Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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71 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An optimal Optimus, but not without its flaws, February 25, 2004
Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars Educational:2.0 out of 5 stars
Well, it's finally out-- the Holy Grail of TransFormers collectibles, sent forth by the heralds of Primus himself to kick off the legendary toy line's 20th anniversary. After acquiring one and running it through the paces, I can tell you with assurance that this Optimus Prime lives up most of the hype that has been bestowed upon it. Extensive articulation, interesting action features, fairly cool accessories, fine details, and complexity of transformation all come together to make this one of the most memorable TransFormers toys ever to hit the shelves.
Optimus' articulation (poseability) includes a ball-jointed neck that gets his head turning in all directions, although he looks pencil-necked when peering skyward. The shoulders & lower arms rotate and pivot, and the elbows bend up to a 90-degree angle. Working chrome-toned pistons add a nice touch to the elbow articulation. The hands fully rotate and swivel a little at the wrist, and each finger is jointed at the base knuckle. The thumbs are ball-jointed and freer moving than its non-opposable brethren. Speakin' of fingers: one odd thing I've noticed with Optie's hands is that he doesn't keep as good a grip on his own weapon as he does the Megatron handgun accessory. I guess he takes the proverb of "keeping your friends close, but your enemies closer" literally...
The lower-body articulation includes a rotating waist and omnidirectional hip joints that allow ya to put him in just about any walking/crouching stance imaginable. The knees-- each of which sport four working pistons-- can bend almost to a 180 degree angle, allowing the heels of Optie's feet to touch his upper back. The ankles also bend and rotate somewhat, and feature working double-piston Achilles tendons on the back of each heel.
As for the transition from robot to truck: if ever there was a TransFormers toy that would inspire Hasbro to add a fifth level of expertise to its transformation difficulty scale, this particular offering is it! And if ya think this booger can be changed `round in the same manner as the original Gen One toy, you've got another think comin'! All I'll say is, set yourself aside a decent block of spare time, and keep the instruction sheet within easy reach...
While the robot mode is very impressive, I ain't completely happy with the rig mode. I was especially disappointed with the look of the cab, which sported more than a few gaps and spaces where the parts meshed together. The spring shock suspension on each tire is a nice touch though. I was also pleasantly surprised when I discovered the rig has a trailer hitch, which leads me to believe a trailer/command center companion piece might be in the works. `Course, it'll likely run ya as much this baby, if not more. But hey, it's not like you're workin' that minimum wage job at the Burger Barn to help pay your rent and utilities, anyway...
Starting off the smattering of accessories is Optimus' laser rifle, which is a dead ringer for the one he wields in the G1 cartoon show. I suspect that this weapon was originally meant to have electronic features, `cuz there's some sorta green LED-lookin' thingy in the end of the barrel which appears to glow somewhat in the presence of light. Also included is Megatron in handgun mode, complete with removable suppressor, scope, and shoulder stock. The stock and handle, as well as the energon ax arm attachment, are made from flexible rubberized plastic so's ya won't hafta worry `bout pokin' out too many eyeballs with `em...
By far, the most impressive action feature is the matrix which, when ensconced in Optie's chest chamber, lights up with the push of the blue switch on his left shoulder. I was surprised by how bright the light was. I might just need it to get around my pad at night when the utility company finally shuts off my power for not paying my electric bill. The matrix is also removable, though you'll likely have a tough go pulling it out without some trouble. I had to make like Norman Bates on a game of Operation to get it outta there!
But as impressive as the light-up matrix was, my fave action feature to fool around with is the spot on the back of the head that one can press to get his jaw-plate movin'. Sometimes I'll cue up my TransFormers: The Movie soundtrack CD and have Optie lip-synch (jaw-synch?) to "The Touch" and the TransFormers theme. And don't you start raggin' on me about my little puppet-show lip-synch dealie, `cuz I know you're gonna do the exact same thing with your own Optimus Prime toy as soon as you get it! Another nice thing about the head are the eyes (or "optical sensors" to TransFans of the anal retentive persuasion), which are painted in a wonderful shade of reflective metallic blue. Rounding things off in the miscellaneous features department are flip-up communicator screens on each forearm (featuring Bumblebee on the left and Starscream on the right), and shin vents that open when the feet are pushed up into the ankles.
Post Script: I acquired both the Japanese (Takara) and U.S. Hasbro versions of this toy. And like many of the uber-purist TransFans, I was disappointed when I found out that U.S. Optie's exhaust stacks were significantly shortened to conform to various toy safety laws. But unlike most uber-purist TransFans, I'm not gonna give Hasbro a great amount of grief over it; the law is the law after all (curse you, Ralph Nader!).
Anyhoo, on with the rant: I'm not all that hip with U.S. Optie's sooty "battle-scarred" paint details. I definitely prefer the Japanese rendition's cleaner look. Needless to say, if you can find a Japanese 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime (AKA Master Piece Convoy) and you're willin' to plop down a few shekels more than what they're askin' for this, go for it...
`Late
UPDATE 11/5/2007: Last year Hasbro re-released this toy to celebrate the 20th anniversary special edition DVD set of the original animated TransFormers movie. Please note that the DVD set is NOT included with the toy! Also gone are the parts that were originally chromed on the first 20th Anniversary/Master Piece version, including the eyes (now a light blue), pistons, grille, and smoke stacks (all now a dull silver hue). Speaking of the stacks: you can now buy the Japanese-version long stacks by themselves to install on your Optie toy; you might be able to find a pair or two up for bids at a certain online auction venue.
Other changes that have been made to the Movie DVD
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39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Talk about a bull in a china shop!, August 6, 2004
Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars
First, let me just say that this is by far the coolest transformer ever made.
It's a little difficult to transform at first (because you're afraid of breaking something). It doesn't break easily, however. Most parts are designed to come off and then snap right back on. While this is a good idea, the only draw back to this is that some things come off too easily. Such as, for instance, the feet.
Here's a tip I got from someone else that works well if the joints (in this or any transformer) get too loose. Use clear nail polish on the inside of the joint, wait for it to dry and then put the leg/arm/foot etc. back on. It works really well. For the first time in years, my Grimlock stands properly. Woo-hoo.
A few comments about the two versions of this:
The one shown here is the Hasbro version. The other is the Japanese Takara version. The differences are that the Hasbro one has shorter smoke stacks, battle damage, and a black gun. The takara version has longer smoke stacks, no battle damage, and a grey gun. It also costs about $25 more than the U.S. Hasbro version.
Sounds like the Takara version should be better, right? Actually it isn't. I have them both, of course. When I first got the Hasbro version I didn't like the battle damage and wanted one without it. Now that I have one without battle damage, I have to say it looks more like plastic in certain areas, namely the shoulders, rists and knee joints in particular. The battle damage actually makes the Hasbro version look less like plastic.
The longer smoke stacks are definitely better, but the grey gun is a bummer. Don't these people know that Optimus has a BLACK gun, LONG smoke stacks, and is played by PETER CULLEN? Without those things, it's just not Optimus. (Do you know why he didn't do the voice of Optimus in Armada? Because they didn't ask him. Can you believe that?? i figured he just didn't want to do it, but nope. He said it was because they didn't ask him. I hope the people making the live action movie are listening... GET PETER CULLEN OR WE'RE GONNA RIOT! Get it?)
If you're looking for the Takara version, the U.S. amazon site doesn't have it. It's pretty easy to find with a simple web search, however.
Oh yes, I almost forgot. The Takara version comes with a trailer... sort of. The package folds into a surprisingly real looking trailer. With the exception of the wheels, that is. It's pretty cool, though.
To make a long story short, I think I like the Hasbro version better, despite the dinky smoke stacks.
And also, this is the Optimus that I waited 20 years for. Don't waste any money on the armada or energon toys if you don't have this one yet. If you end up like me, you'll be looking at passing trucks on the highway looking for the old style flat fronted Optimus trucks. Heh heh. Roll out.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Something everyone who is nostalgice about Transformers needs to own!, November 4, 2006
I recently bought this item at a local brick and mortar store, and I am over-all very happy with it. This is the Optimus Prime you wish you had back when the Original cartoon was still on everyday.
The Robot mode of this Optimus is supurb, the articulation is very good. The hinges in his ankles and elbows are hidden with fake "hyrdraulics" which move as you move the joints. His front wheels are hidden when in Robot mode (unlike the original toy) to make him look even more like the G1 Cartoon Prime. The detailing and construction of this toy are nearly top-notch. A lot of diecast parts and the more moveable parts are from plastic.
Others complain about the coloring, but it looks correct to me, in the toy I got.
Now for some small problems. And when I say this, I want to make sure I am clear that these are mostly minor problems.
The sound chip in the base is not perfect. But since I didn't buy the toy because of the soundbase (and I feel that if thats all people wanted they wasted $65), so I don't really care. Its a nice accessory for displaying your Transformer.
My most major gripe is Optimus's gun, and the robots hands cannot grip it properly. 20th Anniversary Prime comes with 2 guns, his own, and a very clever sculpt of Megatron in gun mode. Megatron is made in such a way as to fit perfectly in Prime's hand no matter what pose you put him in. Hos own gun, however seems to have a handle that is just too small for the moveable fingers and thumb of the robot to get a hold of in any stable fashion. From a playability point of view this is my biggest gripe.
The Robot mode and the Truck mode both have problems around the trucks front grill. Like other recent Optimus Prime toys, there are actually 2 grills. One for the robots chest, and one for the truck (they look slightly different). In robot mode there is about a half-centimeter gap between the top of the grill, and the lower edge of the cab-windows. You can only really notice this gap if you are looking up at the robot from beneath it, so this is not a serious design issue.
In truck most, however the windows overhang the front of the grill and headlights area, and the who construction of the front of the truck doesn't feel very stable. It is easy to knock the headlight units (panels the flip up) down by holding or moving the sides of the truck (which are mainly formed by the arms and shoulders).
This toy also suffers from some of the problems the recent "Titanium" transformers have, in that the die-cast parts are sometimes too heavy for the plastic parts and joints to properly support. This makes for an Optimus Prime that is not very stable, in comparison to the Voyager Classics Prime of the Cybertron/Galaxy Force Prime, which though not as authentic to the original (cybertron/galaxy especially) feel like much more solid toys.
Over-all I am extrememly happy with this toy, and my only wish is that he had come out in a size that would put him on par with more of the other Transformers.
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