Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Optimus Prime (Voyager)

It's been a very long time since I've bought any Transformers toys based on the live action movies. It was probably 2007 since the last time I made a movie related purchase so I'm even a little surprised that I have a Rise of the Beasts themed post here on the blog! The marketing efforts at retail for this new movie has been pretty epic thus far and apparently I've gotten sucked in as you can see. Several of the Walmart stores in my area have a large end cap cardboard display, however I've only see the voyager assortment (Optimus Prime & Optimus Primal) once or twice. Maybe this is good news as the figures are selling well?

The Rise of the Beasts packaging shares the open box concept thanks to Hasbro's plastic free packaging initiative. The front right side features large up close artwork of Optimus while the left side features the Transformers logo. The Rise of the Beasts logo resides underneath the figure. The back features two shots of Optimus, robot and vehicle mode. You can see the transformation process can be completed in just 20 steps. The bottom area features multi-language legalese jargon.

Even though I could see a portion of the figure inside the box, it wasn't until I got Optimus out of his cardboard prison that I could truly appreciate the overall design. I've never been a huge fan of the movie designs as it was too much of a departure from what I was accustomed to, however after seeing the first teaser trailer for the Rise of the Beasts movie I was intrigued. Seeing the figure in Walmart only fueled that curiosity I had and I'm glad I took a chance.

Optimus retains most of his iconic look, from the red chest and arms, truck cab windows and grill on the chest to the blue legs. The head sculpt still has that movie look, but has evolved over the years and looks better in my opinion than it did back in 2007. The figure has a pretty clean look and not much kibble. I know some may not like the look of the front wheels folded up on the back, but it doesn't bother me. The only part of the robot mode that I don't care for are the two gray pieces on the back/side of the arms. Small gripe as the rest of the figure is pretty solid.

Optimus comes packaged with a black rife. It's more slim than the rifle his Generation One self carried, but it still gets the job done.

From an articulation stand point, this is a very modern action figure / Transformer. Thanks to a combination of various ball and hinge joints the figure has multiple points of articulation through and through. I'm not the most creative in posing my figures, but I had no issues in coming up with various poses with Optimus...just not good enough to share in this post.

Movie Optimus Prime has seen a few different iterations over the years, but when the series received a "soft reboot" with the Bumblebee movie a few years back, Optimus' vehicle mode went back to a more iconic look with that of a flat nose truck cab. Thankfully that look has carried over to his Rise of the Beasts design, those I do believe there are some tweaks. The top of the cab features gunmetal panels over the blue translucent windows. The headlights have been lowered to the bottom bumper making the grill look a little larger. Looking straight on at the cab I think it has a great look. Once you get to the back, well that's a different story.

I mentioned not caring for the gray pieces that were on the back/side of the arms in robot mode and in vehicle mode they don't look any better. I'm not sure what purpose they serve, but they look like wings of some sort and I just don't care for them.

The robot feet fold up and onto the back of the legs forming the back end of the truck mode. There is a connector for a trailer, however I've yet to hear if a trailer is in the works or not. I'm not sure if the trailer included with Earthrise Optimus Prime would be compatible or not due to the height of the backend of this version of Optimus. The whole backend of the vehicle just looks a little sloppy to me, which is a shame as the front looks pretty great.

Prime's rifle can be stored in vehicle mode by placing the 5mm peg on the rifle into the hitch on the rear of the truck. I do like it when a figure's accessories can be self contained within the figure.

In closing, before I get to the obligatory comparison photos, I was rather pleased with this new version of Optimus Prime. Granted my expectations were fairly low going in, this isn't a bad toy. Is it perfect? No, far from it actually. It could easily use more paint apps for example, but I found this to be a fun movie based toy. I'm not sure where in my collection I'll put him since I've still yet to unpack and set up my Optimus collection, but I am glad I gave the toy a try.

Transformers R.E.D. Series: Optimus Prime

Hasbro is not shy to try something different...even if different has been done before. What am I talking about? The new R.E.D. Series of Transformers. Robot Enhanced Design. If you're a log time fan of the series you may remember Action Masters from the original G1 series...or if you were a fan of what Takara was doing with the franchise over in Japan you may remember the S.F.C. series.

Either way, both Action Masters and S.F.C. figures were non-transformable action figures. You would think Transformers that don't actually transform would be boring or that people wouldn't care for them...and while there are some that could care less these toys do have their fans.

In June of 2020 Hasbro announced the new R.E.D. series of 6 inch non-transformable figures with Optimus Prime and Megatron being in the first wave. The first images that were solicited looked good enough to get me excited (at least for Prime), but it seemed as if it took an eternity before I would see these at local retail. I picked up both Prime and Megatron a good while ago and have been sitting on them. I wasn't sure I was even going to bother with them, but my curiosity got the best of me and I opened Prime.

Starting with the Transformers War for Cybertron Siege series, the packaging for deluxe size figures would be a trapezoid like window box. This packaging design was carried over to the R.E.D. series. The front right side of the box features a slanted corner and some beautiful original artwork. The back of the box features better poses than I could pull off, showing just how articulated the figure is.

The left side of the box features a long window that shows the included accessories. These accessories include two different sets of hands, an Energon axe, Prime's rifle and the Matrix of Leadership. All of these look really nice and are a welcome inclusion.

These images of Prime are straight out of the package. Immediately I felt the soft plastic that was used, especially for the smokestacks on the arms and even the small antenna used on Prime's head. The figure itself looks great, very close the iconic 80's animation model. The colors are spot on, though some may prefer the thighs and waist to be a shade of gray over white. The chest windows are translucent blue and you can see parts of the cavity where the Matrix sits. The Autobot emblem on this shoulder is raised, something that I was not expecting.

The chest windows are hinged on the outer edges, allowing the panels to open up to reveal the Matrix of Leadership. I don't care how many times this feature may have been used on previous versions of Prime, I'll take this feature every time. Knowing Hasbro's track record for repainting figures, I highly expect we'll eventually get a "sleep mode" version in black/gray. This will allow for re-creating that somber scene in the original 1986 animated movie that brought guys like myself to tears.

The default hands that come on the figure are your traditional closed fists, but included are a pair of pointing hands and open hands. These are interchangeable using a 5 mm peg and are fairly easy to switch out. The iconic orange Energon axe works the same way as a fist and can be plugged into to either arm.

With the gimmick if you will being the design of the robot, it makes since that the figures are highly detailed and articulated. Where liberties may have to be taken to account for the transformation of the figure which compromises the look of the robot mode, this obviously isn't a worry for the designers. As such Prime looks fantastic in whatever pose you put him in. Prime features your now standard articulation for a 6 inch action figure. Personally I love the addition of the ankle pivots, however I still have a hard time getting past how large his feet look.

If I didn't have an Optimus Prime collection I'm really not sure if I would have pulled the trigger on this figure. It looks really nice on it's own and even blends in OK with modern Transformers figures. It's scale may not make everyone happy, but scale and Transformers have always had a tumultuous relationship!

I really can't see myself picking up any future R.E.D. Series figures, but I am glad to see what they are doing with the line. The Arcee figure from the Prime series looks fantastic, much nicer than any transforming version would ever look, as does the Beast Wars Cheetor. Certain characters will lend themselves better to this series than others so I'm curious to see where the line goes. In the end though this series just isn't for me, but of course your mileage may vary.

Transformers Monogram Optimus Prime Keychain

Another Dollar Tree find, these little PVC keychain figurines are similar to the blind packaged figures also found at (some) Dollar Tree stores. I didn't care about owning all of them so I just grabbed Optimus Prime.

Monogram did a good job with the overall sculpt. I'm glad the hands are molded as fists instead of open as some of the others cheap PVCs. Paint apps are hit and miss. I had to look at all of them on the pegs and find the one with the best applications. Too bad the smokestacks were painted silver/gray. The tires molded on the back of the legs were painted gray when I would have preferred if they were black.

The keychain is attached to the head and the plastic clip is the larger size. I don't use it as a clip at all, instead I just stood the figure on my Optimus shelf. Not too bad for a buck.

Transformers: Adventure - Jeffrey Prime

I think it's fair to say that both the toy series and the animated television show follow up to Transformers Prime took the series in a different direction. Transformers Robots in Disguise (known as Transformers: Adventure in Japan) blazed it's own path with a more cartoony, light hearted approach. While I admit it took awhile for the animated show to appeal to me, I was intrigued by the toys from day one. While it was a departure from the what was then considered the norm, I liked the idea of the Decepticons having animal characteristics and traits. I like different and different doesn't always have to be bad. I was happy to see Hasbro trying something different, like they did with Animated years earlier. It didn't appeal to everyone, but that rarely happens anyhow. Just take G1 vs. Beast Wars or G1 vs. "Bayformers"...you get the picture. Rarely do Transformers fans ever agree on anything.

For the longest time Takara (now Takara Tomy) gave their line of Transformers that extra special detail that made their figures stand out against what pretty much everyone else in the world got. For this reason I and may others would import these figures at a premium versus buying the Hasbro versions at local retail. I ended up importing a good chunk of the Adventures series for this very reason, but even if you didn't care for the changes Takara Tomy made or had the income to import them there would occasionally be that one exclusive that would make (some) people open their wallets. For the longest time it was the black repaint of Convoy/Optimus Prime, but with the Adventures line Takara Tomy teamed up with the retail giant, Toys 'R Us for not only one release, but two different releases of a "new" character, affectionately known as Jeffrey Prime.

Jeffrey Prime as you can see is a take off the Toys 'R Us mascot, Jeffrey the giraffe. Takara Tomy used the deluxe class Optimus Prime mold as the base and gave him the "TRU treatment". He was also given a very cool translucent orange Energon axe weapon. Like with all Japanese Transformers, he was given the designate # TAV-EX noting his exclusivity. Jeffrey Prime was released later in the Adventures series, which you can tell by the Prime of Micron subtitle. Unfortunately I've never been able to find a translation of his profile as pictured on the back of the blister card.

At first I wasn't thrilled with this mold as Optimus Prime. I loved the legends class version of the mold, but the deluxe class took a while before I came to appreciate what it had to offer. Most of my opinion is based on the alt mode, but the robot mode itself is pretty good. 

Like with most modern Transformers the articulation is very good. All the limbs are connected with ball and socket joints, giving him fluid movement. By the time Jeffrey Prime was released this mold had already been used several times by both Hasbro and Takara Tomy, however I didn't notice and mold degradation.

The color scheme used is obviously Toys 'R Us colors, mixed in with yellow for Jeffrey the giraffe. They did a great job on the legs and feet giving it the look of a giraffe. What I didn't notice at first however are his orange spots are actually little stars. My only gripe with this mode is the inclusion of stickers on this red and green shoulders. It would have been nice if those designs could have been tampographed to the actual toy. Stickers are so 80s/90s!

The only accessory packaged with Jeffrey Prime is this large translucent orange Energon axe. This axe was included with several different versions of Optimus Prime and even the Adventure exclusive Nemesis Prime, however those versions didn't include the extension handle to make the axe longer. I like the look personally of the longer axe and I'm glad this extra piece was included.

Previously I mentioned having some issues with the alternate mode of this toy and I think you may be able to see why. The vehicle is missing the rear portion of the cab and exposes the hips of the robot. I can almost see an inch worm when I look at this vehicle from the side! Angled the toy does look a little better, but it's still not one of my favorite toys of Prime.

Here in this mode the stickers used on his shoulders are exposed as well. Thankfully they don't encounter any friction with other pieces of plastic during the transformation so the stickers should hold up for a long time...or at least that's what I'm hoping. I was a little surprised there weren't more paint apps on this toys, especially to the areas of the alt mode like the front bumper, headlights or even the wheels. I think those small changes would have really popped and helped the overall look of the alt mode.

Released around the same time in the Adventure line was an EZ Collection version of Jeffrey Prime, simply known as Toys 'R Us Prime. Outside of the differences in the mold used, there are plenty of similarities between the two toys. The one glaring difference however is the color of the cab. While the deluxe version retained the red of Optimus Prime, the legends version keeps the yellow/orange color throughout. Personally I'll take either version as they both look cool in my book.

In robot mode both toys share more of the same look overall, though there are still some minor paint differences that can be seen. The legends version is missing the white paint on the forearms and some yellow trim to the head. The other changes are based on the mold differences between the two toys.

Overall Jeffrey Prime is a fun toy (both versions) and one that I was glad I decided to import. Prices to this day still aren't too bad, with current listings online hovering in the $35-40 range. I'd say it's for completionists or die hard Toys 'R Us fans only however. Looking back at these photos that I took some time ago is a little bittersweet since TRU stores closed in the US, however it also serves as a good reminder of what once was and evokes plenty of childhood memories.

Transformers Alt-Modes: Optimus Prime

I've been collecting Transformers since their debut in 1984. I've seen a lot of different product come and go over the years, but nothing quite like Transformers Alt-Modes. I'm finding it difficult to describe what these are and why someone thought these were worth the plastic used to make them.

Alt-Modes come packaged in blind box like cardboard boxes and were packaged in a tray for retail stores. The first wave featured 8 different characters, but these aren't blind packaged like you may think. On the back of the box was a small hole that if you were patient enough, you could line the toy inside up with the hole to get an idea of which character was inside. The first time I bought one of these I thought I had Optimus Prime, but ended up with the Decepticon Thundercracker instead. It wasn't foolproof, but at least you had some sort of idea and weren't going in blind.

So what are the Alt-Mode toys? Well it's a giant head with either an Autobot or Decepticon emblem on the top. When you fold up the emblem (as shown) and pull it up, a spring loaded transformation of sorts happens and it switches from a chibi vehicle to a small robot body. It's an odd novelty, I'll give you that. They retailed for way too much ($6 or $7?) and they didn't sell well because eventually they would wind up in close out stores like Five Below and Ollie's.

I have two of these in my collection - Optimus Prime and Thundercracker. If I didn't collect those two characters I'm not sure I would've even kept these things. If you like odd toys then these may be right up your ally, but otherwise you may want to stay far, far away from these!

Q-Transformers: Optimus QT-09

It amazes me sometimes how I have so many toys, especially Transformers in my collection that I forgot I even owned. Today's post is yet another example of this. I guess it's easier to understand how this small toy has stayed off my radar.

While the Convoy / Optimus Prime character would initally receive a release in the Q-Transformers line in his Generation 1 form, his Alternity form would eventually get a release. I love all the different versions of the Alternity Nissan GT-R mold so this one was an instant purchase for me. What puzzles me a little is how he was named Optimus and not Convoy. (note: it's just Optimus, not Optimus Prime)

Takara Tomy did a fantastic job at capturing the real world likeness of the Nissan GT-R and crammed it into a Choro-Q style toy. The car is molded in red plastic and it's a brilliant shade of red, especially in hand. Paint apps are perfect, there is even a small GT-R logo on the back of the vehicle. The toy rolls well on a hard, smooth surface. Only flaw I can find, and it's a very small flaw is that the spoiler doesn't want to see to line up correctly.

Transformation for many of the Q-Transformers toys are basically the same and Optimus Prime here is no different. Pull down the legs, pull up and back on the car canopy to reveal the head, seperate the back of the car to form the shoulders and pull down the arms. The head sculpt matches his larger Alternity brethern really well.

I'm still amazed at how fun these little toys are. Just the other day my 5 year old daughter was sitting in my office playing with many of my Q-Transformers toys. She said they were some of her favorites because the cars were so "cute". Not sure if that was what Takara Tomy was going for, but hey I'm just glad she was having fun.