Strike first, strike fast, strike hard.

From Cliffjumper's original Tech Specs:

"Let me at 'em," is Cliffjumper's motto. His eagerness and daring have no equal. He's driven by a desire to win the battle against the Decepticons. Finds Earth terrain a hindrance. One of the fastest Autobots. Often uses his speed to draw fire away from others. Shoots "glass gas" which makes metal as brittle as glass. His recklessness often leads to actual blow-outs and situations too dangerous for him to handle."

When I first discovered that there would be a new Cliffjumper in the Transformers Prime toyline I was ecstatic. The toy looked great in vehicle and robot mode and was not, I repeat WAS NOT a Bumblebee repaint. As a Cliffjumper fan from day one (he was my first Transformer, and you never forget your first!) that sort of BS pisses me off. Don't get me wrong, I love G1 Bumblebee too, but he and Cliffjumper are NOT twins!

Anyways, my joy quickly led to disappointment when the nice looking Cliffjumper turned into a limited release and the standard Transformers Prime Cliffjumper that hit the shelves en masse was clearly sub-par.

Then I discovered they were going to re-release the good Cliffjumper body with a G1 head! Even better!

Then I discovered it would be an Asia only exclusive. Dammit.

Then I discovered that the Asia exclusives are now Toys R Us exclusives in the US! Yippee, if I can find one!

Then something really strange happened - I found one!

Cliffjumper's robot mode is a perfect update to his G1 self. I love him!

He doesn't come with any weapons, buthis hands do rotate into gattling guns, which is pretty damn neat!

A solid toy in robot mode, Cliffjumper is well built and well designed. He stands and poses easily and holds his shape just fine.

The piping for the eyes as well as translucent headlights make for a nice effect.

The blue tinted windows look really nice in robot mode too.

"I'm Casey Kase...umm...I mean Cliffjumper"

Although not remotely a Porsche 924, Cliffjumper's car mode is pretty hot. The Plymouth-esque 70's hot rod design (he'll look great displayed next to Big Daddy), along with his name, invoke some Dukes of Hazzard influences...

...not to mention the Boss Hoggish horns up front, which also reflect Cliffjumper's horns on his G1 head.

YEEEHHHAAAAWWWW!!!!

Sadly, while it was simple enough to get from car to robot, this thing is a bear to transform back from robot to car. I'm sure it just takes a while to get the joinst mushy enough to go where they should, but after about 30 minutes of trying Cliffjumper still looks like he hit a tree and the tree hit back. Or he jumped one too many cliffs.

And he's only labeled as a difficulty level of 2! I can't imagine too many kids being able to Transform this guy, although kids do have small hands and good eyes.

As for now, I may have to leave him in robot mode indefinitely, which is sad but I'll get over it.

UPDATE: I figured out the place where I was not bending the proper joints, well, properly; all is well now and Cliffjumper is safely back in automobile mode!

Transformers Prime Cliffjumper

I am not watching Transformers Prime and I have no intention to. I didn't see the last Transformers film and have no intention to.

I am not a TF hater, mind you. Quite the opposite. I have loved Transformers from day one. And while a storyline or cartoon or movie(s) may not be to my liking on occasion, I know and am a fan of a good Transformer when I see it, and this is a good looking Transformer right here:

G1 Cliffjumper was my first Transformer ever, so I am quite fond of the character and a little protective of his portrayal. And while a souped up Boss Hoss accessorized Plymouth is in no way reflective of a Porsche 924 (which is what G1 Cliffjumper transformed into) this car is pretty damn badass and the horns DO reflect Cliffjumper's horned head which is a genius move from a design perspective. Give whoever came up with that idea a raise!

Also, he's not a repainted Bumblebee and for that I say IT'S ABOUT GODDAMNED TIME!!!!!!

G1 Cliffjumper and Bumblebee were different in every single way except the engineering of their transformation. How they ever became 'twins' is beyond me and angers me to no end. Especially since Cliffjumper always got the shaft and ended up being the repainted Bumblebee in nearly every toyline for the past twenty years (if he showed up at all.)

Anyways, I think I'll grab this Transformer when he hits the shelves (if he hits...cough cough Windcharger cough cough)

Go to Bilibala Hobbies to see more awesome pics of Cliffjumper!

Flight of the Bumblebees

One of the best little Transformers ever is Bumblebee. He's undeniably a fan favorite character, who can resist a cute little yellow Beetle that transforms into a cute little robot?

Personally, I've always been fonder of his "brother" Cliffjumper. Probably because Cliffjumper was my first transformer ever...

...and because he was voiced by Casey Kasem. Just like Shaggy and Robin. And the American Top 40.

I remember getting Cliffjumper as a gift before the cartoon or commercials began (or at least before I saw any of them.)

I was in awe, a toy car that was also a toy robot! Two great tastes that taste great together! Pure, unadulterated genius!

I couldn't wait to get over to my cousin's house and start playing Hot Wheels. I was planning on whipping ol' CJ out and nonchalantly rolling him around like a regular toy car, only to suddenly transform him into a robot and blow my cousin's mind!

When I arrived at my cousin's house, I readied my plan. We grabbed our Hot Wheels cases and headed out to the sand box.

I pulled out my Cliffjumper...and to my chagrin my cousin pulled out HIS Cliffjumper!

DOH!

Bumblebee however proved to be a very elusive toy. I remember having a hard time trying to get him. People talk about toy hunting today as if it's tough, but in the days before the internet it was even tougher. You got what you saw on the shelves if and when you saw it, and that was that.

After years of searching, I finally got him on an out-of-state trip to Grandma's house. I think we were in a drug store or grocery store when I spotted his yellowy goodness, and I was elated.

Fortunately I also had a few bucks vacation spending money. Bumblebee was better than any lame souvenir I could have picked up, and that specific trip is now and forever etched upon my mind.

"...misty water colored memories..."

I always preferred Bumblebee's toy face over his cartoon face. He has a more robotic, Optimus Prime like look to him, and it's a nice contrast to Cliffjumper's more human face. There was a comic book published a few years back that approached the concept, showing this to be a battle mask, and that Bumblebee's human-like face is underneath. A similar concept was shown in the live action Transformers movie as well.

Even later in the line, Bumblebee was reformatted into Goldbug. These cars were a bit bigger and had a pullback feature.

The vehicles in this sub-set, called the Throttlebots, were very simplistic and had none of the charm of the earlier mini-cars.

Sadly the Throttlebot phase was not Bumblebee's finest hour. But maybe it wasn't his darkest hour either, depending upon your stance on mute Camaros.

So which do you prefer? Bumblebee as a mini-car VW, Bumblebee as the Throttlebot Goldbug, or Bumblebee as either of his movie Camaro incarnations (seventies and modern?)