We already know about the Thirteen Primes, but do you know about the member known as Alchemist Prime? A giant robot wearing glasses may have people triggered at the sight of Wheeljack in ROTB, but a character like AP goes as far back as the beginning with the lenses he wears; they not only help him see anything further ahead of him beyond the average human glasses, but he also has the ability to see through the souls of other beings. He would later have a new lease on life as a bartender known as Maccadam, who we saw every now and then in prior media before having a more prominent role in the Cyberverse cartoon! Now that the bartender of TF history is back in his old form, let's see if he's another worthwhile addition to the current line.
Here we have Alchemist Prime in his vehicle mode. TFWiki claims it to be an armored car, but the design feels more like a militarized SUV than anything, really. Hell, it feels more like an Earth mode than all the other Primes we got so far. Between how the back is shaped like any truck canopy and the front of the altmode resembling a Land Rover model, it's almost like this figure is set to have a reuse in the near future despite Hasbro designers saying no such plans are on the table. It even has a bit of a TFP Bulkhead vibe, albeit with a hint of Trialbreaker mixed in. The Thrilling 30 version seen in the IDW Comics. Other than the exposed robot knee guards and the alien elements like the lack of proper doors, this is the least Cybertronian out of the alt modes used by the Primes.
His fists jut out a bit from the back, and this is due to a design flaw on this figure: despite the instructions telling you to fold them all the way in, the figure not only can't do that properly, but attempting to do so results in stress marks developing. While there may be a fix out there somewhere without damaging the forearms, we should NEVER have to fix our toys.
The lenses can split in half if you want to have an attack mode of some kind. It's almost like the world's weirdest police siren set up with added guns on top in case the criminals try to fire at them.
For a size comparison with all the other Primes we have so far (other than Star Convoy), here we have him with Megatronus, Prima, and Solus. He is a Deluxe scale vehicle yet has a bit of a Voyager bulk to him with a size closer to Prima's.
Transformation is fairly simple out of the Primes we have so far, with an arm transformation sort of similar to how they work on the Earthrise Cliffjumper mold and leg being made from the back of the altmode with panels filling the backs done with most other Transformers at the time (think of the Siege Ironhide mold). It's not the most inventive sequence for a conversion, but the resulting robot mode is where we have more talking points; it combines elements of his Marvel design (colors primarily) while using the Cyberverse design heavily for inspiration. You can especially see that with the stocky proportions, leg design, and similar chest detailing. I think this design may already be a favorite of mine since Maccadam is already a character I lived in Cyberverse, and it's great seeing what he once looked like before we see him as the bartender of present day. Hell, even the colors work wonderfully on him as an attempt to mix up his prior looks, and he somehow makes for a better Bulkhead toy than the Legacy version!
His head sculpt amalgamates the elements of the Marvel, Covenant of Primus, and Cyberverse designs, primarily the mustache coming from the former and the vague head shape as well as lenses coming from the latter two. Not a bad way of paying tribute to more than just one version of the character. His articulation consists of a ball joint at the neck, swivels at the shoulders moving front and back, biceps, waist, and thighs, hinges for the arms moving in and out, elbows, knees, and ankles, and universal hips.
The lenses can be held either as weapons of some kind or combined into the actual item work by him. They are meant to scale with human faces but are as effective as the average magnifying glass on G1 Perceptors. Interestingly, they include his personal emblem, the Ancient Autobot symbol, and the insignia of Unicron first seen on the Blentrons.
Here he is next to his Cyberverse counterpart, showcasing how much influence this toy took from his surprise cartoon debut. While the series may be corporate mandate-feeling at first glance, it is always appreciative seeing someone like Maccadam show up along with Sky-Byte and Rack'N'Ruin as genuine surprises in a sea of slightly tweaked evergreen designs. The Maccadam figure you see here doesn't transform due to him being a BAF, but then again, how would Hasbro replicate the altmode he used to keep the war out of his bar?
And here we have him along with the other Primes minus Star Convoy once again. With how most of them use a mix of grays and purples except for the Titan Class's Optimus Prime color palette, a forest green robot is appreciative in the long run. We'll see how much color break up will be implemented with later Primes, but Alchemist Prime makes for a marvelous addition to not just the cast of thirteen original Transformers but also as a figure altogether. While he may not be that inventive for the transformation and has a more Earthly altmode, the personality of the robot mode and the amalgamated elements of Alchemist himself and his later Maccadam alias make him an easy recommend. That and he does the "ancient God turned being living among us" trope much better than Rung's quirky self insert looking ass.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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