The first Unicron Trilogy Optimus Prime toy transforms into a longnose truck cab of made-up model. His clear-plastic smokestacks can detach and form a double-barrelled pistol that he can hold in robot mode, and a button on top of his head causes his mouthplate to jiggle up and down as if he were talking (the irony being that while this was a familiar trait of G1 cartoon Optimus Prime, in the Armada animated series, this Prime's mouthplate remained static when he talked). He can also hold a large cannon—inspired by his G1 counterpart's ion blaster—that is stored within his trailer, and his chest flips down to reveal a (non-removable) Matrix of Leadership. He is packaged with his Mini-Con partner Sparkplug. His tyres are branded with the fictional tyre company "MONSTER CONVOY".[1]
The toy's primary gimmick is its auto-transforming trailer, which assumes one of three configurations when triggered by an infra-red signal transmitted from the cab robot. Transforming the cab into robot mode will cause the trailer to automatically flip open into a battle station for Mini-Cons, which Prime can stand in the centre of. The base features a central tower with a pop-out artillery emplacement and a mount for Prime's large cannon; a rotating missile-firing turret; two Mini-Con storage bays, one of which featured a manually-activated tab to launch Mini-Cons out; and two live Powerlinx hardpoints, one of which pops up a non-firing turret, the other activating a laser noise.
Prime's cab and trailer can also combine to form a super robot mode. Transforming the cab into the torso portion sends the transformation command to the trailer, which raises itself up off the ground to become a pair of immobile, statuesque legs (as long as you're not playing with it on carpet), and when the pair are connected, the super-robot head pops up with a metallic shriek sound effect. Pressing the Autobot symbol on the figure's chest activates a pulsing laser sound effect, and the small grey button on his right shoulder illuminates his fist with a red LED, which can illuminate either of his guns, as well as the Star Saber sword (the Star Saber was specifically cast in clear plastic for this purpose, but in practice, the light failed to carry even halfway up the blade).Gunjob Spacepants! Prime's firing missile and Mini-Con activated gimmicks remain accessible in this mode, but look a bit doofy if you deploy them. The initial Hasbro release of Prime had tabs in its Super Mode shoulders that prevented them from rotating above the horizontal default position, so as not to break the wires that run through the toy's right arm. Coupled with the limited elbow joints, this left Optimus Prime able only to point his weapons towards the ground, and the tabs were removed on subsequent editions of the figure.
(Takara version pictured)
Instead of his trailer, Prime can alternately combine with ArmadaJetfire, who forms a pair of legs, as "Jet Prime" (Jet Optimus on the cartoon, or "Jet Convoy" if you own the Japanese version). In addition to this, ArmadaOverload can form a pair of massive cannons that attach to either Prime's base mode, or mount over the shoulders of his super robot torso (with either his trailer or Jetfire as legs), forming Optimus Prime Megaweapon (or Magna Convoy).
Jet Convoy (Takara version pictured)
Takara's release of Optimus Prime the following year made a few changes, noticeably replacing the gold paint and plastic of the Hasbro toy with bright yellow and much brighter gold. The deco has been tweaked to be a bit closer to the original prototype glimpsed in early catalogs, with yellow added back to cab Prime's feet and the cab grill painted silver, and the Super Mode's waist getting much more paint. This version of the figure was never burdened with the mobility-inhibiting shoulder tabs. Completing the Super Mode combination triggered a new clip of Prime shouting "Convoy, Super Mode!" in Japanese instead of generic mechanical sounds. Late in the run, JUSCO stores offered this toy with blind-packed "Space Galaxy" versions of the individual Destruction Mini-Con Team members, one toy per box.
Care must be taken while articulating the toy's elbow joints, as the lower joint has been known to snap. This doesn't appear to be Gold Plastic Syndrome—instead, it seems likely that the break occurs when the elbow joint is moved while the arms are positioned on the back of the combined mode. To prevent this, pull the shoulder out and bend the elbow at the red joint first, before moving the arm in any other direction.
This deluxe-size, highly-poseable version of Armada Optimus Prime is an entirely new mold, retaining the ability to tow Super Base Prime's trailer, though he cannot combine with it. He comes with the Mini-Con Over-Run, who can transform into a gun for him, or can peg onto the Powerlinx plug on Optimus's back to activate a double-fisted "punching" action. Like the Super Base figure, Prime has a flip down chestplate, but in a deliberate choice he lacks a molded-in Matrix[2][3][4] (though he does have a molded gap in the center where the Matrix would go, which does match the end of the show, after he relinquishes it). His smokestacks can be removed (and in many cases will simply fall off), but cannot peg together as a gun. Shipping in a great many waves throughout most of the later run of the line, Super-Con Optimus became a notorious pegwarmer.
The initial release of the figure featured silver lights on his roof; later on, the lights were changed to yellow, and later still, an Autobot emblem was added to the hood of the vehicle. These changes were not made on the Japanese release of the figure, which bore the unfortunate appellation of "STD", meaning "standard".[5]
The toy is notable for being one of the earliest instances of an important character receiving a second, more affordable toy without this being rationalised as an entirely new body in-fiction—as not all markets would receive the bigger price-points.[6]
Kinpika Convoy (Super Base Lucky Draw figure, August 2003)
Accessories: Prime Mini-Con, trailer/armor, light-up rifle, missile, left & right smokestacks
This Japanese-exclusive vacuum metalized golden redeco of Super Base Optimus Prime, whose name means "Shining Golden", was available as a prize in several draws, including a colouring contest held in the pages of TV-Kun magazine, and in-store lottery draws at Tobu Department Stores. Between the draws, at least 58 "Kinpika" Prime toys are known to have been given away, making it one of the more widely available Lucky Draw figures, comparatively speaking. It came packaged in a plain white box, and including all the accessories and features of the standard release of the figure, including a gold-chromed Sparkplug (or "Prime", as he's confusingly known in Japan).
Accessories: Corona Sparkplug Mini-Con, trailer/armor, light-up rifle, missile, left & right smokestacks
A late-run extensive redeco of the Super Base Armada Optimus Prime toy, "Powerlinx" Optimus Prime sports the darker color scheme the character takes on in the Armada cartoon episode "Origin" following a Mini-Con power-up, but he is not precisely show-accurate—the deco would later be fine-tuned with more accurate details for release in Japan as the Magna Convoy DX giftset (see below). In addition to now sporting fully-mobile Super Mode arms without the movement-impeding tabs, Prime still comes with all his features and accessories, though for this release, his Mini-Con partner Sparkplug got retooled with a new rear chassis and a blinged-out golden chrome body as "Corona Sparkplug".
Optimus Prime can't avoid his toy contracts even when he's dead!
Crystal Convoy (Super-Con, October 2003)
Accessories: Surge Mini-Con, left and right smokestacks
A Japanese TV Magazineexclusive, this release of the Super-Con class Prime toy has almost all of his parts cast in translucent coloured plastics—hence the 'crystal' moniker—representing the character's disembodied spark after his destruction in the Armada cartoon episode "Crisis" and resurrection in "Miracle". What that means for poor Over-Run (or "Surge" in Japan), also cast in translucent plastic, we couldn't say! Available via mail-order, only 5000 pieces were distributed in October of 2003.
Accessories: Sparkplug Mini-Con, trailer/armor, light-up rifle, missile, left & right smokestacks
A K-Mart exclusive set released on "Black Friday" (the day after Thanksgiving, the most hellishly busy shopping day of the year), this set consists of Super Base Optimus Prime, Jetfire, their respective partner Mini-Cons Sparkplug and Comettor, the Adventure Mini-Con Team, and oddly enough, Longarm. Optimus Prime's red plastics and paint were replaced with gold, the only changes made to anyone in the set. It is this set from which the name of Optimus Prime's combined mode with Jetfire, Jet Prime, comes.
Accessories: Prime Mini-Con, trailer/armor, light-up rifle, missile, left & right smokestacks
This set is a Toys"R"Us Japan exclusive, consisting of Powerlinx Optimus Prime (dubbed "Convoy Final Battle Coloration" and redecoed with more show-accurate colours, principally a silver mouthplate instead of red and varying color saturation from the Hasbro version), a "crystal" version of Overload ("Ultra Magnus Special Clear Version") made out of translucent plastics, and an exclusive Exdimensions redeco of the Street Action Mini-Con Team. This set is entirely "new" content not available in the normal mass-retail Legends of the Microns line, and is also the last release of "Exdimensions". Rather than come with individual bio cards for the various characters, the set came with only a single card for Magna Convoy.
Built to Rule!
"My Matrix for a quick death." (How could this happen to me?)
Optimus Prime (2003)
Accessories: 2 missiles
ArmadaBuilt to Rule! Optimus Prime transforms into a fair approximation of his vehicle mode, but the robot mode is quite inaccurate, due to the very broad, flat Trans-Skeleton with thin, stick-like limbs attached to it. The set came with a very simplistic "Mini-Con" Sparkplug partner kit that did have a more dedicated "Powerlinx" connector than the standard construction pegs, though these are a bit too thin to be used as attachment points for regular Mini-Cons (they stay, sort of, but it's a very loose connection). The 101-piece set also features pressure-launch missile-firing "smokestack" cannons.
The Energon version of Built to Rule! Optimus Prime was designed with a much more solid skeleton with larger, blockier limbs. He can be rebuilt from a Cybertronic truck cab with a trailer-mounted, pressure-launch dual-missile cannon (with electronic lights and sounds) to a robot, to basically whatever you feel like doing with the parts.
Unfortunately, due to the slow performance of the Built to Rule! line overall, the Energon versions only had a limited, test-market release initially in and around Cincinnati, Ohio. The sets later filtered out into many Tuesday Morning and Ollie's chain stores at drastically dropped prices.
Energon
Form feet and legs! Form arms and body! And I'll form... the head!
Super class Energon Optimus Prime transforms into a Cybertronic short-nosed truck cab. A switch on his back offers four selectable sound effects, each one corresponding to one member of the Prime Force, the four drone vehicles contained within Prime's parallelogram-shaped trailer. A tiny, slightly recessed button above the switch activates the sounds. When Prime transforms to robot mode, the trailer stands upright to become a launch base of sorts for the Prime Force, with three of the trailer's four storage compartments featuring launching mechanisms that propel the vehicles into action. The Prime Force consists of Fire-1, a fire truck with an extending ladder and rotating turret; Copter-2, a helicopter with spinning rotors; Digger-3, a drill tank with a gear-wheel-activated spinning drill; and Submarine-4, a submarine with opening capture claws beneath its bow. The four interchangeable drones can combine with Prime to create his Super Mode; any drone is capable of forming any limb. When in Super Mode, Prime's chest panels are opened, in turn pressing a button on his side that creates more electronic sounds and lights up a red LED in his chest, representing the Spark of Combination.
Prime is armed with a spring-loaded missile launcher that stores on the rear of his truck mode (which becomes the backpack of his robot mode) when not in use. Like most of the weapons of the Energon line, it sports a 5mm post, allowing it to be held by most every Energon figure, to combine with assorted other weapons and Energon weapons released in the series, and to peg into numerous compatible ports shared by many figures, like the hole in the radar of Prime's own trailer, or even conveniently placed 5mm screw holes like those of the Prime Force.
In lieu of combining with the Prime Force, Optimus Prime can also merge with EnergonWing Saber in a similar fashion, with Wing Saber splitting into four components that connect to Prime as limbs. Wing Saber's red and white torso components can become arms for Prime while his legs attach to Prime's own, creating Prime's "Flight Mode", but the parts can also be swapped around, with Wing Saber's legs deploying large missile launchers and becoming arms to make Prime's "Fight Mode". Alternately, Prime can combine with EnergonOmega Supreme to form what his packaging calls "Powerlinx Omega Supreme", but which the cartoon named "Optimus Supreme". The Prime Force drones can attach to four connectors on Optimus Supreme's body.
The earliest releases of Energon Optimus Prime have no ridges on the inside of the chest windows and a different head sculpt featuring an Optimus Primal-style mouth-slit in Prime's mouthplate. This was soon replaced with a full mouthplate, and it was this version of the toy which appeared in the Energon cartoon and was released by Takara. Other changes made to Takara's version of the toy involved a chromed front grill, more vibrant plastic colors on Digger-3 and Submarine-4, a darker blue plastic on Prime himself, and more intricate paint operations. Takara's release lacks the electronic sound effects seen in Hasbro's version, which were commonly gutted for the Japanese releases of any Autobot toys who had them, though Prime retains his light-up chest.
Those upper legs vs. Chun-Li's - whose are more powerful??
SL Grand Convoy (Deluxe, 2004)
ID number:SC-13
Accessories: Rifle
As had first been done in the Armada line, Takara elected to supplement their release of the Super class Optimus Prime figure with a new-mold Deluxe class toy. Coming without trailer, Prime Force or electronics, this Prime discarded the larger toy's ability to form Super Mode in favor of being able to Powerlinx with the other compatible toys of the Energon line, forming either a torso or a pair of legs that the other Autobots could connect to. Like the Deluxe Armada Prime, this one too was on the small side for its size class, but just as that figure could, this small Prime can still tow the Super class figure's trailer.
A slight redeco of Takara's Deluxe-size Optimus Prime was released as part of a special set commemorating both the 20th anniversary of Transformers and the 30th anniversary of its progenitor, Microman. Coming with an exclusive metallic redeco of Takara's Kicker, which was based on the Microman body, this Prime featured a chromed grill where the original had painted plastic, and supposedly slightly shinier plastics. Very slightly.
Powerlinx Optimus Prime versus Megatron (multi-pack, 2004)
Accessories: Rifle
The SS-03 version of Takara's Deluxe-class Optimus figure, based on the Anniversary release, was released in Hasbro markets in a two pack with the smaller Japanese Megatron figure. There are some tiny but notable differences between this and the Anniversary figure; the Hasbro version uses a more neutral dark-gray for the main body as opposed to the Takara version's blue-tinted dark-gray, plain dark-blue plastic rather than dark-blue-with-sparkles, and plain yellow paint for the cab's lights rather than sparkly-yellow/gold.
This set was a Toys"R"US exclusive in the US, but sold at pretty much any retailer that wanted to carry it elsewhere in the world.
This golden chromed redeco of the Super class Optimus Prime figure was initially offered as a prize to five lucky winners of a colouring contest held in the pages of the TV Magazine. Additional units were later given away via in-store draws at Toys"R"Us Japan; precisely how many is unknown, but the regularity with which the toy appeared on auction sites throughout 2005 suggests it was quite a few.
Fire SL Grand Convoy (TV Magazine exclusive Deluxe, 2004)
Accessories: Rifle
This vibrant red and orange redeco of the Deluxe class Optimus Prime figure was a TV Magazine exclusive, limited to 3,000 pieces. It shipped in a unique monochrome red version of the traditional Super Link packaging, and did not include a character card.
SL Grand Convoy Mēki Version (Deluxe Lucky Draw Figure, 2004)
Accessories: Rifle
Released as part of the "W Convoy" campaign ("Double" Convoy, that is!) alongside a silver chrome version of Energon Rodimus, this gold chrome "Mēki" ("plating") version of the Deluxe size Optimus Prime toy was available only as a prize in a mail-in Robot Points contest. Initially limited to 20 units in the original draw, it appears that many more were made available through toy store drawings, given how many went on to appear on online auction sites through 2005 and 2006.
Accessories: Trailer/armor, light-up rifle, missile, left & right smokestacks
A Costco-exclusive redeco of the Armada Optimus Prime toy in black, yellow, and brick red, it also came with a redeco of ArmadaOverload. It is from this set that the name of Prime's combined form with Overload, Optimus Prime Megaweapon, comes (though the term "megaweapon" first appeared on Powerlinx Optimus Prime's packaging).
The color scheme of this special redeco of Super class Optimus Prime was decided through a colouring contest held in the December 2004 issue of TV Magazine, in which entrants coloured in lineart of Prime in the scheme they wanted to see. The winning entry rendered Prime in a... distinct palette of grey, cream, dark red, and purple chrome, with blue, white, and yellow drones. It was limited to only ten pieces, making it one of the rarer Transformers toys in existence.
A redeco of the Super Optimus Prime mold with a primarily red cab, much deeper blue, and a Prime Force uniformly colored in black was planned to be released with Smallest Transforming TransformersGeneration 1 Optimus Prime as a Target exclusive. The toy got far enough along in development to have package artwork created by Dan Khanna, which was later revealed online, but it was canceled shortly before making it to full production. Its red, white, and black coloration earned it the festive nickname of "Santa Prime" among fans online.
The first Cybertron Optimus Prime toy transforms into a heavily-armed fire truck of made-up origin, topped with two large cannons. The cannons and the sides of the truck fold down to create an unlikely flight mode for the vehicle. His right-side cannon fires a spring-loaded missile, while plugging a Cyber Key into its key jack pops two more spring-loaded missile launchers out from its sides. Plugging a Cyber Key into his left-side cannon opens up the cannon's outer casing, revealing the inner barrel, lighting the red LED at its tip and playing an electronic "charging up" noise. Pressing the small blue button just over the battery casing plays a "firing" sound effect with accompanying light flash. In this mode, he can also deploy another pair of (non-firing) cannons from under the main cannons.
In true Prime style, the forward portion of the vehicle mode detaches to become Optimus himself, while the rear "trailer" transforms into a gun emplacement. In robot mode, the barrel of the missile-launching cannon detaches to become a hand-held rifle. Atypical of most Unicron Trilogy figures, Prime's hands are not designed to accommodate weapons with 5 mm posts, instead featuring a small peg-hole in his palm that allows him to tightly grip objects designed to fit there, like his own rifle, Leobreaker's whip, CybertronWing Saber's swords, and CybertronMetroplex's axe. However, Wing Saber's sword hilts can be used as adaptors, allowing Prime to hold and use 5mm weapons. His chest has a compartment to hold his removable Matrix of Leadership accessory; Prime's gigantic hands mean that he can't hold it especially neatly, but he can certainly get a grip on it.
Of course, Optimus can transform into a Super Mode by combining with his vehicle-mode back end, which becomes a massive winged backpack with under-slung main guns, and a pair of large boots, with the non-firing cannons ending up around his knees. To complete his Super Mode look, a small lever of the back of Prime's head raises his traditional mouthplate into place, covering his Optimus Primal-style mouth slot, and two "crests" fold out from either side of his helmet. Hasbro's instructions and stock photography awkwardly orient the wings so that the two cannons point over Prime's shoulders; the cartoon portrayed them in the under-slung orientation, as would all subsequent Hasbro redecos of the toy. In Super Mode, Prime is a rather top-heavy robot, and his hip joints are not that tight, which makes standing him up a challenging prospect.
In Super Mode, Optimus Prime can combine with Leobreaker to form "Savage Claw Mode", which sees the feline Autobot become a gigantic clawed arm for his leader. Alternately, if Prime's backpack is removed, he can merge with Wing Saber into "Sonic Wing Mode", with the aerial ace forming a new winged backpack and chestplate for Optimus, and providing him with new hand-held sword weapons and firing missile launchers that connect to his Super Mode boots. The nature of the combination means that the two partners cannot combine with Prime at once—at least, not without physically removing one of Prime's own arms.
The Takara Galaxy Force "Galaxy Convoy" version of the toy was released first, and features a number of paint differences from the later Hasbro Cybertron release. The most immediately-noticeable is that Galaxy Convoy's unique Matrix-shaped Cyber Key has its "frame" painted gold, where Optimus's is unpainted clear-blue plastic, save for the Autobot symbol and the Hasbro-only Cyber Key Code printed on its back. The other differences are small but numerous: Galaxy Convoy has more thoroughly painted knees, main cannons and leg-armor cannons, the signal lights above the cab are painted yellow, his leg-wheel hubcaps are painted gold, and his nose is inexplicably painted silver. Galaxy Convoy's wings are also held in place with long metal pins, where the Hasbro version has them just held in place with friction so they can pop off rather than break off if the toy is dropped.
Optimus is slightly mistransformed in the image to the right: in vehicle mode his chest windows should be folded around to the sides of the cab to cover the arm sockets.
Takara's version pictured on the left, Hasbro's version pictured on the right.
Optimus Prime (Legends of Cybertron, 2005)
Legends of Cybertron Optimus is a very simplified version of Cybertron Optimus Prime, with no weapons or trailer, just the front portion of the truck. It transforms into the standard robot mode, with a very similar transformation scheme to the full-sized toy, and has no useful articulation of the shoulders.
The figure was released in Japan under the "EZ Collection" banner, in the same packaging as the Hasbro release but with a small card insert featuring the Japanese logo and nomenclature, similar to a USA Edition. As with all the EZ Collection figures, this release features a substantially greater number of paint operations that increase Optimus's resemblance to his larger figure.
Megalo Convoy (Legends of Cybertron, August 29 2005)
ID number:GC-23
A special metallic-paint version of Legends of Cybertron Optimus Prime was included with the Takara Galaxy Force release of Megalo Convoy aka Metroplex, as a demonstration of their actual size difference as depicted on the television series.
Galaxy Convoy Gold Version (Leader Lucky Draw figure, 2005)
Accessories: Trailer/armor, rifle, 3 missiles, Matrix of Leadership, Force Chip
This gold-chrome and clear-plastic redeco of the Leader-class Optimus Prime figure was first offered as a prize in a mail-in contest held through TV Magazine alongside a silver chrome version of the same toy (see below). Both figures were later made available again as prizes in a second contest in the September 2005 issue of TV Magazine, together with "Galaxy Convoy Custom Color Version" (again, see below).
Optimus is slightly mistransformed in the image to the right, in vehicle mode his chest windows should be folded round to the sides of the cab to cover the arm sockets.
Galaxy Convoy Silver Version (Leader Lucky Draw figure, 2005)
Accessories: Trailer/armor, rifle, 3 missiles, Matrix of Leadership, Force Chip
This silver-chromed redeco of the Leader-class Optimus Prime figure first saw the light of day as a prize in a TV Magazine mail-in, offered alongside a gold chrome version of the same toy (see above). Both figures were later made available again as prizes in a second contest in the September 2005 issue of TV Magazine, together with "Galaxy Convoy Custom Color Version" (see below). Despite being offered in equal quantities in these contests, this silver version is apparently much harder to come by.
Galaxy Convoy Custom Color Version (Leader Lucky Draw figure, 2005)
Accessories: Trailer/armor, rifle, 3 missiles, Matrix of Leadership, Force Chip
One of the single rarest Lucky Draw figures in existence, this "Custom Color" redeco of Super Optimus Prime was limited to only one in the world. It was the grand prize of a coloring contest held in September 2005's TV Magazine, in which entrants colored in lineart of Prime with the deco they wanted to see. The winning entry was in green, blue and gold, while ten runners-up received one of five gold or five silver Lucky Draw versions of Prime.
A Takara exclusive multi-pack of "EZ Collection" Megatron, Optimus Prime and Starscream recast the figures using primarily clear plastics; in Prime's cast, both his blue and red plastics became translucent. A mail-away exclusive to TV Magazine in October 2005, the set was limited to 3000 pieces.
Accessories: Trailer/armor, rifle, 3 missiles, Matrix of Leadership, Force Chip
This redeco of Leader-class Optimus Prime replaced most of the plastics in the cab robot with colored translucent equivalents. He also has numerous chromed parts, including chrome-silver wrist-pipes, red chrome window frames and side-cannons, and a chromed Autobot symbol on his Key. His trailer remained opaque, but was cast in much deeper red plastic, with a more metallic silver used for his cannons. He also lacks the weird silver nose-paint, and has the Hasbro trailer assembly with the pop-off-able wings.
He was available only in a Toys"R"Us Japan exclusive giftset released in October 2005, packed in with a redeco of Wing Saber and the Coby Sen'yō Ramble.
None of the toys in this box set were given bio cards. Aww.
Megalo Convoy Gold Version (Leader Lucky Draw figure, 2005)
A golden-chrome redeco of Cybertron Metroplex was offered as a contest prize in the December 2005 issue of TV Magazine, and came with an equally blinged-out Legends/EZ Collection Optimus Prime figure. Fifteen of this set were available as prizes in the initial contest; a single Metroplex was later offered as one of many prizes in a Takara website contest, but this version came only with the standard metallic paint version of Prime.
A red redeco of the 2003 UniverseOptimus Prime was sold with a repackaged version of the Universe version of 2001 Robots in Disguise Ultra Magnus in a Costco-exclusive multi-pack in 2005. Sold under the Cybertron banner, their continuity of origin was ambiguous for years until clarified in 2015 by the Facebook edition of "Ask Vector Prime".
Sowing confusion on message boards everywhere.
Galaxy Force Optimus Prime (Leader, 2006)
Accessories: Trailer/armor, rifle, 3 missiles, Matrix of Leadership, Cyber Key
Released in fourth and final wave of Cybertron Leaders, this redeco of the Leader-class Optimus Prime figure introduced a new color scheme that several other tail-end releases would emulate. Taking its name from the Takara version of Cybertron and with a bio noting that this new body depicts Prime after he embarks on his galaxy-spanning mission at the end of the Cybertron cartoon, "Galaxy Force" Optimus Prime replaces the original toy's blue parts with black and the translucent blue with smokey clear, and molds several—but not all—grey parts out of red plastic, including the toy's rifles, rail gun covers, missile launchers, and Super Mode leg guns. In the realm of new paint operations, Prime now sports all four Cyber Planet Key symbols on his shoulders, and his unique Matrix-shaped Cyber Key finally has a gold-painted border, as it had always had in Japan. Additionally, Prime's hip joints were tightened up with this release, making it easier to stand him up in Super Mode.
Premiering in the eighth wave of Cybertron Deluxes, this Optimus is a redeco of the ArmadaSuper-Con Armada Optimus Prime, recolored in red and black to resemble the Leader Class Galaxy Force Optimus Prime figure.
He does not come with the mold's nominal Mini-Con partner. Instead, Optimus Prime and his wave-mate Demolishor debuted a new brand of Cyber Key: retooled from the standard Cybertron style key, this version lacked a sculpted insignia, so that any symbol could be tampographed on to it, and featured a Mini-Con-style Powerlinx socket on the back, allowing it to operate the figure's formerly-Mini-Con-activated "punching" feature without the figure itself having to be retooled.
The key sports a tampographed Autobot insignia, a red border, and the Key Code "d56b" tampographed on the back. This code, when entered on Hasbro's website, was supposed to unlock additional information on the character or the toy, but due to an error on behalf of Hasbro, it unlocked information intended for his wave-mate Demolishor. Optimus Prime's information was instead unlocked using the code "dt67", which was on the back of Demolishor's Cyber Key.
As was the case with the Universe"Battle in a Box" Ultra Magnus release of this sculpt, initial shipments of Optimus Prime had the forearms swapped, leaving his elbow joints useless. This was corrected for later shipments. A further running change saw tampographeded graphics depicting the four planet symbols added to the truck mode's cab.
Cause we gotta little ol' convoy, rockin' through the night
Optimus Prime (Legends of Cybertron, 2006)
Like the Deluxe Class figure before it, this redeco of Legends of Cybertron Optimus Prime was designed to resemble the Leader class Galaxy Force Optimus Prime figure, essentially replacing the blue with black, the yellow with silver and adding the Cyber Key symbol tampographs onto his shoulders.
Available in the ninth and final wave of Cybertron Deluxes, this unusual iteration of Optimus Prime is a redeco of Beast Wars 10th AnniversaryOptimus Primal, transforming into a robotic gorilla in the pseudo-technorganic-looking style of the other Jungle Planet toys. He comes with a "'jet-powered' flying board" with two 5mm posts at the base, allowing him to ride it in his gorilla mode, or hold it in robot mode via the 5mm posts on his robot palms/gorilla feet. When a Cyber Key is inserted at the rear of the board, a spring-loaded extending "assault blade" deploys, and a trigger is revealed to allow one to use the spring-loaded missile launcher at the tip. Though it is not intended to be removed, the blade can be popped off and held in Primal's hand thanks to his poseable thumbs.
This figure contains an unusual amount of sculpted detail on the inside of the plastic. The gorilla mode's chest has a ribcage, and the inside of the gorilla's face has a sculpted microphone, which lines up perfectly with the robot mode's head! Also, opening this toy's chest in robot mode reveals sculpted detail resembling the Key to Vector Sigma as it appeared in Beast Machines. His beast mode features a painted scar over his one eye, a seeming homage Peter Jackson's King Kong (released the previous year).
While this mold was first released as part of the Beast Wars 10th Anniversary line and is obviously meant to be Optimus Primal, it was developed to fit in with Cybertron's Jungle Planet aesthetic, "in case" the Beast Wars Anniversary release didn't pan out (according to Aaron Archer's statements at BotCon 2005).
Accessories: Trailer/armor, rifle, 3 missiles, Matrix of Leadership, Cyber Key
Released in Fall of 2006, this Costco-exclusive two-pack bundled the original version of the Leader-class Optimus Prime figure with his combination partner Wing Saber and a DVD including the Cybertron cartoon episode "United".
This set comes in a particularly huge box, and sold for $35.99, five dollars less than the MSRP for Optimus Prime by himself. Now that's a deal!
Megatron / Soundwave / Jetfire / Optimus Prime (Legends of Cybertron multi-pack, 2007)
This four pack of Legend-class Optimus Prime, Megatron, Jetfire, and Soundwave was exclusive to Target stores. All of the toys were identical to their individual releases.
Hybrid Style
Galaxy Convoy (2005)
ID number:THS-01
Accessories: Trailer/backpack, leg armor (x2), standard head, Super Mode head, left and right fists, left and right pointing hands, left and right open hands, left and right gripping hands, Matrix of Leadership, Force Chip (x2)
The first in TakaraTomy's Hybrid Style series, Galaxy Convoy is a partly die-cast figure with scaled-down equivalents of the accessories that came with the Leader-class figure. This highly-intricate figure retains all the transformation abilities of the original figure—vehicle, flight mode, robot, and Super Mode—and even its Cyber Key-activated features (even coming with two keys so they can be deployed simultaneously), with additional touches like spring-loaded mechanisms that snap his cannons into place, and hand-grips on the weapons for Super Mode. While he does lack electronics or firing missiles, Prime still includes his Matrix, super-tiny yet still removable, and has four alternate sets of hands: two clenched fists, two with pointing index fingers, two with splayed palms, and two curved hands for holding his various weapon handles. Given the figure's small size, a reconfigurable head was infeasible, so it also comes with an alternate Super Mode head with a mouthplate and crests deployed, though the standard head must be attached in order for the figure to be transformed to vehicle mode.
Bizarrely enough, Optimus Prime was one of three Cybertron Legends toys straight-released in Classics packaging, though with the modifier "Cybertron Collection" printed on the cardfront. The toy itself is identical to the Cybertron release.
A Target exclusive, this four-pack of Legends Class figures contains two versions of both Optimus Prime and Megatron, namely Legends of Cybertron Optimus Prime, Movie Legends Optimus Prime, Legends of Cybertron Megatron and Movie Legends Megatron. The toy itself is identical to the Cybertron release.
Universe (2008)
Battle for the Cyber Planet Keys (Sam's Club exclusive multi-pack, 2008)
Accessories: Left and right smokestacks, Cybertron Cyber Key
For Universe, a redeco of the Armada Super-Con Optimus Prime in more Generation 1-inspired colors was released in a Sam's Club exclusive five-pack alongside Runamuck, Longrack, Buzzsaw, and Blurr. Optimus was the only toy in the set different from the original releases. He came with a translucent red version of the remolded style of Cyber Key previously included with this mold's release during the Cybertron line, featuring a Powerlinx port to activate his punching gimmick.
Part of the second wave of Bot Shots Series 2 single-packs, this new-mold Optimus Prime is heavily based on CybertronOptimus Prime, transforming from a robot armed with a gun, into a futuristic firetruck. As a Jump Shot, he springs up when auto-transforming.
Optimus Prime / Cindersaur / Autobot Jazz (Multi-pack, 2013)
Series: 2
Number: BP008
Fist strength: 404
Blaster strength: 854
Sword strength: 362
Part of the second wave of Bot Shots Series 2 three-packs, this redeco of Jump Shot Optimus Prime has a brighter red, a painted silver forehead crest and "nose-strap", blue windows, and glossy blue paint on his legs, head, and firefighting section, among other minor deco changes. He comes with Jump Shot Cindersaur and Super Bot Autobot Jazz.
The second wave of Series 2 three-packs didn't reach mass retail in the United States, only showing up in discount stores like Ross.
Platinum Edition "Year of the Snake" Optimus Prime is a redeco of EnergonSuper Class Optimus Prime inspired by his Generation 1 color scheme. In lieu of combining with his drones, Optimus Prime can also combine with Platinum EditionOmega Supreme to form what his instructions also call "Super Optimus Prime". The drones are color-matched to Omega Supreme, and can attach to four connectors on his body. In an undocumented feature, Prime can also merge with EnergonWing Saber.
Though the stock photography shows the original mouthed-face head and smooth inner chest windows, the final toy uses the face-plated head and ridged inner windows. The packaging's bio is every Optimus Prime bio ever (well, mostly), Ask Vector Prime would eventually declare him to be a version of Unicron Trilogy Optimus.
Platinum Edition Optimus Prime is exclusive to BigBadToyStore and Amazon.com in America, but was also released at Philippine mass retail in limited quantities, in Australia as a Kmart exclusive and in Canada as a Toys"R"Us exclusive. All electronics have been omitted from this version, even the light-up feature retained by Takara's Superlink release, trading the LED for an open hole in the chest.
"Mini-Con Combiner"' Optimus comes with one standard Kreon and four Cityville-syle mini-Kreons of the same character, each one a different incarnation from various franchises. With some extra parts, the mini-Kreons become limbs to make a larger combiner-bot.
Two of his limbs are based on Armada Optimus Prime; one "normal" (Inferno helmet), one pre-Earth-body (Knock Out helmet). The main torso-bot is based on Generation 1 Optimus's original body. Another limb-bot is based on live-action Optimus (Soundwave helmet), and the remaining one (Ironhide helmet)... actually looks to be based on the Optimus-like-but-not-Optimus MicromasterOverload! The heck?
First shown at New York Toy Fair 2015, the Mini-Con Combiners were apparently cancelled without fanfare... a decision that must have come late in the day, as they went on to star in their own promotional animation, "Stuck in a Tree", released about eight months after the trade show.
Your bargaining posture is highly dubious.
Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.
War for Cybertron: Siege
Technically not Cybertron Optimus by this wiki's classification.
The 2019Siege subline of Generations includes "Galaxy Upgrade Optimus Prime", which is based heavily on Cybertron Optimus Prime in its vehicle and Super modes.
Canceled prototype
Life could be a dream...
Armada Convoy
Revealed as a grayscale prototype at the Wonder Festival2019 Winter convention, this Voyager-sized Optimus Prime mold is modelled after his Armada design, though adding many stylized details. A pair of hands visible in the hollows of his legs suggest that he was also designed to turn into the top half of his Super Mode, though the prototype on display was likely too early in its production to actually be able to convert at all.
TakaraTomy claimed at Wonder Festival 2020 Winter that this figure was not "cancelled", but was not a development priority at that time, and that its proper toyline was not determined.[7]An entirely different tooling of the character would later be released as part of the Legacy line.
Your bargaining posture is highly dubious.
Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.
Legacy
The time has come for...SUPER Bendy Prime!
Armada Universe Optimus Prime (Commander Class, 2023)
Marking the 20th anniversary of the Armada franchise, Transformers: Legacy "Armada Universe Optimus Prime" is a Commander Class figure that faithfully recaptures the original Super Base toy listed above, but now with markedly superior articulation.
He comes with a large ion blaster that can be held in both robot modes, and smokestacks that can detach and combine with the rifle as part of his Evo-Fusion feature. His trailer unfolds into a base mode and combines with him to form his super mode. He also comes with a removable Matrix. Though he is fairly accurate to the original toy and design, there are some small differences, like the yellow eyes on his super mode head. The Autobot insignia on his truck roof/super mode chestplate is also removable. His regular robot mode is roughly voyager-sized, while his super mode is around the size of a Combiner.
He was officially revealed on the April 4 Hasbro Pulse Fanstream, and went up for pre-order on April 18th.
Or you could pick... WHAT'S IN THE BOX.
This item is currently scheduled for release, but is not yet available at mass retail.
Notes
Arise, Bigfootimus Prime.
The first test shots of Superbase Optimus Prime had a molded and recessed Autobot insignia on the chest button rather than a flat surface with a tampographed symbol. It is unknown why this change was made.
One of the earliest Armada Optimus Prime concepts depicts him as being an ENORMOUSLY HUGE MONSTER TRUCK.
Pre-dating Powerlinx Optimus Prime, designer Aaron Archer asked fans on the TFW2005 forums what they'd want out of a redeco of the large toy—throwing out ideas such as a Scourge deco, a modified vehicle mode, new SFX, a transparent trailer, an added sword accessory, and the remote possibility of a new Mini-Con![9] In the end, Prime's Mini-Con was in fact retooled into the Goldbug-like Corona Sparkplug.
Energon Optimus Prime's combination with the Prime Force is...well, it's pretty much as close to a Sentai Robo that Transformers has ever gotten. It's also highly reminiscent of Voltron, as noted by our captions for that toy's image. That being said, Transformers characters who combine with non-sentient drones have become more common in the years since Energon, so it seems less unusual now than when it was new.
Under his various Japanese names, Optimus was three candidates in TakaraTomy's Masterpiece Fan's Choice poll, which asked fans to determine which Autobot/Maximal leader from the franchise's then-30 year history should receive a new toy in the prestigious Masterpiece line. Armada Optimus placed third (with 24.3% of the votes), Energon Optimus placed tenth (with 1.5%), and Cybertron Optimus placed seventh (2.5%).
↑"So it was never going to be called Monster Convoy, but I think I wanted something on the wheels. Again, I wanted an ultimate sense of storytelling that wherever you're looking at these things you're getting- it's just some sort of brand, the fake-out brand they use on Cybertron or whatever. Nothing other than that, it was never a name of the character or any of that."—Aaron Archer, The Toy Armada, ""11 - Creating A Legend: Transformers Armada Optimus Prime"", 2023/11/03
↑"Dlx Optimus does Not combine with Jetfire. He is able to pull the "big" optimus trailer. Dlx Optimus Mini-con feature is a punching feature, Arms move side to side. Dlx Optimus Mini-con Over-Run (silver-jet) will probably not be in the show. 98% of the Autobots/Decepticons are in the show. 65% of the available Mini-cons are in the show. with redecos and partner Mini-cons we are talking almost 75 Mini-cons! That is way to many to include in the show. To plate on Dlx Optimus opens up like "big" Optimus but the Matrix is not there.... (story TBD) "big" Optimus combines with Jetfire and a item to be shown later. SUPER COOL. Dlx Megatron is NOT planned. Thats the facts,"—Aaron Archer, TFW2005, circa 2002
↑"He might get small in the show for an episope, but it is not final. It would be a way to explain the scale change."—Aaron Archer, TFW2005, circa 2002
↑"So our idea was there that, yeah we had already done it for the 'super build' part of the torso and I think my thought process at the time—remember this is early days, I don't know everything future me would know—I was like well maybe he's this little guy and when he puts the Matrix in his chest that's when he becomes super. So the little guy wouldn't have the Matrix just sitting there, or maybe he hasn't earned it yet, or just some other... and you noticed it right, that it wasn't there so... that was the point."—Aaron Archer on The Toy Armada, 2022/10/25
↑Written in Japanese as STDコンボイ (Sutandādo Konboi)
↑"There was a very literal sense, even with Beast Wars and stuff, where we had to come up with a whole new gimmick for a reason to redo a different guy, right? We had to have Transmetals, Transmetals 2, and Fuzors and stuff like that. [...] It had been traditionally: go, well, you put your high-end, most important characters, the leaders, in the highest price point—or a higher price point—so that you guarantee a certain level of sale I guess, or you're putting your best foot forward because you certainly don't want to have a high-end Rando, that would be even worse. So this was an opportunity where we were also, as co-development goes, trying to get more global, trying to expand the reach of just Transformers being in- England, Japan, Italy, [...] North America let's call it. But there were still parts of the globe that couldn't engage with Transformers; the price points weren't right, the scales weren't right, the- various things. So what that Optimus originally did—and would continue to do until the molds literally fell apart—was offer a more affordable leader character that is the primary character in the animation. So that was a very important step in this whole process to get Optimus at a ten-dollar-or-under price point."—Aaron Archer on The Toy Armada, 2022/10/25
↑"Okay I give. If we did redeco the Elec. Optimus item as is (no new tools) what would you like to see to make you buy it again? Deco excatlly like Scourge? or another ? VM? New sound FX? New Mini-con probably wouldn't happen but what would be a good Vh for a evil Optimus? Clear trailer? Added Sword weapon? Keep this orderly and helpful, I have timing and cost issues to deal with so if you want to complain about next getting a new trailer and that we are killing you with cost them I understand but keep it to yourself. If you want to help make this worth rebuying them let me hear it...!"—Aaron Archer, TFW2005, circa 2002
