Tuesday, August 24, 2010

A Transformer that was really a Robotech (Jetfire)

I took pictures of this a while ago and now just got around to get some of them posted. I will start off in Fighter Mode, then to Gerwalker Mode and finally Battroid Mode.


Preview of the 3 Modes

I actually got this off a toy shelf at a store called Best when it first hit. I actually got one at a cheaper price because they marked it wrong. If I remember correctly, it was $17.99 USD. I was with my mom and had begun opening the box after I got it while she was shopping. This is the only Transformer I have kept as I sold my collection years ago. I could not part with this for any reason!

I loved all the extras you could add to the figure at the time. At the time, I had no idea of its link to Robotech / Macross. I even kept the instructions, collector card with specs and the red plastic decoder sheet.


As it is from 1984, it has some little condition issues even with me keeping it out of the sunlight and stuff. There is the infamous "yellowing" of some of the parts. The hands do ahve some issues getting in and out from the forearm. The only other issue is the front wheels sometimes are not very stable and drop the nose (poor spring).

As for the reason this is so sought after was the fact it was actually made by BanDai and not Hasbro/Mattel. You can see in the picture below it was copyright by Bandai in 1984, Made in Japan & has the Bandai logo - YEAH!


Now lets move on to the picture show. Here are some shots of the Jetfire Transformer without all the extras.








Here are the shots with the added armor that make it even sweeter to own.






What happening to my Fighter Jet Mode -
what is it doing???


This is the little used Mode called Gerwalker. It is the mode between Fighter and Battloid. It has some limited flight and is primarily for Ground Based assualts (GearHead Wiki).








Now for the final configuration, Battloid Mode. This is how I have him currently in my showcase and have told my son that under NO CIRCUMSTANCES can he play with him!














I still have no ideas why some parts turned yellowish while others remained their whitest white.

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