Post by cybernaut on Oct 16, 2010 16:50:49 GMT 8
Haven’t done a review in a LONG while, it feels like I’m getting rusty with this. Anyway, with the launching of the new Transformers sub-line Hunt for the Decepticons comes a new-mold Optimus Prime toy, pegged at the Voyager - class price point.
HftD Voyager Battle Blades Optimus Prime
Bio:
OPTIMUS PRIME isn't famous for being a particularly skilled fighter - he relies mostly on raw power to secure victory. Unfortunately for DECEPTICON BANZAITRON, all that raw power actually masks decades of training. OPTIMUS PRIME is one of the most accomplished fighters ever produced by CYBERTRON. He may not be as flashy as the DECEPTICON martial arts master, but he's got more than enough skill to crush DECEPTICON BANZAITRON.
Tech Specs:
Strength: 10
Intelligence: 10
Speed: 7
Endurance: 10
Rank: 10
Courage: 10
Fireblast: 10
Skill: 9
“…one of the most accomplished fighters ever produced by Cybertron” Somehow, we never heard about that part of his life back in the first movie…
In any case, all we need to know is that Prime’s been hiding the fact that he’s a really a bad-ass swords-bot, and that he’ll PWN Banzaitron’s behind. I’d start hiding if I were Banzaitron. ;D
Packaging
As part of the new Hunt for the Decepticons sub-line, Prime’s packaged in robot mode. I like this since it serves to the highlight robot mode through the windowed box (you can easily spot any QC defects too) and makes for a more compact package. My only peeve is that whoever Hasbro hired to do the graphics really needs to re-do the layout. They filled the back of the box with large, boring product photos, while cramming character art, bio and tech specs on the side flap. Why don’t they just go back to good old clip and save tech spec / character cards?
Robot Mode
Prime comes packaged in robot mode, so I'll start there...
Prime is set on a clear plastic tray, secured by the new “eco-friendly” twist-ties, his two blasters and a thick instruction sheet. He’s mis-transformed in package, you need to the rear truck fender kibble to peg on the back armor, as well as rotate the wheel wells on his legs.
Just under 18 cm tall, Battle Blade Prime is essentially a scaled down version of Leader Class RotF Prime, with a few proportion compromises resulting from being a smaller size class, notably the skinny legs and small feet. The color layout is the same, though in BB Prime’s case, brown plastic shows up in places to break the red, blue and gray, as well as the windshield parts being cast in translucent blue instead of clear.
Battle Blades Prime comes with three extra features, two of which are advertised on his packaging.
- The “Battle Blades”, which are flip out (not spring loaded) and made of soft rubbery plastic, in counterpart those found on LC RotF OP. And, whaddaya know, just like his bigger counterpart, the blades also get in the way of the arm articulation when stowed in more ways than one. It doesn’t help that the arm panel kibble adds to the interference. Still, compared to LC Prime, the fact that the blades are NOT spring-loaded means it’s also easier to move them out of the way when posing.
- He has two dual guns formed from his two fuel tanks, ala Buster Prime and TftM VC Prime. Interestingly enough, these aren’t mentioned on the packaging. They’re basically gray cylinders with flip out barrels and an attached handle, but they’re quite nifty since it gives you play options other than the blades, a feat only nearly achieved by RotF Buster Prime.
- Last is the “Removable Matrix of Leadership”, which is basically an unpainted piece of grey plastic, located in Prime’s chest cavity. It’s removable, though this only serves to show the under - detailed bottom where it pegs on a translucent blue plate.
Detail-wise, Prime’s got a lot of it, just like bigger LC Prime, though the lower quality plastic tends to “soften” up the sculpted details, especially on the head and arms. He’s also missing a lot of crucial color apps, such as the space under his eyes, the red discs on his shoulders, blue stripes on his arms and the flame deco on his chest and truck roof. It would’ve been better if Hasbro gave him a light wash, just to bring out the details.
Articulation is average and unlike the LC version, a lot more of it is actually useful.
Neck: 360° swivel
Shoulders: Universal rotators
Arms: Bicep swivel, Hinged elbow
Torso: No torso crunch or waist swivel
Legs: Universal ratcheting hips, thigh swivels (need to unpeg the rear wheels on the legs to use), hinged knees, rocker ankles
The lack of waist articulation is expected given the way Prime transforms, but the black truck panels interfere with the hip joints in certain poses, causing the upper torso to come apart at the waist. The transformation joint below the knees has a tendency to bend inwards (think Animated LC Megs) since there’s no way to lock the joint.
If there’s one thing that REALLY stands out with this incarnation of RotF Prime, it’s the fact that he’s SMALL… Especially for a Voyager, considering you can still see the original TftM VC OP mold in stores (Regular RotF and the Defender recolor) going for the same price. He feels lighter too, compared to the first VC OP, though he’s a hell of lot more complex.
Transformation
Essentially the same as RotF LC Prime, but it all takes a different route to get there. The way chest transforms is better, and it’s more straightforward to get to one mode to another. I do wish the arm had locking pegs when forming the hood though, and that the blades once again didn’t get in the way as much.
Truck Mode
Unlike the first VC OP mold, which ended up transforming into a Kenworth truck instead of Movie Optimus Prime’s Peterbuilt, Battle Blades Prime transforms into a very screen-accurate toy version of it’s on-screen counterpart, and shares a lot of similarities with the larger RotF LC Prime. The end result is quite solid, with no loose parts or floppy hinges.
Same as in robot mode, Battle Blades Prime’s truck mode is on the small side, almost nearing deluxe dimensions. It’s especially evident when put beside the first VC OP mold, though they’re almost the same in length.
Conclusion
HftD Battle Blades Optimus Prime is a good toy, possibly the one of the best incarnations of Movie Prime yet. It’s not perfect though, with a lot of negatives to its score (the annoying blades, lack of color apps, small size), but the positives of the mold help bring this toy up to a recommended purchase.
My Score
Optimus Prime heads out of
Parting Shots
My only wish is that TF3 at least drops the Blades for Prime for the third movie… At least with guns, we’re not forced to get stuck with Prime toys with annoying blades on the arms…
Jya na!
HftD Voyager Battle Blades Optimus Prime
Bio:
OPTIMUS PRIME isn't famous for being a particularly skilled fighter - he relies mostly on raw power to secure victory. Unfortunately for DECEPTICON BANZAITRON, all that raw power actually masks decades of training. OPTIMUS PRIME is one of the most accomplished fighters ever produced by CYBERTRON. He may not be as flashy as the DECEPTICON martial arts master, but he's got more than enough skill to crush DECEPTICON BANZAITRON.
Tech Specs:
Strength: 10
Intelligence: 10
Speed: 7
Endurance: 10
Rank: 10
Courage: 10
Fireblast: 10
Skill: 9
“…one of the most accomplished fighters ever produced by Cybertron” Somehow, we never heard about that part of his life back in the first movie…
In any case, all we need to know is that Prime’s been hiding the fact that he’s a really a bad-ass swords-bot, and that he’ll PWN Banzaitron’s behind. I’d start hiding if I were Banzaitron. ;DPackaging
As part of the new Hunt for the Decepticons sub-line, Prime’s packaged in robot mode. I like this since it serves to the highlight robot mode through the windowed box (you can easily spot any QC defects too) and makes for a more compact package. My only peeve is that whoever Hasbro hired to do the graphics really needs to re-do the layout. They filled the back of the box with large, boring product photos, while cramming character art, bio and tech specs on the side flap. Why don’t they just go back to good old clip and save tech spec / character cards?
Robot Mode
Prime comes packaged in robot mode, so I'll start there...
Prime is set on a clear plastic tray, secured by the new “eco-friendly” twist-ties, his two blasters and a thick instruction sheet. He’s mis-transformed in package, you need to the rear truck fender kibble to peg on the back armor, as well as rotate the wheel wells on his legs.
Just under 18 cm tall, Battle Blade Prime is essentially a scaled down version of Leader Class RotF Prime, with a few proportion compromises resulting from being a smaller size class, notably the skinny legs and small feet. The color layout is the same, though in BB Prime’s case, brown plastic shows up in places to break the red, blue and gray, as well as the windshield parts being cast in translucent blue instead of clear.
Battle Blades Prime comes with three extra features, two of which are advertised on his packaging.
- The “Battle Blades”, which are flip out (not spring loaded) and made of soft rubbery plastic, in counterpart those found on LC RotF OP. And, whaddaya know, just like his bigger counterpart, the blades also get in the way of the arm articulation when stowed in more ways than one. It doesn’t help that the arm panel kibble adds to the interference. Still, compared to LC Prime, the fact that the blades are NOT spring-loaded means it’s also easier to move them out of the way when posing.
- He has two dual guns formed from his two fuel tanks, ala Buster Prime and TftM VC Prime. Interestingly enough, these aren’t mentioned on the packaging. They’re basically gray cylinders with flip out barrels and an attached handle, but they’re quite nifty since it gives you play options other than the blades, a feat only nearly achieved by RotF Buster Prime.
- Last is the “Removable Matrix of Leadership”, which is basically an unpainted piece of grey plastic, located in Prime’s chest cavity. It’s removable, though this only serves to show the under - detailed bottom where it pegs on a translucent blue plate.
Detail-wise, Prime’s got a lot of it, just like bigger LC Prime, though the lower quality plastic tends to “soften” up the sculpted details, especially on the head and arms. He’s also missing a lot of crucial color apps, such as the space under his eyes, the red discs on his shoulders, blue stripes on his arms and the flame deco on his chest and truck roof. It would’ve been better if Hasbro gave him a light wash, just to bring out the details.
Articulation is average and unlike the LC version, a lot more of it is actually useful.
Neck: 360° swivel
Shoulders: Universal rotators
Arms: Bicep swivel, Hinged elbow
Torso: No torso crunch or waist swivel
Legs: Universal ratcheting hips, thigh swivels (need to unpeg the rear wheels on the legs to use), hinged knees, rocker ankles
The lack of waist articulation is expected given the way Prime transforms, but the black truck panels interfere with the hip joints in certain poses, causing the upper torso to come apart at the waist. The transformation joint below the knees has a tendency to bend inwards (think Animated LC Megs) since there’s no way to lock the joint.
If there’s one thing that REALLY stands out with this incarnation of RotF Prime, it’s the fact that he’s SMALL… Especially for a Voyager, considering you can still see the original TftM VC OP mold in stores (Regular RotF and the Defender recolor) going for the same price. He feels lighter too, compared to the first VC OP, though he’s a hell of lot more complex.
Transformation
Essentially the same as RotF LC Prime, but it all takes a different route to get there. The way chest transforms is better, and it’s more straightforward to get to one mode to another. I do wish the arm had locking pegs when forming the hood though, and that the blades once again didn’t get in the way as much.
Truck Mode
Unlike the first VC OP mold, which ended up transforming into a Kenworth truck instead of Movie Optimus Prime’s Peterbuilt, Battle Blades Prime transforms into a very screen-accurate toy version of it’s on-screen counterpart, and shares a lot of similarities with the larger RotF LC Prime. The end result is quite solid, with no loose parts or floppy hinges.
Same as in robot mode, Battle Blades Prime’s truck mode is on the small side, almost nearing deluxe dimensions. It’s especially evident when put beside the first VC OP mold, though they’re almost the same in length.
Conclusion
HftD Battle Blades Optimus Prime is a good toy, possibly the one of the best incarnations of Movie Prime yet. It’s not perfect though, with a lot of negatives to its score (the annoying blades, lack of color apps, small size), but the positives of the mold help bring this toy up to a recommended purchase.
My Score
Optimus Prime heads out of Parting Shots
My only wish is that TF3 at least drops the Blades for Prime for the third movie… At least with guns, we’re not forced to get stuck with Prime toys with annoying blades on the arms…
Jya na!
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