Product Line / Transformers Generations – Power of the Primes
Scale & Class / Leader Class Transformers Figure
Manufacturer / Hasbro & Takara Tomy
Release Date / 2018
Appearances / Transformers: Power of the Primes
For the third entry in the Prime Wars Trilogy, Power of the Primes introduced a new gimmick for its Leader class figures. Tagged with the “evolution” moniker, you are essentially getting two figures in each set. First is a smaller figure that represents the character you bought pre-evolution, and then there’s a larger unit that you combine to get the final evolution of said character. This is an entirely toy-centric gimmick that has nothing to do with the Power of the Primes story, but it does look good when it works. While I can’t guarantee the same for all “evolution” sets, it does work for Optimal Optimus, especially with the SDCC 2018-exclusive Throne of the Primes deco that uses the same colors as the original Optimus Primal design.
Optimal Optimus’ design is a significant departure from both the original and Transmetal versions of Optimus Primal because of story reasons, thus the name change. And while I appreciate all the nuances of its design, the color scheme is just all over the place. That’s why when I found out they’re doing an Optimus Primal-inspired deco for Power of the Primes Optimal Optimus, I immediately knew what version to get. Outside of the color swap, the figure is the same as the regular release. And while looking similar to the original, the transformation differs to accommodate the “evolution” feature with the smaller Optimus Primal figure which forms part of the torso and the hover board in beast mode. They also removed the ground-based vehicle mode of Optimus Primal, leaving the robot, beast, and flight modes.
Several accessories are also exclusive to the “Throne of the Primes” set. A Maximal crown befitting of the 2017 fan vote winner for the next Prime, the Scepter of Sparks where you’re able to attach four Prime Masters (set comes with Amalgamous Prime, Nexus Prime, Prima, The Thirteenth), and the Throne of the Primes itself which is a decorated cardboard throne Optimal Optimus can sit on. It also houses the Halo of Primus, a rotating insert at the back of the throne that can accommodate all Prime Masters. It’s a nifty display piece, albeit cheap. And as previously mentioned, this was originally an SDCC 2018-exclusive set, but Takara Tomy eventually sold it in Japanese retail.
