Transformers: Age of Extinction Optimus Prime (KO)

"Well what can I say.. Almost 6 months of no reviews despite of me saying that i'll try my best to post one toy review per month.. Not having my usual toy review table and lightning setup only contributes to my laziness as well.. The good thing is i'm already starting to get used in my new life, and I'm really excited getting back on sharing my opinions on different toys I encounter everyday.. I have so many materials waiting to be reviewed so expect reviews to keep on coming.. Let's get started!"

Packaging:

The packaging is somewhat similar to the First Edition - leader class Optimus Prime.. Except the word "Transformers" is now spelled as "TAIKONGSHENRS".. I have no idea what it means but they done it very nicely.. Hard cardboard with opening window that shows Prime's Alt mode and the AOE logo on the left.. 

No Instruction manual included.. But I doubt you'll need it since the transformation is super basic.. 

At the back it shows Prime's Robot Mode together with it's Alternate Mode.. I find it interesting to see Grimlock at the back of the box.. Maybe a possible KO release in the future?? who knows

At the side of the box you'll find an autobot logo with comet-like design.. I'm not that familiar with the AOE packaging but I find it really COOL!!

Accessories:

Prime comes with two accessories.. A sword and a shield..  The detailing is very nice and I really like how they painted the shield.. The red and yellow compliments one another.. 

You can even see the small electric detailing on the shield.. Very cool!

Robot Mode:

He is a down scaled leader class.. Roughly the size of a voyager class.. I like it because it helps minimize the car junk on prime's robot mode which the leader class suffers greatly.. It scales nicely with other AOE figures unlike the first edition..  

The paint job on this toy is surprisingly good, specially for a KO toy.. They made an effort to paint it with chrome silver which helps give the toy a premium feel to it.. Even the smoke stack are painted silver! 

Another difference between the original is the simplified transformation.. The side and leg panels are now one solid piece.. But the interesting part is that the side panels can now flip the other way around thanks to the new hinges and ball joints.. It now supports the figure better and shows flame detailing on the side.. Very cool!

Articulation:

I'm loving this KO toy, except for one thing.. It doesn't have a FREAKING NECK ARTICULATION!! And it hurts the toy's poseability to the max!

It's very frustrating because you can have it on many cool posses but it always ends up looking dumb because you can't move the head.. 

EEERRRGGGGHHHH!!!

Another thing that bugs me is the peg size of the sword and shield..  It can't properly fit on prime's hands and forearm.. So you'll end up having prime carry the shield as a gun..  fortunately, you can easily remedy this by sanding down the pegs so no biggie.. 

Alternate Mode:

Well If you can't have Prime on your preferred posses then just have him on truck mode.. 

Because it doesn't fail you ------------ Almost.. 

----------- Because the sword and shield doesn't have a place to store on alt mode because of the pegs size..



Size Comparison: 

Conclusion:

If you hate the idea of shelling out some cash for a super basic leader class toy, then you may like this. It's not perfect but it makes up with great paint detailing and size.. Until Hasbro comes up with a better engineered AOE prime.. I'm sticking with this one.. Cheers!

HGUC Geara Zulu

HGUC Geara Zulu (Daban)

It's Friday.. "TGIF syndrome" kicks in!!  Here's my review of Daban's HGUC Geara Zulu..

I was surprised to learned that Daban is on 1/144 scale too.. And out of curiosity, I picked this one up to see if there's any difference compared to it's 1/100 KO's..

BOX

Plastic Package

Piles of runners

 4 Different colors molded on one single Runner.. A treat to see! 

Polycaps and Stickers

Manual

Glossy plastic - A Plus for lazy modelers like me.. hehe

The kit comes with 8 runners (including the Polycaps), manual and stickers for detailing.. That's quite plentiful for an ordinary HG kit compared to a 1/144 OO Gundam and Seed Destiny knockoff kits..

I'm pleased with the quality of the plastic.. It's sturdy, vibrant and has deep channels which usually not present with TT Hongli brand.. It's also glossier which is a plus if your not into painting kits.. Just a couple of linings here and there and the kit is good to go..

As usual, the stickers sucks.. Not because it doesn't stick, but it fades when you put pressure when sticking it.. If you have time with you, I suggest painting the areas that needed to be painted, otherwise be extra careful when applying to avoid rubbing off the detail..

Front without Linings and Stickers

 Front without Linings and Stickers

Back without Linings and Stickers

The kit is already looking impressive just by itself without linings or stickers.. And unlike the previous Zakus on where they look barbarish (maybe because of the spikes on their shoulders :p), this version looks more like a natural mechanical soldier from WW2..

And the Head!! Love how they designed the head.. It gives you this Military-ish vibe that resembles the helmet used  on WW2.. Digging it!!

 Commander Crest

 Commander Helmet

You're left with an extra "Commander Helmet", "Commander Crest" and 11 polycaps after building it..  Did I mention 11PC?! 

 With Linings and Stickers (front)

  With Linings and Stickers (Side)

  With Weapons

 With Weapons

 Accessories Mounted

Accessories Mounted

Weapons and Accessories

POSEABILITY:

Since the kit is kinda bulky in some areas, dynamic posses are limited.............. And that's perfectly Fine!!

Basic walking, kneeling and "Getting-Shot" pose are the posses that makes this kit shines.. 

It's just a let down that the hip are still on Balljoints.. Oh well...

Gears Zulu:    Uh oh........

Conclusion:

This is a great kit which I didn't expect.. My simple curiosity leads to satisfaction and enjoyment which is always a winner specially for the price I paid for it (about $4)..

Solid construction with no loose pegs or falling parts makes this a great substitute to Bandai..It's close to impossible to differentiate it from the original except from the glossy plastic.. Daban is getting better and better each time they releases a kit (Unlike the Daban MG Ex S Gundam I built).. I'm still not sure if i'll be getting the Stark Jegan 1/144 scale though.. Who knows.. hehehe