Special Ops Jazz
Sometimes I think that Hasbro must have some kind of multiple personality disorder. How else do you explain the number of sub lines in their top franchise, Transformers? I could appreciate the Generation 1 (G1), Cybertron, Energon, Armada lines. They were all matched to corresponding cartoon series. They were also out only one at a time, one after the other. These days, we’ve got several lines being marketed all at the SAME time. I can understand having a separate movie line from the ones based on the original G1 aesthetic, but this goes far beyond that.
Right now at Toy Kingdom, you’ll see Powercore Combiners, Hunt for the Decepticons, Generations, and now we’ve got a brand new one to fill in while we wait for Dark of the Moon to hit; Reveal the Shield.
Reveal the Shield (RTS) is a line that is built around the classic idea of the Transformer “rub sign”. This is a small, heat-sensitive sticker that is black at room temperature. When you touch it, your higher body temperature changes the color of the sticker, revealing the faction that the robot belongs to.
One thing though; the temperature in the Philippines is often the same as body temperature. When I display this, or when kids play with it, there’s not much mystery. Oh, well. As play features go, at least this one’s relatively innocuous.
Jazz is one of the bots stuffed into this little sub-line, along with Windcharger and both the Autobot and Decepticon Legends and several other G1 characters. It’s a weird choice for Hasbro, since he’s a shoe in for the Generations line, that being a continuation of the “Classics” and “Universe” lines where all the G1 toys were re-designed to look like their cartoon models. It’s not that Hasbro dropped the Generations moniker; the Kup and Scourge will be coming out anytime now and they’re both under that banner.
Not that it matters in the end. I’m just glad to finally have a REAL Jazz; not a flub like that guy in the movies who gets his balls handed to him by Megatron.
This Jazz kicks the Movie Jazz’ ass. Click HERE to see why.
