Fantastic Jazz

By Brennen Marshall on March 18, 2019 Byon March 18, 2019 The figure is a fantastic representation of Jazz from the G1 cartoon.



His robot mode really shines, with enough accessories and options to custom pose Jazz however you like. The greatest part of the figure is probably the ease of hiding his door-wings to make the figure more cartoon accurate.



The car mode is good, but not perfect. Some extra robot kibble is visible underneath the car just in front of the rear tires. Also, my copy had some tabbing issues that kept the front right of the vehicle from being flush. I don't think this is any reason to knock a star off, however, because this figure will mainly be displayed in robot mode.

MakeToys Jazz

By A03 on November 29, 2018 Byon November 29, 2018 Overall fantastic figure. Right out of the cartoon. Very smooth transformation, no issues so far.

Good Jazz

By Mike on November 06, 2018 Byon November 06, 2018 I've been very happy with my other Make Toys products and I am as well with Downbeat. This guy looks great in my G1 MP collection and I love the heft of him too but it isn't without it's issues. The middle piece of the hood is flimsy and mine had a stiff hinge so it broke during transformation I was able to make a repair but it will likely break again at some point, in robot or alt mode this piece is fairly protected though. Only two parts require removal for transformation so they can be rotated and put back, and the arms pop out during rotation , two things which seems a bit sloppy for this price point.



If you need an accurate Jazz for your collection I think this is it.

Jazz, to moon base 2

By Dvx on October 02, 2018 Byon October 02, 2018 This was my first figure from maketoys & I must say I am thoroughly impressed. I have other third party figures in my collection & the quality can vary on many of em this guy is solid, one of the first things I noticed was the heft of him & the tightness of the joints and pins everything holds together very well. If you have a hole in your collection where jazz should be & not to keen on waiting for an official one to finally see the light of day, this figure will not disappoint.

Now this is Jazz

By Kombat Econ on September 27, 2018 Byon September 27, 2018 Great face sculpture , paint and die cast. So happy Maketoys reissued him. Solid figure transformation is good but legs can be tricky at first. Fits in this perfectly with my collection of G1 autobots. This has been my second Maketoys figure and will buy more, because of the quality they put into there figure.

Best Jazz period!

By TheLastWrecker on July 09, 2018 Byon July 09, 2018 This guy is amazeballs! It's the best MP Jazz on the market down to the very last detail. I love it!

Best Jazz Ever

By autobot_betty on December 14, 2017 Byon December 14, 2017 This toy is one of my fav in the MP line, perfect representation of the G1 Toy and Cartoon

A very good Jazz that just missed being great

By CigarJackal on October 11, 2017 Byon October 11, 2017 I have a love/hate relationship with Maketoys. Their designs are ambitious, but they often lack the engineering and finish in the final product. This is the case with Downbeat.



He looks very good and has some very nice and clever engineering. However, the execution is such that parts will untab with handling, which can be annoying, and (as is often the case with Maketoys) parts will pop off during transformation.



The other issue that I have is that his accessories are very plain. Some silver paint or chrome would have made his missile launcher and gun look much more "Masterpiece".



I do not regret purchasing him, and he is a good toy. It is just sad to see when something could have been excellent with some minor modifications and instead it turned out to be just very good.

Brilliant in every way

By ClrDaLane on October 08, 2017 Byon October 08, 2017 By far my favorite so far. And my favorite character from G! days.



The did a great job. High quality everything.

Not as good as I had hoped

By Blacktron enforcer on September 08, 2017 Byon September 08, 2017 Right out of the box, the back of the car mode was untabbed and would not stay together. The back half of the car has a long open slit through it so that ruins the alt mode completely. Transformation is a royal pain and one part on the legs popped off since the entire part was connected using only a small tab. I was able to get it back on, but that worries me about potential breakage in the future. Some of the plastic feels too thin and also has a sort of 'soft' feel to it, as though it was lower quality. As another reviewer pointed out, tabs are loose, but joints are tight. This makes an already complex transformation even more difficult. Some sections have a lack of paint which does not help. I have run into too many QC issues and odd engineering to be satisfied. I have MT's visualizers and really like them. Downbeat is very disappointing by comparison. But hey, bot mode looks decent so there is that.

"Jazzed" About Downbeat

By kingphilbert on August 20, 2017 Byon August 20, 2017 For a few weeks now I have been comparing third party MP Jazz figures. After finding a few comparison images online, and watching some very favorable reviews on YT I had essentially made my decision to go with the Maketoys entry. What clinched the decision was seeing how close this figure is to the on-screen animated Jazz after rewatching the '86 movie.



A solid car right out of the box. An excellent transformation with a nice locking tab system to keep elements together during transformation. Especially where they keep the arm locked at the shoulder to allow for the arms articulation to prevail. Great range of motion with ratcheted hip joints in the legs to hold poses. The two extra faces and the method in which they change out is fantastic. As are all his accessories.



If I had any complaints, it would not be the matte silver plastic on the legs or tight finger joints, but the leg ratchets only allow for a very narrow straight legged stance or very wide action stances. And, that without reference in the instructions for the rear lower legs it's hard to know if you have all elements properly set.



Def the perfect entry for an animated G1 Jazz!

The Jazz Meister himself!

By OtaconTheOtaku on August 13, 2017 Byon August 13, 2017 Received my MakeToys Downbeat AKA Jazz in mint condition, all i can says is WOW. MakeToys did an excellent job at capturing the G1 aesthetic of Jazz in both vehicle and especially in Bot mode. Solid and construction of figure, transformation is a little finicky around the legs but he holds together perfectly. Definitely a must buy for you Jazz lovers. Downbeat looks and scales Amazingly next to my other MP figures, get this figure you wont be dissapointed.

Almost....

By kai zhen on June 13, 2017 Byon June 13, 2017 Maketoys almost nailed it. The G1 aesthetic is spot on and this is probably the best effort for an MP Jazz so far.

What was a turn off (for me), was the lack of paint...like on my MP Prowl. The shiny molded white plastic wreaked of cheapness and the swirly grey plastic on the shin and foot was befitting of a legends class figure.

Alas, he'll stay on my shelf until Takara decides to get off their behind until give us a proper MP Jazz...

Great figure!

By WreckNRule on May 09, 2017 Byon May 09, 2017 I was torn between getting this guy and pre-ordering Coolsville. In the end I decided on this one, and so far no regret at all! This guy is sturdy, incredibly poseable, and just fun to mess around with. He fits right in with my Masterpiece figures and is a welcomed addition to the collection!



As for quality, I only had one small issue with a leg panel not properly pegging in, but it sits so close to where it should be I don't even notice it and it doesn't affect posing him at all. Giving it a five because the rest of the quality is superb and still light years ahead of some of official MPs.

yes, more of this, Maketoys

By whataboutninjas on April 24, 2017 Byon April 24, 2017 His design fits very well with the MP line aesthetics. If you're gonna capitalize off of a beloved 80s cartoon show and its characters, you should do so as accurately as possible. None of this stylized version like with Maketoys previous offerings. I hope they continue this way.

Gorgeous, but difficult

By AlexReynard on March 03, 2017 Byon March 03, 2017 I love transforming MakeToys Despotron, complex as he is, because almost all his tolerances are spot-on. Downbeat, on the other hand... This is not an easy transformation. But it could be much more enjoyable if nearly all the tabs weren't loose and nearly all the hinges weren't SUPER TIGHT. Like with Masterpiece Tracks, I get the feeling of, 'This plastic is too thin for me to be comfortable putting this much pressure on it.' In particular, rotating the back wheel sections is nerve-wracking. (Though the bit where the legs elongate via swivel is pure joy.) Thankfully overall, there are enough amazing mass-shifting tricks here that my awe outweighs frustration. I think MakeToys is employing wizards.



All that said, Downbeat is seriously pretty in both modes. The Porsche is lusciously curvy, spoiled only by a few bits of kibble that are necessary to avoid gappy legs. The robot was prioritized here, and I can't imagine him looking any better. (People seem to dislike the swirly grey feet, but I get the feeling it might've been the only plastic sturdy enough.) I love that you can display him with doors up or down. I love the gleam of his visor. I love the blinding pureness of the white plastic. I love the PROPORTIONS! My only complaint about the looks would be that he's a bit stark. As if MakeToys knew ToyHax would finish off his details with stickers.



This is not a figure you can breezily transform back and forth for fun. It's a careful challenge. But if all you want is to have your favorite cat-eared coolster posing on your shelf, Downbeat is very much worth that initial 'Holy jeez I hope I don't break this thing!' you'll have to go through to get him in robot mode.

Best Jazz so far

By Gunsmoke04 on March 03, 2017 Byon March 03, 2017 The best looking Jazz, in robot and vehicle mode to me. Very accurate to the cartoon and fits in with, and surpasses most of the small car MP figures. His feet can be tough, mine especially the joints were very very tight. But I wouldn't knock it for that, if you're patient and work them a bit they loosen up.

Great Not Jazz with a couple little quirks

By Half Pants on February 18, 2017 Byon February 18, 2017 Great figure. Looks amazing and is pretty poseable. However the leg transformation is straight up finicky. The biggest problem, to me, is the shoulders. When you full rotate them up, they pop the chest section out. Also a couple metal pins fell out of the legs of mine. Still giving it 4/5 though. Again it's a great figure, I just didn't see any of the issues addressed in other reviews. Headsculpt is my jam.

JAZZ!!!!

By Jeff's Toy Reviews on February 15, 2017 Byon February 15, 2017 Although from a third party, this guy is a masterpiece. I absolutely love this fig. Great transformation, and solid fig to boot. I say grab it while you can!