San Diego Comic Con 2024 is fast approaching and we’re now getting a whole slew of convention exclusive items. For Transformers, they will continue their recent IDW-inspired sets, with the most recent being Nova Prime. This time, they seem to be taking inspiration from the upcoming Transformers One film as they will be focusing on Optimus Prime and Megatron before they become the fateful leaders of the Autobots and Decepticons respectively.
This is the “Friendship Fractured” 2-pack, which includes the aforementioned characters as Security Officer Orion Pax and Gladiator Megatron, which I think were based on their appearances in the Chaos Theory storyline. If you’ve been active in the third-party figure scene recently, then Orion Pax should be very familiar as this is also the design inspiration for Mastermind Creations’ Optus Pexus, one of the best unofficial Transformers figures out there both for its extreme articulation and overall play value.
Both Orion Pax and Megatron are Voyager class releases, with Orion Pax being an extensive retool of the Gamer Edition War for Cybertron Optimus Prime while Megatron is yet another reuse of the Siege Megatron figure, a mold many believe should be retired already. I mainly collect Optimus Prime figures so I’ll just take a look at Orion Pax.
Who would’ve though they’ll be able to use WFC Optimus Prime and turn it into this version of Orion Pax from the comics? But here we are, and we do see the reasons they picked this mold. Both are Cybertronnian forms so they do have similarities in both robot and vehicle modes. Though the designs are entirely different so while the engineering would be familiar, the overall look should be unique to this figure.
The Studio Series – Gamer Edition subline doesn’t have the best reputation from collectors at the moment, but you can’t deny that WFC Optimus Prime is one of the best out there, and Orion Pax over here definitely benefits the use of that mold. And while the original is from a very bulked up design, they were able to retool it and give a slenderer profile. That said, there are compromises, like the expected backpack and how the shoulders look a little too far from the main torso. But regardless, these shouldn’t hamper articulation, which is one of the best aspects of that mold.
For weapons, Orion Pax only comes with an Ion Blaster, and this is likely a reuse of the WFC Optimus Prime’s version. Though obviously this figure doesn’t have the removable arm feature so they have included a handle for the blaster.
As the standard for Optimus Prime figures nowadays, this guy, despite still being Orion Pax, does come with a Matrix of Leadership and I think this is the exact same one that came with WFC Optimus. Even the sculpted details on the matrix chamber are from the original. But regardless, I do appreciate the detail and if ever they release the Stormbringer version of Optimus Prime, which would be a slight change of this retool, then the inclusion of a Matrix would make much more sense.
The same stuff I mentioned above is also applicable to the vehicle mode. Though this is also where I see the most differences between the official Hasbro version and Optus Pexus. Especially in the colors as this guy has a more pastel color palette while Optus Pexus is more vibrant and has deeper colors. I was about to say that this is supposedly cheaper, but I remembered that this is an SDCC 2024 exclusive.
The “Friendship Fractured” 2-Pack is going to be available at the Hasbro booth during SDCC, with each priced at $74.99. It will be sold in limited quantities during the convention with equally limited stock being made available at Hasbro Pulse after the convention. So, if you’ve dealt with SDCC-exclusive items previously, then do the same for this guy as convention season (and the exclusives) are definitely back.
Transformers Generations – Legacy: United “Friendship Fractured” 2-Pack
Summer 2024 / $74.99
San Diego Comic Con 2024 Exclusive
