List of things Optimus Prime transforms into

[Zommael]

Edited 23/5/14 8:20pm to add: Information about where each mode came from, a few other modes with acknowledgements to those members that pointed them out, a section on debatable alt modes, and a section on things that aren't Optimus Prime but have similar names and what they turn into.

My comment on the news about Bearbrick Optimus Prime got me thinking: it should be possible to compile a complete list of things Optimus Prime transforms into. Off the top of my head:

A short-nosed truck (G1 Optimus Prime)
A different, possibly futuristic short-nosed truck (Powermaster Optimus Prime)
A definitely futuristic short-nosed truck (Star Convoy)
A long-nosed truck (Hero Optimus Prime)
A more differenter long-nosed truck (Laser Optimus Prime)
A gorilla (Beast Wars Optimus Primal and Cybertron Optimus Prime)
A different short-nosed truck (Machine Wars Optimus Prime)
A fire engine (Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime)
A (Cybertronian?) monster truck (Armada Optimus Prime)
A Cybertronian short-nosed truck (Energon Optimus Prime)
A Cybertronian/futuristic fire engine (Cybertron Optimus Prime)
Yet another short-nosed truck (Classics Optimus Prime)
A Peterbilt long-nosed truck (Movie Optimus Prime)
Another random fire engine-based thing (Animated Optimus Prime)
Mickey Mouse (Optimouse Prime)
A shoe (Sports Label Convoy)
Another long-nosed truck (Prime Optimus Prime)
Some sort of beast truck (Prime Beast Hunters Optimus Prime)
A pen (unreleased)
A bearbrick (unreleased)
Various Cybertronian somethings
A sports car (Alternity Optimus Prime)
ETA: A baseball cap (thanks liegeprime)
ETA: A DVD case (thanks BigTransformerTrev)
Absolutely nothing at all (various PVC and static action figures, Action Master Optimus Prime)

Debatable:

A bat - Technically, the first release of both Beast Wars Gorilla Optimus Primal and Bat Optimus Primal count as Optimus Prime, as they were released before the cartoon (which established Primal as a separate character), and the accompanying fiction indicates it is the same character as G1 Optimus Prime. It is notable that the TF Wiki uses this logic (but also lists both as Optimus Primal). It is also notable that our founder here at Ozformers disagrees .

Things that are definitely not Optimus Prime but have similar names, and what they turn into:

Optimus Minor (monkey)
Big Convoy (mammoth)
Lioconvoy (lion, note next entry)
Leo Prime (liger)
Vector Prime (space ship)
Sentinel Prime (truck)
Sentinel Prime (fire engine)
OP (laser gun, thanks to Ultra Mackness for bringing it up and Delta Prime for clarifying. No, I don't know what Delta turns into and he doesn't get to go on the list. )

Are there any I'm missing?

[liegeprime]

You can add Captimus - he transforms into a cap.



and in Japan there is that TF Go! Train/Dragon/ Robot Optimus - not sure what it's name is...

[BigTransformerTrev]

Was it Optimus Prime that turned into a Gorilla? I know Optimus Primal did, but did Optimus Prime ever have a Gorilla or bat mode? I've got a big poster at home showing tons of different Optimus forms, but the poster encompasses both the seperate characters of Prime and Primal


Oh, and you can add DVD case to the list, I got one of the first movie where the case unfolded into Optimus Prime

[Zommael]

Was it Optimus Prime that turned into a Gorilla? I know Optimus Primal did, but did Optimus Prime ever have a Gorilla or bat mode? I've got a big poster at home showing tons of different Optimus forms, but the poster encompasses both the seperate characters of Prime and Primal


Oh, and you can add DVD case to the list, I got one of the first movie where the case unfolded into Optimus Prime

Technically, yes. In the earliest days of the Beast Wars, before the TV show, the initial pack-in comics depicted Beast Wars as a continuation of G1. Optimus Primal and Megatron were therefore depicted as the same characters as Optimus Prime and G1 Megatron, and so we can add bat and gorilla to Prime's list of alts. For what it's worth, TFwiki.com follows this line of thinking.

[BigTransformerTrev]

Technically, yes. In the earliest days of the Beast Wars, before the TV show, the initial pack-in comics depicted Beast Wars as a continuation of G1. Optimus Primal and Megatron were therefore depicted as the same characters as Optimus Prime and G1 Megatron, and so we can add bat and gorilla to Prime's list of alts. For what it's worth, TFwiki.com follows this line of thinking.

Well there ya go - I learned something today

[Omega Metro]

How about a 'Piece Of Crap'?.........Silver Knight Optimus!..I'm looking at you.

[griffin]

In Cybertron, Optimus had a gorilla toy (redeco of the 10th anniversary toy), so that's counted... but the bat is conjectural if you take retconning into account or if you follow toy bios and ignore cartoon/comics.

However, if you go by just "Optimus" like you would "Megatron" as a name & homage, the Primal would count with Prime... as the point of the list would be the same as if you did up a Megatron list.

[GoktimusPrime]

Don't forget G2 Gobot Optimus Prime (see below in bold)

In Japanese toy continuity Bat Primal (known as Convobat) is definitely G1 Optimus Prime -- the tech specs explicitly state this (and Megalligator is G1 Megatron). I personally view the CD ROM versions of these toys as being Optimus Prime and G1 Megs because there's no Hasbro versions of these toys to contradict it (unlike say the regular versions of these toys). Although one could argue that even in Hasbro's toy continuity, Bat Primal and Gator Megatron are also meant to be Optimus Prime & Megatron, since their canon takes place in the pre-cartoon story arc, and neither toy ever appeared in the cartoon which retconned Primal and BW Megs as different characters.

Meh... in the Gokiverse, regular Bat Primal and Gator Megs are precursory versions of Optimus Primal & BW Megatron, but CD Convobat & Megalligator are Optimus Prime & G1 Megatron reformatted as Maximal & Predacon respectively.

I'd also like to point out the following...
+ Original G1 (& G2 ) Optimus Prime = Freightliner FL86
+ G2 Hero Optimus Prime = Kenworth (unknown model, possibly made-up)
+ G2 Laser Optimus Prime = Western Star 4964EX
+ G2 Gobot Optimus Prime = Lamborghini Diablo
+ RiD Optimus Prime = Hino Branbilar
+ Movie/ROTF/DOTM Optimus Prime = Peterbilt 379
+ AoE Optimus Prime, Evasion Mode = Marmon 97
+ AoE Optimus Prime = Western Star 4900SB
+ Sports Label Convoy = Nike Free 7.0
+ Capbots Captimus Prime = Transformers New Era 59fifty fitted cap
+ Be@rbrick Optimus Prime = Be@rbrick

I think Ultra Optimus Primal is meant to be a silverback gorilla (although too young to actually have a silver back according to the paint job on the toy ), and AFAIK Bat Primal's beast mode is just a generic bat (no identifiable species). All other Optimus Primes are based on fictitious alt modes, AFAIK.

[DELTAprime]

+ G2 Gobot Optimus Prime = Lamborghini Diablo

OMG, Must have.

Theres one on ebay but it's from Wheeljackslab, bummer.

[GoktimusPrime]

I don't have Go-Bot Optimus Prime, but I do have Go-Bot Sideswipe and RiD REV who are the same mould. Likewise G2 Frenzy & RiD Hot Shot are the same mould as Go-Bot Megatron, which I also don't have. And the RiD Spychangers have like a gazillion variants.