The Energon Pub

One of my TF buying habits is if they make an Optimus Prime with a trailer I will buy it. So I was pumped when I found out DOTM would be a veritable trailer revival with three different size classes of Prime coming with a trailer. As soon as they announced Takara's Voyager version would come with a trailer I knew that was the one I wanted for my collection. So it arrived last week from BBTS and the first thing I did was transform Prime so I could display him in 18 wheeler mode, that's when I noticed something odd. I'm sure some of you guys have already pointed this out in the various other topics about this figure, but I somehow managed to miss it. Takara Prime has a rather noticeable hole going right through is engine compartment in truck mode. I didn't recall noticing this on the Hasbro version, so I referenced the Seibertron gallery as sure enough the Hasbro version has extra molding to cover the hole.





Why Takara would go the the trouble of remolding the fuel tanks to make them more real world accurate and at the same time remold these panels to make them less real world accurate is beyond me. Perhaps the Takara version uses an older version of the mold that Hasbro decided to modify for their version, who knows? I trucked it on down to Wal-Mart and bought a Hasbro Voyager Prime and swapped the panels. They pop off easily with the help of a small screw driver. So now my Takara Prime no longer has a hole in his engine compartment and has a cool new MechTech weapon to add to his arsenal. I'll probably just give the extra Hasbro Prime sans his weapon to nephew or one of my friends' kids. Just thought I would share.

I didn't quite realize how different the molds were. I haven't shipped mine yet, but besides the gun, fuel tanks, and solar panels, it looks like the whole top of the cabin is remolded, too. Is the head any different? I can't tell if it's just paint apps or remolding.

Nice job finding a solution! It is pretty strange that Takara would leave it like that. Does this issue definitely exist on all the Takara ones or was yours misassembled perhaps? Well, and Ryan's, so I guess it must be how it's intended to be.

Razorclaw0000 wrote:I didn't quite realize how different the molds were. I haven't shipped mine yet, but besides the gun, fuel tanks, and solar panels, it looks like the whole top of the cabin is remolded, too. Is the head any different? I can't tell if it's just paint apps or remolding.

Yep the entire roof of the "sleeper" has been remolded. I think the heads are the same out side of the lighter blue light piping in the Takara version. I just don't see why they didn't use the Hasbro side panels.