Was there ever a figure that you regret not getting in the past because of how impossibly stupid you felt with getting a version that wasn't as good instead? That's me with Thrilling 30 Jetfire. At the time, I got him because I wanted a Jetfire that scaled better with my CHUG display. While it was nice to have that design, the figure was a major downgrade from previous Leader Class toys made since Cybertron. And the worst part for me was that Jetfire was sold for $50 on Walmart.com, which I didn't even notice because I didn't use the website at the time. So after getting Rodimus Prime and later Scorponok and The Ark, I was encouraged to get the past Commander Class figures, which I initially struggled with until I heard from Entertainment Earth that they'll make a special release for the Siege and Earthrise releases of Jetfire and Sky Lynx, respectively. Now it's time to cover this guy after nearly 4 years of not getting this release!
Here is Jetfire in his jet mode. It's a very cartoon-accurate design that was kept this way because HasTak designers wanted to maintain the traditional look that the character has in the show specifically. While past iterations of G1 Jetfire's toys were meant to be a stylized version of the Macross design, which has been common up until this point, this is the first version of G1 Jetfire that was made to closely resemble the cartoon instead, which was later repeated with the Masterpiece figure. With various sculpted details added to the figure, it makes what is basically a not-so-sleek jet feel more impressive than it normally would be. While the Macross design was moreso meant to prioritize the robot as much as the jet, this being a made-up design did result in him feeling more compromised as a jet. An attempt has been made here to make it look better than some other attempts, like with the later made Masterpiece figure.
Some of the features he includes are flip-out handles for other robots to hold onto while he allows them to drop off of the ship like when soldiers hold onto the rope from a ship. And who can forget about the blast effect pieces that Commander figures have along with Titans and Battlemasters in the entire WFC Trilogy line.
Weirdly, the cockpit can sort of open if you hinge the nosecone down, but it helps you access the computer module. The back of the jet can house the additional gear of the toy like an extension of weaponry that can almost serve as a drone that could dock on if needed, kind of like a smaller shuttle that is docked on a jumbo airplane.
Transformation may seem simplistic at first glance, but there are a few parts that help make it feel more involved than expected, such as the way the legs extend, the panels for the arms, and the torso transformation. It doesn't really have the same level of engineering that one would expect, in fact, it's more or less comparable to a MV1 Leader Class figure's level of complexity. I didn't have too many high hopes to mindblow me as a Transformer, but it does well enough to be mostly worth the price tag. The robot mode, on the other hand, manages to not look like too much of a Titan Hero shampoo bottle. It's given a great level of attention for the sculpt work, even if it may use more of a wash. I like that the red and gray/black break up the white, especially on the front of the toy. The cartoon-accuracy that he possesses is much stronger here than with other figures, as it captures the physique that his past figure never really captured, especially since their jet modes were meant to be more realistic in appearance. The barrel-chested design is especially striking after fans are more used to a mix of both elements or having toy elements be more prominent.
Head sculpt is stoic and heroic as one would hope from G1 Jetfire, and there is some light-piping that makes him noteworthy as we started to have painted eyes on Transformers figures more often without these translucent pieces. Even the forehead has a translucent piece, which we'll get to in a moment. As for the articulation, the head can turn left and right as look up and down, the shoulders ratchet front and back (but they move at an angle somewhat), the biceps swivel, the elbows nearly bend 90 degrees, the wrists rotate while the fingers can articulate with 5mm posts shifting in place if the fingers make a fist - a trait that hasn't been done before on a Transformer. The waist swivels, hips move front and back as well as in and out (with hip skirt guards that can hinge up), thighs swivel, knees bend, and the ankles pivot (though they need a stronger snap than Siege Megatron).
The features he has include the ability to switch factions with a rotating panel that has him go from Autobot to Decepticon if you want to have him be a Con from the beginning of his life up to Fire in the Sky. It's also purple for the faction as it should be, though it was sometimes made red in the episode like with TFP Starscream, but inconsistently. As for the other gear he has, the longer guns can peg on the backpack, the cannons can be on the wings, the chest armor pegs over the torso, the guns split in two, and the mask can cover his face. It's a more original take on the toy-accurate design of Jetfire, but I think it works well for Hasbro wanting to do something original with him. It is weird that he doesn't have any antennae.
As far as repaints are concerned, this is the Shattered Glass version of Jetfire, which is based on the Dark Skyfire repaint in the Henkei/Gentei toyline of Takara history. It's also the only Commander Class figure to be repainted in the line so far, as Sky Lynx, Rodimus Prime, Motormaster, and the upcoming Armada Optimus Prime have yet to be repainted. This figure looks great with the evil deco, but it is otherwise unchanged in terms of functionality.
And here is one more comparison with T30 version of Jetfire, this time in robot mode. Now I will admit I like the design of the Thrilling 30 figure back when it first came out, but I can't really say that he is that great of a Leader Class figure when the plastic quality was bad and the overall value for money that he has. It's weak for what it's offering. Also, that chrome on him looks very tacky in contrast to Siege Jetfire not having any chrome that clashes badly like a KO. So yeah, I'm happy to have this guy in my shelf replace my T30 version, especially since I haven't been able to get this figure for so long. Much like Sky Lynx, Jetfire has been reissued by Hasbro and is available on various fan channel sites. I got both on Entertainment Earth, and now it's time you should if you missed out on this guy.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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