Jazz

"Okay folks, it's showtime!"

Name: Jazz
Allegiance: Autobot
Function: Special Operations Agent
Motto: "Do it with style or don't bother doing it."

Profile: Jazz would be cruising down Bourbon Street in New Orleans or be double-parked outside a cellar club in Greenwich Village soaking up the local sounds if he weren't in the middle of a war. He's a confirmed Earthen culture junkie - he can talk fluently about ballet or break-dancing (although he prefers the latter), and he's always on the lookout for more stuff to turn on to. His knowledge of Earthen ways and his easy adaptability to Earthen environments make him the indispensable right-hand man of his commander, Optimus Prime. He's often given the most dangerous assignments, and, with characteristic coolness, usually pulls them off using something out of his seemingly bottomless bag of tricks. He'd rather dazzle you with style than accomplish a mission the easy way.

Abilities: In robot mode, Jazz can use his solar-powered photon rifle with deadly accuracy up to a distance of .9 miles from target, and he can shoot it from virtually any physical position he may be in with equal effectiveness. He can also use a combination of his overhead flame-thrower (maximum range of 250 feet), full-spectrum front grill beacon and 180 dB stereo speakers to create a spectacular, disorienting light and sound show. He has been known to glide for more than 3000 feet using his rear-mounted ailerons. His biggest asset is the versatility and cleverness he possesses in using the resources at his disposal.

Weaknesses: Although Jazz's firepower and strength are weak relatives to that of some of the other Autobots, he more than compensates with his daring and skill. He's prone to be distracted from his primary assignment by Earthen behaviour patterns that he finds interesting. This sometimes leads to disastrous consequences.

Strength: 5; Intelligence: 9; Speed: 7; Endurance: 7; Rank: 8; Courage: 9; Firepower: 5; Skill: 10

G1 Animation Model

Robot Mode

Alt Mode

Alternate Versions

G1 Marvel Comic

G1 Toy

Third-Party Images

Ah, Jazz. One of the original generation one Autobots popularised by his appearances in the animated series (where his unforgettable voice was provided by Scatman Crothers), I was pretty fond of this guy as a kid. He also featured heavily in one of the most memorable (for me at least) early Marvel Comics story-lines, that of the Man of Iron, in which the Transformers came to England in search of a long-lost Cybertronian ship and befriended a young boy in the process. I remember thinking how cool it was to read stories set in England instead of the US for a change. Not only that, but what nine year old boy wouldn't jump at the chance to befriend a giant transforming robot? As with most of the G1 toys the figure was pretty rudimentary and shared little in common with his animation model (another reason I liked the UK Man of Iron story was that the characters were based on their toy designs), but he transformed into a Porsche and had some cool weapons!

Years later we're still waiting for an official Takara Masterpiece version of the figure, and from what I've read we could be waiting a very long time. Rumour has it that there are certain characters that they may never produce due to licencing costs, Jazz being one of them. Thankfully, as with Mirage and a number of the other original G1 characters yet to receive an official release, a third-party manufacturer has come to the rescue in the form of Maketoys and its release of Downbeat. Let's take a look at a few official images.

Maketoys MTRM-09 Downbeat

You can't really get a sense of scale from the image above, but Downbeat stands at roughly the same height as other carbots such as Bluestreak, Sideswipe and Mirage (in fact he's a smidgen taller than MMC's version of the latter). Lets take a look at his alt mode:

Maketoys MTRM-09 Downbeat

I think it looks pretty impressive from the front. Sure it's lacking detail, but Jazz's animation model was pretty sparse to begin with.

Maketoys MTRM-09 Downbeat

Okay, so the gap at the rear isn't great, and they could possibly have done something about it, but the way in which this section of the car transforms into the robot mode legs is like black magic, so perhaps it was a design limitation...

Maketoys MTRM-09 Downbeat

He even comes with the speakers he used in one episode of the cartoon. How's that for nerdy attention to detail?

Maketoys MTRM-09 Downbeat

Ignoring the optional shoulder missile launcher, the robot mode is about as toon accurate as you could hope for. The proportions are great and he really captures the essence of the animation model.

Maketoys MTRM-09 Downbeat

He's also surprisingly clean from the back. The doors fold neatly into the backpack and although the spoilers are slightly unsightly they do aid with stability.

Maketoys MTRM-09 Downbeat

Here's a slightly closer look. I mean come on, it looks like he jumped straight out of the cartoon! You've gotta love that fantastic chromed eyepiece!

Maketoys MTRM-09 Downbeat

Here's an action shot that shows of his range of motion. His strong hip ratchets allow him to adopt some dynamic poses and the friction joints are also nice and tight.