I just got this guy in today. the shipping box was HUGE - probably could have fit a Fort Max in there - I knew it had to be Astrotrain, being delivered by FedEx, but wow, did they pack the hell out of him!
To those who aren't familiar with this mold it is a repaint of Armada Jetfire with a wonderful new head sculpt.
As you may know, this Astrotrain is NOT a triple changer.
Box:
The box is incredibly well done, with awesome boxart and a two piece box with soft foam insert. The box is easily the thickest, strongest
TF box I have ever seen. It is similar to a hardcover book in thickness. Very well done.
The box is also NOT taped shut, which I think is great, myself. There is no remorse about keeping it sealed. And after seeing him and fiddling, snapping pics, etc, I would have been happy to open him anyway, he is fantastic!
Toy:
I forget exactly what size class Jetfire was in Armada, but he is nice and big, but not too big. He's between a voyager class and leader class in size. He dwarfs the Classics voyagers by far.
As you can see in the pics, he features an all new paint deco with great detail in alt mode. In robot mode, his legs could have used a bit more paint apps IMO, but otherwise he is a beautiful rendition of my favorite "Space choo-choo"
His transformation is not to simple and not too complex. It is a lot of fun to
TF him and pose him. His poseability is not outstanding, but pretty decent. It is hard to get a good "action" pose out of him as his hip joints only swivel. Keep in mind that the original mold (Armada Jetfire) was designed to combine with Armada Optimus Prime, so I think for being a combiner, he is well articulated and lots of fun. His Blaster gun features lights and sounds when you depress the tailfin.
Mini-Cons:
He comes with four mini-cons that are repaints as well.
Overall:
A very nice exclusive toy with a great paint job, bonus Mini-cons, fantastic box, and great play value. I would give him a 9 out of 10. He'd be a 10 if they used a little more detail on the legs.
The price was quite high - $87.00, nearly three times more than Jetfire, but keep in mind he's a limited exclusive, and I think the extra effort put into this toy and packaging make it well worth the price. When I first ordered him, I was thinking he was way too expensive, but after having him in my possesion, he is worth every penny.
I highly recommend this guy.
On to the pics!
