I had been ignoring the Transformers Masterpiece line for a long time. I passed on MP-01 Prime on clearance several times after it first came out, turning my nose up and thinking “I collect superheroes, my Transformers time was done when I was a kid.” Same with whichever seeker was at Walmart, which also went to deep clearance. It wasn’t a slight, it’s just that when I’m focused on something, I’m REALLY focused on something. I paid no attention to the line until Soundwave. Damn you, Soundwave.
Now, Soundwave is a story that leads to why I bought Year of the Horse Optimus in the first place, so before I get to the review I’ll have to bore you with that story. Skip words to the pics if you so desire, but just know you’ll be missing a brow-furrowing, first-world tale of disappointment.
When I was a kid I wanted nothing more than Soundwave. He was my favorite from the cartoon. I didn’t have any TF at that point, so I was filled with glee at the thought of the high-tech tape deck being my very first. I even made one out of a cardboard box that was about the right size that transformed by folding out tabs and flaps. So Soundwave was top spot #1 on my Christmas list.
I got Hound.
I eventually ended up with Soundwave, but that wasn’t the plan! Soundwave should have been first! He’s superior! So nearly 30 years later I got a redo when he became my first Masterpiece figure. And then the downfall of any collector not wanting to collect a whole line happened. The gateway drug was Soundwave and it soon became one single thought: I started wanting a good guy to go with my bad guy. You can’t have just one! Just one more, and then I can quit, be happy with a pair. So after some hunting I thought MP 10 Optimus would be a perfect companion, but prices were way too high for a guy used to Marvel Legends and DCUC. When Year of the Horse popped up in my TRU without any warning, mostly because I wasn’t keeping up with Transformers news, I had to get it.
I won’t get too much into the figure itself, articulation and transformation, since this is just a rerelease. I’m just going to hit on the differences between YOTH and MP-10.
The packaging is definitely eye-catching in the toy aisle. I was just wandering by and it sneak-attacked me from the side. Red and gold colors, huge box — you’re not missing it. The front has a flap window so you know exactly what you’re getting, which I didn’t know what I was getting so that was a nice feature. Heck, I didn’t know it was a reuse of MP-10. So opening it was kind of a shock, having a mental picture of what it should look like and what it actually looks like.
The gold is jarring at first. I mean, really jarring. For 30 years you’re used to one color, silver, and then suddenly it’s gold. I was so fixated on the gold that I didn’t even notice the black elbows and torso pieces that are usually red, or the YOTH logo on his right shoulder. But I’m used to paint-tweaking figures so I thought, “Easy fix, and I can finally have Optimus for half the price of MP-10.”
The other major color difference on Prime is the clear yellow bits on his crotch and forearms are red on this release. The forearms I don’t mind at all since the original cartoon colors were red there anyway. But the crotch piece extras being red stands out.
Otherwise, the reds and blues are a darker shade than the MP-10 release, which I actually like. It doesn’t evoke classic Prime as much as the brighter colors, but an updated, modern version of him. Also, the light piping for the eyes is completely gone, opting for just light blue painted eyes.
The trailer itself is a huge change. For some reason it is completely clear plastic. I don’t know if this is a callback to something I missed or if it’s just a hologram-type thing, but it’s not bad for what it is.
In the accessory department the set comes with the Matrix, an energy axe, and Prime’s main gun. Like the rest of the figure, these are in colors you’re not used to, but nothing as prominent as the gold.
At the end of the day, after I opened him up and played with him for a while, I didn’t even mind the gold so much. It’s actually very well done. Hell, the whole figure is great. If you can live with the changes, he’s definitely worth picking up, especially considering what the original MP-10 goes for these days.
Me, I had to go with my plan of at least changing the gold to silver and removing the YOTH logo. And this is what ultimately pushed me down the rabbit hole of buying more Masterpiece figures after this Prime and Soundwave.
See, I was a curious child and used to take apart my Transformers all the time. They were easy with the screws and such. Not so easy because of internal mechanisms and springs. But I did it anyway. So when I disassembled Prime for repainting, it was like my 9-year-old self reached through time and poked my 39-year-old self in the brain and said, “These are cool. Remember what fun we had with the originals? These are even better.” That, on top of forum buddies being ga-ga for these and Masterpiece just being awesome Transformers in the first place, is the reason I now have Prowl, Sideswipe, and Red Alert on the way with Bumblebee and Wheeljack on preorder. And my eye on some third party stuff.
Anyone need a kidney?
