7 Faces of Optimus Prime (Part 5)

You just gotta love re-boots. And in this case, the re-booting and re-adaptation of G1 Transformers (and most of the Transformers continuity) into Transformers Animated.

So here he is, the 7th Optimus Prime I own: TFA Voyager Class Prime!


I wasn't initially planning on getting this guy, let alone any other of the Animated line. I had my 2 Deluxe Class Prime figures (from Part 3 below) and I was more than happy. But I had to turn 30 and whaddaya know? My girlfriend, Melissa, surprises me with everyone's favourite Autobot leader.

Ok, so I kinda guessed she'd gotten it for me--she's not very good at hiding her surprise when I guess her gifts correctly. :P But tell me I'm not the luckiest guy on the planet. First the Henkei Prime, now the TFA Voyager! Woohoo!

I have to confess, I didn't think I'd like Voyager Prime as much as Deluxe Cybertron mode. But here's the thing: the Voyager Class TFA figures have nice tight alt modes and pretty show accurate robot modes, on top of being pretty darn poseable.

Granted, this guy maybe a little chunkier (in the chest) than how he appears in the show, but we like our Primes buff!

He's got great paint apps all over, especially the red, and light piping for his eyes. Now he doesn't come with the axe in the pic. That weapon belongs to Battle Begins Deluxe Prime. But it fits his hands perfectly and makes him show accurate.

One of the simple but most fun features he has is his sliding chin guard--Slide up for battle mode, slide down for his face in regular mode. He's the only TFA Prime so far that can do this. :)





The other feature involves his transformation:



Ok I lied, nothing there but fancy pictures :P However, when he transforms back from truck mode, there's a little switch located on his back that lets Prime's legs and waist spin down into place under his upper torso. That's quite a feature--you sorta get to see your Prime transform at least partly by himself. Awesome. :)

Now the axe that comes with him may seem a little big. It also seems a weird colour for an axe, and completely not show accurate. Also if you remove the water cannon from it, there's a big hole in the weapon.







But the beauty of it is that it transforms to Prime's "trailer" and fits nicely on the back in truck mode. And it can also double up as Optimus' backpack/jetpack when he's in robot mode--it fits snugly on his back.






His final feature is sort of an Easter Egg. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered it. It's not on the back of the box or in the instructions.

Prime's cannon that can also be held in his hand can shoot water by depressing the nozzle. Just fill 'er up via the rubber stopper at the bottom of the cannon and then fire away!



And size-wise, this guy fits perfectly with the other TFA Voyagers. Check it out:


So here's how I rate TFA Optimus Prime:

Show Accuaracy: 9/10 - Spot on in robot mode, right down to the moveable chin guard. Less sleek than in the show, but Prime can be as buff as he wants as leader of the Autobots. ;) His axe is way too big, but swapping in with the Battle Begins Prime's axe works.

Poseability: 9/10 - His waist and head rotate 360 degrees as do his knees. His shoulders too, but they have 2 more hinge joints there (primarily for transformation) that give him even more flexibility with the arms. Elbows can bend up to 90 degrees but wrists are fixed. His lower body, though, is a little disappointing. Legs bend less than 90 deg at the knees, but hyper extend. His feet can point and "flex." The upper thigh can move forward and back less than 180 deg but they move out to the side pretty much all the way.

But I was still surprised how poseable he was! :)

Aesthetic: 9.5/10 - Great looking robot mode. Nice clear blue windows with circuitry. Vehicle mode is nice and seamless, and pieces snap together to make the truck mode tight. Paint apps are applied realy well, and his red is a smooth matte. He doesn't have an Autobot sign in any mode though!

Overall: 9.2/10 - It's a must have for any TFA or Optimus Prime fan! :) (You can now get him for $29.90 at any of the major department stores--if you can find him. ;])