Galaxy Force Vector Prime

Prelude: Our worlds are in danger! And according to Vector Prime, the only way to save them is to find the four Cyber Planet Keys before the Decepticons can use them for evil. Of course in Galaxy Force they were called Planet Forces, not Cyber Planet Keys, but the rest was pretty much the same. Way back in 2005 I wrote a review about Cybertron Vector Prime, but now the Takara Galaxy Force version of the character has come into my possession. So seeing as it’s been 17 years, I think we can indulge in another review of the mold. Let’s say go!

Robot Mode: Vector Prime is a Voyager-sized robot (by 2005 standards, easily Leader-Class size by today’s). His entire design is set to evoke the image of an old, armored knight. One of the major complaints many people had about the white and dark-brown Hasbro version of this figure was that those colors didn’t really show the insane amount of detailing that went into this figure. Almost every inch of this guy is covered in sculpted detail such as gears, lines, gears, glyphs, and yet more gears. The grey, gold, and rust-red colors of the Takara versions do a much better job of making them visible, though the grey still swallows up some of it. Still, look-wise Vector Prime is absolutely brilliant. And he basically has the Autobot symbol for a face, too.

Vector Prime is nicely articulated, about as well as you could expect a figure to be at that time. No twisting wrists or foot swivels and he is missing a twisting hip, too, but he can move well enough to pull off all kinds of sword fighter moves. One thing I really adore about his guy: every single joint is tight and moves with a satisfying click-click-click sound. It’s the little things sometimes. Vector Prime also comes with sound effects. Raising his right arm triggers a laser blast sound. Entering his Force Chip / Cyberkey into his chest slot activates a charging sound and changes the right arm sound from laser to sword clash sound. Not something I really needed, but nice.

As befits an old knight, Vector Prime carries a large sword for his main weapon. The sword, like the solar panel wings on his back, are made of much firmer plastic here on the Takara version than on the Hasbro version. The Hasbro figure has a bit problem with the sword and wings bending easily (especially if you kept him in a box for a while and the wings weren’t snug against the figure), so I much prefer the Takara version here. Vector Prime also has a gun in the form of his Mini-Con companion Rook (called Safeguard in Cybertron).

Overall the figure is, of course, the same one as the Hasbro version, but the far superior paint job and the better plastic quality for the sword and wings elevate it quite a bit. So two thumbs up here, a truly superb robot mode.

Alternate Mode: A rather simple transformation turns Vector Prime from a robot into a space jet. The intricate detailing of this figure becomes even more visible here, as you can see the sculpted gears and glyphs all over the surface of the jet, including a sculpted sword symbol on the jet’s nose. Very nicely done. Despite carrying a bit of an undercarriage (the legs of the robot mode), the jet still manages to look pretty sleek and the solar-panel wings work surprisingly well.

Vector Prime is well-armed in this mode. Apart from sculpted guns on his underbelly (basically his toes) and Rook’s ability to dock in top of him, he also has a missile launcher built into the jet’s nose. The Cyberkey can be inserted in this mode just as well as in robot mode, no changes. The jet even has a landing gear of sorts, non-retractable little wheels on the underside. You barely notice them, but Vector Prime can roll across the floor with them just fine. Vector’s sword is stored in the left side of the cockpit, slotting into place with only a tiny part jutting out to form a stabilizer.

Overall I really adore this space jet mode. It looks ancient and science-fiction-like at the same time and brings out the incredible detailing of this figure. Very nicely done. Okay, you can kind of see the robot fists if you look at it from the back, but that’s just about the only downside. Apart from that: no complaints.

Partner: Vector Prime’s Mini-Con partner Rook transforms from a very well-articulated little robot (elbows, knees, and moveable toes) into a kind of gun-jet, is the best way I can describe it. It’s basically a space jet, but instead of a nose it has a huge gun out front with a slightly smaller gun beside it. It does work well as both a gun and a jet, though. Definitely one of my favorite Mini-Cons from the entire Unicron Trilogy.

Remarks: Vector Prime was one of the main characters of Galaxy Force / Cybertron. He guided Optimus Prime and the Autobots on their search for the Cyber Planetkeys, giving his life to help them complete their mission and defeat the threat of the Black Hole and Master Galvatron. He has reappeared many times since, now established as one of the original 13 Transformers and the Custodian of Time.

Cybertron / Galaxy Force was a toyline where the differences between the paint jobs of Hasbro and Takara figures ranged from practically non-existent (Wing Saber, for example) to pretty extensive, like Vector Prime here. While the Hasbro version is pretty good, the Takara version easily edges it out with a much more detail-friendly paint job and better plastic quality for the sword and wings. Plus, this is how Vector Prime actually looked in the cartoon, too. So bottom line: a great toy in either version, but if you have the choice, you should go for the Takara version.

Rating: A-