Dave's Movie Transformers Rant:

     Autobot Jazz (G1-style deco)

     Permalink: http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Movie/DeluxeT1

     One of the Target exclusive recolors.  Total scalper bait, if I hadn't
been there when the box was pulled out of the back, I would have missed this
one entirely.
     http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Movie/Deluxe1 - original mold
     http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Movie/Deluxe3 - discussion of the arm
modifications seen in this version.


CAPSULE

     Autobot Jazz: Fixes the main problem I had with the original mold, looks
snazzy, but still has boring "sword" weapon.  Recommended if you have no
other Jazz mold, mildly recommended otherwise, and do not pay scalper prices
for it.  $9.99 at Target (exclusive)


RANT

     Packaging: Standard Deluxe blister pack, with a Target exclusive sticker
on the front.  The co-sells are wave one stuff (Bumblebee '70s, Wreckage,
Brawl, Scorponok, Barricade).  Two twist-ties hold the car into the blister,
one holds the "sword" weapon.  No catalog, the instructions have proper
photos but the same line art (including the misleading instructions on
attaching the trunk as a shield).
     As usual, no official function or motto, so I made my own.

AUTOBOT: AUTOBOT JAZZ
Altmode: Pontiac Solstice
Licensor: GM
Previous Name Use: Movie, Heroes of Cybertron
Previous Mold Use: Modified Autobot Jazz (Movie)
Package Callouts: "Spoiler becomes shield!"  "Exclusive G1 deco!"
     "Telescoping Sword"
Function: Revenant
Motto: "I'm too pretty to stay dead!"

     During the long process of being rebuilt by AUTOBOT RATCHET, there was a
lot of time to think.  AUTOBOT JAZZ digs his Earth vehicle form, but the
silver paint job got scratched too easily, and dust stuck to it like
cyberflies on old oil.  Also, it wasn't nearly eye-catching enough.  Just
because he's supposed to be in disguise doesn't mean he can't be noticed.
With help from BUMBLEBEE and AUTOBOT RATCHET, he picked this color scheme as
the one most likely to get him appreciative looks from all the humans he
passes on the freeway.

STR 6  INT 6  SPDN 9  END 7  RNK 8  COUR 9  FRB 6  SKL 5  Avg 7

     It's zombie Jazz!  Returning from the dead didn't change his stats any,
though.  Note that the issue of "Wait, and white is better for scratches and
dust?" has been brought up elsewhere, and it seems that white is indeed
better for those problems, according to people who own white cars.

     Color Swaps: Pretty simple.  Black is still black, clear light blue is
still clear light blue (although maybe a different shade...could just be
batch variation), and silvery gray becomes white.

     Paint Apps: Most of this stuff is printed rather than painted,
actually.  The printed stuff is thin enough for the UV glow of the underlying
white plastic to shine through, whereas the actually painted bits block
this.  The white paint on the roof piece is not glowy under UV. 
     A three-tone (blue, light blue, red) stripe runs along the centerline of
the top of the car, being just as wide as the trunk hinge piece.  A white 4
with double thin blue line border is on the center of the hood.  On the
grille piece, the stripe becomes simply solid blue, with the Pontiac hood
symbol printed in red over the molded part.  On each door is printed a blue 4
and the name "JAZZ" in white on blue in a rectangle covering a smaller
circle, plus a blue strip along the bottom of the door.  The headlights and
wheel hubs are painted silver, the foglamps light blue, the grille black, the
taillights and a strip along the airdam are red.
     In robot mode, the belt, faceplate and kneecaps are silver, and an
Autobot symbol is printed on the pelvis.  No other robot-specific paints.

     Mold Changes: In theory, none.  This has the same arm assembly fix seen
in Final Battle Jazz, reinforcing the idea that this mold alteration is a
running change in the regular Autobot Jazz figure.  

     Other Notes: He still has to hold his weapon in the manner of the
original, so I recommend using the undocumented "attach to the shield"
feature.  You can also sort of rest it on his shoulder strut as a G1-style
shoulder cannon.  It doesn't lock, but it holds reasonably securely.

     Overall: Spiffy recolor, fixes the main engineering problem with the
original mold, but still stuck with a boring weapon.  I'd rank Final Battle
Jazz over this one, and recommend you not pay scalper prices for it.  But if
you see it on the shelf, it's worth grabbing.

     Dave Van Domelen, sticking this and Target G1 Starscream off on a little
shelf on their own.