Toy Review - HFTD Battle Blades Optimus Prime

[griffin]

Toy Review - Battle Blades Optimus Prime

Series - Autobot Alliance (Movie)
Sub-line - Hunt for the Decepticons
Size - Voyager
New/remould/redeco - New

Wave - 2
Released here - August 2010
Approximate Retail Price - $45-50
Approximate Size - 20cm

Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Truck
Main Features/Gimmicks - flip-out swords
Main Colours - Red, blue, grey
Main Accessories - (2 guns)

[Doubledealer]

Does anyone know if a variation of this mould with the hooks is coming out? Looks like a great toy but I'd prefer the hooks to re-enact that scene from ROTF.

[griffin]

Apparently there will be, according to the Hasbro people at BotCon in their presentation panel.

Wave 2 - Battleblades Optimus (with matrix) (a later redeco is already planned, with new head and hooks), Banzaitron

[Prime_217]

i dunno about this guy. he looks pretty good, but then again he looks like the designers just tried to find a way to scale down leader op without trying to make it an interesting toy in its own right. i might get him with the hooks just so i can have one in scale with blackout/grindor

[SharkyMcShark]

Yeah I'll wait for hooks aswell.

[Stompy]

Been waiting for this Voyager Prime and it doesn't disappoint. Aping its LEader version with some added bells and whistles that probably propel this above the Leader Class version a bit. Excuse my pictures as I used my phone camera to take it as my proper camera is packed away somewhere. anyway, my thoughts...

ALT MODE:









This truck mode is pretty darn accurate. With the smoke stacks, canisters and petrol tanks on each side. The vront is accurate and its really only the back that suffers a little with some gaps, but this is very minor. Everything is where it should be and in proper proportions. All 6 plastic wheels roll and you will need to do some fiddling to get the two back wheels aligned straight for both to spin.

The size of the truck is a little smaller than the original Voyager OP but its not a big deal. The canister on the side of the bonnett and the lower half of the smokestacks are painted silver with the rest of the greys painted Hasbro grey. Premium version with the Battle Hooks version Hasbro? There's also pegs located on the sides which is used to hold panels in robot mode, which may be a hindrance for some.


CONVERSION:

It mimics the Leader version somewhat with less fiddling and none of the heart-attack inducing peg pulling for the chest pieces. There's some angles and folds that is needed for some panels to align properly into alt mode but there are pegs everywhere to lock everything in place. The chest area is wonderfully handled in this version with a couple of nice classy touches to align it.


ROBOT MODE:







Wow is all I can say. This version is a facsimilie of the Leader Class design. Everything from the arms, legs, chest and even the rear and how the smoke stacks and fins sit on the shoulder. Colour wise it has some well applied paint apps only let down by the amount of the drab hasbro grey permeating the legs and the arms. My only gripe withthe colours is probably the overly dark clear blue they used for the light piped eyes. It makes him look like he has raybans on as it blends in with the blue of his head. Perhaps a lighter blue for the battle hooks version hasbro? Proportionally its quite accurate but the legs may be a little thin compared to the movie model. The arms are simple and has the bonnett just wrapped on the side and underneath the arm. The two blades are not spring loaded and just swivels to the back with a little peg to keep it in place. Disappointingly the arm problems mimic the Leader version too. The blades get in the way of articulation but thankfully no arm kibble to disrupt the articulation when the blades are deployed out. The back can be unruly to look at but is completely hidden when viewed up front and is in no way unruly.

Articulation is great allowing the arms to swing outwards a good distance androtation on the armpits and elbow. The wrist is stuck in one position. There is no waist articulation due to the nature of the conversion but the legs provide ample articulation on the hip, knees and the ankles is ratcheted to swing forward and back just enough and also have about 30 degrees outward/inward swing to allow for his feet to both be flat on the ground in many poses. The head spins but the shoulders get in the way a little.



Not only does he have his Battle Blades, the gas canisters also can be detached and used as two buster canons. It's a realtively simple gun with just the tips folding out to resemble a barrel tip. But a nice one-up over the original RotF Leader. The biggest surprise for me was that this figure contains the Matrix Of Leadership. Well the movie version anyway...





By propping down his shoulders and lifting the windshield chests up and folding down his belly the Matrix will lever up and show itself. This is a very nice addition which the light and sound box of the Leader version takes up. I wish Hasbro would ditch the light and sound gimmicks on their Leaders to allow for some awesome features and non-compromised engineering. Seeing this feature added to a smaller figure is impressive and yet the application of the feature is so simple.

OVERALL:
I absolutely adore this figure. This is essentially a smaller version of the Leader Class Prime with an easier to remember conversion without sacrificing a little complexity for those of us who love puzzle-forming. The detail is amazing in robot mode and the addition of having both battle blades and canons makes this complete (well unless you want the hooks). Then you have the Matrix Of Leadership embedded in his chest. that just adds icing to the cake. Plus the solid alt mode and you have a winner. The definitive movie Voyager Optimus Prime. GET IT!

[SkyWarp91]

The definitive movie Voyager Optimus Prime. GET IT!

If only I wasn't already spending money on other TFs lol...

But that is one convincing review there, may pick it up when stores like K-Mart and Big-W start stocking these and selling them cheaper, christmas ain't too far away now

[Lord_Zed]

Yeah I want one of these to go with Deluxe Ironhide, Ratchet, and Voyager megs and Starscream etc.

However not sure wether to get this one or wait for the hooked version, who knows what Hasbro will do, they might paint the hasbro grey in the next version, or alternatively add horrible attempted battle damage or nightwatch colours.

A Japanese Buster Prime level repaint would rock so hard.

To wait or not to wait, also depends on wether I see this guy on sale soon.

[Gutsman Heavy]

damn Stompy, if I wasn't convinced to buy before I am now. Still must try and wait for hooker prime (hehehe)

[Tallestblue]

Yeah....i'm pretty much buying him on sight. It looks sweeeeeeet.