General Information
Release Date: 1997
Price Point: $21.99
Retailer: Kay Bee Toys/KB Toys Exclusive
Accessories: Blaster, Missiles x 2, Trailer Door
Background:
In the early 90's, the Generation 2 line was an attempt to mix up classic figures with new decos and an assortment of new Transformers toys to continue the Transformers toy line. By 1996, the line had pivoted to a very different line: Beast Wars Transformers, which focused on the Maximals and Predacons transforming into techno-organic beasts. However, before Beast Wars was launched, a couple figures had been developed that were never released. In 1997 as Beast Wars generated excellent sales numbers, Hasbro and KB Toys (formerly Kay Bee Toys) worked together to release a small exclusive line of vehicle-based Transformers toys. The line was called Machine Wars and represents one of the earliest examples of what fans nowadays know as "capsules" exclusive to one retailer.
Machine Wars was a combination of unreleased sculpts and a reuse of pre-existing sculpts. Among the pre-existing sculpts featured in this line was Thunder Clash. Thunder Clash was released in the European market in 1992 as the leader of the Autobot sub-group known as the Turbomasters. He was a very traditional Autobot leader configuration with a truck cab/trailer vehicle mode and a cab that formed a robot while the trailer became a weapons platform/base. The Thunder Clash sculpt was then retooled and released as Optimus Prime in Machine Wars.
Packaging:
Optimus Prime is packaged in a large rectangular box. His is the largest box out of all the Machine Wars figures partly so the vehicle mode can be shown off in box. The box has a very dramatic design. Back in 1997, the Beast Wars toy line was using a lizard scale background with a giant "eye" (and later a variant featuring metallic "skin" for Transmetals) as the background graphic for its packaging. Machine Wars used that as inspiration and featured a background with a "Diamond" Tread Plate pattern to really emphasize the "Machine" aspect of the line. The front and top of the box features a dramatic cut away with several angles and yellow "lightning" graphics at the edges, as if energy was tearing the metal open. The opening is covered with a clear plastic window. To the right is Optimus Prime's box art. If the box art looks familiar, it should! This is actually an altered version of the artwork used for Generation 2 Laser Optimus Prime, which only has a passing resemblance to Thunder Clash's design. The Machine Wars logo uses the Beast Wars font with the more traditional blocky Transformers logo under it.
On the side of the window and on top are pictures of the cab in robot mode with the text "Truck converts to Battle Robot & High-Tech Command Station!". The back of the box is mostly taken up by the instructions on how to transform the set. These appear to be reprints of Thunder Clash's instructions (or they were drawn based on Thunder Clash and not this actual figure) as the missile functionality shown does not exist in this figure. The last step are instructions for applying the stickers. To the right are his tech specs (only in one language!), a Proof of Purchase and the Kenner logo with legal information below it. The full set is shown transformed on the bottom of the box.
The final touch is the classic KB Toys price sticker which has a release date of 9/96 for the figure (but most fans recall the release being in 1997) and a price of $34.99 which is "crossed out" and the "final" price of $21.99 listed in red. For those who weren't around for it, the prices were misleading. The figure was never actually sold at $34.99. This was part of a strategy KB Toys used to make it look like customers were getting discounts that really didn't exist. This was actually the subject of a financial settlement back in the day! Nowadays most fans feel a sense of nostalgia when it comes to this sticker since the chain has been gone since 2009.
I admit it, this is a lot of commentary on packaging, but this box really represents a bygone era of Transformers Packaging. They literally don't make them like this anymore and I think the packaging is both a bit odd with its editing of Laser Optimus Prime's artwork but also beautiful at the same time.
Accessories:
The original Thunder Clash figure included twelve missiles and a blaster. However, these missiles were smaller than United States toy safety laws allowed. The designers had to retool the launchers on the trailer to accommodate missiles that would adhere to the safety laws. This meant the missiles needed larger. New missiles were developed for this set, with each missile measuring over 2 inches (about 5.08 cm) long. These can be inserted into the launchers on his trailer/base and launched using buttons on the sides (more on this in the trailer review below). These missiles are made of dark green plastic with no paint applications.
The blaster accessory included with this set is the same sculpt as Thunder Clash's blaster, but this is made out of black plastic (the same as the missile launchers). This blaster features a small peg at the bottom that fits into Optimus Prime's fists. I also noticed over the years that this piece is the one that is most often lost by collectors. I searched ebay auctions for months before I found an Optimus Prime set that included the blaster. I cannot help but picture a mystical pile of Machine Wars Optimus Prime blasters in another dimension somewhere (sitting next to a pile of all the socks people lose when doing the laundry!).
Vehicle Mode:
This vehicle mode is basically Thunder Clash's. In the early 90's, the Turbomasters were meant to be vehicles that looked futuristic. This truck has some design lineage with Optimus Prime, so I can see why the designers chose this sculpt for Machine Wars. The cab section has the boxy, almost cub-shaped design of G1 Optimus Prime's vehicle mode but it features slight angles here and there such as on the top and around the grille that give it a more "scifi" appearance. There are some really nice machinery details sculpted into the sides that look fantastic.
Meanwhile, the trailer definitely has some Optimus Prime influence in the shape of an indentation that starts at the front, goes across the sides horizontally and then angles upward before going horizontal again until it reaches the back. A very similar design is found on G1 Optimus Prime's trailer, adding to the Optimus Prime/Thunder Clash connection. Like the cab, the trailer features several angled sections and some more complex machinery on top. The top features the missile launcher mechanism carried over from Thunder Clash (which forms the top of the base mode). At the very front is an angled overhang and towards the back is a giant targeting scope you can actually look through in base mode. The panel that forms the back of the trailer features the Transformers logo used in the late 80's and early 90's sculpted into it along with some line details. The trailer looks great and it has nice nods to Optimus Prime's design while also looking unique.
This vehicle mode has some very standard Optimus Prime colors and at least one that is a bit of a head scratcher. The main plastic colors on this figure are red, blue, white grey, black, translucent blue and dark green. Okay, so most of those colors make perfect sense for an Optimus Prime until you get to the dark green, then it's like a mental record scratch. The red, blue, white, grey and black colors are all colors associated with Optimus Prime, so they make perfect sense to me. The green however feels very much out of the blue. For a while, I wondered if the green was due to some gang molding with Sandstorm (which makes no sense of course) but the green used on Sandstorm is different than this green, so I have no idea why this color was chosen. It really sticks out and looks odd, even thought it's really only on the trailer in a couple of spots.
A lot of the color detailing on this figure is provided by stickers. Many of the stickers were created just for this release while at least one significant one is carried over from Thunder Clash. New stickers on this vehicle include the blue and white stripes running along the sides of the trailer with a red Autobot symbol towards the back. These stickers are direct references to stickers from G1 Optimus Prime's trailer. This blue and white line pattern actually begins on the sides of the cab with angled stickers. Optimus does carry over one significant sticker design from Thunder Clash on top of the cab section. There, an Autobot symbol with wing-like designs behind it is very obvious in vehicle mode and becomes Optimus' key chest detail in robot mode. While the colors are different, the design of this sticker is the same as the one from Thunder Clash.
One of the main gimmicks for the Turbomasters were missile launchers. As mentioned above, the trailer has two missile launchers that have been modified for this release. In this mode the launchers can be deployed in a vertical or horizontal position. In between the two launchers is a small white button. Press that and the launchers swing down to the sides. While the launchers still have the cone shaped "plungers" on the back, they are no longer functional so you launch the missiles by pressing the buttons on the sides. In front of the white button is a port to attach the blaster. However, if you don't want to attach it there you can fit it in between Optimus Prime's legs on the cab. This is an undocumented feature, but there are two slots there that fit the "fins" on the blaster. The trailer attaches to the cab using a small peg towards the front on the bottom and the vehicle rolls on five wheels on the trailer and six on the cab.
Transformation to Robot Mode (Cab):
- Separate the cab from the trailer.
- Detach the blaster if stored on the cab.
- Swing the rear of the cab down.
- Swing the robot feet up.
- Swing the white panel on the back out.
- Swing the robot head up part way.
- Split the front of the cab and swing the halves back to reveal the robot arms.
- Swing the chest panel down.
- Swing the robot head all the way up.
- Swing the back panel back into place.
- Pull the robot fists out slightly.
- The blaster can fit into either hand.
Transformation to High-Tech Command Station Mode (Trailer):
- Detach the rear door from the trailer and set it aside for now.
- Swing the center section of the trailer up.
- Swing the green section with the targeting scope up.
- On the targeting scope section, swing the handles to the sides.
- Swing the side panels of the trailer forward.
- On each trailer panel there is a red piece. Swing those down.
- Swing open the green box that has the word "Warning" on it to reveal a cannon.
- Swing the cannon up.
- Rotate the section with the targeting scope around.
- Press the white button so the missile launchers swing down to the sides.
- Attach the rear door of the trailer to the back of the section between the two missile launchers.
- You can swing the side panels up and down to level out the base.
- Optimus' blaster can be attached to the front of the missile launcher section for additional firepower.
Robot Mode:
Machine Wars Optimus Prime's robot mode is a direct redeco of Thunder Clash with no tooling changes. Given that Thunder Clash himself had some Optimus Prime influences in his design, it works...mostly. I would say the parts that work the best are the legs, which do have a passing resemblance to the legs on G2 Laser Optimus Prime. The chest does not have the traditional Optimus Prime windows, but the flat panel and large Autobot symbol on it look like a design that Optimus Prime might adopt. The forearms actually have triangle designs on them, which, if you use your imagination could be callbacks to the small triangular details on G1 Optimus Prime's forearms. The one thing I really wish the designers had done was retool the head. They would not have even had to go with a whole new head sculpt. I think if they had just tooled up the same head but with a mouth plate over the mouth it would have worked perfectly. The head sculpt already has an Optimus Prime-esque central crest. There are panels on the sides set vertically that can be seen as substitutes for Optimus' "antennae" so it totally could have worked. That said, I am very fond of the Thunder Clash design so I really dig the sculpt and the toy, I just think without the red and blue colors you would not immediately identify this as "an" Optimus Prime.
This figure has all the aforementioned plastic colors. There is a really good mixture of red, grey, blue and black. Yes, the mystery green color does appear again in the form of the forearms. Translucent blue plastic is used for the eyes and as was common practice back then, they are set up for light piping! Hold him up against a light source and the light will go through the eyes making them look like they're "glowing". The main paint color on this figure is white, which is used for detail work on the legs. Other details are filled in with stickers such as those on his shoulders and waist area. The face is painted silver and the front of the crest is painted red. Aside from the odd inclusion of the green color the colors all work very well together in this mode.
Optimus has four points of articulation in this mode, and I'm being pretty generous with two of them. Technically he really only has two: the elbows which allow the arms to move up and down. However, the legs can swing back, as can the feet as part of the transformation so if you wanted to pose him as if he was flying with his legs dangling or something you can. Hey, it was a different era so I'm going to stretch a bit out of affection for this piece! As mentioned above, you can attach the blaster to either hand. The fists are also sized to fit the handles on the trailer/base (more on that below).
High-Tech Command Station
The "High-Tech Command Station" is a weapons tower more than your typical base. There are no ramps or repair bays etc. What you do get is a giant cannon in the middle, two missile launchers and if you wish, you can attach the blaster weapon to the middle section. The top features a targeting scope you can look through thanks to the use of translucent blue plastic. This mode shows off some previously unseen details including the red panels on the side that act as anchor platforms for the base. The "box" the cannon is hidden in is also best seen in this mode along with its "Warning" stickers. This mode also shows off plenty of white and grey. Of course, the random green plastic is visible on the missile launcher section and the targeting scope. White paint is used on machinery details on the red panels. Overall the color combination works really well. I love how the white really offers a bright contrast to the grey and red colors. The green still confounds me but that is not a deal breaker.
As mentioned in the transformation instructions, Optimus can stand on a platform behind the missile launcher tower. I love the idea of Optimus controlling the weaponry on this tower. You can also turn the tower side to side to blast enemies in different directions. As I'm writing this review in 2026, I find myself concerned a bit about the panel that Optimus would stand on. It is held on by two relatively small tabs and given how plastic can become brittle over time, I would advise extreme caution when attaching and detaching this piece and how long you have Optimus standing on it. I could see these tabs easily breaking off eventually. Thus far I haven't had any issue, but it does worry me.
Final Thoughts:
I'm writing this review about thirty years after this figure was released. For decades this figure was really cheap, even on the after market. I remember years after its release you could still get it for about $50 USD with all parts. However, before this review was written I looked on ebay and this figure can now go for $250 USD! Given that I can't recommend anyone go out there and spend that kind of money unless you are a completist. That said, I really do like this figure. At the time of release, I was thrilled to essentially get a "domestic release" of Thunder Clash. The retooling done was understandable so it never really bothered me and it made the sculpt more unique. Overall, this was a really great release for the time but nowadays if you don't have it already, it's going to cost you a pretty penny to add it to your collection.
Pros:
- At the time this was a cheaper "domestic" release of Thunder Clash.
- Fun concept of having an Optimus Prime with a more "futuristic" truck mode.
- The missile launching feature is fun (though not as fun as the original Thunder Clash missile launching feature).
- Gorgeous packaging.
Cons:
- Very limited articulation (which at the time of Thunder Clash's release was less of an issue).
- Some fans may feel something is "missing" without Thunder Clash's missile feature.
- I do worry about the small tabs on the rear trailer door/platform. I recommend against keeping Optimus on there too long.
