Review #87: Combiner Wars Optimus Prime
(with a bonus look at Combiner Wars Motormaster)
-- Ultra Prime Review Series #5 --
Today we will finish up the reviews of the individual component members of Ultra Prime. If you wish to refresh your memory of past members, click any of the following:
Now, you may recall that each of those reviews were billed as "Old & New" reviews, looking at the Combiner Wars versions of these characters along with a previous Classics style update of each. But that won't quite be the case here. There will be a few comparison shots, but we don't have to take an in depth look at the older Optimus Prime toy, as once upon a time it was the very first review featured on this website. |
The Voyager Class Combiner Wars version of the toy that we are looking at today is one of the very first Combiner Wars toys that was announced. In fact, the toy was revealed before Combiner Wars itself was revealed, and people quickly started wondering, based on some aspects of the toy, "Hey, does that look like it might combine with something?"
That speculation was definitely correct, and we will get to that in the not too distant future, but for today we are looking at Optimus Prime as a stand alone figure.
That speculation was definitely correct, and we will get to that in the not too distant future, but for today we are looking at Optimus Prime as a stand alone figure.
This Optimus definitely seems to fit in the "box on wheels" category, but on the better end of the spectrum. It almost makes a decent truck. But man, the body of the truck is just boxy and bulbous. There is some decent detail molded into it, but not a lot of it is picked out in paint, so it is lost in a sea of red. One spot where the truck could use more red, however, is on the top of the very front of the cab. There we see a huge splotch of unpainted grey plastic. This is unfortunately unpaintable plastic, which for some unfathomable reason Hasbro chose not to mold in red.
Optimus features what has become his go-to weapon storage it seems in modern times, with two guns that plug onto his vehicle mode's back end. To the right, you can see his back as it looks without the guns attached. There is a large blue panel on the back that (spoilers) is just a bit of combiner kibble, but for now we can pretend it is a headache rack for Optimus's truck mode. |
I have made two modifications to this Optimus Prime, but one of them won't really factor into things until we get to robot mode. What modification did I make for his vehicle mode? His wheels were originally completely black. But I attacked them with a silver Sharpie, and now they appear as you see them today. In previous reviews in this series, I mentioned that the Combiner Wars figure I was looking at had a pretty good looking Reprolabels set that I hoped to get around to getting someday. That is true of this figure, as well. But... Good news, everyone! Reprolabels was having a pretty awesome 50% off sale, and when I lamented, "Man, this sale would be pretty awesome, but things are a bit tight at the moment, so I should be good," my fiance's response was to say, "Hell, no! Treat yourself!"
I love her.
So, hopefully I will have those labels in the mail soon, and if I can the combined mode review will also be a review of those Reprolabels sets! But enough on that for now, let's get back to the point of today's review. Let's see how it looks compared to the 2006 Classics figure.
I love her.
So, hopefully I will have those labels in the mail soon, and if I can the combined mode review will also be a review of those Reprolabels sets! But enough on that for now, let's get back to the point of today's review. Let's see how it looks compared to the 2006 Classics figure.
In vehicle mode, the older one is in my opinion, hands down, a better truck. Actually looking like a truck certainly helps. But the Combiner Wars version isn't terrible. So if you have one, don't go throwing it out on my account. I'm certainly not doing so!
Neither one has a trailer, which tends to annoy me with Optimus Prime. If you recall from my review of the 2006 figure, I do have a third party accessory to fix that conundrum. No such accessory exists for the Combiner Wars version, but I can live with that a bit better since the Combiner Wars version has other things to do.
If you recall from the previous reviews in this series, I took a look at the Combiner Wars figure along with the Fansproject version of the corresponding Stunticon and pics stolen... er, borrowed from other sources online of Hasbro version of that Stunticon. Well, we're switching it up a bit with Optimus here. I will freely admit I am just feeling lazy, and I don't feel like transforming Fansproject's Motormaster at the moment. So I'll just be borrowing a few photos from my earlier review of that figure. Meanwhile, for Hasbro's Motormaster, unlike the rest of the Stunticons, I actually do have access to it! We got it for my stepson last Christmas, and so I borrowed it to snap a few quick photos.
Neither one has a trailer, which tends to annoy me with Optimus Prime. If you recall from my review of the 2006 figure, I do have a third party accessory to fix that conundrum. No such accessory exists for the Combiner Wars version, but I can live with that a bit better since the Combiner Wars version has other things to do.
If you recall from the previous reviews in this series, I took a look at the Combiner Wars figure along with the Fansproject version of the corresponding Stunticon and pics stolen... er, borrowed from other sources online of Hasbro version of that Stunticon. Well, we're switching it up a bit with Optimus here. I will freely admit I am just feeling lazy, and I don't feel like transforming Fansproject's Motormaster at the moment. So I'll just be borrowing a few photos from my earlier review of that figure. Meanwhile, for Hasbro's Motormaster, unlike the rest of the Stunticons, I actually do have access to it! We got it for my stepson last Christmas, and so I borrowed it to snap a few quick photos.
Well, most of Motormaster's photos are my own. My stepson did misplace his accessories, so the images showing those off will come from Seibertron.com's galleries.
Optimus was an early example of what has become known in fandom as a "Pretool," as in a toy that was clearly designed with one specific character in mind, but Hasbro has decided to switch things up! In the past, they would release the obvious character first, then wonder, "Hey, what else can we do with this mold?" And then they would release that mold as a different character and hope that we didn't notice if it doesn't quite fit and buy it up. The earlier figures in this series are a classic example of that. And I'll be honest, such toys sometimes end up just not selling that well. People already have an example of the mold in their collection, and they don't need another if it is just some new paint thrown on a figure, turning it into some third tier character no one cares about (or a less good figure of a more prominent character there are already better figures of), and hoping they'll fool us into thinking it is fresh and new.
Optimus was an early example of what has become known in fandom as a "Pretool," as in a toy that was clearly designed with one specific character in mind, but Hasbro has decided to switch things up! In the past, they would release the obvious character first, then wonder, "Hey, what else can we do with this mold?" And then they would release that mold as a different character and hope that we didn't notice if it doesn't quite fit and buy it up. The earlier figures in this series are a classic example of that. And I'll be honest, such toys sometimes end up just not selling that well. People already have an example of the mold in their collection, and they don't need another if it is just some new paint thrown on a figure, turning it into some third tier character no one cares about (or a less good figure of a more prominent character there are already better figures of), and hoping they'll fool us into thinking it is fresh and new.
But in the last few years, it almost seems like someone at Hasbro said to themselves, "Hey, if we release a new figure that is definitely supposed to be Character A, why not release it as Character B, first? Then people will buy it as Character B, but when Character A comes out, they'll have to get that one, too!" And, as much as it seems like an obviously crafty marketing scheme, it is hard to deny that there's something to it. It's become more obvious in Titans Return. Love your new Megatron? Wait until you see him as Blitzwing! Think your new Optimus is cool? He'll be an awesome Octane. But Optimus did it first here by being kind of an obvious Motormaster. Once people realized he was the core of a combiner, the eventual Motormaster became obvious.
Looking at the two Combiner Wars figures together, it is striking how different they are. All of the other Hasbro figures, when compared to their Stunticon originators, were just straight repaints with a new head. (Or at least, in one case, a repaint of an already existing Protectobot retool.) But in this case, aside from the flat portion in the rear of the truck, all of the details are different between the two. The two have the same basic engineering, but the parts involved are all different. So yes, it is the same toy being passed off as two different characters, but at least Hasbro put some thought and effort into it here.
I know I gave Hasbro's Optimus a pass on his lack of trailer, but it is also weird in Motormaster's case. But we'll talk more about that in robot mode. |
This toy's boxy truck mode transitions to one chunky looking robot mode. He gives off a very square and very flat dynamic. And his head looks a little tiny over those very broad shoulders. It's a bit weird at first, but once you get used to it, he's not a bad looking figure. Indeed, it starts feeling a bit powerful once you get past any initial weirdness.
His articulation is fairly standard, which is not a bad thing at all. His head is on a ball joint which gives it full rotation and just a little tiny bit of wobble. The shoulders rotate 360°, and can also raise outward on a tight ratcheting joint. There is an upper arm swivel, and the shoulders bend forward 90°, and if you want him to look like he has broken arms, they can also bend backwards a full 180°! (That backwards bend is more intended for transformation, of course!) |
He has full waist rotation. His hips ratchet forward and backwards, and also ratchet outwards. This outwards motion, however, we will touch more on later, as it involves the second modification I've made to this figure and we will use Motormaster as a comparison with how it would be unmodified. Knees bend over 90°. Optimus features nothing in his wrists or ankles, but in most cases I consider such articulation as a cool bonus rather than an expected necessity. His feet are molded so that he naturally stands in a slightly wide stance.
Optimus's accessories come in the form of two rifles. One of them definitely takes its design cues from the gun that the original G1 figure sported in the day. The other is a decent looking gun as well, and with the two of them, Optimus is fully armed and ready to kick arse! Er, I mean he is ready to defend the freedom of all sentient beings.
I had mentioned that he is a very flat Optimus, but there is one obvious exception. You see he has a somewhat bulbous extrusion on his back. This extrusion is pretty much untouched from vehicle mode, and frankly, if it had been excluded, the vehicle mode might have had a slightly better look to its proportions. So, what is the point of this? As Professor Song would say, spoilers! This part of the figure ties into what it does as part of a combiner, so we will get to that in the final part of this series of reviews. For now, just know that it is there, and it doesn't take away from the base figure too much, if at all.
Let's take a look at him compared with the 2006 figure. And for fun, also included is look at a different, more recent take on an updated Optimus -- sort of -- in the form of a third party figure of Ginrai, a review of which you can read here.
Optimus's accessories come in the form of two rifles. One of them definitely takes its design cues from the gun that the original G1 figure sported in the day. The other is a decent looking gun as well, and with the two of them, Optimus is fully armed and ready to kick arse! Er, I mean he is ready to defend the freedom of all sentient beings.
I had mentioned that he is a very flat Optimus, but there is one obvious exception. You see he has a somewhat bulbous extrusion on his back. This extrusion is pretty much untouched from vehicle mode, and frankly, if it had been excluded, the vehicle mode might have had a slightly better look to its proportions. So, what is the point of this? As Professor Song would say, spoilers! This part of the figure ties into what it does as part of a combiner, so we will get to that in the final part of this series of reviews. For now, just know that it is there, and it doesn't take away from the base figure too much, if at all.
Let's take a look at him compared with the 2006 figure. And for fun, also included is look at a different, more recent take on an updated Optimus -- sort of -- in the form of a third party figure of Ginrai, a review of which you can read here.
Combiner Wars Optimus isn't about to replace the 2006 version as the main "Classics" Optimus in my collection. But he's not a bad Optimus, and I've found a place for him in my collection, as well.
There were actually two versions of Combiner Wars Optimus Prime. The second version is almost the same mold, just a bit of retooling to the head... And for some inexplicable reason, this Optimus, called Battle Core Optimus Prime, came in white and gold. Here's a few images of him, lovingly swiped from TFwiki.net:
There were actually two versions of Combiner Wars Optimus Prime. The second version is almost the same mold, just a bit of retooling to the head... And for some inexplicable reason, this Optimus, called Battle Core Optimus Prime, came in white and gold. Here's a few images of him, lovingly swiped from TFwiki.net:
When it was released, I could not wrap my head around why this was even a thing. If they had done white and blue instead and called him Ultra Magnus, I might have understood. (Combiner Wars had other plans for Ultra Magnus, of course, but Hasbro isn't necessarily shy about releasing some of the more prominent characters (or Brawn) in multiple size classes in the same toy line. But as it is, I saw no reason to pick up this version of the toy. That being said, Reprolabels did a few cool things with this white version, so maybe I'll swipe a few photos from their website and show those off in the future.
I will also point out that, if you really want yourself a Combiner Wars Optimus this late in the game (well after they aren't in stores anymore), and if you don't mind the white and gold, the Battle Core Optimus Prime does tend to go for less on the secondary market.
Now, shall we Motormaster?
I will also point out that, if you really want yourself a Combiner Wars Optimus this late in the game (well after they aren't in stores anymore), and if you don't mind the white and gold, the Battle Core Optimus Prime does tend to go for less on the secondary market.
Now, shall we Motormaster?
It isn't a bad looking Motormaster, but for my personal tastes, it is still a little weird to have a Motormaster formed only from the truck itself, rather than an entire tractor trailer. Still, it isn't a bad looking Motormaster, and Hasbro went all out giving him his own look. Both figures obviously share the same source, but practically everything aside from the legs has been remolded to give Motormaster uniqueness.
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For accessories, rather than the two guns that Optimus is sporting, Motormaster has one gun of a different design and a sword. As mentioned earlier, what my stepson did with these accessories is anyone's guess, so thanks again to Seibertron.com for existing for me to swipe the image above from!
Now, I did mention I had made a second alteration to my Optimus Prime, and this alteration is in the ratchet in his hips for outward movement. As he was originally, the ratchet had very few stopping positions, so it quickly went from straight legged to extremely wide stances. Worst of all, Optimus couldn't even stand with his legs in a neutral position that took advantage of the angle molded into his feet. It was either with his legs straight down, or with his legs too wide.
Hasbro did eventually make a running change to the toy, but it didn't add to the ratchet. Rather, it just adjusted the angle of the ratchet. At least the toy could now take advantage of the angle of the feet, but it still meant that posing him would be tricky if you didn't want to jump to extremely wide angles. This running change never made it into Optimus, but the Motormaster featured here does have it.
Now, I did mention I had made a second alteration to my Optimus Prime, and this alteration is in the ratchet in his hips for outward movement. As he was originally, the ratchet had very few stopping positions, so it quickly went from straight legged to extremely wide stances. Worst of all, Optimus couldn't even stand with his legs in a neutral position that took advantage of the angle molded into his feet. It was either with his legs straight down, or with his legs too wide.
Hasbro did eventually make a running change to the toy, but it didn't add to the ratchet. Rather, it just adjusted the angle of the ratchet. At least the toy could now take advantage of the angle of the feet, but it still meant that posing him would be tricky if you didn't want to jump to extremely wide angles. This running change never made it into Optimus, but the Motormaster featured here does have it.
So what about Optimus? Well, one of the first releases from a third party producer known as Nonnef Productions was a new set of hip ratchets which double the number of stopping points in the joint. So Optimus can achieve a much greater range of poseability now! (It doesn't look like these ratchets are available anymore, but they do have some accessories for newer figures available on their website.)
Personally, I like Fansproject's third party Motormaster better, but he is an over-complicated adult collectible. If you're looking for a Motormaster for your kids, Hasbro's will do you just fine. Or heck, by my own rules, if Hasbro's had come out (or even been announced) before I had the third party version, I would have had the Hasbro version (or, more likely, Takara's as I did with the Aerialbots) and been content. |
Combiner Wars Optimus Prime lives on the same shelf as Ironhide, so I did share a photo of that shelf in my last review, but I will include it here for the sake of being thorough. And then, of course, the usual size comparison with a DVD case, now trying to get into the seasonal spirit with a classic Christmas movie.
It's funny... I keep thinking back to this review and the four that proceeded it... And I seem to notice a theme. In most cases, the earlier one is a better representation of the character. The closest, honestly, is Prowl, and that is mainly because of the paint issues on the earlier figure. And even then, it is the earlier Prowl that remains on my Classics '84 Autobots shelf... So why do I have these figures? And still have them in my collection and on display, after owning them for a few years now? Why keep them, when (Optimus aside), my collection usually is happy to have one version of a character and move on?
Well... Again, this gets into spoilers, but shall we say that maybe the whole is greater then the sum of its parts? You'll have to wait for the final part in this series of reviews to find out! Let's hope that Reprolabels order comes soon. That's it for now, though. So until next time, fare thee well, intrepid readers!
Review added 3 December 2017 by Yotsuya. Comments are welcomed!
Well... Again, this gets into spoilers, but shall we say that maybe the whole is greater then the sum of its parts? You'll have to wait for the final part in this series of reviews to find out! Let's hope that Reprolabels order comes soon. That's it for now, though. So until next time, fare thee well, intrepid readers!
Review added 3 December 2017 by Yotsuya. Comments are welcomed!