Review: #140
Name: Jinbu with Jin
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Transformers Go!
Year of Release: 2013
Size Class: Voyager (Wave 2)
Variations: none as of yet
BIO CARD:
Jinbu comes with three separate bio cards that shows off all three of his modes. Too bad that these cards only have it printed on one side, the back is just plain old cardboard which really makes these look cheap and nasty.
JET MODE:
Jinbu's alternate mode is a jet, yes, it's not the best jet in the world, there's just so many things you could list that sticks out as odd or is kibble with nowhere else to go in this mode. It's fairly disappointing.
The back isn't any better, basically, the only jet-like features of this mode is the cockpit and the wings, they're the only dedicated pieces. Everything else is just robot that tries to blend in and pass off as sections of a jet.
The whole underside is formed by his legs, it's pretty sad. His robot weapon also plug in on top, trying hard to cover the gap between his legs near the back of the jet (similar to how Blitzwing tries to hide his gaps with his weapons).
Jinbu only looks passable from the front 45 degrees angle. Look at him from any other angle and he's not too great. He's feels really flat and lacking the smooth curves you'd expect of something that it supposed to be aerodynamic and symbolizing speed. He's a decent size though, I grant you that (which makes his price a bit easier to stomach).
You can see how gappy Jinbu is in this mode. Everything does peg in securely though. You feel as if that the designer could have bulk up his arms in robot mode since there's just so much space here to fill up. Jinbu also sports a retractable front landing gear, which is, to be honest, unnecessary and doesn't add anything.
You can also plug in the combiner kibble as a gun in jet mode. It looks terrible and wrecks what few aerodynamic elements that Jinbu has. It just feels like an unnatural growth that doesn't belong there.
You can also plug in Jinbu's Arms Micron in a few places. So, this means that Jinbu can store everything in jet mode if you don't mind him looking odd. At least this means that it'll be harder to lose his pieces. A disappointing jet mode, his cartoon model looks way sleeker and cooler...
JIN:
Jinbu's Arms Micron is called Jin, and he's a repaint of Smokescreen's one, done in translucent yellow, this makes it super hard to capture the molded details in photos.
I guess he has one of the best robot modes an Arms Micron has, only his arms swing out though as any meaningful articulation.
He has a ton of kibble on his back, but then again, most Microns do.
The head sculpt is surprisingly good, and I love how his Autobot logo is on his chest.
His transforms into a bow-like weapon, and the reason why he has such a good robot mode becomes clear... He's basically a robot lying down with weapon stuff on his back, *sigh*. My least favorite Micron mold out of the three.
TRANSFORMATION:
Simple, boring, plain, unimaginative and all their synonyms plus a few more. Seriously, Jinbu's transformation is a disappointment, just look at the jet pictures and try to imagine how he might transform in the simplest way possible, chances are, you've got it. His feet flips down, arms flip out, head flips up and wings flip down, done. There's nothing even mildly interesting here. This may seem harsh, but it's true.
ROBOT MODE:
Onto the robot mode, so we've established that Jinbu has the worse jet mode out of the set, but what about the robot mode? Sadly, Jinbu also has the worse robot mode out of the set.
Jinbu is 90% legs here, and while the other two toys are mostly legs too, it's much more obvious on Jinbu. At least the other had hides a portion of their legs behind something, you can see Jinbu's hips begin just below his shoulders here...
Jinbu has massive legs that dominate the aesthetics and weedy arms. As mentioned earlier, they could have bulked up those arms to make this mode much better but nup...
The head sculpt is amazing though and my favorite out of the three. Jinbu looks like he's ready to roll and it seems like he is smirking.
Weapon's time! The first one is the combiner kibble which tries to look like a gun. It has a proper barrel but there's just way too much junk around it for it to look plausible.
The gun is too big for Jinbu to hold and pose properly anyway.
It actually looks better if you angle it like a shield.
But the best placement for this weapon? Store it on Jinbu's back! This has the added advantage of bulking up the figure (which feels very flat side on).
The second weapon is also the best weapon out of the set. It's a long sword and looks wicked. It's made of soft plastic though, which reduces it's charm.
Jinbu can hold the sword but he can't dual wield, he doesn't have enough joints (or the range) for that. It's a missed opportunity...
If you don't like it, you can store it on his back at an angle, ready for a quick drawing of the blade.
Even if you already have the combiner kibble on his back, don't fret, as you can still store the blade there.
Articulation is okay, I say okay because in the official transformation, you're supposed to peg his legs together using the landing gear. What this means is that his hips can't swing out, boo! Not that it looks that good when you can use his hips anyway since they're situated so far up. Bending the legs forward at the "normal" hips is okay though, since the designer added a dedicated joint for that.
Jinbu is quite big, Voyager sized, and he has the mass to back that up. It seems that the quality of plastic used it higher than what is currently used in the other lines.
Don't forget that Jinbu can also wield his Arms Micron partner. The first batch of Jinbu's have a mis-assembly error in that his thighs are swapped, luckily, it's an easy fix (just search online) - this helps the stability of GoKenzan.
On his own, Jinbu is a mediocre toy, luckily for us, Jinbu comes with two friends...
TRANSFORMATION (HEAD, TORSO, LEG):
Transformation to head mode is okay, but with the combiner armor, he feels very empty and thin (most of the bulk went into the combined mode arms). Very simple overall and easy to do, even with your eyes closed.
Torso mode is equally easy since you're basically transforming Jinbu into a block with his legs sticking out the back.
Leg mode is where Jinbu feels all stretched out. While bulking in the normal robot mode, in combined mode, it feels too thin. Overall? Jinbu has a simple transformation for everything, and probably he looks best as a torso unit.
GOJINBU:
Cue the weird transformation music as heard in the OVA, Samurai Team combine!! GoJinbu!!
GoJinbu ranks behind GoKenzan as far as combined mode goes. He's less stable due to the footprint not being as large, and the legs sustain a lot of weight, the joints are really straining in this mode.
Then there's the massive kibble backpack on his back. Thought GoKenzan's was bad? You get the legs and arms of Ganou as well as the electronics and arms of Kenzan stacked there, that's why Kenzan's leg mode has such large heelspurs, GoJinbu needs it.
The way GoJinbu's samurai armor attaches is probably the mode interesting part, since it stretches down the whole body, GoJinbu feels the most consistent.
A lot of the bulk is shifted to the upper body, meaning that GoJinbu is extremely hard to pose as far as his legs are concerned. Once the legs are out of the neutral position, GoJinbu's prone to fall over.
As expect from a triple-Voyager combiner, GoJinbu is huge! The electronics are now situated at his crotch (yes, and it still lights up, make of that what you will).
The head sculpt is good, I don't like the fact that his head kind of just meshes with the rest of the body like the head is an ugly growth. Since the head covers Jinbu's normal head, it's unposeable, :(.
Let's have a look at the first weapon, which is the combined Arms Micron super sword. Sadly, a problem with GoJinbu is that the fists are molded in such a way that the thumb and another finger juts out of the 5mm hole, make it smaller. This means that any weapon you force into there will get damaged, you must shave a bit off, how disappointing.
Next is the two extra combiner pieces coming together to form a sort of gun.
Yeah... it's doesn't look that great either, better peg it somewhere else on the toy, it'll look better just about anywhere else.
Third and last, this is the best weapon of them all. Made from the combination of the component's robot's weapons, it's a wickedly long spear.
I love the way the wings of Jinbu forms GoJinbu's shoulder pads. It gives GoJinbu is really distinct and unique look.
Poseability for the arms are okay. While the legs have the required joints, GoJinbu is just too top heavy for the legs to sustain a decent action pose. Overall though, GoJinbu looks impressive as a combiner.
OVERALL:
On his own, Jinbu is a write-off, with a terrible jet mode and a terrible robot mode. He redeems himself somewhat with the ability to form three extra modes. This adds a ton of play value and makes Jinbu much more worthwhile in my eyes. GoJinbu isn't the best combiner with the top-heaviness but looks great as a display piece. The mis-assembly and tight fist holes are annoying but both are relatively easy fixes. An okay toy, and a recommend if you're into the combining gimmick.
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