As we approach the mid point of 2023, the Commander class figure for the Legacy Evolution has finally been released. Yes, I'm talking about Armada Optimus Prime, a figure that has elicited excitement from me not seen since the days of Siege Jetfire. Nothing in this size class has appealed to me since Skylynx, so it was nice to have something perk my interest again.
As I mentioned in my Naval Commander write up, Transformers Armada had a few bright spots for me, and Optimus was definitely one of them. Yeah the engineering is iffy, but an Optimus that combined with his trailer to make an even larger figure was an awesome thing in my books, with the subsequent combinations with Jetfire and Overload making things even better.
Now, I've been away from this size class for a while now, but when I picked the figure up I noticed the box size didn't seem to be smaller, so I figured it would like the other two I got - basically taking up as much space as possible inside the thing... because otherwise, why bother with such a large box?
Well, turns out the world of Loss Prevention is alive and well, so giant boxes to stop people from stealing stuff. Plus, the whole "bigger box must be expensive" aspect of things. So yeah, contents are what you see in that middle slot.
Out of the box, and a few small parts connections later, you're ready to roll with the set in vehicle mode. Aesthetically it looks very much like the OG release, though a lot smaller. It's not quite as bad as Laser Prime or any of the Leader class figures with a trailer, but, it's still much smaller than it should be.
So, this is as good a time as any to mention that naturally there are some changes from the original toy, size aside. The biggest one would be the mechanized transformation of the trailer is gone, though it didn't exactly work perfectly on the first figure either. You've also lost spring mounted missiles, the ability to use the stacks on the Tractor as a weapon, and of course no Minicon. There are also a crap ton of engineering upgrades, but after 20 years that's kind of expected.
The set overall features some fairly robust plastics. Like with most Mainline figures, there's no sense of fragility when handling the figure, though the rotating wheels on the back of the Tractor do feel a tad flimsy.
So while the overall set has gotten smaller, it feels like the Trailer took the brunt of the shrinking, because the Tractor itself seems a bit bigger than before, or at the very least a bit longer. Now that could be because the front end is shorter and squatter than before. Aesthetically, as mentioned, there's no mistaking where this figure gets its good looks from. Paint applications feel about the same overall, with paint apps moved and the stacks/front grille of the Tractor getting some silver paint.
Transformation is satisfyingly complicated, being more on the complicated end of Mainline offerings. Figured I get Base mode out of the way first. It's better than most of the other Mainline Base modes I've seen, but ultimately I really don't like these things. What makes things more amusing is that in the original toy, Optimus would stand there and have the turret be at shoulder level... which it clearly isn't even close to approximating. The original base was also more "panels splayed in a circular pattern" as opposed to this very two dimensional shape. Gone, sadly, is the missile launcher that was embedded in one of the Super mode's kneecaps.
The core Optimus Prime figure very much resembles its OG self, with better articulation, particularly in the shoulders and the fists. The grille can be pulled down to reveal the Matrix of Leadership, which actually pops out (though this core robot lacks hands that can hold the accessory).
The Autobot sigil on the roof of the Tractor/back of the core figure can be removed to reveal a port to allow storage of the weapon.
Armada Optimus Prime has always had a very squat looking head in comparison to other versions of the character, and this is captured nicely in the head sculpt. This is a good example of how, on the whole, paint work, even on smaller details, is generally good, especially by Mainline standards.
In case you were asking yourself "Just how big is this figure?".
You're welcome.
Transformation into Super mode is again, a decent challenge, but not overwhelming and there wasn't any step where I was worried I was going to break the thing. I like how this version of the character is more blocky looking, but, again, wish certain things were bigger. The fact that Super mode has functional legs, on the other hand, makes me pretty much forgive it's smallness. Articulation is actually pretty full featured, or at least as full featured as you're going to get on a Mainline figure, which includes bicep swivel, ankle tilts, and thigh swivels. Super mode also features a waist, though it's located under the waist rather than at the waist itself, so can look a bit weird.
I do wish they could have come up with a way to get rid of that "rear skirt flap" though.
For whatever reason (maybe we'll find out later), Hasbro/Takara Tomy gave the figure fists that open up. Unlike Masterpiece figures, however, there is already a port built into the fists for holding of the weapon. As as it stands right now, the fists being able to open is neat, but it doesn't actually serve any purpose. Furthermore, it's one of those situations where all the figures are the same length, and they're all moulded together.
Close up of the Super mode head reveals a very familiar looking mug, albeit with much smaller ears.
One last topic to investigate is how well does this version stack up against Naval Commander? I'll be blunt - there's absolutely no chance that the Legacy version was ever going to be a more definitive toy. Price points are vastly different, as is the target audience. Their combined sizes are actually closer than I thought they would be, but overall, Naval Commander is over double the price of Legacy, so naturally that figure would have more of and the better bells and whistles. It's more along the lines of what you'd expect from an Masterpiece version of the figure.
For what it is, the Legacy version does a pretty good job, and serves its purpose of being the upgraded Mainline version of the figure well. On a positive note, there is one thing that that the Legacy version does better, and that is the actual combination of the Super mode. Unlike Naval Commander, the Legacy version connects the two parts at three points rather than one, and two of those are pretty hard to separate by accident. Of all the aspects of the set, this connection is probably the most crucial and speaks to the generally good Build Quality of the figure.
So if you want a version of Armada Prime that do some decent posing, but actually hold up to a play session, well, then you know which one you should be picking..
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