SSGE-03 Optimus Prime (Gamer Edition)

 I planned to post a Legacy Transmetal 2 Megatron review/appreciation post earlier this year, but still need to finish it; in the meantime, here's one of my first review-ish posts in a long while!

Stepping up to the plate is my first, and so far only, Studio Series Gamer Edition figure: SSGE-03 Optimus Prime. Yes, Hasbro has found a third thing to do with Studio Series, beyond the live-action films and the SS86 animated film line: video games. Already more-or-less confirmed to include figures from the upcoming Reactivate game, Hasbro is starting off with probably the most popular Transformer videogame, War for Cybertron. It's hard to admit that this game is 13 years old, as is its original set of four figures releases in the original Generations line (Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee and Soundwave). 

The 2010 Optimus Prime mold is still great, and while I was happy to hear that the new version would be a size upgrade from deluxe to voyager, I wondered a bit about how the overall design could be improved. The deluxe has an amazing transformation for a toy its size, even back then, but it does cause the robot mode to deviate from its appearance in the video game, where Optimus appears much bulkier and has less kibble on his arms and such (even if that kibble is executed in a really interesting, effective way). Also, I was a bit disappointed to learn that the new updates of Optimus and Megatron would be from War for Cybertron rather than the Fall of Cybertron sequel, as FoC Optimus only received an unsatisfactory deluxe for that line and FoC Megatron never received a toy at all.

So, when the new voyager was revealed about two months ago, my initial impressions were mixed. Granted, I preordered Optimus, but the flatness of the grey plastic didn't help his look, and the comically beefy proportions, while more game-accurate than the 2010 deluxe, didn't exactly enamor me to the new mold. The arm-replacing gun mechanic was interesting, and despite the plastic appearance, the axe was a welcome inclusion that the 2010 mold lacked. The inclusion of a removable matrix was a nice cherry on top that probably couldn't have been done effectively on the deluxe. The alt mode looked just as good as before; both molds seemed to nail that aspect of the design. 

A little while before my copy shipped, in-hand photos emerged, revealing that the rear of the altmode doesn't close, leaving the otherwise hidden fists in full view. Some pointed out how especially bad this was for a video game-based design, as the vehicle mode is mostly seen from the rear by the player while playing the game. This diminished my excitement, and after also cancelling my preorders for Barricade and Bumblebee, I tried to cancel Optimus as well, only to find that Pulse wouldn't allow it for some reason. I decided not to worry as I could return it if I wanted. 

Optimus finally arrived about two weeks ago, which is an honestly pretty amazing turnaround of less than two months between preorder and delivery. I think the only one I've seen faster has been Legacy Evolution Voyager wave 2 showing up on shelves like a week or two after being revealed. ANYWAY. In hand, Optimus feels very nice. He's got some hollowing and isn't that tall - he's taller than the deluxe 2010 mold but shorter than most other contemporary voyager Optimuses - but he manages to have enough heft for his size to not feel cheap. This is a really good thing considering some of the design choices that were made. Also, thankfully the grey plastic does have a darker value and metallic tint, also making him feel less cheap than he could otherwise. The overall look, including the comical proportions, are really nice in hand regardless. When you can take in the details and angles with stereo vision, it helps get across the visual design much better. Honestly, the only visual fault of the robot is being a bit shorter than I'd like (likely a consequence if its significant width) and that the lower legs look a bit unfinished, which is a result of their front and sides forming from the center of the altmode unfolding, so we see the underside of those pieces in bot mode. The headsculpt is absolutely on point, and the matrix gimmick is probably the best-executed version of the many molds that have tried it in the past few years. Visually Optimus is very imposing overall. 

Now I'll talk a bit about transformation - in short, it's a blast. I really thought I would miss how the deluxe's front wheels separated out from the fenders in a winglike way, but the inward/outward sliding and rotation of the fender& arm pieces on the voyager are very satisfying. The truck's hood folds up in a visually weird way, but kinesthetically it's a lot of fun. Honestly, without getting too bogged down in the details, the whole transformation feels very dynamic. It's very easy to pull off a transformation sequence that really feels like Optimus is changing from a moving truck that launches himself into the air and lands on his feet in bot mode. The only parts that feel "cheap" to me is that the arms don't really transform at all; they just get hidden under the truck. This was done, I guess, to help preserve their bulky form so that the hulking look could be best captured. And of course, the aforementioned open rear end isn't ideal, but when the rest of the truck mode looks fantastic it's not too big of a concern. 

For gimmicks, I already mentioned that the matrix works very well, but the weapon & arm replacement system is interesting and also worthy of focus. As is now widely known, the designers decided to implement a removable forearm system for the purposes of achieving the impression of arms changing into weapons (mainly the guns). For Optimus, this means his rifle, which sort of approximates his G1 ion rifle in appearance. In practice, this works pretty well, though with four main problems. The first is that the right forearm does not stay on the peg very well. It's fine for display purposes, but the forearm can otherwise come off pretty easily. I should be able to fix this with nail polish and it may vary from copy to copy, but still it's annoying. Second, the official placement of the forearm when not in use it to peg it into the flight stand port (3mm?) on Optimus's sacral region. This does not look good in any orientation and has led to me seeking alternative placements, which I'll detail in a minute. Thirdly, the rifle connects will to the arm root, but does not itself have a 5mm peg so that it can be wielded normally or otherwise stored by a conventional method (basically, there should be a port on the back that the rifle can plug into, and there isn't such an arrangement). The one saving grace here is that the rifle CAN connect to the axe weapon parts in two ways - the 5mm port (meant for connecting to the arm root) and the twin tabs that allow one of two axe handle sections to connect to the top of the rifle. These two points thankfully allow for some interesting alternative configurations that make for some neat weapon modes but also some storage in a pinch if you want Optimus to keep his forearm in its nominal location. The final problem is with the rifle itself - it should have had a full 5mm port for the barrel to more easily support the larger or additive blast effects; as is, it has a 3mm peg which limits your options (and looks less intimidating when lacking effects). 

As for the axe, it's much more interesting than the rifle. It's made of no less than three components: the head and two handle pieces. The axe head is pretty neat, with the larger blade able to split and swing open to become a fully-double bladed axe. According to the "behind the scenes" social media post (and not my creaking memory), the more compact form is from the trailer/cutscenes, while the larger form is how the axe appears in actual gameplay. It's a great, simple and mostly effective feature that the designers could have skipped, but I'm glad they didn't. While I would have preferred clear plastic for the blades, that also likely would have meant clear plastic for the hinge, and that's always a danger. Instead, we get a nice gradient of orange to represent the energon of the axe blade, which works well enough. Having the handle made of two separate components, each with a unique extra connector (the larger piece with a side-mounted 5mm peg and the smaller with twin slots to match the twin tabs of the rifle). The sum of these various separate pieces and connection points is a pretty big range of possible combinations, even more so if you throw the removable forearm into the mix. The rifle connects to the smaller handle piece; when in "gun mode," this allows you to make a rifle + scope or extra barrel while allowing a shorter axe to be wielded in the left hand. Or, if you prefer, the rifle can be attached to the handle while it's a part of the axe, either by the tabs (which makes the rifle something of a hand guard) or at the bottom end of the small handle (making the overall length of the axe much greater). Either option allows the bottom of the axe to be held up for a quick rifle blast if Optimus is in a pinch. In vehicle mode, the rifle has a dedicated set of larger tabs to connect to the bottom of the robot feet. This allows the small handle of the axe to still connect, while the large handle can connect to a revealed 5mm port near either smokestack; between the two, you have some decent options for how to mount the axe in altmode, thought the axe head honestly looks a bit too big in either configuration. One last fun fact here - the top of the axe head is a 3mm port, so it can be a "gun" too, especially helpful in altmode (it could also be a booster!).

Back to the forearm for a minute. As noted, the official stowing option is terrible, so I've taken to placing it just about anywhere else when Optimus has his rifle arm in use. Like the rifle, the forearm can plug into the bottom of the axe handles, making it a fist-shaped counterweight for the axe head. One of the more fun things to do is to plug a narrow blast effect into the forearm itself to look like a rocket hand a la Mega Man V. This can then be tabbed onto the opposite forearm for a (an albeit somewhat awkward) rocket punch/axe strike. Of course, the extra hand can also grip the axe handles, doubling the forearms in a different dimension. A goofier option is to give Optimus the Inspector gadget option by making either handle piece a connector between forearms and arm root (this can also be done with the rifle. Finally (for now), if you tab the forearm onto the left one backwards, you can then plug in the axe (one handle, not two, works best here) for an arm-mounted axe option, which looks pretty good. 

This is not a perfect figure nor a perfect update, but along with Studio Series Airazor, this has become one of my biggest "better-than-it-looked" surprise sort of figures in a while. While it's unfortunate that Bumblebee and Barricade don't seem to fare as well (of course, I could be wrong about them), thankfully the recently-revealed Megatron looks to be a great foil for this Optimus. Finally, one more realization I had about him between edits: he really reminds me (in bot mode) of Combiner Wars Optimus Prime (and that's not a bad thing). That is all!