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Write a Review link for that item. Transformers - Generations (Hasbro)The Transformers franchise has been home to all sorts of unique collaborations and products, ranging from mash-ups with other pop culture licenses like Disney and Jurassic Park, to more unusual ideas, mainly incorporating Optimus Prime. Remember that Pepsi-themed version, or a 7-11 redeco of the Masterpiece, and how about one that turned into a mini PlayStation One? One of the latest in the continuing series of odd mash-ups gives Optimus Prime a Target-themed repaint. They've been a Transformers retailer for years with plenty of exclusives, so it only seems appropriate. There was a time when the Transformers line went windowless and plasticless, and the end result was some very attractive packaging. Hasbro decided a while back to go back to windows and trays, but that doesn't mean they can't include cool artwork anymore. Target Prime's box has a red and white color scheme, the store's primary colors, and the front depicts him playing fetch with a robotic version of Bullseye, the bull terrier that serves as Target's mascot (more on him later). While the tray on the side has a good handful of plastic strips holding in everything, they're easy to cut out, and the packaging as a whole is collector-friendly, much more than the plastic-free boxes. If this Optimus looks familiar, then it should, as it's the same mold as the Legacy Leader Class G2 Laser Optimus. Why they went with this design instead of a more standard Optimus, I'll never know, but the new color scheme looks fantastic on him. There's a lot of red, black, white, and gray on him, with the only other colors being the yellow lights on the truck hood. The gray parts have a slightly metallic finish, and the paint overall is pretty clean, at least good enough for a mass retailer exclusive, with some bleed and marks here and there. The panels hanging off his shoulder pylons have the Autobot insignia on them, while his abdomen is decorated with the Target bullseye. His chest windows have a black tint, and they also flip up to reveal the Matrix of Leadership on the inside. Definitely a nice little extra. One of the more unique aspects of this Optimus' design is his head, as the shape of his helmet is somewhat different, with an extra set of prongs. This is a replica of the original G2 Laser Prime's head, and it matches the old toy well, even with the different colors here. There are some small black marks on the brow on mine, and not being able to see the head in box (he's packaged in vehicle mode) means you can't check for paint flaws, so pray you lucked out when getting one. There's also the big shoulder pylons, which bring the height of the figure up to 7 1/2", and the fronts of them flip up to reveal six missile pods in each one. Now there's a method for Target to ward off shoplifters. To keep them from hindering arm movement, the panels hanging off the pylons flip up, allowing the arms to go forward. Movement is pretty standard for a Transformers toy, with Optimus having a ball-jointed head, swivel/hinge shoulders and hips, hinged elbows and knees, swivel biceps, wrists, waist, and thighs, and ankles that hinge inward. All of this allows for some good poses, but don't expect the head to have much range. Prime transforms to his vehicle mode in 30 steps, and once you get him to and from his robot form the first time, it becomes pretty easy to transform him. Spanning about 7 1/4" long, 2 1/2" tall, and 2 3/8" wide, it's the standard truck mode for the Autobot leader, and there's no prominent whites on it, aside from the bullseye on both sides, right under the driver and passenger windows. The truck looks nice, and there's a little port on the top in case you want to stick a gun from one of your other Transformers on there. In contrast to the fuel tanker of the base mold, this Optimus instead comes with the standard G1 trailer, lifted from the Earthrise figure. The kicker here is that it's redone to resemble a Target delivery truck, with the modern graphics of Bullseye and the logo on both sides of a white trailer. At 6 7/8" long, 3 1/4" tall, and just under 2" wide, the trailer hitches up to Optimus' truck mode easily, though it's not a firm fit, just resting in the port in back. The trailer has a kickstand so it can stand up on its own, and opens up to serve as a repair bay/storage unit, and even has a little robot on the inside, connected to two hinged pieces, and also features ball-jointed arms. There's a section in front of the trailer that can slide out, serving as a little shield for Optimus. To further tie in with the theme of the character, Optimus comes with a robotic version of the aforementioned Bullseye, who's basically a redeco of Ravage, despite him being a dog whereas Ravage is supposed to be a robopanther. He's not very big, being 2" front to back and 1 1/4" tall, but he scales fine with his master, albeit a bit smaller than the box illustrations depict him. He has joints for the neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees, and he folds up not into a cassette, but rather a Target envelope. In this mode, he's ready to open up and surprise someone with a cute robotic dog. Or a gift card. Or both. I love it when the Transformers franchise isn't afraid to get weird and find unique, specific variants to do, and this Optimus is a great example of such. I feel it isn't often when toys are themed after a specific retailer, and with Optimus, both Hasbro and Target seemingly worked to make him fit the retailer as much as possible. I would cross my fingers for a Walmart-themed Optimus (or another character), but we all know "Walmart exclusive" are the two words that ensure you won't be able to find a toy anywhere. - 8/30/24   by RMaster007 |
| Slash (Binky's Day Out) |  | Submission Order |  | Leatherhead (Stump Wrestling) |
| Soundwave (Cybertronian) | | Transformers - Generations Series | | None |
| Slash (Binky's Day Out) | | Written by RMaster007 | | Leatherhead (Stump Wrestling) |
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