Transformers Cybertron: Optimus Prime (PART 2)

Here we go with part two of our Cybertron Optimus Prime Special. As you can see he's been joined by friends and this part of the review will cover Cybertron Optimus Prime's ability to merge, link-up or power-up with the help of his fellow Autobots, specifically: (R-L) Wing Saber, Leo Breaker, Vector Prime and Leo Prime.

Technically there is one more Autobot who should be present here the Giant Planet Autobot Metroplex whose axe Cybertron Optimus Prime can use. Unfortunately, I don't own a Metroplex.... yet (soon my pet, soon).


Leo Breaker/Leo Prime:

First up is what happens when you take Leo Breaker and his 2009 re-tool, Leo Prime - who really isn't a character but was inspired by someone who realized that there was such a thing as a Lio Convoy and said that it would be a simple thing to re-tool Leo Breaker into Leo Prime.

Hasbro took the Lio Convoy/Leo Prime inspiration another step further in the same year by changing Leo Prime's colors from Red, Blue and Gray to Lio Convoy's primary white, red and gold.

We'll do Lio Convoy some other day after I've given him a much needed bath to restore his color.


We begin with the upgraded version of Cybetron Optimus Prime and the transformed Leo Breaker and Leo Prime.

Turn Prime around and transform him partially into truck mode by folding his arms up and opening mounting slots for both Kitty Cats.

The good thing about this is that this transformation actually allows you to accommodate Cybetron Optimus Prime's Wings - though most of the time you'll find that both Breakers "shoulders" will keep banging into the wings and it really looks weird for him to be using his cannons while you have him in this mode.

However I have something more devious in mind for this particular transformation so I discarded the wings entirely because why stop at one when you can have two clawed arms?

Normally you remove the Leo Breaker's and Leo Prime's tails/whips, but personally I think the merge looks even more devious if you leave them on. 

GIVE ME A HUG!!!! 

Vector Prime

We did a review all the way back in April on Vector Prime - one of the original 13 Transformers and master of Time and Space. His contribution to Cybertron Optimus Prime comes at the very end of the Transformers Cybertron cartoon: Vector Prime bequeaths his sword Rhisling to Optimus Prime. It is with this sword that Optimus Prime brings an end to the Cybertronian war by impaling Megatron with it.

The problem is that Cybertron Optimus Prime really cannot hold Rhisling. His hands don't close enough and the blade itself does not have a peg to attach to the hardmount within the hands of Cybertron Optimus Prime. The best you can do is close Prime's fist and drop the handle into the slot created, but it's loose and hard to pose so don't expect much.



Wing Saber

Last up is Wing Saber. Personally I've always thought that Wing Saber was crap as a robot. I love his Warthog mode, but he looks like a flat footed Autobot whose arms are tied to his torso by a huge board on his back so that the only thing he can raise is his forearms. Can you imagine what Wing Saber must look like when he runs?


Wing Saber is however,  a really cool addition to Cybertron Optimus Prime. Ditch Cybertron Optimus prime's Wings, turn Wing Saber into plane mode, extend his fuselage and gattling cannons, place over Prime's upper torso and lock in place on his chest area and you can start calling him Sonic Convoy

This mode is also known as Sonic Wing Mode. You can also call this gestalt: "High-Speed Mobile Supreme Commander." In this mode, you can deploy Wing Saber's blades though frankly High-Speed Mobile Supreme Commander  is far too bulky to be using what only amounts to short-swords and most likely he'd end up chopping off his wings.

Sonic Convoy's real fun happens when you fold Wing Saber's nosecone up and out, insert a Cyber-key and you get lights, sounds and the spring loaded nosecone splits open.

ALL TOGETHER NOW

At this point we're going to put together a Cybertron Optimus Prime armed with Vector Prime's Rhisling while in gestalt with Leo Prime (Who's color scheme in my opinion is better suited for this merge) and Wing Saber. 

Here's the thing though. This mode was never designed and you're not supposed to be able to merge Leo Prime and Wing Saber on Cybertron Optimus Prime at the same time. Leo Prime demands that you fold Prime's arm to his back; Wing Saber requires that the back be clear so that the two could merge.

Solution? Remove Cybertron Optimus Prime's arm!

And it's quite simple: only three screws keep you from doing this as shown here:

What's so nice about this is that the molding is usually tight enough that you can discard the screws and still be able to keep the arm in place for display purposes. You can even transform Cybertron Optimus Prime. In my Cybertron Optimus Prime's case, the arm joint won't come off without applying some pressure. 

But once it's off? Well nuff said! You have... as a friend of mine once put it looks like a "post-apocalyptic reincarnation of the lord god Shiva!" 

So I guess at this point you get why Cybertron Optimus Prime is my favorite Optimus Prime. Unfortunately he and his friends did not come cheap and I don't even have, as mentioned at the start, Metroplex yet.

A brand new, boxed,  Transformers Cybertron Leader Optimus Prime like the one I have will cost you as much as US$ 189.99 on Amazon.com (Roughly PhP 8,200 plus shipping). A viable option is the black-and-red re-issue of this, the Transformers Cybertron Leader Galaxy Force Optimus Prime, which, boxed, goes for US$ 169.99 on Amazon.com (Roughly PhP 7,300 plus shipping).

A brand new Leo Prime (Red & Blue) would go for around US$ 31.99 on Amazon (PhP 1,375 plus shipping); the white-and-red Leo Prime is much cheaper at US$ 19.94 on Amazon (PhP 850 plus shipping); a brand new Leo Breaker would cost you US$ 199.99 on Amazon (PhP 8,500 plus shipping).

A brand new Transformers Cybertron Ultra Wing Saber will set you back as much as US$ 139.99 (Roughly PhP 6,000 plus shipping) on Amazon. A brand new Vector Prime will set you back as much as US$ 189.96 on Amazon (Roughly PhP 8,168 plus shipping) on Amazon. But you'll be happy to know that there are cheaper re-paints on the market for both Wing Saber and Vector Prime.

So definitely the cost for everything you see here is significant. But don't think that I didn't trawl the market to find all this or that I bought all these in one afternoon. If there's one thing that Cybertron Optimus Prime has taught me is that if something is worth having, it's worth stalking.

For the full review and gallery, click HERE