KRE-O Jazz

Robot Mode: Most of the KRE-O Transformers are a mix between their G1 incarnations and the more recent Movie toys. So it comes as no surprise that Jazz contains elements of both. For the most part he is pretty similar-looking to G1 Jazz, but the silver colouring is clearly taken from Movie Jazz. So all in all, a decent mix.

For a robot built from plastic bricks, Jazz manages to look both wholesome and about as detailed as you’d expect from a modern-day Deluxe class figure. Of course you can plainly see the connecting pegs on several parts of his body, but that just gives him the LEGO charm. Naturally the figure, when compared to a “normal” Transformers figure, is lacking in articulation. Jazz can move his legs at the hips and his arms at shoulders and elbows. His head’s on a ball joint. No knees, no real hands. Compared to the rest of him his head looks a tad out of place, as it is pretty much the same head sculpt used for Reveal the Shield Jazz, but it still works.

One thing that bugs me a bit about the KRE-O Transformers as a whole: there are parts left over in both modes. Not to put down the engineering feat here, but it would have been nice if all parts had been fully integrated in both modes. As it is, you should keep the box handy in order to have a safe storage place for the left-over parts, no matter which mode you keep your KRE-O toy in. Apart from that, though, I have nothing bad to say about Jazz’ robot mode. Very nice.

Alternate Mode: Jazz transforms into a silver sports car, a mixture between the G1 Porsche and the Movie Pontiac Solstice. The car is a little too bulky to really bring over that sleek race car feeling, but otherwise it looks pretty cool. It also features an interior where the Kreon driver figure can sit. Both side doors open, as well as the roof, to allow access. Aided by the use of stickers, Jazz manages to be more detailed than other Deluxe-class vehicles I could think of, so absolutely no complaints here. No gimmicks in car mode, but he doesn’t really need them, either. So bottom line: a nice, solid car. No complaints.

Partner / Add-On: Jazz comes with two Kreons, small figures akin to the LEGO figures we all know and love. One is a red-dressed driver, who has both a helmet and a cap and can drive Jazz in car mode. The other is Jazz himself, very much G1-inspired, along with a tiny gun. Of course Mini-Jazz can drive Car-Jazz, too, but you have to remove his shoulder wings in order to fit him into the cockpit. Personally I’d have almost bought the entire set for Mini-Jazz alone, he’s that cute. The human driver figure is little more than an add-on, you can imagine him as Jazz’ holographic avatar so the humans don’t get suspicious about a driver-less car.

Remarks: Jazz was the first KRE-O Transformer I bought, so he kind of served in a trailblazing capacity for the entire line as far as I was concerned. And while he is certainly eclipsed by some of the other KRE-Os in the first wave, he was more than good enough to inspire me to buy more. It helps, of course, that I was a huge LEGO fan as a kid, so putting these robots here together fills me with lots and lots of nostalgia.

Some people complain, I hear, that the KRE-Os don’t actually transform as such, but rather have to be taken apart brick by brick to be reassembled in a different form. Me, I don’t really mind. Putting them together is pretty much the best part as far as I’m concerned. The only thing I do mind a little bit is that parts are left over in each mode, but I’m not sure how that could have been helped. So bottom line: a nice little Transformer, who certainly wet my appetite for more. Not the best of the first wave, but pretty good.

Rating: B