So how many times will Hasbro sell you this Optimus Prime mold? Between this clear blue Super Bot, the single Launcher, the Matrix pack launcher, Nemesis Prime, and the standard carded version, I've got five. Two of those five are skippable, but this is one I'd suggest you actually go get. Optimus Prime, as far as I know, is rarely (or never) rendered in clear blue plastic and it's a real gem to see. The painted silver face plate and yellow eyes look great on the head, although the whole thing being blue is a little bizarre to take in.
Packaged in robot mode, transformation is spring-loaded as always. The main difference is that the new figures in this wave plus their companion multi-packs from the same time are a bit more difficult to work with than the earlier ones, at least in my findings. Hitting the bumper does not necessarily trigger a smooth transformation as much.
The great Matt Doughty points out that most good clear plastic figures will glow in sunlight, and dang if he isn't right. On the drive home from the store, this figure lit up in his packaging while my long-suffering wife drove and I gawked at my new kill on the retail aisle. Clear figures require a certain level of display-fu, if they are not lit properly they won't look all that hot. At the same time, if they get too much light, there's a chance they might fade like a lot of Kenner's 1990s-era lightsaber accessories. So be careful, is what I'm saying.
The light blue plastic is much clearer than some of the other Super Bot figures, giving him a more skeletal, schematic-like look in a dark room when placed in front of my computer monitor. It's funny, there's a chance this figure was a little cheaper to produce due to the lack of deco, but if Hasbro sold it for $10 as a convention exclusive I'd probably say "OK, not a problem." This one really does feel more like a premium piece worth chasing down rather than another clear redeco, like truck Megatron. I like it a lot, you should get it if you can score one for four bucks. Clear blue definitely works for Optimus Prime, I'd love to see this plastic applied to a full-size deluxe or voyager toy in the future.
Troubleshooting Note: There are two screws on each figure's chest. If you tighten these, the trigger is a little jumpier. If you loosen it, it weakens it a bit. Depending on how well the figures do (or don't) spring up, you may want to keep a screwdriver around to adjust them to your liking. The later releases seem to be a little more touchy, not wanting to transform right out of the box. Your mileage will undoubtedly vary.
--Adam Pawlus
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