Super 7 Ultimates TMNT 2003 Utrom Shredder & Casey Jones review

The second half of TMNT 2003 Wave 2 is now in my hands, and it's time we go over some brief bios for Shredder and Casey Jones. The Shredder we have here is actually an alien known as Ch'rell, who took the form of the original Shredder, Oroku Saki, when the Utroms made it to Earth and disguised themselves as humans with alien technology. He was the more prominent enemy of our heroes, and for anyone wondering why he would have his alien heritage as a twist, it was a decision made by one of the franchise's co-creators, Peter Laird, and some could see it as a nod to the classic cartoon character Kraang, even though the Utroms were from the Mirage comics. As for Casey Jones, he's been a regular side character in plenty of TMNT media, but for the 2003 version specifically, he became the vigilante we know him as after his father was killed by Hun and the Purple Dragon gang. Not only that, but he also got to be friends with the Turtles when they were kids (though the Turtles disguised themselves as human kids). It's great to have my favorite versions of these characters in my collection, but even if I used a lot of gift cards to pay far less, I'm still going to have to judge these as normal toy reviews.

Here we have Shredder in-hand, looking pretty badass in terms of sculptwork for the most part; the colors are unfortunately pretty bland, and it's not because of the monochrome deco he has. See, the nature of Super 7 is their approach to being faithful to the color schemes of the cartoons rather than having some artistic license and using some metallic paint apps where needed. As a result, while the matte finish on most of the plastic is nice, most of the grey ends up appearing flat and prototypey in comparison. And it sucks, too, because the figure could benefit from using silver paint to keep him from looking unfinished, or at least have those light grey parts cast in a darker shade so they could blend in better with the rest of the colors. The bluish grey and black are fine; just do something with that lighter grey so he won't appear cheap! I've seen Super 7 do this with some figures in the past when they think show accuracy = no metallic paint, but surely something would help it look better? On the flip side, those two cloth goods behind him are comparable to bendy wire capes, which is great if you want to pose him dramatically as if the wind swept. Proportions are generally good for him, and the surface area, despite being simple to match the art style, is at least pretty good but could be sharper. As it stands, he's a mix between being badass and needing improvements, visually.

Head sculpt is mostly good, but I feel the spikes should be slightly less curved inwards to the helmet if I'm being honest. Maybe it depends on the angle of the show, but it does vary on how straight the three points on the helmet usually appear. I wish the paint for the mouthplate were more refined, but at least the red eyes are applied without any weird misalignments. Articulation consists of a double ball-jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, bicep rotation, double-jointed elbows, slight rotation for said elbow joints, wrists that rotate and hinge in and out, he has a ball joint in the diaphragm as well as a ball joint for the waist, pseudo ball-jointed hips, thigh swivels, double-jointed knees, and ankles that hinge as well as pivot.

One of his accessories is the Sword of Tengu, a powerful weapon he used to rule Japan before it was lost over the years, and he uses it in the show because his exosuit protects him from potentially taking a severe shock. The sculpt is fine, but he should be able to grip it better. The blade is dull grey like the crescent, and the yellow paint, while accurate to the sword, looks a little cheap. He also has an alternate head representing Oroku Saki, or a disguise version of the original Tengu Shredder that Ch'rell took the name from. Sculpt could be a little sharper, especially if you're going to paint the skin to make it less plasticky. 

He also includes his true form, the actual Ch'rell, who again could use some deco beyond the eyes and scar. A wash would help his sculpt pop better than it currently does, especially if it's going to represent the skin of an alien instead of just trying to be slavish to the cartoon's digital animation colors. While not physically possible, it would be cool to see this guy inside the mech suit.

As for Casey Jones, this guy is a huge contrast to what we got with Shredder and the Foot Soldier in terms of proportions, and it's more than just him wearing less than the others. I'm getting a similar vibe to the Raimi Green Goblin figure where the torso appears somewhat tiny compared to the arms, which almost gives Jason a small bit of a kiddy toy look from slightly larger arms and huge shoes. He is meant to be stylized as with everyone in the show, but I almost get a sense of a Playskool-style toy with larger hands and feet than we should usually get with figures meant for older fans. Not helping is that his elbows are unable to straighten fully, so he kind of has that pre-posed arm bend that we see on kiddy action figures. Also, while his skin tone has a bit of a tan to it, I don't think it was meant to appear that orange. In the flip side, this is always one of the coolest versions of the character, and at least the paint apps for the pants and shoes are well applied. I also appreciate that the shirt is sculpted properly instead of doing the Hasbro trope or painting clothes over a blank body without any distinction between the fabric and the skin it's covering.

His head sculpt is also pretty good, and I like that the mouth and eyes are peering through. It could use a wash to make this look more worn from constant battles instead of looking kike it was made of paper. I also like that the hair has some shading applied to make it layered while still matching the color used in the show. That would work better than leaving flat coloring for the figure. His articulation is mostly the same as Shredder's, but with a bit more range due to him not being armored up. That said, his grip on the hockey stick varies from decent to awkward depending on how well it's wedged in there.

Some of his other accessories include alternate fist hands, open palm hands, a golf club, and a pair of baseball bats. Deco is fine for most of them, though the grips on those weapons also vary in tolerances. His unmasked head looks pretty good, though as I got older, he now comes off like a way cooler John Redcorn in a way. The sharpness of the sculpt could be tweaked a little better, though the akin color makes it a bit easier to see than the face of Oroku Saki.

This wave has its own preorder bonus, most of which is meant for this wave specifically. We get a yelling Ch'rell, an alternate Casey head with his hair flowing in the wind while looking to the side, a gauntlet meant for holding the Sword of Tengu, and said sword with a glow-in-the-dark feature. These should have been included with the figures anyhow, but hey, gotta get people to spend full price when these figures don't deserve it (even if I like them when they're heavily discounted)

For a size comparison, here we have the second wave completed with our example Turtle in the form of Leonardo. While it's said that Casey Jones is 6'2", what does that make the Shredder when some official sources have the same height for him? I guess it would work fine if we remember he is a robot suit, but he should be slightly taller than Casey and the Foot Soldier, or Splinter and the Turtles should be slightly shorter. Overall, Shredder is a case where a good sculpt, mostly solid articulation, and his accessory count combined with his height save him from getting a lower score considering he costs $60. As for Casey, he's sort of equal to the Foot Soldier in terms of pros and cons, but my main issue has to be his slightly off physique as well as the lack of paint and whatever is going on with the grip he has for his weapons. At least he has a cool selection of things to swing at bad guys. Only get these if they are discounted, sold by anyone willing to charge less, or if you have gift cards.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Shredder)

⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Casey Jones)

Marvel Legends Spider-Man Trilogy Green Goblin review

A good while ago, Hasbro made a set for the NWH version of Green Goblin. While I would have rather had a pristine version of the character, I knew they saw how fans would rather only get the classic Goblin design first and do nothing with the NWH version. After all, Raimi fans wanting modern merch wouldn't really bother with the MCU. Admittedly, some would still go for basic shit like stupid Funko Pops, but we have had a bit of rep for the Raimiverse when it comes to action figures. Hasbro made 3 versions of their Tobey Spidey (3-pack, single release, and symbiote), and all 3 of them sucked for Legends standards. Other than the Goblin, we did get Doctor Octopus in a Deluxe release with nostalgic Spider-Man 2 branding, and a fully sand-man Sandman was part of the NWH blister card releases. We did get a Figuarts release around the same time, but I was more than happy to stick with the Hasbro release despite neither version being exactly what I wanted. Now that we have a normal version of the mean, green, fighting machine, how well does it hold up? And is it worth paying an extra $5 compared to the previous version? Let's find out!

Here we have Green Goblin in hand, surprisingly in an entirely new mold rather than a retool of the NWH version. Given how much surface area these extremities and pouches cover, I'm assuming we may as well have an original sculpt from the ground up. As for what we end up with, I'm kind of wondering if the proportions are supposed to look like this. Keep in mind that the live-action aesthetics aren't going to have the same level of exaggeration you'd find in comic designs, but while the Movie Goblin was never a muscular character (or the 616 Goblin for that matter), something about this figure feels a little petite, and a part of it may come from how small the torso feels in comparison to his limbs. The slight thigh gap also doesn't help much, and it's almost making me think of the ToyBiz figure's proportions; maybe the size of the head isn't helping much either if it's a guy wearing a bodysuit like this? I should mention that the suit, while closer to being pristine as it was in 2002, is based on the tweaks used for No Way Home; it's a common trend for some shows or movies bringing back legacy designs to not be fully 1:1, so for example, the side detailing of the biceps blend in with the rest of the arms. As for the coloring and deco, I don't mind that there is a bit of a metallic spray to accentuate the green plastic, but is using marblized plastic the right way to go given this really isn't a metallic costume? It shouldn't be given the Iron Man treatment, given the materials used for each costume being absolutely different from one another. If he was thoroughly painted on the back like he is from the front, maybe it would have looked better, because there being no deco from the back makes a $55 figure look cheaper than he should be.

His unmasked head is supposed to look like the same 2002-era Willem Dafoe, given he would have been brought back from the exact age he died, but it doesn't really look that great. I don't know if it's a side effect of taking reference material from No Way Home specifically, where the de-aging looked pretty fuzzy according to the actor (then again, a lot of the CGI in NWH is either a case of pandemic compromises or just modern movies looking worse than what we used to get). Either way, it doesn't look as good as what we used to get. For his articulation, we have a ball & disk hinge combo for the neck. The shoulders, similar to what McFarlane does with their lines, have joints that can wiggle around on the washers yet provide less range than what those figures usually offer. The arms move in and out, and the biceps rotate as usual. The elbows are double-jointed yet extremely stiff, given the pinless tech tending to be this way with Hasbro figures; wrists rotate on their pegs and hinge in and out, and we only get just the diaphragm joint instead of anything else that would help add more articulation than it already has. No waist swivel, no extra ball joint, not even an ab crunch! It's already annoying that Hasbro does this to most versions of Iron Man, but it's even worse for a figure that costs as much as a Maximum release! Anyways, hips work as usual with their sticky ball joints (with seemingly barely working drop-down joints), thigh swivels, double-jointed knees that look slightly better than the elbow joints, boot rotation, and ankles that hinge as well as pivot. One of his accessories is his Goblin mask that is actually a new mold from the original release, yet still retaining the smoother tweaks of the NWH version. He also has two Pumpkin Bombs, one of them in his hand right now as he's ready to turn some board members into skeletons. I don't get why people think that kids were afraid of that stupid animatronic rubber mask based on the comics when a lot of the horror elements from Sam Raimi would freak them out instead.

He also comes with the broken Goblin mask based on the scene where he broke it while escaping the influence of his inner demon. As for the glider, it's the same one we have before, with two slippers that peg onto the top while the glider articulates at two points to simulate his movements while turning or strafing in the air. Somehow, he doesn't stay on as well in this version compared to the NWH version, especially with the pegs having worse tolerances.

And one cool accessory is the explosion bit that even has some deco applied. Would love to see a trail of bullets to recreate when he was chasing after Spider-Man, at least a few more explosions in larger sizes, but it's something, I guess. I wonder if more explosion pieces came with the MCU Black Widow based on her forgettable solo movie. Who knows if the Green Goblin got the wrong Peter, but maybe Griffin's warning us not to look up a forbidden Google Search related to Marvel, as it's the worst mistake of his life. Could be NSFW fan art, especially if it's anything Rivals-related, knowing the gooner fanbase.

Now let's compare the Goblins and see how much of a night-and-day difference there is! As mentioned before, Hasbro did what they do best and released the less desirable version first, knowing NO ONE would get the NWH version if we got the classic Raimi version from the get-go. That said, while it's cool to see how different the original suit is from the modifications he added for the final battle, I can't help but feel there isn't much synergy between them. Some of the sculpted details we could see beneath all those extremities are slightly different from each other, notably visible in the crotch, bits of the arms, and the feet. As for the proportions, while it's hard to say if the body has droopy shoulders or a narrow torso, I'd argue that the final battle version may have better proportions if we compare how the torso scales with the rest of the limbs. I'm sure some would argue that the figure may be a little chunkier if we're comparing how busy the suit looked in the MCU, but he looks more like he's at least had a sandwich or two instead of coming off as petite. I also prefer the likeness of Willem Dafoe in the older figure; that evil grin and the hairline look better than the new figure's Jerma985 mug in comparison.

The bombs are altered somewhat from the original versions, with the new ones having an additional bit of deco for the lights surrounding the button, but the orange is now marbleized plastic instead of being opaque orange. Maybe it'd look better that way since it's less like an orange and is now vaguely metallic, but once again, good luck making sure not to lose these.

The change in neck joints has me wondering just what goes on with Hasbro HQ sometimes, especially when it involves the types of joints they use. The double ball neck wasn't that great because of the lack of any real range (the larger ball should be inside the neck for better range, Hasblo), but why go back to the outdated neck joint? Apart from that, let's compare the prices they went for when they first came out: The NWH version cost $50, and the 2026 version $55. What does that $5 difference entail? We have two differently sculpted figures: a glider with a stand, a helmet, and a pumpkin bomb, but instead of the hood and goggles, the new one has an extra bomb, an explosion piece, alternate hands, and the broken Goblin mask. That's 7 accessories on 2002 vs 4 on NWH, but I doubt that'd be worth the price increase would be fully worth it. In a way, I'm happy to have a proper Raimi Trilogy Green Goblin to go with the villains of the series, but I still can't help but feel disappointed with how lacking he is in some areas.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Age of the Primes Armada Jetfire review

Back in 2023, the Legacy Evolution line gave us one of the best Commander Class figures in the form of Armada Optimus Prime. If you haven't read my review of it, I highly urge you to do. For a quick recap, it not only makes for a glorious update to the old toy, but it also gives Unicron Trilogy fans the satisfaction they've wanted after that WonderFest tease where the grey prototype next to the Star Convoy retool of POTP Optimus came from. Even as soon as we got the figure, we had a tease for the other combinations with Jetfire and Overload. The former mainly with the removable insignia, and the latter via how compatible the original toy is with the new Armada Prime despite a few clearance issues here and there. Now we have Jetfire to join the Autobot brigade, and he easily makes up for the lack of a Smokescreen just from what he does in the show alone. He's the kind of second-in-command to be less of a yes-man and more of a guy who's willing to have disagreements with Optimus yet still be a worthwhile ally to the Autobots regardless. He's what Starscreams in general fail to be: reasonably different from their leaders while focused on the same mission. And to celebrate that, let's review his Age of the Primes figure as we close off the line!

Here we have Age of the Primes Armada Jetfire in his space shuttle mode. It's a pretty faithful take on the original toy, though it is missing the stripes in the middle area like the stock photo of the original toy TFWiki posted. Turns out that it wasn't on the show the whole time; kind of hard to tell. At the very least, it looks somewhat more pristine than the original toy, going for a re-entry fade in the front; those would have been nice to somewhat justify the price he's going for. In general, it's a pretty good design that also makes me think of a somewhat militaristic space cruiser, almost like the X-71 Shuttle from Armageddon! Yeah, pre-Bayverse influence in Transformers; you love to see it! For anyone wondering, the swept-forward tailfins are supposed to look like that if anyone thinks it's a misassembly.

Keep in mind that the shield should be plugged underneath the altmode if you want to keep everything together at once. Not only that, but we get landing gear for this set! However, none of the wheels roll, not even on a toy this expensive. Then again, given that Concept Art Megatron had no rolling wheels while being a modern Leader Class toy, what else is new with modern Hasbro? Also, those red bits near the front of the wings come out of the box detached, so keep track of those when you open your toy.

He comes with three Minicons, representing the Space Minicon Team! From left to right, we got Sky Blast the rocket ship, Astroscope the satellite, and Payload the rocket transport truck. They're pretty close to the old toys, though with less interactivity with their altmodes (mostly docking Sky Blast onto Astroscope as shuttles do with satellites).

To attach them onto Jetfire, you need to fold the panels on Astroscope out of the way so they can attach better onto the side where the 5mm port lies, while Sky Blast just pegs on the side as expected. Meanwhile, Payload pegs under where the front of the jet mode lies. And saying that is a realization Comettor is nowhere to be found. Come on, Hasbro, you finally add Minicons to a new mold figure, and a Commander, no less, but will one extra character really drive the price up by $15 extra???

Transforming this trio is pretty easy, though keep in mind that the slight addition of articulation for these figures will make them slightly, slightly, slightly more difficult to handle. Sky Blast is pretty close to the new figure with the articulation and head transformation, but the chest and arms are slightly worse than the original (the left arm is blue on the original). Astroscope is the closest to the original, but with a more articulated left arm, an integrated cannon for the right arm (no missile launcher), and his legs can't stay parallel if they're not tabbed in. Payload is bulkier than his original version and has ankle pivots, surprisingly.

For a Commander Class size comparison, here he is with Optimus Prime (no trailer because that will take up space). He's pretty close to what 2010s Leader Class figures would be sized at, if not smaller than the original toy by a margin. It does make me wonder what the scale with Overload would be like if we ever get him in about 3 extra years, either in some Generations rebranding or Studio Series (with a possible price hike - $100 for a Commander!)

Transformation is more involved than the original toy, which helps him function like a modern action figure instead of being held back as a brick. It has a whole lot more twists and turns for the wings and the leg assembly, especially as we get to the pants mode. I should mention that I intentionally left the central part of the shuttle this way instead of shifting it upward for a specific reason: to let the nose cone fold down and allow the waist swivel to work properly for Jet Optimus. I should also mention that I intentionally folded the nosecone back, both to see if it would look better and because I was under the false assumption that Hasbro didn't fold it away themselves. That said, this robot mode is appropriately chunky, and he wears it well. Predating most bulky Energon Autobots, he has plenty of joints visible in the waist area, while his arms are stumpy in contrast to the wide torso. It's clear he's going to form into part of a different mode, but he wears it very well with a design like this. It also fits with his personality, where he's more likely to get into combat than his leader would, on top of being the type of big dude who would easily knock over anyone almost taller than him. If Optimus struggles with a 1-on-1 fight against Megatron, leave it to Jetfire to use his gut to tumble the Decepticon leader off his feet! His wings go past his head, but I should mention that they detach near the backs intentionally for safety reasons. Makes me wonder if Hasbro will change them for when we get to someone like Spacewarp or Astrotrain?

Head sculpt is interesting for the fact that no clear visor is kept on this head sculpt, which may not be present entirely in the animation since he is meant to have the eyes sculpted in place. At least it doesn't have the issue of the Hasbro version, where the eyes were painted over said visor by mistake. His articulation consists of a ball-jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, bicep rotation, single-jointed elbows, and wrist rotation. The hips are where things get complicated; they move front and back like on some Energon Autobots, but outward leg movement is on an even higher joint. You can still have the joints work almost like normal leg articulation, but it's only a matter of how you manipulate the hips. Thankfully, the thigh swivels can help out with making the legs work normally, and the same goes for the ankle rockers. And of course, he has the signature megaphone-looking blaster made up from the back booster (which is annoying to slide into place and detach) as well as use a shield that is a bit undersized, but it still does the job despite its chest-plate-atude.

The Space Minicon Team can combine into the Requiem Blaster by inserting Sky Blast into the back of Astroscope (with its panels folded up) and attaching the result to Payload. It may not look the most like a convincing weapon, but it goes well as something Jetfire would brandish if he was ever going to consistently stay with it (provided, of course, that it isn't taken from Megatron as he forms the Hydra Cannon).

Here he is with Armada Optimus, towering over him like in G1 and in ROTF (maybe Animated and Cyberverse are exceptions?). I love that Jetfire is a second-in-command type of choice for Optimus, and while people could joke about how fat he is, what's stopping him from still being one of the badasses in the show? I also like that while Optimus, in spite of his bulky proportions, manages to have this tactical look to him, contrasting Jetfire's "come at me" design. Also crazy that these two were the first ever Powerlink duos we got before Energon? I know that Victory or some other Japanese G1 series had characters work a similar way, but let's be real here, nobody cares about them as much as these two.

For anyone wondering what the pants mode size is like, it's only slightly taller than the pants mode that Optimus's trailer turns into. I always appreciate that they both have some differences to them in order to justify Jetfire's own transformation into a new pair of trousers, with the normal trailer having those Optimus-like elements to them while Jetfire's wings and color scheme help him feel far less redundant on top of being able to help Prime fly.

As for getting to the transformation, it's once again very involved for anyone expecting him to do more than just tuck his head and arms away. Hasbro was super dedicated to making sure that Jetfire would have proportionate legs so Optimus could have as much leg articulation with these pants as he did with his own. It means we have to shift the wings every time we bend his knees, but it also at least explains why Jetfire's torso is stuck like that: it grants Prime waist articulation, and it's even better than the way it was handled with his own trailer due to no skirt panels getting in the way. And because Jetfire's legs are shifted to be more proportionate while also rearranged to make the entire lower half convincing, he makes full use of those joints that were partially visible in the torso. Also, Optimus's Autobot insignia is meant to be removable and attached to the shield now that it's the chest panel. Combine that with the mashup of Prime's Ion Blaster and Jetfire's cannon in one hand, with the Requiem Blaster on the other, nothing's getting in their way.

Overall, while I wish Jetfire had a few more paint apps or actually included Comettor, I think I'm happier with how he turned out compared to Onslaught. Not saying Onslaught was bad, but I'm so much more excited to see the Megaweapon trinity complete in the 2020s than I am going through the same cycle of G1 combiner limbs waiting to combine with another Commander frame. Jetfire's chunky heftitude and overall play value can't be beat, especially if you've already got an equally awesome Armada Optimus or are lucky to get Nemesis Prime for cheap at your local Ross (fingers crossed!); maybe that makes up for the lack of an evil trailer? I bet we have to wait for Overload to pop up in another 3 years, but damn, is Jetfire another great chapter worth getting to. Just a shame that his actual partner isn't even included with the Powerlinx Red Alert set.

And yes, I got Megazarak a while back despite being $5 higher than the others. He was from a very small yet helpful deal from Entertainment Earth, and given how much of a threat the character is in the 3H media, it's about time Jet Prime finishes him off.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of a⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Studio Series Evasion Optimus Prime review

A decade ago, we got Evasion Mode Optimus Prime, who managed to be one of the best versions of that character of all time. No doubt it's thanks to the bot mode proportions, remarks ke articulation, G1 fan service with the altmode, and a wicked transformation with key steps utilized in more recent takes on this iteration during Studio Series. A year ago, I got the Rusty repaint to revisit the mold while also searching for movie accuracy, and in spite of the beige used for some of the robot, the truck mode looked almost perfect. We just need the proper Marmon 97 cab instead of the Freightliner used for the old AOE Voyager (ironically the BBM version looked more like the Marmon 97). Plenty of people have been hyped for a new take at this toy, but the reveal left fans either mixed or extremely mad. I know there are things this does better than the original, but while we will delve into this review with an open mind, I know other aspects are going to be rougher than rough.

Here we have Optimus Prime in his vehicle mode. It is a much closer take on the Marmon 97 than the old Voyager, though it's still unlicensed as far as I know. The truck is decoed to look rusty and faded like the in-film prop, and  it's even got sculpted details to make it appear shot up and worn badly. For example, the bullet hole in the grille. His color scheme is meant to be a more desaturated version of the G1 colors, which is different from straight up using them on the original toy. I even dig the flames on the front of the truck, which helps remind people of the mashup of the classics with the then-modern stuff. That said, it appears the color scheme is meant to match the robot mode where he does have these hints of red and blue. It's one of those things about this design specifically where the truck is mostly monochrome in terms of color, yet the bot mode deco says otherwise. It's kind of like what happened with Shrapnel's torso changing color, or the front of Mudflap's altmode having a dark grey trim not shown on the chest. Also, for a toy that costs nearly $45, is it hard to get the rims painted? Oh well, at least he has windshield wipers. His gun can store on the back though it would be cool if it could fill in the small gap behind the rear wheels.

Here he is with his original mold, both of them in their alt modes. The new one is certainly closer to the on screen model, yet the deco, while a decent attempt at trying to appear rusty and faded, pales in comparison to the version we got from Takara. I know what some people are thinking: shouldn't we compare this with the retail version? I chose not to because not only are we going over movie accuracy, but the Voyagers of today likely cost as much as the repaint did when you could import it around 2014. Voyagers today cost nearly $45, so this is a fair comparison now. I can only guess they wanted to have the bot mode look somewhat accurate since Optimus had those traditional colors loosely, but like with the torso of G1 Bombshell changing color, the movie kind of implies Optimus doesn't stay the same color when he goes from this very faded and monochrome truck into a desaturated version of his trilogy design with some tweaks here and there. So we can say for now that the truck mode wins for the new version apart from the deco. At least give the rims some paint for the new toy!

Transformation is thankfully new in spite of being somewhat like the original Evasion mold, with the inside-out approach used a little differently than before. While the legs are still formed from the back, they face forwards this time around and properly move the middle wheels to the thighs (on top of the feet forming the back of the truck instead of the fifth wheel). The arms are still made from the sides of the truck, but they now have double jointed elbows and proper forearm bits instead of leaving an awkward arm joint with the real windows visible from the back. The torso transformation is also different with the waist swivel, faux truck windows, and the base of the head rotating around before tabbing everything in place. The resulting robot mode is where things get pretty rough, and not because of the best up condition Optimus was in. The legs have more definition to them than the original version, while the arms look more proper than the original Evasion version we got back in 2014. I also like that the right shoulder have some revealing bits that better convey how damaged he is. However, the torso takes the hit when it comes to its appearance. On top of being somewhat blocky like the 2014 version, I have to ask why the faux windows look even faker than the original release; it's a weird thing to say, but they almost look as off as the original SS Prime. Last time a Movie Prime had an even less-convincing chest would be the DOTM Voyager. The back section has some nice detailing, but there is no proper color breakup. That would make up for the lack of panels that would slide up and fill in the silhouette. And while they maye have sculpted the sun visor halves in the chest windows, the smokestacks are barely visible, leading many to believe he doesn't have them at all. I want to say the figure does so many things better than the original, but it falls short on plenty of other aspects. It almost looks more like a refined version of that Bumblebee Movie toyline Optimus that still had the Evasion design instead of the Beewun redesign.

Head sculpt is also irritating to think about, because while it may look fine at first (also appreciate a bit of deco for the right side of the forehead), two issues need to be brought up: 1) it's the one time we could have an unmasked head and Hasbro chose to give him a mouthplate he rarely used in this form, and 2) it's kind of outdated in terms of detailing and accuracy, especially when compared to the older Studio Series Primes with heads that match the CGI better. With his unpainted Mega Striker in his hand, his articulation consists of ball joints to the neck and wrists, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, bicep rotation, double jointed elbows, waist rotation, standard leg articulation moving front and back, somewhat limited range moving in and out because of the tire, thigh swivels (plainly visible since the inner thighs are hollow), hinged knees, and ankles that hinge as well as pivot.

Here he is with his subsequent form he takes for the later 3 quarters of the movie. I have issues with the lack of paint on the Leader Prime (which will also leave me concerned with the upcoming 2007 remake), but at least his proportions and detailing are on point. At least scale is consistent.

And here he is with the Rusty version of the Evasion mold. Apart from the slight height difference, I'll be honest and say that the new one has better arms and mostly better legs. The new version also has somewhat more accurate colors, but not as accurate as they should be. The torso and head on the original look much better. The former looks more convincing with the overall shape and detailing of the chest windows, and the latter, despite having a mouthplate, still looks closer to the CG model than the one whose line claims to be about accuracy. And hey, he has more visible smokestacks unlike the new one! I'm sure you can combine elements of both versions to make the best Evasion Prime, but as it stands, the new one isn't cutting it as much as I would like. Fun to mess with, and not as bad as I expected, but room for improvement as usual with the current trend of Studio Series.

One more comparison with the Premium Finish head sculpt since I already talked about the older faces looking more accurate. You can tell that the new one better matches the proportions of the CG model, on top of the eyes not looking like the ones we saw in the 2007 promo art or some of the older toys. And I know this version has the wrong chest window detailing, but in its defense, it doesn't have his chest appear etched in. Again, the new figure isn't bad, but he is far from perfect. I hope Baiwei does this toy some justice.

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