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22 December 2023
What’s red, white, blue, and metal all over? Why, Autobot leader Optimus Prime, of course! 2004 marks a special year for the Prime robot: 20 years and still going strong! Was there any doubt the big guy would be around this long? He is a shining example of the American spirit, with his red, white, and blue paint job, and a voice that sounds suspiciously like John Wayne. He is also a very humble individual who frequently lays his life on the line to protect us from the scourge of the evil Decepticons. And, more importantly, he has always been an expensive toy that little boys begged their parents to purchase.
While the name Optimus Prime was always a cherished memory, the toys created in his name have not always lived up to the legend. Over the years, the company responsible for the Transformers, Hasbro Toys, has fumbled a bit from the original concept of the venerable Autobot leader. The recent creation of the Energon line has given us yet another poorly-designed plastic mess baring the Prime name. Yes, even though Optimus was still alive and kicking, it seemed that the old boy would never retain his former glory.
Well, thankfully, I was again proven wrong. First by the toy company Palisades, and second from Hasbro themselves.
The first ray of hope beamed from Palisades Toys with the creation of a 12" statue of Optimus Prime cast in polystone. They had made very impressive busts and statues in the past for Aliens, Predator, and G.I. Joe, but nothing that really interested me until now. It is a beautiful piece. Optimus is ready for battle, posed in a charging position as if he were about to bitchslap Starscream in the face for being the weasely little toad he is. He's also covered in dents, scrapes, and score marks that are further emphasized with distressed paint and scorch marks. These aren't the battle scars of a commander in chief who sits back and orders his troops to do the dirty work for him. These are the scars of someone at the frontline, leading his troops in one tireless battle after another. He is the type of “person” who wears each and every one of those battle scars with honor and dignity. To top the whole piece off, it comes with an Autobot symbol for a base, with damage marks where Optimus stands to imply the sheer heft of his massive body. A very nice touch.
My favorite detail, however, is definitely his eyes. Believe it or not, they gave Prime very passionate, sad eyes. It's almost as if he is staring down Megatron, silently pleading with him. He doesn’t hate Megatron. He just can’t stand idly by while Megs threatens the lives of the innocent. Time and time again, he forces Prime to give him the smackdown, and that is all captured in his eyes.
The only problem some fans might have with this statue is the overall comic book-style instead of the cartoon look. However, I love the overall design, and am eagerly awaiting further entries into this series. The price of $150 may seem a bit steep, but it is worth it-- especially when you feel how heavy the statue is.
The second Optimus Prime was a complete surprise to me until I stumbled upon it at the store. Sold in America by Hasbro and created in Japan by Takara, this ultimate Optimus Prime was created to commemorate his 20th anniversary. My God, is he beautiful. This son-of-a-bitch is also 12" tall, and looks almost identical to Prime in all his 1984 cartoon glory. His chest opens to reveal a removable, light up Autobot Matrix. There are movable pistons at every joint, and he is incredibly portable. All of his wheels have actual suspensions. He has a fantastic paint job with some scorch marks brushed on for a battle-hardened effect. Die-cast metal is used for his legs and chest, just like in the original toy. He even has a button on the back of his head to make his mouth move. There are so many little details all over this toy, it boggles the mind! They even threw in some accessories: his trademark plasma rifle, the orange energon axe he used in the very first TV episode, as well as a to-scale rifle-mode Megatron. All of this alone is enough to get me running to the store.
He has a very complicated transforming feature, and turns into the semi truck. The only drawback is the fact that he doesn’t come with the trailer; however, suspiciously, he does have a small port on his legs to pull one. That would be hysterical. You just bought the robot for $70, now you can buy the trailer for an additional $50! I wouldn’t put it above Hasbro. Nothing's perfect, I guess. But it doesn't matter anyway-- he looks so damn cool as a robot, I don’t think I would ever want to display him in the truck mode.
So, my initial sorrows were for naught. The true spirit of my childhood hero, Optimus Prime, is alive and well in both of these fantastic new forms. The price points might seem a little high, but they are both worth your hard-earned cash.
The only thing to fix now is kids these days. I showed the Hasbro Prime to a couple of kids, and they had absolutely no idea who he was. When I said it was Optimus Prime, they just laughed and told me I was stupid.
“That’s not Optimus Prime. He’s a lot bigger. He’s got missiles all over him, and has a big energy sword.”
Obviously, I stand corrected.
While the name Optimus Prime was always a cherished memory, the toys created in his name have not always lived up to the legend. Over the years, the company responsible for the Transformers, Hasbro Toys, has fumbled a bit from the original concept of the venerable Autobot leader. The recent creation of the Energon line has given us yet another poorly-designed plastic mess baring the Prime name. Yes, even though Optimus was still alive and kicking, it seemed that the old boy would never retain his former glory.
Well, thankfully, I was again proven wrong. First by the toy company Palisades, and second from Hasbro themselves.
The first ray of hope beamed from Palisades Toys with the creation of a 12" statue of Optimus Prime cast in polystone. They had made very impressive busts and statues in the past for Aliens, Predator, and G.I. Joe, but nothing that really interested me until now. It is a beautiful piece. Optimus is ready for battle, posed in a charging position as if he were about to bitchslap Starscream in the face for being the weasely little toad he is. He's also covered in dents, scrapes, and score marks that are further emphasized with distressed paint and scorch marks. These aren't the battle scars of a commander in chief who sits back and orders his troops to do the dirty work for him. These are the scars of someone at the frontline, leading his troops in one tireless battle after another. He is the type of “person” who wears each and every one of those battle scars with honor and dignity. To top the whole piece off, it comes with an Autobot symbol for a base, with damage marks where Optimus stands to imply the sheer heft of his massive body. A very nice touch.
My favorite detail, however, is definitely his eyes. Believe it or not, they gave Prime very passionate, sad eyes. It's almost as if he is staring down Megatron, silently pleading with him. He doesn’t hate Megatron. He just can’t stand idly by while Megs threatens the lives of the innocent. Time and time again, he forces Prime to give him the smackdown, and that is all captured in his eyes.
The only problem some fans might have with this statue is the overall comic book-style instead of the cartoon look. However, I love the overall design, and am eagerly awaiting further entries into this series. The price of $150 may seem a bit steep, but it is worth it-- especially when you feel how heavy the statue is.
The second Optimus Prime was a complete surprise to me until I stumbled upon it at the store. Sold in America by Hasbro and created in Japan by Takara, this ultimate Optimus Prime was created to commemorate his 20th anniversary. My God, is he beautiful. This son-of-a-bitch is also 12" tall, and looks almost identical to Prime in all his 1984 cartoon glory. His chest opens to reveal a removable, light up Autobot Matrix. There are movable pistons at every joint, and he is incredibly portable. All of his wheels have actual suspensions. He has a fantastic paint job with some scorch marks brushed on for a battle-hardened effect. Die-cast metal is used for his legs and chest, just like in the original toy. He even has a button on the back of his head to make his mouth move. There are so many little details all over this toy, it boggles the mind! They even threw in some accessories: his trademark plasma rifle, the orange energon axe he used in the very first TV episode, as well as a to-scale rifle-mode Megatron. All of this alone is enough to get me running to the store.
He has a very complicated transforming feature, and turns into the semi truck. The only drawback is the fact that he doesn’t come with the trailer; however, suspiciously, he does have a small port on his legs to pull one. That would be hysterical. You just bought the robot for $70, now you can buy the trailer for an additional $50! I wouldn’t put it above Hasbro. Nothing's perfect, I guess. But it doesn't matter anyway-- he looks so damn cool as a robot, I don’t think I would ever want to display him in the truck mode.
So, my initial sorrows were for naught. The true spirit of my childhood hero, Optimus Prime, is alive and well in both of these fantastic new forms. The price points might seem a little high, but they are both worth your hard-earned cash.
The only thing to fix now is kids these days. I showed the Hasbro Prime to a couple of kids, and they had absolutely no idea who he was. When I said it was Optimus Prime, they just laughed and told me I was stupid.
“That’s not Optimus Prime. He’s a lot bigger. He’s got missiles all over him, and has a big energy sword.”
Obviously, I stand corrected.
artid
2075
Old Image
6_7_toybox.jpg
issue
vol 6 - issue 07 (mar 2004)
section
entertainmental