{"id":8228,"date":"2010-07-27T05:11:19","date_gmt":"2010-07-27T10:11:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=8228"},"modified":"2010-07-27T05:12:36","modified_gmt":"2010-07-27T10:12:36","slug":"vault-review-wfc-optimus-prime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=8228","title":{"rendered":"Vault Review:
WFC Optimus Prime"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>In Transformers: War for Cybertron<\/em>, you get to play as your favorite Transformer and fight the battle that started it all. But, if you\u2019re old school like me, you\u2019re probably looking to reenact that battle on your shelves too. Hasbro knows this and we’ve already got for first WFC figure: Optimus Prime.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a little behind on my video gaming, so I haven\u2019t played War for Cybertron yet. I want to, but I just haven’t had gotten around to it. One of the things I loved about seeing the previews were the new designs of all the old characters. With a nice mix of G1 and Movie Universe designs, all in the style of pre-human influenced Cybertronian designs, what\u2019s not to love? That\u2019s why I was stoked when Hasbro announced they were releasing figures. I was also surprised. You don\u2019t normally see video game toys so close to the release date of the actual game.<\/p>\n

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Usually, my least favorite part of a Transformer is its vehicle mode. That probably sounds sacrilegious to some, but I\u2019ve just always been more interested in the robot form. Optimus’ alt mode doesn’t really appeal to me. I\u2019m not sure what it\u2019s supposed to be. It gives off the impression that it\u2019s some sort of Cybertronian truck I suppose. To me, it looks like a supped up antique Cadillac with the rear of a tow truck.<\/p>\n

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Aside from not really caring about the design, there is something that does annoy me a little. When compared to the Bumblebee from the same line, there are clearly little details lacking. The Cybertronian look has these really nice light piping details and lines throughout the robots. It\u2019s like all of Cybertron is waiting to street race with Vin Deisel. The light piping on Bumblebee is created by using clear red plastic, this gives him that luminous look. Optimus just received this light reddish orange paint on those areas. Not quite as impressive.<\/p>\n

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Quick, let\u2019s transform him and never speak of his vehicle mode again! Just give me a sec\u2026 or maybe a minute. Where did I put those instructions? OK, here they are\u2026 How many times am I supposed to turn his chest? The arms are stuck! Hold on, I think I\u2019ve got it.<\/p>\n

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You know how some Transformers are easy and others are so frustrating that you want to rip the parts off and rearrange them they way YOU feel they should go? Optimus is more like that. He\u2019s not the hardest Transformer I\u2019ve ever dealt with, but he is one of the more frustrating ones. He might be even more frustrating than RotF Bludgeon. I\u2019m not exactly sure on that though, because I still refuse to put Bludgeon back into his tank form. Continue to Robot Mode…<\/A>.<\/p>\n

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Here we have Optimus Prime in all his Cybertronian glory. His tiny, tiny glory. Why is he so small? I realize Transformers aren\u2019t exactly strict when it comes to rules on scale, but there should be a rule that Optimus needs to stand at least three inches above Bumblebee. I wonder how tall Megatron and Soundwave will be compared to him.<\/p>\n

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What Optimus lacks in stature, he makes up for in articulation. He\u2019s got a ball jointed head, thighs, and ankles. His shoulders are swivel hinges. The elbows, torso, and toes are hinged while the knees are double hinged. And there are swivel joints on his biceps, wrists, waist, and center thighs.<\/p>\n

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Prime\u2019s sculpt, like in vehicle mode, is mostly accurate to the video game design. The best part about it is his head, which has a very determined look about it. I\u2019m not sure how the sculptors pulled that off since you can\u2019t see his mouth, but it\u2019s there. The worst sculpted part of the figure is his hands. Basically they\u2019re closed fists with a hole drilled through. I\u2019m not a big fan of that design. We\u2019ve come a long way in hand sculpting over the years, drilled out fists aren\u2019t necessary anymore. Especially Optimus Prime, who should have some sort of finger gesture sculpted. Now where will my Autobots know where they\u2019re rolling out to?<\/p>\n

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Prime comes with one accessory, his large gun, which is also sort of transformable. The gun is molded black and has two springs in it. One allows the gun to fold in half, the other allows the little wing on its side to clip down and hold the gun in its folded pose. This function doesn\u2019t work so well though, and any jostling will release the spring, popping the gun into its original form.<\/p>\n

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All around, this figure is just OK. I don\u2019t care much for the vehicle. He\u2019s way too small for my tastes. And even though he can pose well, he\u2019ll always be punching someone. All these things would probably be a little easier to accept if it wasn\u2019t for the Bumblebee in this line being so much better. He\u2019s an example of what Optimus should have been, instead he\u2019s a reminder of what Optimus isn\u2019t. Even with all my complaints, I have to admit he still looks good standing on the shelf.<\/p>\n

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In Transformers: War for Cybertron, you get to play as your favorite Transformer and fight the battle that started it all. But, if you\u2019re old school like me, you\u2019re probably looking to reenact that battle on your shelves too. Hasbro knows this and we’ve already got for first WFC figure: Optimus Prime.