From my personal collection of Transformers Animated I bring you Optimus Prime in the Voyager Class.

One of the best things about the figure is the box art. The drawing of Prime itself is enough to make you want to buy the figure. There is a full description of the character on the back which features fantasy skills and powers and also a quote.

Removing the figure is pretty simple, there are just a couple of twist-ties and then he comes right out without causing damage to the packaging so he can be repackaged for display and to keep clean.

The Fire Engine has a water cannon on the back that can be filled from the tap and used to squirt a small stream of water in your fantasy rescue missions.

The classic look of the trailer pulling truck is created by simply removing the rear section that has the water cannon. That part changes into his axe and the gun splits away to give Prime two weapons.

The cab of the truck itself is interesting in a way due to how the windows are detailed. There are circuit’s on the edges giving him the look of being mechanical. On the roof are his emergency lights (which are needed to show the kiddies that speeding down the road is wrong–unless you have lights and sirens!)

Changing Prime to robot mode is not difficult, however, you do have to finesse his torso to get a good “spinning” change. There is a hidden gear system inside the upper half that allows him to straighten out his body. The only down-side is that you have to make sure that you pop the upper body into place to keep his center steady. Once locked in, he can now move at the waist to give him amazing articulation!

The original Optimus Prime had very little articulation making him appear stiff and pretty basic; however, G1 Prime is probably the most classic toy there is. I had him when I was young and I loved it. Kids can be so stupid if you know what I mean. However I did replace G1 Prime with the 25th anniversary Prime and it looks mostly the same–the differences are the short smoke stacks and some colors. Voyager Class Animated Prime doesn’t have smoke stacks or Autobot symbols for that matter, but his articulation is almost endless. After pulling out his lower legs from the uppers he can swivel at the knees. There are also bending joints at the upper legs and his arms have full ball-joint rotation. I did not pull his shoulders out all the way in the picture, but once they are out, he can pretty much be posed in many battle positions. The head turns side to side and the plate that in G1 was his mouth can be lowered to expose his lips as in the cartoon. Both his gun and axe can fit in his hands for Megatron stomping power!

The comparison of G1 Prime and Animated Prime show the huge changes throughout the years. The stiffness is gone, he is larger and the head detail is greater. The articulation alone is a huge plus; however the more it moves the better the chances of something breaking–these are made to break-away and be reassembled.

Both Primes are nice and great collectibles. I highly recommend that all Transformers Animated fans find a Voyager Class Prime before they disappear.

I give the figure an “A” for Articulation, the box art and the detail. The fun-factor is in your imagination.

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