Cybertron Universe Vector Prime Not as big, but grayer
Transformers Legacy Evolution Voyager
Item No.: Asst. F2991 No. F8546 Manufacturer:Hasbro Includes:Sword, mini key Action Feature:Transforms from robot to space ship Retail:$34.99 Availability: June 2024 Other: Ancient
Let Age of the Primes begin! Retroactively! Actually about 6 months ago. If you're collecting The Thirteen from Age of the Primes, this might be the version you want to get for the set. Or not. (I want this one.)
For reasons I don't know, a bunch of toys got slightly recolored for the American market in the early to mid 2000s. Some things were clearly budgetary - a dropped accessory here, a lost paint operation there - but Vector Prime came to the USA in a faded off-white, vaguely dark eggshell color as opposed to the gray of the Japanese toy or the cartoon. It's one of those things that is kind of hard to let go, and clearly someone at Hasbro felt the same way. The 2024 edition is much closer to Takara's original coloring, but the toy itself is a mix of new Vector Prime bits and recycled Jhiaxus [FOTD #2,469] elements. And it mostly works - in many respects it's a boxier, more G1-ified version of the old toy but that's not necessarily a bad move for one of few Transformers characters that shares a name with a Star Wars novel.
This is, of course, not necessarily sound reasoning to make a purchase. "I might want this in a year or ten" should not supplant "I want this now," but goodness knows I've had a few purchases that I look at now like "Well, I guess I didn't need this." This is not one of those toys - it's very fun right now.
Standing 7-inches tall to the original Vector Prime's 8-inches, it's impossible to not draw comparisons. The original toy had a rocket firing space ship mode, a Mini-con sidekick, and a larger, partially painted key that activated sound effects. He was wide, heavy, chunky, and $20 - but he didn't have jointed wrists, opening fingers, or rocking ankles. The new one also trades the more rubbery clear blue plastic we got in the USA for a stiffer material, which I would argue is a big improvement. Odds are those with the original Japanese toy will be happiest, but this new one is no slouch. Especially in the context of Hasbro suddenly being all chatty about The Thirteen in light of Transformers One. You're probably going to wish you bought this toy as soon as you see a Solus Prime or The Fallen toy. Real toys, not the mini Pretenders, which are fine as mini Pretenders.
When you put the new toy next to the old toy, it can be somewhat hard to completely favor progress. With a smaller toy and no ratcheting joints, the new Vector Prime is arguably a superior action figure, but less of an amazing Transformers toy. The new toy has ability to be posed, to engage in sword fights, and to be scaled with most of the current line - and that's good! The old one's cape from his wings and nosecone seemed to work better, but these elements made it harder to pose him. Articulation is one of those things I keep revisiting in toys, because there's "good" and "good enough" - if all you're going to do is transform it and pose it on your shelf, does it need to have every joint it could possibly have?
The sculpting is very good, but it also shows how we may be hitting an upper limit of what can be done with these materials. The new head looks a lot like the old head - the mustache looks good, the eyes are fine, the helmet is crisp, and the same can be said about the body. There are lots of intricate details making sure it looks like it's from an older generation, plus hits of gold and maroon, and hint of blue here and there. It all looks great, giving you a new figure that certainly gives a strong impression of the original toy without being identical. The forearms and legs are repurposed from Jhiaxus, but the shoulders, head, and torso all seem to be new. Most of this makes sense, but you can see some odd vestigial hinges on the back of his shins that were where Jhiaxus kept his weird green bat wings. They do seem out of place here, and it would have been good to include alternate parts or retool them away.
This isn't to say he's not improved. I like the shorter shoulder pads, and the lack of the kangaroo pouch key slot from the original makes him look a little less paunchy. The feet look less goofy without the tiny cannons, but I do miss the unique greaves from the original toy. Thanks to the coloring, everything hangs together well and I think most American collectors will want this one just because it's colored like they remember the character from the cartoon they may have watched, but I would also assume the fanbase is more familiar with the character from the wiki sites.
It's worth noting the accessories, too. The key can mount in three places - on his chest, in his back, or on the hilt of the sword. The sword itself can be held in his hand, or slung on his back. This time around, the sword has a differently colored hilt and is much shorter and sturdier than the original. I would say the original has more sculpted detail, but it's kind of hard to see unless you hold it up to the light. A stiffer sword is arguably the best way this could go.
Transformation is much like Jhiaxus, with more parts to explode out like the wing backpack and flip-around ship for the nose. It's mostly easy, but I used the instructions just in case something needed to be done in a specific order.
The space ship does not look as cool as the original toy, nor does it have all the action features. If you own a Safeguard Mini-Con, he can be mounted on the ship - but not the robot - and the shorter-nosed vehicle has no wing articulation or firing rocket. You can still hold it up and fly it around, though. The original toy's alt mode looks better overall, but I doubt most people are buying this toy for that mode. They just want a nice robot, and as far as American fans go, this 2024 edition is probably the better toy.
If you've got $35 to spare, it's worth it - and much cheaper than an original on the secondary market. I had initially passed this one, but liked how it looked in stores so I eventually ordered one from work. The head looks great, the chest pattern seems more intricate, and the painted trim looks better overall. If colors are your jam, this is the version to get - and the non-rubbery sword is a huge plus. I really do wish it kept the Mini-Con, and if it lost the tiny key I don't believe it would be missed. I assume a recolor is possible for late-adopters if the Thirteen comes to be a whole thing, but if you just want a nicely jointed (but smaller) robot that reminds you of a purchase you made in 2005, this is a pretty good (and easy to find) figure and he'll go great with Optimus or Hot Shot or any others they might trot out.
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