Universe Nemesis Prime

Robot Mode: The classic Optimus Prime head (only in a darker tone of blue) is the only thing about this robot that invokes resemblance to the Autobot leader. The rest is an original body (or as original as a repaint can be) and immediately shows that Nemesis is a shell former. The outer hull parts of his Mammoth mode adorn his legs, hips, arms and shoulders. The tusks give him an enormous width in the shoulders, making him look bigger and broader than he actually is. Posability is very good and while the color scheme is a bit lighter than I would have preferred for what is essentially a dark clone of a good character, it still manages to look very decent. What's the deal with the peace symbols on his thighs, though? Well, better than the Maximal symbol on his chest. He's a Decepticon, isn't he?

Anyway, Nemesis sports an array of weaponry. Gun barrels unfold from his forearms, missiles can be launched from the shell plating on his shins, and the trunk/back part of his Mammoth mode becomes a humongous missile launcher. He also has a Matrix stored inside his chest. Obviously not the Matrix of Leadership, it is colored dark and called "Dead Matrix" according to the box. He can take it out and hold it with both hands.

All in all Nemesis is a very good robot toy, posable and with quite a few fun features. The shell parts of his Mammoth mode all fold away nicely and out of the way, so no complaints here, either.

Beast Mode: Nemesis Prime transforms into big wooly mammoth. Now, a mammoth isn't exactly the first animal I think of when wondering what a big, scary robot should transform into, but they did a decent job making it look scary. The dark fur, the deep red eyes, the blood-stained tips of his tusks, all combine to make one scary-looking mammoth. The entire thing is a shell, really, and looks very patchwork, but it all comes together quite nicely. The mammoth is pretty much a brick, but it does hold some features. The ears flap, the tail rises, the trunk can be moved using a lever on top of the head, and when pulling back the ears the tusks move. Bottom line, a very good beast mode.

Remarks: Nemesis Prime is a repaint of the Japanese Exclusive Big Convoy, the Maximal leader from the Beast Wars Neo series. I never saw that series, but whatever. There have been some Nemesis Primes, evil clones of Optimus Prime, but seldom have they looked more sinister than this one. I don't know how he fits into the Universe story (what there is of it), but Nemesis Prime is one evil-looking toy, so I wanted him. Now if only they had taken the time to replace the Maximal symbol with a Decepticon crest ... well, can't have everything.

Rating: B+