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!

Fall Of Cybertron:  Optimus Prime

I have no plans nor whatsoever on picking this one.. I didn't like it's simplistic transformation, limb proportions and size.. I judged too early by basing my decisions on pictures and videos I saw online..

But  I was wrong - and it never felt better to be proven wrong.  This figure is awesome in every good and bad way..

This figure is small, hollow and simplistic.. But the thing is - It Works!

It's kinda weird in a sense that it's weakness are his strong point.. let me enumerate it this way:

Pro's of the Con's:

1.  The figure is small                 - But it makes a compact Alternate and Robot mode
2.  It's hollow                            - And yet the toy is sturdy and solid
3.  Simplistic Transformation      - But the process is fun and super enjoyable
4.  No weapon gimmick            - But offers you great articulation, worthy to be marketed as it's gimmick


ALTERNATE MODE:

When I first saw this, the first thing came in my mind was "Titanium  War Within Optimus Prime"..  But unlike it's infamous counterpart, this one so much better in every way..

Yes, length wise it is small.. But the height of the alt mode makes up for it.. Was about to gripe about it until I took these pictures and realize it.. ;)

It has paint detailing on it's shoulders, rims, windows, elbows, shins, and knee cap.. And with all the fantastic grooves this figure has, it's only natural for me to take advantage of it by lining them with a hobby pen to bring those lost details back to life..


ROBOT MODE:

The trick to appreciate the proportion of the bot mode is to get the proper stance..  This is one of the common issues I have with the photos I saw online, making FOC prime look short and squish..

Unfortunately, the back part is hollow specially on the legs.. I know hasbro is trying to make a way to keep the price point low, but a little plastic panel to cover the legs doesn't hurt much..   

And the only accessories comes with the package.. A weird and somewhat hollowed gun..

And it stores at the back of FOC prime or on top of the alt mode..

ARTICULATION:

This is where the figure shines.. Thanks to it's well balanced POA's, you can have FOC prime in almost every position you want.. Standing pose, ground pose, launching pose - you name it!

 Gotta be one of the best prime head mold out there..

How many transforming primes can effectively do this?!  Even my well articulated gundams have issues doing the flying kick stand, but not FOC prime.. :)

CONCLUSION:

The package doesn't give you much when it comes to accessories and transforming gimmicks.. But makes up with great articulation and playability..  Also, take advantage of all the fantastic grooves and panel linings to bring out the details of the figures..  

Overall, this figure surprised me! And i'm very glad I was wrong on my early assessment because this toy is pure fun.. It is still not hard to get one so make sure to grab it while you still can.. CHEERS!!!