Transformers Age of the Primes Armada Jetfire review

Back in 2023, the Legacy Evolution line gave us one of the best Commander Class figures in the form of Armada Optimus Prime. If you haven't read my review of it, I highly urge you to do. For a quick recap, it not only makes for a glorious update to the old toy, but it also gives Unicron Trilogy fans the satisfaction they've wanted after that WonderFest tease where the grey prototype next to the Star Convoy retool of POTP Optimus came from. Even as soon as we got the figure, we had a tease for the other combinations with Jetfire and Overload. The former mainly with the removable insignia, and the latter via how compatible the original toy is with the new Armada Prime despite a few clearance issues here and there. Now we have Jetfire to join the Autobot brigade, and he easily makes up for the lack of a Smokescreen just from what he does in the show alone. He's the kind of second-in-command to be less of a yes-man and more of a guy who's willing to have disagreements with Optimus yet still be a worthwhile ally to the Autobots regardless. He's what Starscreams in general fail to be: reasonably different from their leaders while focused on the same mission. And to celebrate that, let's review his Age of the Primes figure as we close off the line!

Here we have Age of the Primes Armada Jetfire in his space shuttle mode. It's a pretty faithful take on the original toy, though it is missing the stripes in the middle area like the stock photo of the original toy TFWiki posted. Turns out that it wasn't on the show the whole time; kind of hard to tell. At the very least, it looks somewhat more pristine than the original toy, going for a re-entry fade in the front; those would have been nice to somewhat justify the price he's going for. In general, it's a pretty good design that also makes me think of a somewhat militaristic space cruiser, almost like the X-71 Shuttle from Armageddon! Yeah, pre-Bayverse influence in Transformers; you love to see it! For anyone wondering, the swept-forward tailfins are supposed to look like that if anyone thinks it's a misassembly.

Keep in mind that the shield should be plugged underneath the altmode if you want to keep everything together at once. Not only that, but we get landing gear for this set! However, none of the wheels roll, not even on a toy this expensive. Then again, given that Concept Art Megatron had no rolling wheels while being a modern Leader Class toy, what else is new with modern Hasbro? Also, those red bits near the front of the wings come out of the box detached, so keep track of those when you open your toy.

He comes with three Minicons, representing the Space Minicon Team! From left to right, we got Sky Blast the rocket ship, Astroscope the satellite, and Payload the rocket transport truck. They're pretty close to the old toys, though with less interactivity with their altmodes (mostly docking Sky Blast onto Astroscope as shuttles do with satellites).

To attach them onto Jetfire, you need to fold the panels on Astroscope out of the way so they can attach better onto the side where the 5mm port lies, while Sky Blast just pegs on the side as expected. Meanwhile, Payload pegs under where the front of the jet mode lies. And saying that is a realization Comettor is nowhere to be found. Come on, Hasbro, you finally add Minicons to a new mold figure, and a Commander, no less, but will one extra character really drive the price up by $15 extra???

Transforming this trio is pretty easy, though keep in mind that the slight addition of articulation for these figures will make them slightly, slightly, slightly more difficult to handle. Sky Blast is pretty close to the new figure with the articulation and head transformation, but the chest and arms are slightly worse than the original (the left arm is blue on the original). Astroscope is the closest to the original, but with a more articulated left arm, an integrated cannon for the right arm (no missile launcher), and his legs can't stay parallel if they're not tabbed in. Payload is bulkier than his original version and has ankle pivots, surprisingly.

For a Commander Class size comparison, here he is with Optimus Prime (no trailer because that will take up space). He's pretty close to what 2010s Leader Class figures would be sized at, if not smaller than the original toy by a margin. It does make me wonder what the scale with Overload would be like if we ever get him in about 3 extra years, either in some Generations rebranding or Studio Series (with a possible price hike - $100 for a Commander!)

Transformation is more involved than the original toy, which helps him function like a modern action figure instead of being held back as a brick. It has a whole lot more twists and turns for the wings and the leg assembly, especially as we get to the pants mode. I should mention that I intentionally left the central part of the shuttle this way instead of shifting it upward for a specific reason: to let the nose cone fold down and allow the waist swivel to work properly for Jet Optimus. I should also mention that I intentionally folded the nosecone back, both to see if it would look better and because I was under the false assumption that Hasbro didn't fold it away themselves. That said, this robot mode is appropriately chunky, and he wears it well. Predating most bulky Energon Autobots, he has plenty of joints visible in the waist area, while his arms are stumpy in contrast to the wide torso. It's clear he's going to form into part of a different mode, but he wears it very well with a design like this. It also fits with his personality, where he's more likely to get into combat than his leader would, on top of being the type of big dude who would easily knock over anyone almost taller than him. If Optimus struggles with a 1-on-1 fight against Megatron, leave it to Jetfire to use his gut to tumble the Decepticon leader off his feet! His wings go past his head, but I should mention that they detach near the backs intentionally for safety reasons. Makes me wonder if Hasbro will change them for when we get to someone like Spacewarp or Astrotrain?

Head sculpt is interesting for the fact that no clear visor is kept on this head sculpt, which may not be present entirely in the animation since he is meant to have the eyes sculpted in place. At least it doesn't have the issue of the Hasbro version, where the eyes were painted over said visor by mistake. His articulation consists of a ball-jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, bicep rotation, single-jointed elbows, and wrist rotation. The hips are where things get complicated; they move front and back like on some Energon Autobots, but outward leg movement is on an even higher joint. You can still have the joints work almost like normal leg articulation, but it's only a matter of how you manipulate the hips. Thankfully, the thigh swivels can help out with making the legs work normally, and the same goes for the ankle rockers. And of course, he has the signature megaphone-looking blaster made up from the back booster (which is annoying to slide into place and detach) as well as use a shield that is a bit undersized, but it still does the job despite its chest-plate-atude.

The Space Minicon Team can combine into the Requiem Blaster by inserting Sky Blast into the back of Astroscope (with its panels folded up) and attaching the result to Payload. It may not look the most like a convincing weapon, but it goes well as something Jetfire would brandish if he was ever going to consistently stay with it (provided, of course, that it isn't taken from Megatron as he forms the Hydra Cannon).

Here he is with Armada Optimus, towering over him like in G1 and in ROTF (maybe Animated and Cyberverse are exceptions?). I love that Jetfire is a second-in-command type of choice for Optimus, and while people could joke about how fat he is, what's stopping him from still being one of the badasses in the show? I also like that while Optimus, in spite of his bulky proportions, manages to have this tactical look to him, contrasting Jetfire's "come at me" design. Also crazy that these two were the first ever Powerlink duos we got before Energon? I know that Victory or some other Japanese G1 series had characters work a similar way, but let's be real here, nobody cares about them as much as these two.

For anyone wondering what the pants mode size is like, it's only slightly taller than the pants mode that Optimus's trailer turns into. I always appreciate that they both have some differences to them in order to justify Jetfire's own transformation into a new pair of trousers, with the normal trailer having those Optimus-like elements to them while Jetfire's wings and color scheme help him feel far less redundant on top of being able to help Prime fly.

As for getting to the transformation, it's once again very involved for anyone expecting him to do more than just tuck his head and arms away. Hasbro was super dedicated to making sure that Jetfire would have proportionate legs so Optimus could have as much leg articulation with these pants as he did with his own. It means we have to shift the wings every time we bend his knees, but it also at least explains why Jetfire's torso is stuck like that: it grants Prime waist articulation, and it's even better than the way it was handled with his own trailer due to no skirt panels getting in the way. And because Jetfire's legs are shifted to be more proportionate while also rearranged to make the entire lower half convincing, he makes full use of those joints that were partially visible in the torso. Also, Optimus's Autobot insignia is meant to be removable and attached to the shield now that it's the chest panel. Combine that with the mashup of Prime's Ion Blaster and Jetfire's cannon in one hand, with the Requiem Blaster on the other, nothing's getting in their way.

Overall, while I wish Jetfire had a few more paint apps or actually included Comettor, I think I'm happier with how he turned out compared to Onslaught. Not saying Onslaught was bad, but I'm so much more excited to see the Megaweapon trinity complete in the 2020s than I am going through the same cycle of G1 combiner limbs waiting to combine with another Commander frame. Jetfire's chunky heftitude and overall play value can't be beat, especially if you've already got an equally awesome Armada Optimus or are lucky to get Nemesis Prime for cheap at your local Ross (fingers crossed!); maybe that makes up for the lack of an evil trailer? I bet we have to wait for Overload to pop up in another 3 years, but damn, is Jetfire another great chapter worth getting to. Just a shame that his actual partner isn't even included with the Powerlinx Red Alert set.

And yes, I got Megazarak a while back despite being $5 higher than the others. He was from a very small yet helpful deal from Entertainment Earth, and given how much of a threat the character is in the 3H media, it's about time Jet Prime finishes him off.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of a⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Studio Series Evasion Optimus Prime review

A decade ago, we got Evasion Mode Optimus Prime, who managed to be one of the best versions of that character of all time. No doubt it's thanks to the bot mode proportions, remarks ke articulation, G1 fan service with the altmode, and a wicked transformation with key steps utilized in more recent takes on this iteration during Studio Series. A year ago, I got the Rusty repaint to revisit the mold while also searching for movie accuracy, and in spite of the beige used for some of the robot, the truck mode looked almost perfect. We just need the proper Marmon 97 cab instead of the Freightliner used for the old AOE Voyager (ironically the BBM version looked more like the Marmon 97). Plenty of people have been hyped for a new take at this toy, but the reveal left fans either mixed or extremely mad. I know there are things this does better than the original, but while we will delve into this review with an open mind, I know other aspects are going to be rougher than rough.

Here we have Optimus Prime in his vehicle mode. It is a much closer take on the Marmon 97 than the old Voyager, though it's still unlicensed as far as I know. The truck is decoed to look rusty and faded like the in-film prop, and  it's even got sculpted details to make it appear shot up and worn badly. For example, the bullet hole in the grille. His color scheme is meant to be a more desaturated version of the G1 colors, which is different from straight up using them on the original toy. I even dig the flames on the front of the truck, which helps remind people of the mashup of the classics with the then-modern stuff. That said, it appears the color scheme is meant to match the robot mode where he does have these hints of red and blue. It's one of those things about this design specifically where the truck is mostly monochrome in terms of color, yet the bot mode deco says otherwise. It's kind of like what happened with Shrapnel's torso changing color, or the front of Mudflap's altmode having a dark grey trim not shown on the chest. Also, for a toy that costs nearly $45, is it hard to get the rims painted? Oh well, at least he has windshield wipers. His gun can store on the back though it would be cool if it could fill in the small gap behind the rear wheels.

Here he is with his original mold, both of them in their alt modes. The new one is certainly closer to the on screen model, yet the deco, while a decent attempt at trying to appear rusty and faded, pales in comparison to the version we got from Takara. I know what some people are thinking: shouldn't we compare this with the retail version? I chose not to because not only are we going over movie accuracy, but the Voyagers of today likely cost as much as the repaint did when you could import it around 2014. Voyagers today cost nearly $45, so this is a fair comparison now. I can only guess they wanted to have the bot mode look somewhat accurate since Optimus had those traditional colors loosely, but like with the torso of G1 Bombshell changing color, the movie kind of implies Optimus doesn't stay the same color when he goes from this very faded and monochrome truck into a desaturated version of his trilogy design with some tweaks here and there. So we can say for now that the truck mode wins for the new version apart from the deco. At least give the rims some paint for the new toy!

Transformation is thankfully new in spite of being somewhat like the original Evasion mold, with the inside-out approach used a little differently than before. While the legs are still formed from the back, they face forwards this time around and properly move the middle wheels to the thighs (on top of the feet forming the back of the truck instead of the fifth wheel). The arms are still made from the sides of the truck, but they now have double jointed elbows and proper forearm bits instead of leaving an awkward arm joint with the real windows visible from the back. The torso transformation is also different with the waist swivel, faux truck windows, and the base of the head rotating around before tabbing everything in place. The resulting robot mode is where things get pretty rough, and not because of the best up condition Optimus was in. The legs have more definition to them than the original version, while the arms look more proper than the original Evasion version we got back in 2014. I also like that the right shoulder have some revealing bits that better convey how damaged he is. However, the torso takes the hit when it comes to its appearance. On top of being somewhat blocky like the 2014 version, I have to ask why the faux windows look even faker than the original release; it's a weird thing to say, but they almost look as off as the original SS Prime. Last time a Movie Prime had an even less-convincing chest would be the DOTM Voyager. The back section has some nice detailing, but there is no proper color breakup. That would make up for the lack of panels that would slide up and fill in the silhouette. And while they maye have sculpted the sun visor halves in the chest windows, the smokestacks are barely visible, leading many to believe he doesn't have them at all. I want to say the figure does so many things better than the original, but it falls short on plenty of other aspects. It almost looks more like a refined version of that Bumblebee Movie toyline Optimus that still had the Evasion design instead of the Beewun redesign.

Head sculpt is also irritating to think about, because while it may look fine at first (also appreciate a bit of deco for the right side of the forehead), two issues need to be brought up: 1) it's the one time we could have an unmasked head and Hasbro chose to give him a mouthplate he rarely used in this form, and 2) it's kind of outdated in terms of detailing and accuracy, especially when compared to the older Studio Series Primes with heads that match the CGI better. With his unpainted Mega Striker in his hand, his articulation consists of ball joints to the neck and wrists, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, bicep rotation, double jointed elbows, waist rotation, standard leg articulation moving front and back, somewhat limited range moving in and out because of the tire, thigh swivels (plainly visible since the inner thighs are hollow), hinged knees, and ankles that hinge as well as pivot.

Here he is with his subsequent form he takes for the later 3 quarters of the movie. I have issues with the lack of paint on the Leader Prime (which will also leave me concerned with the upcoming 2007 remake), but at least his proportions and detailing are on point. At least scale is consistent.

And here he is with the Rusty version of the Evasion mold. Apart from the slight height difference, I'll be honest and say that the new one has better arms and mostly better legs. The new version also has somewhat more accurate colors, but not as accurate as they should be. The torso and head on the original look much better. The former looks more convincing with the overall shape and detailing of the chest windows, and the latter, despite having a mouthplate, still looks closer to the CG model than the one whose line claims to be about accuracy. And hey, he has more visible smokestacks unlike the new one! I'm sure you can combine elements of both versions to make the best Evasion Prime, but as it stands, the new one isn't cutting it as much as I would like. Fun to mess with, and not as bad as I expected, but room for improvement as usual with the current trend of Studio Series.

One more comparison with the Premium Finish head sculpt since I already talked about the older faces looking more accurate. You can tell that the new one better matches the proportions of the CG model, on top of the eyes not looking like the ones we saw in the 2007 promo art or some of the older toys. And I know this version has the wrong chest window detailing, but in its defense, it doesn't have his chest appear etched in. Again, the new figure isn't bad, but he is far from perfect. I hope Baiwei does this toy some justice.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

McFarlane DC Multiverse Gold Label Robin & Catwoman review

As we get closer to the end of McFarlane's DC Multiverse line, we have two Gold Label releases in the form of Silver/Bronze Age Robin and Hush Catwoman! Let me tell you how happy I am to have both characters finally represented in my comic collection after one was only available as Nightwing or that one All-Star Batman & Robin version that was more stylized in design. Meanwhile, Catwoman has had a few versions throughout the line, mostly in live action, but the comic version was mostly either Knightfall purple or a rare Platinum based on the Animated Series. I always did prefer my Catwoman in leather black. These have been long overdue, but will they still be worth getting despite being sold only at McFarlane Toys Store? Let's find out for today's review!

Here we have Robin in-hand, most likely reusing the same teenage/young adult body buck we have seen for many Young Justice types, and it does fit well for a Robin who is getting closer to his Nightwing era. That being said, while I dig the color scheme on him as well as the design of the costume being classic for once, the execution is very lazy overall. We'll put him next to the Burt Ward Robin and layer bring up the Golden Age version (released as a Page Puncher), but the torso should be a single piece if you wanted to keep that area from being discounted. I appreciate that he has the fasteners going down the torso, but they're painted on like the chest emblem. At least the belt piece is a new bit, but the underwear has the scallop detailing painted on despite it jarring with the rest being flat. As for the green bits, the gloves and thankfully elf shoes look good, but the shoulder pieces are just colored to look like that inner leotard, whereas they should be more the ones on Burt Ward Robin. Not helping are the biceps using some green paint to give the illusion of short sleeves going over the bare skin. The paint may look better than what Hasbro does, but that's still barely an improvement. Worst of all, not only does the collar piece appear to sit up a little higher than normal on his neck, but the cape is the same ribbon material that's been shat on by many people. That could have been tolerable if not for the LACK OF A BENDY WIRE! We're going with a special release exclusively sold at the main website if the company, and no one could be bothered giving it a bendy wire?! Even if it's not given the slits meant for the thing to go through, it doesn't excuse that a special release like this doesn't have one. God fucking damnit!

His head sculpt is mostly good (apart from the slight off-centerness of the domino mask's paint), but we sadly have an issue where the skin tone on the head doesn't match the rest of his body where it's exposed. At least the hair has some blue shading, but what happened to the quality control for this figure? Articulation is standard for the line, but what else is new? Even if his cape is nowhere near as dynamic as Batman's or Superman's, it'd look better in some poses had it been given that bendy wire. Oh and his knees look hideous, with the exposed skin Robin's legs usually appear as not helping with that issue.

He has plenty of hand accessories, which is another plus if you want to give him various poses and what have you. So while the tooling sucks, at least there is a bit of value for money. Then again, this has been done before with some Superman figures (Christopher Reeve, for example).

And of course, he comes with the Batarang accessory reused from the Burt Ward version, down to the string attached. Upon closer look with what went wrong over the collar piece, I noticed that whoever assembled the figure didn't even put the cape UNDER the neckpiece; instead, it's BETWEEN the neck and the collar. We even have a crevice that the cape hides, but we can still see it, Todd! At least it gives me an idea of what cape I should use for a swap, but as I always say, I shouldn't have to fix my toys!

The Golden Age Robin we get as a Page Puncher has a different head sculpt achieving the similar artstyle aesthetic from that era, and his cape still sucks, but get this: he looks way better than the one we have here! We not only have the torso piece.that isn't broken up by the articulation, but we have proper short sleeves and sculpted trunks that look better than the painted ones! Admittedly, he has one pair of hands less than the Silver/Bronze Age version, but at least he has a comic.

For some comparisons, here he is with Silver Age Batman (the 2025 version with Ace the Bat-Hound) as well as Burt Ward's version of the character. I know this year, we have a Golden Age version of Batman with black instead of blue, while the newest Silver Age version has a brighter smile. No plans for either. He should be shorter but it could be worse (I.e. a non-Red Robin Tim Drake on the Knightfall Batman body). As for Burt Ward, I had issues with that figure, but the way our comic Robin turned out make him look more like a triumphant benchmark of glory. I appreciate that we get a classic Robin from McFarlane before it's too late, but while there are some things to like about it, the cons outweigh the pros. Holy dissatisfaction, Batman. Makes me wonder if part swapping with Golden Age Robin is possible, but I don't feel like spending full price on toys I already will get two versions of, anymore.

As for Catwoman, this is based on her appearance in Batman: Hush. And it's my favorite look for the character overall; on top of the skintight leather suit that is sleek yet gets the point across, the solid black helps her blend in the night better than either purple or grey. As expected, she is a retool of the Knightfall version of herself, but while that has been egregious with prior uses of the mold, it kind of works here since the torso is retooled on top of the black blending things in mostly better. Still, some further retooling would be nice. At the very least, the few bits of paint we have are good, and the proportions are also fitting for a car burglar like her. Best of all, check out that rack and caboose!

Her head sculpt is really good, and I especially love the green irises she has to compliment the red lip stick she's wearing. Also dig the bits of her bangs peeking beneath her goggles. The lenses of her goggles could look a little glossier, but they do the job apart from the very slight misalignment on the left lens. Articulation is to be expected, but her whip is kind of cool in terms of girth and texturing. Would be cool for it to have a bendy wire, pretty sure that's possible, but the end of it with the knives is a good touch, knowing how deadly it is in her hands. 

And of course, she has the same clawed hands we should expect for when she wants to get somewhat feral against the law. They may be reused from other Catwoman figures we got before, so that's no shocker. That said, she looks great with H2SH Batman, especially with his colors not being weirdly metallic like on the first regular retail release. Would like a black and grey version, but what do I think of Catwoman? She isn't 100% perfect but I like her way more than I ended up liking the classic Robin included in this bundle. She not only looks better, but she also hides her issues more competently in comparison. I know there are people who would gas up a third party option from LPZZ or InArt, but for now, this one is the way to go. Also fun fact, did you know I was going to review this Catwoman with the Harley Quinn retool before my plans changed? I hope I can still cover her somehow.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Robin)

⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Catwoman)