Encore Jazz Quick review

[convoymagnus]

Hi:

I was expecting for some of the traditional reviewers did this but up to now none has posted anything yet, and so, i venture myself posting a quick review for this figure, all the comparisons i am making are based on my MIB TF collection Jazz.



1- Overall presentation : Good,at first glance, at least, looks more solid than TF collection. When you close up it has more flaws than expected for a TAKARA reissue.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v481/convoymagnus/ko%20mirage%20pictures/S3010123.jpg

2-Errors corrected:
In car mode errors in the roof and back windows were corrected, TF collection back windows are way too loose, the car now stays locked at midpoint when transforms, TF collection keeps unlocking and becomes loose.

In robot mode the figure stands way better than TF collection as TFcollections leans back and eventually falls back! the face sculpt is not new as it was expected , they used stepper mold and obviously is way better than the horrible "post plastic surgery swollen" face in TFcollection but do not expect the clean and crisp G1 face.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v481/convoymagnus/ko%20mirage%20pictures/S3010124.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v481/convoymagnus/ko%20mirage%20pictures/S3010125.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v481/convoymagnus/ko%20mirage%20pictures/S3010126.jpg


3- Paint: the tampographed lines are really a plus in the toy and give him a bit of more realism, unfortunately painted stripes and numbers will be a hamper if you decide you want a more G1 deco and apply reprolabels specially at the doors (I prefer "Martinii porsche" than "Agent Meister" on the body). face paint could be better, the blue visor is a plus but not barely painted as if the figure was a cheap chinese 6 in 1 Ko. Another thing I dislike is the autobot symbol tampoed over the tampoed stripes it breakes the beauty of the painted lines.


4- Molding Problems: The figure presents an overall very good look, but in some parts of the figure the plastic feels cheaper than TFcollection it even has the hips charred:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v481/convoymagnus/ko%20mirage%20pictures/S3010128.jpg


The copyright was changed and TAKARA makes NO PART of it anymore, TF collection Says :

"1992 hasbro
all rights reserved
made in china"

Encore says:

"2002 HASBRO INC
2007 TOMMY
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
MADE IN CHINA"


finally, the tires are of a cheaper rubber and the groove detail presents very bad (like charred) definition.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v481/convoymagnus/ko%20mirage%20pictures/S3010129.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v481/convoymagnus/ko%20mirage%20pictures/S3010130.jpg


In conclusion to this review I can honestly say that the figure is not worth your $40.00 (S/H included),maybe if you plan to keep it in the box is ok. I used it to replace my TFcollection Jazz, because of the many fails that the TFcollection jazz presents specially the "swollen face".

Encore ratchet and Ironhide are as cheap as this, and this maked me wonder if it is worth to keep buying this reissues. maybe Jazz was a damaged mold, but I do owe the 2002 Ratchet & Ironhide reissues and are far superior in quality to their Encore counterparts. compared to my KO mirage and red Mirage the quality is inferior as well.

[cappeca]

Would it possible to assemble a decent Jazz out of Encore+TFCollection with nothing more than a screwdriver?

[Bumble Prime]

I got this guy and i think its worth the 40 bucks considering its tough to find another decent example of G1 jazz in any form, be it loose G1 or previous reissue at that price , much less misb.

The head sculpt looks great with the painted visor and the tampo-ed stripes are pure love.

[BigRC83]

The encore Jazz looks flawless.

[TCracker]

Just got one yesterday and he is just reeks with G1 awesomeness :D

[microclone]

thanks for the review.

iIve got two on the way from japan via a friend. I have the diaclone version but i decided to get this so i could play around with it (i dont want my diaclone one to be a floppy doll after a decade of even careful transforming).

I knew this wasnt going to be perfect especially after the shoddy Tf collection version (i originally got that then sold it once i realised hwo bad it was).

the quality issues are a bummer but at the very least the box is sweet. He looks like his upper body doesnt align horizontally??

I'll admit that i never noticed that ratchet/ironhide were significantly different overall than the other reissues. generally the reissues seem solid, kup for eg as odd ball as he is is a really tight and clean looking reissue.

i have a bugbear with reissues, back in 1991 in europe I was faced with all the euro classic reissues and being old enough top actually buy them i was faced with a dilemma, which ONE should I get, I got jazz, TF'd him to hell until it was a floppy doll and ebayed him a few years ago. I wish 2 things:that id kept him just so as to compare it geekily with the later incarnations and that id bought ALL those damn euro classics, esp as they are so sought after!!

the head does look weaker than the diaclone, the horns are really badly sculpted.

as im in a position to get reissues at japan retail price i wont feel too cheated although i wish takara/tomy would get their quality back, its always sad when despite improvements in technology products become inferior with time. i think part of the problem is that it seems that the G2 mould was used, well at the very least the silver feet tabs are the narrow based g2 type. when i got my TFC version i noticed that in detail pretty much all the toy is a new mould compared to the diaclone one, the metal in the car rear is thinner for eg.

[convoymagnus]

Would it possible to assemble a decent Jazz out of Encore+TFCollection with nothing more than a screwdriver?


belive me, I tried to do that, but they are different molds so you have problems with misaligned parts when put together so i just re built each with their own pieces.

[Optimus747]

You really didn't like Encore Jazz? I got mine yesterday, and I think it's great. I can't afford a G1 Jazz yet, so this is the next best thing. It doesn't seem cheap at all, and I like the paintjob. I think Encore Jazz is definitely worth $40. I especially like how he's got a blue-painted visor, unlike the original and other releases of Jazz.

[Easterling Capt]

I never saw the wrogn stuff with TFC Jazz. mine is perfect and was on display for over 1 year untill I took him down and he has never fallen , no loose parts. Maybee I was just lucky

[convoymagnus]

You really didn't like Encore Jazz? ..... I can't afford a G1 Jazz yet, so this is the next best thing...... It doesn't seem cheap at all, .......worth the $40..... I especially like how he's got a blue-painted visor, unlike the original and other releases of Jazz.

Do not misunderstand me I do like the figure (so much that i took the terrible TFcollection Jazz from its box and replaced with this), and maybe I was too rash to say it is not worth the money, what i meant is exactly this

- If you have the money for a vintage c9 save your money for it.
- It does not look so bad like the 6 in 1 ko figures, but definetely for a takara reissue, could be better,(my KO mirage is far superior)
- blue visor is a plus as i said, but the paintjob (at least in mine) is not as proffesional as the other reissued e-hobby and TFcollection figures.

As I said in the original post, maybe the mold is damaged, because from my point of view, this figure could be better, I mean, I have most reissues and Tf collection complete and, from all the figures the cheapest was Tfcollection jazz the others i have like skids, blitzwing, insecticons etc are Crisp and very good looking.

till all are one!

[Bjjer]

I just got mine in too, and I like it. While his plastics does seem a little thinner, mine was otherwise flawless. Well put together and transforms easily. His tampos are good. Ive not had a problem with any of my encores. I will get the reprolabels though as I like Martini labels better.

[blahduh]

$40 should get your a loose vintage C9, it all depends if you want the encore box or not.

[T16skyhopp]

just got jazz. ima get repro stickers for some porch logos, Meister is OK by the tampo on the doors, but i don't need it everywhere, it'll always be jazz to me. applied the roboty stickers though. hes my first jazz so i cant compare him. hes awesome though.

[DoubleClouder]

Man I was on the fence on this one. Still don't know what I want to do. I love the blue visor. Thanks for the review though!

[Soundwave.ca]

Got to check this out in person today, my only comment would be if you have Jazz already this one is an instant pass. Only changes are a slightly retooled head and painted visor and the overall slightly changed colors on the stickers to make him look a bit more show accurate but nothing to write home about.

[microclone]

Got to check this out in person today, my only comment would be if you have Jazz already this one is an instant pass. Only changes are a slightly retooled head and painted visor and the overall slightly changed colors on the stickers to make him look a bit more show accurate but nothing to write home about.

the jazz mould is amongst my favourite toys period. Im buying this as i simply enjoy his actual transformation, my diaclone version is to be kid gloved (although as hes my only version he is a bit looser than when i got him MIB!), this one i can just flip and twist without any worry! It has to be an improvement over the collection version, that face was just hideous, it reminds me of scorpio from dirty harry after hes been beaten up.

[fosterlager]

Got to check this out in person today, my only comment would be if you have Jazz already this one is an instant pass. Only changes are a slightly retooled head and painted visor and the overall slightly changed colors on the stickers to make him look a bit more show accurate but nothing to write home about.

That's my impression as well. The TFC version will be fine for my collection. I'm not so in love with the mold that I want more than Meister and Stepper.

[pscoop]

Thanks for the info everyone. I already have the mold so I will pass on this one. I do think $30 is a good price for someone who doesn't have it pick it up.

[microclone]

got my encore meister today.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/cyborgbushcricket/DSCN4545.jpg

im comparing him to my diaclone version (on the left, he has crappy photocopied stickers, i didnt want to use the actual ones) which i guess is very close to a real TF version.

Overall its a BIG improvement on the collection version, i bought that and quickly sold it on, it felt loose and the face was unbearable. THis version feels way more solid in car mode and to be hones is no less solid than my diaclone version (although that has been TF'd a few times). His rear windshield is very solid, the two pieces actually stand up on their own in any position, even on the diaclone this is floppy.

the most notable issues are as follows:

1)the left shoulder ie the white car part is a bit loose and doesnt sit vertical I think this is because in the verticle position it isnt touching a little tab on the unside of the metal part. easy enough to fix. I noticed however that once the gun is pushed firmly in place it actually hold the shoulder up, jury rig but its fine by me!

2)theres a degree of torsion to the upper torso to the lower, i notice this on the photos earlier in this thread but mine is way less pronounced, its like jazz is twisting to his right very slightly but i only noticed this because under his chest you can see the black plastic frame misaligned with the white metal main frame.

3)the black plastic parts are more softly moulded and a bit scruffy compared to diaclone, not a big deal though, also its more matt.

4)the head isnt as nice as the vintage , not as tightly etched but its quite acceptable and the blue visor looks great.

5)ive never been sure which is the official front and back of teh arms, i guess the front is where you cant see the screws/rivet in this case but the arms dont bend at the elbows too easlity without prying the seams apart a little, anything is better than the loose collection versions, a little unscrewing and filing might help here.

the tampos look good esp on the rear arches.

overall im more pleased than i expected, i got two as this guy sealed in box looks fantastic, the box is really nice. hes also easier to TF than the diaclone version, getting the head/windshield and torso parts aligned properly to go back to car mode is quite tricky, when i first got my diaclone version his shoulders were quite tight and theres less possible movement of the tyres in the arches without loosening the various parts, i think the later tf versions were improved for ease of tf'ing.

I now see why the gen 2 mould used the thinner chromed foot tabs, its so that piece sits fully flush under the car, although the original looks better in robot mode.

overall:

good:a significant improvement on the dreadful collection version, feels way more solid and the face is acceptable this time around, box is great. he is really nice and bright too, my diaclone version looks yellower, probably just age. Far, far easier to transform than the diaclone version. great for those wanting the G1 MISB fix but without paying $400. $35 with shipping (what i paid) is a very realistic compromise.

bad: unlike say collection prowl there is a noticable drop in quality compared to vintage but as its our only choice outside of vintage i'd still recommend if you can get it at a reasonable price. to my mind hes about '90%' of the vintage wheres the other resisses are '95%-100%'.

oh and the missiles get stuck sometimes but work fine in my diaclone one, go figure!! edit, actually the missile only gets stuck if you put it in wrong, theres a groove in the barrel, the diaclone version has a simple round hole.

[bumblebee79]

Got the Encore jazz and I think its pretty cool.


Thanks for the review though.

[Skywave]

I got mine too earlier this week, and I love him :) It's also the first G1 Jazz mold I own, or see in the flesh actually, so I can't compare it with any previous one. But for a display piece I find him very nice, both mode look good and hold very well. Only need to get some reprolabels sticker for him and he should look even greater :D

[microclone]

anybody else out there got the loose left shoulder?? (ie jazz's left)

[Lone_Decepticon]

Great review! Thanks.

[T16skyhopp]

yeah mines a lil loose on the left

[perithimus]

I got mine on tuesday. He is flawless. No loose joints. He looks great. I especially love the painted visor. That's a great touch.

[SunnyDay77]

I must digress with the OP. Got him in today, and he is phenomenal. Personally, I have had nothing but good experiences with the encore line. I was surprised at how sturdy Jazz is; nice hefty weight, solid, tight joints, and everything clicks together as it should.

[convoymagnus]

.....Got him in today, and he is phenomenal. Personally, I have had nothing but good experiences with the encore line. I was surprised at how sturdy Jazz is; nice hefty weight, solid, tight joints, and everything clicks together as it should.

I think that in this issue a lot will come into play, but maybe, because i am so used to the original vintage diaclone and g1 molds i see all the errors in the figures, I just received the "Black protect Ironhide" and definetely it is "crap"(again the ko mirage is FAR superior), i mean, it is better than having nothing i have to admit, because the diakron black ironhides are too expensive, but when you compare it to the originals A LOT is left to desire, even compared with the 2002 TAKARA re-issue this toy is far inferior, I am preparing a review, will post soon!

[SunnyDay77]

I think that in this issue a lot will come into play, but maybe, because i am so used to the original vintage diaclone and g1 molds i see all the errors in the figures, I just received the "Black protect Ironhide" and definetely it is "crap"(again the ko mirage is FAR superior), i mean, it is better than having nothing i have to admit, because the diakron black ironhides are too expensive, but when you compare it to the originals A LOT is left to desire, even compared with the 2002 TAKARA re-issue this toy is far inferior, I am preparing a review, will post soon!

I understand your point. For me, I have not had this mold in, oh, 20 years or so. So it is great. Maybe if I had an original or whatnot I would feel different, but I am very happy with my encore ;)

[microclone]

I understand your point. For me, I have not had this mold in, oh, 20 years or so. So it is great. Maybe if I had an original or whatnot I would feel different, but I am very happy with my encore ;)

I have the original diaclone 'jazz' and the encore (ive also owned the classic euro reissue jazz from 1991 from new and the collection version). the encore isnt in the same league overall BUT its does not actually feel cheap and nasty, the collection version felt all wrong, the only collection toy that i was really unhappy with. The encore is actually easier to transform than the diaclone version and is a bit more play friendly for sure (i think the original diaclne mould was changed for G1 to make these changes).

its a shame if takara is cutting quality but my encore ironhide/ratchet dont seem especially poor quality, im sure they are not as nice as previous incarnations but by no means are they like bad KO's.

[SPLIT LIP]

I finally got Jazz today.

Really, I try not to use the word flawless too much, but Jazz really deserves it.

Vehicle mode is clean, lines up perfectly and looks amazing. Transformation is smooth with no errors and the robot mode stands and holds together fine. No paint errors, no chips, no assembly problems, everything is awesome.

I always loved Jazz, and now I finally have him.:D

[Me Grimlock]

You guys did a great job comparing the encore jazz with the TFC jazz, but how does the Hasbro commemorative reissue compare? I got the TFC Jazz a while back and had no idea it was different from the original.

[microclone]

You guys did a great job comparing the encore jazz with the TFC jazz, but how does the Hasbro commemorative reissue compare? I got the TFC Jazz a while back and had no idea it was different from the original.

as far as i know the hasbro jazz has the inferior head sculpt like TFC but has a slight remould to help the rear windshield stay put in car mode. He also has black missiles, longer for safety if im not mistaken.

overall the i'd say the encore is easily the best reissue to get.