Here is Optimus in his trick mode. It was neat to see the return of the Peterbilt design for the tenth anniversary of the first movie after having AOE and TLK give us the flat-nosed truck for a part of AOE while the later events give him the Western Star. This truck mode has plenty of sculpted details and paint apps to make him feel a lot more suited to the MPM line, like the silver grill accompanying the smokestacks and sun visor, the rims looking slick even without the rubber tires found on the MPs of G1 Prime (and 2007 Optimus), and the flames looking nice and sharp. I do feel that the windows look a bit weird since they're more suited for the robot mode, but it is better than the exposed gears from the ROTF Leader.
While it looks pretty good, I do have a couple of complaints that should be mentioned. However, I intend not to go down the same route that most fans have gone through, where they criticized the figure for being overly engineered and ignore everything else this figure has. What I will complain about mainly involves some of the paint apps. The pinstripes look a little too thick for my liking, and they kind of make the flame deco harder to appreciate since the flame decals on the truck mode. Also, the front wheel arches have a decent gold fade that Movie Optimus is known for, but the nose of the truck is missing it altogether. While I don't mind that there are some dark gray parts that aren't painted, the last image makes me wonder why they didn't color in the ENTIRE gas tanks or the bottom parts of the tanks on the sides of the nose. Not even the Autobot insignia is painted in with a red outline.
The proportions of the truck mode are good if you set aside any comparisons next to the real Peterbilt 379, but there are some noticeable inaccuracies between this and the real truck. It's mainly coming from the nose not looking as parallel as its sides would be, and the proportions of the smokestacks as well as the sun visor are off; the smokestacks look a little too short to be at the same length as their real proportions while the sun visor seems a little too big on top of the windshield. These issues should be brought up a bit more often in my opinion, because while the truck's not 100% accurate, getting the truck mode to line up properly at the front is easier to do if you take your time with it. More on that later.
There is no neat method of storing the weapons subtlely like with Bumblebee, who had the stinger blaster split in half to be stored underneath the car mode. They kind of look like a turret, though I wish the blades could be stored underneath the truck instead of sticking out like weird proprieties.
Here it is with my old ROTF Leader Class Optimus Prime. In terms of paint, MPM-4 looks nicer despite missing most of the ROTF figure's gold fade. In terms of truck design, ROTF Optimus is more accurate of the two. Its overall the better of the two in terms of capturing the look of the truck mode.
You can certainly tell how much more accurate the original one is in comparison, but to my surprise, the MPM guy is smaller in scale! I have no idea why this was done, as it makes Optimus feel a bit smaller than he really shpuld be in the MPM Autobot lineup.
The size difference carries on in this view. It doesn't benefit the truck mode as well since it should be kept at the same size as the ROTF Leader.
Transformation feels a lot more like what Hasbro intended their ROTF Leader to transform before they had to go down through the budget cuts that pushed them back. The legs, for example, feel a lot more refined without having the front wheel arches stick out too much as well as keeping the toolbox out of sight. Additionally, tires do not look too cluttered like on the original Leader. The torso feels a lot more involved in comparison, what with the way the chest transforms as well the backpack remaining flat in comparison to the original figure. Surprisingly, the connections used to keep the torso together feels a lot more solid than I thought, though the shoulders should tab in better. Some fans complained that it's too similar, but I don't mind it since it does make for a good amount of differences. On a side note, it's better for this figure to transform with the size it has in comparison to the HFTD Battle Blades figure, which was far too small to handle such a long and complex transformation. IF the transformation should be criticized for being too similar, then the same should be said for MP-10 for having a transformation that's slightly different from the original MP-01. While that only had new covers for the wheels as well as slightly altered hand or Matrix chamber conversions, this at least manages to make the legs work out a bit differently as well as implement new parts that the original figure didn't have for its transformation, such as a robot chest that uses more than the windows, (as it uses part of the nose and the faux grill), a backpack that's better implemented within the torso, and rear wheel arches that don't slightly tab on the back and don't stay on as well.
Now, there is one thing I want to mention regarding the transformation: the way the figure converts have been a point of criticism by fans that reviewed the toy in 2017. Many say it's too difficult or that parts of the transformation can be easy to miss. Others say that it's too hard to tab in some parts of the figure. Where do I stand on that? I feel that a lot of the complaints towards the figure tend to be slightly overexaggerated in some regard. Firstly, the transformation is nowhere near as hard as it seems so long as you have the patience to tab everything in place. I know there are other things that have to be done throughout the day, but for a figure that requires a large number of steps to go from vehicle to robot mode, wouldn't it make sense to take your time with it? Thankfully, it's not going to break compared to other figures in the MP line such as the first Megatron and Rodimus Convoy. The only real hard part of the transformation is making sure that the front cab section lines up properly, which may seem hard to do but can be done with the right amount of experience. Plus, as TFWiki said, "when attempting to complete the cab assembly, it is advised to apply upward pressure on the front side barrels while pushing the cab downwards."; there are parts of the transformation that I do feel pull it back:
1. The instructions don't do it justice (which was an annoyance that happened with ROTF Optimus Prime)
2. It's not as smooth as Bumblebee's transformation would be, which makes sense given how Bee doesn't entirely rely on faux parts while Optimus Prime needed to keep them at a minimum (which was for the grill)
3. The toy's conversion feels longer than the ROTF figure despite borrowing some of the engineering)
That aside, this transformation isn't 100% perfect but at least it can be manageable. It's also great when you can get a good amount of experience from transforming the original ROTF figure from time to time rather than doing it once. Hell, I initially struggled to play with my ROTF Optimus when I first got it, but at the end of the day, I managed to transform him and haven't had any issue since. While I can see why some reviewers would want to play with the simpler Generations figures, the least they can do is practicing it before they film their reviews so they won't miss out on any step if they're going to make the figure's transformation feel smooth from one mode to the other. If the latest transformation sequence from MP-44 can have so many parts that make the transformation a lot more convoluted than it has any right to be while managing to get praise by fans, then why is this less-complex figure with slightly more approachable steps getting more of the negativity than it deserves? That should be it for the massive rant regarding the transformation, let's move on.
The robot mode isn't 100% screen accurate, yet does a pretty good job all around for what it's attempting. The arms are somewhat of the problem, as they lack some of the beef that the torso and even the legs have, and the shoulder pads, as well as the forearm gauntlets, look inaccurate without any extra pieces to make them feel more complete. That aside, the robot mode's overall much better than the original Leader Class from Revenge of the Fallen. I especially appreciate how the red pieces below the window pecs are not so small while the backpack feels a lot less bulky and underdone. I wish this figure did have a darker blue since it's a lot more accurate than the regular blue seen here. Another complaint I have with this figure is that there are some paint apps clearly missing. There should be some gold near the waist as well as the blue arches. The blue pieces that wrap around the biceps are lacking the extra blue, and the gas tanks near the shoulders are missing some silver to not have them feel drab, but the rest of the paint on the robot mode is present and nicely applied. In terms of die-cast, this Optimus Prime has it on his faux grill stomach, the round parts near the crotch, the shins, and part of the feet.
The head sculpt is certainly well done, what with it capturing the details that the Movie incarnation of Optimus Prime is well-known for. It's even got some of the silver paint that one would need to complete the look. Even the eyes with how small they look are painted nicely on the face. Notice the exposed face because that will come into play.
Much like with Bumblebee, this figure's not only accurate to the CG model (though Bumblebee is closer overall), but it's also able to perfectly capture the essence of the character so well. Previous Optimus Primes felt pretty lacking in terms of how they represent the Autobot leader himself, but the Masterpiece Movie line does not disappoint, as it makes Optimus feel more alive with even some of the simpler poses, be it in the superhero stance or pointing at the Decepticons while mentioning that he and his allies will take the battle to them!
You can alternatively display the figure with the battle mask deployed by lifting the face up and rotating it to display the other face. It's a method done similarly as seen with the AOE Armor Knight Optimus Prime from Takara and was later used for the Takara Bumblebee movie Leader Optimus (making me wish both figures were imported by Hasbro in some way). With alternate display options seen from the recent MP figures, it can be annoying to have to lose track of a neutral, happy, or screaming face on most figures, but the Movie figures work better by simply giving them either mouth articulation for the Decepticons and Ironhide or battle masks like with Bumblebee, Jazz, and Optimus Prime.
Now it's time to take a look at the articulation! Head can look side to side on one joint while looking up and down on another. Shoulders move front and back on ratchets but move in and out on friction joints. The biceps can swivel and the elbows can bend nearly over 90 degrees. The hands can rotate, and now the fingers can articulate at the same points as MP-10 does (albeit with a thumb joint). They can hinge inward if you like, though they move a bit deeper than normal. The waist can swivel, and the hips move front and back as well as in and out, swivel at the thighs and bend at two points at the knees. The feet can hinge front and back as well as pivot side to side.
This is a pose I love recreating with my Movie Optimus Primes. It was iconic then and is iconic now.
Let's take a look at his accessories. He first has the Ion Blaster, which is just the one and is not made from the gas tanks like with Buster Prime. That was a neat feature, though they can only be made into a single gun instead of making two. I think the standalone cannon was made to not make any truck pieces get lost by those that aren't as careful. It's a decent size, though it should be silver to make the black fade look more prominent.
He also has the option to be displayed with an Energon blade. Instead of using flip-out blades, these can be slid into the slots behind the wrists; they look really good on there thanks to the size and the silver paint not making them look bland.
It's not as common to see Optimus with one blade, but hey, it works for some displays. Like this one, almost reminiscent of the Dark of the Moon posters.
The fun doesn't stop there. He can be displayed with TWO blades at once!
With both blades attached to the forearms, he's ready to take on any Decepticon when they'll never stop at one.
Finally, he has the Matrix of Leadership. Man, does it feel nice to pose him opening it without having to make his chest explode like with the HFTD Voyager, which was coincidentally the last figure to have a Matrix. All you have to do is to detach the red chest pieces, open the stomach, and reveal the chamber. Looks pretty cool for when he's offering it to Sentinel or about to resurrect him like in Dark of the Moon.
The only thing I don't like is that two sides have the sculpting ruined by the tabs, but the die-cast makes up for it, as it looks like metal. I wish at least one side had the tabs, though.
I want to mention the hands again; while they're not on the same level of articulation as the third party hands are, at least you have the finger articulation and wrist hinges to pull off a pose like this pretty well.
I'm sure fans that have complained about the Hasbro figure might think the Takara version is better, which it does in a way with the extra paint apps, but LOOK. The lighter gray plastic makes this toy look weak, and while I do appreciate the added paint apps on the robot mode that were missing, this makes the toy look worse than it did with the darker gray. There's not even any difference in the vehicle mode. Stay far away from the Takara version and stick with the Hasbro one if you must.
Here is a comparison with the ROTF Leader and the 2007 Leader (that being my Nightwatch Optimus Prime). It's neat that the MPM figure's the same height along with the ROTF Leader, though it makes me wonder why they didn't make the vehicle mode the same size. Either way, the proportions and screen accuracy are much better than on the 2009 figure, though there is still some room for improvement. Next to Nightwatch, it's impressive to see how far Hasbro's Transformers engineering has come, taking the movie designs into plastic forms that went from looking they were made on N64/PSX models to further make them look a lot more screen accurate now. I'm impressed with how it turned out.
Here is Optimus Prime with Bumblebee. These two look great together, though I have to give Bumblebee slight more praise since he's the more accurate of the two. Thankfully, Optimus, despite the inaccuracies he has, does manage to look pretty good next to Bumblebee, which has been something that previous versions of the characters weren't quite able to succeed in.
While I doubt that I will ever get other MPs in the line, these two are pretty good entries and deserve a lot more credit than they have right now (much like with the movies they're in). I'm quite with having both in my collection, especially when they can both be displayed with their two thumbs up!
As for Optimus Prime himself, he's still a good figure overall, but I am aware of the flaws present on this toy in terms of screen accuracy. It seems weird that most reviewers forget about the positive thoughts and criticize the screen accuracy overall despite the robot mode doing a decent job at it while the truck mode doesn't do as well of a job, and the missing paint apps are at least excused with the paint already there. The transformation is indeed complex, though manageable with patience and is thankfully a lot more durable than most MP figures. Of course, I wouldn't throw it on the ground because that'd be a dumb way of testing the durability, but compared to the likes of Megatron v1, Rodimus Convoy, and MP-44 Optimus, this guy feels like a walk in the park. I'm sure the more needy fans will be more interested in the Black Apple versions of this character, which does look nicer overall, though given how it's a KO of an already existing mold, I'm not 100% sure if that's a recommendation I'd make when I'm reviewing an official figure that at least has the ambition of improving on what was done before. I may get that at some point, but that doesn't mean I'll ever replace this figure.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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