galaxy Force” Primus figure had such function(s) in his back armor, leg weapon units, and chest/head.) In the Voyager-class Ironhide, there are two Automorph functions:

• The nose/door sections are spring-loaded just under the front bumper; when separating them to expose the head, they spring open and just hang there. (I have doubts that this is an Automorph feature, but I’ll mention it anyways just in case...)
• When flipping the two halves of Ironhide’s feet out (themselves connected by gears to each other), a panel on the front of his legs (the cover of the truck bed) slides down and sideways. At the same time, triangular pieces behind the legs/under the truck bed slide downwards, which causes the spring-loaded rear wheels to shift diagonally up and back.

Ironhide’s robot mode (back) is covered in sharp corners, intricate detail, and power covered in a lot of black. This is a drastic and significant change in style and function from the usually solid, blocky appearance of the Transformers since their debut in 1984. And yet, some of the TopKick’s features are still visible- such as the halved nose and front doors which hang lightly in the chest/over the shoulders, the top of the cab on his back (which hides the windshield and rear window), and the rear wheels and sides of the truck bed on the back/outside of his lower legs. Having the vehicle mode’s hood/front-half featured prominently on the upper torso is a signature design dating all the way back to the G1 Autobots from 1984 who all had this; though some Autobots over the decades have broken away from this. However, all of the Autobots seen in the 2007 film are no different and share this tradition with their predecessors. Ironhide’s head has small highlights of gold and metallic blue- but this is because his eyes aren’t all that bright. They used that same muted transparent-blue plastic on the back of his head so that- when light shown through- his eyes would light up. However, because of the Premium release, his eyes were painted over with the same neon blue that the vehicle mode’s headlights are, making them much more easy to notice. Some physically-distinguishing details, however- like his blended horns and wide, rounded nose- carry through; evoking the image of a bull’s head!

Any pictures taken of him make him look extremely complicated; I know- I was equally intimidated before I first changed him too! But this is the testament to the awesome work Hasbro did in designing this Voyager-class toy. His legs demonstrate this quite well. The colors used on Ironhide- specifically, well... black- help distort what moves and what doesn’t, such as separation lines between parts. Most of that is surface detail, not movable parts. Trust me. Because of the complexity of the CGI character seen in the movie, some details had to be sacrificed. Specifically, the three toes on each foot have been molded into a single piece on each, but the sculpting shows that the toes are still there. (I haven’t gotten a clear image of the back of his feet, so I can’t confirm how accurate they are from the film...) Indeed, one of the fairly major details also lost is his overall body shape- in the film, he is actually slightly shorter than fellow Autobot Ratchet- featuring a bulkier, wider upper torso & arms with an overall muscled body shape. Here, that has been cast aside with smallish arms and an average-sized torso, but it isn’t a problem in the slightest as far as function goes.

In addition to changing the color of the eyes by painting over them, a few paint apps have been added to bring out some more of the detailed molds in his arms, torso, & legs- additional highlights of metallic-blue and gold that were absent from the original Voyager-class toy, but bring Ironhide a little closer to his movie appearance. However, the shiny black finish of the vehicle mode’s panels was not carried over into to his robot mode parts, which retain the same plain black ABS. Additionally, the parts for the joints of the inner shoulder, roof panel connectors, and heels have all been switched for pale gray ABS equivalents. One discrepancy still exists, though. On back of the box (as with the original release as well), Ironhide has a small silver Autobot symbol printed just above his waist joint in front. Unfortunately, that did not happen here... either. (For some strange reason, they felt the need to put the larger one on the hood of the truck, which I am not really happy with since he already had that more subtle one molded on his tailgate.)

. . .

Ironhide is fairly flexible with a wide range of motion in the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees; with limited range of motion in the head and wrists. Snap joints are present only in the shoulders (one axis), and hips (one). His feet aren’t designed with posing in mind even though they do flex when transforming him; if you tried to move them for posing, the Automorph feature would suddenly kick into reverse. The truck nose/doors hovering over his shoulders do flex a little with the springs in them, but I’ll get to that later on...

During the film, Ironhide seems to really love those big cannons attached to his arms, deploying them at the slightest irritation with his trigger-happy attitude- even willing to wipe-out Sam’s pet Chihuahua (which Ironhide called “…a rodent infestation!”) when it marked him! But, he is also proud of his weapons- upon first meeting Sam and Mikaela Banes (the “right girl” I mentioned earlier), he whipped them out and pointed them right in their faces, “You feelin’ lucky, punk?”

“Easy, Ironhide…” warned Optimus Prime.

“Just kidding! I just wanted to show him my cannons.”

In the film, there are no real hand-held weapons- most of them seem to unfold out from the forearms to replace the hands. But I think that Ironhide’s cannons unfold out from somewhere above his arms in his bulky shoulders, and then attach themselves to his forearms. According to the special-effects company Industrial Light and Magic, each of Ironhide’s cannons had more than the much-publicized 10,000 parts that the robots themselves had! (I read from one individual that they reminded him of exposed jet engines… which I completely agree with!) Alas, there are not such a dramatic number of parts in the paired cannons on Ironhide’s arms. They do not extend, they do not collapse in on themselves, they do not spin on their arm attachment joints, and they most-certainly do not glow! The right cannon is indeed differently sculpted from the left cannon, but both are simplified versions of the weapons seen on-screen. The right has four free-sliding black switches around its circumference, and four narrow barrels at its end that are not present in the film version. The left is similar in general appearance, but differs in function because it contains four long ABS missiles running the length of it. There isn’t any way to fire them...

...unless you take the left cannon off of Ironhide’s arm, and attach it to the right cannon! This doesn’t happen in the movie (one shoots energy blasts, the other one shoots big cannon rounds), but it does make for an interesting ‘safety device’ that I haven’t seen before- preventing the missiles from accidentally firing. (C’mon- we’ve all done that at some time or other, right...?) A latch on the left section holds the two together, though I find fitting them together the greater challenge. Now, when each black switch on the right weapon is slid forward, the associated missile in the front (left) section fires! These are pressure-released missile as opposed to spring-loaded, so how far they go depends on how much you push on the trigger. (This a growing trend in scaled toy weapons across the US; as it is both cheaper and safer this way as opposed to depending on ‘uncontrollable’ spring-loaded designs.) Sweetness…

Though molded into his fists (and painted in pictures on the box art), the micro-missiles in his knuckles do not fire. A cool place to put them, but understandable why they did this- you’d loose them sooooooo easily...!

Ironhide’s cannons also underwent a fairly elaborate repaint as well. Though they retain the same metallic-blue ABS, they have both been covered in that metallic-blue paint, and then highlighted in different ways with black and gold paint.

While Hasbro can certainly be credited with the enormous task of transforming the immensely-complex CGI characters used in the 2007 movie (which- on average- contained 10,000 components per robot), it should be noted that these are not just straight transitions either. While Ironhide’s head, arms, and legs all hide in roughly the same places in the toy, the process by which he transforms is different, resulting in a slightly different look from his CGI counterpart. Though extremely simplified compared to the movie versions’, the only break in the two cannons is either the four barrels in the right, and the four missiles in the left. (The far-simpler Fast Action Battlers Ironhide series’ figure features a single spring-launching missile which fires from only the left cannon.) How the cab nose mounts to his chest is also different; the two halves actually attach directly to Ironhide’s shoulders in the film. However I should point out that, so-far as I can tell, the Voyager-class Ironhide seems to be the closest to his on-screen counterpart as far as how he changes and what his robot mode looks like compared to the others in the Voyager-class- Autobot Ratchet, and Decepticons Blackout and Starscream.

What the Instructions *Don’t* Tell You

[fanfare sounds]

The Voyager-class Ironhide set, unfortunately, has five marks in this frustrating category:

• As part of his Automorph feature(s) in the legs, his feet are geared together internally, and move at the same time that the wheels and truck bed cover do. However, what the instructions don’t tell you is that when you’re changing him, you have to move them at the same time yourself or else the small teeth on the gears will skip, and they will become unsynchronized! Do this too much and eventually the gears will become stripped! What you need to do is pull down equally on both halves at the same time, though you can/should put a little more pressure on his foot section rather than the heel section.
• What happens to the roof, windshield, and rear window after he’s changed? The instructions give no answer to this, and you are expected to just leave them hanging off the back. Each of those three sections has arms with joints, so they must do something! I had to guess at what needed to be done, and find examples of what others have done online. And there’s no proper answer in the movie since [they] change differently! All I can suggest is:
  • (1)- slide the roof up-and-away from the windshield as much as possible
  • (2)- slip the rear window (smokestacks pointing downwards) inside against the front bumper/parallel to the windshield
  • (3)- carefully slide the roof back down over it.

  Nothing will lock in place, and the roof will jut out a bit diagonally away from the body. Also, if forced, the windshield is designed to pop-off. (I have e-mailed Hasbro several times over the last year regarding this, but received no answer.)

• The very first step mentioned in the instructions (and rightly so!) is to flip down that forward bumper. But beware-! If you just think it flips down unchallenged, don't force it! The bumper actually fits over two pegs in the top of the nose section... very tightly. This is a wiggle game you have to play with the bumper and nose sections- gently lift the two sections at the same time that you pull down on the bumper. (it may be of use to undo the back doors first to that the nose section can wiggle around a little more, and not break when it suddenly comes apart.)
• These truck nose/shoulder guards sections are really the most baffling and- sometimes- frustrating! In the film, on the box art, and even in the instructions, Ironhide’s shoulder guards are shown as positioned horizontally directly over his arms. Now, because (in the movie) they are mounted onto his arms, when he moves his arms they move as well. As mentioned above, this is not the case with this toy, as they are attached via small blue arms w/ springs just behind the truck grill. But this makes no sense at all for the toy! If positioned horizontally, they interfere with how you position the arms! First of all, in order to position them horizontally, keep pulling out/down on the nose section until they snap into place. You still swing the back doors around like normal for this. But, I have seen many examples online of collectors leaving the shoulder units diagonally hanging in the air without snapping them in place. (They can’t snap into place diagonally anyways; it’s impossible.) Initially I posed him with them horizontally, but after seeing the images online and remembering what I had seen in the theater, I switched to the diagonal version. The Fast Action Battlers version (mentioned above) would seem to confirm the diagonal positioning, even though it’s design is significantly simplified from the Voyager-class toy.
• ‘Anomaly #5’ (heh) is dependant on ‘#4’ above. If the shoulder guards are placed diagonally, then there isn’t really an issue. However, if the shoulders are placed horizontally as indicated on-screen and on box art, then there’s a problem. The pointed central chest guard (painted metallic blue) folds up after the torso has been twisted around, and then a black panel folds up to cover the space between the chest and head. But, if the shoulder panels are to be placed horizontally, the thin panel just hangs in mid-air like that, prone to drooping over time with gravity or if you accidentally press down on it. The chest guard itself also does not snap or lock into place. Nothing can be done about it that I can find, but it is really annoying.

But the instructions don’t tell you any of this...

After seeing the film the first time (in the theater first for a change, thank the Matrix!) and then checking online for what toys there were, Ironhide was one that I knew I just had to own if none other! When I got him (he was my first toy from the film), he did not disappoint, though the four ‘anomalies’ above were a bit of a downer. He was detailed, he was articulate, his toy design was loyal to the movie version, and his trigger-happy attitude throughout the film made an impression. All joints are fairly tight. There is little I could suggest to improve him- snap that chest guard into place, and have the shoulder armor snap as well. Does it bother me that his overall body shape was different from that seen on-screen? No. His arms are a bit small, but the cannons make up for this. I will say this though: I do not think that this toy should really be given to the 5 year-olds that they market them to! Dat’s crazy talk there! These toys are more complex than what has been released in the past, but less-so than the advanced Alternators line- which also had real brand-named vehicles with realistic interiors, and are targeted at older collectors. A year after getting the original figure, I still have to dedicate a notable amount of brain power to transforming him each time!

I was one of the people who liked this new style for the Cybertronians’; it was something different and unique from the ‘simplified’ blocky armor of the past, and gave them a very organic, non-human-designed feel. They reminded of what an artists’ interpretation of a Transformer might look like instead. Has anyone here seen futurist Syd Mead’s work on the anime series “Mobile Suit Turn-A Gundam”? There’s a good example right there of a controversial-yet-different interpretation of a popular brand! About a year before “Transformers” came out, I got a sneak-peek at a leaked prototype image of [what would come to be known as] Ironhide before I instructed myself to avoid all future spoilers until I had seen it. (A year of hell, to be sure!) I knew then that these toys would be special. And they are, for the most part. A lot of people say that this movie was made strictly for the sake of selling toys (or in director Michael Bay’s case, promoting [or kissing-up to] the US military). That’s a hell of an expensive advertisement, don’t ‘cha think!? I never looked at it that way, nor do I look at the toys as made cater to the promotion of brands like GMC, Hummer, Xbox, or even Mountain Dew. These are things that we see in everyday life. What better place for a robot to hide than in plain sight!? That’s the whole point of Transformers- that you can’t immediately recognize them! Do you really think that futuristic [or even alien] robots who can change shape are going to expose themselves- even to their enemies- by dressing up as a light blue-and-yellow sports car?! No!

I got the Premium figure for several reasons: 1- the new paint details were consistent and appropriate to his appearance on-screen/not adding anything that wouldn’t fit right (which was particularly important to me since I rarely get repaints); 2- Hasbro never got back to me about replacing my original figure since the waist connecting peg wouldn’t fit in the hole correctly, so he tended to flop over every time I picked him up; and 3- I wanted to provide CDXers with a comparison with the original figure. Even a year later, this Voyager-class figure is still awesome, even if still quirky. But Hasbro listened to the fans, and fixed a few of those minor flaws. So, even more-so than before, I recommend getting the Voyager-class Premium Series Autobot Ironhide figure!

--Renewing the Charge--

[DISCLAIMER: This last section is not supported, advertised, or endorsed by either Hasbro, DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures, or Warner Brothers Records. It is a fan-supported effort completely independent from all companies affiliates with the 2007 film "Transformers".]

Not even a week after "Transformers" entered theaters on July 3rd and became a blockbuster, scores of fans were clamoring for a copy of the original musical score by Steve Jablonsky. However, WB Records said in an official statement that the score would not be released for the foreseeable future. In protest, a fan-supported online petition was set-up to persuade the record company to reconsider. By the end of two months, over 5500 signatures had been recorded (your's truly at #1112).

Victory for the signers was claimed when “Transformers: The Score” was released in October that same year, containing just-shy of one hour of the original score. Jablonsky also personally wrote to the creators of the petition thanking them for their efforts. The CD would go on to become the 32nd best-selling soundtrack on Amazon.com at the time of its release.

However, victory was short lived. Because the CD was so popular, it disappeared from shelves rapidly, and was not restocked. By the end of 2007- a mere two-and-a-half months later- new CDs were no longer being produced, but were still being sought after. Reports of online price scalping were not uncommon when stores ran out, easily selling for double the original prices. (Don't worry- I got my own copy in October, and loved every minute of it!)

. . .

Well, the folks at The Knight Shift who brought you the first petition have come back, and they are saying "Give the people what they want". I recently learned that a new Petition 2.0 is now up, and is accepting signatures once more. This new effort is directed at Warner Brothers Records, and is asking for an extended reissue of "Transformers: The Score", with the potential for additional original tracks to be added.

(Yours truly is petition signer #563.)

If you signed the original petition, I both thank you and ask you to put forth your effort on this new petition as well. If you did not sign the original petition, but got the CD, please sign this new petition. If you are a fan of Steve Jablonsky, please sign this new petition. If you are long-time Trans-fan, or you simply enjoyed the film the movie, then please sign this new petition. I thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed the original CD release, and I want others to share in it as well.

With the Decepticons massing, and Bumblebee unable to move on his own, Mikaela Banes quickly found an abandoned tow truck, and she cleverly chained the disabled Autobot to the back of it to him get out of harm’s way.

A boy’s first car should be a special event in his life. Finding the right girl is also important, and to do that, he needs a special car. But for Sam Witwicky, he is completely unaware of how special his car really is… until it drives away from his house all by itself… and changes into a giant robot! Sam soon finds himself as the key to ending an intergalactic battle between two factions of a race of alien robots which can change shape at will- the peaceful Autobots and dangerous Decepticons- as they fight to find and retake the powerful AllSpark Cube that created their race. But enemies lie in wait on Earth as well. While the Decepticons are already on our planet looking for their long-lost leader Megatron, the United States secret government organization Sector 7 already knows about the alien robots, and will do anything to keep them hidden. It is not until the great & noble Optimus Prime and several other Autobots crash-land on Earth in their search for the god-like Cube that the 10,000 year-old stalemated war begins anew- with the fate of both races in the hands of these intelligent, powerful alien robots in disguise… and a boy and his car.

The AllSpark Cube has been found! Sector 7 had been created to protect the secret of its existence, and the existence of the highly advanced mechanical creature known only as the Non-Biological Extraterrestrial-1 (NBE-1). With the recently-captured NBE-2 now secured deep within the bowls of Hoover Dam, S7 would have to contend with the other four metallic creatures now on the loose. But before they could get the chance, the dam came under attack. With their power sources failing, they realized that the only way to prevent the now-named Decepticons from obtaining the AllSpark was to move it away from the dam. What was worse, their containment protocols on the frozen NBE-1- now identified as Megatron- were rapidly failing, and he would also be fanatically seeking the Cube just as he had thousands of years ago when he came to our planet. But how do you move a solid metal cube with life-giving properties as tall as a 20-storey building!? Sam Witwicky had the answer- NBE-2... better known as Bumblebee. The small yellow Autobot did indeed know what to do- almost magically shrinking down the Cube to nothing larger than a soccer ball! With the Cube now able to be transported, Sector 7, Bumblebee, and the other Autobots evacuated to Mission City, hoping that the glass, metal, and electric activity there would confuse the Decepticons’ sensors long enough to get the Cube away somewhere else.

Upon arriving in nearby Mission City, they were immediately attacked by Decepticon Starscream, who was disguised as one of the Air Force’s own stealthy F-22 Raptors. The explosion from his missile blew Bumblebee and Ironhide back. Unfortunately, the damage to a nearby building crushed Bumblebee’s legs beneath several tones of sculpted stone! With the Decepticons massing, and Bumblebee unable to move on his own, Mikaela Banes quickly found an abandoned tow truck, and she cleverly chained the disabled Autobot to the back of it to help him get out of harm’s way. But once safely out of the crossfire, both Mikaela and Bumblebee knew that they would still be needed in the lopsided stand against the Decepticons after all...

Longarm’s vehicle mode (back) is based on a generic tow truck. In the film, the white and blue vehicle was portrayed by a GMC truck, but they toy- from what I’ve read- is based more along the lines of a Ford F-250 heavy duty truck. The height off the ground, overall extra width (to accommodate the hidden robot mode), and lack of a trademark logo make it difficult to both identify and compare the toy against any real vehicle; really you can only go by what you see of the front half of the truck. It also means that even though it is a Deluxe-class toy, the scale is not exactly the same as many of the other sets in this size class (roughly 1/24-scale). Some estimate that Longarm is 1/29th-scale, which puts him in a scale of his own from the film’s entire line of transformable toys.

The headlights on the nose of the truck are painted silver, leaving only the turn signals their original transparent orange. All four identical wheels are plain black ABS, and turn independently of each other. The hood and sides of the engine block are painted blue with a speeding streak effect. The doors and roof have been painted white against the clear transparent plastic; a very tiny transparent orange brake light sits on the bottom of that back window, but the overhead fake orange strobe lights and their supports make it hard to spot in vehicle mode. On both sides, there are false marks advertising the fictitious company that owns the truck, “Mike’s Towing”, and gives a non-existent phone number (800-555-0199). Below the blue 24hrs label is a small all-red Autobot symbol. For the back half, along the sides are non-functioning door panels, and the flooring is silver plastic with molded grip pattern. The dominating feature is the crane assembly which has a two-jointed line and hook hanging off the back.

The special feature in vehicle mode is the crane assembly. In addition to the hook and the line it hangs off of both being able to pitch up and down very easily, the support bar itself can pitch up and down a bit. When the bar moves, there is a small pneumatic piston underneath that slides back and fourth at the same time!

Surprisingly, unlike the entire movie’s Deluxe-, Voyager-, and Leader-class line of figures, Longarm has no Automorph feature to be used when he transforms! Whereas they all have at least one unique special feature in them (missiles, spring-loaded weapons, deployable mini-partners, etc.), the only thing that comes anywhere near to one is when the two transparent-orange strobe lights fold up- there is a set of geared teeth in there that make the move at the same time. But that’s it.

Longarm’s robot mode (back) has some rather odd proportions compared to most of the transformable toys in the line. Very broad but thin chest, small waist & lower torso, and rather large, flat feet. His head is black and transparent-orange ABS with white paint added, and a very small Autobot logo on his forehead. When a light shines on the back of his head, his eyes light up. (Yes- the dammed gimmick actually works for a change here! And quite well, I note...) Lacking super-detailed pistons and lines and sharp edges, it is more reminiscent of past Transformers’ designs, and less to the movie’s styles. The chest shares that same crosshatched pattern on the silver plastic as the floor plates in vehicle mode in a curved, muscular way; though a Spark chamber seems to be hinted at with that round feature in the center. The arms are identical, except for one rather large feature… The right arm carries Longarm’s weapon- a large rifle. Now, here’s the bad news- while the right hand is still present, the rifle is permanently attached to it. You can’t remove it! While having a huge cannon make up and entire arm is a feature that goes way back to G1, usually you can disconnect a weapon from a hand/fist, but here you can’t. Like on the Deluxe-class Classic Camaro Bumblebee toy, Longarm’s upper legs are curved, so it always looks like his knees are bent. But don’t worry- the legs still have a fully functional knee joint. He has a rather complicated lower leg and foot assembly. Both the heel and larger toe are flexible to a great degree, but the ankle also has two joints to itself. Inside the lower legs along the back side, are two levers that move back and forth; but they serve no purpose other than for decoration along the front of the lower leg just above the foot. So since nothing snaps in place (grr…), it’s hard to tell what the final position of everything is supposed to be.

Poseability is hit-and-miss. While the legs have a very wide range of motion, the arms- despite their many joints- are somewhat limited. The biggest hindrance for the shoulders is the doors from the vehicle mode which hang off of Longarm’s back like small wings. The panels attached to his upper arms bump into them whenever you raise them even a little bit. The only alternative is to extend the panels outwards until they clear the ‘wings’, and then you can move them normally. Both wrists are ball-and-socket joints. This is especially important with the large rifle on his right arm. When positioned normally, the ‘stock’ of the rifle bumps up against his chest, but if you use that right wrist joint, you can tilt it over the arm a bit, which then allows the arm regular motion. But you still have to contend with the weight of that rifle, which will affect every single pose you put him in with the exception of perhaps his head (which has both a pitching lever and a ball-and-socket joint for movement) and left arm.

. . .

Longarm’s special feature is a simple, straight-forward spring-powered missile launcher in the rifle. The small white trigger tab is back underneath near his hand. One special function- mostly due to how he transforms- is the ability for his shoulders to swing forward horizontally 90-degrees. This allows Longarm to sandwich his rifle between his open-palmed hands, but look like he’s gripping it with both of them. (A very anime-inspired look, if you ask me.)

Now, everything I have described up to this point matches the regular Deluxe-class Autobot Longarm toy. But this is not the regular Deluxe-class figure; it is a part of the Battle Scenes line, which means some things are different…

In vehicle mode, there are two noticeable differences. The first is that the company labels on the sides are slightly different- on the regular Deluxe-class version, the company is called “Orson Towing”. However, the tow truck in the film used “Mike’s Towing” as the name of the company. (I suspect that the name ‘Mike’ may be an inside-joke from the production staff of “Transformers”; the film’s director, Michael Bay, is well- known for his fast-paced and enthusiastic filming style on-set.) Also, only the Autobot symbol is the same on the side. The phone number, 24hr, and diagonal stripes are exclusive to this Battle Scenes release. The other big change to Longarm’s vehicle mode is the inclusion of a static to-scale figure of Mikaela Banes in her pink sweatshirt behind the wheel from the movie! When in robot mode, you can better see her with the driver-side door up; this also shows that only her head and arms are present. (Very nice touch!) All other paint applications and plastic coloring remains the same. These are the only changes to Longarm here which are different from the regular Deluxe-class figure.

[It can be speculated that when Longarm revealed himself to be sentient after the Mission City battle (notice that the Cube was set on the tow truck in the movie while they were hooking up Bumblebee) he used the visual impression of Mikaela for his holographic driver in the future…]

The other difference which sets the Battle Scenes line apart from all other transformable toys is the inclusion of to-scale figures. In this case, the Final Stand set includes a unique solid figure representation of Bumblebee after he lost his legs. So far as I can tell, the figure (back) is a very close approximation to the fixed-pose Bumblebee Unleashed statuette (at least in the torso and head), but they are slightly different from each other. If you look closely, you’ll see intentional dings, craters, and missing armor all over him. The wings from his back are missing, all of the limbs have been replaced, and the paint applications are more basic and less detailed. All parts are solid PVC, and are molded in an action-oriented pose with only limited movement in each. The head can twist side-to-side only a little, the left arm is splayed open and only swings one way at the shoulder, both legs have been changed to resemble crushed asymmetrical equivalents, and the right arm has the arm cannon deployed and it can point both up/down and side-to-side.

The inclusion of the disabled Bumblebee figure is so that, in Longarm’s vehicle mode, Mikaela can drive him around. How does this happen? The figure has a rectangular hole mid-back, which Longarm’s hook can slip into. Now, the problem is, through very minor manufacturing errors, either Longarm’s hook will be too wide or Bumblebee’s hole will be too small- either of which will hamper putting them together… as it has on mine.

(I have tried to attach my Battle Scenes Capture of Bumblebee toy to Longarm in a similar fashion, but it dose not work; plus you can’t disconnect parts on the Concept Camaro figure to resemble the disabled one included in this set. You can, however- obviously- hook Longarm under the nose of any to-scale transformable Autobot in vehicle mode.)

There were three reasons why I picked this Battle Scenes set up as opposed to the regular Deluxe-class set. The first, simply put, is that it is a movie-accurate repaint. Even though the type of truck model is different from its film counterpart, it’s still close enough to be acceptable in my opinion. It also included that disabled Bumblebee figure which you couldn’t recreate with either the Battle Scenes figure or regular Deluxe-class Concept Camaro Bumblebee set. And the third was that I thought that it was a really nice touch to include that little representation of Mikaela in there, even if she wasn’t complete, or couldn’t be removed or posed. None of the other toys in this entire line have a human driver in the seat except in the smaller-scale Voyager-class Optimus Prime.

Why is it that- in the movie’s line of transformable figures- the cool-looking ones always have a big problem with them, but then the ones that I initially hate I eventually come to appreciate even more? I really like this Deluxe-class figure for his appearance and transformation. But what really irks me- as I stated above- is having that rifle permanently attached to his hand. Why!? There was no reason to, even in his transformation! What also irked me- again from above- was how those panels on his shoulder directly bump into the wings on his back. Why didn’t the doors move out of the way a bit more? There’s no excuse for that one either! Why do those panels inside his lower legs move around? They serve no purpose, and they can’t be easily accessed to be played with. But, the set also has a few redeeming qualities. His proportions, I though, were really nice, particularly the large feet and lower legs, as well as the wide torso and thinning waist. (A big honkin’ cannon was nice too- something that’s lacked so far in this line…) It was also great to see that light-up function in his eyes work for a change! The big surprise for me was being able to put his arms together so that they could both hold the rifle; that was cool. If it wasn’t for the shoulders and rifle (and overly-complex ankle transformation), I’d say “top-notch”. The Final Stand set as a whole is a good idea, and a compliment to the scene it helps portray from the film. Unfortunately, I am forced to demote Longarm to just average. So, I give a 4 overall, and still encourage you to get this Battle Scenes set.

Scorponok stalked several soldiers who had escaped the destruction of the SOCCENT-FWD base into the desert until he knew what they were up to. But when they attempted to contact the outside world, he attacked...

A boy’s first car should be a special event in his life. Finding the right girl is also important, and to do that, he needs a special car. But for Sam Witwicky, he is completely unaware of how special his car really is… until it drives away from his house all by itself… and changes into a giant robot! Sam soon finds himself as the key to ending an intergalactic battle between two factions of a race of alien robots which can change shape at will- the peaceful Autobots and dangerous Decepticons- as they fight to find and retake the powerful AllSpark Cube that created their race. But enemies lie in wait on Earth as well. While the Decepticons are already on our planet looking for their long-lost leader Megatron, the United States secret government organization Sector 7 already knows about the alien robots, and will do anything to keep them hidden. It is not until the great & noble Optimus Prime and several other Autobots crash-land on Earth in their search for the god-like Cube that the 10,000 year-old stalemated war begins anew- with the fate of both races in the hands of these intelligent, powerful alien robots in disguise… and a boy and his car.

Surely if anyone knew about the presence of a giant cube, the governments of the world and their associated military forces would have that information. The Decepticons just needed to find it. Well, Blackout was ordered to infiltrate the nearby United States air base in the Middle East, break into their computer network, and find that information. Blackout decided the best time to strike would be at night since these humans’ biological functions seemed to slow at that time, and there would be fewer of them around. The largest Decepticon was actually escorted to the SOCCENT-FWD; but he had cleverly recreated the appearance of one of their own rotor-powered aircraft, and so was able to spring a surprise on them even as he was jamming their communications. Transforming in the middle of the tarmac, and absolutely devastating their “advanced” weapons, Blackout quickly made his was to their communications node. Unfortunately, the humans were quicker than he expected, and they disconnected the computers before he could gain anything of value. To punish them for their insolence and for daring to defy the will of their glorious but long-absent leader Megatron, he destroyed the base. To make sure that all stragglers were rounded up and killed as well, he deployed his partner Scorponok to perform clean-up duty.

The next day, Scorponok stalked several soldiers who had escaped, and followed them into the desert until he knew what they were up to. When they attempted to contact the outside world, Scorponok pounced...

(The clip immediately below is PG-13, and thus contains a few S-bombs and some sci-fi violence, so be careful...)

Scorponok’s beast mode (back) is that of a generic scorpion. (Take your pick as to what species he may most resemble. Good luck on that...) Unlike all of the characters featured in the film, Scorponok’s beast mode is his primary form, so he does not transform into a vehicle or object for a disguise mode. When he’s attached to Blackout, he’s hidden as part of the larger Decepticon’s body even in his own disguised form as an MH-53 Pave Low heavy transport helicopter. So this is why you’ll find all kinds of abstract markings all over Scorponok’s body- registry numbers, caution labels, notification & hazard marks, etc.- in a way very similar to the real US’s military aircraft.

His single-piece head is very flat and wide, but you can clearly see the layers of panels surrounding his four red eyes. A small black Decepticon symbol sits right behind his head at the front of his torsotorso. Running down the length of his body is a cylindrical turbine-like object molded in brown ABS and black rubber, which is not too unlike what you would see inside a real jet engine. On either side of him are six brown skeleton-like ABS legs with clawed feet very close to each other. To either side and just behind Scorponok’s head are his arms. Thick appendages, they are covered with layers of armor and vents, and end in three wildly curved thin claws. In the space between the individual claws are three smaller molded turbine-like blade fans- which, in the film, are the location of his micro-missile launchers. Mounted to the back of his body is his tail. It is made up of four movable segments, with the fourth at the end housing the multiple knife-like blades of the stinger assembly... all safely made of rounded ABS and PVC, of course.

Since this beast mode is Scorponok’s primary mode of operation and movement, all of his special features and movement are geared towards it.

First, poseability. His arms have a full range of motion at the shoulders and elbows. However, the claws cannot be moved. His head can only tilt up-and-down, but due to how he transforms, it can be pulled away from hit body a little ways as well to allow greater range. The legs have one ball-and-socket joint each at the hips. Unfortunately because of how close they are to each other, they are very restricted in side-to-side motion- I’d claim non-existent- and can only wiggle a little up-and-down. Potentially he could support his own weight, but the legs don’t move down far enough to give him a chance to do that. His tail is also fairly flexible. At its base, it can twist side-to-side through 360-degrees. There are three independent joints with about 45-degrees movement each which allow the tail to curve up and down, though the shaft exiting out the back of the stinger assembly can restrict downward range in some positions. The stinger assembly can also twist side-to-side through 360-degrees in addition to up-and-down.

. . .

Scorponok has two special features, both of which are seen in the movie.

The first is in his arms. On both the top and bottom of his body- just in front of his tail, but behind the center turbine- are two black wheels. And under his head is a wide tan ABS wheel. When he’s flat on a surface and those back wheels turn, two things happen at the same time:

• the center body turbine spins
• an internal gear system through his arms turns both claws

In the movie, the body turbine is constantly spinning. The claws, on the other hand, serve two purposes- the other being they transform into drill bits so that Scorponok can ‘swim’ underground. And unlike the turbine, Scorponok was seen turning the spinning feature of the claws on/off at will. However, on the toy, even though the claws spin, they can’t change into drill bits since each of the six fingers cannot move.

The second is in the stinger assembly. On top of it, there is a trigger button, and when it is depressed, the largest stinger shoots forward along that shaft sticking out back like a spear. Now, unlike most missiles in any Transformers figure, the stinger does not disconnect from the tail once it has been triggered; this applies to the film version of the assembly, while immensely more complex, it also does not disconnect.

(View the larger original version of this video here.)

Surprisingly, unlike the entire movie’s Deluxe-, Voyager-, and Leader-class line of figures, Scorponok has no Automorph feature to be used when he transforms! Whereas they all have at least one unique special feature in them (missiles, spring-loaded weapons, deployable mini-partners, etc.), this toy has none specifically involved in transformation.

And- really- why should he even need one...?

Scorponok’s robot m--

"Hah-!? What ‘robot mode’???"

...let me finish, please. Scorponok’s robot mode (back) is uninspired. Mostly because he has no robot mode in the movie. The producers of the film claim that he truly has a robot mode, but they didn’t design one for him the first time around. So this is a... well- ‘gimmick’ which Hasbro originally came up with. Basically all that happens is his head folds down 90-degrees, his arms flip down, his tail curls up behind him, and then the sides and legs of the beast mode flip down 180-degrees, forming the robot mode’s new legs. The arms don’t change in any way, just folding over and twisting at the elbows into a more-human posturing. The tail near-constantly points towards his back. While you can still deploy the stinger assembly’s springing spear, it just sinks back under gravity; which means (no pun intended) it’s a pretty pointless feature now. ‘Bout the only thing it’s good for now is acting as a third leg. (Oh- it only gets better from here...) The legs have no definable foot, and the knees- or rather their function as such- are near non-existent since they’re so close to the hips and it makes no difference. The spinning claws/turbine function remain intact, however you now have to turn the wheels manually, which are located... on his crotch. (You do the math.)

The legs are really the only thing you can pose other than the head and arms as usual as described above. The hips are ball-and-socket, and the knees can pivot 90-degrees, and twist side-to-side a little. But because the legs are so insignificant in their motion, he is naturally top-heavy unless you lean him back on his tail as that improvised third leg. So, posing is tricky and lame.

. . .

In the film, Scorponok is deployed from a hidden compartment from inside his far-larger companion. For the Voyager-class Decepticon Blackout figure, a miniaturized and non-functional Scorponok figure was provided, which was to scale with that toy. However, there is one gimmick which could not be utilized with Blackout unless you bought a full-sized Scorponok like this one. Underneath Blackout’s vehicle mode is a six-sided hole and two pegs about half-way back. These match-up directly to the two holes and six-sided peg on top of Scorponok’s torso. So, when you flatten out Scorponok’s tail, you can attach him to the bottom of Blackout. Now, here’s the cool part: when you activate Blackout’s spinning rotor feature, that same function triggers Scorponok’s claws and turbine at the same time! Very cool idea...

Unlike all of the toys released that transform, Scorponok really only has to serve one master here: his beast mode. This means that, more attention can be paid to how close Scorponok can get to his CGI counterpart in the film. And seriously, it is pretty dammed close. Only big difference I can find is that the turbine on the CGI model stretches out right up to the back of his head, while the toy’s ends behind the shoulders. Also, while his eyes have red dots for the multiple iris in each, the toy’s eyes are just overall red even though the iris are still represented as thin lines. Also, the stringer assembly is rather simplified on the toy even though it shares similar traits.

Now, everything I have described up to this point matches the regular Deluxe-class Decepticon Scorponok toy. But this is not the regular Deluxe-class figure; it is a part of the Battle Scenes line, which means some things are different…

The biggest difference here is that there is a slight change in paint applications here- the addition of pockets of sand randomly added to him. Nearly all crevasses, vents, and armor-joints on his lower arms and the lower legs of his robot mode have very thin sand-colored paint apps to make it look like he’s been burrowing underground in the desert. This is the only change to Scorponok here which is different from the regular Deluxe-class figure.

The other difference which sets the Battle Scenes line apart from all other transformable toys is the inclusion of to-scale figures. In this case, the Desert Attack set includes three US Marines figures, each posed standing on top of some broken sandstone formations and ground. All three figures are made with PVC plastic, cannot be posed, and have no detachable parts.

• a dark-skinned soldier (back) with both a pistol and a rifle.
• a tanned soldier (back) with a single rifle, who is jumping down from a short wall
• a pale-skinned soldier (back) who is aiming a rifle while crouched down

[I suspect that the first figure listed above might be related to the character of Air Force Tech Sgt. Epps (actor Tyrese Gibson) from the movie, though he’s not marked as such. Only difference might be that he’s wearing a cap backwards. And he doesn’t have ten back pockets...]

I have to say that I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a toy quite like this one before in my life. And here’s what I mean... For every single trait that exists- be it just good or super-awesome- there is always downside to it to balance that out.

• poseable scorpion legs . . . they don’t pose very well
• the claws and turbines spin at the same time . . . if not perfectly lined up inside, the gears constantly grind against each other, making it difficult to spin them evenly
• you can roll him on a flat surface to activate the claws and turbine . . . because of the previous, you have to press down really hard to get those wheels turning
• the arms are poseable . . . if there’s resistance while the claws spin, the arms tend to move back and forth along with, so they appear to shift all by themselves (which they’re not supposed to if the joints are tight enough)
• in beast mode, the head can tilt up and down . . . if you tilt the head up far enough, it pulls it away from the body when you set it back down
• you can attach this toy to Blackout and then activate both special features at the same time . . . because of the resistances in both features, gears grind very easily, and the union hardly works at all
• the beast mode appears in the film, and functions accordingly . . . the robot mode, which does not appear in the film, functions very poorly
• he has legs in robot mode . . . they don’t pose very well or help keep his balance
• claws can spin like in the movie . . . claws cannot open like in the movie

I mean it just goes back-and-forth, back-and-forth, back-and-forth like that the whole time, and I’ve never seen anything like that before! Now, some things that I’ve read/heard other people complain about, I won’t make a stink about. The biggest one I’ve heard is that the stinger can’t shoot away like a proper missile. Well, ya know what? It didn’t in the movie, so I have no problem with that. The level of detail is awesome, the colors match for the most part (it’s more a pale copper in the film than brown; no biggie), and the functions match. As has been said by many before, I too absolutely hate the robot mode. Aside from the fact that it doesn’t appear in the movie, it’s just poorly done in toy form. So just leave him in beast mode and you’ll be fine; you won’t miss it a tiny bit.

Now, the only reason I got this Battle Scenes figure was because he had those dripping-sand paint apps on him which I thought was a really nice touch, and put him closer to the feel of what you see in the film. That’s the only reason. I like both the springing spear and spinning claws/turbine features, but those gears inside the arms just totally screw that up. The soldiers, again, are a nice bonus, but I wouldn’t have cared if they weren’t in there and this was just a regular Deluxe-class repaint. Overall Scorponok and all his toy flaws really drag it down to the point where I just can’t really promote getting the Desert Attack set (let alone the original Deluxe-class version). If you’re a hardcore fan of the film, or your kid is too young to care or notice the flaws, then go ahead. But for such a bad-ass character in an awesome scene, I’m really disappointed. (Now all we need is a to-scale and fully-functional version of Blackout that isn’t super expensive or stupidly-gimmicky like that super-sized Bumblebee figure that popped up around X-mas ‘07 to match; now that would be kick-ass!)

Helpless and unwilling to harm humans, Bumblebee was unprepared to deal with S7’s primitive but effective measures as they proceeded to disable and then capture him...

[Updated with a YouTube clip from the movie!]

A boy’s first car should be a special event in his life. Finding the right girl is also important, and to do that, he needs a special car. But for Sam Witwicky, he is completely unaware of how special his car really is… until it drives away from his house all by itself… and changes into a giant robot! Sam soon finds himself as the key to ending an intergalactic battle between two factions of a race of alien robots which can change shape at will- the peaceful Autobots and dangerous Decepticons- as they fight to find and retake the powerful AllSpark Cube that created their race. But enemies lie in wait on Earth as well. While the Decepticons are already on our planet looking for their long-lost leader Megatron, the United States secret government organization Sector 7 already knows about the alien robots, and will do anything to keep them hidden. It is not until the great & noble Optimus Prime and several other Autobots crash-land on Earth in their search for the god-like Cube that the 10,000 year-old stalemated war begins anew- with the fate of both races in the hands of these intelligent, powerful alien robots in disguise… and a boy and his car.

Bumblebee was finally able to obtain some information regarding the AllSpark- a native of this planet Earth who may have known its location hundreds of stellar cycles ago. He found the descendants of Captain Archibald Witwicky in a suburb of Los Angeles, California. Carefully shadowing the Witwicky family, Bumblebee found that the youngest, Sam, was looking for a car. Perfect. Hiding amongst the lifeless vehicles of the used car lot, the disguised Autobot was purchased for a mere $4000. Bumblebee soon grew attached to the small biological life-form that so treasured him for his mobility, and his use in their unusual courting rituals. Even though Sam believed that his brand-new 1976 Chevrolet Camaro was being stolen, Bumblebee was able to escape and keep him from learning about his true origins long enough to transmit a message to Optimus Prime that he had found a lead in their long search for the AllSpark. However, before Bumblebee could explain what was going on, Barricade tried to scare the information out of Sam and try to kill him! Realizing that cover could no longer be maintained, he took Sam and his friend Mikaela Banes away from the city, and then engaged the brutal Decepticon. Explaining who he was through pre-recorded audio clips he had picked up over time (his vocal processor had been damaged earlier), he convinced the two to ride with him to the rendezvous point where other Autobots would soon be landing. En route, the female suggested that Bumblebee’s disguised form may not be adequate. Anticipating that this might somehow affect Sam’s relationship with her, Bumblebee found a vehicle of sufficient dimensions & mass- a next-generation 2008 Chevrolet Camaro- to initiate scanning and replication. This new form was met with approval from both humans. After meeting the other four Autobots, they all made their way to Sam’s house to look for his great-grandfather’s fragile glasses. Before Sam could get them to the Autobots, unmarked government vehicles pulled up out front, and the Witwicky family and Mikaela were captured.

Intercepting the Sector 7 vehicles which held Sam and Mikaela near an isolated river drainage channel, the Autobots soon realized that they were at risk of being discovered. Fleeing the area, Optimus Prime was cornered, with Sam and Mikaela at risk of falling to their deaths! Bravely, Bumblebee caught them as they fell, exposing himself to S7’s massing forces. But as he tried to protect the two humans, it turned out that S7 was after him as well! Helpless and unwilling to harm humans, Bumblebee was unprepared to deal with S7’s primitive but effective measures as they proceeded to disable and then capture him...

(FYI, the music is about one second out of synch with the video.)

Bumblebee’s vehicle mode (back) is that of a real 2008 Chevrolet Camaro™ pony car, designed by General Motors Corporation™ and manufactured by Oshawa Car Assembly. The fifth generation of the popular Camaro series, it is highly anticipated by car enthusiasts. As a pony car (the term originating with an early version of the rival Ford Mustang™ in the mid-1960s), it is designed to be a scaled-down version of a muscle car- smaller, a stylized or sporty shape, two-doors, able to carry four passengers, powerful V6 or V8 engine, and many options for additional features beyond the stock model, in addition to being less expensive. GMC intends to introduce a convertible version of the Camaro for the 2009 line.

By the time production began on "Transformers" in early 2005, the Concept Camaro (as it is currently known) was nothing but prototypes and early designs. The first full production models wouldn’t even begin rolling out of the factory until nearly a year after the film had come out in 2007! In order to deal with a car that no one had made yet, the producers of the film asked GMC to produce molds of the Concept Camaro’s exterior and designs of the interior. Using these, Saleen, Incorporated made heavy modifications to two existing 2006 Pontiac GTOs to change them into mock-up Concept Camaros for the film.

(BTW, Saleen also makes the S281E Mustang that was used for Decepticon Barricade, and slightly modified a Pontiac Solstice GPX for Autobot Jazz.)

The general body shape of the Concept Camaro seems to more closely resemble and pay tribute to the first-generation Camaro design from the late 1960s- rounded edges all-around, headlights incorporated into the narrow front grille on the flattened incorporated front bumper, shorter roof height from the level of the hood (making for a narrower windshield and windows), the back windshield gradually angles towards the edge of the trunk, and a slight rise in the outer shell just above the back wheels. Though all four wheels show thin black tires with identical five-point hubcaps, the front wheels are slightly smaller in diameter than the back ones. The vehicle mode is molded all in a slightly richer yellow ABS plastic than the second-generation 1976 Camaro version version of Bumblebee. Also, the intentional paint smudges which showed wear-and-tear and battle damage on the ’76 ver. are now absent from the ’08 ver. While the two black racing stripes across the top of the hood and trunk remain, they are now solid on the ’08 ver. as opposed to having an additional thinner black line running around them both. But perhaps the biggest change is that the ’08 ver. uses transparent turquoise ABS plastic for all of its windows as opposed to being just yellow ABS. While Bumblebee has no passenger compartment to speak of in either toy, you can now easily see his unused arms all squashed up inside. (The Japanese market-release ’76 ver. did indeed have transparent front windshields, side windows, and missiles, while American and British releases did not; using solid yellow plastic for all instead. The rear windows across all markets were painted identical metallic blue.) To ensure you know who made the Camaro, a small silver Chevrolet logo is molded on both the front grille (painted gold) and above the license plate in back (which is not painted). The name "Camaro" is painted silver in raises letters just above both front wheels.

‘Automorph Technology’ is a new special feature that is fairly unique to the 2007 movie figures. What Automorph does is when one specific section moves, there is an internal system of gears and levers which moves another part in the same region. (Although, I’m sure a similar function has presented itself in the other lines from the various anime-inspired series. I do know for certain that the huge “Transformers Galaxy Force” Primus figure had such function(s) in his back armor, leg weapon units, and chest/head.) In the Deluxe-class ’08 Concept Camaro Bumblebee, there are two Automorph functions:

• After you release the windshield catch to free up the mechanism, the entire nose section flips forward and down, revealing Bumblebee’s head. At the same time, the hood separates into three parts, two of which are connected to the advanced shoulder and wing/door assembly. While the larger hood part is spring-loaded and automatically collapses down behind his head, the internal torso assembly rotates the wings & arms backwards 90-degrees; realigning the wings perpendicular to vertical, and raising the arms forward. Finally, as the nose section flips downwards, a spring-loaded panel underneath the vehicle mode [and Bumblebee’s head] is pushed out slightly to cover the newly-formed gap between his chest and head. Later, the shoulder joints and chest panels can be manipulated manually to finish their transformation.
• On both legs, the two halves of the back bumper flip upwards 90-degrees. At the same time, the foot and ankle joint flip downward 90-degrees. A second section- the two halves of the back window- are shifted to the inside of his lower leg.

Needless to say, both Automorph features in the ’08 Camaro ver. are pretty much the same ones on the ’76 Camaro ver., just executed differently. Of all the transformable sets that I have seen or reviewed from the “Transformers” film line that have an Automorph feature, Bumblebee’s may be among the most complex, even for a Deluxe-class figure! As that upper body is twisting and turning, you have absolutely nowhere you can grab on except below his waist since something is always on the move, or your fingers might get in the way. With the ’76 ver., the chest flipped over, then you finish up with the shoulders & doors/wings. Done. But here… whew! (In a way, it reminds me of the Automorph on Decepticon Wreckage.) At the same time, since the torso Automorph is so integrated, nothing is designed to snap in place; it all slips around comfortably. So if something has to be forced, stop immediately- you’re missing something and might break it! Some suspects I’ve found in this:

• the windshield hasn’t been moved out of the way before the whole thing starts up
• the center hood panel isn’t out of the way
• the shoulder/wing assemblies are in the way
• the shoulder/wing assemblies aren’t fully extended away from the center of the torso

The legs’ also take inspiration from the ’76 Camaro ver- extending the feet at the same time as flipping the trunk cover & back window parts around, while at the same time filling out the front of the lower leg a bit in the knee region. Again there’s nothing to snap around, so forcing is not needed.

Bumblebee’s robot mode (back), I must confess, is really impressive despite a little awkward- what’s the word, “kibble”?- here and there. He’s certainly a better offering than the other to-scale Deluxe-class figures that appeared in the movie- Autobot Jazz and Decepticon Barricade! Whereas the ’76 ver. was filled with harsh edges, and didn’t really resemble his film counterpart that well, this ’08 ver. is top notch. Even though it is the same character but with a different body, his head doesn’t change in the film (except in battle), a new sculpt was made for the ’08 ver., which now includes the ever-popular eyes that glow when you shine light through them which were painted on the ’76 ver. (Do they light up when a light shines on them? Ehh… not really, no.) As is traditional for most Autobots since the G1 series debuted in 1984, they have the front of their respective vehicle mode appear on their chest or as some part of their torso. Bumblebee’s torso is no different. While raising the chest panels may not be as complex as what appears on the big screen, it is still greatly appreciated! (For whatever strange-ass reason, all of the official photographs I see of this specific toy- even on its own box!- have those two chest panels still in line as the nose of the car. Don’t ask me why they always goof that up...) Though I can’t find an equivalent on the CGI character model, the panel that rests behind Bumblebee’s head features the same five screw head-like shapes that that are on the ’76 ver. in the same spot. (I’ve though of both versions as exposed micro-missiles.) The windshield, instead or raising behind the head, remains at his lower back, with the side doors becoming bee-inspired wings like his namesake. (Real bees are actually distant members of the wasp family.) The lower torso is also quite detailed with panels, pipes, and yes- even the warped license plate (4NZZZ454) right above the infamous lubrication relief valve. The arms are detailed, but whereas the roof and rear windows on the ’76 ver. came to rest on the back of its lower legs, here the roof remains attached behind his lower arms. The front wheels and doors form the back of the shoulders and wings; even though they share the torso-connection joints with the arms, they do not move in robot mode. (The position of the doors and wheels very closely match their film counterpart’s.) Whereas the ’76 ver. used ball-and-socket joints for both the shoulders and elbows, this version uses swiveling joints in the elbows, but moves the ball-and-sockets to the wrists of the open four-fingered hands. The legs depart in three ways from their film counterparts, even though most other details are quite similar: 1) the tail lights (and thus the entire back bumper) remain on the back of his knees, whereas on the CG model they are in his lower back; 2) instead of a three-toed footprint, it’s a long foot with a single poseable front toe; and 3) the back wheels remain outside his ankles as opposed to inside them in the film. Notable details carried over from the CGI character include the gray blocks on the front of his feet, his pointed knees with three vents right below, and the front cowling of the back wheels forming thin armor on his thighs.

Poseability is slightly hampered by all of the excess vehicle parts that Bumblebee has to deal with in robot mode. The head is mounted on both a ball-and-socket joint and a tiny pitching lever, allowing him to actually look down and up quite a ways. (Sweet!) The ball-and-socket joints for his shoulders are tilted slightly forward, so they’ll never hang 100-percent perpendicular to the rest of the body. Same with the elbows- the panels on the back of his lower arms prevent them from hanging straight down, so they have to be tilted slightly outwards. Fortunately the panels are on swivel joints, so you can play around with them that way a bit. Otherwise everything on the arms and shoulders works just fine, and articulation is top notch. I was pleasantly surprised to find a ball-and-socket waist joint; though the way things are positioned, it pivots kinda funny- not horizontally like we’re used to, but diagonally. The waist articulation is hampered perhaps only by the front windshield sitting on his lower back, but fortunately that has its own joint and can give a little ways to allow waist movement. Same with the chest armor- lifting up a hair will allow his upper torso to pitch forward an appropriate amount. While his hips are widely spaced compared to the ’76 ver., the car parts between his legs prevents them from standing perfectly straight, and can interfere with some poses. The knees can bend backwards 90-degrees even with the bumper sections there. Only bad thing I can find with the legs is that when you try to pose the legs, the Automorph feature tends to kick into reverse since it doesn’t lock in place (Grrr...), so you have to hold the bumpers/ankles in place as you pose everything else; same with the yellow thigh armor which tends to flop around. The good news for the legs is that you have those quite-accommodating toe and ankle joints to make up for it! A pair of angular yellow hoops rest on top of his heels- while they serve no purpose in posing but move a little when transforming him, they are yet another detail carried over from the CGI character model.

. . .

During the Mission City battle, after his legs have been crushed beneath some rubble, Bumblebee is carried away on the back end of a tow truck driven by Mikaela. Knowing that the Autobots and humans are loosing the battle, they decide to turn around and engage Brawl. While Mikaela drives the truck backwards at high speed, Bumblebee deploys the pulse cannon built inside his right arm, as well as a pair of cluster missile launchers from his shoulders.

The ’76 version of Bumblebee carried two single spring-powered missile launchers as his weapon. These could be placed on either both shoulders or in both hands; they were stored in vehicle mode as exhaust pipes. While Bumblebee has the wheels located behind his shoulders again (the wheels are the missile launchers in the movie), the ’08 ver. cannot accommodate the spring launchers there, nor in his permanently-opened hands. Also, his arms are way too tiny to accommodate a hidden pulse cannon! So a larger accessory pulse cannon is provided, which can slip into either hand- though it is portrayed only in the right hand. The cannon is fairly detailed in its own right, and closely matches the CGI weapon as well! Now, in “Transformers: The Game” (rated E10 or Teen depending on which platform you buy it for), ’08 Bumblebee can also deploy a stinger weapon not seen in the film. So Hasbro designed the pulse cannon to split apart to reveal an extendable layered transparent-turquoise blade within, which Bumblebee can also grip. (A very cool idea!)

While Hasbro can certainly be credited with the enormous task of transforming the immensely-complex CGI characters used in the 2007 movie (which- on average- contained 10,000 components per robot!), it should be noted that these are not just straight transitions either. While Bumblebee’s head, legs, arms, and chest all hide in roughly the same places in the toy, the process by which he transforms is very different, resulting in a slightly different look from his CGI counterpart. Mostly it has to do with where things end-up, which I’ve already gone over in detail above. While the Ultimate Bumblebee toy release- the largest movie-oriented transformable toy released to date- attempts to capture some of the spirit of this while also including things like motion and sound sensors, LED lights, a speaker, and several movement motors, even it can come no where near to the mind-boggling shifting and sliding seen in the film even though many of its molded details and transformations may be similar. But, again, I have found that the ’08 ver. is among the sets that closest matches their film counterpart in style and function.

Now, everything I have described up to this point matches the regular Deluxe-class Concept Camaro Bumblebee toy. But this is not the regular Deluxe-class figure; it is a part of the Battle Scenes line, which means some things are different…

The biggest difference is that- with the exception of the wheels- all of the black plastic ABS from the regular Deluxe-class figure have been changed to dark gray to more closely match the various shades of gray and silver used in the film. His face, also, has received dark gray paint instead of black paint. The Autobot symbol on his chest has been changed from black to silver, and a new smaller red symbol appears on his forehead. All other paint applications and plastic coloring remains the same. These are the only changes to Bumblebee here which are different from the regular Deluxe-class figure.

The other difference which sets the Battle Scenes line apart from all other transformable toys is the inclusion of to-scale figures. In this case, the Capture of Bumblebee set includes three human Sector 7 figures, each posed standing on top of some broken blacktop concrete. All three figures are made with PVC plastic, cannot be posed, and have no detachable parts.

• an Agent (back) in a business suit with a pistol and [what looks to be] a Geiger counter
• a soldier without a helmet (back) and no backpack, pointing a long rifle that appears to be able to hold large sabot rounds (a known weakness of Cybertronians’ armor in the film)
• a soldier with a helmet (back), carrying a backpack with small tanks, and a handheld device which spays out a freezing liquid (another known weakness that can disable a Cybertronian and put them into stasis lock)

[Oh- I really hope that isn’t supposed to be Agent Simmons (actor John Turturro); he’s my least favorite character in the whole friggin’ film! If it is (*shudder*), I am comforted to know that his eyes were painted slightly crossed, mwa-ha-ha-ha…]

What the Instructions *Don't* Tell You

[fanfare sounds]

The Deluxe-class Bumblebee set, fortunately, has only two entries into this frustrating category:

• When changing him into vehicle mode, you have to raise that large panel behind his head in order to make room for the chest to swing up and over.
• In order to get the arms to fit inside the passenger compartment, the upper arm needs to be twisted into a very un-human position. While the instructions tell you to do this, they are not specific as to what you are supposed to do to accomplish this.

But the instructions don’t tell you any of this…

There was one big reason why I picked this Battle Scenes set up as opposed to the regular Deluxe-class Concept Camaro set. And that is because the figure here is a repaint. In the film, the ambitious Autobot is dressed in his trademark yellow and black, but then the internal framework of the CGI character was composed of layers of metal in a wide variety of silver, gray, and copper. Now, the regular ’08 ver. was dressed mostly in yellow and black, with only very tiny amounts of silver paint; the ’76 ver. was the same. But with the Battle Scenes set, it is more movie-accurate in its coloring with the use of the dark gray- it allows you to see the high level of detail in the figure while better preserving the colors of the movie character. Of note, the [upcoming] Premium line version of the ’08 ver. has a similar approach- using a lighter coloring for the framework instead of all-black again like both the ’76 Classic Camaro and regular ’08 Concept Camaro versions. Beyond that, I didn’t care if this set included the in-scale figures, though they certainly are a nice and distinguishing touch that haven’t been seen much of since Mini-Cons, and the far-earlier Headmasters and Powermaster characters of similar nature. But, I don’t think a truly human character has ever been represented in a Transformers set without some kind of augmentation, or as a head on a decal or molded into the inside of a cockpit, in the past 25 years (the recent Japanese-release KissPlayers and Alternators lines aside, of course).

As for the Deluxe-class figure itself, I got it only knowing about the extendable blade inside the blaster (I can’t tell ya enough how cool that is!), and that the Automorph was somehow different from the ’76 version. So, I was very impressed very quickly with it. Being that this character is perhaps the best known in the film next to Optimus Prime as far as print and media are concerned, I was able to compare large pictures of the CGI character against this toy, and I found myself amazed at how close some details were even though such comparisons against thousand-plus-part computer models were pointless. Certainly the spirit of the movie character carries over. (So far as I am concerned, that is a face that only a mother- and Sam- could ever love, ya know...?) The details in vehicle mode are equally, um… “tight”. In fact, my only complaint with the car form is that the separation lines are fairly obvious in back, and unless everything is perfectly aligned there (good luck with that blaster in there!), they’re more and more obvious as he tries to pop himself apart. Aside from that, this is a very well-rounded figure. The Capture of Bumblebee set is a very good deal for what you get. And I also fully extend that enthusiastic support to this Battle Scenes version of the Deluxe-class Concept Camaro Bumblebee alone as well; even if it is just a repaint. I highly recommend getting this Battle Scenes set!

Like the Deluxe-class Decepticon Dropkick before him, this is another excellent example of a toy being well modeled after the complex CGI character styles from the 2007 film… even though he doesn’t appear in it.

A boy’s first car should be a special event in his life. Finding the right girl is also important, and to do that, he needs a special car. But for Sam Witwicky, he is completely unaware of how special his car really is… until it drives away from his house all by itself… and changes into a giant robot! Sam soon finds himself as the key to ending an intergalactic battle between two factions of a race of alien robots which can change shape at will- the peaceful Autobots and dangerous Decepticons- as they fight to find and retake the powerful AllSpark Cube that created their race. But enemies lie in wait on Earth as well. While the Decepticons are already on our planet looking for their long-lost leader Megatron, the United States secret government organization Sector 7 already knows about the alien robots, and will do anything to keep them hidden. It is not until the great & noble Optimus Prime and several other Autobots crash-land on Earth in their search for the god-like Cube that the 10,000 year-old stalemated war begins anew- with the fate of both races in the hands of these intelligent, powerful alien robots in disguise… and a boy and his car.

Landmine’s vehicle mode (back) is based on that of a real Desert Patrol Vehicle (DPV) lightweight scout, manufactured by Chenowth Racing Products, Inc. It is an off-road sandrail vehicle designed for hit-and-run tactics, as well as fast reconnaissance behind enemy lines, and it is favored by United States special operations units for its light weight, speed, easy maintenance, and reliability. The DPV was later surpassed by the Light Strike Vehicle (LSV), also manufactured by Chenowth. Being a sandrail vehicle means that the DPV does not carry protection for the three occupants (driver, passenger gunner, and top gunner) from small-arms fire, but does protect them from high-speed and roll-over accidents. Today, they are designed to carry a wide variety of light weapons, typically one M2 Browning .50cal machine gun, two 7.62mm M60 machine guns, or two AT4 anti-armor launchers. On the other hand, Chenowth is also well-known publicly for producing a wide variety of sandrail vehicles similar to the DPV with different capacities in weight, engine performance, and cargo & passenger capacity for both sport and private use.

In this case, Sector 7 modified the DPV so that they would carry protective armor for the vehicle itself and the occupants within, while retaining its speed and off-road maneuverability. They also added two supplemental fuel tanks which rest next to the top gunner seat to extend its range beyond the standard 210mi (338km).

The vehicle mode is molded primarily in an odd dark blue/green ABS, with black ABS for the bumpers and rail guard in front, back, and either side. (In the movie, the armor of the DPVs that Sector 7 used was painted gray.) The four identical tires are also molded in black, but the inner rims are that odd blue/green. I can’t show it very well, but the suspension system behind the wheels is all light gray. Above the front bumper are what looks like some additional lights, and armor guards for the shock absorbers. The passenger compartment has only a front windshield with armored blinders above, but no other windows or doors; opting for a solid outer shell-look. It is very cramped in there, but- trust me- there are two silver high-back seats inside along with indents in the dashboard for a steering wheel. (Nice!) Because of how things work, the third seat for the top gunner was not included in the toy. However, his topside dark gray machine gun was, which features an ammo clip feed belt dropping out of the right side of it, paired handles, a targeting scope, and a silver mount to hold it up. (Because of the size of those toy shells, I think it might be a grenade launcher, even though the ones in the movie were very obviously machine guns.) Directly behind the driver seat are two silver pressure tanks, presumably used for fuel. And then behind them on top are exhaust pipes and a horizontal radiator grille, before being rounded out by the back bumper with turning & brake lights painted on. All across the armor are black markings for Sector 7, the vehicle’s ID number (52), two black-and-white US flags above the back wheels, and an easy-to-overlook black Autobot symbol on the hood right behind the front bumper.

The reason for all the S7 markings is that- according to his profile on both the back of the toy’s packaging card and online, Landmine was originally a human-built DPV until he was accidentally granted life by the AllSpark at sometime during the Mission City battle. This is also why Landmine was marketed under the “AllSpark Power” line- recognizable by tiny spots of light blue paint and plastic on various parts of his robot body.

Landmine has several features in vehicle mode. The first are the wheels- each one has an independent spring suspension system that allow the wheels to slide up and down about a quarter of an inch. The wheels raise the vehicle up high enough that you can really slide him around, even on carpet, without it quickly losing speed while dragging on the ground. Nice! The other is the machine gun mount- it can both swing side-to-side, but has two silver bars with independent joints that can slide it forward/back a little, and point it upwards as well!

‘Automorph Technology’ is a new special feature that is fairly unique to the 2007 movie figures. What Automorph does is when one specific section moves, there is an internal system of gears and levers which moves another part in the same region. (Although, I’m sure a similar function has presented itself in the other lines from the various anime-inspired series. I do know for certain that the huge “Transformers Galaxy Force” Primus figure had such function(s) in his back armor, leg weapon units, and chest/head.) In the Deluxe-class Landmine, there are two Automorph functions:

• When you first pull the sides and seats of the passenger compartment out (which form his arms), you have to pull out on the two front wheels to release their grip on them. Then, when the arms are free, springs pull the wheels further into the nose, which becomes part of his upper torso.
• After his legs and feet have been extended, the two halves of the back bumper flip down and forward. At the same time, the horizontal grille panels slide downwards towards his feet a little bit.

You can’t just pull the arms out, and expect the wheels to behave all by themselves (should you expect that?); you have to adjust one at a time before you attack the other side. Similarly, when reversing the process, you need to pull the wheels out before the shoulders can slide back in. Also be aware- the connection on those back bumpers isn’t very good, so they tend to pop off easily if too much pressure is applied.

Landmine’s robot mode (back) also looks like it jumped right off the movie screen. He’s got detailed paneling and supports all over the inside of his arms, upper legs, and inside the lower legs. The upper torso retains most of the nose of the DPV, except where his head folds through it; the front wheels- due to the Automorph feature- slide a little closer together to form the sides of his waist. On his back hangs the windshield and roof. The arms are formed by the side fenders and floor; the seats extend out to form large hands with claws. The back half of the DPV forms the legs, with those two fuel tanks forming the feet, and the back wheels sliding around to form its heels. “AllSpark Power”-blue highlights are inside Landmine’s head, neck, lower arms, upper legs, and shins. Additional section of dark gray and silver reveal themselves in this form as well.

Poseability is quite advanced. Most joints are ball-and-sockets, including the head and wrists. The shoulders each have two joints, one of those just from the transformation, but it can still be an option if you’d like. There is a swiveling waist joint as well. The hands are adjustable- the ‘thumb’ is the size of the other four fingers put together. The four fingers are molded into one piece, but they and the thumb move the same way with two jointed segments each. The legs are equally flexible, and include ankle joints that can pitch forward and backwards. An interesting bonus in the feet are that- in combination with those large back wheels- two smaller wheels underneath the fuel tanks allow Landmine to roll around like he’s wearing inline skates! (Ehh- back wheels are a little tighter in robot mode, but still--!)

The machine gun from his vehicle mode- which is officially called a “cryo-shock rifle” (must be an S7 feature of some kind which was altered by the AllSpark Cube)- can be used two different ways:

• it can remain attached on his back, and then flipped to point over his right shoulder; or-
• it can be detached and he can grip it with either hand

Unfortunately, Landmine can’t get a firm grip on the rifle, so you have to kinda play around until it’s comfortable enough that it won’t go anywhere. (Me? I keep it over the shoulder.) I should note that Landmine is one of the very few movie-specific transforming toys that actually uses a handheld weapon rather than having it integrated into the arms or chest or something. For that matter, less than half of the Cybertronians in the movie use hand-held weapons- Optimus Prime, Jazz, Blackout, and Barricade).

And now it’s time for a segment we haven’t seen for a while now…

What the Instructions *Don’t* Tell You

[fanfare sounds]

(Ahh- I still got it...)

The Deluxe-class Landmine set has four marks in this frustrating category, though they’re really minor if important things:

• When extending the legs, the rear bumpers need to be rotated down towards the feet so that the knees can fully extend.
• When pushing in the back wheels and then flipping them forward, they snap into holes behind the fuel tanks (now the feet).
• The machine gun is shown as locked tightly against the wrist and/or lower arm, but this is not so. They also don’t show that it can remain on the back.
• If you do not look closely right after opening the toy from the box, you can miss that the front wheel supports press in against the shoulder armor panels due to how the springs work; they slide up against two tabs. When extending the shoulder into robot mode, the wheels retract automatically as the arms are drawn away. But, when reversing the process, you need to remember to keep pulling the wheels out until after the upper arm panels are locked in place, and then realigning everything. If you don’t, and the wheels are allowed to retract completely, the tires will rub up against the panels and won’t turn correctly.

But the instructions don’t tell you any of this…

Like the Deluxe-class Decepticon Dropkick before him, this is another excellent example of a toy being well modeled after the complex CGI character styles from the 2007 film… even though he doesn’t appear in it. Well, his vehicle mode certainly does, but this character does not. If they hadn’t made toys from the officially-licensed “Transformers: The Game”, they could have made characters that may not have appeared in the movie itself, but were based on vehicles and other objects that did. (Deluxe-class Autobot Longarm is another example of this.) The parts are detailed with rivets panel lines, non-functional support structures, layered armor, and most of the vehicle parts being well distributed throughout the robot mode so that their functions aren’t easily apparent. Those fuel tanks are a great example of this- you don’t expect them to become the feet since they appear asymmetrical in vehicle mode, but then line themselves up when transforming him. Same with the hands- aside from the fact that he has functional hands (!), in vehicle mode they really look like padded seats for driver and passenger. The lower arms, though, are no bigger than the hands, which is kinda disappointing. On the other side of that, it is really hard to realign those seats inside once everything’s put back together. You need a pencil or something to help get it back straight, and it can get to be really frustrating at times with bigger hands; that is really my biggest problem with the toy as a whole. Same with the machine gun/cryo-shock rifle weapon- it looks nice, but you can’t really get him to hold it very solidly. I can’t say how accurate the toy is to the real DPVs seen in the movie since we only see snippets of them, but at a glance he’s recognizable as such even if all his details don’t match that closely. (In the movie they’re all black, but the toy is this weird-ass green/blue/gray-whatever-you -call-it.) Now, I know that this is promoted under the “AllSpark Power” sub-line, but really, that electric neon blue isn’t really out of place amongst the weird green, silver, black, and dark gray. An eye-catcher certainly, but not trashy or distracting; it was applied conservatively. (What was overdone was all those S7 & 52 labels- you don’t need that many!) So, I recommend getting Landmine; he will fit in quite comfortably with the other movie figures.

This figure is a Target-exclusive release for the 2007 live-action film. It is a repaint of the original Autobot Armorhide from the “Transformers: Cybertron” line.

A boy’s first car should be a special event in his life. Finding the right girl is also important, and to do that, he needs a special car. But for Sam Witwicky, he is completely unaware of how special his car really is… until it drives away from his house all by itself… and changes into a giant robot! Sam soon finds himself as the key to ending an intergalactic battle between two factions of a race of alien robots which can change shape at will- the peaceful Autobots and dangerous Decepticons- as they fight to find and retake the powerful AllSpark Cube that created their race. But enemies lie in wait on Earth as well. While the Decepticons are already on our planet looking for their long-lost leader Megatron, the United States secret government organization Sector 7 already knows about the alien robots, and will do anything to keep them hidden. It is not until the great & noble Optimus Prime and several other Autobots crash-land on Earth in their search for the god-like Cube that the 10,000 year-old stalemated war begins anew- with the fate of both races in the hands of these intelligent, powerful alien robots in disguise… and a boy and his car.

This Autobot Armorhide figure is a Target-exclusive release for the live-action film “Transformers” (2007). It is a repaint of the original Autobot Armorhide from the “Transformers: Cybertron” (2006) line. Armorhide was designed as an exclusive US-release during the “…Cybertron” run, so he does not appear in the original Japanese anime series “Transformers: Galaxy Force” (2005) or the later English dub. All molds, details, transformation, and special features are the same between the two toys; only plastic colors and paint applications have been changed. This is the second repaint for this toy since its debut in the “…Cybertron” series; the first being a BotCon 2006 homage to the G1 Autobot Huffer.

Armorhide’s vehicle mode (back) is that of a cab-over truck with a removable towing crane. It’s a very simple toy to work with, probably why so many people liked it. He rolls around on six dark gray ABS wheels with silver-painted hubcaps, two beneath the cab and four thicker ones in back. The mold details on the cab section are well defined, though the grille, bumper and windows are all painted silver. Additional yellow paint fills in some stripes and parking/warning lights. The back half is all solid ABS plastic with no paint other than the hubcaps.

Aside from rolling around, Armorhide’s long rifle can fit into a hole between the four wheels in back to form a towing crane. Though it can’t really lift anything lest it’s attached to a string, there is a small light gray hook at the top which can swing back and forth a little. The base of the rifle is marked with a silver Sector 7 logo.

Armorhide’s transformation is very easy to learn and execute. Unlike most of the original designs for the movie, he does not have a more-recent Automorph feature anywhere in or on him, mostly ‘cause he’s too small to fit one in. (Back to basics- I like that! Automorph is a nice gimmick to have around, but if they make 'em too often, it loses its novelty.)

The only step that may prove tricky for larger hands would be trying to spin around Armorhide’s head- there’s very little space to work with in there, and his head is really small (almost Mini-Con-small).

Also, though they don’t really address it, you have to slide the knee joints horizontally away from each other after you separate & extend the legs. Though the knees will still function, it’ll be a bit awkward if they’re not moved around that little bit. But, equally so, you need to remember to slide them back or else they won’t fit back together smoothly.

Armorhide’s smaller robot mode (back) is more familiar to Transformers fans- blocky with rounded edges, simple to execute, clear details- than the designs in the movie, which had complex molds & details, highly complicated designs, and featured more steps for the transformations than average. In some ways, it’s a relief from the seemingly chaotic robots seen on the big screen! Unlike just about all of the movie designs, Armorhide’s head does not feature a transparent backing for light to shine through, so his eyes are painted yellow. His upper torso is this huge blocky… um thing, with a very small (robot anorexia?) lower torso, and then smaller limbs attached. The arms carry two of his back wheels each, and feature ball-and-socket elbows. The legs are equally simple- with the two windshield parts forming knee guards, and wide feet hidden inside the lower legs. No new paint apps are revealed when he is in robot mode. Armorhide can easily grip that honkin’ rifle in either hand, though it will restrict the elbows’ motion a bit.

Poseability for such a small toy (he’s just shy of 4” in robot mode) is as expected from a basic & simplified Scout-class figure- acceptable, though sometimes lacking, but this makes him affordable at $7.99 to parents who can get their kids something small and quick while they are in the store, or for grandparents who may know even less about Transformers as a whole to get as a small treat to spoil them. The legs are quite flexible, the feet can tilt back as far as you want because of how he transforms. The arms can’t tilt too far away from the body, but the elbows can swing just about anywhere you want; the neck and hips are also ball-and-socket joints.

One of the regular features/gimmicks of the “…Cybertron” line was that they all had a Planet Key- a transparent ABS accessory that is separate from the toy, and allows access to spring-loaded features & weapons. While the tab on the front of a Key is identical (meaning you can use the Key from one toy on any of the others), there were at least nine different Key mold designs throughout the line- the four common Earth Planet, Speed Planet, Jungle Planet, & Giant Planet Keys, two Cybertron-tech-inspired Keys for Autobots & Decepticons, a rarer Planet X Key used by just a few of the characters, and two exclusive Keys designed just for Optimus Prime and Megatron. When inserted into the semi-hidden port in the figure- typically accessible in either vehicle or robot mode- a Key would act as a trigger for the secret feature. As a bonus for US buyers, each Key had a unique printed code on the back which, when entered on the official Transformers Cybertron homepage, would grant them access to a special snippet of information or behind-the-scenes information about that particular character or toy.

Armorhide’s Planet Key is a repaint of the Planet X Key, and thus has a deceptive Decepticon logo molded into the back of it (which, sorry, I can’t get a clear shot of), and it has another silver Sector 7 logo printed on the front. (There is no Planet Key code printed in back for this repaint.) When his Key is inserted in the middle of his back, the front grille and bumper flip up to reveal a rack of eight yellow missiles waiting to fire off. Though they can’t be removed, the missile tips subtly slide forward a hair-or-two as the Key is being inserted. If the crane is not in place, the Key can be inserted in vehicle mode as well to reveal the missile rack. As an additional bonus, Armorhide can store his Planet Key on his rifle when in vehicle mode. (He can do this in robot mode if you wish, but it adds too much weight for the arm joints to handle.) Storing a Planet Key on/in a figure is limited to US-released figures only; the only other that I am aware of that can do this is the Ultra-class Starscream toy.

Many TF fans declared blasphemy when the original “…Cybertron” Armorhide came out; cab-over trucks usually being exclusive to Optimus Prime. But the quality of the toy, regardless of how out-of-scale it was, won many over, and few complaints exist today in regards to the original. (There have been other characters in the past called “Armorhide”- some being Decepticons- as far back as the original G1 series in 1984, but they are usually associated with armored military vehicles.) But I got him anyways not knowing its true origins, liking it all the way. And so, this was a [rare] case of me getting a repaint just because it is a repaint, and I liked the design that much. I can’t really complain about anything here. Perhaps they went a bit overboard with the majority of it being molded in black- my big complaint here being that perhaps the colors used aren’t ‘realistic’ like most of the other Scout-class repaints released during the 2007 movie line. The head is also a bit tricky to move around, as are those knees, when transforming him. But a lot of people liked this guy when he first came out in 2006 even though he was a US-exclusive. So, I recommend getting Armorhide if you missed him the first time around or if you like it as the repaint.

This figure is a Target-exclusive release for the 2007 live-action film. It is a repaint of the original Autobot Signal Flare from the “Transformers: Energon” line.

A boy’s first car should be a special event in his life. Finding the right girl is also important, and to do that, he needs a special car. But for Sam Witwicky, he is completely unaware of how special his car really is… until it drives away from his house all by itself… and changes into a giant robot! Sam soon finds himself as the key to ending an intergalactic battle between two factions of a race of alien robots which can change shape at will- the peaceful Autobots and dangerous Decepticons- as they fight to find and retake the powerful AllSpark Cube that created their race. But enemies lie in wait on Earth as well. While the Decepticons are already on our planet looking for their long-lost leader Megatron, the United States secret government organization Sector 7 already knows about the alien robots, and will do anything to keep them hidden. It is not until the great & noble Optimus Prime and several other Autobots crash-land on Earth in their search for the god-like Cube that the 10,000 year-old stalemated war begins anew- with the fate of both races in the hands of these intelligent, powerful alien robots in disguise… and a boy and his car.

This Autobot Signal Flare figure is a Target-exclusive release for the live-action film “Transformers” (2007). It is a repaint of the original Autobot Signal Flare from the “Transformers: Energon” (2005) line. Unlike regular Autobots and Decepticons, Signal Flare was one of many neutral-party Omnicons who could wield powerful raw Energon weapons. All molds, details, transformation, and special features are the same between the two toys; only plastic colors and paint applications have been changed. This is the first repaint for this toy since its debut in the “…Energon” series.

Signal Flare’s vehicle mode (back) is a combination mobile radar station and heavy energy cannon, depending on how the Energon accessories are attached to him. For movement, he has a combination of four front wheels beneath the forward control section, and two large tractor treads in back (with two smaller hidden wheels inside them). Perhaps the only odd part of the vehicle mode is having the brown left arm sticking out the back; it kinda implies that Signal Flare acts as a tractor for another component or ‘bot, but I have found no evidence to support this. However, this extended section is a great place for the black-on-silver Sector 7 logo to hang out. I have found that he never rests completely even on all [six] wheels at the same time, no matter how much you fidget with it; most likely this is a quality control problem, but I’m not certain. As opposed to the original’s neon blue, dark blue, mustard yellow, black, and transparent red, the repaint of Signal Flare for the movie’s release is molded in olive green, black, gray, and brown, with silver, brown, and a little green, yellow & red paint added. The same plain gray plastic is used for the Spark Crystal and Energon weapons (more on this later) This was done to make Signal Flare fit more comfortably into the movie’s regular line of character, giving it a slight more ‘real-life’ appearance and style since modern heavy military vehicles have a similar light forest camouflage.

The large cannon above is almost as long as the vehicle itself, and is quite poseable- it can point both up and down, and can twist all the way around through 360-degrees! But here’s the really cool part: when the turret twists to the side or up & down, the forward light gray half of the cannon itself twists automatically via a hidden internal mechanism!

Signal Flare’s transformation is very easy to learn and execute. Unlike most of the original designs for the movie, he does not have a more-recent Automorph feature anywhere in or on him. (Back to basics- I like that! Automorph is a nice gimmick to have around, but if they make 'em too often, it loses its novelty.)

The one aspect of his transformation which I really worry about is that long black bar that his upper torso telescopes down. At one end is a ball-and-socket joint (which, in my opinion, was unnecessary for how it is used), and at the other is his head. The only thing (as far as I can tell) that prevents the gray torso from popping off completely while extending it back for vehicle mode is the very tiny, barely-there horns on the top of his head. And since you really have to wiggle that torso part around to extend or retract it, I’m concerned that it will eventually wear at them and finally break them off. Unfortunately, you have to deal with this problem every time since everything doesn’t line up correctly if you don’t extend it all the way in vehicle mode.

Ironically, even though the bar that Signal Flare’s head is on twists side-to-side during the transformation, the head itself cannot twist in robot mode.

Signal Flare’s smaller robot mode (back) is more familiar to Transformers fans- blocky with rounded edges, simple to execute, clear details- than the designs in the movie, which had complex molds & details, highly complicated designs, and featured more steps for the transformations than average. In some ways, it’s a relief from the seemingly chaotic robots seen on the big screen! Unlike just about all of the movie designs, Signal Flare’s head does not feature a transparent backing for light to shine through, so his visor-like monoeye is painted red. His Spark Crystal- which was originally located above and behind the un-painted cockpit, just in front of the mounting point for the cannon- now rests in the center of his chest. His right arm remains a giant cannon with no grappling device (and or claw) present. The brown ABS left arm is a bit more traditional looking, and still carries the S7 logo. The legs are formed by the sides of the vehicle mode- the back half swinging around to form the lower legs & feet. To swing around the legs while transforming him, the front side bumpers end up behind his hips.

Poseability in Signal Flare is some of the most reasonable I’ve seen in these repainted Scout-class figures that I’ve reviewed so far. The cannon arm on the right side retains it’s tilting and twisting, while the cannon barrel continues to twist when you move it. (Awesome, that.) The left arm has a single ball-and-socket joint in the shoulder, and a simpler single joint in the elbow. (That elbow can also bend backwards too. Ewwwww…) The hips turn on two axis (one of them due to how he transforms), though you can’t bend them backwards at all because those vehicle mode bumpers prevent them from doing so. Surprisingly on this figure, there are knee joints which bend 90-degrees. The only odd part about this knee is that it’s a bit too low on the leg, so it bends in a kinda-strange place. But, hey- at least they can bend!

One of the regular features/gimmicks of the “…Energon” line was that they all had a Spark Crystal [inspired by the first ones on the Transmetal-2 figures from “Beast Wars: Transformers” (1997-1999)]. These are tiny transparent domes no more than ½” in diameter located somewhere in both vehicle and robot modes, which showed their true allegiance- Autobot or Decepticon. Then a separate color-coded transparent ABS plastic Energon part could be affixed over the crystal to indicate that they were, em… ‘powered-up’ with Energon. (I don’t know how this was portrayed in the series, so I can’t comment on that.) Signal Flare’s Energon part is just a plain gray ABS as opposed to being a transparent coloring.

(In case you are unaware, a spark is the soul or life-force of a Transformer which makes them more than just machines- extending them into truly living machines. All Cybertronians- big, small, young or old, powerful or not- have one. Optimus Prime touched on this briefly- almost exposing his own- in the 2007 movie when the Autobots are conversing outside of the Griffith Observatory.)

. . .

While all Cybertronians in the “…Energon” series had a Spark Crystal and overlapping Energon piece, most of them were also able to wield extra color-coded transparent Energon pieces which could be spring-loaded cannons, or separate parts merging later into larger combined blade weapons like axes or swords. The larger combined Energon weapon(s) could be utilized by all of the toys, though they were usually only meant to be used by larger/more-powerful Deluxe-, Voyager-, and Leader-class figures. The separating weapons could usually be used also in vehicle mode as enhancements/add-on features. The holes in the hands have become standardized since the “…Energon” line ended, so all succeeding lines- at this point "Transformers: Cybertron” and Transformers: Classics (2006)- can use the weapons. (However, most of the figures from the 2007 movie’s line don’t have hands that can grip the Energon weapons.)

Signal Flare’s combined Energon weapon comes in three parts. The first is a quartered radar dish that is composed of two separately-rotating parts. This can attach to the end of the cannon for both vehicle and robot modes. So, regardless of if the cannon’s barrel is rotating or not, the dish can be independently turned by hand as well. (Signal Flare is boxed with the dish already attached.) The other two parts are like thick sensor vanes, and in vehicle mode, attach to the pivoting point at the back of the cannon on either side. (The vanes are not seen attached to the cannon in robot mode, but this remains an option if you wish.) In robot mode, the vanes connect at their bases to form a narrow shield that Signal Flare can only hold flat in his left hand. The combined Energon weapon takes these three parts and merges them into a mish-mashed buzzsaw ax, which can be wielded by Signal Flare only in robot mode. (Only the left hand, again, can hold the buzzsaw ax.) The Spark Crystal cover mentioned earlier does not interact with the weapon (s), but they can be used at the same time on him without interfering with each other.

I remember when “Transformers: Energon” was on the shelves years ago, I saw the original Signal Flare. Most likely, I turned my nose up at him then just because of the coloring. I was a fool for doing so! While I was researching for this review, I was reminded of how much I actually wanted the original, but missed my chance to get it! So why did I get a repaint when I do that so rarely? Well, that explains the appeal of some repaints- they just work better than the originals. It’s a great toy with no real problems to it (using the very tiny horns on the head to hold the torso in place still makes me nervous, and how he holds the shield is kinda weird), the mold details are great, and he moves well for a toy his size. Often times, the colors chosen for the toy can overshadow how great it can be. And other times, the opposite is true, great choice of coloring, but poor design, sculpts, or functions. And sometimes I see a repaint that is interesting, but I am satisfied with the original that I already have. So, because I missed it the first time around, it is a repaint that I agree with, and less because it is a repaint issued during the run of the movie’s lineup which did not appear on-screen, I strongly recommend getting Signal Flare.

This figure is a Target-exclusive release for the 2007 live-action film. It is a repaint of the original Autobot Strongarm from the “Transformers: Energon” line.

A boy’s first car should be a special event in his life. Finding the right girl is also important, and to do that, he needs a special car. But for Sam Witwicky, he is completely unaware of how special his car really is… until it drives away from his house all by itself… and changes into a giant robot! Sam soon finds himself as the key to ending an intergalactic battle between two factions of a race of alien robots which can change shape at will- the peaceful Autobots and dangerous Decepticons- as they fight to find and retake the powerful AllSpark Cube that created their race. But enemies lie in wait on Earth as well. While the Decepticons are already on our planet looking for their long-lost leader Megatron, the United States secret government organization Sector 7 already knows about the alien robots, and will do anything to keep them hidden. It is not until the great & noble Optimus Prime and several other Autobots crash-land on Earth in their search for the god-like Cube that the 10,000 year-old stalemated war begins anew- with the fate of both races in the hands of these intelligent, powerful alien robots in disguise… and a boy and his car.

This Autobot Strongarm figure is a Target-exclusive release for the live-action film “Transformers” (2007). It is a repaint of the original Autobot Strongarm from the “Transformers: Energon” (2005) line. Unlike regular Autobots and Decepticons, Strongarm was one of many neutral-party Omnicons who could wield powerful raw Energon weapons. All molds, details, transformation, and special features are the same between the two toys; only plastic colors and paint applications have been changed. Since its debut in the “…Energon” series, the figure was also repainted differently for the following “Transformers: Cybertron” line the next year (2006) under the same name, though he did not appear in the show.

Strongarm’s vehicle mode (back) is that of a small Cybertronian open-air off-road 4x4. Or to put it another way, he looks like a bulked-up Jeep. Though the two black seats are way too out of scale, I think this guy perhaps actually started life as a scaled-up single-seat ATV! (So… would this make this version of Strongarm a tip of the hat to the old 1984 G1 character Autobot Hound, who also changed into a green Jeep? I leave that comparison to you.) The windshield is a flat panel (though it separates into equal haves for transformation). Both the windshield and the front bumper (with yellow lights) share the same brown paint coloring. The two seats in the passenger section are molded in black plastic, with a light gray console between them. No steering wheel or somewhere to place one’s feet are present. Two green panels can fold out to resemble doors… unfortunately they swing the wrong way for an Earth vehicle! The four black ABS wheels all spin easily, with silver-painted hubcaps; though the front ones are slightly smaller than the back ones. Also very visible in this mode is a Sector 7 logo placed above the left wheel well behind the light gray roll bar. Other molded vehicle surface details include headlights & break lights (the latter not painted), side view mirrors, and a spare fuel canister along the back left side. As opposed to the original’s canary yellow, dark blue, metallic blue, and sand brown, the repaint of Strongarm for the movie’s release is molded in olive green, regular green, silver, with black, and yellow, silver, and brown paint added. A darkened transparent plastic is used for the Spark Crystal and Energon weapons (more on this later) This was done to make Strongarm fit more comfortably into the movie’s regular line of character, giving it a slight more ‘real-life’ appearance and style since most modern 4x4 Army vehicles have a similar tropical green camouflage.

Pretty much the only thing this guy does in vehicle mode is roll around. However, the [two halves of the] windshield can fold down onto the hood, much as real Jeeps were known to do. On the back right wheel well is a jointed post which serves as an anchor point for the Energon weapon.

Strongarm’s transformation is very easy to learn and execute. Unlike most of the original designs for the movie, he does not have a more-recent Automorph feature anywhere in or on him. (Back to basics- I like that! Automorph is a nice gimmick to have around, but if they make 'em too often, it loses its novelty.)

The only step that may prove difficult for larger hands would be trying to spin around Strongarm’s head- there’s very little space to work with in there. This would actually have been a good place for Automorph if it had been around in 2005, since both the head and waist twist around 180-degrees! (But if that had happened, we would probably have lost the head twisting as a result.)

Strongarm’s smaller robot mode (back) is more familiar to Transformers fans- blocky with rounded edges, simple to execute, clear details- than the designs in the movie, which had complex molds & details, highly complicated designs, and featured more steps for the transformations than average. In some ways, it’s a relief from the seemingly chaotic robots seen on the big screen! Unlike just about all of the movie designs, Strongarm’s head does not feature a transparent backing for light to shine through, so his eyes are painted yellow. In a rather nice and simple twist-to-swap, his back wheels spin around in their wells to form the back inner torso, while his arms swing out on the same joint from the undercarriage. (Nice!) His Spark Crystal- which was originally located behind the roll bar- now rests in the center of his chest. The plain green ‘door’ panels form side-skirt armor, while the roll bar folds down over his lower torso. In a classic twist (literally), the front third of the vehicle forms the legs, with the windshield(s) forming very flat feet. It’s a bit deceptive at first because it looks like when standing straight he’s tipping backwards slightly from the angle of the feet/windshields, but trust me he’s not. Very minor paint apps are revealed in robot mode- silver on the upper legs, and some brown panels on his upper arms (both front and back). The silver S7 logo now sits comfortably on the lower left side of his chest, with a molded green Autobot symbol right above it in green.

Poseability for such a small toy (he’s just shy of 4” in robot mode) is as expected from a basic & simplified Scout-class figure- acceptable, though sometimes lacking, but this makes him affordable at $7.99 to parents who can get their kids something small and quick while they are in the store, or for grandparents who may know even less about Transformers as a whole to get as a small treat to spoil them. Most of his joints are rather tight, or take a bit more force to snap to that next angle. The way the back wheels rotate into his upper torso has an added advantage of allowing him a slightly better range of motion in his shoulders that just those ball-and-socket joints would provide on their own. The roll bar in front of his hips hinders this a bit, but it easily moves out of the way, as do the two side-skirt parts. One big problem is the limits in his hips. With the vehicle seats located on the back of his upper legs, it makes it very difficult to turn them, and impossible to swing them backwards at all. This, coupled with the fact that his feet snap into that one position, combines to makes the legs difficult to balance him in any pose you come up with. While the feet can swing up, they won’t hold his weight up for very long at all before collapsing or tipping him over.

One of the regular features/gimmicks of the “…Energon” line was that they all had a Spark Crystal [inspired by the first ones on the Transmetal-2 figures from “Beast Wars: Transformers” (1997-1999)]. These are tiny transparent domes no more than ½” in diameter located somewhere in both vehicle and robot modes, which showed their true allegiance- Autobot or Decepticon. Then a separate color-coded transparent ABS plastic Energon part could be affixed over the crystal to indicate that they were, em… ‘powered-up’ with Energon. (I don’t know how this was portrayed in the series, so I can’t comment on that.) Strongarm’s Energon part is a clear-but-darkened transparent coloring.

(In case you are unaware, a spark is the soul or life-force of a Transformer which makes them more than just machines- extending them into truly living machines. All Cybertronians- big, small, young or old, powerful or not- have one. Optimus Prime touched on this briefly- almost exposing his own- in the 2007 movie when the Autobots are conversing outside of the Griffith Observatory.)

. . .

While all Cybertronians in the “…Energon” series had a Spark Crystal and overlapping Energon piece, most of them were also able to wield extra color-coded transparent Energon pieces which could be spring-loaded cannons, or separate parts merging later into larger combined blade weapons like axes or swords. The larger combined Energon weapon(s) could be utilized by all of the toys, though they were usually only meant to be used by larger/more-powerful Deluxe-, Voyager-, and Leader-class figures. The separating weapons could usually be used also in vehicle mode as enhancements/add-on features. The holes in the hands have become standardized since the “…Energon” line ended, so all succeeding lines- at this point “Transformers: Cybertron” and Transformers Classics (2006)- can use the weapons. (However, most of the figures from the 2007 movie’s line don’t have hands that can grip the Energon weapons.)

Strongarm’s combined Energon weapon comes in three parts. The first is a long bar-shaped handle with several holes and posts on it. When in vehicle mode, it can attach to the tilting post over his right wheel well to form either a long cannon, or a non-functional crane with a twisting hook on the end. The two half-circle pieces- already attached to the vehicle mode when you buy him, disguise themselves as a spare wheel fits in back (via a hole in the top of his head!) This- along with the Energon part cover- is the only way to attach them all in vehicle mode. In robot mode, he has a few more options. The cannon can stay on that post to become a shoulder cannon, and then the two circle halves separate, and attach to both shoulders! The combined Energon weapon takes these three parts and merges them into a giant axe, which can be wielded by Strongarm only in robot mode. (The elbows are actually a little weak on mine, so he can’t hold it up for very long.) The Spark Crystal cover mentioned earlier does not interact with the weapon (s), but they can be used at the same time on him without interfering with each other.

I’m sure that when “Transformers: Energon” was on the shelves years ago, I may have seen the original Strongarm. Most likely, I turned my nose up at him then. Looking at the original online while I was researching for this review, I am reminded of why I chose not to get him then- those colors just didn’t work! So why did I get a repaint when I do that so rarely? Well, that explains the appeal of some repaints- they just work better than the originals. It’s a great toy with no real problems to it (the hips are a bit difficult to manage, as is turning the head around), the mold details are great, and he moves well for a toy his size. Often times, the colors chosen for the toy can overshadow how great it can be. And other times, the opposite is true, great choice of coloring, but poor design, sculpts, or functions. And sometimes I see a repaint that is interesting, but I am satisfied with the original that I already have. So, more because it is a repaint that I agree with that helped me to know it better, and less because it is a repaint issued during the run of the movie’s lineup which did not appear on-screen, I recommend getting Strongarm.

I’d treat it as a repaint even though some of the parts are different. You can live without it if you want to; no big loss.

A boy’s first car should be a special event in his life. Finding the right girl is also important, and to do that, he needs a special car. But for Sam Witwicky, he is completely unaware of how special his car really is… until it drives away from his house all by itself… and changes into a giant robot! Sam soon finds himself as the key to ending an intergalactic battle between two factions of a race of alien robots which can change shape at will- the peaceful Autobots and dangerous Decepticons- as they fight to find and retake the powerful AllSpark Cube that created their race. But enemies lie in wait on Earth as well. While the Decepticons are already on our planet looking for their long-lost leader Megatron, the United States secret government organization Sector 7 already knows about the alien robots, and will do anything to keep them hidden. It is not until the great & noble Optimus Prime and several other Autobots crash-land on Earth in their search for the god-like Cube that the 10,000 year-old stalemated war begins anew- with the fate of both races in the hands of these intelligent, powerful alien robots in disguise… and a boy and his car.

The Autobots have been searching long and hard for the AllSpark Cube since their leader, Optimus Prime, desperately cast it into space to prevent Megatron from getting his metallic claws on it and bringing a new order of domination and suffering to the already-demolished planet of Cybertron. Before then, both Autobots and Decepticons waged a long war against each other for possession of the Cube. Among the Autobots’ ranks, Jazz was noticed early on by the high command for his smooth style in both peace and war. In addition to being a smooth talker and sharp thinker, his small size also lent to his unique agility on the battlefield. Eventually, he was noticed by Optimus Prime as having leadership potential, since he could get along very easily with both fellow warriors and superiors. Though not particularly strong physically, Jazz- with his love of life and culture- was selected by Prime to stand by his side as they searched the galaxy for the AllSpark. Upon hard-landing on a planet thought to contain the ancient life-giving artifact, Jazz was quick to pick-up on the native culture, and assumed the disguised form of one of their smaller sports vehicles- certain to draw attention to himself even if they don’t know what he really is. At the time, only the similar-sized Bumblebee could match Jazz’s interest in the primitive biological species. Though the shortest of the Autobots- standing only 13’ (4.3m) tall- Jazz is also a brave and competent warrior- spotting a small plasma cannon hidden inside his shield, and adjustable magnetic grapplers on his arms for clinging and leaping from Cybertron’s metal-faceted towers and bridges. For his trip to Earth, he studied many of its languages through a planet-wide information network, and so he is fluent in English- even to the point of being able to understand and use the nuances & slang from the streets of America! Jazz’s voice is performed by the young and multi-talented Darius McCrary.

Jazz’s vehicle mode (back) is that of a Pontiac Solstice™ GXP street roadster designed and manufactured by General Motors Corporation™ under their Pontiac™ brand-name. Though it debuted as a convertible automobile with a retractable fabric roof in 2006, Pontiac’s first attempt at a roadster was rather small comparatively to other companies’ designs in the past. For its appearance in “Transformers”, several small modifications were made to the prop vehicle(s) used for Jazz’s disguised form, most notably the new hardtop cover for the passenger area, and a spoiler along the back. The 2009 production version- a coupe- will officially feature the hard top as well; though it was custom made by the production team for the stunt cars used at the time the film was being made before 2007. The toy version is very faithful to the real car, also seamlessly incorporating the [external] changes that the production team made to the stunt vehicle: rounded nose with low split front grills, and painted domes for both the parking and headlights; low-sitting passenger section with seat backs and steering wheel featured inside; and the thin spoiler hanging above the red painted brake lights above the merged back bumper, license plate, & exhaust ports. More for the sake of the transformation, the spoiler can be repositioned either all the way raised up, or flattened down. Also, because the hardtop was added to the stunt car(s), the raised shapes behind the passenger and driver’s seats remains- though the back windshield itself is not featured or painted in.

Unlike the standard [undamaged] version of the Deluxe-class Autobot Jazz which has plain transparent blue windows, this Final Battle version uses turquoise transparent plastic instead to differentiate it from the regular one since they are identical otherwise in vehicle mode- right down to the small red painted Pontiac logo right on the nose! Also, this Final Battle ver. features a larger removable weapon different from the regular version’s. However, it can still clip onto the spoiler in the same fashion in vehicle mode. (I’ll cover the weapon in detail a little later…)

‘Automorph Technology’ is a new special feature that is fairly unique to the 2007 movie figures. What Automorph does is when one specific section moves, there is an internal system of gears and levers which moves another part in the same region. (Although, I’m sure a similar function has presented itself in the other lines from the various anime-inspired series. I do know for certain that the huge “Transformers Galaxy Force” Primus figure had such function(s) in his back armor, leg weapon units, and chest/head.) In the Deluxe-class Final Battle Jazz, there is one Automorph function:

• As the windows and passenger section are flipped downwards, the head is flipped upwards 90-degrees. At the same time, the center section of the nose is nudged forward slightly, and the parking lights on either side slide inwards a little bit.

This moving of the three sections of the nose is so slight that it hardly makes any difference, and sometimes you even have to assist the Automorph function by helping those side sections move inwards since there doesn’t seem to be enough leverage via the internal mechanism for it to work properly. (And to be honest, it doesn’t really change the look of the nose that much, even though this is how it works on the movie’s CG character model as well.) The neck section is on a spring, but it doesn’t really come up that whole 90-degrees and just kinda hangs there. But fortunately, it isn’t that noticeable when all is said and done. Also, to start it all off, raising those hood panels out of the nose section is really hard to do since you have to twist the arm while it’s still transformed in vehicle mode… which it’s not designed to do! Even though they fit fairly well, you can’t just pry them out; you have to wiggle the retracted shoulders to get the arms released in order to change them.

Jazz’s robot mode (back) only partially resembles the awesome Autobot from the film. However, this is the Final Battle version of Jazz. While this is not a repaint, many changes have been made despite identical transformations. The torso, arms, and back all remain untouched, and contain all of the original’s paint applications and plastic coloring. But due to how the toy is made, new parts were created to emulate what Jazz looked like in his final moments in the film as Megatron quickly dispatched the brave Autobot by literally tearing his robot body in half. Jazz’s head- including the transparent blue visor- and legs show signs of armor being blasted away, parts having been torn off, and blue-colored Energon leaking from him. None of this damage, however, appears on the car parts, his arms or torso. Unlike just about every single set from the movie, Jazz’s lower arms have no internal substance to them, and are made from just the hood of the vehicle mode folded over which gives them quite a weak and hollow appearance; the three-fingered hands cannot grab anything and merely fold out like tiny stubs at the ends of his arms. (BTW, in the movie, Jazz had four fingers on each hand, not three…) Though Jazz has two wheels inside his lower legs in the movie that he can skate around on (notably in the movie-adaptation “Transformers: The Game”), the toy’s are located behind his knees. But what I can’t figure out is what these two twisting thingies do on the outside of his ankles. They serve no purpose, and don’t really move except when transforming him.

Poseability is rather on the poor and uncoordinated side. So I’ll just get the one small good thing out of the way real quick: his head uses a ball-and-socket joint, and is very flexible; more-so than just about any other transformable figure in the line! There. Now for the rest… His elbows can only shift forwards about 45-degrees. Unfortunately, they can twist backwards further than they can forwards; and because of how bulky his shoulders are, it’s hard to tell (unless you own him) whether-or-not he’s bending his arms at all! His knees have a similar problem, though I can’t figure out why they did it this way. The lower legs can bend both forward and backwards about 45-degrees; all other transformable figures in the 2007 line- not including repaints from past lines- can bend their knees at least 90-degrees backwards. This makes posing him even more limiting. The shoulders, hips, and ankles, however, are helpful and are more on the standard side of flexible.

If you’ll notice in the movie, Jazz uses a small crescent-shaped shield with a cannon mounted in the middle of it. He uses it not even a handful of times in the movie, and we never get a clear picture of it. The regular non-damaged version of Jazz used an extendable-barrel rifle that was curiously advertised as a sword. (Why? Beats me…) Not even in official production artwork did Jazz carry such a weapon. The Final Battle ver. solves this, though in an odd way. Rather than a small sub machinegun-like weapon, we get this whole honkin’ buster launcher-inspired rifle with a spring-loaded transparent-turquoise plasma missile included. What makes this movie-accurate is the horseshoe-shaped shield that folds over the front of it, and the barrel of the cannon matches the multiple-barrels of the ‘real’ weapon. But why this long stock was included on it, I don’t know. And, like the extendable ‘blade’ weapon from the original set’s, this plasma rifle is not gripped by the hand, but rather pinned awkwardly between the two halves of the lower arm! (If the lower arms had been better designed, I would have said this was pretty cool looking-!) For kicks, the original had a shield made up of the top back-half of the trunk that could disconnect from the robot mode’s back, and attach to the wheels on the shoulders. The Final Battle ver. can also do this, as well as hook the plasma rifle onto it in the same way that it does in vehicle mode. (Question- what is that extra swinging section used for that covers the back-half/stock section of the rifle in vehicle mode? It has a post on it, but it’s not used for anything…)

Going into it, I knew that he was a little disproportionate with the smaller arms and thicker legs… but, honestly, what Transformer usually isn’t in some way? That’s not what I’m complaining about here. What I’m complaining about is how inflexible he is at the elbows and knees. I mean, every single original Deluxe-class figure can bend their elbows 90-degrees forward. No exceptions. And really, only Autobot Bumblebee, Decepticon Barricade, and Jazz came from the movie and are to-scale with the rest of the line. The head being able to move around is really nice, and the hips and ankles are… okay. But the rest of it…? I’m not really impressed. It was nice to have that movie weapon also, but why’d they make it, like, 10-times bigger than it needed to be, beyond accommodating the missile launcher mechanism? On the other hand, it was nice of Hasbro to provide us with not just another repaint, but a significantly-altered figure that actually appeared [to a degree] in the movie. The damaged sections look good, and the bluish Energon ‘blood’ was a nice touch too… since we don’t often think of giant robots as leaking anything when damaged other than lubricants, sparks, and smoke. Now, I’m gonna be a completist here for a rare occasion, and get the regular-ver. of the figure. As for the Final Battle ver., I’d treat it as a repaint even though some of the parts are different. You can live without it if you want to; no big loss. However, because it wasn’t just another repaint, I’d say go for it. And- as I’m going to do- when you get this version, you can swap the weapons on it to make the regular version a little more movie-accurate. Overall, I give Final Battle Jazz a 3-out-of-5; and not a very strong recommendation at that.