Review #35: G1 Optimus Prime
with BTS-03 Matrix of Leadership accessory...
and guest staring Pepsi Optimus Prime!
Hello, all! I do apologize for disappearing for the end of August and pretty much all of September! Work has been annoyingly tiresome as of late, and thus when I would be home from work I would often be too tired to wish to do much else... and on those sadly rare occasions when I wasn't that tired, I was kind of wanting to do things with the girlfriend, you know? Gasp... some things are more important then plastic toys. Not many things. But some things.
It is a bit of a shame... I had had a few more "Tall & Small" reviews in mind, such as Jazz or Hound. They could still happen someday... but for now, I wish to move onto something else. You see, I recently ordered a certain soon to be released toy, and will likely be wishing to review him when I receive him. But first, I thought it would be fun to get some perspective by reviewing some earlier toys of the same character. Thus, the next four reviews on this here site will be of the tower of toys pictured to the right.
That's right. A big ol' tower of Optimi. From top to bottom, Smallest Transforming Transformers G1 Optimus Prime, Hybrid Style G1 Convoy, the classic original G1 Optimus Prime, and the MP-04 Masterpiece Optimus Prime. We're going to start today with the original G1 Prime. |
A brief note on the toy before I begin. G1 Optimus is a toy that has been reissued more times then you can shake a stick at. My example of this figure is definitely not an original one from the 80's, as can be told by the front wheels on the vehicle mode that feature a slight difference that was made to the mold when, back in the day, it was retooled to produce the Diaclone toy that would go on to become Ultra Magnus. As far as I am aware, this is the case with most or all more modern uses of this mold.
As far as which one specifically I have... Mine was purchased second hand on eBay and didn't come with any packaging, but based on when I purchased him and what accessories he came with, my best guess would be Takara's 2002 "The Transformers Collection" release of the mold. I did specifically look for a Japanese version when I was buying my Optimus, as an original 80's one in any sort of good condition would be too expensive, and modern domestic releases of the figure feature dreaded shortened smokestacks. I don't want my Optimus Prime to be circumcised! (Despite what we may have learned about him on Family Guy.) It seems you can usually find replacement smokestacks for him on eBay if you do have need of them, but I didn't know this at the time.
As far as which one specifically I have... Mine was purchased second hand on eBay and didn't come with any packaging, but based on when I purchased him and what accessories he came with, my best guess would be Takara's 2002 "The Transformers Collection" release of the mold. I did specifically look for a Japanese version when I was buying my Optimus, as an original 80's one in any sort of good condition would be too expensive, and modern domestic releases of the figure feature dreaded shortened smokestacks. I don't want my Optimus Prime to be circumcised! (Despite what we may have learned about him on Family Guy.) It seems you can usually find replacement smokestacks for him on eBay if you do have need of them, but I didn't know this at the time.
G1 Optimus! A 28 year old toy of an iconic figure... not sure what I can add to the many things others have said about this guy over the years... But I shall try!
This toy... well, as a truck, it looks like it drove off my television screen and into my heart. Not surprising, I suppose, as this is the toy the show's character designers would have been looking at when coming up with their designs... so it may be no huge surprise, but as a truck mode this is by far the best representation of G1 Optimus Prime that I currently own, so when I do get my shiny new soon-to-be-released toy as hinted at above, it is this truck more I shall probably be comparing him to in my mind, even above more higher end efforts such as the MP-04. |
The truck mode looks like a truck. This may seem something that should be an obvious given, but so many other representations of G1 Optimus somehow, either subtly or sometimes downright obviously, fail to do. The subtle ones... They somehow just give off more of a vibe of a red box on wheels with windows. The downright obvious ones... They just look like a robot's chest with a pair of legs folded up behind them. (The previously reviewed Classics Deluxe Class Optimus Prime is a good example of that.)
But this guy? He's a frickin' truck!
(Just to quickly plug another of my reviews, since I thought it may be fun to include them in many of these photos you may notice the little G1 scale Sparkplug and Spike I have.)
But this guy? He's a frickin' truck!
(Just to quickly plug another of my reviews, since I thought it may be fun to include them in many of these photos you may notice the little G1 scale Sparkplug and Spike I have.)
This is Optimus Prime. He ain't no monkey!
The cab features ample amounts of die cast metal and chromed plastic, both staples of classic 80's toy design. Oh, the nostalgia! How sweet it is! The trailer attaches to the cab by plugging onto a post upon which it rotates freely. Also rotating freely are the wheels which, in another example of 80's love, feature rubber tires.
The trailer features extensive molded on detailing, from richly textured sides to detailing on the doors on the back of the trailer. Alas, the doors don't open quite as they authentically should, but rather the entire rear panel of the trailer folds down to form a ramp. This was necessary to accommodate an action feature concerning the little blue vehicle you can see inside of the trailer in the above photo, which we will discuss in more detail shortly.
The cab features ample amounts of die cast metal and chromed plastic, both staples of classic 80's toy design. Oh, the nostalgia! How sweet it is! The trailer attaches to the cab by plugging onto a post upon which it rotates freely. Also rotating freely are the wheels which, in another example of 80's love, feature rubber tires.
The trailer features extensive molded on detailing, from richly textured sides to detailing on the doors on the back of the trailer. Alas, the doors don't open quite as they authentically should, but rather the entire rear panel of the trailer folds down to form a ramp. This was necessary to accommodate an action feature concerning the little blue vehicle you can see inside of the trailer in the above photo, which we will discuss in more detail shortly.
And here he is as a robot. Not quite as authentic to the animation model as the truck mode (although that is more the animation model's fault, as obviously the toy came first) but still a rather sweet looking Optimus Prime!
This robot features solid construction, and if not abused should hold up well. Although mine is, as stated, a re-issue, many 80's examples I have seen on the second hand market seem relatively intact aside from potential paint chipping on the die cast parts or sticker wear. The main issues usually tend to be broken smokestacks (for which, as noted, reproduction replicas are not too difficult to come by) or lost fists. By a modern toy design aesthetic it may seem rather like an obvious flaw that the fists are separately attached pieces, but this was more common in the 80's and thus not something I shall judge this toy too harshly on. Heck, it is certainly better then Convoy Jnr., an all plastic and slightly shrunken version of this toy available in Japan back in the day (which I do also have, so maybe someday you'll see a review) which in addition to the fists also has to have his head removed for transformation!
By modern designs he is not well articulated, but by the standards of his time he isn't half bad. The only useful articulation is in his arms. His shoulders can rotate 360 degrees, and you can also use the transformation joint to pivot the shoulders back a bit. The elbows can bend 90 degrees forward, and can also swivel 90 degrees. Since the fists are just pegged on pieces, they can also be twisted around at your leasure should you choose to do so.
The legs theoretically also have some articulation. They can, because of transformation, be bent backwards at the hip 90 degrees. It should be noted, though, that because of the mechanism of the transformation, doing so will also cause the legs to move in towards the center. The knees can also be bent 90 degrees, and this is a joint completely unnecessary for transformation, so yay, extra articulation in a G1 toy! Alas, the figure will only stand upright with both of his feet firmly planted on the ground, so any leg articulation is completely superfluous unless you are (a) someone who plays with your toys, or (b) going to use some sort of stand to help support him.
This robot features solid construction, and if not abused should hold up well. Although mine is, as stated, a re-issue, many 80's examples I have seen on the second hand market seem relatively intact aside from potential paint chipping on the die cast parts or sticker wear. The main issues usually tend to be broken smokestacks (for which, as noted, reproduction replicas are not too difficult to come by) or lost fists. By a modern toy design aesthetic it may seem rather like an obvious flaw that the fists are separately attached pieces, but this was more common in the 80's and thus not something I shall judge this toy too harshly on. Heck, it is certainly better then Convoy Jnr., an all plastic and slightly shrunken version of this toy available in Japan back in the day (which I do also have, so maybe someday you'll see a review) which in addition to the fists also has to have his head removed for transformation!
By modern designs he is not well articulated, but by the standards of his time he isn't half bad. The only useful articulation is in his arms. His shoulders can rotate 360 degrees, and you can also use the transformation joint to pivot the shoulders back a bit. The elbows can bend 90 degrees forward, and can also swivel 90 degrees. Since the fists are just pegged on pieces, they can also be twisted around at your leasure should you choose to do so.
The legs theoretically also have some articulation. They can, because of transformation, be bent backwards at the hip 90 degrees. It should be noted, though, that because of the mechanism of the transformation, doing so will also cause the legs to move in towards the center. The knees can also be bent 90 degrees, and this is a joint completely unnecessary for transformation, so yay, extra articulation in a G1 toy! Alas, the figure will only stand upright with both of his feet firmly planted on the ground, so any leg articulation is completely superfluous unless you are (a) someone who plays with your toys, or (b) going to use some sort of stand to help support him.
Moving onto his accessories, we're going so also start talking about the third party accessory set I have with him. To the right, you see Optimus holding two guns. The one on the left side of the photo is the one that came with Optimus. The one on the right side is the new one that came with the BTS-03 Matrix of Leadership accessory set.
You may also notice he has two different fists in this photo, more on that in a moment. First, these guns. |
His original rifle is, over all, much better detailed and more asthetically pleasing. But... it has a major problem. Optimus cannot hold it in the right place! The obvious handle cannot be held by his hands, rather it is held by a post far in front of the actual handle and trigger. Even worse was the original release of this toy, where aparently he couldn't hold the rifle straight because the handle bumped into his upper arm. This was fixed by a very early mold change to the fists, resulting in the raised lip around the peg hole.
The third party gun, on the other hand? The detailing isn't quite as nice... but I like it better by sheer virtue of the fact that Optimus can hold it properly!
The third party gun, on the other hand? The detailing isn't quite as nice... but I like it better by sheer virtue of the fact that Optimus can hold it properly!
Here is Optimus sporting a pair of energy axes. In this case, the one to photo left is the third party option, and the one to photo right is the official one.
Even the official one is an added accessory, first available with this re-issue of the toy as a homage to the weapon he used in a battle against Megatron in the climax of the first story of the G1 animated series. The third party one is more detailed, but in this case I think the detail works against successfully fitting in with the 80's aesthetic of the toy. The official one, on the other hand, fits in nicer with its simpler design, is a larger size which scales much better with the figure, and has much better color and transclearancy. Mind you, as an accessory not originally part of this mold, not everyone will have it. If you don't, the third party axe could be a nice substitute. But if you have the official axe, stick with it. |
The BTS-03 set comes with a new pair of fists. They feature a few new bits of articulation. The peg they plug into Optimus's arms with is thinner, but ends with a ball, in an attempt to turn his wrists into ball joints. They do give his wrists a little wiggle room. Not much, but it is a nice touch. They also feature opening fingers. Alas, this is one of the areas where it seems this set could have used some better quality control. The fingers, while better after repeated use, originally took almost herculean effort to pry open. In fact, in the process of doing so I snapped the thumb off of one of his hands! (I still have that thumb, and can glue it back on one of these days... but it hasn't been a priority as I usually have the axe in that arm, anyway.)
And, of course, the main point of this accessory set is giving Optimus Prime his Matrix of Leadership. The set takes advantage of the cabin the toy had to accommodate Diaclone figures (or the third party Sparkplug and Spike) by having a piece that slips snugly right inside the compartment to turn it into a Martix chamber. (This also fixes a slight cosmetic issue with the figure, where if you looked through his windows, you could see right out through the hole that his backside is, giving him a more solid look.) Onto this piece clips Optimus's Matrix.
The Matrix can be removed and the reason that the set came with semi-articulated hands becomes clear, as they allow Optimus to hold it. It can be opened, although the aforementioned slight lack of QC rears its head again as it is very tight... and in fact, closing it again has given me fear that I would bend or break the clear blue piece in the middle.
Still... it is an awesome looking Matrix. Look at the fourth photo above. Ultra Magnus is jealous.
There's one more accessory that the BTS-03 set contains. In an episode of the animated series, Optimus once borrowed a jetpack from Sideswipe, and here it is:
The Matrix can be removed and the reason that the set came with semi-articulated hands becomes clear, as they allow Optimus to hold it. It can be opened, although the aforementioned slight lack of QC rears its head again as it is very tight... and in fact, closing it again has given me fear that I would bend or break the clear blue piece in the middle.
Still... it is an awesome looking Matrix. Look at the fourth photo above. Ultra Magnus is jealous.
There's one more accessory that the BTS-03 set contains. In an episode of the animated series, Optimus once borrowed a jetpack from Sideswipe, and here it is:
There was also an attempt to make the jetpack attach to the vehicle mode, by use of a tab that attaches to the bottom of the front of the trailer that the jetpack is then supposed to slot onto. This is... not very effective. The jetpack attaches very loosely to the trailer, which is rather surprising since it is trying to attach to a piece spicifically designed to accept it. The result is... very floppy, if it even stays attached at all. Personally, between it's less then effective atachment and the fact that even if it worked, I don't find this storage method aesthetically pleasing, when it comes to vehicle mode I am more likely to store the jetpack by just putting it inside of the trailer.
The jetpack, unfortunately, is not compatable with Sideswipe. It would be much too big for him, and there is no way for it to attach. This omission isn't the end of the world. After all, this is an accessory set for Optimus. But given that, in fiction, Optimus borrowed the jetpack from Sideswipe, it would have been a nice nod if Sideswipe could use it, too.
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All of that, and we're still not done. We've yet to crack open Optimus's trailer!
The trailer opens up to form Optimus's Combat Deck. Stickers provide ample detail along the inside walls and floor, and rising up from the floor on an articulated arm is an "artillary robot" that has firing missiles, a rotating satalite dish, and an articulated arm with an opening claw. The Combat Deck provides seating for up to three Diaclone scale figures, one inside the opening canopy on the artillary robot, and two more on the floor, behind little control stations.
Also on the floor of the Combat Deck is a launcher that, when activated, will shoot Roller down the ramp formed by the back of the trailer. Roller is Optimus's little six-wheeled buggy that features seating for up to six mode Diaclone scale figures. Onto the back of Roller, you can attach the included gas pump or, if Roller is going into more dangerous territory, Optimus's gun. |
The trailer has one more mode. You can form Optimus's Repair Bay by standing the Combat Deck up. Perhaps not the most innovative of additional modes, but it does add to the playability a bit. Finally, if we close the trailer up once more, we find that we can still use the artillary robot by having it come out through one of two holes in the trailer: one on top, and one in the front.
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Well, that's about all there is to G1 Optimus Prime. But before we move onto final thoughts... as a bonus, we'll take a look at what happens when Optimus sells out to corporate sponsership! Here's Pepsi Optimus Prime!
Aside from cosmetic differences, the cab is identical to a normal Optimus Prime. Although it should be noted that this was a domestically released Pepsi Prime, and originally came with the foul shortened smokestacks... so these photos provide examples of the aformentioned reproduction smokestacks. They're quite nice, pretty much indistinguishable from originals. If you have a Prime with shortened (or broken) smokestacks, these are a must have.
The real difference here, of course, is the custom trailer. It is designed to be able to carry an avarage sized soda bottle, three cans, or up to twelve bottle caps. (The bottle cap function was more usefull in Japan, where there is such a thing as a bottle cap figure -- a little figurine with a bottle cap shaped base.) |
And yes, I know, I'm using Sprite (a Coke product) on the Pepsi Prime trailer. What can I say? 'Tis my soda of choice. But for sheer sillyness, one of the below photos feature some other random things I had around the kitchen.
The bottom of the trailer features storage for Optimus's fists and gun. (Although since I tend to have my Optimi all displayed in either one mode or the other, I usually just toss the fists and gun inside the regular Optimus's trailer.) The trailer has no official alternate mode, but I suppose if you want you can stand it up, and call it Pepsi Prime's Refreshment Bay.
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As I said, the cab is identical to G1 Prime's cab except cosmetically. Optimus always had a red and blue color scheme, which is also the colors of Pepsi, so this Optimus takes this color scheme and runs with it, by adding more blue to the bottom of the cab and replacing Optimus's usual silver stripe with a white stripe with the distinctive curve of the Pepsi logo.
The Pepsi deco carries over to the robot mode. The red white and blue swoosh can also be found on Prime's knees and feet, as well as in the little circles on the sides of Prime's head! Also, while one shoulder sports a standard Autobot logo, the opposite shoulder has a Pepsi logo on it. Finally, while not spicifically Pepsi related, this Prime has a nice extra paint application of some shiny grey on the rigged portion on the front of the lower halves of his legs.
Unlike a standard Optimus Prime, the Pepsi Prime's deco is mostly painted on rather then applied stickers. The only stickers are the blue patches on the front his arms below the elbows. The only other stickers to be found are the Pepsi logos on the trailer. |
I didn't feel like puttling out a season of Get Smart, so instead you get a season of The Kids in the Hall on DVD for a size comparison.
So... G1 Optimus Prime. To sum it up, he is awesome. If you have even the slightest attachment to Generation One Transformers, you should own one of these. And he has certainly been reissues often enough where you can do so without completely breaking the bank. The only minor disadvantage would be the snipped smokestacks if you get a domestic reissue, but reproduction smokestacks can quickly fix that. |
The BTS-03 accessory set is an unessential but interesting add-on, just be careful with the hands and the Matrix itself as they have tight moving parts and can break if one is not cautious. The Matrix is the best part, and it is also nice to have a gun that is held in the right place. The jetpack is a nice touch, but not mindblowing. The axe could be nice if you don't have an official one, but is kind of small and overly detailed.
Pepsi Optimus Prime is cool, but not really essential unless you're a dedicated Optimus Prime collector. Just go for the G1 version, otherwise. But as someone who is a collecter of Optimus, I like having the Pepsi version and he looks good in my collection.
So... G1 Prime. If you don't have one, what are you still doing reading this? Go and hunt one down!
Review added 2 October 2012 by Yotsuya. Please comment!
Pepsi Optimus Prime is cool, but not really essential unless you're a dedicated Optimus Prime collector. Just go for the G1 version, otherwise. But as someone who is a collecter of Optimus, I like having the Pepsi version and he looks good in my collection.
So... G1 Prime. If you don't have one, what are you still doing reading this? Go and hunt one down!
Review added 2 October 2012 by Yotsuya. Please comment!