Hasbro and Takara Tomy have been doing their own collaboration projects with the Transformers brand, with the former through the Transformers Collaborative line and the latter with pretty much whatever they decide to do. Following Optimus Prime R5 as the 2023 collaboration figure, Takara Tomy has announced what’s in store for 2024. And it’s something that’s more novel, and you might even say, purposeful.
Takara Tomy has been working with JAXA, or the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, to develop SORA-Q, an ultracompact transformable lunar robot which utilizes engineering provided by Takara Tomy’s expertise in miniaturization inspired by Transformers. Since they’re already in the subject of Transformers, there’s a perfect opportunity for the next collaboration item. And so, we have Lunar Cruiser Prime.
Lunar Cruiser Prime is inspired by, as the name suggests, the Lunar Cruiser vehicle — a manned pressurized lunar rover utilizing fuel cells as seen with the solar panels above. If it’s not obvious, it’s a new mold but I won’t be surprised if it has some of the engineering seen in previous Optimus Prime releases.
There’s no specific size class given to this guy, though I’m inclined to think Lunar Cruiser Prime will be around the same Voyager class size or some variation in robot mode. Both hands have fingers that open as a single piece, and you can see a rather long heel spur to support the backpack weight. You can also mount the solar panels either on the backpack or on the right shoulder. Lastly, you can see the Matrix of Leadership within the windshield chest piece.
As mentioned earlier, the vehicle mode is based on the JAXA Lunar Cruiser, and I really like how “peaceful” this vehicle looks. It’s also a dichotomy of what Optimus Prime usually represents, being a leader of a faction at war. So, it’s like Optimus Prime is promoting peace and exploration and scientific knowledge with this form. The solar panels are also attachable to the side of the vehicle to look like they’re deployed.
There’s also a Campfire (i.e., Japanese Kickstarter) running from June 8 to July 17 and those who’ll back the figure through this crowdsourcing campaign will have the chance to get additional items, like a dedicated display stand, or having your name announced by the Japanese voice of Optimus Prime as one of the backers. You can check the link here if you’re interested.
While I liked Optimus Prime R5 for 2023, Lunar Cruiser Prime for 2024 is a much better Transformers collaboration figure. It has much more meaning and has actual real-world applications thanks to SORA-Q. Which means a definite purchase for me. In the meantime, here’s the promo video they released for this Lunar Cruiser Prime.
Transformers Lunar Cruiser Prime
March 2024 / ¥10,000
