Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Buster Optimus Prime review

15 years ago, Transformers fans got to experience the mainline Masterpiece known only as Revenge of the Fallen Leader Class Optimus Prime. While it initially received criticism for being overly complex for its time and even having some of the gimmicks annoy fans during transformation, it is seen nowadays as a fan favorite for reasons we'll get to. With a handful of repaints and a few worthwhile gimmicks to its arsenal, I'd say this figure will hold up much better than a lot of current offerings do. If you think SS86 Springer is a better example of a Leader Class figure, then I'm going to assume you've got skeletons in your closet! But with all that said, why not celebrate the 15th anniversary of Revenge of the Fallen with not just any version of Leader Prime, but the gorgeous Buster Prime improvement Takara provided in their line!

Here we have Buster Optimus Prime in his vehicle mode, and I have to say it feels great to revisit this truck mode in its best look yet, at least as a transforming toy. This figure already looks great with the proportions matching the on-screen prop truck, the rivets, and all of the sculpted/painted details representing the usual components of the Peterbilt 379. Yet the addition of altered shades of red and blue on the plastic, combined with the improved flame decals (now utilizing blue pin-stripes) as well as vac-metalized chrome make for a huge step-up in presentation from the original Hasbro release. Even the Autobot insignia, usually a red blob on the standard releases, is better picked out to match the dual-layered coloring it has in the real truck. I do kind of wish there was a bit more silver paint to make it feel a tiny bit more complete, like on the battery cover or the smokestacks. I also wish the Mech Alive gears were less visible here, but man does the overall truck look great.

The side profile definitely shows just how much changed between this version compared to the original, with a more striking flame deco that I associate more on Optimus Prime than on any other Transformer who has flame decals as part of a design trait. Suck it, Rodimus! I also love how much nicer the shade of looks on this figure compared to the original, as it makes the truck mode feel more screen-accurate. The wheels roll beautifully, and I can't stare at this long enough without my knees getting weak because it has that kind of irresistability.

The truck sound gimmick still works in this mode, which may be why the windows were not tinted for this release. In fact, almost every version of this mold has no tinted windows. While repeated button presses resets the sound effect, holding down said button makes it loop instead.

For a comparison with MPM-4, you are about to see me retract a lot of the praise I had for the newer figure. While I still like the good things it brings to the table, the truck mode is certainly not one of them. For starters, the overall proportions on Buster Prime match the on-screen vehicle so much better than the Masterpiece does, on top of having a much more consistent deco as seen with the complete gradient fade seen on the nose. In addition, the shade of blue on MPM-4 does not match what we see in the movies, where it was a more navy blue than a traditional shade of blue associated with G1 Optimus Prime. While the pin stripes on the Masterpiece are silver and blue on Buster Prime, the latter being more accurate for robot mode, they're not as thick on the older toy. Generally speaking, I think Buster Prime turned out better in terms of aesthetics. I wish HasTak did a better job on the MPM version because the ROTF Leader remains supreme. Both could use tinted windows, though.

Transformation is the best that Original Trilogy Optimus Prime has ever gotten. It's gotten a bad rep because of the poor instructions, but it is still a treat to do compared to a lot of the Masterpiece figures we get of late. The only issue is that the locks for the blades aren't as strong on this version as on the original that I own. But otherwise, it still manages to be the perfect balance between complex yet easy to follow. While I appreciate the engineering on the Studio Series line, no other Optimus Prime figure in the Leader size can compete with him, be it the 2007 original, Ultimate Optimus Prime, and both of AOE's First Edition and Leader figures.  The robot mode is also the best that we got from HasTak when it comes to a general retail Optimus Prime that transforms, maintaining as much screen-accuracy as possible while being reasonably accessible given its difficulty. The proportions hold up better for the most part than on MPM-4, with a better chest, leaner legs, and forearms that don't feel as small compared thanks to the truck kibble. Obviously, it's got a bit of a backpack and the toy has been a victim of cost-cutting due to the recession of the economy, but it manages to hold up as an action figure far better than a lot of other versions of Prime. Then the Buster Prime figure adds silver paint throughout the toy, making it pop a whole lot more when combined with the added paint apps not seen on the original, such as the blue ridges near the toes, the silver in the forearms, and the blue on the shoulder spikes. I should mention I swapped the smokestacks from the original with this because the more translucent/metallic materials better match the silver paint while the opaque gray originally attached did not. These photos are taken after I did the rest of the photos below so excuse the continuity error.

His head sculpt is perfect, capturing the proportions much better than on MPM-4, all while utilizing the light-up gimmick instead of a ball joint. The added paint apps make it feel more complete, especially on the antennae, cheek guards, and the rest of the face. The toy's Mech Alive gimmick has the pecs flex in a manly fashion as he says "I am Optimus Prime!" (Peter Cullen supplies the voice which makes it better), and the eyes light up in green and the chest in red. I wish the LEDs for the eyes were blue but oh well.

His articulation consists of a head swivel, a slight hinge at the neck, ratchets at the shoulders moving front and back as well as in and out, bicep rotation, elbow hinges on much lighter ratchets, wrist rotation, ratchets on the hips moving front and back as well as in and out, slight thigh rotation that could rotate better if you shaved some plastic, ratchet knees, and ball jointed ankles with little nubs to lock them in place within the slits of the sockets. You can pose him either with his beautiful twin energon blades or with the retooled gas tanks that combine into an Ion Blaster. That addition not only explains why he's called Buster Prime, but also matches the CG model on top of featuring a unique conversion for each tank. Even the barrel has some black paint to represent its frequent usage.

As far as reuses are concerned, this special black repaint came only with the Japanese dub of Revenge of the Fallen, featuring some blue gray plastics, gold fade, and clear blue swords. He isn't a Nemesis Prime type of repaint, but that will be followed up later.

Two Lucky Draw variants were made, with one in gold chrome and another in clear plastic. Neither version is easy to get for obvious reasons, but I hope whoever does own them does take care of them for obvious reasons.

After they had a Walmart-exclusive version of the original Leader Class toy with a re-released Camshaft, Hasbro made a retool that removes some paint apps in favor of adding battle-damaged paint apps, with the Buster Prime head added for this release as well as hooks that were exclusive to this version before they ditched the spring-loaded gimmick. The truck mode is the same, though the colors are slightly darker. Of note, the voice clip now say "We must stop the Decepticons!", and I will denote what versions say which line from here.

Unsatisfied with the clusterfuck that is Ultimate Optimus Prime, Takara decides to retool the already altered Buster Prime a step further, trading in the fancy paint job and blades in favor of a new Jetwing accessory that can be used in both modes, with the robot mode now including retooled bits for the forearms to better attack the cannons from underneath while the back section is retooled to let the accessory latch on better. The base figure is retooled to have new forearm pieces beneath the truck flaps and abdominal section to better match the changes made to his DOTM model. The voice clips says "I am Optimus Prime", and all other electronics are the same. The design of the Jetwing isn't accurate to the movie, but it's still better than the way Ultimate Prine turned out. On a side note, the figure utilizes add-on heels to match the CG model more as well as storage compartments for the gas tanks. A black version that was based in a canceled Lucky Draw version of the mold was also available, though this time in a color scheme more reminiscent of Nemesis Prime/RID01 Scourge. There is chrome on the cannons, and the figure is still an Autobot.

Apparently, two reuses of Optimus Prime are not enough for TakaraTomy, so we have Striker Optimus in regular and Buster variety, with differently retooled pieces to have Prime utilize the new weapons he comes with. The mini-guns with MechTech gimmicks can be displayed individually or combined as a larger rifle like in the movie, while the front section can become a shield that also doubles as a new front section during for a stealth force mode. Toys R Us Japan came with exclusive arm blades that are now hand-held to compensate for the lack of a spring-loaded gimmick that prior versions had. This figure cannot accommodate the Jetwing armor in robot mode and the guns are not compatible in the Jetwing version's truck mode. If the darker colors don't float your boat, then you can get the Asia Premium Series version, adding the Buster Prime deco and including the blades by default. He even cost the same as the original at the time of release, but now I need to decide which version I want more. Dark and gritty, or slick and shiny? Both versions say "We must stop the Decepticons!"

We also got the ultimate version of this mold via a second APS release of Optimus Prime, this time ditching any chrome in favor of silver paint, adding more intricate details missing on even the Buster Primes (no pinstripes in favor of tinted windows), including accessories from both Jetwing AND Striker Optimus, adding new accessories such as the hooks, a knuckle for him to use against Shockwave, and an Allspark Cube, with articulated fingers finally added after thr old prototype teased fans since 2009. If there was a way to switch the abs to match his first two appearance as well as utilize the masked head, this would beat the MPM even more. I believe there is mold degradation, but hopefully it's not severe.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the live-action series, TakaraTomy made two versions of Optimus, with this one matching his appearance in Dark of the Moon via premium paint apps similar to those found on the previous use of the mold, only now he has a masked head sculpt. This would be perfect to go with the APS version of Optimus since they appear identical for the most part. Tesshō Genda, the Japanese voice actor of Optimus Prime in the 7 movies as well as in G1, provided 40 new voice clips after numerous releases in Japan stuck with the English Peter Cullen voice clips.

A year later, we got a version in Striker colors meant to go with Movie the Best Jetfire. The accessories are the same ones included with the previous iteration while the tooling is now from the ROTF version. This figure lacks the tinted windows of our last Prime. So far, this is the final version of the mold, retiring the mold after 9 years worth of reuses before Revenge of the Fallen turned 10.

For a comparison with MPM-4, you are about to see me retract a lot of the praise I gave to the Masterpiece toy. While the backpack is thinner and some of the kibble is handled better, Buster Prime still wins when it comes to overall proportions, on top of using silver paint that looks nicer and represents the value for money paid on this guy than on the usual price paid for MPM-4. The chest, legs, arms, and head look so much more accurate on the original toy than on the MPM, bot to mention the paint stays on much better thanks to the durability it has than the silver paint on the more recent toy. The shade of blue is also correct on the Leader mold than it is on the MPM, and just overall fits Movie Optimus Prime. While the MPM has finger articulation and a waist swivel, the rest of the articulation is about the same as on Buster Prime, but not as satisfying.

The gun on both releases shows the difference between going out for engineering or leaving it as a separate piece. While the latter approach makes missing parts less annoying, it doesn't feel as size-accurate as the original gun. Not to mention the bare gray plastic not making pop as well as the silver paint does. As for the blades, MPM-4 does have longer blades that work well as separate pieces, and the slight wrist curl is a neat idea, but that's about it for the positives aimed at MPM-4, weapon wise.

And for one more comparison, on the left is my original ROTF Prime, with some parts broken herr and there and paint apps added by me via sharpie, which vary in looking presentable. While the original version of ROTF Prine looked passable even as stock, Buster Prime looks even better by comparison thanks to the added details that make it feel like a definitive version of the character. It's the combined effort of the chrome, added paint apps, the retooled parts, and the fact that it's meant to be a special release of an Optimus Prime mold instead of being one of many heavily altered Takara figures makes this feel special. Honestly, Buster Prime is an example of why going for a Takara release should be reserved for those more special releases instead of constantly spending twice as much compared to sticking with the Hasbro releases just because there is one additional paint app. Remember to go for a figure comparable to Buster Prime instead of constantly buying all of the Arms Micron versions of TFP characters or the sweet yet otherwise inaccurate Takara Animated toys.

Now for those who are eagle-eyed throughout the review, you'll notice how my Buster Prime has a mouthplate and blue pinstripes. The actual Buster Prime came with no mouthplate and silver pinstripes. I'd still buy it because of the face being one of the best things about Bayverse Prime on top of the mold being brilliant even to this day. So you might be asking one question: WHY IS THIS REVIEW'S COPY DIFFERENT?!

That is because the version of Buster Prime I got came in a 2-pack with a repainted Jetfire. It was in both Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon packaging, the katter being what you see here. TakaraTomy and Hasbro Asia knew that giving fans 3 different options for this glorious mold made up for the lack of a DOTM Leader Megatron or Shockwave. Now how am I going to review this set if I don't have Jetfire? As you saw, we alluded to Mr. Ultimate Glory himself previously being in the Movie the Best line, so we'll take a look at that version very soon.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Also if you got the Black Friday Amazon/Toys R Us version with added paint apps to the Jetwing armor at 50% off, you are a lucky bastard! I don't care if it's colored inaccurately; getting a Takara-initiated retool of Optimus at a bargain is easily better than spending $100+, on top of the fact you'd get more bang for your buck with the discount price than you would spending money on the TFP Weaponizers.

Transformers Robots in Disguise 2001 Sky-Byte review

Sky-Byte is a chad,

He's one of the best parts in,

R.I.D.01.

His haikus are great,

The Predacon's ways with words,

Made him so unique.

With Megatron though,

He isn't easy to wow,

Which is a huge shame.

Swimming or flying,

He is still one badass threat,

Even as a fool.

Now with all that said,

Sky-Byte shall take the spotlight,

For today's review!

Here we have Sky-Byte in what else but his mechanical shark mode, which is based on a great-white shark commonly found in pop culture. The gradient effect from the navy blue on top to the white on the bottom is applied more organically than on the 2022 Cybershark reissue, and I love seeing not just the chrome match said white on the bottom, but even the little circuitry near the gills and tailfin add a sense of completion to the sculpted details added to remind fans that under the skin lurks a robot within (even if it isn't known if they are technorganic or bio-mechanical like the Beast Era characters). While the shark mode has no articulation beyond the fins rotating on their pegs, the face is at least sculpted to be permanently opening its mouth, and the tail is at least bent to give the impression that it is swimming in the ocean (and is more common for sharks to do that than to curve downwards like a dolphin did even i he homaged Free Willy).

His gun can be used in this mode by hinging the mouth open and using the bottom jaw to launch the missiles. I don't have them, but the seller did have extra fins from Cybershark. I should mention that the shark mode doesn't really lock in place, depending only on the friction of the clips that connect the bottom pieces to the rest of the toy. It's likely due to the age of the toy at this rate, though it is easy to fix with some super glue or clear floor polish.

Transforming Sky-Byte into his robot mode is fairly difficult given how much of a shellformer he is. While you can pop the kibble off and attach everything back on when you're done, it does make the transformation feel worse than it really is. The way I feel about it is that it's annoying to do things when not done in a specific order, yet I don't want this guy to feel comparable to G1 Starscream. As for the robot mode, it is show-accurate given how the animators for the Car Robots/RID01 series aimed to be as close to the toys as possible, especially since said toy was already made years before the show was produced. Like all Transmetal 2 figures, including the Predacon trio within the same line, he features a plethora of asymmetrical details in the sculptwork, from the shoulders to the shins, and it's more noticeable for the forearms and the chest. The left forearm has the shark spike, which is able to rotate via a wheel embedded within the elbow joint. It's also capable of locking in place when not in use. Sky-Byte's overall proportions make him appropriately fitting as both a powerful Predacon and someone who tends to be on a higher tier of Predacon ranking, the shoulder pads and head creat made from the shark fin gives him a sense of superiority. The shark head butt flap is amusing, though. Sadly, he can be difficult to keep standing given how loose his ankles may be, in addition to the lack of pivots.

Sky-Byte's head somewhat asymmetrical in design, mostly with how the left side of the mouth has the teeth more prominently shown a la Two-Face. The yellow face and the red eyes, combined with the white, silver, and blue makes for a color combo that weirdly works. His articulation consists of a neck swivel, ball joints at the shoulders, rotation at the elbows, hinges for the elbows, ball-joints at the hips, double-jointed knees, and ankle hinges. His missile launcher can be held in his right hand, but the lack of a wrist swivel makes it look weird in some poses, not to mention the lack of missiles makes it look like a speedometer. 

His fins could be removed as weapons, though only one can be held, and it still looks weird without a wrist swivel.

As far as the one prior use is concerned, this here is Cybershark, who is a lot more gray/silver than blue, combined with an unusual association with the color green that I feel works better for the Green RPM Ranger. The part tolerances are worse here than on Sky-Byte.

Here he is next to the other Predacons, appropriately making him the second-tallest one of the group. Sky-Byte is generally good for the most part, though how well he holds up depends on the age of the tolerances. The figure itself could have used some tabs and perhaps some slightly better articulation, but it does some things better than the Thrilling 30 version and vice versa. Just make sure he's complete when you get him online.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Robots in Disguise 2001 Slapper/Gas Skunk/Darkscream review

Hasbro's current methods of handling size classes vary on the figure's design or engineering. Their past experience with the Robots in Disguise line has been an early example where they'd put a group of figures or accessories with one figure to justify its designation in the selected size class. For example, the Commando limbs coming with pieces of Ruination make them part of the same Basic Class size a la the Spy Changer 2-packs; the flipchanger 2-packs featuring Machine Wars redecos such as show-characters Tow-Line and Skid-Z each accompanying a non-show Decepticon gave them the Deluxe Class price like with the Autobot Brothers and Build Team; and the main trio of Predacon stooges ranked below Megatron and Sky-Byte are priced as a Mega Class set, the same size class featuring larger, more independent toys like Sky-Byte and the Team Bullet Train members (but not another set of repainted Beast Machines Basics!). I guess these could have been put in the Basic Class size individually, but maybe Hasbro felt the difference in engineering between the Beast Wars repaint trio and the reused G1 Combaticons and G2 Gobots wasn't going to be fair. With all that said, let's see how these three hold up!

Here we have the Predacons in their beast modes. While Predacons are known to be based on more cold-blooded animals, two of them instead represent mammals. From left to right, we have Gas Skunk (aka Gaskunk), Dark Scream (aka Guildo), and Slapper (aka Goosher). There are minor differences between these Hasbro versions and their Takara counterparts, but nothing that major where it'd make me recommend one over the other. These three are repaints of Basic Class Transmetal 2 molds from from the Beast Wars toyline, and they now receive their first ever Takara uses for Car Robots before returning stateside under the RID01 line. They each retain their chrome of varying colors, such as the silver and orange on Gas Skunk, the champagne color of Dark Scream, and the trio of orange, green, and blue for Slapper. Of the three, I think Gas Skunk and Slapper work very well in terms of looking like the beast modes they're based off of while including the spikes and mechanical bits; Dark Scream feels rather static with only staying in a flight pose. I love the asymmetrical details that are put between their body parts, which is a signature trait for the TM2s in comparison to the way regular Transmetals work. However, I wonder how well Dark Scream could fly if his winglets have holes in them.

Gas Skunk is one of the two beasts in the set with useful articulation while in his animal mode, utilizing ball joints on what will be the robot shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees. He also has a claw in case the scorpion-like pincer on the tail isn't enough. Both of the hind legs feature panels that flip up to reveal a bit of molded detail on the right hind leg, though the left one is noteworthy for housing the spark crystal within.

As for Slapper, his ball-jointed limbs mean he could freely be posed as if he was hopping...or pretending to fly while standing on some cologne product placement. Go out today and buy your copy of Jordan cologne at your local stores! Oh and the blue chrome claw can be deployed while the tongue accessory can be pegged into the mouth.

Gas Skunk's transformation mostly has the forelegs straightened, the hind legs folded into shoulder components while the forearms are straightened out, and the backpack goes on the back along with the literal ponytail. The robot mode continues the trend of asymmetrical robot details throughout the figure, from the claws of the feet to the lower region of the torso, the thighs, and just about anywhere on the figure's surface area. For a repainted Beast Wars basic, the figure manages to hold up very well in terms of the overall aesthetics; apart from how far out the backpack is, the toy doesn't feel held back in terms of its sculpted details or the paint apps present on the torso and back. I feel that nowadays, Hasbro would try to stick with a certain budget or regulation on what parts can't be painted if they're meant to be for structural purposes. The hollow forearms from the front are a bit distracting, and the ball joints are more common for smaller figures and non-Legacy/WFC figures, but it's able to hold its head up along with the current stuff we get nowadays. Hell, as a toy usually aimed for ages 5 and up, this manages to excel a lot of stuff we had from the mainline offerings of AOE, RID15, TLK, Bumblebee, and Earthspark.

His head sculpt is the strongest out of the trio so far, as it's sculpted decently wel to make the domino-mask pop from the rest of the robot head, and who could forget about the silver teeth and blue eyes. All this and it had to have the tail of the skunk mode stuck on the back! As expected, ball joints are used on the neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and ankles, He does have a waist swivel, at least. No accessories are included.

As for Dark Scream's transformation, it's like a manual version of Basic Terrorsaur from 1996, with the a huge backpack made up from the wings with limbs untucked and free to pose around now that the toy is in robot mode. Said backpack comes at a problem for our little guy here, as it's quite backheavy for the poor ankles to deal with. Not to mention the tail hinging up on the back doesn't really help matters much unless you use it as a tripod. This guy's robot mode doesn't hold up as well as the design we have for Gas Skunk, mostly due to how basic the conversion feels on top of how little pegs in place. Seriously, some of the limbs come off at certain angles, and the beast mode arms don't tab in place. At least you can see the spark crystal in the chest.

His head sculpt looks very rough, both in terms of sculptwork and paintwork. I could even tell what expression Dark Scream is going for if the face is very soft-focus. His points of articulation are the same as with Gas Skunk, though he has a sword accessory this time around.

As for Slapper's transformation, it's quite asymmetrical given how the front and back sections of the toad mode become the huge shoulder pads of the character design. It is comparable to the way the head and tail stump of the T-Rex Zord from Dino Charge works, though with Slapper being a quadruped instead of a bipedal animal. The resulting robot mode is quite the hunchback compared to the other Predacons in the set, from the head sticking out more on to the gangly arms from the hind legs of Slapper's toad mode. His spikes almost make him look more hideous in appearance as well, almost to the point where he'd be an abomination if he was organic instead of mechanical. The Transmetal II design traits fit Slapper the most, from the sculpted details we've mentioned earlier on the other figures to the different shoulder pads.

His head sculpt is second-best in the set as he's not as soft as Dark Scream, though Gas Skunk still has the best head sculpt of the three. Oh, and Slapper's roof of his mouth has the spark crystal.

His articulation is the same as the others, though his hands being on hinges give hin an extra bit of range; the same goes for the neck if you want to put him in poses like these.

And here we have the set as a whole. It's kind of appreciative that Hasbro went with a 3-in-1 set to make them comparable to a Mega Class toy, even if they have more engineering than any Spy Changer or Ruination limb, but it does make me wonder how Hasbro would tackle them in the Generations line...

For Gas Skunk's original Beast Wars iteration, Stinkbomb appears to be the least altered of the three, at first glance, though the paint apps on the torso, beast mode back, as well as the chrome on the exhaust ports and tail, are notable changes. Stinkbomb was also originally a Maximal rather than a Predacon.

Up next, this is Nightglider, who is more of a Sunflower than anything with how bright and orange he is. He, too, was once a Maximal before Takara made him into a Predacon (or in their case, a Destronger, given how RID01 was originally made by them only).

And finally, we have Spittor, who received the honor of being the only non-show character to have a Transmetal 2 figure in addition to an original organic and regular Transmetal figure (which was a European-exclusive repaint of the first toy). This feels like a player 2 skin for Slapper if you think about the usual trope of red and blue color swaps, especially since Spittor remained a Predacon while the other two had faction switches as they were brought over to Car Robots. Takara never had this toy originally, though they did make their version of Spittor into a Maximal named Diver in Beast Wars 2.

For a Predacon size comparison, here is the trio standing in front of the larger two Predacons of the roster, Megatron and Sky-Byte. While their quantity does make them feel like they have the power of one (but hopefully not the power of two nor many), they still are rather undersized by comparison. I guess if Takara had a budget to make new molds, we could have seen these figures in a Deluxe height than being old-school Scout Class figures.

I think this should hammer down why updates would be appreciative for the Predacon trio, as they remain about a head shorter than the Autobot Brothers. When it comes to RID2001 updates, they are quite sparse with only HasLab Omega Prime, Velocitron Scourge, and Buzzworthy Tow Line only representing the line, and even still, one is only available by helping fund the project while the other two are repaints exclusive to Walmart and Target, respectively. We'll see if Hasbro is willing to make these feel worth getting not just as Deluxes, but also as new molds. Until then, this set is occasionally available online, but be ready to look out for missing parts and paying extra to get them complete.

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