The Energon Pub

Hi guys, here is my review of the big lump otherwise known as Omega Supreme. You can always look at my website for my other reviews/collection: http://teletraan2.blogspot.com/ Enjoy...

Figure Details

Manufacturer - Hasbro
Toyline - Platinum Edition

Additions/Mods:
- Added an Autobot symbol to the shoulder, covering the tampographed one

Review

Omega Supreme: Awesome. That was my esteemed opinion as a young chap despite the fact that the toy was derpy at best, with roughly 1,000 seperate parts to lose down the back of the sofa. In the cartoon, it would later transpire that he and Devastator had a rivalry spanning millions of years, which makes his absence from the Movie even more bizarre. Without Devastator being able to smash up Autobot city pretty much unopposed, would Optimus Prime have had to pay the ultimate sacrifice? This kept me awake at night after tearfully witnessing Prime's death back in 1985 - where was Omega Supreme? IDW later attempted to explain this absence in their Movie adaptation by pitting him and the 2 Autobot combiners up against Menasor and Bruticus. I make that 3 against 2, so that explanation is rubbish. Even in the UK comic, when Ultra Magnus was getting his butt kicked by Galvatron in Target:2006, Omega didn't appear, despite Magnus even discussing the use of him as a possibility. I have therefore decided that for all his strength, Omega Supreme is a bit of a coward. Despite this, I still leapt at the chance to buy this great retool of the Energon toy of the same name. And unlike the fictional character, at least the toy showed up when I needed him.



Appearance (Robot Mode) 8/10
The Chinese year of the snake has been the Transformers collector's gain with this quite ace retooling of Energon Omega Supreme. One change is the new head, which is no longer detachable but is frankly amazing. The face looks so good and is masked by the sheen of clear plastic which really evokes memories of the G1 figure. The light-up gimmick is gone, which I won't particularly miss but some might find this a shame. The major change, however, is the completely new 'claw' forearm, which is suitably impressive and upsized as if to resemble 'War For Cybertron' Omega Supreme. In fact the whole colour palette is reminiscent of the videogame character. Considering the quite loud paint scheme employed for the Energon toy, this paint job is remarkably coherent and understated. I do have 2 gripes though and they both center around the legs - The 'Omega Train' leg is too bright a red and I would have loved to see a more burgundy hue used, and the 'Omega Battleship' tower is black, when matching burgundy would have the more obvious choice. The copper highlights are fantastic though and really bring out the impressive amount of sculpted detail on this huge robot. I didn't mention how massive this figure is. He dwarfs Devastator and Bruticus with ease, and only Unicron is taller in my collection. He is also extremely barrel-chested, with huge arms which just evoke extreme power. 'Last line of defense' indeed.



Appearance (Alternate Mode) 7/10
First off, I am not going to complain about the various alt modes at your disposal too much when it comes to this figure, since the G1 original was pretty odd in this regard. The spirit of the original has been referenced here though because the alt mode comprises of 2 seperate entities - The Omega Train and the Omega Battleship. I really like the battleship because it is bristling with weaponry - the three turrets near to the bow rotate in unison which looks both impressive and menacing at the same time. There are also firing missiles on the largest gun, and then another gun to the stern. It's a slightly incongruous mode in the Transformers universe but I guess he can always hang out with Broadside. Then there is the Omega Train which is also pretty nice, were it not for the previously-mentioned bright red areas. There are 3 small cranes as well as the massive rear crane, which adds significantly to the play value of this toy. These 2 individual vehicles can be combined to form a mega-massive combined trousersnake train thingy but frankly I don't have room to photograph such a large object. There are also 3rd modes for the 2 sections, one being a crane and one being a weapons platform. Both of these kinda resemble Omega split in half and leaning over, which is appropriate because they are just that.



Transformation 6/10
Transforming this figure is pretty much the matter of bisecting the poor chap at the torso, which may come in handy if I decide that he and Bludgeon should have a fight. Other than this the legs and arms are moved about a bit, and that's pretty much it. For some reason Hasbro determine that this is an 'advanced' transformation - not sure if moving a few bits around justifies that categorisation. Oh yes and the head sinks into the surrounding plate and the whole thing is swivelled out of sight. Not necessarily a bad thing though, a bit of simplicity.



Poseability 6/10
I feel like this figure is missing some key articulation especially when they had such a large dude to work with. The head is on a swivel, there is no waist swivel though, which is pretty forgivable. There is front-to-back and side-to-side jointing in the shoulder, as well as elbow swivel and forearm rotation. The claw actually has 'knuckles' and is surprisingly poseable with the abilty to grip even small objects. The hips are articulated as per the shoulders, and the knees are jointed with lower leg swivel. So why the low mark? Because there is no bicep or thigh swivel. This severely limits poseability and is a real shame because the centre of gravity and other articulation have the potential to make this great.



Durability 9/10
This figure would probably become shelter for Cockroaches in the event of nuclear destruction. It is incredibly solid, in part due to its simplicity and also sheer mass. The plastic feels a world away from more recent Hasbro offerings and I'm sure could stand up to much battering at the hands of an overzealous child.



Overall - 36/50
This huge figure should be added without consideration to any collection, unless space is of a real concern. It really is an example of Hasbro maximising the potential of moulds from other lines and making them work perfectly with a few tweaks. This may be the best we can hope for in these austere times. I just hope that they do the same with their Unicron trilogy versions of Scorponok and Metroplex so there are a few more classic names ticked off the list. This is a great homage to an imposing (albeit cowardly, if you subscribe to my controversial beliefs) Autobot legend.

Very nice review, and good clean photos.. as usual.
I like looking at you skilled collectors, always a treat.

Cheers pal! Do you think you will buy him and feature him in your 'amazing adventures of Dennis and Bruce?' Nice update by the way, that Grimlock scares me too

He really really REALLY would not fit anywhere in my flat.
Was this a Kapow purchase?

I'm getting close to a halt with collecting, at least for a bit, so I doubt I'd buy him. He does look very cool though. And I mean very.


(Sent you a PM, by the way.)