The 2001 Robots in Disguise series is very underrated if you ask me. Between the way it unexpectedly reinvented the Transformers brand after 16 years of G1/2 and Beast Era media and the perfect timing of the anime craze that went on in the late 90s/early 2000s (far bigger than what was in the 80s and even compared to today), bringing Car Robots over to the US instead of doing TransTech was Hasbro's best decision made in that time frame. And it brought forth a new style of Transformers media not seen before at the time, alternate takes on established characters that deviated from G1 long before purists bitched and whined over Michael Bay, and new lore that gave it an identity of its own, from original characters like Sky-Byte to making the Decepticons a lower group compared to the Predacons. And what better way to start this iteration of the franchise in my review site than a review on Super Class Optimus Prime?
Here we have Optimus Prime in hand, a fire truck very different from the flat-nose-cab-with-trailer from G1. In contrast to the current days where Transformers media since 2018 would stick with a Geewunish look thanks to Hasbro's brand unification, this iteration of Optimus Prime along with the designs we got up until 2015. He turns into a Japanese fire truck seemingly based on the Mitsubishi Fuso K Series K201 ladder truck, which is the most distinct out of the trio of fire truck Primes compared to the Cybertron and Animated versions. Apart from the exposed super mode head and chest, this guy manages to look clean in vehicle mode, what with how chunky the toy is compared to later designs. While there is no blue in sight, it makes sense to keep the coloring intact for the alt mode given how mostly solid-red fire trucks tend to be. Sculpted details are there for an older toy based on an anime, but the things that make him stand out are the additions of chrome on the rims and the rubber tires that (even in spite of them cracking) give this a more collector-friendly vibe than the Generations line does of late. Prime's weaponry includes a quartet of missile launchers that can be deployed from within the ladder, with the Hasbro version here having manual launch while the Takara version has them fire the moment you press the button on the back.
The other features included with this toy are an extendable ladder that can reach a pretty good length as well as lights and sounds with the press of a button in-between the light bars. You get the following sound effects in no particular order: "Optimus Prime: Maximize!" (Last part was probably meant to either be Transform or Super Mode), "Fire!" followed by gunshots, a fire truck siren, and "Autobots, transform!". No new sound effects are unlocked in his other modes.
For a size comparison, here he is next to the original Studio Series Optimus Prime so you can get an idea of how big a figure that cost $29.99 used to cost compared to one made nearly 2 decades later. The front section can be removed for good reason, as Optimus Prime is able to transform into a smaller robot mode without the aid of the rest of the vehicle mode.
Transforming this guy specifically feels like unfolding a cube into a humanoid shape, on top of shifting down the forearm guards and flipping out the feet. I like how the spine is a heavy ratchet joint that can straighten out without just relying on the hips for make this cuboid shape for the front section. It's a simple yet effective transformation that I don't think has ever been done for Optimus. The robot mode is a showcase of how similar yet different the design is when compared to the G1 version of Optimus Prime. In Japan, this was just Fire Convoy, nothing too special considering Japan had its yearly replacements for faction leaders, with the Beast Era having two replacements for Optimus Primal with similar design cues. In the United States, this is our first new iteration of Optimus Prime. And what a great way to make a first-new reboot take on the lore. While there is a lot more red on this guy, and the design is nothing like the G1 version for obvious reasons, there are a few nods like the torso and head, albeit much more stylized to go well with the entirely new design. The result of being entirely different from the G1 Optimus Prime design philosophy with some elements retained is something I wish we saw more of. I also like the paint apps that are kept in the Hasbro version, whether it's the details on the shins or the chrome on the chest, even if it's begun chipping off. Due to age, Prime's thighs and forearms are slightly off-color but thankfully not as bad.
His head sculpt is our first stylized take on the G1 design, what with the more angular appearance and the yellow eyes being a mainstay for Optimus in media that wasn't the G1 cartoon or Beast Wars. The eyes are vac-metal chrome like the chest, which makes them reflective and shiny even if they don't quite match the show. His articulation consists of a ball jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement on ratchet joints with heavy indents, bicep rotation, 90 degree elbow bends, ball jointed wrists, a waist swivel, hips that move on regular swivels instead of ratchets (which are present for the outward leg movement), ratcheted knees, swivels below the knees, and ball jointed ankles.
The battle platform can be made from the rest of the fire truck mode, which isn't really that mind-blowing apart from the way the parts are attached, but it is a new way to twist the concept of Optimus Prime using the rest of his alt mode for a battle platform. Alternatively, the back sections of the vehicle as well as what will be the gauntlets of the super mode can be attached onto the figure for added firepower and strength. It's a mid-tier mode between his standard and super modes, but it does the job fine.
For a size comparison, this guy is on-par with the sizes you'd probably find from a lot of the pre-2010 Voyagers because of how tall and chunky he is by comparison. I'm nor sure how tall this version of Optimus should be when put next to the G1 version, for example, but he certainly is a heftier guy compared to Earthrise Optimus and Kingdom Rodimus.
Turning him into his super mode consists off some neat tricks. The boots are stable thanks to the connection points for the shins and soles of the feet, and the aforementioned gauntlets are made for their intended use here. I wish there was some added stability for the chest piece and the shoulder pads, especially given how they don't feel as solid as the boots and gauntlets. The super mode's design is one that signified how different RID 2001 was going to be when it comes to depicting a character like Optimus Prime. Elements like the more prominent red, the sash-like chest sculptwork that adds a bit of asymmetry to the design, and a ladder that goes in the back contrast how the Powermaster version of Optimus Prime looked in G1. But it makes sense given how this was designed from the ground up to be a new take on the character even with it originally not being a new version of Optimus. I should mention that the ladder should hinge on the side, but it isn't always depicted as such.
Head sculpt is even more deviated from the original Optimus Prime head resign, being fully red, using chrome for the antennae, and having a Primal-esque mouthplate but without a mouth. It almost looks like a beard on him if the silver represented facial hair. His eyes are also chromed out but they seem a bit darker than the regular robot eyes. His super mode articulation is the same, but there is thumb movement instead of ankle movement.
The ladder can be swung around as a shoulder cannon for him to use, and the chest panel with the Autobot insignia can be opened to reveal his Matrix of Leadership (or a regular Energon Matrix if you're following Japanese G1 continuity).
I am sadly missing the gun from this release, which can also be used in-between the shins for altmode as well as be used in the super mode.
As far as reuses are concerned, this is Black Fire Convoy, who is not really fit for an evil Optimus since we have Scourge for that purpose. The chrome details and the clear plastic are notable for being colored differently. Gold rims, red windows, yellow chrome chest, and gray forearms and thighs make quite the contrast. It is rare to find.
We have a clear version that is noteworthy for the gold chrome rims but that's pretty much it. It is also rare to get.
Another clear version was included in a 2-pack with gives him silver rims this time around.
There was a plan to give this guy an OTFCC repaint depicting him as Hot Spot, who has a Defensor mode as part of a somewhat canceled storyline where the Protectobot homage was part of the final stand against Megazarak's Decepticons. The Defensor head is newly sculpted for this guy, but it was canceled. Another repaint in stealth colors would have also been made to help compromise the expensive nature of repainting a giant toy. But nope. Also didn't happen.
Takara's Encore line brought back Fire Convoy in more anime-accurate colors that give him less chrome in favor of more traditional paint apps, which does make things a little more cohesive, on top of having much brighter whites than the 2001 version of Prime. I believe the sound effects are unique to this release compared to either Fire Convoy or RID01 Prime. Exclusive in a 2-pack with God Magnus, this set was unfortunately a victim of severe quality control including sounds playing at the wrong spots as well as misaligned parts.
And with the reveal of Omega Prime courtesy of Haslab, a new mold made from the ground up is only logical. Updated articulation, better stability, higher sculptwork, and while there are details that don't quite match the original toy (such as the front section of the fire truck mode, the regular bot mode chest proportions), this is a very faithful take on the character, which says a lot about how we previously had both straight repaints of Laser Prime as Scourge while Tow Line was lucky to get a new head sculpt on an otherwise entirely inaccurate yet cool reuse of Scraphook.
For a size comparison, here he is next to Legacy Evolution Armada Optimus Prime. While he is shorter than Armada Prime, RID Prime is heftier in its super mode thanks to the denser plastic. I like both figures, though I have to commend Takara for taking advantage of their improved engineering for the Fire Convoy toy, which while it wasn't successful in Japan, it was beloved by American fans new and old when it came out, which I greatly appreciate since RID 2001 made for a great refresh that defined Transformers in the 2000s as the most creative of its years yet, bringing in new ideas in this series along with the Unicron Trilogy, the Michael Bay movies, Animated, and possibly the early bits of the Aligned continuity despite it starting in 2010. I guess we can add the early 2010s, but RID 2001 Optimus Prime is a badass action figure on its own, and while some things are dated like the stability and the hands not being as articulated, I always love seeing how much a figure can hold up for current standards, and if you've got this guy, you may not need the HasLab version unless you're a superfan of Omega Prime, which I'm glad to see more often since it's great to see a non-G1 series get love or else we'd probably have an unwanted Ark playset for the interior.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
No comments:
Post a Comment