Thursday, July 14, 2011
Review: [Takara Tomy] Transformers United Darkside Optimus Prime
| Figure Information | |
| Manufacturer: | Takara Tomy |
| Origin Series: | Transformers United |
| Scale: | Non-Scale |
| Height: | Approximately 14cm tall |
| Original Price: | 5,000 Yen (2-Pack) |
| Figure Box: |
As far as the exclusive ones of United goes (like the Bots and Cons 3-pack) it comes in a box; and slightly diverging from the regular white package of the United line, this really represents what it's supposed to be, Darkside! Being in a grayscale color, this pack also features a new head to head by replacing the earth modes of Prime and Megs with their Cybertron Modes which looks a lot better IMO and the overall design just fits the theme, the back of the box though just had their regular release's epic shots in grayscale. Still a pretty darn good box though :>
| Figure Details: |
Though Darkside Prime is a direct recolor of War for Cybertron Optimus, his Nemesis Prime color scheme does turn the cybertronian truck (?) alt mode into something that looks like a Bat Mobile. The finish of the glossy black finish and the teal does actually work better for a vehicle's headlights as opposed to the original's shades of pink (hasbro or takara); the red shields also makes it look more like a real Bat Mobile (lol!) Though one thing is off for me and that's the plastic gray here but at least it's not cheap looking plastic though. XD
For a sort of stealth force-ish mode, you can flip the lever and have his standby mode gun automorph into its attack mode and turn it into a destructive Bat Mobile Cybertronian truck!
Now in the bot mode, and as usual, nothing has been changed about the mold, though detail wise this is not your average black Optimus, since you know Black Optimus Primes are still really autobots since he's not Nemesis Prime (except for Alternity Super Black of course); The Darkside isn't just a name, it's really an evil Optimus and even though this guy has no backstory or anything, I guess the best explanation is that he's been corrupted by Dark Energon, thus, turning our heroic leader into a con himself, which makes the biggest difference of all aside from the color.
Though I still don't have the original UN Cybertron Prime, I've seen it first hand since my sis had one and I must say that the finish on Bot mode is far better since the black are solid overall since it's flat all throughout his body and no black shade shift unlike the color shift that had happened in the red version (which shifted from metallic red to plastic red) so yeah, this is a good bonus for a change, he does have kibble but it doesn't look that bad IMO so, no real complaints here except or the plastic gray again. The Nemesis Prime colors really does work with this mold very well and Prime really looks menacing (along with that Decepticon logo)
Though I still don't have the original UN Cybertron Prime, I've seen it first hand since my sis had one and I must say that the finish on Bot mode is far better since the black are solid overall since it's flat all throughout his body and no black shade shift unlike the color shift that had happened in the red version (which shifted from metallic red to plastic red) so yeah, this is a good bonus for a change, he does have kibble but it doesn't look that bad IMO so, no real complaints here except or the plastic gray again. The Nemesis Prime colors really does work with this mold very well and Prime really looks menacing (along with that Decepticon logo)
Courtesy of my sis, here's a comparison with the UN regular WfC Optimus. (The back shot had a mistransformed back though, apologies XD)
Though possessing only a blaster, it has 2 alternative ways of being attached aside from having DS Prime to just hold the blaster, you can choose to attach it to the 5mm port on the side of his arm or the wheels on his back.
In case you don't want to use his gun, you can always fold it up and store it on a peg found on his back.
Probably the best factor of this mold is as stated on how you can attach the gun, you can basically port 5 more 5mm weapons on him and make him a total monster and a very war freak Prime.
And of course, last but not least, he has a VERY VERY pleasing red lightpipe and it works pretty darn well and does really give you a definition of evil.
| Articulation: |
Prime has a ball joint on his neck thus, giving him extra "expression" which works wonders for this mold.
His shoulder joints consist of a swivel and a hinge so you can actually flex it better than your default ball joint thanks to that hinge. He does have a bicep swivel as well and though single hinged on the elbow, it can bend full on 90 while his wrists are swiveled though it's not completely rotatable because of a certain tab that blocks its full rotation.
His legs does look limited at first but you can actually flip the "skirt" to prevent any limitations and similarly his hips have both a hinge for sidewards split and a swivel for raising his feet. DS Prime gets a thigh swivel, double jointed hinge knees and double ball jointed ankles,
Overall, his joints are really good, and additionally as an improvement over the original mold, his joints are extra tight so it won't get loose any time soon. I guess all he really needed was a waist joint and he could've been perfect as hell for a transformer, and having 6 ports makes him get a really high play value as well, he also does a pretty good kick too. He's ridiculously good and add up some weapons and this mold's really good to go. Though one thing you might encounter is having a balancing issue with him but it's not that complicated to fix, you just need to adjust his ankle joints properly.
| Final Thoughts: |
So yeah, haven't really tested Megs yet but knowing the mold it's pretty good as well. And Megs color scheme ain't that bad as well, I guess I'm not just used to it. But Prime, it's tried and tested already I guess. Prime is really great and I personally think the pack is worth it though I don't have Megs (my sis has it) and it's pretty cheap for an event exclusive 2-pack as well. And, of course, this Prime is a must have for any Black Prime collector!
| Rating (Out of 10) | |
| Details | 9.5 |
| Articulation | 9.5 |
| Price | 10 |
| Overall: | 9.67 |
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