Review #37: Masterpiece
Optimus Prime (MP-4)
Masterpiece Optimus Prime. There have been two main versions of such a figure, more recently the MP-10 Masterpiece Optimus Prime. But way back in 2003, the very first Masterpiece figure was the MP-1 Optimus Prime. That figure had no trailer, so in 2006 when Takara re-released it with one, that was considered enough of a change to justify a new number designation, MP-4. And that... sort of... is what we will be looking at today.
Sort of? What do I mean by sort of? |
Well, My "MP-4" has a somewhat convoluted purchasing history. As has been established in some of my previous reviews, I'm a slut for Optimi that include their trailers. I had thought of getting the original MP-1 version, but never quite got around to it. It was an expensive import, after all. There had been a domestic release, but it had stupid shortened smokestacks and ugly battle damage detailing. But then MP-4 came out. I became much more interested... if I could get it for a not horrible price. So, to eBay I went!
One day, I came across an auction that seemed almost too good to be true. It said, "Mint in box!" in big huge letters. It seemed to be going for an exceptionally decent price. I took a chance... I won the auction! Now to wait for it to arrive.
Arrive it did, and with it also arrived massive disappointment. I got my package, and it seemed... It seemed a bit small. And a bit light. I opened it up, and inside I found... the trailer. And just the trailer. As they say, "WTF?"
I was somewhat miffed, to put it mildly, and complained to the seller. The seller responded by pointing out some extremely fine print on the auction that said, "Trailer only." My pointing out that that seemed to contradict the massive declaration of, "MINT IN BOX!!!" that had been earlier in the item description did little to change his mind, and since, technically, he was right that his auction did say, "trailer only," there was little I could do.
I do love me some Optimus trailer. But paying about $100 for just a plastic box on wheels without the Optimus to go with it, I couldn't help but feel royally ripped off.
Moral of the story, folks... Read item descriptions carefully, because when it seems too good to be true, it often is.
Anyway, to back up a bit, around the same time MP-4 came out in Japan, the mold was also issued again in the U.S., in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the 1986 Transformers film. This version had slightly brighter coloring, no chrome, and the dreaded shorter smokestacks, but at least it didn't have that awful battle damage detailing the original U.S. release had. And as for the smokestacks, by this time I had discovered that (much like with G1 Prime) replacement full-length smokestacks could be found on eBay.
So, now that I had my expensive plastic box on wheels, this U.S. release started looking attractive. Especially when I happened to come across it in a store for 75% off. Once I had that, it was back to eBay for those smokestacks, and after three separate purchases, I finally had a toy I could be happy with!
So, that lengthy tale out of the way, shall we now take a look at what I worked so needlessly hard to obtain?
One day, I came across an auction that seemed almost too good to be true. It said, "Mint in box!" in big huge letters. It seemed to be going for an exceptionally decent price. I took a chance... I won the auction! Now to wait for it to arrive.
Arrive it did, and with it also arrived massive disappointment. I got my package, and it seemed... It seemed a bit small. And a bit light. I opened it up, and inside I found... the trailer. And just the trailer. As they say, "WTF?"
I was somewhat miffed, to put it mildly, and complained to the seller. The seller responded by pointing out some extremely fine print on the auction that said, "Trailer only." My pointing out that that seemed to contradict the massive declaration of, "MINT IN BOX!!!" that had been earlier in the item description did little to change his mind, and since, technically, he was right that his auction did say, "trailer only," there was little I could do.
I do love me some Optimus trailer. But paying about $100 for just a plastic box on wheels without the Optimus to go with it, I couldn't help but feel royally ripped off.
Moral of the story, folks... Read item descriptions carefully, because when it seems too good to be true, it often is.
Anyway, to back up a bit, around the same time MP-4 came out in Japan, the mold was also issued again in the U.S., in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the 1986 Transformers film. This version had slightly brighter coloring, no chrome, and the dreaded shorter smokestacks, but at least it didn't have that awful battle damage detailing the original U.S. release had. And as for the smokestacks, by this time I had discovered that (much like with G1 Prime) replacement full-length smokestacks could be found on eBay.
So, now that I had my expensive plastic box on wheels, this U.S. release started looking attractive. Especially when I happened to come across it in a store for 75% off. Once I had that, it was back to eBay for those smokestacks, and after three separate purchases, I finally had a toy I could be happy with!
So, that lengthy tale out of the way, shall we now take a look at what I worked so needlessly hard to obtain?
So how does this Optimus fair as a truck? It isn't bad. In fact, when I first got it, I thought it was the best thing ever. But time has tempered that a bit. It suffers some when you look at the side view. From the front, pretty awesome. But from the side, the aesthetics begin to fall apart a bit. While not horrible on the level of being an obvious robot's chest, but it does lean a bit into, "box on wheels," territory. The side window is extremely truncated, and although they tried to incorporate some vehicle detailing into it, the joint on which the arm unfolds is extremely obvious. From the side, it really just looks more like a big red box then it does a truck cab.
I'd probably add a few more nitpicks saying that the robot mode's waist is still somewhat obvious and the gas tanks are a bit small and a lot further back then I would expect them to be. All of this may seem really picky of me, but when a figure calls itself a Masterpiece, it should expect a higher level of scruitiny.
That being said, this is still a good looking figure, and the large size of it also gives it an impressive presence on the shelf.
I'd probably add a few more nitpicks saying that the robot mode's waist is still somewhat obvious and the gas tanks are a bit small and a lot further back then I would expect them to be. All of this may seem really picky of me, but when a figure calls itself a Masterpiece, it should expect a higher level of scruitiny.
That being said, this is still a good looking figure, and the large size of it also gives it an impressive presence on the shelf.
This is a figure full of added little gimmicks, and a few of these gimmicks are aparent in the figure's vehicle mode.
First, all of the wheels on the cab (which are all rubber) feature spring loaded shocks in them. Second, the smokestacks have a bit of springloaded give to them. Finally, there is a single seat inside of the cab. |
The bendable smokestacks is likely a feature to help prevent breaking of them, and is thus an apreciated element. (Although it did make for a bitch of a time when installing the replacment full length smokestacks!) The aformentioned seat is a bit awkward as, because of the figure's design and what else it does, they were only able to put the one, centered seat inside of him rather then full interior seating. But I suppose the comprimise is better then no interior to the cab at all.
Robot mode!
This is a damn good looking Optimus Prime. Nice head sculpt. Decent limb proportions. A chest / abdomen area that, like no Optimus before it and few after it, doesn't just look like the cab of his truck mode with some pieces pulled out. He features quite good articulation. His head is on a ball joint. His arms can swivel 360 degrees at the shoulders, another joint for upwards / outwards motion, and of course they can pivot backwards on the transformation joint. The elbows bend 90 degrees. Wrists can swivle and bend a bit. The fingers are each individual, with the thumbs on ball joints and the other four having a pivot in each of them. He can swivel 360 degrees at the waist. At the hip, each leg has a few excelent ratcheting joints, with the panels on his skirt able to move out of the way to facilitate the articulation. Knees bend very far, and the ankles have a bit of motion to them as well. This is a very clean figure, with very little to no kibble or extranious bits hanging off of it anywhere. Pretty much the only extra bit of vehicle on the figure that isn't supposed to be (if one were to judge Optimus based on his apearance in animation) would be the wheels on his legs. The figure has a signifigant amount of die cast metal, mainly in the legs and the chest. When I originally got this figure, I thought this was the best thing ever, such feelings obviously fueled by remembering metal in similar areas on the original Generation One figure. My feelings on the metal in this figure have changed a bit over time, however, with the weight of it making the figure somewhat top heavy, and making it difficult for the figure to hold some poses. Also, paint on the metal is a bit prone to chipping. Still, it does make for a solidly constructed figure with some heft to it, and there is something to be said for that. |
Optimus came with three weapons he could wield. One of them was, of course, his iconic rifle. Various versions of the figure came with this gun coloured in different ways, such as black, grey, or the blue seen here. Another, also seen directly above, would be his energy axe. Finally, and alas not seen in any of the photos of Optimus here, would be a non-transforming Megatron gun scaled for Optimus to hold.
Alas, the connection between the stock extension and the gun itself seems to be a bit fragile, and a few months ago mine joined the many other fine examples of broken ones out there. I had hoped to get some super glue to fix it, but didn't do so before these photographs were taken. In the time between the photography and the actual review writing, when my lovely and awesome girlfriend heard of this omission, she bought me some super glue! But wouldn't you know it... although I know he's somewhere, now I'm not quite sure where I put that Megatron! But hey, I did find an old photo I had of Masterpiece Starscream holding it, so I can show you that.
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Oh, and the photo above with Optimus kicking one leg in the air? With the aformentioned die cast, that was a bitch to get balanced. Hope you apreciate the toil I suffer for all of you!
This figure is loaded with gimmicks. Almost every bending joint on the robot mode features working pistons. Each arm has a flip-up com screen. Different uses of the mold have featured different characters on the screens, one Autobot and one Decepticon. (Here you can see Grimlock or Megatron.) A button on the back of his head can cause his mouth plate to move up and down, simulating Optimus talking.
This figure is loaded with gimmicks. Almost every bending joint on the robot mode features working pistons. Each arm has a flip-up com screen. Different uses of the mold have featured different characters on the screens, one Autobot and one Decepticon. (Here you can see Grimlock or Megatron.) A button on the back of his head can cause his mouth plate to move up and down, simulating Optimus talking.
And then, of course, is the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. Optimus's chest can open up as first seen in the 1996 Transformers film. Inside is a Matrix chamber, which opens to reveal the Matrix itself. A push of the button on top of his body can cause the Matrix within him to glow brightly. The Matrix can be removed, and can be opened. Optimus can hold it, although it is a bit small in his hands and will only fit in two fingers rather then his whole hand.
All of these gimmicks... They are well integrated and don't interfere with the figure in any way, and yet they do give the figure a feeling of perhaps being almost over-engineered. The Matrix chamber is definitely apreciated, but the com panels and the pistons, I wouldn't have missed if they weren't there, and while when I first got this figure I thought they were awesome, as time has passed I have definitely come to feel they are somewhat excessive. |
The trailer opens up to Optimus's combat deck. It is a bit plain inside, lacking the stickered-on detail of the G1 version. Reprolabels does offer a sticker set to atempt to fix it, but I didn't get it as I thought it was one of their rare misses, making the combat deck look more like a Transformer portrait gallery. Still, it exists if you want that option.
The artillary robot features an articulated arm between the robot and the base, the radar dish type thingy on one side, and the claw arm on the other side, although in this case the way the claw arm extends is a bit odd. As with the G1 Prime, the trailer has holes that allow the artillary robot to come out from a closed trailer if you should so choose. |
The only major omission in this "complete" Masterpiece Optimus was the omission of Roller. "But," you say, "isn't that a Roller in that photo?" More on that in a second!
And, of course, if you want you can stand the trailer up to make everybody;s favorite mode, Optimus Prime's repair bay.
Now... What's with that Roller? Well, it is a third party accessory, of course. This one is by TFC Toys, and is more officially known as, "TFX EX-002 Battle Rollar." I'm not going to go into a lot of detail on this guy, so if you want to know more you may wish to seek out a more dedicated review on him elsewhere. But I shall share with you a quick rundown of the basics of it. |
Now I gave the impression above that Optimus's gimmicks might have been a bit excessive in my opinion? But he is still a figure that functions quite well. But with Battle Rollar, we really do have a figure that suffers greatly from being designed to do just way too much. He can be this vehicle here that resembles (vaguely) the original G1 Optimus's six wheeled buggy companion. He has (from what memory serves) at least two alternate vehicle transformations. He can also transform (unlike any previous version of Roller) into a robot!
The vehicle mode seen here (and the robot mode I will show shortly) is enough for me, and all you'll see here. But if that isn't enough for you, you can also combine him with Optimus's gun to make a funky looking much bigger gun! Or use it to make a jetpack for Optimus Prime. Or, if you'd rather, he can also be jetpacks for either Classics Voyager Class Optimus Prime or Revenge of the Fallen Leader Class Optimus Prime.
And he has accessories galore! Extra hands! Multiple weapons! Shield pieces!
What does all of this get you? Something that looks cool, but tries to do way, way too much and suffers for it. And by suffer, I mean it has some slightly floppy parts, can be fiddly to work with, and can be quite fragile. Fragile in a "I broke one of his arms off without too much extreme effort," kind of way. (Fortunately, it is a break that is held in place by other pieces in vehicle mode, and in robot mode doesn't hurt him if I am just posing him and leaving him be.)
The vehicle mode seen here (and the robot mode I will show shortly) is enough for me, and all you'll see here. But if that isn't enough for you, you can also combine him with Optimus's gun to make a funky looking much bigger gun! Or use it to make a jetpack for Optimus Prime. Or, if you'd rather, he can also be jetpacks for either Classics Voyager Class Optimus Prime or Revenge of the Fallen Leader Class Optimus Prime.
And he has accessories galore! Extra hands! Multiple weapons! Shield pieces!
What does all of this get you? Something that looks cool, but tries to do way, way too much and suffers for it. And by suffer, I mean it has some slightly floppy parts, can be fiddly to work with, and can be quite fragile. Fragile in a "I broke one of his arms off without too much extreme effort," kind of way. (Fortunately, it is a break that is held in place by other pieces in vehicle mode, and in robot mode doesn't hurt him if I am just posing him and leaving him be.)
Well now, let us get to some final thoughts and comparisons!
Above and to the left: Optimus, his combat deck, and Roller being compared (for size) with a Kids in the Hall DVD set. Above and to the right, this Masterpiece Optimus compared with the previously reviewed G1 Optimus and Smallest Optimus.
This is a damn fine Optimus. He has a few flaws, such as the balance problems thanks to the die cast, the not entirely necessary gimmicks, and the not completely perfect alternate mode. But all things considered, at the time he came out he was the best representation of the original Optimus Prime there was. And you know what? He still is the best. (Although we have yet to see how the new MP-10 Optimus Prime compares.)
Battle Rollar? He's okay. I don't regret buying him as a display piece to go with the MP-4. But he is too delicate to be something played with, and being long since sold out, is probably going for more money then is worth spending on him. Seek this out only if you absoloutely feel you must have it. Otherwise, you can probably live without it.
But the Optimus Prime itself is almost pure win.
Review added 23 October 2012 by Yotsuya. Please comment!
This is a damn fine Optimus. He has a few flaws, such as the balance problems thanks to the die cast, the not entirely necessary gimmicks, and the not completely perfect alternate mode. But all things considered, at the time he came out he was the best representation of the original Optimus Prime there was. And you know what? He still is the best. (Although we have yet to see how the new MP-10 Optimus Prime compares.)
Battle Rollar? He's okay. I don't regret buying him as a display piece to go with the MP-4. But he is too delicate to be something played with, and being long since sold out, is probably going for more money then is worth spending on him. Seek this out only if you absoloutely feel you must have it. Otherwise, you can probably live without it.
But the Optimus Prime itself is almost pure win.
Review added 23 October 2012 by Yotsuya. Please comment!
P.S. As a bonus... here's a photo of Masterpiece Optimus shaking hands with what I'll be reviewing once this series of Optimus reviews is complete... Mwa ha ha!