Transformers Go! Optimus Prime

Presenting Optimus Prime from the Transformers Go Animated series.

Okay this is going to get confusing. Triple Combination: Transformers Go! is an ambitious  - in our opinion - endeavor that aims to tell the story of two separate  Transformers Autobot Triple Combiner teams in two separate and concurrently running cartoons - yes, TWO separate and concurrently running cartoons.

Transformers Go! followed the exploits of the Swordbot Shinobi Team (Ninjas), and the Swordbot Samurai Team (Er.... Samurais).

The three members of each team could combine with each other forming three different Combiner Transformers with different abilities and powers depending upon which of the three Autobots forms the "head"

And then! Two of the three members of each team can also combine with Optimus Prime who is the same Optimus Prime from the Transformers Beast Hunters series (This guy) who came to Japan to help the two teams defeat the mighty Predacon Dragontron. On his way Optimus Prime decides to drop his truck form, scans and takes the form of a Bullet Train.

Confused yet?

We are.

Anyway, the cartoons eventually merge into one big battle royale with a ton of posturing, empty threats and a pitched battle which eventually ends with the good-guys winning.

Sadly the blister package of the Transformers GO Optimus Prime is purely in Japanese so it's pretty much useless to us. It does however indicate that the Transformers GO Optimus Prime comes with two "kabutos" - a medieval samurai helmet - that forms the two different heads of the gestalt Optimus Prime and Swordbot Shinobi/Samurai teams; and a pair of wicked looking swords.

On the side of the blister pack, it mentions that Transformers GO Optimus Prime is a triple changer with a robot mode, vehicle mode and beast mode. It goes on to list Optimus Prime's statistics as:

• Strength: 10 
• Intelligence: 8
• Speed: 10
• Endurance: 9 - so Prime does get tired. Eventually.
• Rank: 10
• Courage: 10
• Fireblast: 8 - Only???!!!!
• Skill: 9

What's to like about the TF GO Optimus Prime?

FIRST: Well.... it's at the very least a conversation piece.

In a nutshell the Transformers GO Optimus Prime can best be described as a beautiful mess. It is something you keep in a glass case in the corner of a room that bored party guests spy and have to ask "What the f*$k is that?" which will result in a long tirade about it being an Optimus Prime from a 2013 Japanese only cartoon that followed Transformers Beast Hunters called Triple Combination: Transformers Go! blah blah blah.

We should probably also point out that in Triple Combination: Transformers Go! Optimus Prime is also referred to as Optimus ExPrime or Hunter Optimus Prime.

Transformers Go Optimus ExPrime does look interesting from afar. Like a giant robot samurai - though in the cartoon, he's really quite short - even Dragontron mentions in the cartoon that Optimus ExPrime fights well despite his size.


Here's what he looks like from afar:

We do like how the two Kabutos can combine to form this quite esoteric shield. But we don't think he ever used one in the anime. In the cartoon though, one of the shields attaches to his back allowing Transformers Go! Optimus ExPrime to store his swords on his back. 

However this makes an already back-heavy figure even more back-heavy and no way can Optimus Prime reach his swords. But the kabuto does make a nice fearsome face on Optimus ExPrime's back.

While the red Kabuto is on his back, you can mount the blue Kabuto and use the dragon's head as a beam weapon: 

The Blue Kabuto looks much better mounted on Transformer Go! Optimus ExPrime's back, not as bulky and it give Optimus a nice flaring set of spines on his back. With the blue Kabuto on his back you can place the red Kabuto in Optimus Prime's left hand to serve as a small buckler. 

SECOND: Transformers Go Optimus Prime looks really good with those swords, and has a fair amount of articulation to back up their use:

THIRD: Optimus Prime's facial sculpt is quite nice - albeit his eyes are a bit beady: If push came to shove we'd salvage the head for use elsewhere:

What's NOT to like about the TF GO Optimus Prime?

FIRST: This.



does not look like this:

Transformers Go! Optimus ExPrime's:

• Arms are too reed thin
• Legs are too blocky
• Head is too small
• Can't twist at the waist
• Has no wrist articulation
• Chest is recessed too deep within his chest to be seen
• Is a hunchback. 
• Looks even worse when you combine him with any of the triple combiner teams. 

Transformers Go! Optimus Prime comes chest insignia can be pressed to activate sound-effects. Its our understanding that combining him with the other triple combiner teams will activate other sound-effects. One problem: The sound-effects are in Japanese.

SECOND: Opitmus ExPrime's vehicle more is.... boring. It's a train. Well the front of a train. That's it? Not really fans here. In the cartoons, the train travels along a solid-light set of tracks that can actually be used to ram his opponents. Optimus Prime's train mode can also float in the air and teleport. But it's still kinda meh.

You can attach the Kabuto shield and his swords to the back, but that just makes things look worse:

THIRD: Opitmus ExPrime's Dragon mode also looks like crap in comparison to this:


Instead of a four legged dragon with Prime's swords for his wings, and a tail, we have this:

Honestly it looks like Transformers Go Optimus Prime's dtragon mode was stepped on by a passing Metroplex

This particular Transformers Go! Optimus ExPrime was purchased from a Private Facebook group for PhP 1,800 (Roughly US$ 40). He's available on Amazon for US$ 32 (Roughly PhP 1,440 plus shipping). We'd recommend this if you're a die hard Optimus Prime collector or if you want a conversation piece for your collection, this qualifies, but you'd be defending his existence.