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\f0\fs24 \cf0 This is a TF Source video review of TakaraTomy Toy Hobby Henkei Dark Sky Fire.\
Ever since his introduction into the Transformers Universe, Skyfire has had somewhat of a sordid
past. Friends with Starscream, incredibly powerful, and able to fly\'85 these are all
traits most Autobots just do not have. Even the new Revenge of the Fallen iteration of
Jetfire has him originally siding with The Decepticons, an archetype that this guy will
apparently never be able to shrug off. The idea of a Decepticon version of the Jetfire
toy first came from TF sticker restoration site reprolabels.com. Their Evil Jetfire custom
sticker kit gave you everything you needed to kitbash your own G1 evil Jetfire toy. Our
first official Decepticon version of the white knight turned dark has been released as a
Gentei exclusive from TakaraTomy's Toy Hobby online store. This stunning black repaint
features purple accessories and an eerie green plastic in place of the original cockpit and
helmet visor. Watch day turn to night as we take a look at our first official Dark Sky
Fire toy.\ Dark Skyfire is packaged in a black and white
version of his original Henkei box, only this time it is adorned with Decepticon symbols
instead of autobot symbols. The package features all new photography and a grumpy deception
character illustration. There is a decent amount of tape that needs to be cut to open
the box as well as unseal the inner blisters. The instructions are the original autobot
skyfire instructions and are even labeled C-06, yet the collector card is indeed exclusive
to this dark-version of the mold.\ All the pieces are visible from the box window
and it makes for a very nice mint in box display. \b \
\b0 Dark Skyfire comes packaged in robot mode with two clear missiles, a helmet, two combinable
halves of his blaster, and his exceptionally armed purple thruster pack. Right out of the
box, this guy is ready to pack some serious firepower. There are many options for display
with this voyager sized figure depending on if you want to see his cartoon-eqsue face
or his Robotech-like helmeted visage. The backpack is also optional and can be completely
removed or added effortlessly. When attached, the backpack's pylons can be made to stick
straight up or fold down for additional armaments. This mold's feet, while very authentic to
the original toy's design, make it a bit unsturdy for dynamic posing, so leg possibility is
a bit limited.\ The jet mode of this mold is a happy medium
between the cartoon jet and the original copyright-infringing Robotech Vertitech mold of the original G1
toy. This mold has been repainted a few times already, but none of the redecos have looked
quite as attention-grabbing as this gloomy Decepticon raven. The undercarriage sports
3 points of retractable landing gear and once again, the jetpack may be set in weapon mode
or the less aggressive pylon mode. In jet form, Dark Sky Fire resembles Decepticon seeker
Skywarp in appearance. Whether this is intentional or not is up for debate.\
When compared to the original gleaming white henkei version of Skyfire, one of the greatest
transformer ying and yang constructs ever created appears. The first mock ups of Dark
Skyfire showed the plastic to be a sort of matte gray. This color was replaced with jet
black, perhaps to make this figure appear to be a bit more of a shadow of the original.
The differences between the American Jetfire and Japanese Skyfire are quite apparent, but
there is absolutely no mistaking the black version for the peaceful Autobot we have grown
to love. He is the veritable black sheep of the Jetfire family. \
The black repaint strikes again! However, this time it at least serves a greater purpose.
As the Jetfire / Skyfire character evolves with the franchise, so too must its representations.
The new movie depicted a completely new version of the classic character as the ultimate spy
plane, the SR-71 blackbird. This black version of the henkei mold is no doubt in response
to this 21st century version of the flying deception turned autobot. The very existence
of this special version of the toy may help propel stock in Jetfire up into the top 10
for some fans. Let's hope for more henkei and classics exclusives that harken back to
the origins of the franchise yet can borrow from some of the new. It is this non-linear
evolution of the brand that keeps fans coming back again and again.}