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The transformation of Legends OP is simply amazing. He's like a mini version of the Leader Class toy from the first movie. Brilliant.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stompy
Pics and comparisons of the combined mode:
http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/v...ge=4#pid178926
Sideswipe First Thoughts
He has a puzzle-former look in alt mode, although no where near as obvious as Universe Ironhide. His paint job is very similar to Premium Jazz, so he looks nice and shiny, but there's plenty of room for smudges, chips, blobs and other blemishes. I think it's a pretty impressive alt mode. Very nice.
It's been so long since I played with new Movie toys, I've forgotten how fiddly they are :rolleyes:. Nothing popped off, but both of the toys I've played with require the plastic's flexibility to get certain parts around other parts, and it does have a light and thin feel to it.
The transformation reminded me a bit of Animated Blurr as I pulled this shard out this way, and another out that way. There's a lot of kibble in robot mode (basically all the planks of the Corvette minus the boot where his head pops out), but it's folded up as a backpack and I don't think it hinders his aesthetic too bad.
His bot mode has great proportions. The flip out blades are automorphed so that if you move one half, the other half flips around perfectly in sync. There are three hydraulic looking connectors from his thigh to his shin, one in the back and two in front. The two in front are soft rubber plastic and give the bot mode and his movements a very realistic feel, but you have to be considerate of them as you move his thighs around as they can get caught in a crack and get snapped. Unfortunately, his face seems to just be the light, plain gray they covered up so well nearly everywhere else with metallic paint.
Lastly, I've only transformed him to bot and back once, but while he was in bot, I simply could not stand him up. Not due to balancing issues, but this is another bot with wheels for feet, a la Bonecrusher. The only difference being he doesn't seem to have that stabilizing peg that Bonecrusher did.
Leader Prime First Thoughts
Leader Prime is pretty amazing. The first transformation was painful. I used the instructions and it still took me around least 20-30 minutes. By the I returned it back to robot mode, I was much more comfortable and already in awe of some of the subtleties. There is a peg and a slot for everything (w/one slight exception).
The robot is considerably more posable than 2007. However, there's a slight annoyance in that you can't have his arms straight at his side (or even close) with the blades retracted. They really conflict with the back of his shoulders. His neck is not on a ball joint, but the plank it sits on has its own articulation therefore giving you pretty much any position that a ball joint would.
Fear of Premium Series: The red and the blue are more reminiscent of the 2007 Premium Series than the regular series. Unfortunately, there's still an abundance of "Hasbro Gray". The two shoulder points are painted metal, but that's about it. I hope there is a Premium Series, or even better a Takara Premium Series, because some painted metal and a touch of chrome would give this thing utter perfection.
Interestingly enough, it's approximately the same height as MP Grimlock and Starscream and looks surprisingly well next to them. I recently re-boxed up my MP-4 because it didn't blend well with MP-3/8. This new Prime will hang with them in the meantime. :cool:
I concur witht he impressive engineering feat that is RotF Leader Optimus Prime. When I finally got the bot in my hands I just couldn't fathom how that thin lanky bot would convert into a truck.
The robot mode is relatively kibble free except for the biggest downfall of the figure... the damn shoulder kibble and forearm kibble plus the blades completely bash against each other overlapping and just cannot sit right. It affects arm movement and I was severely dissapointed with that. The legs were great with hip joints, knee joints and a ball jointed feet. The mech alive gimmick is not all that good and the effect makes it look like OP is about to combust.
However the real winner here is the conversion. Like jay said. Initial transformation took me a good 30 minutes as Hasbro's instructions were of no help and there was even a few errors. Just be careful at:
- step 4 (requires precise alignment and pegging them properly in the right spots)
- step 7 (the chest piece that looks attached inside his chest grille is meant to be popped out of it's groove)
- step 10 (requires a fold down of the shoulder pin joint while swivelling the shoulder joint back wards)
- step 16 (the diagram is actually helpful here, just pay attention as you need to wedge it into the wedges in the arms)
- step 18 (requires the canisters to be up and not in the spot shown in the diagram, as you will never get the panels to fold over the canisters).
Of note in the conversion is the amazing way the full smokestack converts together and how the chest turns into the actual truck cab and still retain the mech alive gears gimmick.
The truck mode is beautiful with nary any seams or any obvious visible bot kibble on the underside. Absolutely seamless and you feel rewarded for such a puzzling conversion at just how it all fits together. If I was to point out something - the gap near the utility box and gas tanks are a little annoying but nothing major. You may wonder where the button for the truck mode sound effects is, it's just on the back of the cab on the grey panel, the small square on the left with the little triangle. Thanks to jay for pointing that out to me as there was nothing hinting it in the instructions and only a vague useless pointer in the back of box.
Quite simply an engineering marvel. This is why I love Transformers.
Leader Class Optimus Prime is a work of art!!!
Honestly, the figure is so impressive in so many ways I cannot even begin to describe them all. It's very movie accurate (well, in relation to the 1st movie anyway) and both modes are exceptional!
I will agree with others though and say that the first transformation is very painful. I got frustrated on many occasions - the instructions are useless at some steps! :rolleyes: But once you get your head around what's actually supposed to be happening, it flows easily. The second and third transformations are a breeze - just push through that first one! :p
I was very impressed by the look of Leader Megatron too - I haven't got him yet but I will in the next day or so.
Prime has won me over - I'm looking forward to several of the ROTF figures now... I just hope the others can live up to the lofty heights of expectation that this wonderful Optimus Prime has set.
Leader Prime looks hard to transform and the instructions are useless. :( I might go watch a video review or something before attempting to transform the toy because I'm afraid of breaking something - particularly the chest panels.
My thoughts on other figures I got...
Leader Megatron: Much like Leader Megs from the first movie, it transforms from an alien robot into a mashed up alien robot that's meant to be a vehicle. If you didn't like Megatron from the last movie line then you won't like this one any better. In robot mode the left arm is ridiculously small while the right cannon-arm (there's no hand) is ridiculously huge. The electronic block in the torso really hampers engineering, much like in the last Leader Megs toy. I'm glad I got this on sale at Kmart... even then I feel ripped. If you really want a RotF Megatron I'd recommend getting the FAB version over the Leader.
Demolishor: A clever transformation which achieves a silly robot mode. And the engineering in this toy really doesn't justify it being a Voyager - I think this toy could've easily been done as a Deluxe. As one may imagine, the toy's a bugger to stand.
Rampage: Like Demolishor, there's a lot of cleverness in the transformation but the end result is disappointing. Hasbro's instructions are also inaccurate with the transformation to robot mode. Boo. Considering that the supposed reason why the Constructicons cannot merge is to make the individual toys better, I am really disappointed. After transforming these Constructicons I thought to myself, "That's it? And you guys don't even merge??!" (o_O) Fail!
Sideways: Quite fiddly for a Deluxe. Some clever elements in this design include a free-spinning false wheel on the left arm. The red is kinda garish and the tiny-tiny feet make the toy nigh-impossible to balance.
Sideswipe: My favourite RotF deluxe so far. Surprisingly this toy isn't that hard to make stand. The trick is to position the toy so that it leans forward and the panels on the front of the feet will support the toy in a standing position. I've tried this on both a smooth surface and on carpet and it worked on both surfaces. Win!
Dead End: A small, simple yet elegantly designed toy.
+a zillionQuote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
his legs are like that of a goat XD
I must say I'm tempted by Leader Class Optimus, and I usualy hate Leader Class toys. I wish I could find some Deluxe toys or Scouts, instead of lame FAB's everywhere. Don't Kmart want to sell thier stock???
leader OP - unopened so far
leader megs - unopned so far - am i the only one who has bought him?:o
rampage - unopened so far
knockout rollbar dirt boss well you get the picture
you all make me want to open them!!! argh
i have serious issues with the paint ala my thread
also have issues with the pricing
apart from that im really looking forward to being broke for the next year or so:cool:
Holy moly. The new Starscream mould has a mindblowing conversion. It may look like it has the same conversion based on the bot mode looks but it's completely brand new. Nothing of the old mould has been reused at all. This is a must have for conversion/engineering fans.
The alt mode is definately a gigantic step up from the kibble heavy belly of the original and now looks like an actual jet.The only real complaint is the ridiculous hands/claws visible up back. It totally ruined this alt mode. What makes it worse is that the instructions show a claw with a double joint that allows you to fold the fingers inwards over the palm to hide it in alt mode. I guess manufacturing costs held it back in this already joint heavy delight.
The bot mode retains the look of movie Starscream but what is amazing is the conversion and what parts of the jet form together to form the robot parts. Quite stunning in its execution especially considering the mech alivwe gimmick works a treat despite its unusual conversion.
Also got my hands on Double Blade Optimus Prime Fast Action Battler and although it looks the same as the first movie's FAB version, it is a completely new mould. The bot mode is a little rough with no elbow joints and a rather short arm, but the foldout launcher and the double blade gimmick works very well. The conversion is a lot more involved for a FAB which almost makes it deluxe quality. The alt mode is seamless. No real visible robot kibble nor does it look like a shellformer like most other FAB's. It's quite stunning in truck mode. The use of silver paint baffles me considering the size class when compared to the Leader version where it was just Hasbro Grey™. Baffling. For FAB fans this one is definately the best of the range so far followed by Long Haul.
Nabbed me a dirtboss last night and he is a fun little figure.
Could do with a touch more paint (but all the scouts could) but the transformation is clever without being difficult, and my version was well built, the arms are tight, but not to the point that you fear they will snap off, and the legs are sturdy enough to support his arms and blades.
I want a second one to play around and paint on, the green suits him, but the grey needs to go.
Did you read my last post?Quote:
Originally Posted by Autocon
I went to Target @ Rockdale last night and found both classes. You can't miss em, Z, they're at the front entrance :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord_Zed
I bought him too. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Autocon
http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/a...kLqsyI3fyd.jpg
I liked your comparison photos between the Primes on the May Acquisitions thread Kyle. :)
I think that RotF Leader Prime is better in terms of visual movie accuracy, but overall I reckon that the movie 1 Leader Prime is a better toy. As others have mentioned, the blades really do interfere with the arms (why couldn't they be detachable?!) and there's a certain coolness to just having a nice chunky and beefy Optimus Prime. :)
waaaah? I can't fathom how you can prefer the original! I guess i'm not fussed with the swords and the arms since I want the swords deployed all the time anyway.
They're definitely both great toys, and compliment each other nicely, the new one doesn't make the old one completely obsolete.
I like the new one more. :o:p To me the older Leader Class Prime is still a GREAT toy and part of the evolution. I'll have him standing next to the new Prime in my display. I see him now as "G1 Prime with movie styling" or "Movie Prime with G1 proportions". Sort of half way between G1 and Movie. :p
http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/a...v40fedwe7C.jpg
Wow nice Line up there.
Going on the pictures above the first guy in the line is the best, then the last one, not that fussed with the middle guy myself. :p
I don't mind the look of the Big megs except for that silly little arm he has, that's just wierd looking!
Rockdale is a little out of my hunting grounds, not sure I'll be able to get there any time soon. I've also yet to check Miranda so that will probably be the first port of call.Quote:
Originally Posted by dirge
Thanks fer the tip though.
Only opened up Legends Bumblebee so far and I've gotta say I just love him! Much detail packed in a small figure...
He's definitely a new mould and there seems to be some shine/glitter on the yellow paint? :confused:
Not looking at movie accuracy and evaluating both leaders purely on their merit as toys alone, I prefer the original because the arms' mobility aren't impeded by weaponry and also the hands have articulated fingers. The transformation on the movie 1 toy is more fun to me; more simple and elegant; and I'm not afraid of breaking anything during the process.Quote:
Originally Posted by kurdt_the_goat
More subjectively, I prefer the darker metallic blues and transparent electric blue on the windows on the movie 1 figure. And as I said before, I just prefer the bulkier look - but again, that's subjective. The red toes on the RotF one also looks kinda weird.
RotF Leader Prime wins in terms of movie-accuracy, but I prefer a less movie-accurate toy that's well engineered, and to me I find movie 1 Leader Prime a better designed toy. Not by a whole lot - RotF Leader Prime is still a very fine toy in its own right. :)
What about the legs though? 1st version has kibbletastic tyres that always unclip and get in the way of posing.
That's true. RotF Prime also has a better sculpted head with nicer articulation (although I think the movie 1 Prime's head was based on an earlier version of movie Prime's head so I don't fault HasTak for it). I think both toys have good and bad points. Objectively speaking I think they're both as good as each other - but I have a personal preference for the first movie Prime as a toy. Aside from the blades and fiddly breast panels, there's nothing I really dislike about RotF Prime either. :)
Wicked :) I'll be sure to let you know my Human Alliance Bumblebee impressions over the weekend.. since i know you were disappointed with the Preview Bee. The Human Alliance will look out of scale in a regular leader-voyager-deluxe display setup, but other than that it looks awesome :)
i no read the comments
but how can y'all be commenting on it
its not out till the 22nd o june
Sorry Roller, can't tell you unless you read the comments. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by roller
Don't worry there not Spoilerific.
Forget the other Ultimate Bumblebee... The Human Alliance Bumblebee is the REAL ULTIMATE Bumblebee!!!!!! So impressed! I'm not sure if I like this or the new Leader Class Optimus more now... :p
Both modes look MUCH nicer in person than online pics. Transformation is very nice and not as frustrating like some BT/AT can be. Compared to BT/AT, this is a REAL toy that you can have fun with. Battle mask is implemented nicely. Even the dumb looking Sam figurine is pretty cool in person. :D Reminds me so much of the M.A.S.K. toys from childhood.
http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/a...k3FAvNwB2v.jpg
http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/a...SwmZlHEvUo.jpg
http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/a...nvCsnm0YEN.jpg
http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/a...YfWW9H9Q4r.jpg
I'll let Kurdt give you guys a much more proper review. :p
I'm not interested in the Human-Alliance line, but I want human figures! :(
The Sam figure is pretty decently articulated! Head can rotate, arms up and down and rotate at shoulder, chest can move around a bit, no waist but his legs can rotate and bend at the top, and bend at the knee. I don't think Sam's worth $50, but the Bumblebee is a nice bonus :p
Yeah, I might stick with my Mutt Williams figure. :p
P.S.: Whereas Soundwave was a midget of a Deluxe, Sideways is the opposite - he's tall! He's about the same head height as Blackout! Of course, this is due to the fact that he's quite lanky. :)
I finally worked out how to transform RotF Prime into truck mode (with assistance from Rimfyre's video review :p). The engineering is really quite clever, achieving a more movie-accurate transformation with the arms going into the bonnet instead of the legs. Not an easy feat so my hat off to HasTak for achieving that. It's a bloody fiddly transformation though - so putting movie accuracy aside, I find TF1's transformation to be more simple and elegant; RotF Prime is much more of a panel former than TF1 Prime. Having said that, RotF Prime's truck mode is quite beautiful.
I took some comparative pics of TF1 and RotF Leader Primes in truck mode.
Front view:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...derprimes1.jpg
+ The clear headlights and windows on RotF OP are arguably more realistic, but I personally prefer the blues on TF1 OP.
+ The blue just behind TF1 OP's grill (which are his robot feet) are absent on RotF OP - so in this regard RotF OP looks nicer.
+ The grey used on TF1 OP - and I remember whinging about how cheap it looked when I got this toy 3 years ago - is actually a nicer grey than that on RotF OP, which is an even cheaper grey (or as jaydisc would call it, "Hasbro grey" :)) - they're both Hasbro greys... but RotF OP's are "Hasbro greyer" :p. Having said that, RotF OP's "step-boxes" are blue and with silver paint which looks nicer.
+ The Autobot hood ornament is better sculpted and better painted on TF1 OP. RotF's one is just completely smeared in red like some pre-schooler coloured it in.
+ I'm not fond of the black Autobot insignia on the window on RotF Prime.
+ TF1 OP has silver windscreen wipers which look nicer than RotF Prime's unpainted red wipers.
Side view:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...derprimes2.jpg
+ RotF OP has wing mirrors! Sure, they're completely transparent, but at least he has them! :)
+ RotF OP's rims/hubcaps are silver which is nicer than TF1 OP's Hasbro greys.
+ The way that RotF OP's smokestacks and tanks are done and the way they transform are nice and clever. However RotF OP exposes a little bit more robot kibble from the side view.
+ The smoke stacks are also sculpted nicer - with the tips pointing backward instead of directly up. They're also of a softer rubber, which might be good in making them less brittle. When I was taking these photos I dropped my TF1 OP and the right side smoke stack broke off. :( I've since glued it back on... but yeah. I wonder if RotF OP would've survived better having softer smoke stacks. I'm not going to test this theory! :p
Rear view:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...derprimes3.jpg
+ No unsightly gun on RotF OP!
+ The sleeper compartment looks much nicer on RotF OP as it doesn't have the big gap that TF1 OP has. It does have a small gap between the sleeper compartment and hitch which shows a little bit of robot kibble - but not much.
+ RotF OP has clear tail lights which look much nicer than TF1 OP's unpainted ones.
Length comparison:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...derprimes4.jpg
RotF OP is a bit longer than TF1 OP. I've heard that this is more realistic and movie-accurate.
Height comparison:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...derprimes5.jpg
RotF OP is a bit shorter than TF1 OP - again, apparently this is more accurate. I don't have turtle_boy's level of knowledge about trucks, so this is just going off what I've heard from others so don't take what I'm saying about truck proportions as gospel. ;)
I'm seeing a lot of good and not so good points in both of these toys' truck modes - so overall they're both pretty good toys and I think which one people would prefer would greatly depend on personal preference. Fans of movie-accuracy will love RotF OP. :) I'm gonna display my TF1 OP in truck mode with my RotF OP in robot mode next to it.
Damn. That Human Alliance BB is awesome. Love the look of them and I reckon him and that version of Sideswipe will be my picks of the movie line. Great car details, great scale and basically playable BTs! WANT. NOW.
And even at $50 I'd buy that straight out despite being the biggest Scrooge around with the RRPs I pay.
I too thought $50 was great! Especially from a Toyworld nowadays... :D:pQuote:
Originally Posted by STL
I picked up sideways and sideswipe yesterday, while I defiantly prefer the Sideswipe toy I do enjoy the smiliarities/potential Sideways has with Kickback. (the wing like windows and backwards legs) he can even be posed to a decent grasshopper mode. I saw pictured of a black sideways with a remolded head that could easily be turned into a movie kickback..now all I need is something for the other two insecticons...hmmmm
Picked up ROTF Leader Prime and Deluxe Sideswipe. I think most of us know just how good these two figures are by now. ;)
Out of what I saw at Kmart I'm looking forward to picking up Rampage, Demolisher (not at full price though), legends Prime (shame about all the PVC grey) and maybe a few others. The new mould used for Screamer is mental but I'll hold off for a repaint - the symbols thrown all over the jets body totally ruins the alt for me.
The Megatrons are okay. I definitely agree with Gok when he suggested buying the FAB over the leader which is hard to justify spending $79+ on. The main torso and legs do look very cool though.
I was tempted to buy Gravity bot BB but at $29 it was easy to leave on the shelf. :(
Ditto. I'd be all over this mould if they released it without the "tats" :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Doubledealer
Like TF1 Megatron, the body is just one big block, which I find disappointing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doubledealer
RE: TF1 v. RotF OP - I keep forgetting to mention another cool thing about TF1 OP over RotF OP are his rubber tyres (whereas RotF OP has plastic tyres). According to TFwiki the prototype RotF OP's tyres were able to split apart like in the movie model, which would explain why they're plastic and not rubber. But it must've exceeded the toy's budget so the concept was scrapped. Apparently the prototype other cool features which were scrapped for apparently budget reasons - which I can understand. Adding in all these extra whizz-bangs would've made the toy exceed the Leader Class price point. Still, I don't think that making the blades detachable wouldn't have exceeded the budget. (-_-)
I think the cost cutting was done in the right areas. Poseable fingers need to be like MP Starscream to be worth it - IMO the ones on TF1 Prime are pointless for posing anything other than a fist anyway. The splitting of the tyres is a minute detail i wouldn't have expected them to do.. and the extra hinge on the cab steps wouldn't add much either. Perhaps those features could be added back in for a MP Movie Prime.... :D
Agreed. At least they did the cost cuttings in minor areas most fans will forgive. I wish now though a third party will make the guns for him... as seen in the first movie and in the new ROTF trailers... :pQuote:
Originally Posted by kurdt_the_goat
Imo, adding articulated hands wouldn't have added a lot to the final cost. But it would certainly have pushed the price above the $100 mark and even though 90bucks isn't that far off, parents will definitely gawk at triple digit figure toys.
Overall, I must say I'm satisfied with the figure. While I wouldn't mind paying slightly over a 100 bucks for a really good OP figure - silver paint, chrome, articulated fingers, streamline torso with mechalive feature removed to reduce backpack size - the value of a cheap[er] toy cannot be understated.
Expensive toys are not fun cuz you're afraid of breaking it.
Truer words have never been spoken :)Quote:
Originally Posted by willocrew
Just a little note to those who have leader prime:
WHen you're removing the red chest pieces (for robot to truck conversion), I think its best not to pull the chest pieces outwards by force.
Instead, push the two pieces medially (i.e. towards the centre of the chest) & then slide it outwards towards you.
If you pull it out without sliding it first, I foresee that the little red hook might break if its done too often & the whole figure would be stuffed up since its the an important piece.:p
Woo I actualy have ROTF toys now, Targets 15% of was just to much to resist, that said i haven't opened any yet, so there's no commentary...yet.
I know I'm in the minority, but I've kinda come to like Starscreams tattos, its not every day we see a TF into body art. :D Still i'm sure there will not only be a clean repaint but endless seekers to if the mould really is good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doubledealer
I dunno. I will always risk playing with my exspensive toys as I feel everything has its time as long as you extract an appropriate amount of enjoyment from it. When something breaks before its time though that sucks. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by willocrew
Expensive toys are not fun cuz you're afraid of breaking it.