The European pre-Transformers "Diaclone" release of what would become the Transformers "Jazz" is yet another beautiful example of unique Ceji Joustra packaging and presentation for what is a very well-loved Transformers and pre-Transformers character and toy. Featuring the now-famous exclusive artwork, these Takara-licensed Ceji Joustra releases are great examples of what can be achieved with a somewhat mundane release if the extra distance is travelled. Available in France, Holland, Germany, Austria, Belgium and Scandinavia in 1984 and 1985, the Porsche 935 was part of the first wave of Joustra releases. The box front heavily features the artisti-designed Diaclone logo, and the flavour of the whole release is certainly pre-TF. The comic that comes included with these larger releases however, is purely exclusive to the Joustra Diaclone line. You can see the multilingual text on the box front advertising this comic.

The box back depicts other releases available, however the stock photography features Japanese Diaclone toys as opposed to actual Joustra-released items. The Joustra Trailbreaker (now confirmed) does not have the yellow Diaclone side-stickers or indeed yellow fists. It was just a pre-rubsign 1984 TF-mould toy with TF-style factory stickers in a Joustra box. The '9609' is the catalog designation for this Porsche 935 release. Once again you can see how prominent the Diaclone logo is on the packaging from every angle.

You get the feeling that Ceji Joustra really were left to their own devices when it came to these releases. The artwork, the comic, the overall style of the exterior packaging, it's all very unique. While it's easy to think that they wanted to improve upon the look of the Takara Diaclone packaging, especially in the case of the Porsche where no artwork was used, some things make you think they didn't have a lot of support or sufficient information when they came to release these items. There is some evidence of that in the stock photography where the toys are sometimes mis-transformed (see Jazz above and below) or have incorrect accessories (black Toyota 4WD "Trailbreaker" with yellow fists).

In the first of the pictures above, where the pre-Jazz is in robot mode, you can see that the chrome chest section has not been transformed correctly. It is still in the same position as it would have been in vehicle mode. Whoever was in charge of the box photography didn't realise that it had to be folded down, and it appears that the sticker intended for the chrome chest piece has been applied to the black waist section instead. That said, the packaging is still wonderful to behold, and it's very colourful. The fact that it is unique is a real benefit in my opinion and makes these releases all the more special.

Putting the Joustra Ligier and Porsche 935 packages together provides a very interesting comparison. First of all, it shows how breathtakingly beautiful these releases look individually and side-by-side. The layout of the box front for these two particular figures is very similar, and I think there's a good reason for that. The two of them share the same comic. The Porsche is featured in Ligier's comic or vice versa, they normally come packaged with exactly the same one. So in some respects, the Porsche is the Ligier's co-release. As a result, on the box front, they both display robot mode-only attack poses against a cityscape background.

The sides of the box show similarity and consistency in the way the photography has been done, and also the mis-transformed chest of the Porsche 935 alongside the backwards-facing launcher of the Ligier. However, strangely, the text on the side flaps of Ligier's box is white whereas the text on the flaps of the Porsche's box is black.

Now this is where it all started for this figure, the Japanese Takara Diaclone release of Car Robot No.14 Porsche 935 Turbo in July 1983. The first Japanese Diaclone Jazz pictured on top above is in fact the first release which has a mis-spelling of "POLSCHE" on the box front as opposed to "PORSCHE". The later corrected version can be seen in the second main picture above. The original Diaclone was based on the 1976 Group 5 Martini-sponsored Porsche 935 Turbo #4 works-team sportscar. The German marque have one of the absolute richest motorsport (especially sportscars) heritages in history, and just like the Ligier F1 car, made a fine choice for a racing car template. The #4 won the Mugello 6 hours endurance race in 1976 in the hands of Jochen Mass and Jacky Ickx. The Watkins Glen 6 hours was won later in 1976 by the #4 car (but a different chassis number) by Rolf Stommelen and Manfred Schurti. The Group 5 championship was won in 1976 by the Porsche 935. The #4 car is one of the more obscure guises of the 935 and it was based on the second-body style of the racing range.

The Diaclone version of this toy was never recoloured mass-release (there was the gold campaign prize version), but was released in Italy as well by GiG later in 1984. That mould would have been much closer to the pre-rub Transformers release of Jazz (1984). The Japanese Diaclone is the only one of the above releases that came accompanied by a Diaclone driver. The Italian release had no driver and instead of the chrome plastic missiles, came with safety-conscious orange/black bopper missiles instead. As you can see, the Japanese and GiG packaging don't contain any character boxart, just photography. The Joustra packaging is far more attractive and lively.

The spectacular artwork used on the Joustra Porsche 935 packaging has such a comic-style to it, not quite as proportionally perfect or hyper-detailed as other Jazz or TF artwork, yet it suits the release so well and is adored by many collectors, myself included. Notice the lack of fully accurate Martini logos and Porsche lettering anywhere on the art. The artists were brothers Paul and Gaetan Brizzi, responsible for all of the 1st wave of Joustra artwork and the Joustra Diaclone logo.

Time to move on to the toy inside the beautiful packaging, and as with almost all the Ceji Joustra releases, what's inside certainly lives up to what's on the outside.

A very compact and effective inner layout which is exactly the same as the Japanese Diaclone styrofoam layout, with the noteable exclusion of the red Diaclone pilot. It also provides the first glimpse of yet another extraordinary vehicle used by the pre-TF line. The contents include the fabulous exclusive comic/catalog featuring the Ligier as well. You can see this particular issue of the comic installment in full within the Ligier article here as it is exactly the same for both the Porsche and Ligier release. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

The Joustra stickersheets are also unique. Instead of the full Diaclone designation and Japanese text/logos of the Takara versions, they just say "DIACLONE" in the same lettering style as on the box. The stickersheet itself is otherwise identical, except for the reverse which features a stickermap. The reason that Joustra releases feature a sticker application map on the reverse of the stickersheets is because none of them come with instruction booklets or sheets. Enough talk, here in order are the Japanese (same for GiG) Diaclone stcikersheet, followed by the Joustra stickersheet and finally the reverse of the Joustra sticker sheet featuring the application map:

On both stickersheets you can see that the "Martini" has been changed to "Martinii" for licensing purposes. Alcohol sponsorship would be no better for a children's toy than cigarette advertising, if that was indeed the motivation instead of financial. Some later Transformers versions of Jazz didn't even have the mis-spellt "Martinii" text on the stickers. Reissues had "Meister", the Japanese name for Transformers Jazz.

Finally, on to the Porsche 935 toy itself:

Maybe this toy doesn't have the wow-factor to some collectors as it used to some years ago because so many reissues have made a Jazz-mould toy quite commonplace, especially in such fantastic condition. However, I am not one of those collectors. To see an original Porsche/Jazz in such magnificent condition, especially a toy as striking and sleek as this, was really very impressive to me. It definitely has a certain gleam and sparkle to it. It did have one or two slightly misaligned factory stickers, most noticeably the roof decal. Also there were a few tiny paint chips straight out the box. Other than that, stunning.

Porsche cars have always been tremendously distinct and it was very important for this Diaclone to capture that feeling. It does that successfully and is a faithful representation of the original Porsche 935 Turbo racecar. Subsequently, the Jazz Transformers toy and character has become very distinct and recogniseable in his own right which must owe greatly to the original design and template for the toy itself as well as the character given to him by the cartoon and comics.

The lack of a rubsign in vehicle mode is beneficial to this particular toy in my opinion, and one reason why I prefer the pre-TF and pre-rub versions of Jazz. You can see that the paint application isn't perfect on the body of the Joustra Porsche, but it doesn't detract at all from the overall displayability and visuals of the toy. The glint of the unworn chrome and the shine that comes off the bright white wheelarches is truly a pleasure to behold.

Here are some close-ups of some of the standout vehicle mode features:

The copyright on this particular Joustra Porsche 935 is the same as that on a 1984 pre-rubsign Transformers Jazz, and probably the GiG pre-TF TraSformer Porsche as well. The Japanese Diaclone, early Joustra Diaclone and early pre-rub Jazz would have just said "TAKARA JAPAN" in a circle. In the picture below you can still see the remnants of that circle behind the new stamping:

And here is an earlier Joustra Diaclone Porsche with the circle stamp:

Joustra Diaclone wave 1 cars have all been found with a TAKARA JAPAN stamp and an updated multi-line Takara stamp. Later Transformers Jazz toys would have Hasbro markings as well. Classic Euro Gold-Box Jazz would have had all the Takara detail blocked off and the reissues are China-stamped.

Now, when I transformed this Porsche, it was clear I was the first person to do so. Tight as you like, and you could tell that it was the first time some of the joints were giving way. The result was entirely worth it:

Still maintaining a very strong Porsche flavour and sporting the now widely-recognised and loved robot head and visor, well-proportioned, the robot mode for this toy is still immense. Lots of chrome and a successful black/white balance contribute to a very displayable and strong robot mode.

As with most preTF/early G1-era toys, he looks even better kitted out with his numerous accessories:

Even more chrome! The beautifully-sculpted handgun coupled with the huge launcher mechanism provide quite a menacing appearance for the Porsche in robot mode. Although from side-on angles or even from behind, the whole shoulder assembly appears quite cumbersome. The firing mechanism on the Joustra launcher is formidable, but for the photographs I have used a G1 missile. The Joustra missiles are still sprued but are, for all intents and purposes, identical.

While the toy is in such new condition, poses can be held very well and the lack of wear gives him a sublime appearance. Chrome wear, joint wear, yellowing and paint wear are all things that this toy can suffer from readily over years of use. Those ailments can truly affect the displayability of this figure, as can the weak windshield and rear windows, so great care must be taken with what is undoubtedly a delicate piece. Poseability is limited to the arms and shoulders, although that has never been a big weapon in the pre-TF toy armoury. It doesn't need to be in my opinion, that's not where the appeal of this toy lies. The diecast content is considerable as well, giving a healthy weight to the figure. The lack of stickers is not as apparent in robot mode as it is in vehicle mode, and the only ones I would consider applying are the racing stripes on the rear wheelarches.

No strange smirk on this pre-Jazz's face! He has always had a great headsculpt and one that has been reproduced many times throughout the years and generations of Transformers lines. The one-piece visor being a pillar of this figure's personality. You can however spot a few areas where the paint application isn't perfect, but then I'm not sure it ever was with this era of releases.

Here's a close-up of the accessories that come with the Joustra Porsche:

I'm just going to widen the focus of the article a little bit and touch on some other areas that are related to this toy and character. First off, here is the Joustra Porsche 935 alongside the Takara Collection #15 reissue Stepper (Stepper of course originally being a Japanese exclusive Targetmaster re-tool and repaint of the Transformers Jazz):

Some screen grabs of an original Japanese televison advert for the Takara Diaclone Porsche 935 Turbo:

Images from the original Takara patents:

A scan from a Diaclone box featuring an original prototype/mock-up of the then-upcoming Porsche 935 Turbo release in Japan:

Another scan from Diaclone box photography:

A scan of GiG TraSformer releases together, boppers n all:

The Milton Bradley Jazz, which was the first version of the Transformers toy available in many of the same countries which Joustra Porsche was available in, sharing the same insert (but with cardboard supports for the more spacious exterior box) and most likely moulding as the Joustra (notice the "Porsche" text on the box as well). This is not surprising as MB cars are now believed to be direct repackages of Joustra Diaclone car robots.

A modified version of super-deformed Transformers Jazz wallpaper given out by Takara via their website:

A test shot from the reissue Meister alongside a regular Jazz:

The original full-size inks from the Alternators Meister box art drawn by Alex Milne alongside a Binaltech Meister, both masterpieces in their own right:

Paul Vromen's magnificent un-cropped artwork for the Joustra Porsche:

And finally some screen grabs of Jazz himself from the 3-part pilot to The Transformers in the US:

So not only do you have a toy representing a car manufacturer with prestige and heritage beyond measure, but that toy itself is one of immeasurable excellence and has a history of its own that has spawned many a new incarnation. That's to say nothing of the wonderful character given to Jazz in the US cartoons, the comics and the Movie, and afforded even MORE personality by the unforgettable voice talents of Scatman Crothers.

The Ceji Joustra pre-Transformers release of the Porsche 935 is a superb addition to the history of this character. It is in fact one of the earliest chapters in the history of Jazz. In my opinion, it's the best version of G1-mould Jazz available. Excellent packaging with divine presentation, a very well-drawn and unique comic, and a lovely un-neutered toy.

With my love of motorsport being what it is, and the character of Jazz being what it is, couple those with the unique features of the Joustra release and the result is a toy that ranks extraordinarily highly amongst my favourites. If you're a fan of Jazz and the G1 mould, these Joustra releases are not quite as hard to find as they used to be a few years ago, so take advantage!

Despite being Martini-badged, the Joustra Porsche 935 really is quite stirring...

Immense and genuine thanks to Paul Hitchens for the screen grabs of the Diaclone commercial, MTMTE, the Diaclone scans, the patent images, the test shot Jazz image and the modified wallpaper, to EvilGrin for the Diaclone Porsche 935 Turbo images, to Joel Boblit and BBTS for the Diaclone "Polsche" 935 Turbo image and to Mijo and Wechdada (yoyosheo.free.fr) for the MB Jazz images.

All the best
Maz@tf-1.com