United Optimus Prime

Review by Laserwave13:

Prelude: New Toyline, new fortune. Seeing as the War for Cybertron toys hit like a bomb under the Hasbro Generations banner, it wasn’t much of a surprise when Takara finally announced the United toy line and that it would start with the WFC toys. Let us take a closer look whether it was even possible to improve on WFC Optimus Prime, which is by itself a simply amazing figure. Also, for a complete comparison, take a look on the Generations toy and the full review made by Phil himself.

Packaging: First I’d like to apologize here, because by the time of this review the figure was already unpacked and on display, while the blister had already been disposed of. So there are only pictures of the card and what was inside. Once again including something that once was a collectors’ card.

Alternate Mode: He comes packaged like this and that means you unpack and marvel at the wonder you have in hand. The complete front section is painted metallic red. We already know that from Takara’s take on the Animated toys. But this time they have done it right and did not paint it only halfway. A beautiful red and it really shines like a new car. How this fits the theme of an ongoing war on Cybertron I leave to you, but you can not deny how amazing this looks. Apart from that he also has a darker windshield (or whatever it is called on a Cybertronian car) and the front grill is painted silver. Everything else remains unchanged. And it still looks stupid to mount his gun on top of the vehicle, so we shall skip pictures of it. All in all, this round goes to Takara and Japan, the land and origin of „Mister Sparkle“.

Robot Mode: Now this comes a little bit closer to what we know from Animated Japan. Figures half painted and half plastic colour. But Takara did better here, the paint is really, really close to the actual plastic colour. So the paint does not stand out nearly as much as it did with Animated. Hard to catch on the pictures, though. It looks a lot better in hand. Regarding silver paint, well, do not look for any since there is none. The darker chest windows on the other hand do shine here as well as all the supposed light-up lines and parts. They are darker as well, but do stand out more.

A wonderful detail that was included is the red lines on his mouth plate, just amazing. That is what I call detail. Otherwise, new Autobot symbols, a lot of shiny parts, and the same weapon that the Hasbro Version comes with. Meaning there is this stupid spring gimmick that nobody needs. If you plug the gun into his arm you may get the idea of the gun coming out of his arm like it was in the game, but you can also mount it on his wheels behind his head if you prefer shoulder-mounted weapons. All in all, the darker but again shinier appearance takes home the winning point.

Conclusion: Personally I just love the WFC design and especially this figure. No collection is complete without him, you should own at least one version. The Hasbro version is great, but Takara did a little bit better. But do consider, this is not a figure to be toyed around with. He has a pretty complex transformation and that requires you to watch out for paint chipping. So if you have the Hasbro version, be satisfied and happy to have this amazing figure. If you are still on the hunt and have both the choice and the financial means, then go for the United version of WFC Optimus Prime.

Rating: A-