I already mentioned that Transformers Cybertron was the series that got me into the franchise before the awesomeness of the 2007 Michael Bay movie got me hooked even more and after having a glimpse at a book based on the Armada series. After a visit to the doctor's office, my family and I went to our closest Target, and I got not a Megazord, not a Darth Vader, but two Transformers! Optimus Prime is one of the first-ever Transformers I own, and it's still one I love to this day. I love the design, articulation, playability, and the overall factor of it being Optimus Prime, a character you bet I love a lot. While I've gotten plenty of versions of the character over the years and a lot of Transformers from different lines since 2006, Cybertron Optimus Prime still stays with me throughout the adventures. Years later, and a new version of the guy was announced for the Siege line, and while he's got some things I'll mention later down the road, I feel there's still something to like about him. That being said, it took me a good while to think about how I should structure the review, as I'd want to save the old guy for another special review, but then I want to give both of them some attention because of how much they mean to me. So...I decided to put them in the same review. Not only will I be reviewing the original Cybertron Optimus Prime, but I will also be taking a look last year's Galaxy Upgrade version of the character from the Siege: War for Cybertron line! This will be the longest review of the week, and perhaps one I've done for toy reviews, so get your Cyber Keys and prepare to read through the entire article!
Here we have Cybertron Optimus Prime in his vehicle mode. It's a futuristic fire truck that certainly looks different from other robots like G1 Inferno, DOTM Sentinel Prime, Rescue Bots Heatwave, and the 2001 RID & Animated Primes that also turned into fire trucks. Still, I know Prime was seen putting out fire with the water cannons, but this is almost too mean to be a fire truck! It's got a front cab that looks aggressive, a lot of tires, cannons that mean business, and molded details that make him feel a lot less like a fire truck and more like a military truck on-par with Onslaught. It's badass, and instead of putting out fires, it'll ruin the Decepticons' day!
It's certainly a different kind of vehicle mode than what we normally get from fire trucks, but he wears it well! I love this design if you can't tell, and it definitely makes him feel more like what Optimus Prime would actually be whereas the old RID form felt normal to be a kickass Autobot leader in his vehicle form; Animated Optimus, on the other hand, was inconsistent as either a normal truck or a fire truck.
You can make a flight mode out of the toy by hinging the wings up and facing the cannons forward; it's not the coolest flight mode, but it does work better than Energon's idea of having an unchanged truck mode fly in the sky while having its wheels ROLL.
This is the new Galaxy Upgrade version in his vehicle mode. It's a retool of Ultra Magnus, yet it has new parts to make it a lot more unique from the base toy. Despite that, it's a pretty faithful reincarnation of the toy, where it doesn't feel too much like a redeco and takes advantage of its tooling. Even the front cab of the vehicle mode is done differently from Ultra Magnus's. Also, love the silver cannons, but they're placed at the wrong spots!
It's got some aesthetic issues aside from the incorrect cannon placement, but they include stuff that I feel could easily be resolved; the gap behind the front tires, the discrepancies for the leg armor at the back, the gray pieces that don't mash up too well with the red, and the fact that they molded faux tires but didn't paint them does seem weird. Still, I can excuse some of these issues given how there's so much that can be done from retooling Ultra Magnus into Optimus Prime.
Here they are side by side. It's interesting to see just how similar they were able to be with the new toy when put next to the old guy. While there are a couple of things that the new guy doesn't do quite right, he at least manages to be faithful in general.
In terms of height, they're about the same, if you set aside how low the cannons sit compared to the ones on the old version. Still, it's surprisingly close!
Here we have the cabs without their gear. I will say that Cybertron Optimus looks fairly naked without the extremities, and the loooooong legs in that form make him feel incomplete and kind of funny to look at. The new Galaxy Upgrade figure, by contrast, looks like he's too small without the gear. Also, the proportions between the two are not too consistent, with the new guy not showing the fingers on the front while the grill is pushed back; it makes the cab feel like it's sitting up too high compared to the more flush look the old toy has. I also wish that the cab would have the siren lights painted blue or at least left unpainted since the toy's molded from a translucent plastic; makes you wonder why they're left like that.
Here he is with Ultra Magnus, the toy he was retooled from. While some obvious traits start to be apparent of their mold-sharing heritage, at least these two toys look different from a distance; Ultra Magnus has his own look with the white cab and futuristic/alien take on the car carrier trailer from G1 (along with the RID 2001/Car Robots influence) while Optimus Prime has his own look carried over in 2019 with some discrepancies here and there. This is the kind of retooling I approve of, and it's on-par with how Thrilling 30 Springer was retooled into Sandstorm (with both toys ending up as looking entirely different from one another).
You can see just how different the fronts are, with a new chest section and bumpers that go with each figure. I will credit Optimus for having the front of the truck better look cohesive with the bumper than with Magnus, which looks off in terms of size. Otherwise, arms and legs are about the same.
If you really want to, you can swap the trailers since they share the same mold; still, it doesn't look too right if I'm being honest. Optimus looks okayish with Magnus's trailer, not so much of a good thing with Magnus using Prime's trailer.
Transforming Cybertron Optimus Prime is neat, as it's a fairly unique method that I don't think has been done yet aside from the Powermaster version of the G1 character. The back becomes the legs, but they have the portions with wheels hinged back to stabilize the feet of the basic robot mode; the front becomes the arms, which leads to the unique shoulder pad design that Optimus has in the series. The only annoying thing is how the head sinks when you press on it, but otherwise, it's a neat transformation that feels familiar yet is unique. And the robot mode itself is done very nicely! It's got the familiarity of Optimus yet doesn't feel like a been-there, done that look to it. I like the chest for how uniquely shaped it is while being a faux-look. The shoulders are not blocks with smokestacks, but they're part of the uniquely shaped truck cab. He's got arms that look muscular with the pipe-like brass knuckles and wheels giving him the extra beef he's got to go with his shape. And even when there's not much to say about his back, at least it feels filled out despite the obnoxious screws. And check out his head sculpt; it's got a bit of a mix between the norm for G1 Prime while having a bit of a Primal influence with the mouth and nose guard. Maybe some extra silver paint could be used, but it does the job perfectly fine.
Articulation is pretty decent, especially since Cybertron began to bring back larger points of articulation on figures. The head turns left and right, shoulders move front and back on swivels, and move in and out with less range. The elbows bend on ratchets as well as swivel above the elbow, and the fingers can open and close. You can lift the waist armor so the hips can move front and back as well as in and out if you move the tires up (which are on pieces of plastic that feel thin). The hips on my copy are loose because they might have been through some playwear, which makes them a little too floppy for the super mode. Back to the leg articulation, he has swivels above the knees and he bends at the knees at 90 degrees. He can use his gun after opening his hand with the use of a small peg; 5mm holes are not used for the hands of this toy, but it's not something that will ruin my day because he looks great with it in his hands. I think he can also hold Leobreaker's tailwhip and Wing Saber's swords.
When you open his chest, you can reveal the Matrix of Leadership from within. It's something I painted originally because I wanted to give it a silver handle and a gold core like on the G1 version, but it doesn't work too well because it's not colored accurately. He also originally had the core painted in orange while everything else was a gray plastic.
He may not hold it as if he's lighting our darkest hour, but it can be held in his big hands. It's a neat thing, I might add.
Here he is with Hot Shot, the only other Cybertron Autobot I have. They look pretty good together, especially when I start to add more characters in the collection like Jetfire, Vector Prime, Landmine, Scattorshot, and the other Autobots (don't ask me about the human characters unless they can be done in Lego).
Here he is with some recent figures for anyone that doesn't have Hot Shot, with Cyberverse Shockwave on the left and Studio Series Optimus Prime on the right. While I like both figures and value them for what they are, Cybertron Prime wins with having more bang for your buck as well as having some nice plastic. Let's see how the new guy's regular robot mode holds up.
Now we have the new guy in his base robot mode, and being a retool of Ultra Magnus means that the design of the original robot mode is not accurate to how he looks in the series. This toy lacks the fully blue forearms, has the front as the chest instead of the shoulders, comes with the same sort of leg design found on the Primes we've known previously, and it makes him feel more like a G1 version of Optimus with the Cybertron design...which is honestly reminiscent of the Burger King toy but is also how Optimus appeared in the new IDW comics; I'm slowly warming up to it, but I still feel that this is the wrong look for the guy.
Headsculpt is the same mold as Ultra Magnus but is obviously in blue with silver for the mouthplate and forehead crest as well as yellow for the eyes. Looks nice and gives me some Marvel Comic vibes, and I feel it beats another Prime's method of painting its head sculpt; it will be mentioned on a much later date, so be sure to keep track of this review's paragraph!
Articulation is the same as the original mold and compared to the old guy, the head is on a ball joint instead of a swivel, shoulders move up and down, wrists swivel, waist swivels, the thighs bend instead of doing so above the knee, and there is ankle pivot present, too. Also unlike the old toy, he can hold his gun with a 5mm peg, though that's expected given the nature of 5mm posts in Transformers nowadays.
Here he is with Magnus's core robot mode, and aside from the colors, the chests are the only differences you can find between the two. Magnus actually looks pretty good with that design, but Optimus ends up looking odd despite the 2019 IDWverse depicting him in this form because it really wasn't like that to begin with!
Aside from the chests, the bumpers are also different pieces, with Magnus having a big blue chunk of plastic while Optimus having what appears to homage the front of the truck mode's bumper.
Here he is next to the original Cybertron Optimus Prime. It's a shame that they have nothing in common with each other in terms of how the design or part layout works because the new figure would make for an appealing mini-version of the bigger toy for anyone that lacks the shelf space for the big guy. Still, being a retool of Magnus can do so much for him.
Turning Optimus into his super mode is pretty awesome! I love how the leg stabilizers flow nicely with the new feet as well as how the cannons become underslung for the super mode while the wings go on top as they should. I've seen some fans and stock images depict the cannons over the shoulders, but that's incorrect and stupid. Anyways, if you don't believe me with the awesomeness, then watch the stock footage down below!
Here is the super mode in all its badass glory. Much like Powermaster Optimus Prime before him, this guy feels more like a beefed-up version of his normal self with the addition of a height extension as well as massive cannons and even the power of flight. While I dug the designs of RID and Armada Primes' super modes and have some form of a soft spot for Energon Prime's weird super mode, Cybertron Optimus is my favorite super mode of the ones that we got for how refined it feels in terms of design. He looks like his normal self, sure, but the inclusion of the items I mentioned give him that extra might that would make Decepticons refrain from going after him. However, my copy does suffer from the aforementioned hips that make him hard to stand up straight without the weight of the cannons making him lean back real quick. Sucks too because I'd love to display him without having to remove the cannons. I did add some super glue around the joints, but it appears a little bit more may be needed. The back of the super mode does look a little unappealing with all the etched details, but that's fine. Also, the inclusion of the super mode ears and mouthplate make this version of Prime look twice as badass than in his regular mode. Very nice touch and the head won't accidentally sink from moving it around thanks to the ears!
Articulation is the same, though you will have to be careful in not having the figure lean too much to the back because of how heavy the cannons are. To be fair, you can actually have the cannons slung under the arms and have him ready to fight against any Decepticons that would dare go after the Cyber Planet Keys. You can also bring up the ones on the legs if you want to. I'm missing the missiles for the right arm, but the cannon on his left arm has lights and sounds.
This mode allows us to use our Cyber Key, which can go on either cannon and deploy two additional cannons for the right one or open up the nozzle of the left cannon. My key's custom-painted like the Matrix is, because it originally had just the insignia (which came off from play), so I thought of painting it to better resemble the Matrix of Leadership. Once again, not perfect, but acceptable for what I did years ago.
I have neither Leobreaker nor Wing Saber, but if you own those two figures along with Optimus, you can obviously combine them; Leobreaker turns into a new arm for Optimus while Wing Saber replaces the Super Mode gear to become redundant yet helpful, combat-oriented armor. You can also do a similar thing with their repaints, and heck, you can even use Nemesis Breaker along with Leobreaker and have a double Savage Claw mode! Megatron can do a similar thing, too! Also worth noting is that you can't use both Leobreaker and Wing Saber at the same time; doing so will require taking apart your Cybertron Prime's left arm to do so. Not pictured, but he can hold Metroplex's ax, too!
Let's cover the reuses of the mold before we get to the comparisons, review the Galaxy Upgrade retools Super Mode, and compare both toys. This is a Costco-exclusive two-pack depicting unchanged versions of Optimus Prime and Wing Saber, and they both include their respective accessories on top of having an exclusive DVD for the episode "United". They cost slightly less than Optimus Prime himself, and I would have loved getting this two-pack had that been the case...man if only I was aware Costco sold toys; I doubt they still sell them today!
This is the Galaxy Force version of the toy, and I don't mean the Japanese release of the figure; what you see here is a repaint of the toy in an American-exclusive deco that replaces most of his blue and gray with black and adds some red here and there. While I prefer the original paint scheme, I'll at least credit this one for being an optional repaint that might go well with your Galvatron if you really want to get this new version of the old toy, and hey, credit to Hasbro for coming up with a new paint scheme to spice things up! He even has stronger ratchet joints!
This version of the figure was re-released in a two-pack with Crumplezone, who happens to be the other Transformer I got in the Cybertron line (you have no idea how mindblown I was upon discovering this set). I wouldn't be surprised if any Transformers fans first got into the series with these toys. I gotta review Crumplezone at some point because he's pretty fun, too!
Let's cover some Takara variants. I'll mention first that their version of the mold is from Galaxy Force and is referred to as Galaxy Convoy; their version of the mold had added paint apps and used metal pins to hold the wings in; other than the wings, I feel you're still better off sticking with the Hasbro version for how good the toy still is (what am I, RangerReview's "Uhh, get the Japanese version" bs line?). As for this version, it's Takara's Toys R Us Japan's Sonic Convoy giftset, which gives Optimus clear plastic and chrome parts for the toy in the case of Optimus Prime (though it's not a hundred percent consistent with the other parts). Wing Saber's not too different from the original release aside from the gold swords, and included with them is an exclusive Cobybot (which is Coby Hansen's mech suit from a dead Scrapmetal).
This is the Lucky Draw version of the mold, dipped in gold chrome. Some parts of it are in clear plastic, but it's otherwise for those that want gold bling.
This version has the silver chrome, for those that want silver bling instead of gold bling. Both are hard to find.
And here's a random version of the mold. It depicts our character in amateur colors done by a little kid who won a contest in Japan, and it's certainly perfect for the Keroro-themed Optimus or whatever that frog guy's name is.
Here he is Hot Shot. He's taller than before, yet they still look great together! And of course, I need to get more Cybertron characters!
For size comparison with some larger figures, here he is with MPM-4 and Power of the Primes Optimus Prime. While he's in-between the height of the Movie and G1 bots, he's got the most amount of weight in comparison! MPM-4 may have all those parts for his transformation as well as the die-cast, but he's light in-hand unlike the dense plastic of Cybertron Optimus Prime! POTP Optimus is fairly light, but that's expected with modern Leaders. Also, think about the price that POTP Optimus went for in 2018 compared to the 2005 Cybertron Optimus Prime; while it is a 10 dollar difference (and I'm sure people will tell me to inflate the price of the old toy), he's at least a lot more worth what you're paying for when it comes to paying less but getting more in 2005 (as opposed to paying more but getting less in 2018).
Now let's go over the Galaxy Upgrade version of the mold. Attaching the armor is similar to the way it's done with Ultra Magnus, but the forearm armor, shoulder pads, and chest/wing armor are different than on Magnus. It's also worth noting that the armor doesn't weight the toy back because the cannons are hollow, though points are taken off for the gaps. It's not accurate to how it was done on the show, but it's still nice to see a new take on Cybertron Prime's super mode. And hey, props to Hasbro for remolding the super mode's waist plate and adding some stabilizers for the heels. The forearms should be blue while the legs could be remolded to better resemble the Cybertron Prime legs, but the rest of the toy still looks the part. The only issue I have in terms of aesthetics aside from the hollow cannon is the gray on the back, which would look nicer if it was cast in red plastic instead. Also, the head sculpt looks pretty good despite looking a lot more aggressive than the normal head. Ears should be black, though.
Of course, the articulation is the same as seen with the base mold. What makes this figure different from the old Cybertron Prime aside from the slightly better range of articulation is the 5mm posts that go underneath the hands. These are a lot more stable than the old guy's floppy cannons due to how heavy they are, and you can also bring the leg cannons up if you want.
Here he is with Ultra Magnus, the Leader Class figure we took a look at previously. I know Galaxy Upgrade Prime's a retool of Magnus, but he feels different enough to feel like a brand new toy thanks to the tooling used on him. That's why I didn't include him in the repaint section of my review of Ultra Magnus. Unlike most retools in the Siege line, there's more to Galaxy Upgrade Prime than just a head swap. The chest is new, the chest armor is new, the shoulder pads are new, the gun is new, and the front bumper is certainly new.
One of the accessories are still reused, though the leg guns lack the silver paint needed to make them stand out; I wish they'd be in a different color to better stand out and look accurate to the old toy.
You can switch the armor if you want., though while Optimus Magnus looks barely noticeable underneath the armor, Ultra Prime looks pretty naked without the extra Optimus coloring. Also, every part can be swapped smoothly except for the chest plate, which doesn't tab in properly due to the different molding for the chests.
And here we have the three Leaders of the line. Yeah, I feel Galaxy Upgrade Optimus Prime wins in this case compared to the other Leaders. Magnus is good but feels a little plain by comparison, while Shockwave is not worthy of the Leader Class pricepoint.
And here we have both Primes next to each other. What a size difference, which certainly makes the new Prime feel a lot smaller. Cybertron Optimus Prime, I feel, still holds up even if you set aside the nostalgia; what makes it great is just how well it manages to be a simple toy that still feels great in hand and doesn't age poorly in my eyes. Sure, there's stuff like Power Charge Bumblebee from the 2018 solo movie and the Cyberverse Ultimates, which are both toys that feel simple yet are still big and have good articulation, but it's great to have the mainline be worthwhile beyond the gimmicks. Today's 1-Step Changers are simply no match for the toys kids had to go along with their then-new cartoon, and this and Animated provided some of the best 2000s era of Transformers toys meant for a TV show, where they're simple to transform yet don't feel boring and provide good play factor past the gimmicks. What about Galaxy Upgrade Prime? Well, it's pretty sad for those that don't want to spend that much on a Leader Class figure that's a simple Voyager toy with dress-up parts. Still, does that mean it's a bad toy compared to the old version? I was at first under the impression that it'd be like how we go from the Bandai Japan Sentai mecha to the Bandai America Power Rangers Megazords from Samurai or Ninja Steel, but it's actually a lot better than I expected! I think it does a few things better than the old toy while still remaining as a heavy retool of a modern Leader. Which one is the better of the two? I feel it's hard to pick a favorite. Both figures are still pretty good, but I recommend the larger toy for fans that grew up with the series or want to get a more faithful version of the character while the new guy fits well for fans that want more out of Cybertron Prime in general or need the space.
In terms of other versions of this take on Optimus Prime, This is the Hybrid Style version of Galaxy Convoy, which looks nice yet has additional accessories to make up for his smaller size, including many alternate hands, two Force Chips (Japanese name for Cyber Keys), alternate heads; he even has a bit more articulation.
This is the Maketoys version, which has yet to be made but promises it'd have some amazing engineering.
All in all, I'm happy to own both versions of the mold. One is a Transformer that means a lot to me as the first-ever toy I got from the franchise, while the other manages to be a retool that's a lot better than I thought it'd be. These two are staying in my collection, and they won't be replacing any other version of the mold. Even if I get a more fresh copy of the old Cybertron toy, I'll still keep this version with me for how iconic it is to my childhood and for how much it means to me with Transformers. It's also nice to see fans that didn't grow up with G1 talk about how much the franchise they grew up with means to them, and I'm happy to share my thoughts on Cybertron. While the cartoon does have some weird moments and has a huge reliance on stock footage (on top of some so-so CGI), it's a show that I still like to watch every once in a while.
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