Generations: FoC Optimus Prime!

Finally got that itch!!!

Presenting the Transformers Fall of Cybertron Optimus Prime - wielding the 3rd Party Corbot V Optimus Prime Battle Axe.

Transformers Fall of Cybertron is the highly anticipated sequel to the very successful shooter Transformers War for Cybertron - the game that presented one of the most unique versions of Optimus Prime in the market. This Prime is one of the first characters released as a toy preceding the video-game in order to help drum up support along with Jazz and the Decepticon Shockwave.

I'm not so sure why they bothered with a re-make of a good-design (Maybe they read my comment about the War of Cybertron Optimus Prime having stubby arms). But change him they did, and here he is.


Transformers Fall of Cybertron Optimus Prime's blister card reads: "Transformers Generations: Fall of Cybertron Optimus Prime: Confronted with the inevitable decline of his howeworld into a long period of frozen, powerless hibernation, Optimus Prime faces a terrible choice: Stay and fight to the finish only to fall into stasis alongside his world; or evacuate, and hope the Decepticons pursue him into space so that the planet has time to heal."


The blister card puts his statistics at:

• Strength 10;
• Intelligence 8;
• Speed 7 - still a slowpoke;
• Endurance 10;
• Rank 10;
• Courage 10;
• Fireblast 9 - Remember how we talked about the Weaponizer Prime bringing out all his guns and only being at a 9 in terms of Fireblast? Well this Optimus Prime doesn't have additional guns and he's still at a 9;
• Skill 8

What's to like about the Fall of Cybertron Optimus Prime?

As you probably have already seen, his articulation is excellent. He has the ability to kneel, kick, and unlike his predecessor, his arms aren't stubby so they have quite a reach - though he is smaller than his predecessor.

The addition of a ball joint separating his upper and lower torso allows for the Fall of Cybertron Optimus Prime to... stretch so to speak - which makes the Corbot V Cybertron Axe a wonderful weapon in his hands.

The next really nice thing about the Fall of Cybertron Optimus Prime is the design. He has a ton of mech-tech ports all over his body. They're on his arms, his legs and his back. You can use these to store his weapon - a bit awkwardly - but it is highly possible that because he' so... "friendly"... that third party groups are already designing a trailer for him (Assuming Hasbro isn't making one for him).


Early reports announcing the release of the FOC Optimus Prime sparked remarks about how he looked so much more like Ultra Magnus than Optimus Prime because of the smoke-stacks on his shoulders. However if you read the instructions carefully, you'll find that Optimus Prime's transformation involves the folding of the smoke-stacks, not the extending of them. Still he looks like the yet to be released sword-wielding Ultra Magnus.

And we are all salivating at the idea of another Ultra Magnus that combines with his trailer - be it a 3rd party trailer or an official one.

What's NOT to like about the Fall of Cybertron Optimus Prime? 

Let's start with his truck mode, the FOC Optimus Prime transforms into something we've all seen before, the Titanium Series Die-Cast War Within Optimus Prime - which I have in storage somewhere. I'm not really sure why none of his developers ever noticed this. He's also way simpler to transform than his predecessor.

Note the Mechtech ports in the rear allowing for trailer attachments:

The next set of problems for the FOC Optimus Prime involve that huge chest of his - it's been described as a pot-belly - and the teeny-tiny size of his head. I don't think his chest is as bad as it's been described, but it does get in the way and is reminiscent of huge sagging breasts that are being propped up by a bra. It's funny because when you look at his truck mode, the designers could have actually resolved this early on. The pointy-ness of hi chest is absolutely unnecessary to the design.

In the end, the Fall of Cybertron Optimus Prime strikes me as a so-so Transformer. Nothing really great about it - pray the video game is awesome or his price tag will drop. It's probably something you'd like to have if you're like me and you collect Primes. else, get it if you have spare change in your pocket and want a simple toy with great articulation. My FOC Optimus Prime was purchased at retail from Toy Kingdom in Megamall here in the Philippines for PhP 699.75 (Roughly US$  16.27). He's available on Amazon for US$ 19.99 and as low as US$ 14.99 (Roughly between PhP 860 and PhP 645 plus shipping).

For the full review and gallery, please do visit DarklordDungeon.blogspot.com.