Wow, those eyes look awesome! No more cheap light-piping.

 

I love this figure. If you liked the leader OP mold at all, or was on the fence about it due to the inaccuracies of the mold or lack of paint, this guy is for you!

The only con that I know of (aside from stuff that was also a con on the original mold) is that the shield is in its "open" configuration, which a) makes it too big IMO, and b) was never actually shown in the movie. I like that the gun barrel is shorter though, which is more movie accurate. Also, his joints are REALLY tight (prob because of the extra paint) which makes him difficult to pose and transform sometimes.

The paint is gorgeous on this guy, and the switchable faceplate/open face head sculpt is amazing! I think I actually prefer the open face, as his face was one of the main things that got an improvement from the original design IMO. Also, hopefully we NEVER have to see that awful piss-yellow popsicle fucking plastic that was on the original mold!

Gallery here: Armor Knight Optimus Prime Takara Japan Exclusive - Imgur

 

I recently acquired a part time job for over the Christmas period, so I might just treat myself to this guy at some stage  

 

Got him [first time handling the mould]...not crazy about it.

It dresses up a mould with issues, unfortunately. Looks great but doesn't handle that well.

Mine is up for sale or trade [I'm in the UK mind you] if anybody wants him.

 

Can someone post pictures of this beauty with the sword of Judgement Keychain? They'd look so great together!  

 

The regular sword looks pretty amazing. I was planning on immediately painting the orange parts silver (like I did with the hasbro version of this mold as seen in the pics above), but it actually looks really good against the dark blue and the silver. Still might paint it, but it's being left alone for now.

 

So, I read this and it got me thinking, I've seem to have collected quite a few swords for the leader class prime. So I took a picture of each with my AD-31 so everyone can see their options if they do choose to buy an aftermarket sword.

AD-31 w/Stock Orange Sword



AD-31 w/AD-01's sword that has been painted



AD-31 w/Dr Wu Cavalier Sword



AD-31 w/Sword of Judgement Keychain





Overall I think I like the size of the Keychain sword, but the looks of the Dr Wu sword. If you don't want to pay the price for the Dr Wu sword? Paint the orange one, they are VERY close in size, weight, and detail.

Keychain sword is tricky to get him to hold, the handle is not made to easily fit the leader class hand. Your more wedging it in the fingers than getting any sword of good hold on it. The weight of the diecast while it feels great, isn't your friend in this regard.

 

Man, I wish the original Buster Prime had that face-swapping gimmick.

 

[temptation to ship pile of loot intensifies]

 

I concur with the paint job - it really looks stunning in person. I can't believe the details when I saw it in person. I almost pulled the trigger on this...I need to think through before I come to a final decision.

 

I just opened mine! This is my first time with this mold and wow, it's a hell of a lot smaller than I was expecting. Leader class ain't what it used to be! Bummer he can't stand with Buster.

But I can't really care about that. He's just so detailed and beautiful that he'll stand just fine on his own. Killer toy! Everything, even the blue on the truck shell, is painted. They really went all out. Has to be seen in person. Pictures look great, but reality is even better!

 

Less thinking more trigger pulling!

 

Anyone know where I can order one?

 

Amazon still some for ~$85 shipped:

Amazon.com: Transformers Movie Advanced Series AD31 Armor Knight Optimus Prime: Toys & Games

Most TF Specialty shops are sold out. I was going to wait until after Christmas, but I didn't want to miss out. There are some prime shipping options if you don't want to wait until Mid January-February.

 

Saved the link to order him after I come back from Mexico but is there a possibility of him getting a re-release in case I miss out? I really want this figure in my prime collection  

 

^Such an amazing paintjob.
Quite excited for this figure