Transformers Prime Happy Meal Toys

[GoktimusPrime]

Four to collect: Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron & Starscream.
http://www.happymeal.com.au/en_AU/index.html#/BoyIntro

I have Optimus Prime and Bumblebee... and they're just terrible toys, even by Meal TF toy standards. Seriously. It's like we haven't had any decent meal TF toys since Energon. The last happy meal toys that impressed me were Armada. But after Energon all the meal toys aren't even trying to be TF action figures, but just random toys with a TF theme. These toys are terrible... they don't transform (boo) and the play features are incredibly lacklustre. My 2 year old was amused with Optimus Prime for a few days and then got sick of it... that's how unappealing they are, even to infants. Fortunately for me I got Bumblebee for free and I should be able to get the rest for free... but I paid $2 for Optimus Prime and felt royally ripped off.

Oh, and my daughter left the smokestacks in the down position for over 24 hours and the batteries are now nearly dead (so there's no auto shutdown after they're left on for a prolonged period of time). <sigh> Ceebs to replace the batteries on such a forgettable toy.

[AussieJason]

I've only got Optimus so far, but not inspired to get the others based on this one

I don't expect much from a Happy Meal toy, but in comparison the Animated ones were far superior (and they transformed as well)

[GoktimusPrime]

I don't expect much from a Happy Meal toy, but in comparison the Animated ones were far superior (and they transformed as well)

Aah, I'd almost forgotten about Animated! But you're absolutely right - they were proper transformable toys. So it seems Animated was the last time we got decent meal TF toys.

IMO the Armada Happy Meal toys were the best. They could all transform from vehicle to robot, they all had individual gimmicks, they had Mini-Con ports that were compatible with actual Mini-Cons, and they could combine! Sure, it was all rather simple, but it worked -- and for $2 Happy Meal toys, they were pretty damn cool! Armada Starscream's Jumpstarter gimmick actually works better than the G1 Jumpstarters! The Movieverse Red Rooster meal toys were arguably even worse than TF Prime.

Also I wonder if Bumblebee has been modified. Because the Autobot badge on the roof looks and feels like a button and the gun looks like a missile launcher... it even has a barrel that looks like it could hold a missile. But the toy comes with no missile and the button doesn't do anything. I wonder if this was an abandoned gimmick, or if the Australian version was modified from the American one. Wouldn't be the first time -- remember Red Rooster BM Rattrap? The US version had elbow articulation, but ours didn't.

[5FDP]

Aah, I'd almost forgotten about Animated! But you're absolutely right - they were proper transformable toys. So it seems Animated was the last time we got decent meal TF toys.

Prime was the best IMO. My daughter played with him when she was younger and now my son has inherited him... and it's still not broken I love how his transformation is almost identical to G1 Prime

[GoktimusPrime]

Found Megatron on my desk this morning. So far it's the best of the TFPrime Happy Meal toys (though that's not saying a whole lot) because it actually offers some sliver of play value. The LED is part of the cannon, so it's like a pretend laser/energy blast. This works a lot better than Optimus Prime randomly having light-up windows and Autobot logo when his smokestacks go down for no apparent reason than just to give him a gimmick. And unlike Bumblebee who has a cannon with no working launcher or even a missile, Megatron comes with a missile that can shoot! I just fired it across my work desk and it flew 76cm - it's not the most powerful launcher, but that's a fair shot for a toy that needs to comply to 3+ safety standards (whereas TF action figures comply to age 5-8+ standards which I imagine wouldn't be as strict).

So unlike the previous figures, the gimmicks here are actually meaningful and they work! Of course, the toy itself doesn't transform as expected, so that sucks heaps. There's a Decepticon logo nicely tampographed on the toy though. Why is it that cheap little Maccas Happy Meal TFs all have logos, but some more expensive Deluxe and Voyager class Transformers don't?!? Jet mode still looks ridiculous... but that's because TF Prime Megatron just happens to have a silly looking alt mode anyway. Oh, and by virtue of the vehicle mode design, this may be the only TF Prime Happy Meal toy with a robot part visible! i.e. the head! There's no partial face sculpted on it or anything like that, but the bucket head is still clearly visible, and is in fact the trigger button for the missile launcher!

[Felelu]

You are lucky to get the best one

[lj7369]

Yet again we only get the 4 main characters, US run had 8.
Ebay again i spose

[GoktimusPrime]

Has anyone gotten Starscream yet? My source hasn't given me one (yet), and I went to a Maccas yesterday and the latest one they had was Megs.

[mknell]

Has anyone gotten Starscream yet? My source hasn't given me one (yet), and I went to a Maccas yesterday and the latest one they had was Megs.

Yeah I got 2, just waiting on Bumblebee