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babycoffman's Review: Optimus Prime

Name: Optimus Prime
Function: Autobot Leader
Subgroup: Dark of the Moon MechTech Voyager Class
Size Class: Around $20

We will kill them all!

OPTIMUS PRIME has defended countless worlds against the threat of the DECEPTICONS, but Earth is the first since CYBERTRON that he has considered home. He lays his life on the line in the defense of his adopted world. Every action he takes, and every modification he makes to his formidable body, is done to protect Earth


Ahhh Optimus Prime. The fearless leader of the Autobots. Over the course of the Movie franchise, Optimus has generally looked the same from the first two movies except when he combined with Jetfire to form a badass combination mode. However, Michael Bay decided to give Optimus a little makeover. When I first read that they were going to give him a new CG model, I was thinking of G1. Maybe they would make him look more like the original that everyone grew up to love. However when the first picture came online, I was disappointed at first, but then I noticed that they actually did redesign him! But it was just giving him a six pack. But it did make him look tougher than the older one in my opinion. And thank God for a redesign because that meant that Hasbro would have to make a new mold for Prime. So this is where my Voyager comes in. Does it hold up to my standards? Read on to find out.

Alternate mode:

Primes alternate mode is of course a Peterbilt truck. He still has the red flame decal on the front and on the back while the rest of the truck color is blue. There are some detail though that Hasbro added to the new figure. One that you will notice right away, is the large gas tanks on the sides. They're bigger than what they were in the past. I mean, waaaaaaaaay bigger. But they will serve as a function in robot mode. Another thing you will notice, is that he is now sporting solar panels. That's right solar panels. I have no idea what Hasbro was thinking when they put in on him. Maybe they wanted him to be more eco-friendly? Some people think that it's completely useless on him, while others think that it fits him nicely. I however can go either way on them. Also a little item to note: buy the trailer if you can. While mine didn't come with it, it has a slot in the back where you can attach it. And believe me, I regret not picking up one that comes with the trailer.

Robot Mode:

After a some what complex transformation, you have Optimus Prime in robot mode. One thing you might notice right away, is that he is skinny. Looking at the Voyager '07 Prime and then looking at my figure, the '07 looks bigger body wise. The DOTM Voyager kind of looks like the game model from the movie game. However the DOTM does hide everything a lot better from what I can tell. The solar pants from the hood become part of his arms now and the top solar panels go to the back of his legs.
One thing that bothers me about him though is that his whole back side is gray. Also they make no attempt to color his "wheels" on his legs. Maybe it looked stupid with random black fake tires on his legs or maybe Hasbro got to lazy. Only Hasbro will know the answer. Another item to note about is that they gave him clear piping. In my opinion, he looks weird but hey, I didn't design the toy. Compared to other Voyagers in the series, he's about the same height as most of them, but he's almost as skinny as the DOTM Voyager Megatron! But it's still cool to pose him fighting Megatron and Shockwave.
Now on to the huge gas tanks I mentioned earlier. During the transformation, they flip to the back and sit there. Also his feet are big. And I mean big! But that also serves a purpose. And that and the gas tanks purpose is that is supposed to be a jetpack. Yes a jetpack. Okay so it's not one of the best jetpacks in the world but it is one. When you pull them down, they extend and you can position Prime anyway that you want to make him look like he's flying. But I find his feet boosters pointless because you can't position his feet anyway. But it's the thought that counts right?
The last thing I want to mention is his MechTech weapon. He comes with a blaster that is honestly badass in my personal opinion. If you twist it slightly, it can lock into place which looks like it's ready to kill a Decepticon. Overall a good figure with a few minor problems!

Marks out of ten for the following:

Transformation Design: 6. The first couple of times, it pissed me off on certain parts going where. But you'll get a handle of it after a few times.
Durability: 8. So far the only thing that's fallen off is his hands. But other than that, he's stable.
Fun: 8. It's Optimus Prime. With a six pack AND a jetpack. How much awesome can that get?
Aesthetics: 5. This one is better looking than some in the DOTM toyline but not as good looking as past Primes.
Articulation: 7. You can pose him in a few ways. But if you want him to look like he's flying, good luck.
Value/Price: 6. He's more expensive than Deluxe and Cyberverse class but cheaper than the Leader and Human Alliance class. And I also got mine for about $20 at Wal-Mart. If you can find him somewhere cheaper, then more power too you!
Overall: 8. Like I said, if you can, pick up the one with the trailer. If not, this one is perfectly fine.
 
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