Toy Review - Earthrise Leader Optimus Prime

[Kyle]

Earthrise Optimus Prime
Series - Generations
Sub-line - Earthrise
Size/class - Leader
New/remould/redeco - New, with <10% parts from Siege Voyager Optimus Prime mould
Wave - 1
Released here - FEB 2020
Approximate Retail Price - AU $75 - 100
Approximate Size - 17 cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Truck cab
Main Features/Gimmicks -
Main Colours - Red, blue, grey, black, silver
Main Accessories - Blaster rifle, matrix of leadership, trailer

https://i.ibb.co/ph65R6d/IMGP0005.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/ChJM6Dp/20200224-185549.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/p1sZXB5/20200224-185606.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/qFdhQW3/20200224-185942.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/6HkyRBk/20200224-182352.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/pzn4ZZ3/20200224-182050.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/F5fCmMk/20200224-182129.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/PQsKtyg/20200224-182213.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/wQjpwQw/20200224-201101.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/1zLfkPf/20200224-200434.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/7vFWZDR/20200224-200107.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/YknR4D7/20200224-182522.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/Bt737hZ/20200224-182659.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/nR6tG7C/20200224-183518.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/y01VcWN/20200224-183923.jpg

[Kyle]

Initial thoughts...

Siege Voyager Optimus Prime mould was a shellformer wearing truck parts on the outside of the robot body (mainly on the arms and the giant backpack).

Earthrise Optimus Prime, is a shellformer wearing truck parts (side doors and front grill) on the inside of the robot body, with the front bumper and front wheels folded compactly (and relatively unobtrusively) behind the hips.

The two robots only share less than 10% of the parts: only the head, shins and feet. Earthrise Optimus Prime is pretty much a very different toy with a different transformation. I think the transformation of the new torso is much more elegantly done, quite impressive considering it now also has the matrix chamber. The legs on the Siege mould had the more involved transformation though. Overall I think the new toy is nicer, and feels like a mini MP-10 toy.

I think I prefer the plastic used on the Siege toy. The Siege toy did have a more cartoony look (despite the silver dirt painted on), while the new Earthrise toy looks more grim with the darker red and silver details.

The trailer feels very cheap and too small though...

[Kyle]

https://i.ibb.co/Nnrk95D/20200225-103238.jpg
L to R: Siege Prime and Earthrise Prime

https://i.ibb.co/dPXjkTw/20200225-103137.jpg
L to R: G1 Prime, Earthrise Prime, and Bumblebee Movie Prime

https://i.ibb.co/vPpJ2mr/20200225-103336.jpg
Earthrise Prime with Earthrise trailer

https://i.ibb.co/Pxd2JN4/20200225-103402.jpg
Siege Prime with Earthrise trailer

https://i.ibb.co/JmYsj3N/20200225-103507.jpg
G1 Prime with Earthrise trailer (cannot connect properly)

https://i.ibb.co/0rZrx5d/20200225-103422.jpg
Bumblebee Movie Prime with Earthrise trailer

https://i.ibb.co/vzPW9qh/20200225-103555.jpg
Earthrise trailer opened

[Gehirn]

If these are shellformers than they are the best shellformers ever.

[Sutton]

If these are shellformers than they are the best shellformers ever.

Hmm, they're not what I would call a shellformer personally - seems like a perfectly involved and fair transformation.

'Shellformer' has more of a 'weak' connotation to it, like where the entire altmode ends up on the back maybe folded in half (I'm thinking most versions of Scourge's 'Space Soap', the original Classics Megatron NERF gun, Siege Starscream, etc).

And now we've got Arcee and Cliffjumper leading the new category, 'Shitformer', which is worse than a 'Partsformer' since the parts don't even do anything remotely convincing...but that's off topic sorry...

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Shellformer

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Partformer

[Kyle]

https://i.ibb.co/PwzwHQH/20200226-182952.jpg
Before weight loss...

https://i.ibb.co/1ZQwbCM/20200226-183101.jpg
After weight loss...

[shockNwave]

Find the wheels on the trailer off putting. Reminds me of something I'd see on a plastic knock-off at a market. Will have to pass on this one.

[Sinnertwin]

Find the wheels on the trailer off putting. Reminds me of something I'd see on a plastic knock-off at a market. Will have to pass on this one.

It's the mismatched wheels on the cab that snaps me

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Hmm, they're not what I would call a shellformer personally - seems like a perfectly involved and fair transformation.

'Shellformer' has more of a 'weak' connotation to it, like where the entire altmode ends up on the back maybe folded in half (I'm thinking most versions of Scourge's 'Space Soap', the original Classics Megatron NERF gun, Siege Starscream, etc).


https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Shellformer


It does seem to fit the shellformer classification, it just manages to hide the shell pieces a lot better than what we are used to by hiding them inside instead of outside. SHould we make up a new term for what is a weak shellformer vs a good shellformer?

Just out of curiosity, what is the classification of a Transformer that doesn't shell form or parts form? How do I classify my Triggerhappy? All his jet parts become part of the robot (aside from the head of course, but for the sake of argument, let's pretend his head stays attached).

Back on topic, I must admit it looks pretty good (aside from the trailer which looks cheap and crappy ). I had no interest in this figure at all and now I....

Wouldn't mind playing with someone else's.

I won't buy it myself....

[reillyd]

I'm torn now. The "funsized" shrunken trailer is completely off putting, and the unpainted turret is just poor design or cost cutting. Cheap and nasty, smaller than the original Prime trailer even. I'd gladly pay more for one with paint apps, more still for roller. Grr!

But looking at the comparison photos and action pose photos, it's quite a radical redesign and improvement over Siege prime..... I really want to buy now, and the shield is nice design work. I *really* hope a 3rd party releases an Earthrise trailer, or TakaraTomy would. I miss the days of extra add-ons and fixes of Takara days

[Tha_Phantom]

I'd gladly pay more for one with paint apps, more still for roller. Grr!

I'd be willing to bet that Roller is either going to get his own weaponiser figure or he'll be an accessory included with another WFC Prime.

As for the figure itself, this is pretty much the CHUG Prime I've wanted since 2006. I'm aware of the setbacks mentioned above but I'm still looking forward to getting it.

[GoktimusPrime]

Thoughts based on Kyle's piccies:
Cab robot looks great. I'm so glad that they went with the blue hands. I wish that they'd kept the yellow eyes though.
Not convinced that this is worth the Leader Class price point. The Cab Robot looks great for a Voyager, so that justifies $50 of the RRP... but I don't think that that trailer is worth fifty bucks. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, per se -- the grey tower looks bland (it was blue on the prototype/promo images), but I don't see $50 worth of value in that trailer. I know that the Siege Leaders did the same thing by giving us basically Voyager size figures with bonus accessories that pushed it up to Leader Class price point, but as I said 13 months ago...

basically a Voyager sized toy that comes with its own 1st Party add-on kit. Objectively speaking it's not really worth full Leader RRP but definitely worth it if you can get it at below RRP (say for about $70~80 or less)
...and Earthrise Optimus Prime strikes me as being along the same lines; might be decent for around an Ultra price point ($70) but don't really see it being really worth full quid

[Tha_Phantom]

Not convinced that this is worth the Leader Class price point. The Cab Robot looks great for a Voyager, so that justifies $50 of the RRP... but I don't think that that trailer is worth fifty bucks. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, per se -- the grey tower looks bland (it was blue on the prototype/promo images), but I don't see $50 worth of value in that trailer. I know that the Siege Leaders did the same thing by giving us basically Voyager size figures with bonus accessories that pushed it up to Leader Class price point, but as I said 13 months ago...

...and Earthrise Optimus Prime strikes me as being along the same lines; might be decent for around an Ultra price point ($70) but don't really see it being really worth full quid[/list]

I agree Gok, definitely not worth full leader RRP, but I will say it is worth closer to that RRP than the likes of Shockwave or Astrotrain, since we at least expect a Prime to come with a trailer anyway. I've preordered him at around $80 plus post, and I'm happy with that.

[doublespy]

Awesome review. Love the comparison shots!

[yoshi594]

Just got him today and I'm disappointed with the trailer. The battle station robot repair thing should have been blue but is all hasbro grey :(. The prime himself is nice but I feel he's not value for money even at a $90 price point...but seeing as he's flying for the shelves, do what u think is right :).

Also got starscream and feel he's more value for money.

[GoktimusPrime]

Got this toy on impulse this morning. Thoughts:
The trailer is even more underwhelming IRL. It's puny and doesn't do all that much. But the robot is amazing. While the bot is a Voyager sized toy, this is beyond Voyager-level engineering. Really wish it had yellow eyes though.

https://i.ibb.co/31zcP1k/Earthrise-OP01.jpg
In packaging and in tray: Certainly not the most flattering way to package and display a toy! The twist ties on the left leg of mine wasn't attached properly in box, but for most figures it would be with legs apart. Yeah. I feel that this would've been better packaged in truck mode (actually I prefer TFs to be packaged in alt mode).

https://i.ibb.co/JQHXyPL/Earthrise-OP02.jpg
The metallic electric blue eyes do look nicer in person, but yeah, yellow would've been so much better. But apparently it was due to loads of fans whinging online about the yellow eyes on the prototype so Hasbro listened and changed the eyes to blue. *deep.sigh* Although admittedly I was among the fans who whinged about the grey hands and I'm mighty glad that they changed the hands to blue. But yeah, yellow eyes would just look so much better.

https://i.ibb.co/6y1LHPC/Earthrise-OP03.jpg
Crouching battle pose.

https://i.ibb.co/DM6LsmQ/Earthrise-OP03a.jpg
"Make mine Marvel." One thing I'm really impressed with is how they've sculpted the hands to hold the 5mm post without relying on finger grip. The grip comes completely from the palm. This means that the fingers can open and close but still maintain a solid "Kung Fu Grip" on the gun which so many other TFs with finger articulation suffer with (including MPs).

https://i.ibb.co/YpNn0WT/Earthrise-OP05.jpg
Optimus Prime and his incredibly underwhelming Combat Deck. What gets me with this is that the trailer is treated as little more than just an accessory, similar to say Cliffjumper's bazooka - but canonically the trailer is Optimus Prime, or at least, part of him. The neat thing about Optimus Prime's 3 components is that they are all Optimus Prime, and whatever damage is dealt to one is felt by all (although the cab/robot is the sentient core and while he can survive without the other 2, they cannot survive without him).

https://i.ibb.co/SfP5ZZ0/Earthrise-OP06.jpg
♫ When Optimus Prime throws his mighty shield ♪

https://i.ibb.co/VJ5RcfN/Earthrise-OP07.jpg
Ballet and fighting poses

https://i.ibb.co/pb84F5V/Earthrise-OP08.jpg
The amount of detail on the rear of the robot is astounding.

https://i.ibb.co/D8K763F/Earthrise-OP09.jpg
Gun storage on back.

https://i.ibb.co/b5JvCdB/Earthrise-OP10.jpg
The combat tower can detach and become an accessory.

https://i.ibb.co/XbWd9dB/Earthrise-OP11.jpg
Repair bay, lying down

https://i.ibb.co/kMmBMGq/Earthrise-OP12.jpg
Up up and away web!

https://i.ibb.co/gFBtVgH/Earthrise-OP13.jpg
Repair bay, upright

https://i.ibb.co/ZX2mnKg/Earthrise-OP13a.jpg
The trailer is so small that the robot can just sit on it.

https://i.ibb.co/tD9SySz/Earthrise-OP15.jpg
Truck rear

https://i.ibb.co/fnt3y0H/Earthrise-OP16.jpg
Truck front

https://i.ibb.co/Kyt6vj0/Earthrise-OP17.jpg
With trailer. Unfortunately there is no articulation in this articulated truck mode. I cheated in this photo by slightly lifting the hitch and then turning it at an angle before allowing it to drop back down again. But the cab is incapable of turning independently of the trailer; it effectively works more like TF toys that are solidly attached to their trailers like G1 Motormaster.

https://i.ibb.co/Xp7Phwp/Earthrise-OP18.jpg
This is how the truck/cab mode actually looks like. And side on we can see that the trailer isn't much taller than the cab.

https://i.ibb.co/g6sLHzY/Earthrise-OP19.jpg
Rear view of trailer

https://i.ibb.co/TKcCkGY/Earthrise-OP20.jpg
Inside of trailer; 50 Shades of Bland

https://i.ibb.co/M1w3XwJ/Earthrise-OP21.jpg
Here is Earthrise Optimus Prime next to Deluxe Class Movie Trilogy Optimus Prime (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php/13690-Toy-Review-Movie-Trilogy-Optimus-w-Trailer), and as you can see the trailer for the Deluxe Class toy is larger ER OP's. In fact, let's compare sizes.
Deluxe trailer = 63mm(W) x 238mm(L) x 81mm(H)
ER trailer = 61mm(W) x 174mm(L) x 81mm(H)

https://i.ibb.co/mHKd09b/Earthrise-OP22.jpg
The trailer is big enough to hold a Legends Class toy and not much bigger than that.

https://i.ibb.co/TkBsj4h/Earthrise-OP23.jpg
ER OP's trailer looks too small even for a Deluxe Optimus Prime toy! :eek:

https://i.ibb.co/MpfVnPT/Earthrise-OP23a.jpg
Comparing the truck cab with the original G1 Optimus Prime. As you can see ER OP is a tad bigger.

https://i.ibb.co/L16TMgG/Earthrise-OP25.jpg
And yet G1 Prime's trailer dwarfs ER OP's, creating an optical illusion that the G1 cab is also larger (which is why I took the previous photo to break that illusion).

https://i.ibb.co/z7WZh5D/Earthrise-OP26.jpg
Matrix chamber in the chest.

https://i.ibb.co/FYVhzft/Earthrise-OP27.jpg
Light piping gimmick on Matrix.

https://i.ibb.co/z6TtSqj/Earthrise-OP28.jpg
Finger articulation allows OP to hold the Matrix (albeit not very firmly).

OVERALL
I was someone who was initially unconvinced by this toy. I skipped preordering it and consequently paid pretty much close to full RRP - as mentioned before, this was a bit of an impulse buy. :p But having gotten it I must say that I am thoroughly impressed by the robot component. The trailer is just utter garbage, but the robot is amazing. While the robot is a Voyager sized toy, it is above Voyager Class engineering. This does easily feel more like Leader Class engineering but in a Voyager sized toy - similar to how Cliffjumper is smaller than a standard Deluxe but features above Deluxe level engineering. And in both cases, the accessory set (Prime's trailer and Cliffy's bazooka) are there to help justify the price point - so in that regard I must say that, yeah, this IS worth the Leader Class price point. And for those of you who paid less, great! You guys are laughing. :) But as someone who was initially reluctant to get this toy, as someone who was - until now - really skeptical about this toy's value for money (and fully expecting to feel buyer's remorse), I must say that this toy has really changed my mind about it.

It's not the perfect toy; as I said before, the trailer is crap and I wish the eyes were yellow (and where's Roller?) - but in answer to the question of whether or not this toy is worth it's asking price? Yes. Yes it is. And I thought long and hard about this because I picked this toy up at 10:00 yesterday and after much erming and aahing and also not shutting up about it on the two Skype chat sessions I was in... despite some drawbacks on this toy, I do think it is an EXCELLENT figure that is well worth getting. The cab robot is easily worth the cost of an Ultra Class figure ($70~80 by today's standards), and the trailer is worth about $10~15 (again, if you paid less then that is fan-freaking-tastic). It's little wonder that this toy is selling like hotcakes right now and flying off shelves; people are certainly voting with their wallets.

Strongly recommended.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/avatars/th_jaam_yum.gif

[Dimi194]

Oh no, I was super ready to skip this one because I have the Siege version, but all these photos are making me reconsider... :S

[GoktimusPrime]

As someone who was initially unconvinced about getting this toy who is now singing it praise - let me say that I cannot recommend this toy highly enough.
If you're in doubt, just get it. You can always sell it if you change your mind given how hard this toy is to find. I'm sure you'd find a buyer. And sure, you would lose some money as you'd buy it sealed and sell it loose - say if you pay $90 to buy it sealed but sell it loose for $75. But consider it as you having spent $15 rental on a toy. ;)

[GoktimusPrime]

Deluxe Classics Optimus Prime with ER OP's trailer. Yeah, that trailer is absolutely undersized for the Voyager-sized ER OP figure! :eek:

https://i.ibb.co/YBwmssV/Earthrise-OP29.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/wpj3h9B/Earthrise-OP30.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/G3Kg5SS/Earthrise-OP31.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/F3zPf1j/Earthrise-OP32.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/23kssbB/Earthrise-OP33.jpg

[Dimi194]

As someone who was initially unconvinced about getting this toy who is now singing it praise - let me say that I cannot recommend this toy highly enough.
If you're in doubt, just get it. You can always sell it if you change your mind given how hard this toy is to find. I'm sure you'd find a buyer. And sure, you would lose some money as you'd buy it sealed and sell it loose - say if you pay $90 to buy it sealed but sell it loose for $75. But consider it as you having spent $15 rental on a toy. ;)

I know, but now I've missed all the pre-orders so getting one is going to be interesting :P

EDIT: Just took the plunge and bought 2 from Myer, hoping there's a chance I get at least 1 OP-let's see hahaha

[Skyfire]

I know, but now I've missed all the pre-orders so getting one is going to be interesting :P

EDIT: Just took the plunge and bought 2 from Myer, hoping there's a chance I get at least 1 OP-let's see hahaha

That's what I did, hoping to get 1 Astro and 1 OP. Got 2x OPs. I'm fairly happy with that outcome - I can use the second trailer for my G1 cab-only recent re-release. But I wish OP was a bit larger.

[Dimi194]

That's what I did, hoping to get 1 Astro and 1 OP. Got 2x OPs. I'm fairly happy with that outcome - I can use the second trailer for my G1 cab-only recent re-release. But I wish OP was a bit larger.

I've got Astro from Seige so if I get another Astro I'll probably just send back to Myer.

[GoktimusPrime]

I know, but now I've missed all the pre-orders so getting one is going to be interesting :P
EDIT: Just took the plunge and bought 2 from Myer, hoping there's a chance I get at least 1 OP-let's see hahaha
So did I, which is why I paid full quid instead of pre-order discount. Yeah, Myer would've been cheaper but I couldn't be bothered going through the hassle of rolling the dice to see if I get an Optimus Prime or an Astrotrain (latter more likely) so I just bit the bullet and paid full price for an Optimus Prime from somewhere else.

Good luck with your Myer gamble though. :)

[Dimi194]

That's what I did, hoping to get 1 Astro and 1 OP. Got 2x OPs. I'm fairly happy with that outcome - I can use the second trailer for my G1 cab-only recent re-release. But I wish OP was a bit larger.

I got pranked-2 Astros! Ah well, I tried. Thankfully Myer is good with returns atm.

[GoktimusPrime]

I got pranked-2 Astros! Ah well, I tried.
As expected, and precisely why I personally didn't bother with Myer. Yeah, I paid $20 more, but it saves me time and effort in not having to mess around with returns and then trying to source another one (which would cost me just as much anyway).

[Dimi194]

As expected, and precisely why I personally didn't bother with Myer. Yeah, I paid $20 more, but it saves me time and effort in not having to mess around with returns and then trying to source another one (which would cost me just as much anyway).

I just found that the TLTC had some listed as in stock so bought from there (No idea why it didn't show up when I searched before)-everyone else I looked was already sold out, hence why I jumped on Myer.
I tried :rolleyes:

[Bemblebuu]

Bought the figure to cheer me up during lockdown...

The Earthrise Prime figure is nice and I like the simple transformation. I don't really like the blue tint on the chest windows though (would have preferred a darker shade). There's also no reason to have grey plastic on the back and insides of his legs.

The trailer is very ordinary and cheap looking. Some added paint here and there could make it ok though...

[GoktimusPrime]

I just found that the TLTC had some listed as in stock so bought from there (No idea why it didn't show up when I searched before)-everyone else I looked was already sold out, hence why I jumped on Myer.
I tried :rolleyes:
TLTC? Gee, I hope you get your order! :eek: I have heard that this toy is slated to be released in Wave 2, so ultimately if people miss it in Wave 1 just wait for the next wave of toys to hit. I think the Wave 2 Leader assortment will be Optimus Prime and Doubledealer.

[Dimi194]

TLTC? Gee, I hope you get your order! :eek: I have heard that this toy is slated to be released in Wave 2, so ultimately if people miss it in Wave 1 just wait for the next wave of toys to hit. I think the Wave 2 Leader assortment will be Optimus Prime and Doubledealer.

I know, but it was listed in stock, and shipped the day after I bought it.
Haven't used them for a loonggggg time but the reports of them being okay with in stock items seem to be true.

A re-release/repack seems like a good idea!

[Paulbot]

Don't worry Dimi194, trust the feedback thread rather than feedback from someone who hasn't used that company in a while and likes to bad mouth them any chance he gets.

[Tha_Phantom]

Don't worry Dimi194, trust the feedback thread rather than feedback from someone who hasn't used that company in a while and likes to bad mouth them any chance he gets.

The feedback thread isn't much better.

[Paulbot]

The feedback thread is consistently saying there's no problems with in stock items, which is Dimi194 scenario. Impatience over preorders is so rampant for some collectors for all stores there's even a thread for people complaing about having to wait for a toy.

[GoktimusPrime]

I know, but it was listed in stock, and shipped the day after I bought it.
Great, good to hear! :)

Haven't used them for a loonggggg time but the reports of them being okay with in stock items seem to be true.
Yeah, I've personally have never had an issue with any in-stock item for them but I have had issues with pre-orders. I have heard stories about other people not receiving in-stock orders though, but I'm glad to hear that yours has shipped. :cool: Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this toy.

[Dimi194]

Okay so while I certainly don't regret buying this toy, I think it's actually not a clear winner over the Siege version.

Better than Sige:
-Hip artculation
-No backpack (having them side by side, it really makes the Siege backpack, which initially didn't bug me at all, really damn ugly)
-Weapon storage/integration
-Shoulders (smokestacks don't need to be on those flaps)
-Forearms (so much cleaner without the truck lights on it!)
-Hands-love what they've done with the paint + being able to open, but without being crap at actually holding stuff
-Paint-the silver and blue being metallic is really nice
-Head articulation

Worse than Siege:
-The elbows-personally I think it looks weird that he has no upper arm, it all kinda merges with his shoulder
-Head-without the silver paint around the eyes he looks a bit 'dead' in the face, though had they stuck to the original yellow eyes (which I liked) then this would not have been an issue
-Legs-the moved hip joint makes his legs longer and it means the proportions are a bit strange + I liked the transformation tricks of the Siege version (though I understand there's no real need for them here)
-Chest-the price of hiding all the truck kibble inside the chest means his 'pecs' jut out a lot from the grill; I think it looks a bit strange, especially because the angle is so sharp
-Backpack-while it's nice not having the huge panel there, I actually really liked how the wheels collapsed into the sides of his torso, and the way they hang out on the butt is a bit strange (however again they were really going for clean vibes so understand why they tried to hide them around the back)
-Gun-it looks cleaner (+ clever transformation) but mine is too big for effects parts! Also the gross grey peg :( (side note: the shield battle masters this year suck compared to the blast effects + battle masters we got last year, there's just so much less you can do with them)
-Shield-it's fine but the one last year was obviously nicer (however I do like that this one sits closer to the arm in shield mode)

Random thoughts:
-I think it's meant to be the same head mold, but I swear the crest/'ears' are slightly differently shaped??
-The little pieces that fold into the back of the lower body to complete the shaping around the side/back is a nice touch
-I think the size of the trailer is okay, and I like the shield + jetpack, but once you open it up it's just an empty box. Definitely needed something else inside to make it worth displaying in robot mode
-Matrix is a nice touch, but for all the effort that went into it, I don't think it adds much-although he can actually hold it, which is a nice change

So overall, while I'm definitely happy to get him in my collection (given the Megs this year is a really ordinary remold, I think I'm going to match him up against the awesome looking Netflix redeco of Megs), I don't think he's the perfect OP either, and the Siege one is still awesome.
I paid $90 (including shipping) for mine, which doesn't bother me too much bc I'm an OP fan, but getting it for $72 (which would have been the Myer price if they weren't all closed/had not sent me 2 Astros lol) is I think the price it's worth.
Aka if you get it at RRP ($90) it's hard to recommend if you already have Siege, but if you pay less than $80 I think it's worth getting.

EDIT: This must be the longest forum post I've made to date hahahaha!

[GoktimusPrime]

I skipped Siege OP, so I'm pretty stoked with ER OP. :) I probably would've jumped on Siege Optimus Prime if his alt mode was based on his Cybertronian mode as seen in G1 (https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/a/a2/Optimusprimeg1marvelfirst.jpg) instead of a made-up Cybertronian mode (which, to me, just looks like an Earth truck with guns :p). It seems that only the Seekers had G1-accurate Cybertronian modes; not even Soundwave was given his street lamp mode (https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/a/a2/Cybertronsoundwave.jpg). And if Siege OP had had a G1-accurate Cybertronian mode, then the toy could've been repainted as Fusion (https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Fusion). I would absolutely get a toy of Fusion! (hey, if Siege can give us lesser known characters like Impactor, Rung and the Powerdashers, why not Fusion?)

https://i.ibb.co/jGM4S2j/temp.jpg (https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Fusion)

The blue eyes still bug me, but alas I don't own any yellow paint. Reprolabels has made a set for ER OP but no yellow eye stickers! :eek: :rolleyes:

[Tha_Phantom]

not even Soundwave was given his street lamp mode (https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/a/a2/Cybertronsoundwave.jpg).

Gonna have to disagree with you there. He most certainly does have the street lamp mode, it was an easter egg shown on the box and also shown off by Hasbro at NYCC. Surely you don't expect them to try and seriously market that as the "main" mode of the toy? Neither kids or retailers would be too impressed.

https://i.ibb.co/hB1rLLK/1551936357-img-0785.jpg (https://ibb.co/St7H55K)https://i.ibb.co/NtFr5Yq/43289686-10156122451869912-5798054258729287680-o.jpg (https://ibb.co/zQmFpfg)

[GoktimusPrime]

Gonna have to disagree with you there. He most certainly does have the street lamp mode, it was an easter egg shown on the box and also shown off by Hasbro at NYCC. Surely you don't expect them to try and seriously market that as the "main" mode of the toy? Neither kids or retailers would be too impressed.
Continued here (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php/21428-The-Random-Transformers-Thoughts-Thread?p=624680#post624680) :)

[klystron]

I wanted to post some review comments, but procrastinated too long. Then photobucket stopped hosting images. Now there's not really much to add that hasn't been said here or various other places on the interwebs.
Instead I'll share some photos regarding the contentious trailer accessory. This is something I wanted to know more about before I bought the fig.

I will say that I am totally stoked with this figure. Is it worth the RRP of $99? No. Do I care? No. Am I glad I bought it? Hell yes.
The main reason for my love of this fig is because it fills a hole (so to speak). It fills a gap. The non-movie Optimus position in my collection was filled (for years) by the Classics fig. Which (while I do love it) has aged. I have 2 movie Primes that I am satisfied with (hell, I love MB01 evasion Prime!), but no modern G1-inspired one. No Siege version. No Masterpieces. (Probably could have lived with PotP OP, but it wouldn't scale well with the rest of my figs). So this ER fig fills a massive gap in my collection.
Now, if you have every iteration of OP ever released, you may not be as happy with this as I am. You may have other figs (Siege?) that fill the position. ER Prime may be 'more of the same' or lacking to you. And thats fair enough - everyone's mileage will vary. Its the delta between what I had (Classics) and this ER Prime, that makes it a win for me. Just like I was blown away in 2006 when I went from G2 Prime to Classics Prime.
So I don't really have anything bad to say about the Prime figure itself. Looks good. Well articulated. Displays awesomely. Good-ish transformation (body is cool; legs are boring). Great accessories.

But enough of that - lets talk trailer.
Gosh, hasn't there been some whinging about this. Does the trailer justify the extra price of what is basically a voyager class fig? No. I think we can all agree on that. Still... refer to the previous as to why I find myself not really caring. Am I glad they included a trailer? Yes. Is it fun? Yes. Is it too small? Yes. But did I mention its fun? A G1 Optimus with a trailer!? Wow, how can you not love that. (Yeah, this really fills a hole in my collection).

Photos:

OK, so I think we can see what the problem is here...
Obviously the G2 Prime trailer is too large.
https://i.ibb.co/cLLLRYm/IMG-20200406-183606.jpg (https://ibb.co/zJJJC6k)
https://i.ibb.co/ssZt4Yr/IMG-20200406-184143.jpg (https://ibb.co/dkR7vYy)


In case you're interested, here's some stuff that fits inside:

https://i.ibb.co/ypDgQqH/IMG-20200406-184454.jpg (https://ibb.co/qCzmrpT)
https://i.ibb.co/Rp65588/IMG-20200406-184544.jpg (https://ibb.co/PZWSSkk)
https://i.ibb.co/YDG1n3M/IMG-20200406-184612.jpg (https://ibb.co/7gFZMX5)
https://i.ibb.co/fSPL5V0/IMG-20200406-185405.jpg (https://ibb.co/59fwyXc)
https://i.ibb.co/w0h9nJv/IMG-20200406-185429.jpg (https://ibb.co/C1KkjJr)
https://i.ibb.co/HnXrPxG/IMG-20200406-204737.jpg (https://ibb.co/zGNS27P)


I'm having fun with it. (Well, I would be if I played with toys...). Roller (as played by Breacher) plus some missile launchers to fill out the underside, and Roller's arial drone (aka minicon Eclipse).

https://i.ibb.co/zJ2TFtm/IMG-20200430-164714.jpg (https://ibb.co/QdH3kxJ)
https://i.ibb.co/TWKWvMc/IMG-20200430-164740.jpg (https://ibb.co/vXsXw41)
https://i.ibb.co/CPf1Q6J/IMG-20200430-165726.jpg (https://ibb.co/41Hmp2s)


And because its a thing you can do...

https://i.ibb.co/hCK527r/IMG-20200430-165926.jpg (https://ibb.co/g6D1tjQ)
https://i.ibb.co/pwpVT08/IMG-20200430-170009.jpg (https://ibb.co/ZXC4rLP)



(https://ibb.co/g6D1tjQ)

[dirge]

https://i.ibb.co/CPf1Q6J/IMG-20200430-165726.jpg (https://ibb.co/41Hmp2s)

And because its a thing you can do...

https://i.ibb.co/hCK527r/IMG-20200430-165926.jpg (https://ibb.co/g6D1tjQ)


Breacher is one of the few Movieverse toys I kept... one of the lines' highlights for me... and now you've convinced me that he's Earthrise Roller!

[Jellico]

Well, I finally got him out of the box. Bot is superb. I don't mind the trailer but it badly needs some colour. Simply molding the turret in blue would have helped a lot.

The set has three different wheels which is off putting. Grey painted steering wheels. Black driving wheels. And the grey trailer wheels. One thing SS Mixmaster did well was nice chunky wheels. CHUG wheels rival coins. Rimmel Rita Ora 820 Zinc Me Nail Polish matches the silver Hasbro has been using lately so has been a great little $3 buy for me. Add in a some black nail polish and my Prime (and a few other bots) now has silver rims and black tires on all his wheels.

The 5mm stud in the center of the trailer is interestingly placed. Doesn't work for much. Maybe Prime's back 5mm hold? Could be a portent for Roller. Speaking of rolling the 5mm stud on the tail gate doesn't help with rolling stuff out of the trailer.

Something that hasn't shown up in many reviews is that the turret base can be detached, then put back in reverse, then deployed outside the folded up trailer like the original. If some one could put up photos...

I love Prime's new hip articulation. We have seen it a few times on other bots and it is a marked improvement over the hip flaps. Likewise it is nice to have a Prime without kibble hanging off his arms. That has annoyed me for years.

I am liking the blue eyes. Light piping could have made them pop more. In hand I am not sure yellow would have worked. It is pretty dark under the visor. Maybe they should have stuck with grey hands. With little auto brands on them.

Anyway. I am having more fun with this figure than I should be. I guess I will be selling a Siege Prime really soon...

[GoktimusPrime]

I painted the eyes on my ER OP yellow. It was a real pain in the backside. Even using the thinnest brush that my local hobby store had, I really struggled to paint those suckers. It was ultimately easier just to smear yellow over and around the eyes and then paint over the edges with blue paint. I ended up repainting the nose blue, which also adds to the G1 toy accuracy.

https://i.ibb.co/jD52H7M/earthrise-OP35.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/5xrXB1r/Earthrise-OP36.jpg

[Tha_Phantom]

Something that hasn't shown up in many reviews is that the turret base can be detached, then put back in reverse, then deployed outside the folded up trailer like the original. If some one could put up photos...

Done! And good suggestion, I totally didn't think of that before now.
https://i.ibb.co/fCKtKhz/98065736-250603559572054-6510052140101140480-n.jpg (https://ibb.co/8jR2RWL)


https://i.ibb.co/jD52H7M/earthrise-OP35.jpg

The splotchy eyes in the middle pic reminds me of a certain red-eyed fellow. :p You tidied it up well in the end though, good job.

So I guess I should weigh in here now that I have mine finally.
I am absolutely loving this guy in hand! The transformation of the cab is intuitive, yet not too simple and offers a couple of new things. The cab overall is exactly what I want out of a CHUG Prime in terms of design, articulation, etc and I quite like the blue eyes in person more than I thought I would. I will admit the trailer is smaller than it should be and the turret section would benefit from being blue plastic, but it still does the job.

[SMHFConvoy]

Got mine today, the conversion between robot and truck mode is nice and streamlined but he feels so vanilla.

Might need to see what some paint might do.

[SMHFConvoy]

I painted the eyes on my ER OP yellow. It was a real pain in the backside. Even using the thinnest brush that my local hobby store had, I really struggled to paint those suckers. It was ultimately easier just to smear yellow over and around the eyes and then paint over the edges with blue paint. I ended up repainting the nose blue, which also adds to the G1 toy accuracy.

https://i.ibb.co/jD52H7M/earthrise-OP35.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/5xrXB1r/Earthrise-OP36.jpg

I normally use a toothpick to paint details like eyes, you get a bit more control.

[Deano85]

Got mine today, the conversion between robot and truck mode is nice and streamlined but he feels so vanilla.

Might need to see what some paint might do.

The toy hax set has a bunch of great stickers. Especially for the trailer.
http://toyhax.com/for-earth-rise/2921-labels-for-earth-rise-optimus-prime.html?search_query=optimus&results=68

[Jellico]

They should break that set up. 90% of the robot stickers are a waste of time.

[Zommael]

I'm glad I got this toy in the Big W sale but also glad I only paid voyager price for what is essentially a voyager class toy with a box. It's a REALLY GOOD voyager class toy but it's still smol.

[klystron]

I just realised that ER Optimus is virtually identical in size to PotP Nemesis Prime, especially the trailers. Weird part is that I never thought the PotP one looked too small.

[nalops]

I just realised that ER Optimus is virtually identical in size to PotP Nemesis Prime, especially the trailers. Weird part is that I never thought the PotP one looked too small.

Don't own ER Prime so can't really compare but I imagine the weight of Nemesis Prime's trailer makes it feel larger than it is compared to ER Prime's trailer which is pretty empty.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Picked up Kingdome Prime today and they seem o be the same toy, so here we go. I stated before I wasn't interested, but after seeing hpw good Inferno was, I thought he needed a leader buddy.

Optimus is great, I love it. The legs are too long and dont do anything despite having a hinge inside them, but I assume thats a leftover from Siege. They should've kept the wheel cover for this guy I think. Robot mode is great and loooks cool, is fun to play with and intuitive and clever to Transform.
Top class robot.

The trailer sucks big time though. I really dislike it. It doesn't quite clip together well. Looks too small and the ramp has all this greebles sculpted on so it doesn't work as a ramp andyou also have to crack open the container to drop the ramp too. Who approved That?
The gun doesn't integrate all that well either. It either sticks out a bunch (inside) or conflicts with something somewhere (underneath). Considering how the trailer is just a box, its embarrassing. Also, terrible colour too.
Lower than bottom class trailer.

[GoktimusPrime]

Picked up Kingdome Prime today and they seem o be the same toy,
They are. It's like the difference between G1 and G2 Ironfist. :D (i.e. exact same toy, different packaging)

I find the trailer to be satisfactory but not outstanding. It's really better suited for a Deluxe figure than it is for a Voyager. A lot of these accessorised Voyagers sold at Leader Class price points aren't great value for money; I think Siege Ultra Magnus is the one exception.

https://i.ibb.co/ZdSx3Js/Earthrise-OP33.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/qRH3FNB/Earthrise-OP31.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/Xx7g9Xq/Earthrise-OP29.jpg

I know that UB Optimus Prime isn't anyone's favourite toy, but you can clearly see that as far as scale is concerned, the trailer is Deluxe sized (not quite; see below), and is woefully undersized for Earthdom Optimus Prime's Voyager sized cab robot.

The greeble thing is to make it connectable with other larger toys to act as a Micromaster play set... poor Micromaster playsets. This has been one ongoing weakness with the WFC line; unlike G1 Micromasters which had larger playsets that were scaled for the Micromasters, the WFC playsets are all too small. And the ramps are too thick to really act as ramps. The playset feature are clearly not the priority for these toys, which is fine... but as Jazz would say, do it with style or don't bother doing it. I really wish that they hadn't bothered.

Example: G1 vs Earthrise Hoist's towing gimmick
https://i.ibb.co/MSMB0DD/Earthrise-hoist03.jpg
G1 Hoist's towing apparatus is perfectly scaled for the Autobot Cars. It holds them well, allowing the towed vehicle's unconnected wheels to roll freely. The apparatus is articulated, allowing Hoist to make turns while towing. The ramp is also thin enough that cars can roll on and off.
ER Hoist's towing apparatus features none of these traits. Obviously scaled for Micromasters, it cannot hold any of the Deluxe Class Autobot Cars. But even for Micromasters, the ramp is too thick to allow the vehicles to roll on or off. The towed vehicle's wheels do not sit securely and thus the Micromaster is just prone to falling off when attempting to be towed. There is no sideways articulation on the towing apparatus, thus Hoist cannot make turns while towing. So with the priority being placed on making Hoist a Micromaster playset (because, ya know... that's what everyone wanted), they've managed to make ER Hoist's towing gimmick vastly inferior to a toy that was made over three decades before.

Here's Earthrise Optimus Prime's trailer with Legends Class, uh, Legends Bumble.
https://i.ibb.co/GcPy56W/Earthrise-OP22.jpg
It just fits a Legends Class car, so yeah, even Deluxe-sized Autobot Cars can't fit in there. The trailer is really meant to house Micromasters, but even then, same problem as Hoist. That ramp is way too thick even for LG Bumble to roll off it, let alone a Micromaster. Having cars smash their ends when attempting to access ramps detracts from the playability of these things. And again, G1 did it better back in the freakin' 80s!

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

The greeble thing is to make it connectable with other larger toys to act as a Micromaster play set... poor Micromaster playsets.

I know why those greebles are there, and I think the ramp joining bits are fine. It's the peg that is in the middle of the ramp and the greebles that make the ramp all not-smooth that bother me. And yes, I know the peg is there to make a shield for Optimus, but TBH, they should've just made the ramp so it can be opened without having to crack the trailer open, allowed it to join up with the other bases and not bothered with the shield option as it just looks silly.

[Deano85]

Earthrise Primes trailer can fit the slimmer siege/earthrise deluxe cars like bluestreak, prowl and smokescreen. Can also fit in Studio Series 49 & 70 Bumblebee.

https://dm2305files.storage.live.com/y4m2LuHWNX40br_dJmojxF2WBkdgg09TlQcIRBcpYcmzXd-u0GBWkq_EhU5oGoUwatKc9pEss3gK6RGa9WHzj6Je4Adpux5fq 73ZzJ0WcC7L3rgFMD96hEhA9-cNavF68CFVF6vhPEO_pqnD8ziQ35d8bmb2Ob6jwuJy_Gplv0KD j6s97N-CfeKVBgEEk0j9j6A?width=680&height=533&cropmode=none

[GoktimusPrime]

And yes, I know the peg is there to make a shield for Optimus, but TBH, they should've just made the ramp so it can be opened without having to crack the trailer open, allowed it to join up with the other bases and not bothered with the shield option as it just looks silly.
Strongly agree. These ramps would work a lot better if they were just basic ramps instead of trying to be other things. Should've stuck with the K.I.S.S. principle. :)

Earthrise Primes trailer can fit the slimmer siege/earthrise deluxe cars like bluestreak, prowl and smokescreen. Can also fit in Studio Series 49 & 70 Bumblebee.
Ah, fair enough. I have yet to try that, but I suspect that Deluxes would also not be able to roll on/off the ramp either (if Micromasters and Legends Class figures can't).

[Deano85]

Ah, fair enough. I have yet to try that, but I suspect that Deluxes would also not be able to roll on/off the ramp either (if Micromasters and Legends Class figures can't).

The trailer definitely doesn't function quite as well considering it doesnt have a proper pull down ramp like MP-10's trailer.

[GoktimusPrime]

The trailer definitely doesn't function quite as well considering it doesnt have a proper pull down ramp like MP-10's trailer.
It doesn't necessarily need an extendable ramp. G1 ramps are super simple but they work. It's because they're not trying to be anything else other than just ramps, whereas ER Prime's trailer is also a connectable play set and the door is also a shield. It's a Jack of All Master of None, so to speak.

You could say that it does have a trade-off in terms of play value; it's given us play features as a connectable set and shield, but sacrifices the play feature of being a functional ramp. Even as a kid I loved having working ramps. Maybe kids today prefer the other features?

[Deano85]

It doesn't necessarily need an extendable ramp. G1 ramps are super simple but they work. It's because they're not trying to be anything else other than just ramps, whereas ER Prime's trailer is also a connectable play set and the door is also a shield. It's a Jack of All Master of None, so to speak.

You could say that it does have a trade-off in terms of play value; it's given us play features as a connectable set and shield, but sacrifices the play feature of being a functional ramp. Even as a kid I loved having working ramps. Maybe kids today prefer the other features?

I have not even once used the connectable ramp feature, and probably used the "shield" rear section once to test it out on Optimus. It helped that the G1 trailer is taller to make the ramp more useable.