Toy Review: Transformers Generations Special Ops Jazz

One thing has remained constant throughout the "Transformers" history: The Autobot Jazz has always been the cool character of the series. When his lines of dialogue are not laced with contemporary slang, his character design has always featured a sleek and stylish design. He was absent from the series for a while but made his return in the first Michael Bay "Transformers" movie as the cool and token black robot character. And as the voice actor of Jazz commented during the recording of his death scene (spoiler warning), "Brother always gets it first." After his bit part in the film, there has been a resurgence in seeing Jazz in its original mold and colors as a toy. The Transformers Generations toy line recently unveiled such in the form of Special Ops Jazz.

Vehicle Mode: Sports Car

As usual, Jazz's vehicle mode is a sports car and now it's a white "street rally" one with a blue racing stripe. This mold combines elements of the original 1984 toy such as the shape of the hood and rubsign Autobot insignia while the Pontiac Solstice he used for the live-action film is referenced in the rear. Turned upside down, only the exposed hands and the slot to store Jazz's weapon display that this car is a robot in disguise. The car lives up to the sleek and coolness expected from the original toy when viewed from the front. But when viewed from the rear, one notices the lack of detail there. It is solid white where lights, exhaust, and windows should be painted.

Jazz's gimmick is hidden behind the car doors. Opening them up, one can unfold and flip out the speakers hidden behind the doors. They were featured in one episode in the cartoons that I cannot recall and it is a cool feature. The speakers are painted in nice detail.

Robot Mode

Jazz has a rather simple transformation from vehicle to robot. He keeps lots of his 1984 incarnation like tires on his shoulders and his doors looking like wings. His head is pretty much the same head although his expression is more angry than cool. He has really large feet in proportion to his body, but that offers more posing stability.

The speaker gimmick remains in Robot Mode. The speakers flip out out of the car doors in the same way as his car mode for an acoustic attack Additionally, the speakers are removable and clip onto his gun for a more powerful blaster. This clip system seems to be spreading so various Transformers like Darkmount and others can customize themselves with these universally accepted accessories. The blaster itself is a blast from the past toys as it is shaped as the one from Jazz as a Classic Pretender toy.

It is not exactly perfect, but Special Ops Jazz has a definite nostalgia factor that makes it favorable. AT about $9-$10 at most retail stores ($11.99 at eh Hasbro online shop) , it is worth adding to the collection.