Lookin' good gang. Let's do this!
So - where now for Generations? I mean now that the Prime Wars trilogy has finished turning
everyone into combiners, plunderin' every possible sweaty wrinkle of the G1 ouvre, and
turnin' everyone else into Headmasters, it's tricky to know where there is to go.
Bit of Beast Wars love maybe? Spot of Armada or Car Robots reminiscimerch?
Dream on, stupid! We're doing G1 again.
And here's me thinking the word "Generations" was a plural.
Yes indeed, please welcome to the stage the War For Cybertron Trilogy, whose first chapter,
Siege, is kind of a tricky one to pin down! Like it's clearly goin' for a battle theme with the whole
and, yes,
but the toys themselves don't seem to have much of a unified MO. Like are we doing Cybertron
modes or are we not? I mean as far as I can see, all they've really got in common is a
general vibe that sorta translates as
But honestly, the quickest way to gauge where Siege's head's at is just to look at
the first wave, bustin' out the gate with an all-star line-up featuring some of the
franchise's biggest names and best-known faces and Flywheels,
including two lush all-new Voyager versions -
of both megastar leaders! In wave one! So let's get on board
and get good and stuck in with the big red bossbot himself This is Transformers Generations
War for Cybertron Siege Optimus Prime!
Yes indeed, this is yer Autobot Truck Daddy for the 2018-19 season and they've gone capital-F
Full G1 with this one, with like almost no deviation and no intrusive gimmicks! This
has gotta be the most straight-ahead honest-to-goodness modern mainline G1 Optimus since like
Classics '06! Which, still love this guy,
but he's definitely startin' to look like a toy from a decade ago.
So check him out! There's certainly something about him that perfectly captures his cheery
robo-papa vibe from the original series, when he could take on any challenge with might
and bravery and honesty, and still just be like, "Ho ho, good grief!" And I feel like
a big part of that is the head sculpt, with its classic blue helmet, bright soulful eyes
and that faceplate that somehow really resonates his righteous hero energy and humble dad advice,
And I'm not totally sure what it is. Is it the ridge at the top? Something
about the angle? I dunno, am I nuts?
Anyway, behold if you will the instant visual impact of the signature Optimus sleek fizeek!
With his hefty chunkin' man-pecs, wheels packed in all snug to keep that waist sinched; forearms
are lookin perhaps a little baggy but the shoulders are keepin' it cubist and the legs
are clean and kibble-free for a perfect proportionation!
Paint job's also lookin' pleasingly sharp! I did have my concerns, with the whole wartime
wear and tear trend alert, but honestly it's pretty minimal! Like it's there, but it's
no bother, and there's no WAY it could diminish the pure aesthetic power of the Optimus palette,
with its stunning red-and-blue dead-on hues, breathing highlights in yellow and white,
and the depth of detail's basically a miracle. Like, you really shouldn't be able to fit
this much sculpting on a guy this size! Again it doesn't overpower him, but if you're lookin'
for it, he's just drenched in digital style! Boob-windows are a veritable cyber city roadmap,
they've even got the screwholes in on the joke, and I definitely appreciate the amount
of tiny triangles! I dunno why exactly but those are my favourite genre of tiny robo
details, second only to underbutt scart cable adaptors.
So Prime's pose game is definitely on point for bein' such a blocky brawnbox, packin'
five joints per limb, tilts and toes, waist wiggle and a hat wobble. Couple of oddball
intricacies on the go, like this flat-pack backstack here which kinda comes off more like
a standard bearer matrix billboard, or maybe a compact jetpack?
Fwoosh!
Just a thought.
To be fair it's extremely dealwithable! Like, if I forgave Henkei Convoy for all this, then
THIS basically doesn't exist.
Anyway, behind these beefy barn doors, Prime's packin' a conspicuous absence of Matrix.
It is to you, old friend... I shall pass
NOOOOTHIIIIIING!!!!
I kinda love how it's this perfect cube of emptiness, hiding just below the surface.
Same.
But it's the perfect size to freak out
the squares with a secret second head or stash a snack for later.
Now, seeing as Siege's whole gig revolves around big shooty laser fights, Optimus is
positively primed for a plethora of forward firepower! So check it out, he's naturally
got his iconic Ion Blaster
along with this neat cyber-steel techno-buckler
which can flop out into a brutal battle axe! Plus you can spin his wrist kibble around for some
fanmode sleeve-shotties, get some Battlemasters on the go, rock some muzzle flash action
or jam some plastic impact blasts onto these tiny nubbins! I call them
But by far the funnest thing about the Siege gang is that they're all friggin' infested
with weapon ports! Look at these chimps, all riled up and ready to show off some shooters
with every possible appendage, there's almost more gun ports than there is plastic! I call them
So if you want, you can scrounge up weapons off the others and let
Prime have his one-bot army moment, OR... you can bring Cog into the mix. Mini-review!
Look man, you're gonna wanna get a Cog, all right? If you're gonna fully enjoy the Siege
experience, do yourself a solid and grab a Cog. 'Cos he's a pretty cool robot dude with
an alt mode that's kinda bullshit, he matches great with Fort Max if that's what you want,
but he's not really about that! Cos check this out! He can explode into like half a
dozen different weapons to upgrade your mild-mannered robo rabble into a hypercharged deathsquad!
Get 'em a Cog each! Get two Cogs and mash 'em into each other! I mean Battlemasters
I can take or leave, but you gotta check out Cog, man. Not that one. He's basically an
accessory pack with a robot mode! He's not just covered in guns, he IS guns.
So yeah, I dunno if they could have got the robot mode any more perfecter! This is the
purest, the slickest, and the straight-up best Prime's looked in a long-ass time, and
it's a bloody good job it is such a banger 'cos there's a big part of me that wants to be annoyed
that it's such a brazen injection of concentrated 1984 right into your rose-tinted, wide-eyed baby brain.
Wow, REAL innovative guys, is that how little you think of us, yeah? As if the
actual G1 reissue wasn't cynical enough? Just keep feedin' us that same old regurgitated
slop from before - is Visa okay?
[INSANE PROG METAL GUITAR LICKS]
Transformation's ... it's Optimus Prime. There's some extra fun extra steps with the legs and
the front panel, but it's Optimus Prime. You know the drill.
And the truck mode also is Optimus Prime! I mean, it's a slightly new take on the classic
cool-ass chunky red and blue truck that's indistinguishable if you squint, but it does
have a certain fresh factor! Like check out this lush Energon crystally glass front. I'm
gettin' space, I'm gettin' Iacon frontlines, I'm lovin' the aggressive shotgun headlights
and weird top-mounted energy eyebrows, and check it out, you still get access to almost
all the Cogholes!
Back end's a smooth depiction of Optimus Prime's back end, it's got the grey vents and the
pinched-up feet and the little wheels pokin' out from under this oddly pleasing rain skirt.
No trailer hitch to be seen, so I guess there's no bolt-on trailer comin' up, which, thank
God, who has room? More like who has TWO COGS! Bit of a weird gap up the back of the cab,
but if you want, you can half-transform your way to a hover truck mode or the classic fan
favourite truck cab that has legs and feet!
But like, are we doing Cybertron modes or are we not? 'Cos this thing's only barely cyberstylized,
and like, the robot mode went all-out G1, so I just can't ignore that deep-down hardline
geewunner voice that sees this as proof that they could definitely have pulled off a micro
Masterpiece for a Voyager price point, and just decided not to. Look, I'm not mad, I'm
not letting that line of thinking lead my opinion, but it is there.
God, what do I want?? Look, let's not bemoan what it isn't, because what it is is pretty
special! It's a beautiful action figure of one of the best-loved characters in all
of pop culture! It looks awesome, feels great, and does loads of cool stuff! So am I really
gonna sit here and gripe about a slightly knobbly truck mode?
A bit.
Just time to check out the Siege line-wide box gimmick, which is a pretty fun super-secret
blacklight & website cybercode situation, with these hidden UV-reactive Cybertronian
messages you can punch in online to unlock secret content! And it's pretty fun man, like
the rewards aren't the greatest, but because the messages are hidden AND coded, it does
make you feel like an amazing detective-slash-genius. But Primes operate differently. See they don't
hide behind UV - they leave their messages in plain sight, but extra long and super tiny.
But what does it say and what does it get you? You'll just have to join me - on the case!
So yes, Siege Optimus is, for me, the indisputable best mainline G1 Optimus Prime in at least
ten years! Cos look, all Primes are valid, but you don't always want him to be a Combiner,
or a 60-dollar digivolving weirdo, or a headmaster with a Jet mode? You just want him to be Optimus
Prime. And this one does indeed have the touch and/or the power. Yes!
Ayyy! Big cheers to everybody watching, and thanks to all my Patrons
for supporting me, and extra love this week to Grahame Brown, who's not only a Patron
- he also gave me this thing! Whay! Thank you mate! Love you bye!
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