TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:
Alternate Mode:
Box Art:
Technical Specifications:
STR
INT
SPD
END
RNK
CRG
FPR
SKL

Sir Auros' review of: Spychanger Optimus Prime

Name: Optimus Prime
Allegiance: Autobot
Function: Autobot Commander
Sub-Group: NA
"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."

Dedicated to protecting all life, Optimus Prime leads the Autobots in unceasing battle against the evil Decepticons. His courage and wisdom know no bounds, and he is respected throughout the universe as a powerful champion of peace. Carries a blaster rifle as well as the ancient Autobot Matrix of Leadership.

I finally found the other three G1 Spychangers that I had been missing, including Optimus Prime. I had the RiD version of this mold (Spychanger Scourge) and it's a decent enough mold overall so I bought Prime in addition to Jazz and Prowl (the main two out of this series that I really wanted). The paintjob really works and is recognizable as Optimus Prime in both modes .

Vehicle Mode:
Prime's vehicle mode is probably the farthest in body shape from its original counterpart except for maybe Spychanger Hoist. Instead of a flat-cab Mack truck it resembles a long-cab Peterbilt. Understandable of course because it's a repaint of RiD Scourge and it's still recognizable as Optimus Prime regardless of the exact type of tractor trailer truck. The mode, like the rest of the spychangers, rolls well and easily doubles as a Hot Wheels type of car for playing with and there is really only one fault I can find with it. The front halves of the hood of the truck don't seem to connect together as tightly as they do on the earlier RiD version of the mold. I'm not sure why this is exactly, but it detracts from the aesthetics of the figure in vehicle mode.

Robot Mode:
I really like the robot mode for the figure and the paintjob looks fantastic and it's a pity the effort and detail put into this figure's robot mode's colorscheme couldn't be repeated in the rest of this line. I like the arms on this figure much better than the standard spychanger because they just seem more realistic bending at the elbow the way they do. One complaint I have is that the figure comes with no weapon. Yes, the picture to the right has him holding a gun, but it's another spychanger's gun that you can insert into the grooves on his forearm. Seeing as it's easy to have the figure hold a weapon despite not having hands molded to hold one, it's kind of disappointing that he lacks one. The blurb on the back of the card (quoted above in italics) rubs it in your face further by talking about his blaster rifle. Boo! Still, a nice robot mode with an excellent paintjob.

Transformation: 8 - Simple, but noteworthy for imitating the larger version of the mold's transformation perfectly.
Durability: 7 - Pretty tough, but the arms do come loose after a while.
Fun: 10 - Mini Optimus Prime. So cute. Would be cuter with a gun though.
Price: 7 - The G1 Spychangers seem to be more widespread at remaining KB Toystores, but they're still fetching quite a bit on ebay. This one's likely worth it though if you're looking for the things.
Summary: 9 - Nice little spychanger. Good little spychanger. Weaponless little spychanger.