Jetfire (G1)

The name or term "Jetfire" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Jetfire (disambiguation).

The name or term "Skyfire" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Skyfire (disambiguation).

Jetfire is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family. In the cartoon continuity, he was known as Skyfire.

File:G1Jetfire MarvelTFU.jpg

Science means that not all dreams can come true.

Jetfire is a bot of science, literally. Not only is his mind dedicated towards scientific pursuits, but his body is a testament to the technology he studies so intensely. (Some would say "religiously", but not in his presence.) Every inch of his chassis is cutting-edge and kept up-to-date. However, he does not have the trust of his teammates; it was not so long ago that he was a Decepticon. Jetfire is compassionate, so some Autobots feel that he could be soft on their enemies or, even worse, he may turn on them after realizing his "cold calculations" swing the other way.

Jetfire would find their misconceptions about science appalling. After all, is not science just the pursuit of truth? And truth, he maintains, walks hand-in-hand with liberty.

“	I don't believe in destiny	”
—Jetfire, Atonement

Preliminary name: Fireball[1]

Alternative name: Skyfire

Japanese name (cartoon): Skyfire

Chinese name (Taiwan): Tīen Hǔo (天火, "Sky Fire")

Cantonese name: Tin Fo (天火, "Sky Fire")

French name (Canada): Bolide ("Meteor")

Hungarian name: Röptűz ("Fly Fire")

Italian name: Aquila ("Eagle")

Portuguese name (Portugal comic): Jacto ("Jet")

Russian name: Istrebitel (Истребитель, "Fighter", as in aircraft)

Fiction

American cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Gregg Berger (English), Osamu Saka (Japanese)

In the cartoon series, Jetfire went by the name Skyfire. His character model was significantly altered from the toy, as was his appearance in nearly all media. See Why "Skyfire"?, below.

They dug him out of the Arctic to be their taxi.

Millions of years ago on Cybertron, before the war, Skyfire and Starscream were good friends and fellow scientists. On a mission of exploration to prehistoric Earth, Skyfire was lost in a storm. Starscream searched, but there was no sign of his comrade. He returned home.

Millions of years later, after the Autobots and Decepticons had crashed and awoken on Earth, the Decepticons found Skyfire encased in a block of Arctic ice and revived him. Skyfire joined them due to his past friendship with Starscream, though he expressed discomfort with their methods. When Skyfire's compassion for humans and, later on, several Autobot prisoners led to his disobeying orders, Starscream, who had changed much in the intervening millennia, turned on his friend. Skyfire left the Decepticons and joined the Autobots, sacrificing himself to be buried beneath the ice again to stop the Decepticons' plans. The Autobots held a memorial service for him at the location of his involuntary burial. Fire in the Sky

Good boy, Skyfire. Wanna Snausage?

Wheeljack and Sideswipe returned later to dig him up when the Autobots needed a ride down to South America. Megatron and his Decepticons were in Peru seeking the Crystal of Power, which was kept in an Incan temple. He dropped off Brawn and Windcharger so they could see what the Decepticons were up to, but a short time later had to go back and rescue them—intercepting them mid-jump—to return to Headquarters. Collecting the other Autobots, he took them all to Peru and earned a pat on his nosecone from Optimus Prime. Scouting ahead, he arrived at the temple, only to be shot and disabled by Starscream. Skyfire was dumped inside the temple, where Bumblebee, Spike and Luisa found him and effected emergency repairs while under attack from Ravage. Reactivated, Skyfire dealt with Ravage before giving the Autobots outside some much-needed aerial support as they attacked the Decepticon positions. He destroyed Megatron's cannon in a strafing attack and later helped Wheeljack cap the energy geyser that remained. Fire on the Mountain

When the energies unleashed by Cybertron's presence in Earth's orbit caused activity in the volcano in which Headquarters was embedded, Skyfire evacuated the base with most of the rest of the Autobots. Ratchet, Windcharger and Huffer were ejected from the top of the mountain in a violent eruption, and Skyfire swooped in to save them. Spike learned that his father had been taken to Cybertron, and Skyfire volunteered his services to fly the boy and several Autobots there. After some deft flying, they landed on the other planet, but Skyfire, Wheeljack and Trailbreaker were separated from their smaller companions, who fell into a trap. The Ultimate Doom, Part 2 The trio caught up with their fellows in time to rescue them from Shockwave. Skyfire thanked Shockwave for blasting a hole in the wall large enough for him to fly through. He provided air support against some tetrajets, allowing the ground-based Autobots to reach Wheeljack's workshop. Once Wheeljack worked out a way to counteract the hypno-chips which the Decepticons were using to control humans, Skyfire ferried everyone back to Earth to put the invention to good use. The Ultimate Doom, Part 3

"I'm perfectly all right, Susan."

Following strange reports of giant robotic insects in Bali, Skyfire carried Brawn, Windcharger and Spike there, only to discover a field being consumed by the Insecticons. Despite believing the trio would be a pushover, the Autobots found themselves outnumbered by clones, and the arrival of Megatron and a couple of his goons didn't improve the odds. Fortunately, the rest of the Autobots arrived and, after a brief fight, the Decepticons departed for an oil refinery. Some quick repairs were made on Skyfire to fix his ability to transform, and the Autobots began the pursuit. The Insecticons latched on to Skyfire's wings until Wheeljack was able to lend a hand, or rather, a couple of missiles. A short time later, Skyfire caught Brawn after the latter's failed attempt at a mid-air brawl. When they reached the refinery, he kicked the battle off by physically knocking the Insecticons off the oil tanker they were drinking from. A Plague of Insecticons

"I have an inside, you know."

Skyfire and most of the Autobots were distorted by Megatron’s personality destabilizer, turning them evil. As Skyfire was hunting down and blowing up human aircraft, Autobots who had been reverted to good by Sparkplug’s attitude exchangers arrived on scene and changed Skyfire back. He then flew the Autobots and humans to save Optimus Prime and the others. The Decepticons managed to launch a rocket they'd commandeered, so Skyfire dropped Optimus and Ratchet off on it so they could steal its cargo. As the Decepticons attempted to fight off the boarders, Jazz climbed on Skyfire's nose and used his sound and light show to provide a distraction. Finally, Skyfire flew them up into space, so the satellite from the rocket could be properly placed in orbit. Attack of the Autobots When Carly was captured by the Decepticons, Ironhide blamed himself, but was persuaded by Sparkplug to try and rescue her. Hitching a lift with Skyfire, Ironhide located Bumblebee and Spike before bailing out so he could tell them what had happened to Carly. The Immobilizer

Mid-transformation, or a reference to the toy's "third mode"? CHOOSE WISELY.

Skyfire ferried Spike and Hound to the middle of the Atlantic to investigate an unexplained change to oil tanker shipping patterns that converged suspiciously close to Decepticon Headquarters. Flying overhead, the trio discovered that the bad bots were stealing the oil using a platform docking structure secured by a force field. Skyfire, Hound and Spike hid aboard one of the tankers and attacked Megatron and Hook as they siphoned the oil. As usual, Spike was captured by the Decepticons and held hostage, forcing Skyfire and Hound to surrender. Confined to a cell on a lower deck, Skyfire warned Spike to be careful of an electromagnet he found as the human put his escape plan into action. With Rumble and Ravage incapacitated by the magnet, Skyfire punched through the cell door. The three rushed to the control room for the force field generator. Skyfire and Spike kept Frenzy distracted as Hound blew up the generator, causing the force field dome to collapse. Facing defeat, Megatron activated the platform’s self-destruct function, which left Skyfire and his two friends stuck inside as the structure began to sink. Optimus Prime ripped through the bulkhead above them, and the three were able to climb out. Skyfire then flew them all to safety. Day of the Machines

In 2006, Skyfire (or a very similar space vehicle) was briefly seen as part of the Autobot fleet attacking the Quintessons. He was shot along with Powerglide and several Aerialbots. Dark Awakening

The Aerialbots were later shown to have survived, so Skyfire could possibly have survived as well.... assuming it was actually him getting shot. Due to the number of animation errors in this episode, it is by no means guaranteed that these were the "real" Skyfire or Powerglide "really" perishing. However, in "Grimlock's New Brain" when Grimlock lists the then-active Autobots capable of spaceflight, he does not mention Skyfire.

Japanese cartoon continuity

The events of the Japanese cartoon continuity are more or less the same as the American cartoon continuity, until the Headmasters series in 1987, where the Japanese continuity veers off into a different direction.

The Headmasters cartoon

Skyfire was present at Autobot City (alongside Ironhide) while the Headmasters were repairing Fortress Maximus. Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 1)

Generation 2 manga and story pages

While in the English continuity, Generation 2 Jetfire was the same character as Generation 1 Jetfire/Skyfire, the same would not appear to have initially been the case in Japan. In Japan, the Generation 1 character was called "Skyfire" in the cartoon, which was the only Japanese media he appeared in, as his toy was never released in Japan. The "Jetfire" that appears in the Generation 2 manga probably would have originally been a different character, though Robot Masters backstory and the character's appearance in the 15 Go! Go! comics seemed to consolidate the two retroactively.

Ten points if you can find Wheeljack and Perceptor in this picture!

Jetfire was once friends with the Decepticon Cyberjets during his days back on Cybertron. However, after the war had raged on for centuries, two of his Cyberjet friends (Strafe and Aero Raid) began to have their doubts about the Decepticon cause. Taking Jetfire's advice, the two Cyberjets switched sides and became Autobots. This act forever earned Jetfire, Strafe and Aero Raid the hatred of the remaining loyal Decepticon Cyberjets. G-2 Part 4

At one point, Megatron kidnapped the Autobot Laser Rod, Electro. While Megatron attempted to persuade Electro into joining the Decepticons, Jetfire infiltrated the headquarters. Busting-in at full-force, Jetfire took the Decepticons by surprise and managed to successfully rescue his fellow Autobot. G-2 #16

Jetfire was also the head of a research team staffed by Wheeljack and Perceptor that discovered a new attribute of the Matrix. This discovery allowed Optimus Prime to survive a fatal attack from Megatron and form a newer, more powerful body. G-2 Part 4

15 Go! Go!

Whoever he is, he looks awesome.

Bandai's gonna suuuuue.

On a trip into the future with her companion Steeljaw, the humanoid computer Teletraan 15 encountered the Autobot scientist Jetfire. He immediately realized that they had come from a different time and cautioned them that the area was about to become a war zone. Recognizing Jetfire's scent despite the unfamiliar body, Steeljaw asked if he was the same being as his old warrior acquaintance.

Concerned for the pair's safety, Jetfire offered to take them to his commander, unaware that the Decepticons Smokescreen and Dreadwing were following. Under heavy attack, Jetfire and his passengers were saved by the intervention of Battle Convoy.

After the battle, Teletraan 15 recorded Jetfire's information and announced that her mission to restore Teletraan I's damaged databanks was at last complete. Before she and Steeljaw returned to their own era, Jetfire asked 15 to tell him something: in her travels through time, had she ever discovered when the fighting would end? When would the progress of science finally bring about peace? Jetfire

Marvel Comics continuity

Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

Brainless Jetfire brings home small mammals.

Early in the war on Earth, Shockwave held the head of Optimus Prime captive, hoping to use the Creation Matrix he possessed to create a new army of Decepticons. Optimus Prime had secretly passed the energies of the Matrix onto the teenaged human, Buster Witwicky, so Shockwave was stopped short of giving Jetfire's constructed body life. Shockwave soon learned of the human's involvement, so he sent Jetfire after the human anyway, though the lifeless robot could do nothing more than follow orders. When Jetfire found Buster, he was accompanied by the Autobots Bluestreak and Bumblebee for his protection, but it was Buster's Creation Matrix powers that ultimately disassembled Jetfire before their eyes. Buster reassembled Jetfire, and with Bumblebee's help, changes were made to allow Buster to directly control him. Brainstorm!

A sense of humor that borders on murderous negligence.

However, Jetfire's programming reasserted itself, and maneuvered so wildly that Buster, riding in the cockpit, blacked out. Buster woke up inside Shockwave's base at Blackrock Aerospace Assembly Plant Number One, strapped to a machine ready to drill the Creation Matrix out of him. In the meantime, knowing that the Autobots were eavesdropping on him, Shockwave sent Jetfire to drop a fake Optimus Prime head at a disclosed location for the Autobots to find. The fake head attached itself to Optimus Prime's body and began attacking the Autobots, causing many injuries. At the last moment, Buster was able to control Jetfire once again, knocking out Shockwave, and delivering the true Optimus Prime head to the Autobots, allowing them a costly victory. Prime Time!

With Optimus Prime fully restored, Jetfire was quickly given life and joined the Autobots. He was briefly mistrusted due to his Decepticon origin, and during the Dinobot Hunt Ironhide resented being given orders by someone with a Decepticon badge; Jetfire proved himself by restraining Slag, and had his Decepticon badge torn off in the process. Dinobot Hunt! Wheeljack, who still didn't trust Jetfire, almost deactivated him and returned him to the Decepticons as part of a deal for technology with Ravage, but decided against it at the last minute. Perchance to Dream

Having proven himself, he was granted the Rite of the Autobrand marking him as one of their rank. Rock and Roll-Out! When Bumblebee, depressed, had left the Autobots and gotten himself attacked by the Decepticons, Jetfire eagerly came to his rescue. Plight of the Bumblebee! Later, Jetfire helped the Autobots approach the Decepticon base to steal information that would allow them to build their own combiners. Command Performances!

Naw, you think?

When Optimus Prime and Prowl were lost in Limbo and Galvatron assumed command of the Decepticons, Jetfire became acting leader. His headstrong tactics got the Autobots defeated several times, and out of desperation he even formed an alliance with Megatron and Soundwave. He also mistrusted Ultra Magnus, thinking his arrival too convenient. However, after seeing Magnus be beaten half to death trying to stop Galvatron, Jetfire realised he was wrong and came to his aid. When the future Decepticon was driven off, Jetfire thanked Magnus for all he'd done. Target: 2006

At least look at him when you're killing him, Starscream!

Jetfire accompanied Donny Finkleberg to the spot where Finkleberg claimed seven Autobots had crossed over from Cybertron, though they found nothing but traces of oil. Aerialbots over America! Soon afterwards, several missions made Jetfire worry that his response time was quicker when humans were in danger than Autobots were, and he talked with Buster Witwicky to come to terms with this; he came to realise that it was because he viewed Earth as his home, as he'd been built there. The Gift

After the death of Optimus Prime, Jetfire voted for the Dinobot Grimlock to take command. He later seemed to regret this decision, offering to help Blaster usurp him, and when the rivalry ended in a duel staged on Earth's moon, he was among the Autobots who watched. When the Autobots were ambushed by the entire Decepticon army, he was blasted out of the sky by both Vortex and Laserbeak. Totaled!

When Starscream absorbed the power of the Underbase, Jetfire led the Aerialbots in the first attack against him in New York. Only Jetfire managed to evade Starscream's lethal retaliation, but a second shot following the death of the last Seacon was not as easily avoidable. Dark Star

See & Read Video

He went on a lot of suicide missions.

Transformers Pop-Up Book

Jetfire was one of many to participate in the battle at Castle Decepticon. He may have in fact been a Decepticon himself. Transformers Pop-Up Book

Dreamwave comics continuity

I bet Skywarp pulled that mask over his face a lot in junior high.

Before the war, the scientist Jetfire and Starscream were friends. But when Starscream joined the Decepticons in their assault on outlying city-states, Jetfire was torn. If he followed his beliefs and upheld justice and life, he would end up facing his dearest friend on the battlefield. Jetfire did end up with the Autobots, but not before a barrier of distrust had been built between them due to his inaction and his past loyalties.

These loyalties came to a head during a period when Optimus Prime and Megatron were presumed lost forever, the two factions splintered into five. Events conspired behind the scenes, building up to an unknown crescendo, and Jetfire was suspicious. Putting his already-shaky trustworthiness on the line, he met up with Shockwave in secret to discuss the looming front of darkness. However, the source of these machinations, The Fallen, had leaked their correspondence to Grimlock, who held a grudge against the scientist. Devastation

I've always said there's nothing an agnostic can't do if he really doesn't know whether he believes in anything or not.

Grimlock assaulted Jetfire at his intended meeting place, but both were overwhelmed by The Fallen and dragged far inside Cybertron and strapped to a four-paneled contraption in the Well of All Sparks. Confrontation Jetfire, Grimlock, Hot Spot, and Blitzwing were the "Angles of Dissolution," four "unique sparks" which could catalyze the breach of the Seal of Primus. Combined forces from several factions penetrated The Fallen's operation, but despite Jetfire and Grimlock's teamwork, The Fallen was destroyed only by his own scheme — the hand of Primus reached out, awakened from his slumber, and smote the enigmatic being to pieces. Jetfire, a skeptic towards things supernatural, began to wonder if there might be something bigger than them going on, something no one could comprehend. Conflagration

Long after, Jetfire and Omega Supreme were sent out into space to search for the missing Ark. Arriving on Earth, they were attacked by Scourge, but Jetfire disabled him with an EM pulse from their ship. When he ventured outside to identify his assailant, he was caught in an avalanche and buried in ice.

The power of Primus compels you!

Millions of years later he was found by Starscream and stored aboard the Nemesis, still encased in a block of ice. When the zealot Sunstorm arrived on Earth, Starscream freed Jetfire from his icy prison to stop him. Black Sunshine An uneasy alliance formed between Jetfire, Starscream, and Bumblebee's team of Autobots as they tried to come up with a plan to stop the unbelievably powerful Seeker, but Sunstorm was unstoppable. Jetfire started to consider that Sunstorm might be supernatural, despite his natural skepticism. Skyfire During their encounter, Jetfire realized that Sunstorm's internal fusion reactor was about to go critical, and flew him up into space where he could explode without risk to the Earth. Jetfire was seemingly annihilated in the explosion. His demise caused Bumblebee to throw down his arms and quit the war. Atonement

It was revealed long after the demise of Dreamwave that an issue was planned that involved the return of both Jetfire and The Fallen, meaning his "death" would not have been final.

Devil's Due G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers comics

During a Decepticon attack on an Autobot peace ceremony, Jetfire fought back and fired on Reflector, only to be ordered to cease fire as Optimus Prime was using the Decepticon to negotiate with Serpent O.R. When it turned out that the negotiations involved Prime giving himself up to the Decepticons, Jetfire joined a team of Autobots led by Hot Rod who were planning on rescuing him. The Art of War issue 4 Together with G.I. Joe, they fought and defeated Serpent O.R.'s Decepticon army. The Art of War issue 5

IDW comics continuity

This section covers fiction that is ongoing. It will be added to as the story progresses. If it isn't current, you can help by updating it.

"I'm a scientist, Ranger Brad. I don't believe in anything."

Years of war had put the Transformers' home world of Cybertron through too much punishment, meaning a spiral into planet-wide cataclysm, a consequence the scientist Thunderwing had foreseen. Jetfire and other Transformers scientists ignored his warning, until it was too late. Thunderwing underwent the polydermal grafting process he had developed, and was driven insane, forcing the Autobots and Decepticons to unite and try to stop him. Jetfire spent the battle trying to figure out a way to effectively counter Thunderwing, but Cybertron itself swallowed Thunderwing before he could find a way. Cybertron was abandoned as a result.

Seven hundred stellar cycles later, and against regulations, Jetfire and the Technobots traveled to the supposedly-abandoned husk of Cybertron from their science vessel, the Calabi-Yau, to investigate a strange energy reading. Though it violated several command directives, Jetfire decided to lead a recon mission to the surface. Despite the misgivings everyone had, Jetfire remained adamant that they investigate, saying that a failure to investigate was what doomed Cybertron to begin with. Upon arriving on the dead surface of the planet near Thunderhead Pass, Jetfire, Scattershot, Afterburner, and Lightspeed were ambushed by a mysterious group of robots with stealth abilities. The Technobots were badly damaged and Jetfire was captured. When he revived, he found his captors worshiping the reanimated corpse of Thunderwing. Stormbringer issue 1

I just plumb don't understand alla' yer fancy talkin'...

Their leader, Bludgeon, wished to revisit the mad scientist's plot and harness the power that accelerated the planet's death in a apocalyptic torrent all those years ago. Jetfire pleaded with Bludgeon not to again unleash the powers that destroyed their planet, but he was ignored, and his attempts to escape were thwarted. Stormbringer issue 2 Thanks to a distress signal sent by the remaining Technobots in the Calabi-Yau, Optimus Prime and the Wreckers soon arrived, released Jetfire, and defeated his captors, just before an alert system announced the arrival of Thunderwing, newly reborn. Stormbringer issue 3

Fortunately Jetfire was able to figure out that the Ultra-Energon powering Thunderwing would be depleted in a prolonged struggle. This allowed Optimus Prime, the Wreckers, and the Predacons to stop the monstrosity without destroying Cybertron. Stormbringer issue 4

Jetfire was later called in to take the Pretender Monsters to the Garrus-9 prison and attempt to cure them. Spotlight: Optimus Prime Every previous attempt had failed, but whether he may have found a cure to their combined minds was then rendered moot when the Decepticons attacked and abducted the Monsters. He convinced Fortress Maximus to let Arcee "escape" to hunt the Monsters down, and they would invent some story afterward. Spotlight: Arcee

Shortly after Optimus Prime arrived on Garrus-9, Cyclonus activated the Nega-Core and its guardian, Thunderwing, on Corata-Vaz. Prime ordered Jetfire to summon the Wreckers to face off against Thunderwing again. Spotlight: Cyclonus Unfortunately the Wreckers proved to be little more than an annoyance to the guardian, and Jetfire, believing he had ironed out the bugs, received permission to test Thunderwing's experiment on four Autobots, deciding things couldn't really get much worse. Spotlight: Hardhead

With the experiments taking a while, Jetfire decided to re-use Bludgeon's Axis Cradle and use it to take control of, and shut down, Thunderwing. Spotlight: Doubledealer This saw him marked for death by Jhiaxus, who took remote mental control of Bludgeon's body on Garrus-9. Faced with a hideous monster about to kill and his own inability to move, Jetfire... calmly noticed how slowly Bludgeon was moving, worked out Jhiaxus was trying to control the monster and monitor pan-galactic fronts, and baited him with the imminent collapse of his strategy, causing Jhiaxus to freeze in panic.

After the crisis was over, Jetfire covertly monitored Gorlam Prime in its transformation into a new Cybertron. Spotlight: Sideswipe

Three years later, Jetfire arrived on Earth after the Decepticons leveled the infrastructure of the Autobot war machine. Along with Seaspray and Windcharger, he was taken in by Optimus Prime's unit as a refugee from the devastation. Spotlight: Prowl When Prime abandoned the Autobots and surrendered to Skywatch, Jetfire joined Hot Rod when he decided to leave the planet, as just sitting in a cave absorbing the humans' primitive wireless signals was driving him nuts. New Arrivals, Old Encounters The group needed all the help they could get in getting off Earth, Hot Rod liberated several Decepticons from Skywatch and told Jetfire to undo their restraints using technology acquired from Wheeljack. Jetfire was hesitant about helping the enemy, but Hot Rod assured him that were no sides anymore. A Rude Awakening

Well, Hot Rod was wrong. Swindle and his Decepticons turned on Jetfire and the others after the starship was complete. Swindle even used some of the 'Cons Jetfire reactivated to create a new gestalt, Menasor. With the help of Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, Bumblebee's crew and the humans of Skywatch, Menasor was dismantled. As Rodimus fled the planet, Jetfire and the rest of the Autobots rejoined Bumblebee's command. Earthworks Jetfire was later present when the Autobots initiated an alliance with Skywatch. The Transformers issue 7

As part of the alliance, the Autobots gave the humans free access to Cybertronian technology, which concerned Jetfire. He had a discussion with Bumblebee, the new Autobot commander, who simply told him that they needed to trust the humans in order for the humans to trust them. The Autobots then found themselves thrust into action again as the Combaticons were spotted in North Korea fighting for their government. International Incident Part 1: "The Land Ironclads" Jetfire was among the troops sent to defeat them, acting as air support against Vortex. However, Vortex was more than capable of fighting off a scientist like him, and cut open Jetfire's wing, sending him out of control. He crashed explosively into Broadside and was later seen receiving medical attention. International Incident Part 2: "Ranks of Bronze"

The events of Spotlight: Mirage possibly take place in an alternate/unknown continuity.

With most of the Autobots defeated, the severely damaged Jetfire was with Optimus Prime's crew in the Pegasus Star Cluster, the last pocket of Autobot resistance in the galaxy. After the treacherous Mirage conned his way into their bunker and allowed the Decepticons in, he used Jetfire's life as a bargaining chip (despite Ratchet's best efforts to protect him) to get Optimus Prime to surrender. Hound refused to give up fighting until he realized just how badly Jetfire needed repairs. Spotlight: Mirage

Classics Toy Bio

The first Cybertronian to travel to the black depths of deep space, Jetfire encountered the Star pirates of the blot nebula, and is the only one to ever have faced and defeated them. He was known as a famous hero for these deeds, but he disappeared millions of years ago, much to the dismay of Cybertron's populace. However, once he was uncovered from inside a glacier, he rose to challenge the treat of the Decepticons immediately. Voyager class Classics Jetfire toy bio

Henkei! Henkei!

Dark Skyfire bio

In an era millions of years before the establishment of the Decepticon faction’s army, Skyfire was specialized for outer space exploration, his entire body coated with a substance that protected it against unknown viruses, magnetic storms, and the like. Although he had a strong scientific curiosity, he agonized over it being at odds with his great combat skills.

Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic

No magic insignia-swapping stickers this time.

Ramjet questioned Starscream about the new mech they'd found frozen in a glacier up in the Arctic Circle, but Starscream had unsavory plans for it involving a mask/helmet thing.

Back in Japan, the Seekers raided an energy plant, revealing the newcomer as Skyfire. Amidst the plundering, Skyfire pleaded with Starscream to stop shooting at the human workers, but to no avail. Luckily, the Autobots showed up to save the workers. Skyfire's pleas caused Starscream to yell at him, exclaiming that Skyfire's reason for living was to be a soldier. Just before getting shot at, Skyfire finally ripped off the control helmet and declared himself a scientist (with a sweet new Autobot symbol, too). However, he said he would become a soldier, if only to defend humans from those like his old friend. Watching the Seekers retreat, Skyfire wistfully reminisced that he and Starscream never really got along that well in the past, anyway. Henkei! Henkei! volume 4

Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga

The Enemy from the Arctic Wataru's Power Time of Resurrection The Threat of Galvatron Revenge A Nightmare, Once Again To the Sea of Stars

Toys

Generation 1

Don't expect Takara to reissue this toy any time soon.

• Jetfire (1985)
  • Accessories: "Photon Missile Launcher", rifle mounting pod, "Turbo Thruster" booster pack, 2 leg guards (left & right), 2 arm guards, 2 fenders

A redeco of the Takatoku Toys Macross VF-1S Super Valkyrie, Jetfire features three modes: robot, jet, and an "alternate transformation" (Called "Gerwalk" form in Macross) that deploys his arms and legs in jet mode. Additionally, Jetfire comes with several red pieces of armor and rocket booster backpack that can snap onto his arms, legs, and back in any mode. He has noticeably more articulation than the other Transformers in the line at the time.

The shoulder assembly where the jet mode folds in half for robot mode is one of the more commonly broken parts in the early Transformers toy line. The more rigid plastic used on the armor pieces also means that it's not uncommon for their attachment clips to have snapped off. And finally, the small black clip-piece that attaches Jetfire's rifle to his jet mode is possibly one of the most commonly missing accessories on secondhand Jetfires, if not secondhand Transformers all around. The fact that the instructions don't tell you what to do with it doesn't help. The piece is used to hold Jetfire's rifle via the clip attached to the arm, as well as under the jetmode as a belly gun.

There were main two variations of the toy: one featuring the Macross UN Spacy logo on the wings, and one without the logo. The Macross logo was either painted on or came as a sticker. The logo-less variant has a continuous red strip along the length of the wing, whilst both logo versions have a slight gap in the paint apps surrounding the logo.

• More information on Jetfire at TFU.info

Generation 2

I'm not a traitor!

• Jetfire (Cyberjet, 1995)
  • Japanese ID number: TRF-16
  • Accessories: 2 missiles

Jetfire was released in Generation 2 as one of the Autobot Cyberjets, a redeco of the Decepticon Hooligan. He transforms into a proposed swing-wing naval variant of the F-22 Raptor. He is armed with a pressure-launched missile fired from his right arm, which also forms a weapon in fighter mode.

Interestingly enough, his toy has Decepticon faction symbol stickers, despite being released as an Autobot.

The Japanese release of Jetfire came with an extra decal sheet, featuring white tiger markings, extra Generation 2 Autobot symbols (presumably to cover the Decepticon ones that were factory-applied), and "battle damage" markings.

R-Blade's expanded bio in the Robot Masters sourcebook specifically mentions Jetfire as the leader of the Autobot Cyberjets, even though no mention of this is made in Jetfire's Generation 2 bio, in the US or Japan.

• Cyberjet Jetfire at TFU.info

Titanium Series

Unfortunate landing gear placement.

• Jetfire (6-inch Cybertron Heroes, 2006)
  • Accessories: 2 cannons, display stand with removable nameplate

Jetfire is based on Don Figueroa's design as seen in Dreamwave's The War Within miniseries, which in turn was based on Figueroa's scratch-build custom Transformer, Strikefire. He transforms into a Cybertronic fighter plane with armor add-ons.

As with all Titanium Series figures, Jetfire's toy is constructed of both die-cast metal and molded plastic, and it comes with a plastic display stand featuring his name and his faction logo. In jet mode, landing gear can be deployed from underneath the fuselage and both legs. In robot mode, the two wing cannons can be removed to be held by the robot either separately or combined together into a single weapon.

• Titanium Jetfire at TFU.info

Classics

We're getting almost as many Jetfires as we are Optimus Primes.

• Jetfire (Voyager, 2006)
  • Accessories: Rocket Booster pack, rifle, 2 missile launchers, 2 missiles, helmet

Classics Jetfire's design is an amalgam of the original cartoon/comic model for Jetfire/Skyfire and the original toy. It not only features removable armor like the original toy, but the toy-inspired head can be removed like a helmet to reveal a cartoon/comic-inspired head. The jet mode pays homage to Generation 2 Jetfire in being a swing wing aircraft, but while the body resembles the design of an F-14 Tomcat, which is the model of the VF-1 Valkyrie, but with the nosecone squared off to resemble the cartoon/comic renditions. The toy's add-on booster packs have flip-out reveal cannons, and it also features arm-mounted spring-loaded missile launchers. Somewhat uselessly, the arms rotate below the elbows and at the wrists, but don't rotate above the elbows.

An unexpected level of detail can be found on the black non-firing rifle; when it is assembled, the gun's "sight" comes together in a way that would be functional on a full-size weapon.

The toy's design was first featured on the solicited cover to IDW Stormbringer #1. Contrary to popular opinion, it was not designed by Don Figueroa.

A "ghost" redeco of this toy, with black plastic and silvery electric paint deco, was shown by Hasbro in a news broadcast about their attempts to cheer up a Rhode Island orphan. Sadly, this version was never released.

This mold was retooled to make the BotCon 2007 version of Dreadwind, and redecoed to make the Universe version of Tread Bolt.

• Classics Jetfire at TFU.info

• Jetfire (Legends, 2006)

This toy is a redeco of Legends of Cybertron-class Thundercracker, transforming into an SU-37 fighter jet.

This mold was later redecoed into Universe Starscream, and then Universe Silverbolt from the Target-exclusive "Special Team Leaders" Legends-class figure pack.

• Classics Legends Jetfire at TFU.info

Attacktix

• Jetfire (unreleased)

Attacktix Jetfire was heavily based on his Titanium Series toy, and would've featured an oversized gun from which he fired a single missile. He was displayed at various conventions, but was ultimately canceled alongside the entire Attacktix line.

Your bargaining posture is highly dubious. Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Henkei! Henkei!

Comes packaged in a block of ice for "show-accuracy".

• Skyfire (Voyager, 2008)
  • Japanese ID number: C-06
  • Accessories: Hydrogen-fuel Turbo Thruster Pack, rifle, 2 photon missile launchers, 2 infrared homing missiles, helmet

Henkei! Henkei! Skyfire is a redeco of Classics Jetfire. The primary changes to his deco are mainly for better resemblance to Skyfire's Generation 1 cartoon model's appearance (in particular painting most of the canopy to make it appear smaller), rather than the Jetfire/Macross design. Of amusement is the fact the fighter's airbrake has been painted blue to be a faux secondary canopy. As with all Henkei toys, he lacks the heat-sensitive rubsign seen on the Classics release, but instead has several vacuum-metallized parts (his jetpack's exhaust nozzles). It also includes a mini-manga detailing the events that lead to Skyfire's appearance in the Henkei universe (mini-manga universe, that is).

Gentei! Gentei!

A potential figure for Shattered Glass Jetfire.

• Dark Skyfire (Voyager, 2010)
  • Japanese ID number:
  • Accessories: Hydrogen-fuel Turbo Thruster Pack, rifle, 2 photon missile launchers, 2 infrared homing missiles, helmet

Gentei! Gentei! Dark Skyfire is a Toy Hobby Market exclusive black repaint of Classics Jetfire. The primary changes to his deco are mainly for making him, uh, darker. As with all Henkei toys, he lacks the heat-sensitive rubsign seen on the Classics release, but instead has two vacuum-metallized parts (his jetpack's exhaust nozzles). The backpack cannons have also been significantly remolded to make the barrels and stalks on which they are mounted a single piece with a new joint. This change is likely to make the barrels more durable under the constant spring-loaded strain of being hidden.

The extent of Dark Skyfire's 'Dark' varies from image to image, early pre-production mockup images showed a dark matte grey similar to e-Hobby Astrotrain, whilst later images appeared gloss black with high-contrast silver details, leading to speculation that this redeco is the previously unreleased 'ghost' Classics Jetfire. Some possible hints of this remain, such as the Hasbro Classics-styled open cockpit instead of the Henkei version's half-painted version, as well as entirely new paint operations such as the added stripes on the body near shoulders.

Pre-orders for Dark Skyfire opened up on November 12th and closed on December 11th 2009, with the toys finally shipping sometime in March of 2010.

• More information on Jetfire at TFU.info

Merchandise

Transformers - Mini Bust

• Jetfire (2009)

How ironic. Two more days and I would have completed my helmet.

Released by Diamond Select Toys in 2009, Jetfire was sculpted by Mark Wong of Art Asylum and limited to 1000 pieces. He is wielding his photon missile launcher but it uses the double-barreled cartoon design instead of the single-barreled version that came with the toy. The rest of the character design is a mixture of his cartoon/comic body.

Uh-oh, move along, nothing to see here...

• Battle Armor Jetfire Bust (2009)

An exclusive to AFX, this version of the Jetfire bust features an interchangeable Macross-inspired head design based upon his original Generation 1 toy, two booster packs on his back and a "battle damaged" sculpt.

Why "Skyfire"?

I went from 98-ton weakling to muscle-bot on...the Dery plan!

We may never be certain of the exact circumstances behind the change from Jetfire to Skyfire. There are, however, a few known factors, and a lot of theories.

• Not all of Hasbro's Transformers product originated with Takara. Among others, the Macross Super Valkyrie, the toy that would become Jetfire, came from a company called Takatoku Toys. Why did Hasbro market non-Takara product? Bob Prupis, one of the original members of the Transformers marketing team, would frequently go to Toy Fairs in Asia, where "any product that really looked good that was exciting we didn't care where it came from. We did some work with Bandai, who had been working with other people, and took a few products that looked right for our line". The Super Valkyrie, then, must have met their criteria for inclusion.

• As a larger toy, it would follow that Hasbro would want to sell Jetfire by including him in the Transformers animated series. However, even though Hasbro had the rights to release Takatoku's Super Valkyrie in the US Transformers toyline, Hasbro's chief collaborator on Transformers was still Takara. It may have been that Takara always had plans to air the Transformer animated series in their own market (as it featured a majority of their products), and objected to the inclusion of a competitor's product on the show. This may also be why no other Takatoku-designed toys appeared in the series, although their relatively smaller sizes as compared to Jetfire may have been a factor in Hasbro not including them.

• As the theory goes, the Jetfire animation model was adjusted to look less like the toy as a compromise to Takara. However - perhaps because it now failed to look like the product it was supposed to be advertising - the character became "Skyfire".

• Conversely, it is possible that licensing issues played in to the decisions to change Jetfire to Skyfire; the story bible for G1 writers mentions how Jetfire had been "transformed" into Skyfire for "legal reasons". See also Notes.

• The evidence of Robotech influencing Jetfire-related decisions is murky. That show began airing in syndication in March of 1985, whereas "Fire In The Sky", the first episode with Skyfire, aired December 8th, 1984 - and would have had to have been written and animated much before then. Statements indicate that it took nine months to edit Robotech together, placing the start of production somewhere around July of 1984. So... who knows. All that's certain is that Hasbro licensing the Super Valkyrie seemingly did prevent the use of that toy in Matchbox's Robotech toyline.

Beyond Prupis's statement and the notes in the story bible, however, nothing supporting (or denying) any of the previous statements have come out.

Notes

C'mon, Hasbro. You know you want to make a "Skull Squadron" version of some Jetfire. What's Bandai going to do? Sic the Power Rangers on you?

• As mentioned above, unlike most of the early Transformers range, the Jetfire toy was designed by Takatoku Toys, being a redeco (with a minor retool to blunt the nosecone) of their 1/55 Macross VF-1S Super Valkyrie. Naturally, because he was not designed by Takara, Jetfire was not released in Japan, since the toy (or, at least, a dozen variations of it) was released by one of Takara's rival toy companies.

• The story bible for the original animated series contains a different character model for Jetfire, one clearly based on the actual toy. This model did appear three times "fictionally," once as a miscolored, partially-obscured background character in the fourth Marvel Comics issue, again in the Marvel Comics as a spectator at Optimus Prime's funeral (right next to his "Skyfire" model), and a third time in the animated portion of the commercial for Jetfire and Shockwave. It would also occasionally crop up in secondary media, such as coloring books.

Lawsuit!

• In fact, the Transformers story bible offers seemingly contradictory statements on Jetfire. An early page notes how "JETFIRE has been "transformed" into SKYFIRE — with a different model — due to legal reasons. Do not use this character unless necessary", whereas a subsequent page on new Season 2 characters notes that "Although Reflector should no longer be used as a character in the series, JETFIRE will be redesigned and reintroduced in the near future". As the Valkyrie-derived animation model never appeared in the cartoon, and Skyfire was never redesigned, it's uncertain just what these notes refer to.

• "Jetfire" is listed as a "Special Guest Star from Cybertron" on the Sunbow Productions cast list entry for "Fire in the Sky". Later, on the cast list entry for "Fire on the Mountain", "Skyfire" is typewritten as part of the main cast list, but a drawn dash pointing to (or from) it leads to the handwritten name "Jetfire". From there on out, Skyfire is referred to as Jetfire in the listings.

• In the aforementioned Jetfire commercial, it claims that the Autobots created Jetfire, the "ultimate robot jet," to counter the Decepticon planes. As Sunstreaker, Hound, and Prowl are under attack, the trio release Jetfire from within an opening cliffside, revealing their new creation. (See image above.)

Crazy moonman language!

• It's believed that there were some trademark issues with the name "Optimus Prime" in the Netherlands due to a manufacturer of kitchen utensils named "Optimus". Whether or not this was actually the case, Milton Bradley did not initially release Optimus Prime's toy, referred to Jetfire as the Autobot leader, and called Optimus "Jetfire" in the Dutch translation of the Marvel comic! Whatever the problem was, it was later rectified, as the Optimus Prime toy was later released and they stopped calling him "Jetfire" in the comic.

• The Energon Omnicon Skyblast was created as an homage to Skyfire. He would have been given the name "Skyfire" as well, but the trademark had been secured (and registered) by Hasbro rival Mattel. Also on the homage front, Robot Masters R-Blade features a very Jetfirey deco.

External links

• Jetfire's Universe profile at NTFA.net
• English translation of Japan G2 minicomic #16
• Japan G2 story page with English annotations