Two years ago, when it was revealed Hasbro would do a Skystriker repainted as Starscream, I was floored. i remember thinking, "I NEVER would have expected Hasbro to do something so cool!!!" Well, I would have expected a dozen Skystriker repaints before we EVER saw a JETFIRE SKYSTRIKER WITH A VERITECH STYLE FASTPACK. That is, currently, the epitome of "NEVER, EVER, EVER WOULD HAVE EXPECTED HASBRO TO DO THAT!!!!"
Jetfire is one of the most popular vintage Transformers (he was a repaint of a Bandai Robotech Veritech fighter released in the US under the Transformers banner). Here he is a repainted Skystriker, much like the 2011 SDCC Starscream Skystriker.
Taking the deco one step further, included is a newly tooled "piggyback" vehicle, styled after the "fast pack" thrusters that was a major part of the Jetfire/Veritech design aesthetic, which also doubles as its own removable plane.
When the thruster pack is removed, the vertical stabilizers can easily be placed back onto Jetfire to convert him back to a standard F-14 style aircraft.
The decals on Jetfire are highly detailed, and do an excellent job of converting a standard white Skystriker into a vintage looking Jetfire.
Use great care when applying the decals, some of the cuts are a bit tight, and have to fit around the molded details of the Skystriker aircraft. Also, pay close attention to the instructions, some of the decals are mislabled, and there are some extra decals leftover, presumably for customization.
The largest GI Joe Vs Transformers SDCC set released brings the series to a satisfying conclusion by including a nice mix of the iconic and the obscure, with some fresh takes on old favorites thrown in.
It drops this weekend at the San Diego Comic Con. For those adventurous enough to camp out on the internet for several days, it will probably be on HasbroToyShop as well the following week.
As with the last two SDCC sets, this year's exclusive uses the comic style artwork and is considered a "continuation" of the 4 issue Marvel Comics GI Joe Vs Transformers series from the 1980's. This set is numbered issue 7, and billed "The Epic Conclusion" to the GI Joe Vs Transformers "extended" Marvel storyline. The box art and design is beautiful, and fits in well with the previous sets.
I'll leave you with a few pics of Jetfire taken with the 2011 Starscream, and some custom Skystriker Seekers from my own collection.
