Series: Transformers Classics
Photos:
Vehicle-
Robot-
Accessories: Photon rifle
Notes:
Yet another incarnation of the feared, awe-inspiring and snappily dressed Optimus Prime- keeper of the creation matrix, devourer of sandwiches and professional chocolate worrier. This is potentially the 459,912nd variant on the character (but who's counting?).
The first incarnation, as we all know, was kicking around the Far East in the 70's escorting small, magnetic pilots in dangerous missions before being drafted into the Transformers franchise in the early 80's and dubbed Optimus Prime (or Convoy depending on your locale) and leading his heroic and exceedingly fashionable Autobots to numerous victories over the cantancerous Megatron.
Based on his cartoon incarnation from the era made by Marvel/Sunbow, which looked slightly less like a shoe-box on stilts, Classics Deluxe Prime boasts that most recent of technological advances in his vaguely human proportions and comes complete with a photon rifle very similar to his weapon in the same animated show.
Good:
As with most modern Transformers, except those dang ones made out of hand-painted clay which I just can't make transform except into a... broken... Classics Oppy sports all the usual points of articulation we've come to expect from a self-respecting member of the clan Optimii.
We have moving toes, knees, hips, waiste, neck, shoulders, elbows and wrists. Great stuff so far
The figure is also nice and light, being constructed from entirely plastic. Now, whilst normally I like a little lead to weigh down my Transformers and help squash that sense of buyer's remorse at the departing tail of yet another pay-cheque, Prime gets away with it quite nicely. Thanks to his small size, his weight is just about right. It also means he is nicely poseable- whereas any extra weight would send him down like the Captain of the Titanic.
Also, despite standing just about 5" tall he crams in a surprising amount of detail- we have transparent eyes which 'light up' when you get the sun behind him, vents, lights, exposed machinery and other details all over him.
As a nice addition of detail, he also exhibits transparent cab windows.
In vehicle mode, he makes a good passing stab at turning into the obligatory flat-faced semitruck... although he obviously couldn't be bothered to revise and just tried to wing it at the last minute. Whilst the vehicle isn't the best thing since power-stearing, bearing in mind that his primary focus is on looking like a decent robot first and foremost I can forgive that quite easily.
Finally, as a toy, he's fiercely playable. Regardless what anyone will say, there's no male adult on earth who can resist bungling around with a transformer, transforming it back and forth until they get sick of it. I must say, that moment hasn't come yet. His transformation is just complicated enough for his size (which a couple of nice spring-loaded touches in his hips) to keep him interesting and entertaining.
Bad:
In honest... not much. I really like this little figure, considering he's relatively cheap (compared to, oooooh, say £100'ish for Masterpiece Convoy) and does exactly what he says on the tin.
If we have to nitpick, it would quite simply be his rather misshaped robot mode. It gives one the impression that Takara made it all the way up to the night before mass-production before some bright spark suddenly said-
"Oh wait, that niggling doubt I had? I've remembered what it was- he turns into a truck!"
Suddenly panic ensued, and with a bit of creative thinking they managed to squeeze this out at the last moment.
That said, as I qualified, for a toy this size and this cheap I really don't mind. Plus it doesn't detract in the slightest from his playability.
Overall:
In short, a quality little 'bot with a good level of detail, articulation and a horrendous level of playability. The vehicle mode is a bit of a poor-quality fax duplicate (drawn on the bus into work) but I'd be lying if I said it detracted from him in any way. A good quality little beasty and worth snaffling if you catch him in the sales!
Rating: Good
