Optimus Prime's cybertronian alternate mode is sort of like an aerodynamic battering ram on wheels, with smokestacks. There is almost no seperation between the front of the cab and the back, like there is with most Optimuses (Optimi?...). It's almost all just one big hunk o' metal (er, plastic). It's a pretty neat look for Prime, echoing his "future" truck mode while distancing him from it enough that he looks like a different type of Cybertronian vehicle-- i.e., not one made for hauling stuff. The way his chest pokes through the front looks like some nice "fake" windows, and his grill detailing is also pretty darned nice. One thing I'm not really not fond of in this mode-- actually this toy's chief drawback, if you ask me-- is that his upper legs just kinda sit there behind the front two-thirds of this mode, without really collapsing in anywhere or being covered so that they're out of sight or anything. That's kind of an obvious robot mode extra and a bit of an eyesore. Prime could also use a few more paint apps near the front of this mode, as some patches of his blue and red plastic are a bit TOO large without anything to break them up, unfortunately. However, both the red and blue have a little bit of glitter mixed in, making them look semi-metallic, which certainly adds a bit more to those colors. The milky gray is a rather dull, blah color, but thankfully it's not as plentiful as the nice shades of red and black. The bits of light pinkish red actually work surprisingly well as a minor detailing color, particularly where it contrasts well against the black and blue. It really helps to give this Prime the "glowing red lines/patches" look almost all of the War for Cybertron designs have. The metallic bluish silver is also a nice detail color, though as already mentioned, I wish it had been used a bit more in this mode. Optimus Prime's rifle can be mounted on the top of this mode-- it's supposed to be sort of folded in half so that it's not quite so obviously a rifle, but it springs open rather easily. (It's kind of a lame gimmick anyways, just having the rifle spring out what its normal length should be.)
    One note about Optimus Prime's transformation as I turn the focus over to his robot mode-- it's complicated, particularly for a deluxe. Not complicated as in "it's hard to get everything lined up" or "there's some hard-to-understand steps"-- there's just a lot of steps, and it's difficult to remember in what order you're supposed to do them all in. In robot mode he's generally quite good, though not quite as game-accurate as most of the other War for Cybertron toys. He has a bit of a backpack made up of some of his vehicle mode panels that don't exactly blend in with his overall silouhette that well, as well as some fiddly panels on his shoulders that do the same (and don't really lock into any particular place to boot). Two of his wheels also hang behind his back, but this is game-accurate and actually help differentiate his silouhette a bit better. However, those aside, this is a pretty solid mode-- his proportions (except for some small shoulders, ignoring the kibble) are spot-on, and I love details like how his grill wraps around his waist and how they managed to get his smokestacks onto his feet in this mode. He has considerably more visible paint apps in this mode to help break up his colors, and they're broken up a bit more with the addition of more gray, to boot. He's also got some great mold detailing, particularly around his chest, abs, and waist, where there's a TON of little panel/piston/futuristic detailing. His head detailing is a bit too "tall", however, so not quite as game-accurate as I'd like. His rifle of choice can either be held in his hands or on the sides of his forearm, giving you a few more options when it comes to positioning. As for articulation, Prime can move at the neck, shoulders (at three points), elbows (at two points), wrists, hips (at two points), knees (at two points), and ankles, so he's pretty well-covered in that area. However, his hip and shoulder movement is restricted a little because of vehicle mode kibble pieces.
    Cybertronian Optimus Prime isn't the most game-accurate out of the War for Cybertron toys, but he's still a pretty decent toy and a nice Prime. I particularly like the look of his vehicle mode (minus those ugly upper legs sticking out the back). His robot mode is also pretty darn good-- particularly when it comes to proporitions and articulation-- but some kibble problems in that mode take a bit away from it, as well. Mildly recommended (though the "Rage over Cybertron" deco job on the toy is slightly better than this one.)

Review by Beastbot

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