Searching for the keys to victory in the mysteries of science in the Allspark Studio today is WFC-S28 Jetfire! Will he command all on the battlefield with his technological advancements, or will he be defeated by his archenemy the ice cube maker? Tune in after the break to find out!



In terms of Generation One figures, Jetfire was my childhood holy Grail. I remember the first time I saw him on the playground at Church Street School when I was in third grade. One of my friends had brought him to show off, and everybody wanted to get a chance to put their hands on this amazing figure. Back then I was mesmerized by the heft and articulation of this figure and had no idea that the mold was not originally made by Hasbro. While Robotech was my first experience with anime, I never saw any of the figures and did not make the connection to the Bandai origins. I would spend the early part of my years getting back into collecting trying to find a decent copy of Jetfire that would not cost me an arm and a leg, and in the process, I even learned about Macross and opened up a whole new can of collecting worms. I also never got a really nice G1 Jetfire. 🙁







There was never really any expectation that we would even get an update of Jetfire for many years. Knowing the situation with the origins of the toy and the character, it just seemed like an impossible feat. When Classics rolled around, I was floored. There was no way we were ever going to get anything better than Classics Jetfire. Then generations Jetfire came around, and I was positive nothing could be better. Cue Siege Jetfire, and once again I am positive that we will not get anything better than this. May the pattern continue!







Jet Mode

Jetfire‘s jet mode was designed based off of the original cartoon look. The blue canopy, white body with red highlights, and upper deck of the jet that holds the booster engines give the impression that this toy was literally ripped out of the original series. Following along the Siege aesthetic, there are lots of panel lines, tech details, and ports and holes placed solely for the interaction of other figures with the first Commander Class entry in the line. It is interesting to note that the gray tech piece that resides inside the canopy can be removed so that you can place a Titanmaster figure inside the cockpit. There is an additional space inside the booster pack that will hold two more Titanmaster figures. Jetfire also comes with handles on the underside that will support figures grasping on to simulate being dropped into battle. The blast effects that come with Jetfire work nicely coming out of the booster pack, as a way of simulating him blasting off.







There is an immense amount of play value built into the jet mode, made stronger by the fact that this figure is very solid. Everything plugs in nicely and holds together well. I had one issue getting the arms into place during transformation, but other than that, I am super pleased with how Jetfire turned out.







Robot Mode

Once you get Jetfire into robot mode, you see that he is once again the spitting image of G1 Jetfire. This is the character that I always wanted as a kid. From his height in comparison to other figures in the line, to the shape of his chest, arms, wings, and helmet, this is the Jetfire that became the first “Decepticon” to switch sides and join the Autobots.







A neat reference to that moment is built into his Autobot symbol. The panel where the symbol resides can rotate, giving Jetfire the ability to show allegiance to either Autobot or Decepticon army. That feature right there was definitely worth the wait. An additional feature that was quite a surprise when it was first discovered is that Jetfire’s hands hold ports for his guns that disappear inside the hands as you pull the fingers out, giving him the ability to have a closed fist hand for weapons or an opened hand for posing. Engineering magic!





In terms of possibility, Jetfire has most of the standard joints expected from a figure at this price point. He has knee joints, rotating hips, waist, rotating shoulders, elbows, wrists, and neck articulation. It would have been nice if he had easier to use ankle articulation. I find that the joints are super tight, and honestly look strange when popped out. One other minor problem is that Jetfire’s wrists tend to pop out too easily. This is fixable with fingernail polish or various other liquids, so I won’t hold it against his overall score. Aside from that, Jetfire balances well and can get into some nice poses. He is a solid figure with nice heft, and very much worth the Commander class price point.







Armored Mode

Another nice throwback to the original toy is that Jetfire can armor up. He has wrist gauntlets, a large rifle that can split into two smaller rifles, chest armor, missile pods, and a facemask that can change the look of the figure entirely. While it does bulk him up a bit, I don’t really like how the chest armor covers up the face when you stand him straight up. Overall the armor looks intimidating, but I wish that there was a way to attach the chest plate to his booster pack and leave it on the back of the figure.







Recommendation

I give WFC-S28 Siege Jetfire 99 blocks of Arctic ice out of 100!





Minor nitpicks aside, I really appreciate how well they have been able to give us the original cartoon Jetfire while still showing off components of what calls back to the Macross line. This figure is just full of history, and it’s a huge gift to fans to get all of these elements in one toy the way the HasTak designers have delivered on this one. Jetfire is packed with great articulation, loads of playability, and he is solid in both jet and robot modes. He’s going to tower over other non-Titan class figures, but that’s expected for this price point.





Jetfire is a figure for fans of all ages 4 and up, though you might have to help the young ones a bit with the transformation. Jetfire is just now beginning to hit online retailers, so if you don’t have a pre-order in place, what’s stopping you!?! This figure needs to be in your collection!







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