The Energon Pub

So, this is something I randomly realized this weekend. Forgive me if its already been discussed at length, but I've been avoiding the CW and TR threads so as not to be a downer on those of you who enjoy these lines. Anyhow....


All the recent Prime figures have been redecos.

CW Prime from Motormaster*


Powermaster Prime from CW Ultra Magnus


TR Prime, though we don't have confirmation of this figure I'm aware of, is obviously from a Tankor/Octane mold.

I call it out because I find it odd. Prime has always gotten his own molds, with lesser figures handling the redeco requirements. Is this because as a figure guaranteed to sell, Prime is being used to get more use out of other character molds? Discuss, or ignore if you like. I'm bored so figured I'd share some random musings.







*I realize there is an argument that Motormaster could be from Prime, but I feel my point still stands.

Ironhidensh wrote:All the recent Prime figures have been redecos.

CW Prime from Motormaster*

Powermaster Prime from CW Ultra Magnus

TR Prime, though we don't have confirmation of this figure I'm aware of, is obviously from a Tankor/Octane mold.

I call it out because I find it odd. Prime has always gotten his own molds, with lesser figures handling the redeco requirements. Is this because as a figure guaranteed to sell, Prime is being used to get more use out of other character molds?

I am no expert in TFs, but your suggestion makes sense to me. I actually have a related question that may share the answer to your question. I've only been collecting TFs for about a year, but have noticed that there are so many versions of OP. CW had the red and white versions. TR has Powermaster Prime and TR Prime. There's a Platinum edition that recently came out (I think?) and there's that rumored Shattered Glass version. I'm not even going to include the RiD versions. Even if OP sells (and he must to justify that many versions), it still seems strange to me that there are so many versions of him as of late.

I wouldn't really say that all Optimus Prime toys are retools as of late, rather I think that it's now standard procedure to design a mold with at least two characters in mind, from the very beginning. Pretooling like that is done on drawing board level, and since Motormaster and CW Optimus Prime were designed side-by-side, you can't really ask "who came first", just "who is released first?". The most convenient answer is to say they're a pretooled pair and leave it at that. Remember how any Optimus Prime toy was likely to be redecoed into Nemesis Prime? Well, now it seems any truck design is fair game to be turned into Optimus Prime + another truck-based character.

Is that an insult to the character? I'd say yes, because he clearly deserves better. However, I do realise that the economics don't really leave much room for single-use designs, if any. RiD 2015 compensates with its plethora of redecos, but since collectors aren't as easily "fooled" shall we say, Hasbro is stepping up with pretools (yet stepping down at the same time by reusing older designs).

At the very least it's a good thing that the pretooling allows for distinct and unique parts between any Optimus Prime and whichever mold-mate he's assigned to, plus CW Ultra Magnus into Powermaster Optimus Prime is quite an extreme case (not to mention it's a reversal of trend ), showing that Hasbro is going the mile with him.

Also wondering why Hb never made the Voyager version of IDW Optimus. Heck, it was the 3rd party that beat them to it. What a wasted opportunity.

Could have sworn when they were designing Motormaster for CW, someone looked at it and said "Hey, we can make an Optimus out of this."


Don't ask me for evidence, I don't have any. But based on that, I would have said Motormaster came first.


As for the question at hand, Optimus has had his fair share of unique moulds in the past. It's time to let others take the spotlight for a while. Sure, they're putting more of him out, but that to me seems more like they are doing what they did with Motormaster. Designing other characters, then looking at it and saying "Hey, we can get an Optimus out of this." and putting in the pre-tooling to allow that.

Me? Meh. I'm bored with Optimus. He always transforms the same way. I got the AOE release of the classics mould, and I'm going to get PMOP because that looks like a great upgrade in hand, but I'm fine if we go without Optimus for a while.

RiD 15-16 has several Optimus molds that aren't shared with other characters. The upcoming movie will surely have several as well.

Optimum Supreme wrote:RiD 15-16 has several Optimus molds that aren't shared with other characters. The upcoming movie will surely have several as well.

That's a good point. I completely forgot about RiD and Rescue Bots.

fenrir72 wrote:Also wondering why Hb never made the Voyager version of IDW Optimus. Heck, it was the 3rd party that beat them to it. What a wasted opportunity.

Never mind that; I wonder why the heck HasTak never made a Voyager of Optimus' original design; his G1 cartoon/comics model. Designs don't come much more iconic than that and they relegated it to a deluxe with a bizarre helicopter waist gimmick?

Kurona wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:Also wondering why Hb never made the Voyager version of IDW Optimus. Heck, it was the 3rd party that beat them to it. What a wasted opportunity.

Never mind that; I wonder why the heck HasTak never made a Voyager of Optimus' original design; his G1 cartoon/comics model. Designs don't come much more iconic than that and they relegated it to a deluxe with a bizarre helicopter waist gimmick?

The voyager classics Prime was intended to be that iconic G1 animated look.



The deluxe was more going for a g1 toy look.

And his robot mode succeeded greatly. His spinning torso gimmick was quite pointless, but since it can be locked, it really does not interfere.

It's his vehicle mode that really kills that toy.

Overcracker wrote:

Kurona wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:Also wondering why Hb never made the Voyager version of IDW Optimus. Heck, it was the 3rd party that beat them to it. What a wasted opportunity.

Never mind that; I wonder why the heck HasTak never made a Voyager of Optimus' original design; his G1 cartoon/comics model. Designs don't come much more iconic than that and they relegated it to a deluxe with a bizarre helicopter waist gimmick?

The voyager classics Prime was intended to be that iconic G1 animated look.

Um.
No, it... it wasn't. It takes a single look at either of the figure's modes to know that they were going for a new take on the character.

Hmm no, as with all classics figures it was designed to be an updated version of the G1 character and animation design.

It's just a slightly different flat nose truck.

But it has always been intended to be an update to G1. That was the point of Classics at that time.

If what you wanted was a voyager sized G1 prime with articulation, then that's a different thing altogether.

Even the Deluxe Prime deviates from the G1 prime design in the head and legs.

Overcracker wrote:Hmm no, as with all classics figures it was designed to be an updated version of the G1 character and animation design.

It's just a slightly different flat nose truck.

But it has always been intended to be an update to G1. That was the point of Classics at that time.

If what you wanted was a voyager sized G1 prime with articulation, then that's a different thing altogether.

Even the Deluxe Prime deviates from the G1 prime design in the head and legs.

Well yes, but it's a different take on the design. It's not really the G1 Optimus design is what I meant.