Transformers Age of the Primes Solus Prime review

Solus Prime was introduced in the Aligned continuity as a Thirteen member. Best known for creating various weapons such as the Requiem Blaster, the Star Saber, and her titular Forge hammer, she would also be depicted as having somewhat of a relationship with Megatronus, the Prime we know in modern times as The Fallen. Their romance ending in flames was depicted in the G1-adjacent media like the IDW comics and the Prime Wars Trilogy, while Transformers One instead has the Primes get ambushed by Sentinel, the False Prime. Now we get a proper figure of her after we were previously left with the meaningless Prime Masters and their Pretender Shells. Let's stop because it's hammer time!

Here we have Solus Prime in her Cybertronic mini truck mode. The design itself kind of looks half-baked in some areas and decent in others. Mostly the front section is the stronger portion of the altmode, while the back section ends up being a mess. Understandably, the robot mode was given a lot more focus, given how that was a design we got in the first place, and the Primes, if ever, rarely got to transform. The tires do give off a bit of an all-terrain look, which may fit well for an uneven surface like Cybertron. The two-tone purples used on the figure will be distracting to many fans, though. 

The Forge can peg on top of the alt mode as sort of a turret, but you can see how the skirt armor, as well as the thighs, really don't fit that well with the altmode. Granted, it's not an Earth vehicle, but if it still has elements of one compared to the more alien designs of the Bayverse, then I'd expect some cohesion.

For a size comparison, here she is with Prima. I like that they're able to have unique altmodes from each other, something that compliments their robot modes as well.

Transformation is fairly difficult to work with, mostly due to how easily her already tiny panels come off. I mostly refer to the inner parts of the forearms and the pieces that go on the shoulders to cover the gaps. You need to keep track of those since they aren't attached with pins to keep them in place. Otherwise, we have a mix of the usual (forearm and back kibble transformation) as well as a clever use of a swivel for the middle part of the middle skirt panel. The robot mode is based on her appearance in the Prime Wars Machinima series, even if it was tweaked from the design that was first showcased in the Aligned Continuity family. The shoulder pads and the skirt flap are design elements that I do like the most on the figure, even if the chest itself makes me think of the polygonal boobs from Lara Croft in the PS1 days. The use of purple, gold, and silver for a color combo is a nice touch, though it does make me think of some Wonka candy brands. The back portion of the figure is sort of like a butt flap of sorts, though it's barely changed enough to look like any proper warrior armor. Still, it is neat to see a transforming version of this character. The wheels facing the back is funny, though.

Her head is sculpted to match the Prime Wars design, albeit with a bit of a blockier look to it to have a bit of that Generations aesthetic synergy. Her articulation consists of ball joints at the neck and wrists, universal joints at the shoulders and hips, swivels at the biceps and thighs, and hinges at the elbows, knees, and ankles. For her to hold the Forge, the hammerhead must first be removed from the handle before sliding it into the hand. Fits the blacksmith look well, and it is a contrast from its TFP look. The skirt panel is split in three parts if you don't want a single piece to hinge outward for poseability. 

For a size comparison, here she is with Prima. She does appear pretty small even for a Deluxe, which may can be a common trend for Fembots overall. That, or Prima could be a bit larger than normal for a Voyager. In any case, I think Solus Prime makes for a good take on this rarely-seen character even as a Deluxe. It's also nice to see that this was not planned with any retools in mind, especially with how they operate their lines nowadays. The panels popping off is annoying, but this at least makes for a more ambitious first-wave fembot than Legacy's TFP Arcee.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐