Emerje wrote:The PotP mold gets a no from me. I voted for Optimus Primal in the poll, not Optimal Optimus.
I agree hence why the mold in it's original colours would never have made this list. Throne of the Primes was interesting though. Stargrave asked between the two which is better and it's hard to say since while they are both the same design, the toys are very different and they each have their pros and cons.
Original Optimal Optimus is a more solid feeling toy, and really attracts your eyes with the chrome, plus he is really imposing. However, the exploding arms don't add much for me, he has odd proportions and I am not a fan of there being no effort for any variation in the legs between both molds.
The POTP version fixes all those mentioned flaws. The exploding forearms are dealt with, he has better proportions in both robot and beast mode and the legs do undergo an extra transformation step to make the gorilla a bit more distinctive. But he feels cheap and thus becomes a lot more like a discount Op Op (plus he has one less mode, not that I car for that mode much). But he has that evolution gimmick and I feel it works better with the throne of the prime colours since we get our black and grey gorilla from our black and grey mini robot. So it becomes more of an homage than redoing Op Op and I appreciate that much more.
And Emerje, our top 5 lists are very very close with the only difference being POTP Op Op replaced by TM1 Primal. That is the one toy people have been saying that's truly missing from the list and I get it. However, this is all subjective and truth be told, I don't like that toy. Maybe it's because as with Optimus minor or TMII Cheetor my thoughts on it have not changed from when I first experience them as a kid. And as kid, I had major issues with TM1 Primal, on a design level. I just don't like the full on reversal of organic and robotic on that toy. It was a theme in the transmetal toys (like cheetor having the traditional cheetah spots on his robot mode instead) but Optimus took is to a whole other level. You switch these cool robot hands for monkey hands when he becomes the robot, what?! Plus that face has all that weird musculature with the brow, it's just off putting. I remember transforming him by simply keeping him with his beast mode chest (that blue looks great) and giving him the robot head turning it backwards to be alligned with the beast chest, and straightening out the legs. That looked better to me.
Anyways, all to say that while I was impressed by the look of many Optimus Primal toys, that TM1 never did it for me.
Oh and Emerje, you didn't use the TR deluxe either, is he not good enough to be on the list?
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