STRENGTH           RANK
9.4                 9.5
INTELLIGENCE    COURAGE
8.8                 9.2
SPEED         FIREPOWER
9.9                 9.7
ENDURANCE         SKILL
9.3                 9.6

Color Scheme:

Royal blue all the way, Baby! Of course, he's got a bunch of red and yellow accents, and even some gray parts. For the most part, his color scheme is show accurate. His beautiful color scheme is one of his many strong points.

Robot Mode:

The first thing most people comment on is his vague similarity to Generation 2 Dreadwing. I see it too, but it's only kind of a "style" similarity than any direct similarities. Overall, his robot mode kicks slag, especially when seen from the front. Where it loses a little is on the back side, where it's almost nothing but exposed transformation mechanisms (hinges, empty space, etc.) It doesn't ruin the toy, but it makes you want to see him from the front all the time. He doesn't really have a backpack, since his chest is fairly robust, he ends up being more balanced. My main complaints in this mode (as well as other modes) is how his shin covers (that hide the thrusters) do not connect to his legs at all, and his hand covers. The way his shin covers just freely move whenever you touch them is annoying. All they had to do was add a couple small pegs or clips to it so that they stay shut when not opened intentionally, and it wouldn't be a problem. As for the hand covers, they're worse than the original Jetstorm toy. Instead of folding back against the side of the arm, they split in half and fold back toward the top and bottom of the arm. The problem is, they don't fold ALL the way back, and end up sticking out a bit from his arms. Had they given the covers ball joints and allowed them to swivel around and down against the arms, that would have been great. I could probably nitpick a few other things, but it *is* a nice robot mode after all. One other thing to mention are his hands. They are much like the original, except that the "fingers" can be positioned relative to each other. Meaning, they're all on the same pin, and can be right up against each other, or spread out evenly in a circle, or anywhere in between. Although it's still difficult to make him hold onto anything, it's an improvement over the original. :)

Vehicle Mode:

I won't say he's totally show-accurate, but he's a LOT better than the original Jetstorm toy was. The color scheme alone makes a big difference, but the overall shape and style bears a striking resemblance to the show rendering of the character. From the top, he looks virtually identical to the show, but don't look at it from the sides, or underneath. If you do, you'll see his robot legs lazily tossed underneath. Now, this isn't inherently bad, but it's almost an afterthought. His knees actually TOUCH the ground (surface the toys is on when in vehicle mode). I'm not talking skimming the ground, or looking like they touch... they actually touch. You don't want to take any landings or take-offs with this toy unless you want scratches on the knees. I'm not worried about it, but this guy is going to hell in a hand basket once a little kid starts playing with it. Take a look at the profile pic above for what I'm talking about. Aside from the massive undercarriage, the other problem is how the backside looks as if there's a piece missing. This is due to the gimmick (below), but I'm sure they could have done a better job, especially at this size. Top it all off with landing gear that fold either way (back or forward), neither of which look or work all that well... Anyway, it might sound like I'm trashing this toy, but I'm not. I just want people to be aware of the little quirks that the pictures don't necessarily reveal. In case you can't tell from the head shot, the spark crystal is hidden by a small hatch on the top of the jet mode. Again, this really is a cool toy. ;-)

Alternate Mode:

Essentially, his robot mode with his legs stuck together, and shin covers opened to reveal thrusters. He looks cool in this mode, I just wish there were a way to stand him up without a prop, or a convenient place to run a fishing line. It would be really neat to have him hanging from your bedroom/display room ceiling as if he's hovering. Notably, his cockpit is "trapped" inside the backs of his attached legs in this mode. This has the unfortunate result of conjuring images of "Dirk Jetstorm" in robot mode with his "cockpit" sticking straight out from his body... sorry. ;-)

Transformation:

Rated as "Advanced," someone noted that Hasbro seems to base the ratings on the size of the toy. In reality, this Jetstorm is no more complex, possibly even simpler, than the original Jetstorm (the deluxe version). There aren't any real tricky parts. I'll admit now, though, that I read the instructions for all my TFs first. For some strange reason, I actually enjoy reading them first. Call me weird. hehe. Anyway, it's a sufficiently complex transformation, and I like it! :)

Gimmicks:

His advertised gimmick is his "electronics" which are really just some embedded LEDs, like Optimal Optimus. When you press a lever at the rear, his gun turret pops up, turning on the LED lights. The lights are in his cockpit, as well as in the gun turret, lighting up his missiles and the insides of the turret itself. In robot mode, one of the LEDs is right below his head, making his robot eyes glow a little. I tried to take a picture of his glowing parts, but it just wasn't happening. The other gimmick that I already mentioned is his pop up gun turret. When they're up, you can rotate them back and forth, activating the swinging cockpit gimmick, making it appear as if Jetstorm is looking side to side. If you turn the turret far to the side, the missile trigger is tripped, launching the missile. This happens upon turning the turret both directions. Although the missiles stay locked in until triggered, I noticed that the triggers can be sensitive in robot mode, so watch out. As noted previously, his backside looks a little empty, well, this is especially true when the turret is raised. It's as if the back half of the jet is missing entirely, and looks very odd. Unless I really wanted to use the "scanning cockpit" gimmick, I usually leave the turret down in vehicle mode. As you can also see in the gimmick picture above, the cockpit section is articulated, allowing it to look up and down, or craned like a bird. Of course, he's got the spark crystal hidden by a small hatch, and we finish off with is "self guided" missiles. These are basically little missiles that attach to the underside of his wings, or the sides of his legs in robot mode. They don't launch from anywhere, but they have little "faces" with teeth and everything, and a hinge at the "neck" so they can look side to side like Jetstorm does. Kind of silly, but a nice added touch to the accessories.

Pros/Cons:

I reiterate, most of the above complaints are nitpicking. It really is a sweet toy. Of course, his size is a big plus, he's got playable gimmicks, and he just plain looks cool!