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Brief thoughts on Battle Core Optimus Prime
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Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats
Nov 22, 2015, 8:39:48 PM11/22/15
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First, he just doesn't look like Optimus Prime. The new head sculpt has a Prowl Crest, and the white and grey color scheme (with gold highlights) is also not very Optimussy. I almost get an Energon Checkpoint vibe from him.
There are a lot of paint details that pull out entirely different bits of the sculpt than you notice for Plain Optimus. And, the dark gray and white squares where the shoulders attach remind me again of Energon Checkpoint's color scheme -- misplaced detail, but it seems intentional rather than just an artifact of the toy design.
It's impressive when a color scheme change can completely change a toy to make it look like a new character, but it's a little less impressive when it is supposed to be the same character.
His head sculpt is apparently based on Star Convoy, and his color scheme is ostensibly influenced by IDW Nova Prime. But, I'm not really seeing either of those. I do like the head sculpt better than the original, especially the face plate (now a plain face plate, rather than some effort to make the faceplate more interesting). If the head was blue, there might be more of an Optimus vibe. But, it isn't.
He also doesn't pull off "The Return Of Optimus Prime" white Optimus. The gold and the gray really disrupt that.
He's a very good looking figure, he's just not Optimus as we know him. He also doesn't look like any variation of Ultra Magnus that we have seen.
Second, the ratcheting joints in the hips are fixed. He can now stand with his legs at a pretty normal separation. Plain Optimus and Motormaster both have an odd stance, with the legs either too close or too far apart.
Vehicle mode is what you would expect. We've lost some window paint, but gained stripes and a darker grill.
No checkerboard patterns present, except that shoulder joint again. So, he looks less like Checkpoint in this mode, and more generic white truck.
Combined mode is similar. Whereas the Plain Optimus version has an out of place red leg that clashes, the Battle Core Optimus has a white leg that looks out of place -- clearly some rearrangement is in order.
I prefer to go with all white limbs -- Prowl, First Aid, Streetwise and Rook, with Alpha Bravo in reserve. Since Rook requires his special hand/foot, this means Battle Core Optimus gets black feet, which looks fine. It makes a very striking, unified combiner, so long as you keep him out of bright light so you can't see just how different those whites are.
Rodimus barely connects to the combiner's chest, just like Plain Optimus. Just ignore him and close up the chest.
Overall, a fine toy, better than the plain Optimus, but a way, way worse representation of Optimus as a character.
There are a lot of paint details that pull out entirely different bits of the sculpt than you notice for Plain Optimus. And, the dark gray and white squares where the shoulders attach remind me again of Energon Checkpoint's color scheme -- misplaced detail, but it seems intentional rather than just an artifact of the toy design.
It's impressive when a color scheme change can completely change a toy to make it look like a new character, but it's a little less impressive when it is supposed to be the same character.
His head sculpt is apparently based on Star Convoy, and his color scheme is ostensibly influenced by IDW Nova Prime. But, I'm not really seeing either of those. I do like the head sculpt better than the original, especially the face plate (now a plain face plate, rather than some effort to make the faceplate more interesting). If the head was blue, there might be more of an Optimus vibe. But, it isn't.
He also doesn't pull off "The Return Of Optimus Prime" white Optimus. The gold and the gray really disrupt that.
He's a very good looking figure, he's just not Optimus as we know him. He also doesn't look like any variation of Ultra Magnus that we have seen.
Second, the ratcheting joints in the hips are fixed. He can now stand with his legs at a pretty normal separation. Plain Optimus and Motormaster both have an odd stance, with the legs either too close or too far apart.
Vehicle mode is what you would expect. We've lost some window paint, but gained stripes and a darker grill.
No checkerboard patterns present, except that shoulder joint again. So, he looks less like Checkpoint in this mode, and more generic white truck.
Combined mode is similar. Whereas the Plain Optimus version has an out of place red leg that clashes, the Battle Core Optimus has a white leg that looks out of place -- clearly some rearrangement is in order.
I prefer to go with all white limbs -- Prowl, First Aid, Streetwise and Rook, with Alpha Bravo in reserve. Since Rook requires his special hand/foot, this means Battle Core Optimus gets black feet, which looks fine. It makes a very striking, unified combiner, so long as you keep him out of bright light so you can't see just how different those whites are.
Rodimus barely connects to the combiner's chest, just like Plain Optimus. Just ignore him and close up the chest.
Overall, a fine toy, better than the plain Optimus, but a way, way worse representation of Optimus as a character.
Zobovor
Nov 22, 2015, 9:09:02 PM11/22/15
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On Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 6:39:48 PM UTC-7, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
> First, he just doesn't look like Optimus Prime. The new head sculpt has a
> Prowl Crest, and the white and grey color scheme (with gold highlights) is
> also not very Optimussy. I almost get an Energon Checkpoint vibe from him.
Apparently he's shipping with Motormaster again. Seems like an odd choice, since they're essentially the same toy.
> First, he just doesn't look like Optimus Prime. The new head sculpt has a
> Prowl Crest, and the white and grey color scheme (with gold highlights) is
> also not very Optimussy. I almost get an Energon Checkpoint vibe from him.
> It's impressive when a color scheme change can completely change a toy to
> make it look like a new character, but it's a little less impressive when it
> is supposed to be the same character.
> Second, the ratcheting joints in the hips are fixed. He can now stand with
> his legs at a pretty normal separation. Plain Optimus and Motormaster both
> have an odd stance, with the legs either too close or too far apart.
> Overall, a fine toy, better than the plain Optimus, but a way, way worse
> representation of Optimus as a character.
Zob (and hope that we get Technobot limbs eventually)
Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats
Nov 23, 2015, 2:50:42 AM11/23/15
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On Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 6:09:02 PM UTC-8, Zobovor wrote:
> On Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 6:39:48 PM UTC-7, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
>
> > First, he just doesn't look like Optimus Prime. The new head sculpt has a
> > Prowl Crest, and the white and grey color scheme (with gold highlights) is
> > also not very Optimussy. I almost get an Energon Checkpoint vibe from him.
>
> Apparently he's shipping with Motormaster again. Seems like an odd choice, since they're essentially the same toy.
>
> > It's impressive when a color scheme change can completely change a toy to
> > make it look like a new character, but it's a little less impressive when it
> > is supposed to be the same character.
>
> I can't believe they felt the need to sell this mold yet again. An all-white Optimus just isn't all that visually appealing. Maybe if they'd swapped the red and blue colors and marketed it as Micromaster Overload...
He is, by far, a better looking toy. He's just not Optimus.
> On Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 6:39:48 PM UTC-7, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
>
> > First, he just doesn't look like Optimus Prime. The new head sculpt has a
> > Prowl Crest, and the white and grey color scheme (with gold highlights) is
> > also not very Optimussy. I almost get an Energon Checkpoint vibe from him.
>
> Apparently he's shipping with Motormaster again. Seems like an odd choice, since they're essentially the same toy.
>
> > It's impressive when a color scheme change can completely change a toy to
> > make it look like a new character, but it's a little less impressive when it
> > is supposed to be the same character.
>
> I can't believe they felt the need to sell this mold yet again. An all-white Optimus just isn't all that visually appealing. Maybe if they'd swapped the red and blue colors and marketed it as Micromaster Overload...
> > Second, the ratcheting joints in the hips are fixed. He can now stand with
> > his legs at a pretty normal separation. Plain Optimus and Motormaster both
> > have an odd stance, with the legs either too close or too far apart.
>
> Yeah, apparently he has different clicky pieces in his knees than regular Optimus, so that his legs ratchet more cooperatively when he's in his combined mode. It's surprising to me that they took the time to make this change.
The Japanese release had the change, presumably since they care more. And then Hasbro used it for their next release, presumably because they don't care and that's what was set up.
> > Overall, a fine toy, better than the plain Optimus, but a way, way worse
> > representation of Optimus as a character.
>
> If I'm going to be buying the same toys over and over, I think I'll wait for Scattershot and Onslaught.
I hope they are able to borrow some pieces from the Optimus and the Motormaster versions of the mold, and maybe give him the Motormaster headlights and little bull nose ring things below them, but keep the Optimus shoulders. The Menasaur crotch and chest are a little nicer, but he clearly needs the Optimus combiner head. And the Menasaur sword in red.
I would also happily accept a set of limbs, in Nemesis colors. (I could see a Nemesis Wheeljack, Prowl, Mirage and Sunstreaker, perhaps)
I have a problem.
Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People.
Dec 9, 2015, 5:59:18 PM12/9/15
to
On Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 7:39:48 PM UTC-6, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
>
> I prefer to go with all white limbs -- Prowl, First Aid, Streetwise and Rook, with Alpha Bravo in reserve. Since Rook requires his special hand/foot, this means Battle Core Optimus gets black feet, which looks fine. It makes a very striking, unified combiner, so long as you keep him out of bright light so you can't see just how different those whites are.
>
Why does Rook require a special hand/foot?
>
> I prefer to go with all white limbs -- Prowl, First Aid, Streetwise and Rook, with Alpha Bravo in reserve. Since Rook requires his special hand/foot, this means Battle Core Optimus gets black feet, which looks fine. It makes a very striking, unified combiner, so long as you keep him out of bright light so you can't see just how different those whites are.
>
Patriarch
Dec 10, 2015, 3:14:00 PM12/10/15
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--
Patriarch
^_^ oO(For that water cannon look)
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Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People.
Dec 10, 2015, 3:29:12 PM12/10/15
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