If the RotF Leader Prime had never existed I would totally buy this. That Prime is just really hard to beat engineering wise. I mean come on, they nearly nailed it. I was expecting Hasbro to perfect the mold for this line. The "Ultimate" Prime just made me facepalm myself. And as far as the "too complicated to tranform" debate, i dunno, maybe Hasbro could make more detailed instructions? But as it stands, this line has really let me down big time.

 

It looks like a great toy. Just not for me. But that's okay, I'm not griping, a new figure is always a good thing.

 

One day you'll have kids and understand that mainline toys are first and foremost for kids, not adult collectors.

 

couldnt have said it better myself.. my kids have a tough time with the rotf figs... the dotm figs should work well for them

 

Looks better than before, but I'm still passing on this mold. It'll be good for the kids.

 

SO um yeah HASBRO draw a line in the sand and make kids toys for kids and make the top of the line stuff for adults who can actually see when something is wrong with the design, i mean HOW MUCH evidence do you need that adults collect your products? NOT all of us only pick up a toy now and then because our kids have them

 

They ARE. That's what this IS. It's a TOY. It's aimed at the primary market for Transformers, which happens to be KIDS. Lately transformer designs have been getting too complex for kids. So they either fix that, or parents stop buying transformers for their kids because they're tired of the frustration. So yeah, they're simplifying transformations now.

What the fuck. It's a pretty simple concept right? I don't know why it's so hard to grasp.

there is absolutely nothing wrong with this design, and the complaints about "not being accurate" are stupid. Much of the detail in this is found on the new ultimate figure, especially with the body itself. People complaining about this toy's accuracy to a movie they haven't seen does not make any sense. if you want something more complex, you've got two stellar options in the battle blades prime and leader prime mold.

 

I gotta say, the more I see of this toy the more I like it. Now that we know he uses a jetpack the huge rockets on his back make more sense. I really dig the simplicity and overal proportions. Way better than BBOP's thin legs and too-wide torso, and I love that figure. The only thing I'm not 100% on board with is the truck mode, but it's still decent enough.

 

I love this version of Prime. When I first saw the pics I honestly thought it looked dreadful, but after having it in hand, I have completely changed my view on it.

The only real drawbacks are its size IMO. It is TINY! The vehicle mode is barely bigger than a deluxe car, and the robot mode is about the same in relation.

The plus points of this figure are the amount of fun and character packed into it. The robot mode has real superhero proportions and amazing posability, especially for such a small figure. Yes the transformation is simple, but only when compared to previous Primes such as the ROTF leader or HftD Battle Blades. It's still complex enough to be fun but not so fiddly that it takes 20 minutes to do.

The Mech Tech weapon is actually very good. It kinda sorta resembles Buster Prime's gun but not really. Prime can hold it in his hand and the proportions are quite easy on the eye, again in the context of a superhero motif.

Overall, I would recommend this to everyone. Don't buy it as a replacement for any other Prime you own (expect maybe the voyager mold from the first 2 movies) but instead think of it as a fun-sized version of movie Prime which is more fun than any of the others to play about with and pose. He's much more of an action figure this time round.

Don't get me wrong, Buster Prime will probably never be beaten IMO, but for an awesome little movie Prime to mess about with you really can't go too far wrong with this guy. Just a shame about the price point for the size of the figure. I'll be waiting until I can get him for less than retail as I don't think he is worth the cost of a 'normal-sized' voyager, but I WILL be getting him.

 

I'm not torn or on the fence concerning this disaster....EPIC FAIL!!!

 

my complains are because this figure is brought out in the DOTM line and is in place of something better WHILE hasbro doesn't define there lines of toys
I mean Transformers is almost the only toy line that hasn't fully respected US ADULT COLLECTORS, I mean yeah there is these so called masterpiece toys but they arnt THAT great and not many anyway. BUT to get to MY POINT OK make toys for kids whom cant figure out how to transform the bugger (ADULTS TOO IT SEEMS) BUT why does that mean they have to look so LITTLE like there subject! there's been ONE prime that got very near BUT not without problems and god dammit look how many BB's and NONE have hit the target SO why have shit like this?!?!?!

 

What's SHIT to YOU is not NECESSARILY shit to SOMEONE else. I really like THIS figure.
Anyway, HOW on Earth you can GO AROUND shouting that "US ADULT COLLECTORS" (what about those of us who don't live in America?  ) don't get the RESPECT WE deserve when a) believing that you "deserve" something just for buying a few toys IS SHOWING a ridiculously unjustified sense of SELF entitlement and b) WE DO get FIGURES AIMED at 'collectors', or more adult TF fans, such as Classics, Universe, Generations etc. Sure KIDS CAN enjoy them too, but instead of making new characters HASBRO HAVE CHOSEN to release updated versions of characters from G1 when those of us in our 30s would HAVE BECOME TF FANS for THE first time.

NOW ON TO MY POINT OK Transformers are toys. If YOU LIKE Transformers you like toys. Quite a REVELATION huh? OF COURSE they are GOING TO be aimed AT kids, who are, by a considerable MARGIN, are THE MAIN CUSTOMER base (or parents buying for children) FOR THE product.

 

It's Eb & Flow all the time.

Remember, TF 'toys' with lotsa intricate chrome painted molds, altmodes which definetely aimed to mirror realworld counterparts sans simplifications of details etc. ; these were marketed at kids too and they sold. Lots of them.

Next season, things became more simplified obviously, more gimmicks.

Fastforward 2 decades. ROTF toys, were aimed at kids too. Sold lots of items.

Next season, things become more simplified, more gimmicks.

Pattern much ?

 

But they pretty much transformed 1-2-3.

Those toys were less realistic but were a step above in complexity.

I don't think you can compare both eras, design intents are different.

 

well as a 31 year old SOUTH AUSTRALIAN I collect many "TOYS" and amongst my shelves of Macross ,GUNDAM and HOT TOYS MOVIE ITEMS and such ,my Transformers NO MATTER WHAT THEY ARE (besides ONLY 3 or 4 )
look WAY more childish (THO I LOVE MOST)
but look IF you want to DEFEND a mold with FAKE wheels on the hips FAKE chest ,SILLY gun, screwed up dimensions and all the other faults then GO ahead but the NEXT silly looking thing they try to push we can thank people like YOU for just accepting and even liking it!
after looking at the pix for a while I can see that while still keeping it simple this figure could have been made a whole lot better AND YES way more like its subject , OK i get that SOME people want simple hardy hunks of plastic be it for there kids or simply because THEY like it that way but isn't the purpose of making a toy version of something to actually make it resemble it ! there are MANY fun and even accurate gimmicks that could be added that would make a new version worth buying and that's what HASBRO is all about OF COURSE they are a company that sells products and with products like these you must keep moving design wise but WHY I am SO pissed about is THERE IS A MIDDLE ground that would make fusspots like me and non fussy people happy weather you like accuracy or just cool lookin stuff

OH AND YES AS A FAN and a paying customer I DO DESERVE decent products ! that's how it works with business OR YOU GO SOMEWHERE ELSE but as the rights to this stuff is so tightly held I cant SO HASBRO has to serve its fans well , so people like you who are clearly not fussy just have to think would i like it if those who ARE fussy set the rules ?!?!? YEAH I THINK YOU'D BE FINE WITH IT COZ THAT'S THE NATURE OF NOT BEING FUSSY .......YOUR NOT FUSSED

 

Ok, it's now obvious you're just trolling. Comparing non-transformable model kits, statues and high-end $100-200 toys to $10-30 Transformers. Gimme a break. The products you're looking for are from the MP and Alternity lines.

 

you call replying trolling? mmmo k ,do you even get my pointS? I'm not the only one that dislikes this figure

 

Your "points" don't make any sense whatsoever. You're DEMANDING MP-like figures from a mainline geared toward kids just because you as an adult collector who doesn't seem to give a crap about kids feel entitled to it. If you're after MP-like figures, buy MP-like figures and patiently wait for the next release just like we collectors of all things SOC or Brave Gokin wait patiently between releases.

 

I'd say that applies 50/50. The bigger Diaclone / Microman molds were and still are, pretty intricate in both detailing and transformation ; their engineering has small & precise margins.

I think this also emphasises a cultural gap : the Japanese made these Diaclones with detail and accuracy in mind, but still mass market it.

Post 1985 lines came and US Hasbro's self developed stuff came with all plastic molds, no more chrome, less realistic altmodes, etc.

Of course, the 'simplifications' to the DOTM line happen for overlapping but different reasons. All these weapons and over the top jetpacks translate into the base toy figure as clunkier proportions ; of which this DOTM voyager Prime is a prime example.

Sitting on my desk here are G1 Megatron, a 1974 mold and G1 Dreadwind, a 1988 mold...

To me, Dreadwind is obviously a more blunt 'toy-ish' mold + gimmick ( powermaster ). I mean, aside from the gunlaw which made G1 Megsy an impossibility ... the 'simplifications' of the post 1985 TF's and now DOTM, for whatever initial reason worked hand in hand with tighter profit margins ( rising plastic prices and such. )

We'd have to wonder, did the ROTF/HFTD sell that badly ?
Were those customer feedback sample numbers, really representative about the supposedly problems with 'complexity' ?

I really question those things. I know it's not black & white... for example... I think the new voyager Megatron looks brilliant. He actually looks like a more complex figure - with the only loss being a substantially outstanding paintjob...Shockwave and Sentinel look good too... so it seems the real substantial budgets went to a smaller amount of characters this time around.

 

But you're the only one making a huge uprising over it.