Cliffbee.com Rollout Command Optimus Prime Toy Review

Individual Review




Name: Optimus Prime
Series: Animated
Allegiance: Autobot
Alternate Mode: Truck



TRUCK MODE
Height: 15cm Length: 25cm Width: 10.5cm

   A giant semi trailer cab, Optimus Prime is red with a blue hitch area, silver pinstriping on the sides and blue below this pinstriping. The windows, headlight areas and four tyres are black while the front bumper is silver, as are the wheels. There are red and blue transparent strobes on the roof and a red Autobot logo between the windows. The silver plastic of the bumper doesn't really match the paint on his wheels and pinstripes, but this is clearly an Optimus Prime. There are a colour of yellow painted details here and there, on what is a very simple paint job for a toy this large.

   While the Animated line has stylised vehicle modes, most of which are fairly low on detail, at this scale the dearth of detail is very noticeable, and isn't really a good thing. He looks kiddie, in a way you'd expect on a Cyber Slammer. The wheelbase is notably short and the blue panels under the pinstripe feel really lazy - they're the robot arms, and really should have been painted. The arms, aside from needing some paint, don't stay in place very well. The axe hanging out the back is clearly an axe - on the upside it looks more like a towing arm than the appendages on the smaller Prime toys.

   There are three electronic gimmicks here. Pushing down on the Autobot logo causes the headlights to flash orange twice (they're orange LEDs), while he alternates between two callouts, "Let's go!" & "Rollout!". Pressing on the left side running lights causes a siren sound to emit for about two seconds, while the headlights flash. The strobes will also flash - both sides glow red. The right side running lights causes him to callout "Let's go!" followed by an engine sound - the headlights will light up (no flashing) while the sound is being emitted. None of these gimmicks are especially impressive, and I'm not sure why one of the callouts spreads across two of the buttons. Rolling him along will cause him to emit the engine sound for a couple of seconds followed by a air braking sound (again, the headlights flash). The sounds are clear and the LEDs bright, but there's not a lot of focus.

   For the size (and price) this is an underwhelming truck mode. It's simple, the gimmicks are underdone and there are just too many issues such as the short wheelbase, mismatched silver and loose arms. The axe integrates relatively well, but this is a poor truck mode which really only exists to support the robot mode.

TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE

   Detach the axe and set aside. There's a slider switch on the bumper, slide it to the right, roll him forward. The truck sound will emit while the cab itself will rotate anti-clockwise, the arms and head slowly emerge. At the end of this process, he'll callout, "Rollout!". Line up the torso - this time the front of the truck is facing backwards. Split the hitch section, swing the rear wheels in and pivot the front wheels back, swing down and extend the legs. Fold up his feet and flip out his hands. Place the axe in either hand.

ROBOT MODE
Height: 30cm Width: 18cm

   A red, blue and silver robot. Optimus Prime has red on his chest and upper arms, silver on his waist, thighs and mouthplate. His forearms, boots, groin and head are blue. For some reason his feet and hands are composed of a slightly lighter blue plastic - the difference is clearly intentional, since the plastics are all the same in texture and are all hard plastics. His face is light blue with orange (LED) eyes. The Autobot logo and windows end up on his chest. The colour map is good here, not only is this quite clearly Optimus Prime, but the colours map well and the paint job makes sense. Again, he's fairly simple but everything is in the right place.

   This robot mode is tall and imposing, with big boots and a big axe - Prime looks mighty. The stroberack behind his head and silver saddlebags (actually the battery compartments) on his hips represent some kibble, but they're fairly minor. I like how the wheels end up on either side of his boots - and line up with one another. The axe fits in well, also.

   There are a range of electronic gimmicks here, which are more focused. Both running lights now activate the siren gimmick, and you can press one after the other for a continuous sound. The Autobot logo now activates two new callouts, "Bring it on!" & "My name is Optimus Prime!", both of which are accompanied by flashing headlights (on his chest) and eyes. What's more, the mouthplate moves up and down as he speaks. The left arm lifts up, with a spring inside that straightens the normally bent elbow as you swing his shoulder - the end result is a punching motion, accompanied by a metal punching sound. On either fourth instance Prime utters, "Ha Ha!" - a nice touch. The right arm, which is intended for the axe, also emits a sound, this time a clanging sound on the downstroke. This simulates the axe striking fairly well, and again there's a, "Ha Ha!" on every fourth instance. This one does not light up the LEDs. I quite like the arm gimmicks, and I'm impressed by them activating differently.

   The axe itself has an action gimmick. There's a silver button on the hilt, which can be pressed directly or activated through a button on the outside of his right hand (under a guard). When pressed, a transparent orange flame piece will pop out of the rear while transparent blue extensions to the blade pop out in front. It's well executed and the axe looks good in both configurations.

   With all these gimmicks, you'd expect the poseability to be limited, and you'd be right. His head is fixed, the left arm can only punch. The right arm can swing and the elbow can hinge by itself. The waist rotates, the hips swing and lift out to the sides while his knees are hinged with rotators. The feet are on an angle, so Optimus Prime stands with his legs slightly apart. The leg articulation is good, but he's quite top heavy thanks to all the electronics - you don't get many dynamic poses here.

   Optimus Prime displays quite well, with a well considered colour scheme and a good weapon. The gimmicks all work quite well, far better than those of the vehicle mode. The poseability is quite limited, partially because joints are involved in gimmicks and partly because of weight distribution issues. Overall it's a fun robot mode despite the limitations.

VARIATIONS

   None that I'm aware of.

OVERALL

   Well, he's big and there are lots of gimmicks, but he's also fairly simple and the truck mode is quite disappointing. The robot mode looks good and has some nice gimmicks, but it's actually fairly static. Considering how simple this figure is, I don't think he can justify the Supreme price tag. The robot mode is impressive, but the transformation doesn't really work at this pricepoint and the vehicle mode is a letdown. The robot mode's poseability also holds this toy back. It's certainly a better effort than Ultimate Bumblebee, although I'm not sure if this Optimus Prime toy represents better value. I only picked this one up because of a pricing error (he was listed in the store computer for less than the Voyager price) - at full price I couldn't recommend this figure - 3/10

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