Transformers Terrorcon Cliffjumper AM-08 Micron Arms figure review

Takara is known for its Japanese line of Transformers and exclusives. They usually have chromed parts or metallic/extra paint applications. Here we have something radically different in the "Micron Arms" Transformers line. Terrorcon Cliffjumper AM-08 is being reviewed here, a clear purple 'zombie cliffjumper' we saw in red back at Botcon. These come boxed and include a minicon of sorts that you assemble yourself and sticker sheet for the figures.

Terrorcon Cliffjumper is the First Edition Cliff we missed out on. He has the transforming gun-hands and missing back kibble. But he is also molded in CLEAR PURPLE PLASTIC. While not show-accurate it's still incredibly cool. He sports a damaged zombie-head this time around and it's really nicely sculpted. This upper body of this mold looks a lot more like the Cliff in the show, especially the arms.

Articulation is great but differs from the regular release Cliffjumper I reviewed in two major ways. He has no waist movement and the knee/ankle range is less. If only they had combined the two designs. Otherwise Cliffjumper has great range of motion and superior arm design allowing him to aim anywhere. The lack of back kibble also aids in his overall look. The Japanese instructions make

Time to hunt the elephant in the room. The Micron Arms series come with only one color of paint and stickers for the rest. They're also paper foil stickers, the cheapest kind out there. You'll notice I've left off the stickers for most of Cliff's pictures. That's because they look pretty awful once applied. The majority of his stickers are the black windows which end up semigloss and speckled. There's a silver middle bumper piece but no silver stickers for either sides. Unless you want to paint the windows gloss black he just looks better clear purple.

The addition of the Micron Arms is a little Ravage-like character you build yourself. He comes on a plastic sprue and it's incredibly easy to remove the parts. They just sort of snap off with barely any flash. I only needed to rub my nail against the section, no knife-work needed at all. This is probably because the plastic is ABS and not styrene like most model kits. The cat/dog minicon flattens out into an axe or mounts as a chainsaw-claw attachment. These apparently can combine together and this particular one really reminds me of my Crash Test Dummy animals the way it collapses.

Alt mode for Terrorcon Cliffjumper is a nice muscle car similar to the regular release but with the addition of 5mm mech-tech ports on the hood and back of the car. This gives him a souped-up appearance and makes him a bit different looking from the First Edition version, especially at the shoulders where the ports bulk him up. Ravage-saw can be attached to the front port but looks kind of odd on the back ones. Other than that the mold appears unchanged and ald mode is quite nice.

What's the verdict? It's a First Edition-ish Cliffjumper with sub-standard paint apps and a build-it-yourself Minicon at a premium price. In his case the clear purple makes it worth it but only if you ignore the sticker factor and like the clear purple. I've seen the stickers applied to other figures and they're far less appealing than the usual Takara products. However these will make great custom fodder seeing as they're virtually cast in color and their minicons have to be assembled. Our sponsor Big Bad Toy Store has Cliffjumper here along with many others. You can also order the Microns/minicons separately.