Not one to usually care for Black repaints of Transformers, I am not sure how I ended up purchasing this figure.
Well maybe I am, I like the new Optimus Prime design from RID as it looks futuristic and Star Convoy like. Then the teal hit me like a time bullet from 1992 with G2 etched onto the side.
A redeco of RID 2015 Optimus Prime in RID..whenever it was...Scourge colours- we have Nemesis Prime.
Hit the button below to continue with the review.
Alt Mode
Nemesis Prime is a primarily Black truck, which takes its inspirations from the Movie Optimus long nose truck, as opposed to the original flat nosed cab all us 80's know and love Optimus Prime as.
This is a straight repaint with no new details or features added, beyond the colours and Takaras vastly superior ability to bring out details using the aforementioned paint.
The cab almost looks angry, stylised in a manner that evokes Transformers Animated (could be the Rum talking) with the exaggerated dimensions.
Nemesis Red cab windows for example don't look like someone would sit in there comfortably, but they do look like he is doing angry eyes at you.
Hasbro have returned to giving Optimus a trailer, as opposed to being a truck a cab. It works as you get the classic look, and it is a nicer overall aesthetic.
But oh my giddy giddy gosh is he tiny.
Actually, I should rephrase that - oh dearie me he does not have much in the way of mass to him. Needs to eat all his dinner.
As a deluxe he feels small, but he is just as long as any modern deluxe you put him next to. But as a lorry, that then makes him very thin, and he feels like he should be a lot bigger.
The key attraction is the paint job, and I am happy to say it looks gorgeous. All of the colours used work really well, and the way they are used on the trailer especially makes it look like something from Tron.
Which is handy as I swear that is what Hasbro was going for in the Cybertron scenes on the show.
Whilst the paint is great, and the detail on the cab good - the trailer lacks quite badly. From the side it looks alright, you would not expect him to have his own name on there (G2) or a picture of himself burning down a Forest (also...G2..I think) but it feels a touch bland. It is not helped by his feet poking up there, and then looking at him from above his legs are totally exposed.
You can stick his axe in there, but then he looks like he has a Shark swimming around in there.
Have to say, I love the idea that Nemesis Prime is so metal that he has a deadly Great White Shark as a pet in a tank within his trailer. Brilliant.
Overall it Primes truck mode is nothing outstanding. The idea is great, having an all in one cab and trailer, but at this scale and budget it feels like it just needed more.
Like a roof.
Robot Mode
Hasbro have really simplified the transformations for RID, trying to get away from people having to read the instructions upside down and backwards with the Prime line figures, just to realise they had not folded a hand in at the correct angle.
Here we are more aligned with the recent Combiner Wars figures in terms of complexity (or lack thereof), and maybe even a touch simpler.
I don't mind that, as this line is for kids and having a quick transformation is a large part of the fun of playing with these toys.
What I love about this figure, is that this is the first time I can think of that an Optimus Prime figure has had a trailer that is fully integrated.
Normally his trailer is a separate piece, that gets shoved to one side or at best it becomes a giant high chair for Prime to sit in as an battle suit.
Not with this figure, the trailer is an all in one affair, so it becomes the robot.
It is done well too, with the side of the trailer folding down to become the full legs, whilst the cab really just splits in half.
Simple stuff, and whilst I appreciate the ideas behind it - it does just need a bit more for my tastes.
Look kids, it's Star Convoy...in Black! That was my first thought when I saw RID Prime for the very first time.
It is actually impressive how little the robot mode looks like it spawned from the truck. Beyond the hand gauntlets created from the front of the truck, there is no vehicle kibble, and the shape is really smooth and anime styled.
His fist gauntlets look like they were designed to rotate back a tad to expose the hands- but they are locked in place. I saw a mod on TFW that fixes it, so I may try that.
But as it is me, I will probably end up losing a finger.
You can get some nice poses, but the way his shoulders move (oddly, like Warbtron figures) makes him look a bit odd to pose.
The poseability of the legs and waist swivel make up for it though and every way you pose him seems to him look simultaneously dynamic and dramatic.
What a badass.
He does have a bit of a pin head, but it looks fine. I would have preferred they continue the Star Convoy homage by giving him a similar head, but this is a nice evolution from that horrible movie style head from TF Prime. It has got a G2 touch to it, but that may just be the Black dazzling my eyes.
Something that is annoying, is the Decepticon badge on his arm. It looks less like a symbol to strike fear into the hearts of robots that turn into tape cassettes, and more like a Rosette announcing he is the mayor of repaint town.
Why is it on a white background? Why does it look like he is tattooed a chain of flowers onto himself?
These are questions only Primus (maybe the band, rather than planetary God) knows the answers too.
The lone accessory packed in with Nemesis Prime is his trusty axe, which Optimus used in the very first episode of Transformers and then never again.
Hasn't stopped it becoming a thing though.
It has a Black handle,of course, and Red blade which is very bright and leans into Pink. I really love the colour and again it reminds me of G2-are Takara trolling us with this?
Just like the rest of the figure, the colour is superb and looks ace. The actual paint work on Nemesis is to die for, to use a cliche, and his whole look is everything I want from a futuristic Optimus Prime.
The teal is just the chocolate sprinkles on top of the Ice Cream.
As I said before, normally Black repaints don't interest me one jot, but the design of this version of Optimus/Nemesis mixed with the colours meant I could not resist. The mold is not a great one, but the colour scheme is (stupid hippy Decepticon badge aside), and as a result is well worth your time and money if you are into this sort of thing.
It is my first experience with an RID 2015 figure and whilst it does not inspire to jump down the Rabbit hole, it will look knife poses hacking at Alpha Bravo.
All I need really.
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