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!
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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. TesshÅ 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.
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