Koine Geek: 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.

Speaking of ends, here is one minor disappointment I have with the figure. There is a distinct lack of detail on Jazz's rear end. I wished that there were at least some paint applications where the tail lights ought to be and on the exhaust pipes. But such a minor thing did not really take away from the overall beauty of this toy.

This series of TransFormer toys is called "Reveal the Shield" for this simple but unique reason: there is a black heat-sensitive decal on them that, when you rub it, reveals either an Autobot shield or a Decepticon shield, depending on the allegiance of the character you have at hand. I find it amusing that they called the line by this feature because back when I was younger, it is this feature that distinguishes an authentic TransFormer toy from a bootleg one. And even back then, there were bootleg TransFormers aplenty. The only difference with the thermal decals now is that it was cut in the actual shape of the shield, as opposed to the square ones that came before that still appeared as late as on my Classic Optimus Prime.

An impressive innovation to this incarnation of Jazz is the inclusion of speakers. That's right, SPEAKERS! Granted, they are non-functional, but they are reminiscent of Jazz's speakers from the old cartoon. they are attached to the doors by swivel ball joints and thus can be flipped in such a way that they can face a variety of directions.

Another good innovation is the provision for the attachment of his gun under the hood. Hasbro's designers have tried this in their previous lines with limited success as the gun almost always falls off. But this time, they got it right. They even made the gun in such a way that, when collapsed and attached, it looks roughly like part of the engine.

Robot Mode

Impressive as the car mode was, Jazz really shines in his robot mode. I've had a chance to own an Encore Takara G1 Jazz and, apart from a sense of nostalgia and that it was partly made of die-cast metal, it wasn't as good as a toy because -- with immovable legs and two-point articulation arms -- it wasn't very playable, much less pose-able. I liked that one nevertheless. But when Rita gave me this Jazz, I felt that I could let go of my Encore Jazz more easily. I sold it to a friend of hers so I know it's in good hands.

Action figures of the twenty-first century is all about articulation. They have come a long way from the Star Wars figures with five points of swivel articulation I used to have back in the early 1980s. Modern 3.75-inch GI Joe figures can have as many as twenty-four points of articulation (One shoulder alone has two swivel points constructed in a ball assembly). So it is not surprising that Jazz would have the same treatment. Jazz's arms are attached to his torso via ball joint, giving him almost full range of motion. In addition, there are swivel joints just above the elbow which would allow for a variety of poses.

The elbow itself has two swivel points, allowing the forearm to bend almost completely parallel to the upper arms.

His hips and legs are also well-articulated.the hips have double swivel joints that created a ball joint effect. There is another swivel joint just above the knee that allows for the twisting of his legs. The knees, like the elbows, have double swivel joints. The ankle also has a swivel joint.

Put these together, add a swivel joint at the waist, and you have an awesome figure that can do all sorts of poses once thought impossible for mass-produced toys.

Notice also that Jazz has big feet. And you know what they say about figures with big feet . . . they have very good balance! I know, I know, that is a very old joke, but I couldn't help it. But going back to the feet, just like the Classic Optimus Prime, Jazz can do all sorts of poses and still stay standing up, even a sidekick! This, for me, is one excellent way to test a figure's balance.

The molding of the hands have also come a long way from the blocks of plastic with the fingers just carved into it to roughly form a fist. This time, it is really molded as a semi-open hand.

There is also a bit of molding that makes the hand able to grasp the handle of the gun. Granted, the fingers are not articulated, but it still gets the job done.

Speaking of the gun, it is a nice piece that can be collapsed for storage into the figure itself.

Interestingly, the speakers can be detached from Jazz's doors and attached to the gun. End result was a kind of sonic weapon. Fits well with the persona of Jazz, I suppose. Personally, I'm not too hot about the idea. but I decided to try it out.

It looks interesting, but also a little awkward. I'm not sure if this is what the designers intended, but it looks a little too weird for my taste. But if the configuration was altered just a bit...

... So much better! It now looks like a double-barreled heavy blaster. But it is a little forward heavy and strains the joints too much when posing. The elbows might loosen too soon.

Overall, I highly recommend this figure. It's not the best that it could be, but it is the best from the lot that we have had so far. This is one instance when, in admiring the beauty and intricacies of the created, I cannot help but give a salute to the creators of this fine piece of toy artistry, a reflection of God's creative aspect. It is indeed wonderfully made, despite some faults. And as I've said, this is one of my most favorite toys in my collection. While I believe that Hasbro will make a better Jazz in the future, I'm holding on to this for the rest of my life.

Rating: 9 out of 10