Sentinel Prime...one of the most infamous Transformers in the history of the franchise. This guy went from a peaceful mentor of Optimus to a backstabbing traitor that is more interested in bringing back Cybertron instead of following Optimus's beliefs that Earth has to be their new home solely for the fact that the human race is in danger from the Decepticons. He may not be a true Decepticon, but he certainly has a POV that contrasts what Optimus fought for since 2007. I'm sure Sentinel's laughing in the Pit when he sees Optimus go against the humans for hunting down his allies during the events of AOE and TLK. Anyways, despite being the Transformer that killed Ironhide, forcefully reclaimed his technology, and made a massive massacre across the planet to bring back Cybertron, I feel Sentinel's an amazing antagonist for Dark of the Moon, and he does make up for the lack of screentime Shockwave had in the movie (since Sentinel was secretly meant to be the real villain the whole time). And to tell you the truth, I had no idea he'd actually go against the Autobots and work with Megatron (but not for him) in bringing back the planet. Now, with all that said, let's see how the Studio Series version of the character stacks up in today's review!
Here we have Sentinel's backdrop. It's the same as Roadbuster's backdrop, only made for a Voyager Class Transformer. Okay, moving onto the more interesting details.
Here is Sentinel Prime in his vehicle mode, a slightly modified Rosenbauer Panther fire truck meant to tackle airport accidents. It's done up quite nicely, I'd say, especially when it comes to how unique the design of this vehicle is compared to what we saw from the common fire trucks (at least the ones I've seen in the US). It's also fitting for a former Autobot leader like Sentinel, whose design depicts him as an older character compared to the more robust Optimus Prime. Just about everything with this figure is spot on to the on-screen vehicle mode, and I have no problems so to speak with the inaccuracies here and there. Aesthetically, the only thing I don't like is how the otherwise complete looking tires have those gaps meant to save money on plastic with the snap-on tires.
All in all, a damn good fire truck, and there's even that 316 that Stone Cold (CooC) Steve Austin is known for. It's worth noting that there is a bit of partsforming involved for the vehicle mode; those two side panels between the front and middle tires are required for the double-bladed sword used in vehicle mode. While this may not be as bad as the Earthrise partformers like Cliffjumper and Arcee, but you better keep these parts if you want to have the vehicle mode feel complete. It's thankfully not too bad if these parts were missing compared to, say, Classics Optimus Prime. Maybe some will find the upper part of the vehicle mod to be a little weirdly curved, but it's not too terrible.
Here he is with some truck Transformers, which consist of Megatron in his damaged Mack Truck mode and Optimus Prime complete with his trailer. I feel that the Rosenbauer Panther fire truck should be a little bit bigger, but he still looks good with the other characters nonetheless.
Transformation is fairly involved with this design, but it's actually quite good. I loved how the legs transform as well as how the front of the vehicle mode almost goes inside out by opening up the windshield and bringing in the chest windows as well as the arms. The hips also have some pieces of armor that jut out somewhat. The backpack is also somewhat involved as the top part of the vehicle mode becomes the cape while the windshield becomes part of the stability for the robot mode, which we will talk about in a bit.
The robot mode is certainly accurate to his design in the movie, though a small part of me feels that his chest does look somewhat flat while the arms feel a little skinny compared to the rest of his body. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it is odd how blocky the upper torso feels. It's especially noteworthy from the side view, where the chest feels relatively flat. Studio Series Optimus Prime's faux chest at least had dimensions to it, while this figure does feel like a carryover from the first version of Prime. Still, there are some positives to the figure, like the backpack nowhere being as bad as the old Voyager. Sentinel Prime's design has a more regal look to him a la characters like Vector Prime and Alpha Trion, so I'm happy this is carried over with this figure despite the issues I mentioned. As for the headsculpt, it looks quite good, and even the eyes look well done with the baby blue paint. The back of the head being gray is a little odd when his head should mostly be red.
Articulation is generally good. Head is on a ball joint with limited range due to his facial hair; shoulders move front and back as well as in and out, biceps swivel, elbows bend, and the wrists swivel. If you fold windshield's roof piece, then you would get a bit of a waist swivel that is otherwise absent when the windshield and roof piece are flattened. Hips move front and back as well as in and out, the lower legs swivel above the knee and bend at the knee. The two side panels that come off during transformation are able to combine into the double-bladed sword he is known to brandish in the movie. It's not entirely accurate, but it does get the job done in terms of how it looks. One thing that does suck is that he doesn't come with either a shield or a rust gun. The latter is understandable if it wasn't included, but the former is another iconic part of Sentinel that adds to his look.
Here we have the other Sentinel Primes to compare alongside the Studio Series version. The new guy obviously wins in terms of better capturing the look of the character, and the head sculpt alone beats the other two when you look at how close it is to the likeness of Sentinel Prime, but that doesn't mean the other toys are really that bad. Leader Sentinel's arms are a little short, his head sculpt looks off somewhat, and his chest isn't really all that accurate, but it was a damn good Leader Class figure, and sadly one of the last ones deserving of the title Leader Class before everything started to get smaller (by contrast, Bumblebee wasn't terrible yet felt unnecessary since Megatron or Shockwave would have been perfect candidates while Ironhide was a major letdown). He's one I'd recommend if you want to get him to go along with your ROTF Optimus or MPM Optimus. Voyager Sentinel's probably got slightly better plastic, but he's...got some issues. He's a real shellformer and also lacks paint even for a Voyager or has gray plastic that's too light for the shade of red he has. Also, while I mentioned that the Studio Series version has a chest that's relatively flat, at least it's used for the transformation whereas the DOTM Voyager's chest simply hinges downwards. Yeah, skip the old DOTM figure unless you're a completionist.
Here he is with Optimus Prime, his successor. It's nice to have two good versions of the characters that are also in good scale after years of just owning the Cyberverse Commander versions and initially getting Voyager Primes when the Studio Series line began. They look quite nice next to each other, though Optimus's blue should have a darker shade as well as a few more paint apps to make him as complete as Sentinel looks.
You can also use the Matrix accessory from HFTD Optimus Prime to recreate the scene where Optimus offered his leadership to Sentinel, who rejected it because he is no longer Optimus's mentor and now sees his successor as his.
Here he is next to Ironhide, the one Transformer he killed. I guess Ironhide should be a little shorter than he currently is, but I still think he looks good next to the Transformer that murdered him.
No, I won't display him getting killed by Sentinel. Instead, in Soviet Russia, Ironhide kills Sentinel Prime!
Here he is next to Megatron, who despite looking good next to Optimus Prime (who looked good next to Sentinel), the scale between these two seems a little off. Especially since Megatron possibly shrank somewhat when he adopted the Mack truck mode. Like, it's not a bad thing, but it is worth mentioning that they appeared to be the same height when they were on the 35 East Wacker Jeweler's Building.
Nonetheless, it's great to have these two in a good display. Though Sentinel may work with Megatron in rebuilding Cybertron, he will never work FOR him!
And now it's time to recreate the scenes from the movie!
"I bring you Cybertron, your home! and still you choose humanity."
"You are the one who taught me freedom is everyone's right."
Always the bravest of us, but you could never make the hard decisions! Our planet WILL survive!
We were gods once! All of us! But here, there can only be one!
The former Autobot leader gets shot down by the Decepticon Leader!
"This is my planet!"
We need a truce. All I wanted was to be back in charge! Besides, who would you be without me, Prime?
Time to find out
Optimus lashes against the Decepticon leader with one arm and an axe in its hand!
And unlike Thor, he actually aims for the head!
Megatron is now done for...until the next movie
"Optimus...All I ever wanted...was the survival of our race. You must see why I had to betray you..."
"You didn't betray me. You betrayed yourself..."
With Megatron dead and Sentinel taken care of, Optimus Prime looks to the camera with an expression that's best seen as unceremonious. One of the worst experiences he went through meant the loss of his corrupted predecessor. As for the corrupted predecessor himself as a toy, he makes for a nearly good entry in the Studio Series line. If it weren't for the missing weapons to go with his sword and maybe the slight proportion issues he has, I'd say that this guy is a perfect 5 out of 5. As he is, though, he's still good and can only be improved if he had everything he needed and then some. Still, I bet that there will be a version of Bumblebee in his ROTF or DOTM form that comes with human accessories and other weapons to justify the heavy price tag if he ever gets made. We'll see. Still, I do recommend Sentinel Prime without a shadow of a doubt!
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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