(NOTE: Because this is a repaint, this is not a full-blown review. This mainly covers any changes made to the mold and the color scheme, and merely compares it to Robots in Disguise 2001 "Super" Scourge. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of Robots in Disguise 2001 "Super" Scourge here.)

    Where, here's a mold I honestly never thought I'd see redecoed again. This mold was over 20 years old when it was redecoed into this "Platinum Edition" version, but it still holds up as good as ever. This time around, Optimus Prime has taken a more unique and unusual color scheme-- a color scheme that in some respects homages the traditional "goat year" colors with the bronze. Many, upon first seeing this toy, were worried about the bronze being ugly tan plastic-- fear not, EVERY bit of bronze on this toy is painted, and a wonderful metallic hue of the color at that-- yes, even the huge tower piece that forms the center of the base mode. The black contrasts excellently with said bronze, and the chrome silver finish on the wheels and sides of the trailer is another great color, giving the toy a bit of a "premium" feel as well. (As of this writing-- 2/17-- I have yet to hear of any issues with the chrome cracking either, so that's always good.) "Goat" Optimus Prime's other color choices aren't quite as good. The clear plastic is an interesting color-- I like seeing the "innards" of the robot mode in particular, and seeing the electronics and wires inside the main cab is rather cool-- but it's used a bit too much here, and it's a rather drab main color. No reason is given for why so much of his cab/robot portion in particular is clear-- it's not like his bio mentions he's "reformatting" or in "stealth armor" or anything. The accent colors are hit-and-miss; the silver paint works nearly as well with all the metallic bronze as the chrome silver on the few places it's used, such as on part of the top of the cab. The yellow rooflights and robot eyes look quite good, even against clear plastic. The silver-and-black Autobot symbols on Optimus are pretty cool, being half normal Autobot symbol and half the Autobot symbol merged with the symbol for goat. The light milky gray is of a slightly brownish shade, making it both boring and a bit ugly to boot; thankfully it's not used much. The transparent pink plastic used for the weapons-- the discs, the pump-missiles, and the spring-loaded missiles-- is honestly a bizzare color, and clashes with the bronze in particular. It's also not used on the one area where it might have worked as an "energy weapon"-- namely, Prime's sword, which is of the clear plastic variety. The light blue tips of the pump-missiles are also an odd color choice, though that perhaps can be chalked up to safety regulation issues.
    No mold changes have been changed to "Year of the Goat" Optimus Prime-- thankfully he has his red electronics intact as well, so his sword can light up pretty well. That said, the push missile launchers on mine do not work in the slightest, though this could just be my copy.
    "Year of the Goat" Optimus Prime is an bit of an odd redeco, but the mold is still sturdy and holds up well even under modern toy criteria, and is just a fun mold with a ton of weaponry. The metallic bronze looks good too, and the clear plastic helps make him look a bit more individualistic, if also a tad plain. Recommended if you don't have a version of this awesome mold, and can get it for a fair discount below the very hefty retail price tag.

Review by Beastbot

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