Here is Nitro Zeus in his jet mode. It's a pretty cool design, though it's not accurate to the Saab Gripen seen in the movie. The jet itself does capture some details that somewhat resemble the actual jet mode, though the robot legs aren't quite part of said design. The legs are at least not as clunky as they would be because unlike Starscream, who can hide his digitigrade legs, this guy is a lot beefier in comparison.
Colors are the weakest part of the figure. While the black does help break up the gray along with the red stripes, the gray itself is pretty dull and almost looks cheap without some nice silver paint. Plus, didn't Nitro Zeus have some crazy paint apps all over him? The missiles could go for some red tips, though.
The cockpit can be opened up and house one Titan Master or Prime Master. It's a pretty cool feature to have, though only one guy deserves to be in this spot. We'll see him get his review later.
Transformation is pretty unique for a jet bot. Most of them tend to have a more symmetrical sequence that works fine for the most part but has been a commonly done method of making a robot out of a jet. Nitro Zeus at least manages to make a refreshing transformation by having the cockpit be part of his arm rather than be part of the chest, and I also like how the wings fold up to become thrusters on his back rather than be the "tired" back kibble seen on multiple jet Transformers. Getting the legs to stay attached to the wings is annoying, though; the same goes for the turbines when you fold up the wings.
The robot mode somewhat makes me think of a Shockwave that takes the form of an Earth jet. There are a few similarities, mainly with the different extremities on his arms, the feet, the chest (somewhat), and the head. It's also a different design from other Jetformers like Starscream and Jetfire. The added paint apps, like the number on his left shoulder and the "7" on his right knee guard. We have some bronze and a slight bit of red in this mode, but you see that silver on his left forearm? That should replace any gray in his bot mode. Also, the missiles could certainly go for some red tips.
Head sculpt is inaccurate because it didn't have the Shockwave head reused on him. It's also weird that his head is made up yet has the KSI Boss head on his original packaging. That said, I kind of like this head. It's one doesn't copy Shockwave's head, but I think it's a better fit than to give him a head that was taken directly from another character. I even dig the yellow eye he has, which helps make his head look less drab in terms of color.
Articulation is pretty good! Head is on a ball joint, shoulders move front and back as well as in and out (while the shoulder pads move out for extra range), there are swivels above the elbows, bends at the elbows, and a slight wrist curl for the left hand. No waist articulation, but the hips move front and back, in and out, the thighs swivel, the knees bend, and the feet hinge back due to transformation.
While he has no accessories, you can pose him with his right arm as a bladed weapon of sorts (almost reminds me of a bow and arrow) while the left arm's cannon can be extended to reveal a longer barrel. If you want, you can hinge the turbines up to make them shoulder cannons.
This is the first reuse of the Nitro Zeus mold, that being Thundercracker. It was a Toys R Us exclusive despite it being released right as the stores started to go out of business. Why it wasn't repainted from Starscream is beyond me, though it kind of homages Cybertron Thundercracker, who wasn't a repaint of Starscream. This guy at least has a nicer color scheme than Nitro Zeus, though I wish the chest was silver than a dull gray. Of note, he has a new head based on Starscream, but with more eyes. I may get this repaint only if a Skywarp is made from a Blitzwing.
This, on the other hand, is a straight repaint named KSI Boss. He may look like Nitro at first glance, but he has a much nicer coat of silver paint and gold highlights. If you never got Nitro Zeus, then I would certainly recommend this guy. Me? I'll probably get it on clearance along with the repaints I missed out on.
Here is Nitro Zeus next to his fellow Decepticons, Megatron, Berserker, and Barricade. I feel that the Voyagers are better done than the Deluxes, as they have nicer engineering and are worth revisiting compared to the Deluxes, who are pretty underwhelming in comparison. Megatron is the best pre-Studio Series Voyager Megatron, Berserker feels average for a Deluxe, Barricade is a confused figure that belongs in regular Generations instead of a movie line, and Nitro Zeus is one of the best non-traditional jet Transformers worth looking into. Whether it's Nitro Zeus himself, Thundercracker, KSI Boss, or if you want to make him into Thunderwing or Dreadwing, he's a Movie figure that wins back the fans that loved some of the engineerings from the ROTF/HFTD lines. In sum, he's ROTF Dirge done right.
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