Transformers Prime Deluxe Cliffjumper (Robots in Disguise)

To start off this review let me explain something about the Prime line. It's actually two lines. One is called "First Edition" and the other "Robots in Disguise". The First Edition was cancelled in the USA after we got Arcee, Bumblebee, and Starscream. But it continued in the UK/Asia and there's another version of Cliffjumper with a whole different sculpt. Confused? You're not alone. Having seen both I'll try to be as unbiased as I can in this review. Many people aren't and have left this figure to rot on the pegs in protest.

RID Cliffjumper's sculpt is quite decent from the front. He's a stocky bot with both rounded and squared body sections which looks pretty neat. It's only when you turn him to the side do you see the incredibly large gaps in his arms. They're folding-hollow parts like the 1st movie Jazz and look pretty bad. Another oddity two extra tires on his thighs. They're solid sculpts and you can still see his real tires right next to them. Huh? I guess it's his spares or something. I love Cliff's faces culpt, done in a snarling expression. His hands are really nice looking as well.

Cliff has a great ball jointed head, a waist, and wonderful leg articulation. Since his lower legs fold up for transformation he can get down on one knee or squat. His hands are on a ball joint but they only move side to side, kind of a waste there. The elbow joint is so high up it really doesn't do a lot for range of motion and it's angled instead of a straight elbow. Still not terrible. Most of his joints seem to be given to his folding roof and trunk panels on his back, 7 in all which seems to be fairly unnecessary as even the horns fold up for no reason.

Paint is clean and crisp with no slop. He's primarily molded in red and silver plastic. The details on his face, chest, and feet are a nice touch tho there are a lot of missing paint apps if you compare it to First Edition figures which people will. Cliffjumper comes with a hammer-gun that he can hold or mount to the roof or right side of his vehicle. I like the mace-like look of it.

Transformation is a bit of a letdown. His folding arms don't peg together anywhere, they sort of clip on to the lower part. This got loose after three transformations and will certainly scratch any paint off the hood area if someone was to customize him. The window panels stick out and fall off if folded in too far. It's almost like they wanted to make them fold into the arm but couldn't figure out how.

It should be noted that Cliff suffers from fake-transformation syndrome. His chest which should really be his hood is just a false sculpt that hides in alt mode as with those spare tires on his hips. His roof/trunk just folds up and hangs poorly off his back. The First Edition Cliffjumper's alt mode is smaller than this one and yet the figure is taller. This is because all the alt-mode parts transform into robot parts. Here a lot of transformation is wasted and simplified so you get a larger alt mode and a smaller figure with less articulation. However the vehicle does look like a nice muscle car with sleek styling.

The verdict? He's not a terrible figure but after seeing the FE figures (and not owning the rest) Hasbro has taken a step backwards here. It's like they showed us amazing engineering that could be applied to every future transformer from any series, then decided to release these simple molds instead. The excuse "Retailers didn't order enough of the First Edition series" doesn't fly because they could have just packaged the FE molds under this Robots in Disguise line. Why take the time and money to construct lesser quality molds of the same characters? Our sponsor Big Bad Toy Store has him in stock but you may want to spend the extra cash for a First Edition version. The choice is up to you of course.

Transformers Prime legion class Cliffjumper figure review

I won't deny I feel legion class (or legends class) is an unnecessary scale in the Transformers line. Scout class covers the smaller vehicles just fine. So when I see tiny, barely articulated Transformers for $6 or more I cringe. Imagine my surprise when I found the Transformers Prime legion class on the shelf...and one with a full set of ball jointed limbs. Cliffjumper is the focus of our review today and stands a diminutive 3" tall.

Yet within this small frame is housed 11 points of articulation. Cliff has ball jointed shoulders, elbows, hips, and feet. His knees are hinged which is almost never the case in legion class. In fact the other figures in this assortment don't even have moving elbows. Somehow Cliffjumper came out on top. He has sort of an ab crunch that can make him lean backwards and is part of his transformation. There's no head articulation because honestly it's far too tiny.

All this articulation works well allowing Cliffjumper to get into sitting, running, punching, just about any basic pose. Again, I don't know of any other legion/Legends class figure that can do this. Cliff comes with a clear red sword (or gun depending on what way it's facing) that he can hold a variety of different ways via the 4 pegs on it. It attaches to vehicle mode allowing you to drive him closer so he can hit them with his sword.

Vehicle mode is actually really well done and pegs together nicely. The little horns are painted and the overall paint work on Cliff is clean and sharp including the ultra-tiny Autobot logo on his chest. Transformation is more complex than other legion class but still easy enough, similar to most scout class vehicles. Shoulders down, legs together, fold his waist, and you can see where everything lines up nicely.

Getting back to articulation his ball jointed ankles and wide feet work great to get him into wide stances or running poses. He can almost cross his arms, at least pound his fists together in front of him. His packaging says "File card included" but it's actually just part of the cardboard side insert that you have to cut free. I would have liked to see an actual plastic card or something if they're going to advertise it that way.

So what's the verdict? For $5 you get a small, but highly articulated version of a Transformers Prime character you probably won't be able to find. Yeah, those First Edition deluxe Cliffjumpers are Canada/UK only right now. But if you need a small buddy for your iGear Rager or Spray, or perhaps you collect the Legion class, Cliffjumper is an excellent addition. You can pick up the Japanese version of him with more paint apps here at our sponsor Big Bad Toy Store or snag him at Target, Walmart, or anywhere Transformers are sold.