Takara Tomy Exclusive Transformers: One Brave Commander Optimus Prime.

Transformers Dark of the Moon Deluxe-class Optimus Prime


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New Transformers movie, of course we get new Optimus Prime toys. This one is Takara Tomy's exclusive flagship Optimus Prime toy, outside of any mainline or Studio Series release. Let's see how it fares...

In and Out of Package



In-package shots, front, back and sides


Out of package, showing contents

Alternate Mode


Front / side and Rear / side views.

Alternate mode is a Cybertronian vehicle approximating a flat-nosed truck. Quite a clean alt. mode, no immediately obvious robot bits other than the folded-up feet on the rear. Done in a somewhat matte dark blue and that red plastic with lighter gray for the structural parts as well as a dark metallic brown(?) for some internalbits. There is clear blue plastic in what would approximate the cab windows.

I have no access to any of my collection for comparisons right now, but in-hand, it ends up feeling like almost "large voyager"-ish in size, very compact. Handling it brings to mind Classics Voyager Prime, albeit with a the caveat that it's a lot more expensive than that toy.

Paint apps on the alt mode are serviceable, with a decent amount of metallic silver and gunmetal paint apps. Otherwise, evertything is done using solid block plastic colors.

This mode is solid, with tiny red wheels under the cab and 4 rollers under the blue rear section, so Prime can "roll out" with ease. Nothing scrapes the ground / table / surface / what have you.



One thing of note is that Prime has what seems to be trailer hitch, which as someone has already demonstrated, works with Takara's MP44 Optimus Primes trailer. It's a neat bit of cross-product interactivity, but since I do not own MP-44, it's of no use to me.

The Energon axe can be pegged onto ports on the sides of the rear panels of the vehicle for "storage"


Press black plastic tab on both sides to deploy spring-loaded cannons from either side of the vehicle.


Pop-out blasters stowed (left) and deployed (right)

Unlike the Studio Series toy of Tf:One Optimus, this version integrates the vehicle mode blasters as a fixed part of the toy, deployed by pressing two black tabs on both sides of the "fender" portions. It's a functional and unobtrusive gimmick, so... it's fine?

Also the two gray cylinders can be rotated as another pair of "weapons", depending on your preference.

Transformation


Mid-transformation shot

Transformation scheme is involved and a fiddly at points. Prime essentially decompresses and refolds himself, with the too half of the cab folding up neatly into his backpack while a totally different robot torso is revealed unddrndath. The entire "fender" portions reposition as shoulder chunks while the legs reconfigure themselves from the alt moxe rear.

There's just a bit of annoyance in that a lot of Prime's parts become floppy hinged panels and struts up until you start locking them down into place.

Robot Mode


Robot mode, Front view (left) and Back view (right)


Robot mode, left side view (left) and right side view (right)

Brave Commander Optimus Prime depicts the "Optimus" phase of the character in the new movie quite accurately (at least from what I've seen from trailers and promo images), but the proportions feel wonky at spots. I've read Prime's proportions described as "feminine", and I kinda see where it's coming from. The torso is relatively small, since it needs to fit under the actual vehicle cab, with a narrow waist. In comparison, the shoulders are very chunky, as well as the entire lower legs. As in seriously, look at the thighs and shins on this guy. I think the head is also larger in proportion but I assume its for the gimmick, which I'll get to later.

The sculpted detail is quite good, with a few specific paint apps picking out mechanical detailing here and there. Of special mention are the two faces, which are done nicely in silver and are very cleanly painted. The faces look great. Otherwise, everything in bot mode is the stock plastic color. He feels more like a pre-WFC/Siege era large Voyager or Ultra-class in terms of size and density.


Posed, showing the extent of articulation

Prime has decently articulated overall. The chunky shoulders keep the elbow to a 90° bend. My main gripe the hinges that facilitate outward shoulder movement. Being simple pinned hinges, they're not as solid as a universal joint and have a tendency to collapse from the weight of a handheld accessory, like, I dunno... the included Energon axe? The rotation point for the shoulders is also bit low enough in the torso that it makes Prime look weird when viewed from certain angles.

The legs are okay though, with a good range in the hips, knees and ankles.

Points of Articulation:
Neck: ball joint, limited up and down movement
Shoulders: pinned hinges for outward movement, swivel joints for lateral arm movement
Arms: 360° rotator below the shoulders, 90° elbows, downward wrist bend, wrist rotation, hands can open and close
Torso: swivel joint
Legs: Universal-jointed hips, thigh swivels, 90° hinged knees, rocker ankles with limited up and down movement

In terms of compatibility with other Transformers accessories, the shoulder smokestacks have a 5mm port on each side, the forearms have a 5mm port each on the outer side, two on the backpack, used to "store" the weapon and two on the outer side of the calves. Prime's hands open and close and, I assume, can hold accessories with 5mm pegs.


Posed, with Energon Axe. Note "storage" option on backpack ports..

As advertised in the box, Prime's face can be swapped between the regular Optimus Prime face and the faceplate-less Orion Pax face by lifting his face up by the chin and rotating out the desired face. Due to the size of the head and limited range of the hinge on his head, doing this is takes a bit of effort as there's very little room to grip the face comfortably.


Optimus Prime face (left), Orion Pax face (middle), Face-swapping mechanism (right) ..

Prime's shoulder smokestacks rotate on a peg connection so in robot mode, one can recreate the "flame thrower scene", or point forward horizontally from the shoulders.

Same as in vehicle mode, pressing the black tabs causes the shoulder armor to pop open and deploy spring loaded blasters. This time they rotate to face forward relative to the robot front.


Optimus Prime with smokestacks rotated and pop up blasters deployed



And yes, due to the way his hands are articulated, he can "light the darkest hour" better than most Matrix-bearing Primes can.




Verdict



As a top end to the Transformers: One toyline in Japan, Brave Commander Optimus Prime is at least worth his large price point in terms of complexity and parts count. The most noticeable issue are those weak shoulders. The vehicle mode is clean and compact, with surprisingly few gaps. There's some are nifty ideas here and there with the involved transformation, integrated gimmicks and relevant accessories.

Jya na!

 

Got mine from HLJ today.

Good size, more intricate transformation than the SS and mainline versions. Right forearm tends to pop off its swivel. Right shoulder is a tad loose, it can still hold a pose. Articulated hands don't hold the axe as securely and straight as it should. Good articulation. Face gimmick is fun. Flip out cannons are cool, but I wish the shoulders would fully close when the gimmick is not in use (there's still a small gap because it's spring-loaded. Too bad the taillights aren't painted on the feet.

Worth the price? Not for me, but it's cool to have...

 

Got our Brave Commander Optimus Prime figure today. This is so much better than the Studio Series 112 Optimus Prime figure. There's no significant areas of hollow plastic syndrome, even the back of the cab. The colors pop so much better with this figure. No wonky crotch piece here; just normal hip joints. The arms are now contained within the alt mode cab. The extra blasters are contained within the shoulders and work in both bot and alt modes. I can only imagine how much better SS-112 OP would have been if not constrained to Deluxe class.

Main gripes are the backpack tabs aren't tight and having many literally loose screws: shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees. Some needed 3 or 4 complete rotations. Some of the joints seemed a bit loose and improved when properly tightened (and not overtightened). The hip ratchets in particular were on the looser side; still not super snappy but better and serviceable after tightening the pelvis screws. Still has Hot Rod shoulders.

As noted, the trailer hitch is compatible with only the MP-44 trailer. This is NOT compatible with SS86 OP trailer: there's not enough clearance and the trailer is noticeably angled upward with only the rear wheels touching the ground.

Alt mode:
Extra blast effects added. Shoulder / front guns deployed.




Bot mode:


The matrix is able to mount on the axe.


Holding the matrix with unmasked face.


To open the chest, there's a slight overhang for the bottom chest piece to rotate downward first, and then flip the upper part open. When trying to remove the matrix, there are 2 tabs on the sides of the circle section to pull on.


Comparison with SS-112 OP. Seems like every other TF1 OP figure received better colors. OP didn't have a junk yellowed color scheme in the trailers and glad Brave Commander OP came with proper colors. I think the only missing detail with BC OP is the yellow parts on the toes.


Comparison with SS86 Optimus Prime. BC OP is about a head's length shorter than Prime Wars Trilogy Leader Class figures.


Multiple other Prime figures are able to hold the BC Axe, including SS86 Optimus Prime.


Overall: Recommended. This is the best TF1 OP figure released yet. Had some minor gripes, including several loose screws that needed to be tightened.

 

Just got mine in last night from AJP. Easily the best version of the character. Nice and solid, albeit with a looser shoulder joint than I'd like. Otherwise, a solid figure and definitely the one to get if you only decide to get one figure from the movie. It's a shame that this is a one-off, because I would have loved to see a Megatron in this scale.

 

I like it, overall. Definitely more of a toy than a collector piece though, like the Takara Primal.

• The masked face just looks off, but the unmasked face is nice. After the SS and Prime Changer both went masked, I wanted a good unmasked face.
• The cab being a shell and the shoulder gimmick give him slightly odd propotions- not bad, but a bit puffy. I do like how big the head it though.
• Ankle tilts are surprisingly limited. Bicep swivels, especially his right, are liable to pop off. Backpack could tab in better. Everything else is solid.
• Vehicle is good, better than SS, but I think I prefer the Prime Changer version. That had the shoulders more flush, and while the forearms are more visible, I like the sloped transition from cab to bed using the forearms and feet on that version.

Not a must have like 2018's Legendary Optimus was, but a solid, good value toy.

 

Really good, thorough review as always.

 

Great write ups. Unfortunately for this guy, he came to me two days after SS86 OP. Anytime who's held both can probably guess where this is going. I tried to like him after the film was so well done, but I can't. Giant head the size of his chest, elbow swivel pops out constantly, backpack can't stay tabbed in, etc. After my SS TFOne Prime had a random hip explosion (the hip literally shattered out of nowhere) I think I've had my fill of the toys for this movie. I love the pics and the way everyone else has enjoyed him, but I think he's just not for me.

 

Yeah, after a day the biceps falling off is killing me. The limited ankles as well (they need some forward as well as more inward), but this is a toy that fights being handled with those two flaws. I have to baby the arms lest an amputation happen, and I can't pose him and expect him to be able to put him down in a stable pose.

 

I just can't stand the faux chest on this thing. I wish it didn't have it because everything else about this figure seems badass.

I just can't justify it at its price with the faux chest.

I only *tolerate*, never love, faux parts when they're essentially unavoidable to keep things accurate (see: SS86 Hot Rod and a wide majority of the SS Bayformers) but this seems like they could have avoided it

 

Hmm, haven't had the biceps issue yet. Maybe try rotating more to wear in the joint or is there extra flash on the mushroom pegs?

Had loose screw issues which was better after tightening. The screws opposite the shoulder guns actually needed several rotations to tighten.

 

Comparison shot with the similarly-priced Power Flip Optimus Prime, in robot mode and alternate mode:





It's quite interesting to me to compare these two, as both of these, while sharing a price point and being the top end of their respective lines, go into quite different directions in terms of target audience and how they're designed to facilitate those intents.

End of the day, I can't say one is better than the other, given that these two are trying to do two different things.

jya na!

 

I got this. I don't like it. Straight into storage it went. Super buyer's remorse is in me.

 

My copy doesn't have the bicep issue, so it's quite disconcerting that there are copies that do.

As I stated, my main gripe on my copy were the outward shoulder hinges, which are pinned instead of screwed, so there's nothing to tighten. They weren't floppy but just loose enough that any any outward pose with Prime holding the Energon axe would cause the arms to droop.

Tightened the joint using Pledge. It's fine as of now.

I think them going the faux truck shell was a deliberate choice here as they wanted to keep the somewhat angular cab with the narrower "window" but still have the robot with a rounder chest and wider window so that the matrix would be more visible.

Admittedly, this comes at the cost of the chest / torso becoming proportionally smaller and less broad, especially in concert with the head, which I feel needed to be a tad larger to accommodate for the mechanism to swap faces (it feels too small for my hands as it is already)

That's too bad. Ever consider selling it off to someone else? Maybe recoup the cost?

jya na?

 

My copy got it right out o the box. Seems to be something regarding the mold line that runs thru inside the bicep and the mushroom. Sanding it a little with a bit of scrapel on the scalpel on the line as well bicep with a little floor polish to tighten it and its all good.

 

Thanks, I shall have to try that. I tried heating the grey part to reshape it a bit, but it didn't help. It helped tighten up the Prime Changer's floppy wrists, but not on this guy.

 

I'm a fan of it. Simple and effective transformation, cool gimmicks, and the plastic feels real nice. Easily the best transformable TF: One Prime you can get right now.

More snaps on my IG (www.instagram.com/realriorex)

 

Even in the movie, his chest changes shape several times.

Orion Pax without cog / Orion Pax with cog / Optimus Prime with matrix

 

The right arm twists off on mine but the left doesn't. I don't see (or feel) any obvious difference between the two mushroom pegs. Mind clarifying what, exactly, you're talking about scraping?

 

when my copy was first out of the box, the mold lines on the mushroom would sometimes collide with some excess plastic on the plastic that holds the mushroom itself, and repeated rotations would push it out. I used a scalpel to scrape the said excess plastic.

 

I didn't see anything like that on mine, unfortunately.

I've gone with dabbing a tiny bit of UV resin onto the nubs that clip the mushroom peg in place. They're much more secure now. I can't tell what sort of plastic the arms are; if they're made of POM the fix won't last, but so far it seems to be holding.