Earthrise Optimus Prime: Is He a True Leader?

Everybody has to start somewhere, and what better place to do so than one of the most important characters in all of the Transformers Franchise! Today I'm taking a look at the Transformers: Generations: War For Cybertron Trilogy: Kingdom: Leader Class Optimus Prime.

Aesthetics:

Earthrise Optimus Prime is possibly the definitive Generations version of Optimus Prime for many people, including myself. The figure has a definite Generations hybrid look to it with the G1 accurate proportions while also having a colour scheme with elements of the original toy with the silver stripe under the windows as well as his thighs and waist. The alt-mode kibble management in robot mode is also nearly perfect with the only noticeable kibble being the front wheels and bumper folded onto his butt. Sadly there are a few colour inaccuracies such as the lack of yellow on the middle rectangle on his crotch as well as his headlights, as well as the blue on the inside of his legs being replaced with grey in this release.

Articulation:

The articulation is about par for the course as far as Transformers go with a few additional moving parts compared to others. Here's a full run down:

• The head is on a ball-joint
• Swivel at the waist that is somewhat limited by his butt kibble
• 360' swivel and outward hinge at the shoulders
• unhindered bicep swivel and 90' bend at the elbow
• Wrist swivel and opening hands (to hold the Matrix)
• Forward, backward and outward movement at the leg
• Thigh swivel
• 135' bend at the knee
• 45' ankle tilt

Accessories and Features:

Optimus doesn't come with much, but what he comes with is definitely necessary for the leader of the Autobots. The figure includes his iconic Ion Blaster, which is able to fold up for storage purposes, as well as his sub-space trailer that is able to transform into a Combat Deck and repair bay. 

Optimus Prime as the leader of the Autobots obviously needs his symbol of power to light the darkest hour, his Matrix of Leadership! You are able to open his chest up to expose the holding bay for the Matrix, painted a shiny gunmetal grey. The Matrix itself is molded in a translucent blue plastic and is painted in metallic orange and silver.

Earthrise Optimus is also fully COMBAT and blast effect compatible letting fans recreate their favourite characters being shot to bits (or shooting others to bits)!

Parts of the trailer such as the repair bot and trailer door can detach to form additional gear for Optimus via the COMBAT system.

Transformation:

Prime's transformation into truck mode is very well engineered and fun to do while leaving his robot mode devoid of almost any kibble, making it a massive step up compared to his Siege version. The transformation of the upper body is very intuitive and simple, while also being complex enough to not get boring. The lower body (namely the legs) reuses parts from Siege Optimus while also gutting most of the actual transformation from the Siege version, leaving the legs easy and fun to transform but not as satisfying to do so. 

The truck mode itself is very nice with the change from white to silver for the stripe also being applied to the alt-mode. Sadly on my copy of the figure it seems that the tab on one of the front wheels is mis-formed, leaving it unable to roll across most surfaces. The trailer can connect to the truck using a 5mm peg on the truck bed to connect, giving the trailer the freedom to turn a little. 

The trailer itself isn't very functional as most carformers won't fit, although you can still fit in Minibot cars like Cliffjumper and Bumblebee as well as the Earthrise Datsuns like Prowl.

Comparisons:

Earthrise Prime stands at about the same height as Siege Voyager Optimus and keeps the same general aesthetic and articulation, although Siege Optimus Prime doesn't have the opening hands, most likely due to him not having an accessory like the Matrix that makes such articulation necessary. It is also clear that Optimus Prime has much better kibble management in robot mode than the Siege Voyager, who has large chunks of his alt-mode tacked onto his arms and back (although these are from his Cybertronian alt-mode, so take that as you will).

Here he is with some of the Deluxe Autobots from the War For Cybertron Trilogy showing how he scales with the rest of the line as well as a comparison with his nemesis WFC Netflix Megatron and his fellow leader Autobot Ultra Magnus.

Final Verdict:

To me, Earthrise Optimus Prime is the best representation of Optimus Prime in Generations scale, period. The additional details, fantastic transformation and good accessories make this totally worth Leader price point, no matter what some might say. This will surely be THE Optimus Prime in many people's collections (at least till Hasbro manage to tweak something slightly and make us buy the same character again).

Score: 9/10