Gamer Edition Cliffjumper (Studio Series/Deluxe Class)

I had high hopes for Cliffjumper. The original War Within toy of Cliffjumper was a nightmare to transform, leaving me to not bother with the Bumblebee that shares the same mold. Fast forward to this version and I can't find the Bumblebee, but found the Cliffjumper. This version of Cliffjumper is also supposed to represent his appearance in the War for Cybertron game... but has his Fall of Cybertron deco and head sculpt. I guess they were really stuck on the War for Cybertron branding for the Gamer Edition series. In robot mode Cliffjumper is a really good looking toy. The reds and blacks look sharp and he's got some great articulation. Like other Gamer Edition Studio Series figures, Cliffjumper's right arm can be disconnected and a gun plugged in it's place. This resembles the game model accurately and Cliffjumper even has two different gun attachments to choose from.

He's also packing his sword melee weapon that can be held in either hand. I love robots with swords, even if they have a lot of guns. Honestly, I really like Cliffjumper in robot mode. It's a fun toy, until you transform him. Good grief what a nightmare. Honestly, it isn't too bad, just a little fiddly. HOWEVER, the back panel would just not go in place. I've learned later that his head is actually to big to fit in the space correctly. So no matter how hard you try, that panel is not going to close all the way. You've probably noticed on mine that the back area didn't cooperate either. I have no clue what I did wrong. I could not for the life of me get it to close up. Maybe mines defective, maybe I did something wrong, maybe Cliffjumper is a jerk. I've complained before about how recent Transformers everything having to be exactly right or things won't line up and that's probably what happened here. What I did wrong is a mystery as I checked the instructions, looked online, and sat working with the toy for far too long. I gave up after lots of cursing and aggravation. I really wanted to like Cliffjumper and did like his robot mode. Transformation is crap and I guess his vehicle mode looks cool online. If I ever find Bumblebee I probably won't transform it.