Transformers Power of the Primes Leader Class Orion Pax/Optimus Prime: Two toys for the price of one

Optimus Prime combining with his trailer to get stronger is not something new. Powermaster Prime did it (originally), I know off the top of my head that it's something that the Robots in Disguise 2001 toy did along with Armada and Cybertron. one of the toys for Dark of the Moon even did it (I couldn't tell you if he did in the film, other then it's implied that he did). However, there is something that the others haven't really done, and that was introduced Prime's identity before he became a Prime into this formula, Orion Pax. See, the gimmick of the Leader Class Power of the Primes toys was the ability to turn a toy that's roughly Deluxe sized into a Leader Class toy with some extra armour. For some characters, this worked out well. Others... not so much. Apologies Primal, this is one case where Truck is better then Monkey... oh you thought fans complaining about changes was something new in this Fandom? It's been going on longer then I've been alive. Anyway, how well does this hold up? Is this the superior Prime Wars trilogy Prime? Ok, that one I can answer now as yes because it looks the closest to what many fans consider Optimus Prime to look like, but that's beside the point.

Starting in truck mode, and while not perfect, it's a solid truck and trailer. The trailer doesn't do much to hide its true intention, and only exists to be armour for Orion Pax, but it does pull off the G1 trailer look pretty well. The truck part though does suffer a lot from the gimmick. Pax's arms are clearly visible out the back, he has to use the back of his own neck for a trailer hitch, it doesn't even try to hide the fact that the robot legs are the back of the truck. It looks clunky, especially on its own, but does look a lot better when connected to the trailer. One thing I do like the look of is the Matrix of Leadership visible in the truck cab though, however, sadly it isn't carried into the other modes. The matrix itself is pretty basic, two pieces primarily meant to let the Prime Cores be used in the Leader Class figures. I love the light piping in the Matrix core though, shine a light into it and it will just glow. Due to how hallow the Pax's chest is, you can easily shine a torch into the chest and watch the Matrix illuminate the truck windows. Again, the only problem is that it's not carried into either Pax's robot mode, or Prime's.

Going to Pax's robot mode and... it's a solid Pax? Orion gets the short end of the stick in this toy, which is somewhat surprising seeing as he exists to be a bigger Headmaster. From the front, he looks great, though I can't help but feel that the head's a bit too big when in proportion to the rest of the body. That could just be me though as it's still a great head sculpt. Most of Pax's problems come from the backpack. Not much of the front of the truck has changed, and the front wheels have now covered up the real windows, hiding the Matrix. I wouldn't mind it as much if at the very least the front bumper and grill folded up against the Backpack, making it look a little more coherent. With the exception of a waist swivel, Pax is about as poseable as a standard Deluxe class toy, and for armoured, you can splot the Prime Gun into two, though I personally prefer to only give him the front half of the gun, the back half looks a bit too big on him. Is this a good substitute for an Orion Pax that's just Orion Pax? No. But this is meant to serve as a toy that can go from Orion Pax into Optimus Prime and in that regard...

This toy does that almost flawlessly. This is a really good looking Optimus Prime. Perfect? No, but with how much this toy does right, I can easily ignore the flaws. This carries the essence of the original design for Optimus Prime perfectly. One big problem a lot of people will have is how much grey is on him, most of it coming from the trailer. I'll admit I kind of like it, as it does help break up the Red and Blue a bit more and its spread evenly enough to not overwhelm the toy. The head sculpt is spot on and the articulation is great for a Leader class toy, as all it's missing is some wrist and waist swivels (though that last one I can forgive as it's holding a spring lock to keep Pax in place, this isn't something like Powermaster Prime where it's missing for no reason. One thing I'm not a fan of is the Matrix compartment. Mainly how you get to it in this mode. It always feels like I'm flexing plastic to get to it, and it never makes me feel comfortable doing it. I also wish there was some way for the Leader class toys to hold the Matrix's, rather than almost all of them going for the solid piece "cube with a tube" system (although they have gotten past that point now so its not a literal cube with a tube).

This is what I wished the Powermaster Prime toy was like, and considering the proportions, I'm somewhat surprised they're not doing a version of this mould that is Powermaster Prime. Instead, we're getting a Nemesis Prime, which granted is a nice change of pace, we don't get a lot of those in the general retail line, but it does stand out a bit and makes the repaints don't look cohesive in theme other than being Black repaints. Nemesis Prime, Rodimus Unicronus and then Optimal Optimus in Primal Colours. Yeah they all have the black motif, but they look off in terms of a lore perspective as one's an evil clone, one's from an alternate universe and the third's just a less flamboyant version of what we already have. Is it good? Yes, you should definently try to get one if you can find one. For now, I'll see you on Wednesday for Sailor Moon S, and next week, a step back from Primes with a look at Chromia.

It's true what they say, no matter how old you get, you are always your younger self at heart. Even if you're a giant alien robot. You know I had to do this considering what I reviewed last week.