The Classics line kicked off the trend of modern reimaginings for G1 Transformers, and up until this year's Kingdom line, we've had new takes of these characters for 15 years! While some hold up better than others, I always did like the aspect of giving these characters unique appearances rather than make G1 with knees as we've seen since the POTP line (and some of the WFC toys). While I'm happy with the Siege and Earthrise versions, I love the original Classics version of Optimus Prime and am more than happy to review it today!
Here is Optimus in his vehicle mode. I should mention that I got this copy off of eBay and as a result, the paint apps are kind of scratched here and there from play. A bit of plastic has been chipped off around the hinge and sort of reveals the pin, but it's somewhat negligable. That being said, I love the design of the truck mode so much! It's beefier than the cube on wheels and also has a bit of strength to it that the old truck doesn't really have. I love the windows and seats from the inside, the color layout is good, and the truck rolls BEAUTIFULLY on all 6 wheels. I also don't mind the partsforming because it's easy to leave the windvane on when the smokestacks are the only ones that get removed.
Transformation is very fun overall; I love the way the figure has a bit of complexity while still remaining simple as a Transformer. It also makes use of the traditional Optimus Prime transformation steps while still making it feel unique, mainly with the faux chest and the way the arms transform. Some parts of the figure, like the rear bumper and the vehicle mode grill look pretty weak, but it's kind of a charming transformation regardless. The resulting robot mode is a very unique take on the G1 Optimus Prime design, what with the defined proportions, more angular design traits, and the style of it having a more futuristic look to him. It's almost like a hyper-fantasy robot influence from the Unicron Trilogy with the G1 design elements keeping it more familiar. While some would find the back kibble and the arm kibble to be unsightly, I think that they fit well with the design and don't look too bad (Especially the arm kibble). Plus, if you think it's not 100% cartoon accurate, you can always pretend he's Marvel Comics Optimus Prime and use the Earthrise Optimus Prime as the Sunbow Cartoon Optimus PRime. Of note is that the Autobot insignias are not originally on there.
Head sculpt is nicely done, and while it has a small dent on the forehead crest as we've seen with this toy having been used, it's got some nice details, subtle use of yellow for the forehead, and the eyes being nice light-piping. The articulation for this toy is still good for its time; head swivels left and right, shoulders move front and back as well as in and out, the biceps swivel, and the elbows bend. Hips move front and back, in and out, the legs swivel at the knee and bend below the swivel, and the feet can hinge down.
I also love the weapon options that he has despite them looking a little weird. The wind vane gun was pretty much too toyish for a gun but it works. The smokestacks are more convincing as a gun and do look a little Megatron-like. If you want, then you can have the smokestacks clip on the wind vane so they can be shoulder cannons.
Let's go over the reuses of the character; this is Henkei Convoy, which has a different way of using the traditional G1 paint apps and more consistent shades of red and blue. It's much more cartoon-accurate (though the stripes are still similar but not exactly like the Classics version. He does look nicer, especially with the chrome bumper, though unless I get him for cheap, I'm happy with the Hasbro version.
Now we have Crystal Convoy, who is the same toy we covered in the reuse history but with clear red for the forearm kibble instead of clear blue plastic painted red as well as no chrome on it.
Another Takara reuse, this is Black Optimus Prime! He's basically a Nemesis Prime-themed repaint of the figure and looks rather slick, though he does have the same paint app layout that Henkei Convoy has. He isn't the first version of the mold to be in black, however.
One more Takara reuse in the form of Cloud Optimus Prime, which is even more cartoon accurate than the Henkei version right down to the white thighs. Inexplicably, his wind vane is black, though it can double as the sound pack that the G2 Optimus Prime toy had. His bumper is chrome, too.
Now we're with the Hasbro versions of the mold; this is the Age of Extinction Evolution 2-pack version of the mold, which has a toy-accurate deco with the chrome waist and thighs as well as the bumper. He has massive silver stripes all throughout and has an unpainted gun as well as yellow eyes. This was my favorite version of the mold, though things like the chrome wear and the mold degradation have made me wish its tolerances were tighter like on the original. He came with a more traditional Movie-colored repaint of Evasion Mode Optimus Prime.
Another Hasbro reuse, this is the Platinum Edition One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall version of Optimus Prime, which looks similar to the Classics version of the mold but has a shimmery shade of blue, an Autobot insignia on the wind vane, and silver for the thighs. The weird thing about the toy is the fact that the forearm kibble is unpainted...which looks kind of cool for the robot mode if you want to use those as glowing shield gauntlets but looks stupid in truck mode. He came with a red Classics Megatron repaint.
Now we have Shattered Glass Optimus Prime, which is a BotCon 2008 repaint that gives him a purple and dark gray deco with nicely applied scratches on the deco, a big Autobot insignia, a cracked window, dry-brush on the thighs, bumper, grille, and shins, and "'Til All Are Gone!" written on the wind vane. Certainly, an underrated version of the mold and also fits this version of Prime more than the Earthrise one does.
Here is Hasbro's take of Ultra Magnus in the Classics line, who was included in a 2-pack with a Deluxe Skywarp. He's a little different from most Magnus repaints as he has some blue on him that makes him look more like an Arctic Camo repaint of Optimus rather than a naked white Ultra Magnus. The figure's best known for fitting in well with the City Commander upgrade kit made by FansProject around 2007-ish.
This is the Takara version of Ultra Magnus from the United line. He's got the more traditional all-white deco to him, though he has some gunmetal gray on him as well as a rubsign that none of the Henkei/United toys have. He may not fit with the Classics Magnus upgrade kit mentioned before.
As far as miscellaneous repaints are concerned, this is Universe Nemesis Prime. He's got a different take on the Nemesis deco with the dark gray used for the legs, a slight beige tint for the gray parts, and teal used on some of the blue and yellow paint apps of the Classics Prime toy. Much like with Black Optimus Prime, Universe Nemesis Prime has its paint apps in the same layout as with Classics Optimus Prime. I don't like that his chest windows are still blue.
Here is a Hasbro reuse of the mold, that being Knight Ginrai. He was in a BotCon 2014 set that that gives him the fiery guts theme that Japanese Burning Justice heroes are known for. He does look a bit like a KO, but I appreciate that his paint apps are different most versions of the mold. He's one of the first versions of the mold to acknowledge that the wind vane can be used as a shield.
And this is Takara Legends Magna Convoy! He's in the Diaclone Powered Convoy cab colors with a similar but not exact paint layout of the AOE Evolution version of the mold. New to this guy are the sword and gun that come from Titans Return Alpha Trion and Mindwipe.
And here he is with the modern Earthrise Optimus Prime from the new War for Cybertron trilogy. You can tell how much of a difference these two figures make if we ignore the fact that one of them was designed to be more like the cartoon. Their designs are different, their handling of kibble is different, and while Earthrise Optimus is sleeker and a bit taller, Classics Prime is bulkier overall. It's both a reminder of how far we've come with these two iterations of Optimus Prime, and honestly, I like them both. Most of the pre-WFC figures, despite being more creative, don't hold up as well as others do, but I think Optimus Prime's Classics form would definitely be a better toy released today than most of the other figures we get today as far as bang for your buck is concerned. He's nice and chunky, his articulation is great, and he doesn't feel like he's missing anything compared to Earthrise Optimus, who has no silver for his face, no middle yellow square, and a trailer that kind of sucks and is also missing some stuff.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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