DOTM Striker Optimus

Yep. His box just says "Striker Optimus". Go figure.

I didn't see another thread in here for this guy, so since mine showed up I took a few pics.

First off, packaging.

Packaging







Pretty standard Japanese-flavored DOTM packaging. I don't think it's any bigger than a normal leader-class box. The pictures are very crisp and clear, if you're into that sort of thing. Box mentions that the guns are a "Gun" and a "Blaster", which combine to form the "Mega Striker"... And that he has a "Shield" which converts to a "Battle Shield". Oh well - for a Japanese-only release I didn't really expect much in the way of creativity.

His bio reads:

Inserts




Striker Optimus comes with the standard DOTM Mechtech Cards - one for Optimus, and an alteration card for the "Mega Striker" upgrade. His instructions are fairly typical as well - toy catalog, instructions, Takara-Tomy info insert, and a survey campaign insert.

Vehicle Mode



Comparison shots with Jetwing Optimus Prime:




Sorry for the photo quality... My phone sometimes has attacks of the dumbass when taking pictures in my apartment's poor lighting.

Those with quick eyes will notice that Striker Optimus is missing the Autobot Sigil from his front windows' visor, and that he has a different flame pattern than Jetwing Optimus. It's hard to notice from the pics, but the colors on Striker Optimus are also significantly darker all around than Jetwing Optimus' colors. Most of the decos are the same - just in darker tones. It's actually quite nice. I like it!

Oddly, his "Vehicle Engine Sounds" sound is also slightly different than Jetwing Optimus Prime's - just a little bit lower-pitched. Striker Optimus is largely the same mold as Jetwing Optimus Prime, but lacks the "Buster" smokestacks that combine into a weapon. It's a pity, because if the toy had those it would probably be my definitive movie Optimus Prime (especially after my swords set arrives - more on that later)!

The mold also has a few additional mechtech ports added, notably at the back of the cab section.

One last thing to note is that the new parts can be stored in normal vehicle mode (if awkwardly):



Vehicle Battle Mode

First off, let's attach the new parts to the vehicle mode!

First, you fold the front portion of the shield down, rotate the grill pieces up, and then press the button in the back that releases the spring-loaded side-pieces. Sounds complicated, but it takes about two seconds and results in something looking like this:



Here's the back for reference:



The thing secures to Optimus' cab mode headlights via the tabs in the middle of this shot:



Leaving you with this:



Next, begin to transform the smokestacks/side panels like you would for robot mode, except you fold the panels the opposite way from the way you usually would. This results in the smokestack drums being on top, with slots facing forward for you to slide his two small mechtech weapons into, like this:



Here are some shots of the finalized mode:





Here's a comparison with Jetwing Optimus Prime:



Aaaand here he is combined with the Jetwing backpack:





Basically, the new parts integrate really well with the vehicle mode. So well, in fact, that it almost feels like the toy was designed with this upgrade in mind. All parts hold on quite well, and nothing feels too forced. The "storage" mode is a little lame, but if one thing had to suffer I'm glad that's what they chose to skimp on. After all, who would display this in storage mode anyways?

I like that they kept compatibility with the Jetwing backpack, but I'm a little sad they couldn't find a way to keep the "Buster" combining smokestacks. Oh well - I suppose they felt he had enough guns as it was!

Robot Mode

First, some pics of the guns and shield.

Here's the back of the shield, showing how it connects in vehicle and robot form:



Here's the front of the shield:



The guns in individual extended mode:




The guns in combined mode:



Striker Optimus' smokestacks. I don't have ROTF Prime with me in Japan, so I'm not sure if the original mold had the slots for the two mechtech weapons... I'd guess not?



Some random shots of robot mode:






EDIT: Some comparison shots with Jetwing Optimus Prime:







The darker colors look amazing on Optimus, and the shield (despite being a jumble of random parts in this mode) manages to feel like a riot shield, which is pretty awesome in my book. The pegs on the combined mechtech gun are a little short, sadly, which means the gun feels perched in his hand rather than placed there, and can be knocked out rather easily. In this mode, I feel like the "Buster" cannon really did a better job than the new mechtech combined gun. The new gun just isn't as threatening somehow.

Worth noting: this release uses the altered voice chip from HFTD Leader Optimus Prime. Instead of "I am Optimus Prime!", Optimus says, "We must stop the Decepticons!" in what sounds like Peter Cullen's voice.

Final Thoughts

If you need a movie Optimus, this is a good one to get. The added play value of the "Striker" parts is well worth the price of admission. That being said, I paid retail Japanese prices, and am being paid in yen these days, so I know the value proposition might be a little different for those of you in the states. The new voice clip is also a small incentive to get this release over another version.

The lack of "Buster" smokestacks is one of two downsides of this release. For me, I'm glad I have at least one version of the mold with those babies, because they really are the best gun yet for ROTF Prime.

The other downside, of course, is the lack of any form of blades. Fortunately, TakaraTomy saw fit to remedy that... Sort of. There's a campaign in Japan at the moment for a free set of detachable blades for Striker Optimus if you spend more than 3000 yen at Toys R Us. BBTS has that set up for $50 (last time I checked), so this is remediable if money is no object. I have a set coming to me from a friend in Japan, and will add pictures once I get them. EDIT: See below for pictures of the Battle Blades!

Finally, as with many Japanese releases, Striker Optimus does not come with batteries - so you'll have to have some AAs on hand to use!

Please feel free to request any pics I've skipped - I threw this together rather quickly!

Battle Blades

Sorry it took so long to add these... Got busy!

These blades don't seem to have been as limited as we initially thought, so hopefully the price for them won't be as high as it has been for some other exclusives. They add a needed set of swords to help round out Striker Optimus. Here's a picture of him wielding them:



And a close-up of Striker Optimus holding one of them:



As you can see, they're separate pieces that Optimus wields like guns. Despite this, they do feel very much like an extension of Optimus' arms, aping how he was able to deploy them in the movie. They're not perfect, but they're a good compromise improvement over the deployable blades from the ROTF version of this mold. Some close-ups of the blades showing their construction are below:





The right and left blades ARE different molds - for each blade, the mechtech peg, screws, and hollowed-out side of the blade (from the second picture above) are on the inside of the blade. As far as I can tell, all the detailing is the same - just mirrored.

As far as whether or not these are worth the price of admission... Well, maybe not. It's nice to have a set of blades for Striker Optimus (or any other version of the ROTF/DOTM Leader Prime mold you want to use them with), but unless he's holding the blades they're essentially another weapon that you have to find a place to store. Furthermore, when he IS holding them, Striker Optimus has no official place to store his other mechtech weapons or shield, meaning one way or the other you're stuck with loose pieces. Not optimal in my opinion, and certainly not worth $50, unless you just HAVE to have the blades.

It's worth noting (as a caveat to my opinion above) that there are at least a couple of unofficial ways you can store the shield/mechtech guns on Optimus. Pics below:

Option 1:



Option 2:




So far, though, I haven't really found a way of storing them that looks good and is reliably stable. So, my opinion re: the blades stands

EDIT: Some requested pics:

Nice Review!!!I really want this dude.


This is going to sound weird.....but can I see him with Leader Ironhide and HA Bumblebee?

Thanks!!!

Originally Posted by SG hailstorm Cuteness and evil rolled into one, kinda like dinodigger

Originally Posted by SideswipePrime Dinodigger...WHAT THE HE-HNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG

Originally Posted by agentSAP2006 That's almost as scary as Dinodigger. Almost.

Sorry - when I moved here I ditched most of my collection at home. I'm afraid I don't have access to either of those toys >_<. I'm sure someone will come along and help you out, though!

Ok....well.....can I see him with anyother Primes in your "new" collection?

Originally Posted by SG hailstorm Cuteness and evil rolled into one, kinda like dinodigger

Originally Posted by SideswipePrime Dinodigger...WHAT THE HE-HNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG

Originally Posted by agentSAP2006 That's almost as scary as Dinodigger. Almost.

And we can't get this in the states because...?

Anyway, your review was successful in making me want one of these.
Dammit.

I should have clarified. Right now, I have the following Transformers in my apartment:

- United Grapple
- EZ Collection Thundercracker
- DOTM Vortex
- Jetwing Optimus Prime
- Striker Optimus
- Cyberverse Guzzle

Pretty much nothing :-p

Sorry :-/

IIRC, the HTFD/AA repaint does....but Takara didn't ship a version of that?

I like it!

I guess I like it more than the jetwings simply coz this guy is in a lower pricepoint.

Thanks for the review, glad to see they changed the voice clip. Weapons are badass.

That is an excellent review. You covered absolutely everything people want to see and know about with the figure. Very informative and thorough. Your pictures are great and really show all the features of Prime, including the comparisons. Also, I love the tatami mats as your backdrop, nice Japanese touch .

Originally Posted by brittap I'm a TRANSFORMERS fan not a HASBRO fan. So if Hasbro flat out refuses (for the most part) to make the toys of chartacters I want I have no problem getting them from a third party.