KO Cybertron Optimus Prime Review - lotsa pics!
Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 4:24 amnote: I would have posted this in the knockoff thread, but with lotsa pictures coming up, and this being a very long review, I decided to give this toy its own thread.
I'm a certified "geewunner." I love the simplicity of the old G1 designs, the clean blocky robot modes, and the uncluttered earth mode vehicles.
The newer G1 toys have utilized a more "cybertronian" approach in their alt modes, and I appreciate these, but not as much as the old G1.
Then came Beast Wars, RID, Armada, Energon, etc...
And of course, with these new series came more complicated designs. And with complicated designs came more complicated Primes which, taking their cue from G1 Ultra Magnus, and the Powermaster Prime, also had the ability to connect with their trailers.
And sometimes, the gimmick just doesn't end there.
Personally, I just think of these new gimmicks as too "Power Rangers." I'd rather have the old style Prime with the trailer that just transforms into a battle station and leave it at that. But hey, there's this thing we call progress, right?
Anyways, this is why I'm surprised that I find myself dropping my jaw over Cybertron Prime.
Not that I'd justify that, but, seeing the Cyberton Series toys, I see a direct connection with the newer G1 toys, but with better articulation!
Most of the head sculpts and body designs are close to the G1 motif. Optimus Prime, of course looked badass.
Cybertron Optimus Prime's robot form is cool. The Super robot form is coolest. Heck, the jetpack/wings look clunky and too much, but I'd still love to get one!
Seeing online toy galleries confirmed one thing, however. Cybertron Prime is too gimmicky. The "truck with wings" mode looks too Power Rangers.
And the Cybertronian truck form alt mode is not really my cup of tea.
I just love the robot mode.
Then I learned that there's a bootleg of this Prime. Nice!
And one evening, I saw it. In perhaps the biggest blister pack in bootleg history...
The only thing bigger than this blister pack would be the silly smile on my face on my way home.
But will this smile last? Will disappointment set in?
PACKAGING
This is it. With a card as big as probably a half of illustration board. There were two versions on sale, this complete one, and the other version, with only Prime minus the trailer.
Behind the card, are the instructions. No words were printed. Only the pictures.
OPEN THE PACK!
KO Cyb Prime came with these cardboard whatevers which I quickly forgot where I placed. Not that it matters.
The first things that fell from the pack - an extra missile, and a cyber planet key.
... or at least half of a cyber planet key. Unles all cyber planet keys are hollow at the back.
FIRST PLAY!
And here's the toy. Pretty impressive! And yes, overall, it would fool someone into thinking that it's an original!
The ugly impressions start.
The chest windows are loose, held in place by a rubberband. The head "fins" that fold out at the sides are made from soft, bad, rubbery plastic, and will always detach when you flip them. The mouthplate also won't attach to the face.
Hmmm... big feet. I love it.
The backpack.
Man, those big guns sure are loose! The battery-operated gun is operational, but the "lower jaw" is very loose!
Prime himself. Pretty solid and stable. Except for the chest windows.
I tried transforming Prime without looking at the instructions. Simple and straightforward process - basically Prime assumes the hostage/kidnap victim postion - sitting down with arms tied behind his back.
Also tried connecting the trailer. IT won't freakin' fit!
Now here's the rest of the review...
TRAILER / JETPACK
Now, the stall where I got this KO had 2 versions - one is this, the whole complete enchilada, and the second, only the robot without the jetpack and the extra parts you need to make him Super Prime. Price difference is around 2-4$, depends if you could haggle with the price.
I opted for the complete Prime since I want the whole thing!
But unfortunately, this trailer bears the brunt of all the shoddy craftsmanship.
First, the good thing-
This laser gun actually lights up and makes sounds when you press the button! Too bad that the lower jaw is very loose.
But hey, if the manufacturers actually put in the effort to include the light and sound effects, why not put some effort into making this part decent enough like the whole toy?
Anyways, this trailer does a good job in jetpack mode. It fits the robot with no problem at all.
The problem is when fitting this into the truck. Here's a pic showing the problem.
See the screws? These block the blue parts, hindering the pegs to connect with the holes.
Those screws would also screw up another mode, which is the battle station.
Again, the pegs can't meet up with the holes.
Finding flatter screws could be an easy fix, but the whole assembly is screwed up.
Here's the best I could do with the battle station.
TRUCK MODE
Man, this is one loooong truck.
Anyways, after much adjustment, the jetpack still won't fit over the truck. Here's the best I could do.
And here's a rear shot. I took out two of the screws so the trailer would open up enough.
A close shot of the cab.
And the loose "lower jaw" of the laser gun. I'd also like to add that inserting the planet key in any slot won't activate anything.
In truck mode, this bootleg is not as solid as the robot mode. The front cab, for example, won't lock into place. Also, some of the wheels do not touch the ground.
ROBOT MODE
Now, I mentioned earlier how I loved Cybertron Prime's robot mode design, and man, this bootleg delivers! Solid, stable, and perfect except for the very loose front chest windows.
This is the gun. Reminds me of LEader Class Movie Prime's gun. Sure it has the switch, sure it can fit one missile, but the spring does not work. Not that I care, really. I prefer the gun without any missiles attached to it.
The good news is that this bootleg still has the matrix.
The mouthplate won't attach properly in place, and I had to disassemble the whole robot just to do some small adjustments.
The headsculpt also suffers from bad paint application. This is easily remedied, however. The shoulder armor which forms the front cab are also a bit loose, but the main gripe in robot mode would be the very loose front chest windows.
SUPER ROBOT MODE
Cool! Badass! Great!
There are only a few things I can say about this mode.
1) The knee joints can't take the weight when the jetpack is attached. The toy becomes top heavy.
2) The loose joints of the jetpack's guns make don't help the stability of the toy, and while it makes Prime look badass, it is clunky, tedious, and just makes life difficult.
3) The poseability and articulation becomes a bit limited with the jetpack.
Which brings us to the next part...
TRUCK, ROBOT OR SUPER ROBOT MODE?
Really, for me I'd say Robot or Super Robot. The problem only with the Super Robot mode is the jetpack. But i like the additional height Prime has in Super mode. It makes him more intimidating and fearsome, ready to lay waste on the battlefield!
So I'd say Super Robot Mode without the Jetpack!
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you have the extra cash, sure, pick this one up. But don't let small kids play with this. Exercise caution in handling it. The plastic is a little bit on the brittle side, decent enough for smaller bootlegs, but this is one huge knockoff. Customizers would also love playing around with this toy. Somehow, it reminds me of Nova Prime.
PROS:
- Stable and solid in robot mode
- Good colors
- Bootleg matrix
CONS:
- Some assembly issues
- Some parts won't fit
- Very very bad jetpack assembly
- The freakin' front chest windows are very loose!
- knee joints can't handle the weight when jetpack is attached
- Some other parts are very loose
- Can't attach trailer part to truck
RATING:
3 of 5
Just an average bootleg. It has WOW factor, but let down by bad assembly of important parts.
I'm a certified "geewunner." I love the simplicity of the old G1 designs, the clean blocky robot modes, and the uncluttered earth mode vehicles.
The newer G1 toys have utilized a more "cybertronian" approach in their alt modes, and I appreciate these, but not as much as the old G1.
Then came Beast Wars, RID, Armada, Energon, etc...
And of course, with these new series came more complicated designs. And with complicated designs came more complicated Primes which, taking their cue from G1 Ultra Magnus, and the Powermaster Prime, also had the ability to connect with their trailers.
And sometimes, the gimmick just doesn't end there.
Personally, I just think of these new gimmicks as too "Power Rangers." I'd rather have the old style Prime with the trailer that just transforms into a battle station and leave it at that. But hey, there's this thing we call progress, right?
Anyways, this is why I'm surprised that I find myself dropping my jaw over Cybertron Prime.
Not that I'd justify that, but, seeing the Cyberton Series toys, I see a direct connection with the newer G1 toys, but with better articulation!
Most of the head sculpts and body designs are close to the G1 motif. Optimus Prime, of course looked badass.
Cybertron Optimus Prime's robot form is cool. The Super robot form is coolest. Heck, the jetpack/wings look clunky and too much, but I'd still love to get one!
Seeing online toy galleries confirmed one thing, however. Cybertron Prime is too gimmicky. The "truck with wings" mode looks too Power Rangers.
And the Cybertronian truck form alt mode is not really my cup of tea.
I just love the robot mode.
Then I learned that there's a bootleg of this Prime. Nice!
And one evening, I saw it. In perhaps the biggest blister pack in bootleg history...
The only thing bigger than this blister pack would be the silly smile on my face on my way home.
But will this smile last? Will disappointment set in?
PACKAGING
This is it. With a card as big as probably a half of illustration board. There were two versions on sale, this complete one, and the other version, with only Prime minus the trailer.
Behind the card, are the instructions. No words were printed. Only the pictures.
OPEN THE PACK!
KO Cyb Prime came with these cardboard whatevers which I quickly forgot where I placed. Not that it matters.
The first things that fell from the pack - an extra missile, and a cyber planet key.
... or at least half of a cyber planet key. Unles all cyber planet keys are hollow at the back.
FIRST PLAY!
And here's the toy. Pretty impressive! And yes, overall, it would fool someone into thinking that it's an original!
The ugly impressions start.
The chest windows are loose, held in place by a rubberband. The head "fins" that fold out at the sides are made from soft, bad, rubbery plastic, and will always detach when you flip them. The mouthplate also won't attach to the face.
Hmmm... big feet. I love it.
The backpack.
Man, those big guns sure are loose! The battery-operated gun is operational, but the "lower jaw" is very loose!
Prime himself. Pretty solid and stable. Except for the chest windows.
I tried transforming Prime without looking at the instructions. Simple and straightforward process - basically Prime assumes the hostage/kidnap victim postion - sitting down with arms tied behind his back.
Also tried connecting the trailer. IT won't freakin' fit!
Now here's the rest of the review...
TRAILER / JETPACK
Now, the stall where I got this KO had 2 versions - one is this, the whole complete enchilada, and the second, only the robot without the jetpack and the extra parts you need to make him Super Prime. Price difference is around 2-4$, depends if you could haggle with the price.
I opted for the complete Prime since I want the whole thing!
But unfortunately, this trailer bears the brunt of all the shoddy craftsmanship.
First, the good thing-
This laser gun actually lights up and makes sounds when you press the button! Too bad that the lower jaw is very loose.
But hey, if the manufacturers actually put in the effort to include the light and sound effects, why not put some effort into making this part decent enough like the whole toy?
Anyways, this trailer does a good job in jetpack mode. It fits the robot with no problem at all.
The problem is when fitting this into the truck. Here's a pic showing the problem.
See the screws? These block the blue parts, hindering the pegs to connect with the holes.
Those screws would also screw up another mode, which is the battle station.
Again, the pegs can't meet up with the holes.
Finding flatter screws could be an easy fix, but the whole assembly is screwed up.
Here's the best I could do with the battle station.
TRUCK MODE
Man, this is one loooong truck.
Anyways, after much adjustment, the jetpack still won't fit over the truck. Here's the best I could do.
And here's a rear shot. I took out two of the screws so the trailer would open up enough.
A close shot of the cab.
And the loose "lower jaw" of the laser gun. I'd also like to add that inserting the planet key in any slot won't activate anything.
In truck mode, this bootleg is not as solid as the robot mode. The front cab, for example, won't lock into place. Also, some of the wheels do not touch the ground.
ROBOT MODE
Now, I mentioned earlier how I loved Cybertron Prime's robot mode design, and man, this bootleg delivers! Solid, stable, and perfect except for the very loose front chest windows.
This is the gun. Reminds me of LEader Class Movie Prime's gun. Sure it has the switch, sure it can fit one missile, but the spring does not work. Not that I care, really. I prefer the gun without any missiles attached to it.
The good news is that this bootleg still has the matrix.
The mouthplate won't attach properly in place, and I had to disassemble the whole robot just to do some small adjustments.
The headsculpt also suffers from bad paint application. This is easily remedied, however. The shoulder armor which forms the front cab are also a bit loose, but the main gripe in robot mode would be the very loose front chest windows.
SUPER ROBOT MODE
Cool! Badass! Great!
There are only a few things I can say about this mode.
1) The knee joints can't take the weight when the jetpack is attached. The toy becomes top heavy.
2) The loose joints of the jetpack's guns make don't help the stability of the toy, and while it makes Prime look badass, it is clunky, tedious, and just makes life difficult.
3) The poseability and articulation becomes a bit limited with the jetpack.
Which brings us to the next part...
TRUCK, ROBOT OR SUPER ROBOT MODE?
Really, for me I'd say Robot or Super Robot. The problem only with the Super Robot mode is the jetpack. But i like the additional height Prime has in Super mode. It makes him more intimidating and fearsome, ready to lay waste on the battlefield!
So I'd say Super Robot Mode without the Jetpack!
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you have the extra cash, sure, pick this one up. But don't let small kids play with this. Exercise caution in handling it. The plastic is a little bit on the brittle side, decent enough for smaller bootlegs, but this is one huge knockoff. Customizers would also love playing around with this toy. Somehow, it reminds me of Nova Prime.
PROS:
- Stable and solid in robot mode
- Good colors
- Bootleg matrix
CONS:
- Some assembly issues
- Some parts won't fit
- Very very bad jetpack assembly
- The freakin' front chest windows are very loose!
- knee joints can't handle the weight when jetpack is attached
- Some other parts are very loose
- Can't attach trailer part to truck
RATING:
3 of 5
Just an average bootleg. It has WOW factor, but let down by bad assembly of important parts.
