General Information: Images:
*Images from Ebay.com
I've already reviewed the Deluxe Version of Optimus Prime released as part of the "Entertainment Pack" and as a San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive. I feel that this is the version of Prime fans have been waiting for however as it is larger than the Deluxe figures and more closely matches the scale of the character on the television show (compared to others like Bumblebee).
Packaging: Inside the box, Optimus Prime is in robot mode, posing with his weapons attached to his hands. The figure is held down by the biodegradable ties used in recent Transformers toys, not the more familiar plastic "twist ties" of the past. Hidden from view is a cardboard display stand that can be removed from the box for Optimus to stand on. Underneath that is a plastic bag with the instructions and a catalog of Transformers figures from Japan. The artwork on the box follows the designs of the other "First Edition" toys with a dark blue background and artwork from the television series on the back. Most of the text on the packaging is in English, making this reviewer wonder how widespread this was meant to be in North American before the entire "First Edition" thing fell apart. On the sides are two different pieces of artwork, both from promotional renderings used for "Transformers Prime". The back shows the now familiar shot of the Autobots standing on a cliff with photos of the figure above it. Interestingly, there's no tech spec written anywhere on the box, nor was one included with the figure (just a catalog and instructions).
Robot Mode: While the Deluxe version of this character had some nicely sculpted detail, this size class let the designers amp things up. His head sculpt is really intricate, designed with the mouthplate in the "battle" position and horizontal ridges on both his crest and the areas on either side of his mouthplate on the helmet. I was most impressed by the designs around his neck area. Generally this is left rather plain on most Transformers, but here there are tube and machinery details on his neck and at the base. His chest has the familiar "window" panels, which really are not the vehicle mode windows - and that's a good thing in my book. Their design is not constrained by the vehicle mode windows. Instead, the designers were free to integrate circuit board like designs into the windows themselves, leading to angled panels that fill out the chest. The mid-section also has nice sculpting in the from of armor that covers his mid-section in layers. Overall, this is one impressive looking sculpt. Before going into the color scheme, it is important to note the Takara Tomy versions of the "Transformers Prime" First Edition figures did not use the same colors as the versions released outside Japan. Instead, Japan went with darker tones and colors intended to better match the figure up with its animated counterpart. On Optimus Prime, this means his obligatory red and blue plastic colors are darker shades than you might expect, but both plastics have a wonderful metallic shine to them that is really striking to look at. The red and blue are balanced out by a light, gunmetal and silver plastic on smaller parts like his ghighs, mid-section and the middle of the arms. Three key parts are cast in a grey, soft rubber plastic: the smokestack and his blade weapon. I'm not a big fan of this type of plastic but I understand the safety concerns being addressed here. I just wish the plastic were a little less soft as it is very easy to warp the rubbery plastic accidentally. A bit of translucent blue plastic is used on this mode as well. You'll find it overlaid on top of the gunmetal plastic in the chest area, simulating the vehicle mode windows. These colors are rounded out by black plastic, making up his vehicle mode wheels (all visible in this form), the front of his feet and his blaster weapon. The blaster is not just black however, there are some silver paint flecks on it that enhance its appearance. When I review the paint decos on this figure, it amazes me how few there are while still making the figure look awesome. Silver, metallic blue, yellow, light blue and black are the paint colors used on this figure. Silver is perhaps the most heavily used color. You'll find it on his legs and on his head. There it is used to fill out intricate details such as the crest, mouth plate and the area round his eyes. Wondering where his Autobot symbol is? Look on the side of his right arm where it is painted big and bold in silver. The metallic blue and yellow provide details around his waist and mid-body respectively. The light blue paint is used on the edge of his blade weapon, giving it an "energy glow". Most surprising to me was the black paint used on his eyes! Usually Autobot eyes are filled out as blue, but here they're black, perhaps to offer contrast from the silver or to keep with the dark tone of the figure. Interestingly, the top of his head shows a clear blue piece, meaning the figure is designed to allow for light piping but it wasn't used. This is the only flaw in the deco in my opinion. Optimus Prime has twenty two points of articulation in this form. This includes five points in each arm and leg. His waist does turn, however, it's more to facilitate his transformation than as a point of articulation. When you turn it, he looks less like he's turning his waist and more like the lower half of his body has slightly separated from the top half. Still, it functions and if posed right does look nice. The aforementioned blaster and blade weapon are Optimus' two primary weapons. This is a good old fashioned Transformer. No crazy gimmicks in this mode. Nothing lights up, nothing combines with him - he carries weapons and looks awesome doing so. Each of the weapons is designed not just to be held by the hands, but to slide over them as well, creating the illusion that his hand has retracted and been replaced with the weapon as he does on the television show. His fists have standard 5mm peg holes allowing him to hold weapons from other lines such as "Generations" and "Dark of the Moon". This type of "back to basics" Transformer is welcome in my collection. Remember, tranfsormation is the primary gimmick! Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
Vehicle Mode: The same plastic colors used in robot mode appear here, however in this form a lot of the red detailing is providing by red paint on parts cast in other colors. This includes the panels on the side and the wind vane on top of the truck. A bit of blue paint is used to form an angled design on the sides near the smokestacks, mirroring the design seen on the show. Yellow paint is used to give color to the row of lights running on top of the windshield. Silver paint is used on the cross hatched sections on the sides, but surprisingly not on the sides of the wheels, leaving them looking all black which is not my preference and doesn't jive with the CGI model. Out of all the details, this is the only real weakness in the deco. As mentioned earlier, you can attach both of Prime's weapons to the rear of the vehicle via two peg holes and his hitch. However, the hole on the hitch section is slightly smaller than the other two, so most of your standard weapons won't fit there. Since the blade weapon is super soft plastic, it can squeeze in. The other two holes (one on each leg) allow for regular 5mm pegged weapons to attach without a problem.
Final Thoughts:
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The "First Edition" versions of "Transformers Prime" figures were one of the more frustrating lines to collect. While wave one of the deluxe figures were released in the U.S., other figures were only released in other countries including the "First Edition" version of Voyager Class Optimus Prime. This differs from the "Robots in Disguise" version due later this year. At the time I am writing this (February 2012), Hasbro has said it wants to find a way to get this sculpt out in the U.S., but that venue has yet to be determined (if it happens at all).
