Toy Review - TFPrime Voyager Optimus Prime

[griffin]

(Please post photos, comments or even a fully comprehensive review - these are just brief details)

Toy Review - Optimus Prime
Series - Transformers Prime
Sub-line - none
Size/class - Voyager
Wave - 0 (First Edition)
New/remould/redeco - New
Released here - Maybe not here at all (Released globally Nov/Dec 2011)
Approximate Retail Price - ($45-50?) US$20
Approximate Size - (18cm)
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Truck
Main Features/Gimmicks - none
Main Colours - Red, blue, black, grey
Main Accessories - Sword, gun

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/prime07.jpg

[Paulbot]

One of the nice things on TF:Prime toys is the way that there's little tabs and grooves that show you've got things in the right place. The Optimus toy is a great example of this. The transformation gets a bit complicated in the front of the truck area, but as parts lock together its really easy to see you're on the right track.

In some ways this reminds me of the various movie Voyager Primes, but is more fun. I do find I'd have liked a more 'traditional' Optimus head though on this.

[jaydisc]

This is a fantastics toy. The change between a rounded, animated robot and a straight-edged realistic truck is excellent. Great folds abound during the transformation with, as Paul points out, everything tabbing into place. Unlike Paul, I would have preferred the non-faceplate version of Prime as I think it matches the fiction's characterization of him more aptly.

[Sutton]

Unlike Paul, I would have preferred the non-faceplate version of Prime as I think it matches the fiction's characterization of him more aptly.

This.

It always confuses the hell out of me that there aren't more Movie Prime's released without the faceplate. It's how he is on screen 90% of the time. If they weren't prepared to back the design in toy form they sure as hell shouldn't have backed it on screen. The same applies to the Prime show.

[Sutton]

Still looking forward to this one A LOT regardless of the above gripe! :D

[Paulbot]

Unlike Paul, I would have preferred the non-faceplate version of Prime as I think it matches the fiction's characterization of him more aptly.
I didn't mean "needs faceplate" I meant smaller proportions. The large creast and pointy spikes makes this head look interchangable with any other movieverse Voyager Prime. I've not seen enough TFP to have an opinion about faceplates but did think most Animated Prime toys would have been better without one, so I'd probably agree here.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I like it, Transformation is really nice, and aesthetics are good.

I agree with Paulbot on the face. Even though I was thinking he is mucho ugly in the cartoon with no nose (as the crest covers it), I was really looking forward to that ugly coming through on the toy as well. The faceplate is under the crest and points out hinting at a nose. Therefore, I can see PB's point about it being any other movie-verse Prime. He can also only look left and right on mine, probably due to a massively thick neck. That sucks a little bit.

My only other gripe would be his wobbly wobbly sword, which when plugged onto his hand is upside down, yet when plugged into his gun as a bayonet is the right way up. Although not too well on mine. Never seen the bayonet on the show, but always see the sword on his arm.

Aside from those two points, a great toy! :D

[jaydisc]

I didn't mean "needs faceplate" I meant smaller proportions. The large creast and pointy spikes makes this head look interchangable with any other movieverse Voyager Prime. I've not seen enough TFP to have an opinion about faceplates but did think most Animated Prime toys would have been better without one, so I'd probably agree here.

Sorry, I didn't mean to insinuate you had a faceplate opinion :). You said "more traditional" and a lack of a faceplate to me is "less traditional". My bad.

[UltraMarginal]

I think as far as the toys go, a faeplateless face might be more expensive to mold and paint to a satisfactory quality level. my 2c

[GoktimusPrime]

I prefer it with the faceplate - makes him look more "Optimus Prime" to me. :) Besides, the mouth was really added to help make the character physically/facially emote to the audience, but the faceplate is his battle mode. Even in Beast Wars where the toy originally had a faceplate (because Hasbro originally meant for him to be Optimus Prime), but then Mainframe decided to make him a separate character then gave him a mouth to help make him look less Optimus Prime-like... I have to admit, during Season 1 whenever I'd see his faceplate slide on I was like "Yeah! BRING IT!" :D :)

Kids prefer to have an incarnation of their hero in their full action form. Look at the movie Green Lantern toys... even though we see Hal Jordan with his mask off a lot during the movie (he only wears it when he's in action mode) - most toys of movie Hal Jordan GL show him with the mask on. I guess it's like offering kids a choice between say a toy of their hero (e.g. Superman, Batman, Spider Man, He-Man etc.) or a toy of their hero's civilian identity (e.g. Clark Kent, Batman, Peter Parker, Prince Adam etc.). I think the "hero" toy has a wider appeal than the "civilian identity" toy.

If Hasbro made two different variants of this toy - one with a masked head and one with an unmasked head, I'd take the masked head. The other alternative would be to give him a mask that can come on and off like Animated Voyager Optimus Prime, which is a pretty neat feature IMO. ;)

You know what's gonna happen now? Hasbro's gonna release a retool/repaint with an unmasked head. :D

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

My issue isn't the mask. It's that the head doesn't look all that close to Prime Prime. If you stuck Prime Prime's head on Movie Prime, I probably wouldn't notice the change.

[kurdt_the_goat]

I quite like this guy, i think he's got a clever transformation!
My only problem is that his shins sometimes become dislodged in robot mode.. probably can fix it with some clear nail polish.

[GoktimusPrime]

I got the Japanese version of this toy which has a darker colour scheme than the one in the photo on Post #1 of this thread.

Pics:
http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/attach/3/9/6/4/7/TakaraPrimeComp3_1324536989.jpg
http://tf.takaratomy.co.jp/toy/search/prime/prime01/images/img_slide_1.jpg
http://tf.takaratomy.co.jp/toy/search/prime/prime01/images/img_slide_2.jpg

The engineering of this toy is really similar to the Deluxe figure - they seem to transform in almost the same/very similar ways. But I must say that the design of this figure just works out better as a Voyager; especially with the faux chest windows. The transformation is also easier at this scale too; the arms on the Deluxe are really fiddly. I also really like how they put an Autobot insignia on the left shoulder! (why the Deluxe figure doesn't have an Autobot logo in robot mode baffles and annoys me)

So I would recommend the Voyager over the Deluxe if you're willing to splash out for the higher price point -- otherwise the Deluxe is fundamentally nearly the same as this toy.

[GoktimusPrime]

After having another fiddle with both Voyager and Deluxe Primes today, the Voyager really is the better figure. I take back what I said before about the transformations being very similar -- there are some similarities, mostly in the legs, but the rest of the transformation scheme is substantially different from the Deluxe.

Between the Deluxe and the Voyager, the Voyager wins hands down. The only nice thing on the Deluxe is the striping on the top roof.

[kaiden]

After having another fiddle with both Voyager and Deluxe Primes today, the Voyager really is the better figure. I take back what I said before about the transformations being very similar -- there are some similarities, mostly in the legs, but the rest of the transformation scheme is substantially different from the Deluxe.

Between the Deluxe and the Voyager, the Voyager wins hands down. The only nice thing on the Deluxe is the striping on the top roof.

you fail to mention how awesome the front wheels are in his shoulders! rather than in his forearms or on the back like in other toys.

First Edition Voyager prime is hands down my favourite Prime of the year.

as for the faceplate-less version, it'll probably be a redeco with the Orion Pax name.

[GoktimusPrime]

you fail to mention how awesome the front wheels are in his shoulders! rather than in his forearms or on the back like in other toys.
It does look interesting for sure, but I find one slight problem is that the arm pegs don't lock in very securely into the wheel holes and sometimes the shoulders become dislocated with rigorous toy play. You need to get the window-chest section transformed precisely in order to get the arms to lock in better; so that can help. It doesn't pop out a lot, but just occasionally.


as for the faceplate-less version, it'll probably be a redeco with the Orion Pax name.
See... that'd make sense. Hasbro will probably just call it something random like "Solar Blizzard Optimus Prime" :rolleyes:

[kaiden]

It does look interesting for sure, but I find one slight problem is that the arm pegs don't lock in very securely into the wheel holes and sometimes the shoulders become dislocated with rigorous toy play. You need to get the window-chest section transformed precisely in order to get the arms to lock in better; so that can help. It doesn't pop out a lot, but just occasionally.

Yeah it occasionally does but I can forgive that minor problem. from what I can see the peg only pops out when the arms are handled roughly and are being pulled in a way that forces them to pop out.

the fact that they're aesthetically pleasing and leave the forearms smooth and unmarred by big black wheels and also not just hanging off the back like you're not supposed to see it - makes it a winning design formula in my eyes. the only thing holding it back from perfection is a way to clip the arms and shoulders together so that they don't pop out unintentionally.

[GoktimusPrime]

I was watching an ep of TF Prime last night (the one where Knockout and Breakdown debut) - and watching the scene where Optimus Prime is fighting cons made me realise just how amazingly show-accurate TakTOM FE Voyager Optimus Prime really is. It was as if I was watching the toy come to life on my TV! :D

[GoktimusPrime]

Posted comparison photos between Deluxe and Voyager Optimus Primes here (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=288409)

[klystron]

At first I thought this was going to be a bit of a 'meh' figure, but it has really grown on me a lot in a short amount of time.
It really is an outstanding figure. But alas no bot is perfect. Yep, there are a few sections that dont peg/tab in at all which I think should; and a the shins (which do actually tab in) come loose far too easily.
Oh yes, theres also the rubber sword and exhaust stacks. Damn shame that one.
The figure has a certain x-factor type charm to it, that I can't quite put me finger on. So its hard for me to quantify why I like it so much.

Does the fact that the truck cabin remains a vacant space in both modes (esp bot mode) make anyone else think 'diaclone?' Very easy to see a human 'pilot' in there in robot mode.

[GoktimusPrime]

Does the fact that the truck cabin remains a vacant space in both modes (esp bot mode) make anyone else think 'diaclone?' Very easy to see a human 'pilot' in there in robot mode.
Tried putting a Diaclone pilot in there but the compartment is too small. The pilot can fit, but erm... the upper body bends backward, so from the front window you can see him thrusting his crotch forward. Not a good look. :p FE Cliffjumper on the other hand can fit a Diaclone pilot inside the robot mode (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=288293&postcount=18) :)

On the plus side I noticed a neat amount of internal detail inside that driver's compartment though, like steering wheel etc. Never knew OP had that much detail inside him! This makes me like this toy even more now! :D


At first I thought this was going to be a bit of a 'meh' figure, but it has really grown on me a lot in a short amount of time.
That's how I initially felt about this toy too. But the more I discover about this toy, the more I like it. It really is quite more than meets the eye! ;)

[GoktimusPrime]

Comparison pics between Hasbro First Edition Voyager, Takara First Edition Voyager and PRiDE Voyager Optimus Primes have been posted here (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=289533&postcount=5)