Alt mode storage. Clips onto Prime's trailer hitch, or inside the tanker.

 

Where inside the trailer?

 

I don't recommend putting the Matrix in this hands. You'll scratch the silver off. I learnt the hard way.

He needs hands like Earthrise Optimus.

 

Yeah, that was warned about previously.

Tamiya Mica Silver spray paint is a pretty good match for the regular silver Hasbro uses. I've used that to fix up various scuffs (after proper hobby tape masking).

 

He is a great update to the 90’s toy. I believe it’s the best one so far comparing it to the RTS & TR figures. Out of the latest trend of voyager class figures sold with accessories he definitely feels like he utilizes every cent of the leader class price. Earthrise Optimus Prime was a really great voyager with a hollow flat boring trailer. Legacy G2 prime is a good figure with a trailer that doesn’t feel like an afterthought to inflate the price.

As of the figure by itself I think there is a lot of good bits but also a lot of small flaws. Like the legs in truck mode without the trailer attached looks long. Transformation could be smoother. Biceps are a little noodley. I don’t care for the axe that looks like a fan and it’s combination is stupid. I wish we got a good rifle over the axe. I like his headsculpt, his heft and how he just oozes 90’s vibes.

 

Ive had success fixing this on alot of figures that have had this issue.

What I do, is pop the arm off and look for a seam line (usually its flash or a bad seam -In this case its the upper arm part that the lower connets to) cut or file that so its a nice radius..Then run the other part (that the cylinder shape clips onto ie; Forearm here) and get that cennction point hot with hot water..once its hot I take a clothes pin and apply pressure so it freezes with INCREASED pressure from the part that "captures" or clips on has more force retaining it on, that what we have in the beginning.

Also, look in the fore arm grooves and make sure they are clear. Sometime you get a bad molded part, and there is plastic in the groove. At that point you either carve that shit out so its a smooth rotation.

 

Pros:
* Truck mode is pretty well done, and offers a hint of the Bay films Optimus in the deco. The more obvious robot details underneath are hidden
* Transformation is not difficult, though you need to take care of things in proper order to avoid disaster. A fair amount goes into closing up potential holes/gaps in the torso or cab backpack. The design of the hand reveal is clever IMO, even if the hands themselves aren't great.
* Tanker trailer is basic, but feels like a bit more effort went into it than the Earthrise box trailer.
* Sword is pretty nice, and can store under the truck cab G2-style. Other weapons are ... other weapons.
* Flip-up missiles revealed in the shoulders is fun, though hiding weapon-looking things behind other weapon-looking things seems a bit silly.

Cons:
* Robot proportions are off IMO, with long legs, short torso, smallish arms attached low on the body, and the head attached far back. The whole thing gives the impression of a weedy, skinny character wearing bulky armored clothing, and puffing his chest out in an attempt to look tough.
* As the shoulder pylons don't move with the arms, they get in the way easily.
* The Matrix is a nice accessory, but the way the arms and hands are, he can't hold in a way that doesn't look stupid.
* Rather obvious hollow waffling in the backs of the lower legs.
* I've never been a big fan of the G2 Laser Optimus color scheme, but it is pretty accurate to that. The eyes could use a brighter color though, and I miss the big mural on the tanker trailer

Overall: I will say that I like this toy a little bit more than I expected to based on pictures, but you can still see the diminishing returns in this, being built on the bones of the Earthrise Prime mold, which in turn was built on the bones of Siege Prime, each one introducing its own compromises to the final product. I don't think it's bad, but I can't help thinking how much better it could've been if it wasn't made to reuse elements of past molds. I think I might enjoy this one more in a RiD Scourge/Black Convoy color scheme.

 

I find not clipping the arms in at the shoulders makes him look a lot better IMO. They're also not loose at the hinges so it's not like they flop about.

 

Curious what does that accomplish?

 

Makes it seem like his arms are coming out of the front truck parts and looks wider. I can't post pics unfortunately. Hope someone else can.

 

Yeah that's it. Thanks.

I like this look more. Looks wider at the shoulders.

 

Galvatron arrived today. The two look nice together, guess I won't be getting the GS g2 Megatron after all (chromed the chain, everything else will be toyhax labels).

 

On ER Optimus, the shin vents are a separate piece. Basically the bulk of the lower legs on that figure are three pieces. The front leg half with a rectangle hole, the back leg half, and then the shin vent piece sandwiched in between and showing through the hole in he front piece

On this figure, the back leg half is removed fully (hence the hollow rear of the legs), and the shin detail piece is remolded to not be vents, but the main front half of the leg piece is carried over from ER Optimus, which was carried over from Siege Optimus, and that piece is the one with the weird asymmetrical trailer hitch

Below, the outlined piece is the only part of the lower body that's remolded from ER Optimus, along with the removed back leg piece

 

I’d like a remold into Powertrain or Ironworks/Irontread. But no trailer.

 

So while I wait for Red Cog to be released, I decided to get Slammer and Cromar to improve the trailer's base mode... guess I went a bit overboard

 

Oh, that makes a sort of sense. It's not a new part at least, it's just vestigial.
The legs getting more hollow is annoying, since all we need is the same back parts that already exist. And for another voyager+accessories Leader figure, I'd rather that the main figure wasn't visibly worse than we know it could be. Just keep what you have if it's good, if we're doing creative reuse.

 

I have no new opinions that haven't been shared. But just want to throw out there that I think this mold could make a great retool into Prime Ultra Magnus for more Legacy Prime members.

 

Swapped out my store bought copy with the wonky eyes for a new copy from Amazon and......... it has a wonky eye........ and his head pops off if you try to rotate it at all.

 

Any rumblings of a Toyhax set yet?

I know it's inevitable, but I kinda back-burnered this guy until it arrives.