By the end of Season One, we have so many versions of Robots In Disguise Optimus Prime that I have lost track of them. This is especially true when we have both Hasbro and Takara Tomy releasing their versions so close to each other. I am pretty fortunate to be located in Singapore where you can have easy access to both companys' releases. But this also means that as a consumer and collector, you pretty much have to make judicious decisions or you are broke when you try to catch 'em all. For one, I am quite sure that toys from the line do not have high resale value due to their availability in the market. We will probably see the same situation as the prices of toys from Transformers: Prime. Once you wait out, departmental stores will probably dump these toys at a very low price to clear stock for the next series. It is also difficult to sell them on the secondary toy market without making a loss. The excessive space in the toy molds doesn't help as it seems to be a cost-saving effort by the company to cut down on material costs, thus making most of the molds feeling cheap and hollow.
Having pointed out most of the negative sentiments that toy collectors have on the toy line, one must also consider the strengths of the series. The designs of the robots are highly successful as the creators build on the success of Transformers: Animated to give us a similar artistic style. The plot is highly questionable in its ability to engage older consumers but it did get better towards the end of Season One when we witnessed the return of Optimus Prime and the foreshadowing of a conflict much larger and more ancient than the rounding up of petty Deceptichops. We do understand, however, where the company is heading with the cartoon, comic and toy. They are targeted at children. Period. The concept of fun, adventure, complexity and durability of the series have met the mark of their target!
It's also been a long while since we have an Optimus Prime in a convoy design that has the trailer so nicely and simply integrated. As an Optimus Prime collector, I knew I had to get different versions of the same mold. But as my chase went on, it began to feel tedious. So anyway, coming to the point of this review, if you need to get only ONE Optimus Prime from the series, the Transformers Deception Optimus Prime set is a must-get! We will take a look to find out why we are arriving at such a conclusion.
Packaging
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Front of the packaging
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Usually the toy packaging of a new series or wave is important for fans as it gives us an insight to the designs and clues to the plot in the upcoming cartoon/film. It is definitely not a revelation that Optimus Prime will be joining the Autobot team on Earth to round up the Decepticon criminals who are on the loose from the previous season. Perhaps more will be introduced through space bridge travel or your regular space flight. Already we get an idea of a possible power-up and new mini-cons! Of course we are also getting a new mini-con deployer like Overload. We definitely can see the play value in shooting out a round Bakugan-esque bots that can roll real well. Already not appealing to older fans with the shooting and rolling bot design.
Decepticon Mini-con Bludgeon
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| Ball-mode? |
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| Robot Mode |
You remember the traditional katana wielding skull face Decepticon with a badass tank for alt-mode? Well, you are not getting one. Instead, you are getting a prickly ball of armour that resembles the fruit that my countrymen rave about to their overseas friends- the durian. It does not have any spring mechanism in the transformation action and it is as simple as it gets. You, however, do not want to step on this guy in his alt-mode. Consider it a fair warning.
Decepticon Hunter Optimus Prime
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| Alt-Mode |
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| Optimus Prime bludgeoning Bludgeon |
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| Suit up! |
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| Size comparison |
Here's the thing. I think the hammar formed by the armour pieces is redundant. It's heavy and Optimus Prime can barely wield it properly. The true strength of this toy lies in the armour attaching to Optimus Prime. It is just so cool! I don't know if it is a power-up or some new technology harnessed to hunt for Decepticons. But I am pretty psyched up by this new look! The dual bladed long handle axe looks like a weapon right out of Games of Thrones too. The plastic quality of the armour set is highly durable and it is not as brittle as it looks. And now to articulation, it does not lose to that of the warrior class mold. It is a fairly good size for display on your desk and it is certainly a good size for a kid to bring around. The play value is high and transformation is really easy. Like I said, this is probably going to flood your stores so you might want to wait out for the price to drop. But you will definitely want one for your Optimus Prime collection.
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