Transformers Go! Hunter Optimus Prime review

The Beast Hunters line was somewhat known for its inaccurate color schemes and its character selection that the cartoon barely reflected. While cool in retrospective as the last cartoon to have a more traditional mainline than what we normally get nowadays. In addition, it was also from a time when Takara would outright skip Season 3's of their dubs of Aligned Continuity cartoons, with TFP and RID15 both ending in Season 2. Their version of the Beast Hunters line was rebranded as Transformers Go!, where we had more paint jobs that were either radically different from the Hasbro versions (Ratchet, all Predacons), closer to their cartoon counterparts (Bulkhead, Starscream), or not included in their line-up (Sharkticon Megatron, though Takara already used up their version of the mold twice). Optimus Prime previously had green translucent plastic despite having nothing to do with Synthetic Energon, and while customs have attempted to match his appearance much better, does buying the Hunter version work as a better alternative than Hasbro?

Here we have Optimus Prime in his vehicle mode. The show depicted his model similarly to this, but it wasn't as spiky as the front, and the proportions were not exactly 1:1 with how the actual truck looked in the show. Granted, it was a case of Hasbro trying to fit as much in their 2013 budget as possible, though it seems like this and the Cyberverse Commander toy each went for different approaches in recreating the CG model. Neither is truly accurate, but this one at least has what loosely resembles the back section that would become the wings. All this makes me wish we had some interviews with the Beast Hunters designers to know what concept art was available at the time while making the toys.

The weapons can peg on the 5mm ports found on the side and the top. Sadly, my copy's Star Saber handle is broken at the bottom, which appears to be an issue with tolerances between the handle and the 5mm holes in the hands. Speaking of hands, I wish they along with his head would be better hidden in vehicle mode.

For a vehicle mode size comparison, here he is next to the First Edition version of the character. The scale is not supposed to be like this, with Prime's new truck mode being of military scale and thus requiring it be larger than a more traditional semi truck. As it stands, the Deluxe may be a better scale with the Beast Hunters mold instead.

The transformation feels like a mix between Classics Optimus Prime and Universe Inferno, which I think is appropriate given the similar alt mode proportions and bulk. The arms and back kibble transform similarly to Inferno while the torso rotation and grille going on the back works similarly to Optimus, though while both figures end up feeling nice and sense given the economy having yet to go to shit, this version of Optimus suffers from feeling hollow internally. Yes, his robot mode looks big and bulky, but his arms, legs, and torso are empty. I don't mind that the shoulder pads are empty given how they work for the transformation, and the torso is somewhat excused because of the front section covering the gap normally used for the head in truck mode, but it comes off like a deception to make up for rising plastic costs. I felt a similar way with FOC Grimlock, and it feels like history repeats itself with 2023's Gamer Edition. WFC Prime where the budget was mostly used to hide how hollow the toy truly is by using the figure's bulk. It works, but it makes me wonder how much more he could have weighed if he was denser. The backpack is a decent addition, though the wings should be more folded away a la Buzz Lightyear's.

His head sculpt is a rare instance of a TFP Optimus figure not deploying his mouthplate, though he has a snarling expression that he rarely emotes with in the show. Kind of feels like something from Ninja Turtles in a way. His articulation has no ball joints used compared to the PRID toy, with swivels at the neck, shoulders (moving front and back), biceps, wrists, waist, and above the knees, while hinges are used for the elbows. Unusually, he has ratchet joints when moving the arms out and bending the knees, likely to make up for how hollow he is. Of note, some copies may have the waist fixed in place.

The accessories he comes with can be held in his hands like normal, though my copy's missile launchers don't work likely due to something happen from the previous owner. I tried disassembling them but they are glued in place from the assembly. You can place them on the back as boosters, but they caused stress marks to develop on my copy even more than on my old Beast Hunters Prime.

As far as reuses are concerned, this is the original Hasbro Beast Hunters Prime, using non-metallic colors, lighter gray plastic, and green instead of of blue for the clear plastic. I still question why Hasbro added the green on him even to this day. I wish Go! Hunter Optimus Prime made the figure even closer to the CG model via retooling as well as adding more paint apps, such as the rims. Sadly, we know they went the Exprime route.

This version of the mold uses different shades of red, blue, and green, but the missing paint apps on the Star Saber and wind visor make him even more incomplete.  The figure came with an equally budget-cut Predaking sold at international stores.

And finally, we have Hunter Nemesis Prime. Another case of TakaraTomy making their sweet black repaints unique for a key reason or two, this one comes with a new battle masked head that hasn't been used since then. Wouldn't it be nice to have that for a Hasbro variant closer to the show? 

For a size comparison, he appears to have the same height to that of the First Edition mold. While I don't own the official version of said figure, I know the plastic quality on that toy is denser than on Beast Hunters, which goes back to the whole discussion over plastic distribution for the bulkier figure. Beast Hunters Prime should also be much taller than the design he previously had in the show, especially since that gave him a height advantage against Megatron after he was greatly wounded from the blast that destroyed the base.

One thing I always found odd would have to be the design of the Star Saber. It's not a bad design, and it looks better in blue than green, but why does it deviate from the show? I kind of wonder what the intent was given how the PRID Voyager has a smaller but more accurate shape to the Star Saber by comparison. 

For a comparison with his eternal nemesis, here he is with the unofficial APC Toys Dark Master, which scales perfectly with First Edition Prime but is too tall next to the Beast Hunters version. 

The figure scales well with the actual HasTak Voyager, with this version being the Arms Micron Megatron Darkness that has the cool but inaccurate color scheme and chrome. Honestly, unless you have the money, I wouldn't go out of your way and hunt down Hunter Optimus Prime. While it looks nicer than the Hasbro version, the differences aren't entirely enough to justify splashing out more cash in it. I hope APC Toys takes this figure, upscaled it, and makes it closer to the cartoon model where necessary. This figure has the potential to be a cool toy, but as it stands, it's decent but has room for improvement...and plastic to fill up his hollow parts.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐