Boxing and contents
This is the first of my Buzzworthy BB (and only one so far) that I picked up from Amazon.com. He was a very difficult figure to obtain initially as a Target exclusive. All of a sudden, this guy starts appearing in discount stores all over the mainland USA. Now he appears in Amazon.com for the same $23 retail price. I figure why not. Box looks gratifying. Love his side panel artworks where CJ is springing into battle and the opposite end looks like something of a 3-d comic. I won't name the robots but I think you can figure them out if you are a G1 fan. The backdrop included is pretty much the same as Jazz's one from the 86 line. What would had been great is if we got a new backdrop in the scene where Jazz and CJ was heading to their ships amid the vacuumed debris caused by Unicron. The back of the box describes how CJ is attempting to escape Moonbase 1. Would had fit that scene nicely. Also, its neat to have the plastic that once housed most figures before the lack-of-plastic boxes emerged. Then again, the figure is roughly about 1-2 years old now. Thanks to the the lack of distribution this supply once endured is finally now making its way out to the public on a bigger scale.
Standing tall ( with ER CJ and 86 Jazz).
This is pretty much the same figure as the ER one. The main differences are BWB CJ comes in his actual G1 toon colors. The red is much lighter in this one and his gun is more of a turquoise color. Also, the blacks on the guns are a bit lighter than the ER version. Last but not least, BWB CJ has his Autobot insignia on his front chest; he also has one on his left foot. Figure wise, they function and play alike though. No loose issues on this guy. If I had to pick one, I do prefer how BWB CJ looks. I do like the paint apps and the greys especially over the blacks on the ER version. The latter just had too much black colors.
Alt modes and comparisons.
Same old transformation as the ER version. Plays identical and looks the same but just different paint applications on certain areas again. On this one, I personally felt and wished that Hasbro went the extra mile and made BWB CJ a buggie like how he was supposed to be in the actual G1 movie. The paint colors look great in his robot mode, but I'm just not feeling this one in alt mode. I feel the darker red works a little better for the ER version. Then you got a mix bag on both versions when it comes to their back bumpers. They are both painted in different areas. Would had been nice to see the BWB version have it entirely painted.
Conclusion:
BWB CJ for the win especially in robot mode. That is how CJ should look. However, as I stated earlier that he should had been a buggie for his alt mode. For me, I display most of my figures in robot mode so I say BWB is the way to go. No real difference otherwise besides cosmetics. At this point, if you are deliberating on who to choose, its really comes down to if you prefer G1 colors or the ER version colors. To make things a little easier, its probably best to go with BWB because he is cheaper at the time this review is being written. Take care folks. Jesus loves you.
