There was originally a single thread for all three of these, but the mods have requested that it be split into three threads. Because of the origin of the review, though, there will be a fair amount of overlap in the reviews. I suggest you read them in order (G01, G02, G03) for full effect!

The reviews for the other two can be found here:
http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-feedback/940888-transformers-go-g01-kenzan.html
http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-feedback/940946-transformers-go-g03-ganoh.html

The review:

I know other people will have better pictures up, and there are already some good video reviews up showing the transformations (albeit in Japanese), so I'll focus just on my impressions and thoughts (with a few pictures added later for emphasis on certain points).

The video reviews for Jinbu are here:
http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-video-reviews/934328-transformers-go-jinbu.html

Thanks to フラゲトロンã•ã‚“ã®ãƒ—ロフィール - 写真共有サイト「フォト蔵〠for some help with the phrases!

Without further ado, my review of Jinbu of the Swordbot Samurai Team!

G02 Jinbu

Jinbu transforms from a jet with swept forward wings in the same vein as HFTD Terradive to a samurai-inspired robot form. He comes with a long sword and his kabuto. He does not have lights or sounds.

Vehicle Mode

Jinbu is the lightest of the three Samurai Team Swordbots. This is especially true in his alternate mode, which just feels... Cheap. Aesthetically, it's nice enough, but there's not much holding it together (basically, his combiner toes plug into his wing flaps, and that holds the whole shebang together), and after a few transformations it will start to feel like he's mostly air.

Fortunately, unlike some Transformer jets, he DOESN'T look like he has a robot hanging off his belly (though, his combiner feet only just barely manage to look like a fast pack or boosters on the back of this mode). So that's one good thing. I also like the four back wings, and it's always nice to see that they included front landing gear for him.

His sword can be stored on the topside of this mode, and you can also attach his kabuto to his rear "boosters" as a sort of turret... Thing...

Transformation

For specifics, I suggest you watch the videos above. Jinbu's transformation is ridiculously simple. There are literally recent basics with more complicated transformations. Usual caveat about this being the fault of all the modes he needs to have.

Robot Mode

Jinbu's robot mode suffers similar issues to those of his comrades. His legs are WAAAAAY too long, and clearly attach somewhere around his nipples. He also has the fun addition of gestalt feet hanging off his shins. Not great. Despite that, though, he manages to pull of some pretty cool-looking poses. He has almost the standard amount of articulation you'd expect from a modern toy:

- Ball-jointed head
- Shoulders are on a ball-joint, somewhat hampered from moving upwards by the design of the arms
- Biceps are on a swivel
- Elbows are hinged
- Legs are on ratcheted joints and can bend forward and backwards as well as rotate
- Knees are on ratcheted joints and can rotate and flex
- No ankle, wrist, or waist articulation

Jinbu's articulation is pretty similar to Kenzan's as far as feeling very similar to an Energon Voyager. He does have a really nice head sculpt, though, and he holds together very well despite his design thanks to a clever design trick that uses his landing gear to hold his legs together. (Insert your own joke here!)

Jinbu can store his sword on a post on his back that causes it to be mounted on a diagonal - pretty cool addition! His kabuto also folds up to form a "shield" (it's actually not a bad one, though he holds it a little strangely), which he can store on his back. If you're storing his shield on his back, you can attach his sword to the back of the shield. You lose the diagonal angle storage, but at least he can store everything!

Overall Thoughts

I feel about the same about Jinbu as I do about Kenzan. He feels incredibly light and simple for the price he commands, but he looks good in all his modes and has a fairly high level of play value despite his simplicity. I especially like his sword (not often that we see full-sized two-handed swords with Transformers toys!), and his head sculpt.

Combined Mode: GouJinbu

Transformation

GouJinbu is formed with Jinbu as the head, upper torso, and arms; Ganoh as the lower torso; and Kenzan as the legs. GouJinbu is the "Speed-focused" combination.

More detail on the transformation in the videos above. Briefly, though, I'll say that GouJinbu's combination is much smoother than GouKenzan's. As with GouKenzan, if you've activated Kenzan's "combination mode", connecting Jinbu's kabuto after combining the three robots ends the music and causes Kenzan to yell out a similar phrase (in Jinbu's voice!):

"Kabuto souchaku! Sanjou Gattai! GouJINBU!"
("Kabuto equipped! Sanjou Combination! GouJINBU!")

Combined Mode and Overall Thoughts

GouJinbu certainly suffers from some proportion issues, but they're not nearly as bad as GouKenzan's. With most of Jinbu winding up on the front of the combined robot, you almost can't tell that Ganoh is there. This mode has the weakest legs of the three combined modes, though, and his hands are TINY. He also has most of Ganoh hanging off his back, but is surprisingly less top-heavy than GouKenzan. It's a good thing, too, as this mode's legs already have a little trouble supporting the weight of the torso.

GouJinbu has the typical Energon combiner level of articulation:

- Arms rotate and extend
- Biceps swivel, and elbows flex
- Wrists can move back and forth
- Legs are on swiveling ratchets, providing the full range of motion
- Calves swivel
- Knees flex and swivel
- There is no head, ankle, or waist articulation.

This is supposedly the "speed" combination, but the kabuto used here is HUGE and bulky. It feels more like a brawler's helmet. Still - looks pretty sweet! You can equip GouJinbu with the same long, spear-like weapon as GouKenzan uses, and you can combine the two unused kabutos into a halfassed, boxy "gun"/"shield".

Pressing Kenzan's Autobot sigil in this mode causes Kenzan to yell an attack phrase in Japanese (first phrase below), and pressing and HOLDING it causes him to yell GouJinbu's finisher move attack phrase (second phrase below). Unfortunately, given the placement of Kenzan's lights in this combination, GouJinbu is blessed with a flashing crotch. (Insert your own joke here?)

"Sanjou ougi! Jin, jin, jinrai-gaeshi!"
("Sanjou secret technique! Jin, jin, thunderclap returning strike!")

"Iza, chou hisatsu! Sanjou ougi! Jin, jin, jinrai-gaeshi!"
("It's time for a super finisher! Sanjou secret technique! Jin, jin, thunderclap returning strike!")

Final Thoughts

Even at Japanese retail prices (~3,400Y each for Jinbu and Ganoh, and ~5,000Y for Kenzan) this trio is relatively expensive. Given how simple they are, and the issues inherent in their design... It's hard to recommend that anyone rush out and buy them. That being said, they are FUN. There's a LOT of play value in the trio, and their shared lights and sounds gimmick is seriously the best we've seen in a long time. I'm especially happy that they went through the trouble of having three different voice actors record lines for the toys!

Aesthetically, the designs for the three characters also have the great molding and character we've come to expect from Prime molds, with articulation and transformations more appropriate to toys from the AEC era. They're a definite curiosity, and I can understand why fans seem to be divided in their opinions of them.

Personally, they're a quirky and unique addition to my collection. Things have been stagnating for a while with all the movie and Prime merchandise, and these are a welcome change of pace. Hopefully the Anime will add some depth of character too.

EDIT: Interesting side note... TakaraTomy has apparently issued a recall of Jinbu because his knee segments are reversed:



They say the switch doesn't affect Transformation or other functions (and it doesn't appear to), but for them to call an actual recall is unheard of. That has made some of the Japanese fans speculate that there might be some unknown problem that the swap causes...

 

It stops the Jinbu Legs plugging properly into middle body backpack mode unless you undue and swap them - when in middle body mode for the Gou Kenzan combiation (blue on top, yellow middle red legs) it also gives the robot mode one extra click of knee movement.

It also means you don't have to press Kenzan as firmly onto Jinbu and have another way to confirm a firm bond as it's so stiff it's a real pain in the tailpipe getting them to pieces again on those 5mm holes on the front of the torso they are just far to tight to be safe.

I also notice Jinbu has no Autobot logo anywhere on his body (just on his helm) - not even on the TV show does he have one. where are Ganoh has 3 of them.

Jinbu and Ganoh look superb combined with each other as a two some I feel. and are more fun to play with than the unwieldy trio. (which you often a little scared is going to fall over).

I did nail polish Jinbu's super mode arm/feet a little just to tighten them up enough so he can support the combined weight when forming legs - when he was not able to do out of the box - the legs were to loose at the ankles. I wouldn't suggest going to crazy on the floor polish/ varnish or nail polish though as you want to stil be able to move the super mode fists but a bit of tension in his ankles/wrists helps the robot mode too.n I may have to do the same with Ganoh too. It's only really required if you think you are going to put the combination with Jinbu as legs and stick it on a high shelf and not have to worry. I'd say use Ganouh as legs though for stability and long term display. The other two leg modes are a bit to vague in terms of shelf safety. Ganoh as legs is much more solid overall even with the Jinbu backpack making him a little back heavy.

It might have been nice if they'd given Jinbu some rockets for the jet mode (there is a place to mount them) and allowed a bit more clearance to move his head. I found painting the cugg around his hips brigh gold or silver help distract a bit from the funny legs he has - this could have been prevented easily if the bottom portion of his helm was removable and could have been used as a waist piece - but the landing gear locks everything in place and there's no issue with groin floppyness like with Kenzan - it works fine it just looks like his legs end under his armpits from some angles (less noticeable head on).

 

For more pics, click on the image above

Robot Mode: Let’s get the most obvious thing out of the way first: Jinbu is a robot without a torso. He has shoulders and directly below them the legs begin. He’s a leg man. All-leg. The jet cockpit in front and the panels on the back do their best to hide the fact that his torso doesn’t really exist and from certain angles it works, but the moment you look at him even slightly sideways, you see the gaping hole where the center of his body should be. The price he pays for being both a jetformer and part of a combiner, I guess. Moving on.

Once you get past this the figure as such isn’t bad. Articulation is quite good (just remember to bend the legs where the hip should be instead of much, much higher up), allowing Jinbu quite the number of dynamic poses. He has big feet, giving him a solid stance, and the general look of the figure is quite good as well. Okay, the combination of alternate mode and color make it seem like Bumblebee had a love child with a Decepticon Seeker, but still. I like his look.

Jinbu comes with a very, very big Samurai sword as his main weapon. The sword is almost as long as he’s tall, but it looks good on him. Due to the long handle it can only be used by figures where the fist hole goes all the way through (Ganoh and Kenzan can’t wield it). As a second weapon Jinbu can fold together the helmet / chest plate thing for his combiner mode (see below), turning it into... well, something that’s supposed to be a gun. Actually it’s the best gun-thing of the three Swordbots, but that doesn’t say much. It works much better as a rucksack, though, giving a bit more mass to Jinbo’s torso and offering a place to store his sword, too.

All in all Jinbo’s robot mode suffers heavily from the combiner requirements, but he’s doing the best he can given those limitations.

Alternate Mode: Jinbu transforms into a jet with forward-swept wings of no particular model, I believe. Much like the robot mode the jet consists mostly of legs, which form the largest part of the jet’s body and the big combiner feet are folded up to form the jet’s rear. The big sword goes on top with the handle forming a kind-of gun barrel up front and the jet has a landing gear as well, or at least a partial one (front wheel only). From certain angles the jets looks pretty good, but from others… well, not so much. Anyway, the jet can also be armed with Jinbu’s helmet-gun, but that pretty much ruins what little aerodynamics he has and looks rather stupid as well, so I’d leave it off. So bottom line: not a bad attempt at a jet mode, but not a particularly good one, either.

Combiner: The three members of the Samurai Swordbot Team can combine into a larger robot in three different combinations. Each combination is named for the bot that forms the top with an added ‘Go’-prefix, so this particular combination here with Jinbu on top is called GoJinbu. Jinbu becomes the upper body and arms, Kenzan becomes the hip and legs, while Ganoh provides the belly and rucksack.

Jinbu’s helmet-gun unfolds into a helmet with a very long breast plate that actually goes all the way down to his crotch (it needs to plug into Kenzan’s torso for the electronic sound effects, more on that in Kenzan’s review). This actually causes GoJinbu to look very stretched-out, despite being no more disproportioned than the other versions of the combiner. Jinbo actually makes a very decent upper body, though look-wise he’s actually my least-favorite version of the three. Mostly because Kenzan doesn’t really work well as a lower body. One flaw here is that GoJinbu cannot hold the combined weapon (a long lance made from the individual weapons of all three team members) because his fist holes are a tad too narrow to fit in the handle of Ganoh’s weapon. You can, however, utilize the fists of Ganoh, which peek out above his shoulders, and plug in Kenzan’s swords there, for example. Looks pretty cool. Additionally GoJinbu can wield the extremely awkward combination of Kenzan and Ganoh’s helmet-guns, which… yeah, you know? Don’t put them in his hand. Just don’t. You’re better off that way.

Bottom line here: all three combinations of the Samurai Swordbot team are solid, well-connected, and look pretty cool in a Japanese-warrior kind of way, but personally I must say that GoJinbu is my least favorite of the three.

Side Note: Unless, that is, if you simply take Jinbu and Ganoh, leave Kenzan aside, and combine the two in the old Energon Powerlinx style. In that case GoJinbu looks very cool, nicely proportioned, and the yellow-red color combo is to my liking as well. Of the two-mode combinations GoJinbu is actually my favorite of the three.

Remarks: Transformers Go! is the Japanese version of the Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters series, but includes quite a few figures exclusive to Japan and with its own cartoon series that has nothing to do with the Prime TV series. I’ve only seen the first episode of said series, but it featured the Samurai Swordbots who were awakened by a small child and got to face off against Abominus, who dutifully reassembled himself time and time again so the Swordbots could show off all their combinations and special moves.

Overall I must say that Jinbu is the worst of the Samurai Swordbot Team. He isn’t a bad figure as such, but his engineering is very much compromised by the combiner gimmick, more than the other two. Still, you’re going to buy either all three of the team or none. Jinbu looks the most Japanese of the three in single robot mode, I must say, so once again: if you like the general aesthetic and the combination gimmick, you get him. If not, leave him aside.

Rating: C+

 

I recently picked up Arms Micron Jin. It's the Arms Micron S.S. from Smokescreen, who turns from robot to crossbow, but it's translucent yellow to go with Jinbu.

Although sold separately as a store promotion, it's meant for Jinbu.



I have a Jinbu on order from Japan, so when he arrives I will take pictures of them together.



Robot mode has arms the move at the shoulder.



Weapon mode has two pegs for holding him upright or flat.