I remember being a younger, more optimistic Transformers fan who always wanted to wait and get my hands on the First Edition toys, especially since I was in love with the Prime series compared to anything else that popped up at the time. I mean, what else is there to love from the aesthetics and the story? Sadly, the toy line never got to hit retail apart from a few lucky bastards who got the Wave 1 toys, and we later had to contend with the scaled-back Robots in Disguise subline. I own the PRID version of Optimus, and I replaced my old copy with a new one with better paint apps put into it than I did. That figure isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it definitely reeks of having the corporate budget cuts that are undeniably absent in the First Edition. I never got my hands on the 2012 reissue, either. And it would have been appreciated if Hasbro brought them back in 2020 the same way they did with the Arms Micron versions of Megatron and Breakdown. However, I now own not just any version of First Edition Prime, but the Takara version with darker colors! But this may be a case of "Buyer Beware", or rather, "Buyer Be Aware" because if you remember, APC Toys made an upscale of the PRID Soundwave with better tolerances than the original, so now we'll see if this either a real Takara version or a high-quality reproduction from APC Toys?
Here we have Optimus in his vehicle mode. This guy looks very accurate to the CG model's vehicle mode, what with the more imposing, smaller windshield and the taller presence it has thanks to the wind vane? We'll get to the comparisons in a little bit but for now, I have to say this looks outstanding for an altmode. Good proportions, everything looks clean, and the paint apps are mostly sparse but in the right places, such as the blue in the middle to help blend the red and blue parts together. Now while this is the Takara color version, I should mention that the grille (which if you look closely has a few stress marks that were from a previous owner but otherwise nothing too severe) has one giveaway to this being a knockoff: the lack of an Autobot insignia. Yes, despite having the ability to make a fully faithful reproduction of an old toy, they still can't do the insignias. Reprolabels can fix that regardless.
Thankfully, this figure has the wind vane tab in better than the official versions. One annoying thing is that the rims, which were unpainted initially on either Hasbro's or Takara's version of the figure, still lack the silver needed to make them pop. Maybe I can fix that.
Here we have him with the PRID version which is my second copy of the toy, with the painted rims and chest section that keeps it from looking incomplete in alt mode. Setting aside the shades of red and blue associated with the different toys (as the PRID version is the Hasbro one and not Arms Micron), the proportions on the First Edition were undoubtedly based on the CG model, with the smaller windows, more angular nose, and the blue paint apps that better connect them to the back of the truck. The PRID version isn't bad, though its proportions do not match the CG model of the truck, and honestly, I still like it, but it looks a little more harmless with the side view mirrors looking like ears on the larger windows with how much they stick out. Not to mention the light shade of blue that stemmed from the Powerizer gimmick. The yellow headlights are fine as they are, but the blue lights fit in better with the aesthetics of the TFP series.
And here we have him with Bumblebee, his trusty scout. Unlike Optimus, Bumblebee is an official toy and not a (high-quality) knockoff. They look great together, regardless. I can't wait to get Bulkhead because I would love to have a more consistent TFP display.
Before I go over the transformation, I should mention how much I love the little added details that make this figure feel like it received a ton of love from its designer, Eric Siebenaler. A steering wheel and a dashboard with a few sculpted buttons to mimic a real truck interior within the chest?! This is as cool as the original 2007 Voyager Prime's cowboy hat driver sculpted inside the truck cab with the option to fold away whenever the door opens. They didn't have to include this since it's not going to be noticed easily, but it's the kind of easter egg that I appreciate greatly on a toy as marvelous as this.
Now for the transformation; if you were familiar with the Studio Series version of Optimus Prime based on the trilogy design (specifically the ROTF version that was repainted in Premium Finish), then this is basically the toy that wore the transformation scheme better for a design like this. Between the truck-nose-to-arm transformation, the halves of the grille going on the back, the windows wrapping onto the back of the chest, and the use of a waist swivel for the transformation, you can see the inspiration that the Studio Series figure took from this toy However, it works much better for the TFP design due to the more cartoony design traits it has, including the broader upper body that matches the TV show perfectly. This is the kind of design that I always loved the most not just in the Aligned continuity, but in all of Optimus's designs in the CG Transformers shows. Like compare this design to Earthspark's Prime, with this guy combining the best of the Movie and Animated design traits into something somehow unique vs Earthspark Prime doing a less-interesting rehash of the G1 design but with a dadbod look that didn't fit too well (even though I like his voice). This Optimus design looks powerful and reminiscent of the DCAU superhero proportions. Maybe comparable to those inaccurate DCAU figures of Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, etc with broader-than-normal upper bodies, but it fits better for this guy. The backpack is also satisfyingly more compact and broken up like how it is in the TV show, even with the long smokestacks. I'm sure some would find the thighs to not match the biceps, midriff, and wrists in terms of coloring, but it at least is closer than on the Hasbro version. Some might find the back of the feet being red, but the feet are at least big enough to look proportionate and keep him much more stable.
His head sculpt is mouthplated and looking gorgeous in the metallic navy blue that matches the cartoon better than on the regular Hasbro version. He also has some light-piped eyes that were common in Transformers almost always compared to a majority of figures we get nowadays with painted eyes. His articulation is a ball-jointed head with better range than on the slightly misassembled official copies, shoulders that swivel front and back and hinge in and out in another part (with the pads being able to hinge in and out), bicep swivels, elbow bends, wrist swivels, hips that move front and back, in and out, swivels above the knees, standard knee bends, and ankles that hinge as well as pivot. The waist swivel could somewhat count, but the way it's not centered and softly clicks in place denotes it as moreso meant for transformation.
His weapons are another sign that make this an APC Toys KO rather than an official release. Firstly, rather than coming with one gun and sword only, this guy comes with pairs of them instead. The guns normally are held like standard weapons if they are inserted down on the hands, but swiveling the wrists so the upper areas can face each other (like he's riding a bike) would allow you to peg the guns onto the hands to both better flow with the forearms but also look like they properly transformed out of his arms. The blades, on the other hand, make another giveaway that this is a fake: not only are they cast in solid plastic instead of being PVC, but the coloring is clear blue rather than a more accurate silver. I wish APC Toys managed to paint them in silver to match the show, but that makes me feel bad for making this a negative since this figure was impossible for me to get, so I ain't going to trash a KO that manages to be better than the official Hasbro toy.
He also comes with the Star Saber, which was not from HasTak but was instead courtesy of Dr. Wu, a 3P company that originally made accessory kits for different Transformers figures in the early 2010s before making their Legends-scale toys. This is the standard version of the Star Saber, as it would be in its shiny silver look unless Optimus powered it up for battle like a blue lightsaber. The handguard gets in the way of the fingers, so you would have to angle it differently. One fix that APC Toys did that Dr. Wu somewhat couldn't do 10 years ago was integrating a rod that would go in one of the screw holes of the figure's lower back. It allowed the Star Saber to be sheathed on his back better than how it originally did (as resting it in the truck kibble and praying gravity didn't let it fall out was not easy in 2013 as Optibotimus proved). This Star Saber also had its blade removable and the bottom of the handle as well (though this was for it to go into the hands better).
And finally, his head is another Dr. Wu addition: an unmasked head that better matches the CG model than the stock First Edition head. There are a few proportional differences between the ears, the eyes, and the cheekguards; the forehead is also detailed differently with a black wash added, but this head is a bonus for fans of the series. It does suck you have to unscrew it and disassemble it rather than doing the standard head swaps like with the two Legacy Buzzworthy multipacks (Creatures Collide minus Goldbug and everyone in the Troopbuilder set), but do be warned that the ears come off during the disassembly so be careful.
In terms of his official variants, the Hasbro version had more saturated colors that were standard for the mass-retail toys of the past. Lighter gray is also used on the windows and thighs, while the smokestacks and the sole blade are made of PVC. The latter is at least painted up to look a bit more accurate. The 2012 reissue sold in Toys R Us has the doors unpainted, exposing the brown-gray plastic that should have been left painted. The original APC Toys release matches this more or less.
Takara certainly had a lot more mileage out of the mold, as this is the Shining Optimus Prime version of the mold. The figure was only available in the 2012 Tokyo Toy Show along with United Black Optimus Prime (a Nemesis Prime recolor of Classics Prime that is different from the Universe 2008 version). This version matches the Hasbro colors, down to the unpainted bare gray plastic around the doors.
The Dark Guard version of Optimus is another Takara repaint, this time originally sold in the Cybertron Satellite with a Black and gold deco that is definitely not Nemesis Prime-themed as it was a Japanese-fiction recolor explaining where Optimus would wear some tech stolen by MECH with the help of Ratchet to protect him from exposure to Dark Energon and other biohazard threats.
As far as unofficial repaints, this is the 2.0 version of Attack Prime, the best-colored version of the mold thanks to the use of chrome, blacked out windows, painted rims, silver guns, and basically having all of the plastic painted. This guy is going to be rather impossible to buy but I love him so much for how definitive it looks. His Star Saber is the lit-up version cast in clear blue plastic.
This is the APC's take on the Dark Guard deco, replacing any blue with blood red, making the gold more saturated on the smokestacks, and making the grille silver even though the original.had a bit of gold.
And this is their Nemesis Prime redeco, which is more like the standard Nemesis Prime/RID Scourge color scheme more than the actual Nemesis Prime from the TV show. If APC Toys copied the custom that was reviewed by Optibotimus, that'd be great. Still looks nice, I just wish it matched the cartoon's actual Nemesis Prime.
So far, this Shattered Glass Optimus Prime recolor has not received any spotlight from APC Toys beyond this solicitation photo. No altmode pics either. If we do get more info on this, could they make the blue windows yellow like in the actual Shattered Glass recolors?
For a robot mode comparison, here is the First Edition mold next to the PRID repaint, with the sharpie red chest and forearms that prove how much of a dumb idea the Powerizer gimmick was. But even with these added colors, the First Edition still wins in terms of physique and robot mode accuracy. The back kibble is less noticeable, the upper body is properly wide, and the windows are shaped correctly. This is the benefit of using faux parts. And keep in mind, this isn't just KO vs Hasbro, this is 2011 Hasbro vs 2012 Hasbro. And you can see how one felt more like a labor of love while the other feels more corporate by comparison. Especially with the gimmick not being well-implemented in terms of aesthetics with blue forearms rather than red ones.
The one thing I found odd for the PRID version is how it utilizes its weapons. I don't have the clear blue MechTech weapon that can't lock like the DOTM ones actually can, but that was obviously inaccurate to the cartoon. The sword is much stranger because of the way it's shaped after the Star Saber rather than the actual blades he uses. It's strange seeing this indirectly pre-date how it looks in the actual show. And even stranger is how the actual Star Saber in the Beast Hunters line deviates on both design AND color (it's more jagged and green).
I'll still keep the PRID version in my collection, but it has since been replaced by the more definitive take on Prime's TFP design. The PRID version isn't a bad toy, but 2019 me has no idea on the way the First Edition guy would usurp his successor 4 years later.
And here w have him for a size comparison with the recently-released Legacy Evolution Skyquake. The scale between them is pretty good, and certainly more fitting than pitting the FE toys next to the PRID version of Skyquake. First Edition Prime is awesome, and the APC Toys Attack Prime KO I have here is a reminder of a time when Transformers toys used to be cooler for the cartoons. He needs no Legacy recreation, and R.E.D. can go fuck itself. This is the TFP Optimus you should get in your collection. He should hopefully be easier to afford than the real deal, but good luck getting him online, though!
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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