Customer Reviews

Transformers Movie 2 Leader Jetfire

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

A real treat here, TF fans. This figure is abound w/versatility: w/panels that become prime's firearm (in jet charged mode: that's a whole 'nother story altogether!), multiple accessories and a third mode that combines W/leader Optimus, this figure really delivers @ MSRP of 44.99. Although the robot gears and anatomy are eyesore-inducing (aka the phenomenon of "Kibble" as we collectors refer to it), the functionality of Jetfire is more than enough to compensate for it. Has excellent articulation for an item that undergoes a fair deal of transformation (though, in my opinion, Voyager Mixmaster takes the cake for metamorphosis/articulation ratio). The Mech-Alive gimmick is fairly intricate despite its limited range, and the speech gimmick does the trick (however, I thought Hasbro could've strived for more than just a single, eponymous line of dialogue for these leader-class figures).
And lastly, the fusing you can do w/him and optimus is true fun realized: a MASSIVE figure when completed (but more range of motion for the limbs could've been taken into account, but hey, this is Transformers we're dealing with here! We don't need to focus on details, just the BIG picture!) This figure will really add a sense of gravity to wherever it's displayed, at the office (if you don't get into any trouble w/it!), the home, or specifically, in your bedroom or home theater.
Overall, you're going to have a blast with this figure (especially if you already own Leader Prime!), and it is in my strongest opinion that you snatch him up before you have to wait weeks (maybe months!) before you get a second chance at this triple changer of a transformer! AUTOBOTS, TRANSFORM... AND ROLL OUT!

Leader Class Jetfire

Robot mode pros:
-He's hunched over, just like in the film and can actually use his cane as a cane. (How neat is that?) Captures the feel of the film character.

-He's rather posable considering all of his gimmicks and combiner pieces being a core component of the figure.

-His face is a nearly perfect representation of the film character. (A really nice job, no seriously.)

Robot mode cons:

-His balance is a bit difficult due to his legs having weak ratchets compared to the voluminous weight of his backpack. (This is where the hunched over look comes in handy.)

-The panels that hide his face for vehicle and combined mode are double ball jointed and they pop off all the time. Becomes rather bothersome to have to snap 'em back in place all the time.

Transformation pros:

-Rather easy, so you (or your kids) won't be terribly frustrated going from one mode or the other, unlike Optimus Prime. (There's a figure that'll make kids and parents alike, unhappy.)

-When done correctly (read the instructions, you'll see what I mean.) he holds together tight and firm. (in both modes.)

Transformation cons:

-Panels pop off, pieces have to be set just right to make sure the entire shell of the place is locked in place. (I know it sounds like I contradicted my earlier statement of him being easy to transform, and I still stand by that. It just takes a lot of fine tuning to get it just right. It's worth it though.)

Vehicle mode pros:

-Massive. (No, seriously. His vehicle mode is that of a Lockheed Martin, Skunkworks SR-71. This is a good 15 inches long, perhaps even longer, I've yet to measure it.) If you wish to display him in vehicle mode, make room, otherwise he'll be a problem when finding a spot. (He's massive, did I mention that? :P)

-Exacting detail. (One of the best detailing jobs on a figure I've ever seen. Every panel, every intake, even the pilot's name (which I believe is fictional, I Googled...) is there in stunning accuracy. It even has the Skunkworks logo on the tail fins!)

Vehicle mode cons:

-The robot parts can be seen on the underside of the plane, which kills the accuracy on that end of it. (But the rest of the vehicle mode is replicated to the finest details.)

-His size. (It's a pro and a con. Pro for the awesome factor, con for the storage factor. Seriously, he's darn near unmanageable.)

Comebined mode pros:

-Captures the film character rather well, considering it's literally two toys latched together.

-Imposing, impressive, and hefty. (I mean it, he's a heavy bugger in the combined mode.)

Combined mode cons:

-Very difficult to make all the connectors work. (Once they do, they're difficult to remove.)

-No posability, just an awesome looking statue with movable arms and a head.

-Top heavy.

Other thoughts:

Overall, Jetfire is a solid figure, with a terrific vehicle mode, and a neat transformation. He isn't without his flaws, however, but they aren't enough to ruin the figure's fun and awesomeness. Once you have it in your hands, you'll see what I mean. The few negatives are well worth all of the positives on this figure.

I do recommend you be careful with the rubbery belt pieces (used for the combined mode) because they look like they could easily break, or dry rot as time goes on.

The combination is cheesy, at best, though it looks impressive, and makes for an irritating time when connecting and disconnecting the figures from one another.

If you can find one, I highly recommend you get this guy. He's a really nice addition to anyone's collection, or that newly made TF fan's wish list. (Welcome to our world, btw!)

What a pairing! One of the best transformers of all time in the form of one of the best jets of all time! The top of the jet is amazing!
For those of you with limited shelf space, Jetfire is about 18" in jet mode (which is my favorite mode). The highest difficulty rating on the box is no joke, it took awhile for me to transform him. I would point out that it wasn't hard to figure out how to transform him, but the already transformed pieces would keep disconnecting, causing me to go back and repeat steps over again(the five general segments that make up the realistic top of the SR-71 were the main culprits).
I have yet to purchase Leader Optimus Prime, so cannot comment on the combination of the two, but the instructions make it look fairly simple from Jetfire's vehicle mode. I'm a huge Jetfire fan from the G1 days, and although I'm not fond of the engineering of this figure(the robot parts are too obvious under the jet, and the jet parts are too bulky in robot mode), it is worth owning. And besides, making him perfect would translate to making him more expensive. I definitely recommend him, and also recommend watching a review or two on [...]or something to see how he transforms in real life.

Like other reviewers have said, vehicle mode is where it's at with this figure...the top half anyway. At around 18" long, this could be the most shelf consuming figure in alot of houses. It looks great displayed in vehicle mode, despite all the kibble on bottom. That can be ignored through squinting. I have trouble getting the jet engines to stay connected with the rest of the main body. The sharp parts are all soft rubber, so it's fairly kid friendly. The fly-by jet noise is cool. Robot mode isn't bad. You can mess around with how everything fits to make it look more screen accurate. He will always look a little wide. Watch a video for the first time you transform him, but after that you should have it down. His voice bit sounds good. His "3rd" mode is what most people will be getting him for: The combination with Leader Optimus is great; it's the way I choose to display them both. I personnally would have liked to see more involved with the legs facing the front side. There are a couple videos showing different ways to combine the two. Again, fidget around with it to your desire. Also, there is a button on the back where you used to press for the jet noise that makes a combination noise. The small missle-firing gun is a pain to get to stay on. Also, despite being very hard to find, I would still hold out a while before paying upwards of [...]like this website advertises. Overall, a decent figure.

Bot mode overall he's pretty impressive mainly bulky so this is a problem when it comes to some poses. However fear not he's an old man so his cane comes in handy, surprisingly. He has a good range of motion as far as his hands,arms, and legs go, but his head is pretty much stationary, though it can move from side to side. He is kibbly in his bot mode, the pieces on his arm and the pieces on his back, which is another reason why he's top heavy and where the cane comes in handy. There some pieces near the side of his head that tend to pop off REAL easy, but just put them back in place, though it is a hassle when transforming him in alt mode.

His facial sculpt is pretty accurate so I at least applaud Hasbro for that.

Transformation wise he is quite simple, compared to that of say leader prime. Just fold him up, literally.....

His alt mode is nice when looking at it from above, but underneath and 3/4 views he is again quite kibbly. But despite that is pretty accurate to the real Blackbird. Not to mention its HUGE, pictures do this mode no justice until seen up close.

Overall despite the kibble he's not a bad figure, very solid and like a poster mentioned the cane really adds to his character, and if you still don't like the cane, it is removable, and the figure still stands.

If you liked the guy in the movie like I did, despite his kibble he will not disappoint, but if your looking for something a bit more sleek I'd probably skip the figure.

Update to add: 7/4/2009

After playing with him a bit he is not really top heavy and quite capable of some NICE poses VERY flexible. Also for his kibble on his arms if you feel comfortable they are removable. Just unscrew one screw and his arms are kibble free. Don't worry he's still transformable, like I said if you don't feel comfortable doing this leave him be and enjoy him.

I don't think I would have gotten this figure if I hadn't seen Optimus combining with Jetfire in the movie. Now that I have him in my hands, as ugly as he is (he's an old man-ish transformer), he's starting to grow on me.

One of the things that I have to say is that these Transformers today are a lot more complicated and delicate as compared to the Transformers back in the 80's. Jetfire is no exception.

These toys are meant for collectors and adults, and kids with gentle hands. Don't give these to excited kids - they'll snap off the arms by accident and be done with it.

Anyway, the first time I transformed him, it took me over an hour. The trickiest part for me was being able to combine the arms together to form the cockpit of the plane. But once I got that down, it was pretty easy. I can now transform the thing in less than 3 minutes. You just need to be aware of the nuances of the hinges and little twisty joints for the arms and legs.

The one thing I notice is that the plane curves a bit. Not sure why this is, but it doesn't go completely straight like how a real plane would. This happens to be the way it is manufactured though - I mean look at the stock photo on this page! Can you see the slight curving of the plane?

YAY or NAY? YAY - it's pretty solidly built, a little tricky to transform in the beginning, and provided you're careful enough, won't break. The plane mode is pretty awesome too, even though it curves a bit.

I love my Jetfire!!! He is the coolest blackbird than any other transformer.(even the Fallen!) I got the conversion the first time I converted him! If you don't have him, add him to your collection by ordering him!!!

This Jetfire is so realistic, when compared with the movie. It's a nice challenge to learn how to transform and combine with Optimus Prime. Really cool.

For a while now many movie toys have lacked a key component of what makes transformers so special. This is play value. It is a simple concept that makes a person just plain enjoy his/her transforming robots. Jetfire has this in spades! In either mode he is very nice as an SR-71 Blackbird or as an angry old man with a Gatling gun on his arm. This figure exudes pure fun. Then there is the combined mode. Wow. If you have this guy do yourself a favor and pick up leader Prime. I 100% guarantee that you will become a Jetfire fan overnight when you see the towering figure that is the combined Optimus+Jetfire Super mode!!!! The toy is just so versatile that you really should stop reading this review and pick one up for yourself!

Jetfire is a grizzled old man of a transformer so how does he stack up as an action figure?

For Kids:
I can't see how any kid who's into Transformers at all would not like this guy. He's huge, both in robot and in vehicle modes and has lights and sounds. In combined mode with Optimus Prime he's an awesome battle bot of crazy proportions. What's not to like? Well, his transformation is not easy and the combining takes some skill as well so I would not recommend breaking a kid in on this guy. Additionally the panels that make up his vehicle form are thin and have small tabs all over them that could break with an impatient child.

For Adults:
In robot mode as he comes out of the box he's quite impressive. He's not really any taller than Leader Class Optimus but seems bigger due to the bulk on his back. It adds a heft to him. While he's heavy he's not overbalanced with it like Human Alliance Sideswipe (Transformers Movie 2 Human Alliance - Sideswipe w/ Sergeant Epps) and the way it's all hooked to his back looks regal on him as opposed to silly. His arms and legs are well articulated but there's not much you can do with his head. Push the button down on his chest and gears in his chest move, his head and chest light up and he says his name in a neat Irish accent.

Changing him to the SR-71 Blackbird is a challenge to say the least and it will take several times to become proficient at it. His main body simply unfolds but the panels of the plane are the difficult part. They click and tab together very delicately. A few of them are designed to pop off instead of break - which is good - but it can get annoying about the 5th time the same panel pops off while you're trying to finish up. Once changed he's as solid as he should be though, assuming you clicked everything into place correctly.

From the top this guy is a picture perfect SR-71 and looks just plain awesome. Take her up to 75,000 feet at Mach 3 baby! In this form you can press a button near the back of the plane to make a swooshing noise. The only problem is that from the sides and bottom you see that the robot is, for an intents and purposes, just hanging there on the bottom of the plane. I know there was probably no way to do it but it would have been cool to somehow hide some of those parts (like his arms) inside the plane.

His third mode is to combine with Leader Class Optimus Prime to form a super robot. This adds something special to owning these two toys that makes them awesome to have. Transforming Jetfire to "combine mode" is pretty simple from his vehicle form and Optimus only needs the flaps on his back opened up. There are four main hook up points. At the feet where they snap together very solidly, under the waist, between the Optimus' legs, where they click together with a plate, with a "belt" that wraps around Optimus and connects around his waist and then at Optimus' shoulders (these are the only hook ups I tend to have trouble with)(EDIT - Turns out you should start at the shoulders and work your way down and there is no problem). Some Jetfire flaps become a cool big gun and the gatling gun hooks to Optimus' arm too.

This mode is astoundingly big and dwarfs everything else on the shelf. It looks kind of manga-ish but really good (there's already tons of pics of this up). The button in the back becomes a combined mode sound when you press it. It's the sound of a huge machine walking and is pretty cool. There really is something special about holding this giant mech in your hands. The arms and head are Optimus' so are fully articulated but from the waist down he's pretty immobile. It probably couldn't be helped.

It's tempting to go 5 stars just based on wow factor but to be realistic Jetfire's jet mode has some issues and his transformation and combining are difficult. I'll go 4 stars but really mean 4 1/2. :-)