Transformers G1 Jetfire- Added 05/03/2023

Now here’s an amazing Transformers figure that’s also not a Transformers figure and has a somewhat quirky history.

It’s an awesome toy with surprisingly good articulation for its age, but fans of the series will know that Jetfire’s appearance in the Transformers cartoon was not entirely consistent with his toy.
This is because the toy design itself was licensed from ‘Takatoku Toys’ who had previously designed it as the VF-1 Valkyrie for the Japanese Anime series Macross (or Robotech as it was seen in other parts of the world).

This licensing process happened with various other transformers toys too, but the issue with Jetfire’s toy comes from the fact that the company Harmony Gold purchased the rights to Macross, and fiercely guarded what they considered their ‘intellectual property’.

Sadly, this effectively means that Jetfire will most likely never be re-issued in this form. Because of this, Jetfire’s appearance in the transformers cartoon and in later toys was redesigned. Also he’s sometimes referred to as Skyfire too.

These issues, combined with the fact that the toy is very prone to yellowing, some joints are prone to breaking and his accessories are easily lost, makes him tricky to find in good condition.

This is the third Jetfire I’ve picked up (the other two being junkers I intended to repair), plus it’s the nicest one I’ve seen in a while.  😉👍