Taking us Back

The first thing that comes to mind when you mention Autobots is robots turning into cars; its right there in the name after all. The 2007 Classics line aimed at making as many major characters as it could in the short time it had, and as such the only character we got from the 1984/85 autobot cars assortment -the main class of figures in the original line- was Mirage. It wasn't until the 2008 Universe line that Hasbro stretched their wings in producing these characters, there was barely a wave without one or two in it's selection of figures. But still Hasbro had missed a few tricks, in particular one of the most popular characters in the original cartoon and one of the the few to make it into the 2007 movie, was well overdue an update.

Reveal the Sheild Jazz was worth the wait. Next to older figures the progress that the Takara engineers have made is obvious, and finally the character has a worthy toy. Vehicle mode is a mix between aspects of the G1 toy and the movie prop car, being a small two door sportscar in classic (unbranded) Martini racing colours. The vehicle mode is solid and well detailed, although the rear end is lacking paint somewhat. There is a small spoiler just behind his roof, on which his rubsign is situated. The doors can open in order to deploy a pair of speakers, a nod to the character's love of music.

Despite it's small size, the vehicle unfolds into a robot as large as any of the other deluxe Autobots. The result is a very nicely proportioned figure instantly recognisable as Jazz. There is a large amount of usable articulation including a balljointed neck and double hinges on his knees and elbows. His feet are sculpted at an angle to allow natural stances and his fists are the newer open style, and despite troubles I've had with similar ones on other figures Jazz's have caused me no problems. The vehicle mode speakers can be attached to his handgun to make it larger or simply deployed over his sholders as in vehicle mode; although this is somewhat at odds with his stern expression. The only issue Jazz suffers from is a lack of locking mechanism for his chest, only apparent when moving his arms and easy to overcome.







With their current rush of post 1986 characters it's good to see that Hasbro haven't forgotten older favorites. This figure has been well worth the wait, and with only Trailbreaker and Hoist remaining of the first two years of Autobot cars, we seem to be approaching the end of an era in the classicsverse, but who better to herald it than someone who ought to have been in the first wave.