Toy Review: TransFormers Reveal the Shield Special Ops Jazz (2011)

Last February, my dearest girlfriend Rita gave me a Transformers Reveal the Shield Special Ops Jazz for my birthday. It turned out to be one of my most beloved toys ever, not only because it was given to me by my beloved, but also because it is so well-made I would dare say that it fulfilled the Transformers G1 desires that I had when I was a kid.
 

Jazz: "What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?"

Car Mode

I like the paint job of this figure. It is reminiscent of the G1 Jazz yet also have that modern feel to it. The red and blue stripes, the number 4, the translucent headlights, all beautifully made. And unlike the Transformers Universe Prowl whose paint application feels like it is still wet and sticky to the touch, Jazz's paint job is smooth and clean. On the down side, I was a little disappointed that Jazz isn't a Porsche in this incarnation. I've read somewhere that he is half Porsche (the back part) and half Pontiac Solstice (front part) from the movie. I suppose there is some sort of licensing thing going on, but the end result is nice enough.

CADRE Classified: the beginning of a saga

Two years ago, I was excited to learn that our old TOP SECRET/S.I. games back in college are going to see the light of day via comic books. My cousin, Dr. Emil Flores, has been toying around with the idea for the longest time. In 2009, he and our friend Ron Escultura released CADRE: Amerikanong Hilaw.

It was exciting to see how he envisioned the immediate origins of NBI agent Arturo Ganigan. Reading through that left me wanting more, more of the tales that we communally weaved as we talked and imagined and rolled dice. There was no mention of CADRE, what or who it was and how CADRE fit into all this running and driving around Metro Manila. But the good thing is I saw the characters of Arturo Ganigan, Barbie Benigno, Noel Galzote and Tony Santillan on the printed page, remembering how they once populated the world I created. Of course, there are hints thrown here and there in the story that those of us who once played the game could point out and that is a thrilling thing. For those reading the book who has just been introduced into the world of CADRE, they will have to wait for further stories to know how they tie into this story.