Motormaster is one of those guys who could make for an evil Optimus Prime without either being Megatron or a Nemesis Prime repaint. But instead of having any of the twisted character traits associated with the Autobot Leader, he is super aggressive and calls everyone else ladies, especially towards his poor Stunticon team. He's an asshole, he thinks he's above everyone else, and he takes crap from no one. He's king of the road, and he knows how to change things up as a big mean truck! And of course, we all saw how the Combiner Wars Optimus was certainly made with Motormaster in mind (even if the transformation leans on the Thunderclash side of things), but let's take a look at the jerk himself!
Here we have Motormaster in his truck mode. This design is done rather nicely as far as vehicle proportions are concerned, especially with the sculpting and small use of paint apps added into the mix. I do find some of the details to be missing in some areas, especially with the windows for the truck, and the rims were added on my own. It's not 100% perfect, but it at least does some of the minimal effort rather than become so cheap. The figure's cast in gray plastic instead of the traditional black, which might be a little inaccurate but does make a bit of a neat AOE Galvatron homage.
It should be worth mentioning that the chest piece and the rest of the body are in different shades, and you can tell that the figure has the missing window paint apps. Also worth mentioning that while the proportions and kibble of the truck are generally acceptable, I'm not a fan of how the waist piece breaks up the flow. Beyond that, the truck mode is nice and chunky!
The figure's weapons can be stored on the back, with the sword tabbing onto a side of the gun. It's not that smooth compared to Optimus's guns, but it does the job, innit?
For a comparison with Earthrise Optimus Prime, with these two having different truck designs and even sizes. Optimus was kind of small Voyager and now looks smaller next to the chunky Motormaster. Also, Lucas cameos!!!
Transformation is sort of reminiscent of the European-exclusive Thunderclash, with the legs extending down, and the arms being made from the front of the truck. The transformation is mostly unique, though the way the head transforms is pretty lame. The resulting robot mode is very chunky while also being weirdly proportioned. He's so wide from the front yet so thin from the sides. It's not too bad in-hand, but it is a weird thing. While he has design traits similar to Optimus Prime, the chest, shoulders, and the like being unique. That being said, the proportions better fit Motormaster than they do Optimus Prime, especially if you want him to look like a big bully.
Head sculpt is accurate yet does make him look like he's got no soul from his eyes and his pouty mouth. The helmet reminds me so much of that anime called Panty and Stocking, with the inner black portion of it looking like hair compared to the outer part of it being based on the kibble of the G1 toy (a la the cartoon). It's like two wigs in one! His articulation is on-par with the other figures, with a ball-jointed head, shoulders that move front and back on swivels and in and out on ratchets. The biceps swivel, the elbows bend, the waist swivels (though is limited with the waist kibble), the hips move front and back as well as in and out, there is a swivel above the knee, and the knees bend.
His weapons are the sword and shield we covered. They both are painted nicely though have some hollow gaps.
As far are reuses are concerned, this is the Takara version of Motormaster, giving him a much closer look to the cartoon with the black and more complete look. This guy would have been the definitive version of Motormaster...if it weren't for how the swirly gunmetal gray plastic was brittle.
And this is the G2 version! He's gotten the crazy colors and looks kind of broken up in his truck mode. He's definitely got a prototype feel to him.
Here we have the Optimus Prime version of the mold. He's actually the first use of the mold and has the appropriate tooling for him to be Optimus Prime...he doesn't look that great though was cool in Forged to Fight. The weapons are probably the best part of it.
And this is the Takara version, which looks a lot nicer yet doesn't have the axe or big head from Forged to Fight. I still wish he has some paint for the chest to make his Matrix chamber look better. He is included with Unite Warrior versions of Ironhide, Prowl, Sunstreaker, and Mirage to form Grand Convoy Prime.
Now we have the Battle Core version of Optimus Prime, with a Nova Prime-inspired deco and head sculpt! Some may think he is an Ultra Magnus repaint, but he does kind of look like the Family Dollar repaint of the Legends mold.
And now we have Toxitron! His deco is a toxic green and purple deco reminiscent of the Joker, and his head sculpt is brand new to the figure. He's based on the canceled Universe repaint of Laser Optimus Prime. He is definitely the Toxic Transformer.
And for a robot mode comparison with his rival, here is Optimus Prime! He's taller and beefier than Prime, making him the perfect bully towards Optimus Prime! As for Motormaster himself, he's a charming yet flawed toy that I kind of like due to the personality flowing within the design. Considering the way the figure's flaws already came from Optimus Prime, I think Motormaster is better in some areas due to to him relyingless on faux parts. Now we shall see if he is actually good as a combiner torso tomorrow.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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