Optimus Prime - Alternator - Review


Optimus Prime

"The defense of freedom requires the dedication of the mighty"

Optimus Prime has been a name that thru the continuums has never been left out or faded from view. Hasbro learned after staging Prime's death in TFTM that this is one character that they have to be very careful about. Prime even had a 20th Anniversary edition honoring his original G1 form. This was about the same time that the Alternators line was gearing up. Most fans assumed that the 20th Anniv. Prime woudl work perfect as the Alternators' leader. However, news broke last year that Prime would sport his own mold for Alternators, in the form of a pickup. There has been alot of controversy since. Here, at last, is the official Alternators Optimus Prime.

Alt Mode

Prime has taken on the form of a Dodge Ram SRT10. Most people lament the fact that a tractor/trailer wasn't done, but since the Alternators line has traditionally been set at a $20 retail pricepoint, I suppose they picked the best truck for the job. They did manage to keep his red paint job, which also suits the Ram just fine. The details are very nice with this mold. There are lots of accuracies, from the Viper cowl and red painted calipers on all 4 disc wheels to the rear spoiler and bedliner. One eyesore, however, is the B-pillar behind the front doors. Like Cybertron Excellion, this piece is a different shade of red than the rest of the truck. Overall, the exterior is quite pleasing.

The engine compartment is probably one of the worst in the line. You have the engine cover/weapon in place but there's a big gaping hole where the rest of the engine should be. No cowling to try to mask it whatsoever.

The interior is nicely detailed and features captain's chairs that can swivel. Of course, this is part of the transformation process. The figure is fairly simple to transform, albeit not as simple as first glance may leave you to believe.

Robot Mode

Prime's robot mode is somewhat better in person than in photographs. For one, the QC on this figure is MUCH better than in more recent releases. The paint has a nice shine to it. Prime is mostly blue and black in the legs with a mostly red body and red arms. Prime's head is fantastic looking. In fact, overall Prime looks great. Where this figure starts to slide is in the kibble. There is a TON of it all around. Most noticeably (and the spark of much controversy) is the front bumpers that rest above the shoulders. It looks extremely out of place and takes away from the cleanliness of the figure considerably.

Another hot button is the apperant lack of knees. This is a 2 sided issue. Prime in fact has good knee movement, but the cab kibble on his back limits movement quite a bit. Same can be said for the arms, which suffer somewhat from door kibble. However, once you get past the limitations you can get some decent poses from him. Last, there is the issue about the pelvis guard (crotchplate, etc.). The official transformation has this guard down. Not only is the guard for the most part undetailed, you can see the screws that hold it to it's joint. If they had given it some yellow and chrome paint, it would have made all the difference. However, leaving this guard up does not in any way affect the transformation.

There are several small variations you can do to try to diminish the affect kibble has on the figure. This is one shot with the pelvis guard up and the bumpers folded back in a different fashion. While perhaps not the best mold for Prime, it's still one of the better molds out there.

ReviewerMichael Henry  
DateMay 4th 2006  
Score 8 stars (8 out of 10)  
Reads18713


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