SND-01 Primo Vitalis Optimus Prime Upgrade Kit Review

Primo Vitalis Optimus Prime

Welcome to our SND-01 Primo Vitalis Optimus Prime Upgrade Kit Review!

First of all Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Please do also check out our Primo Vitalis Upgrade Kit Assembly Guide by clicking here.

To the uninitiated, this particular "look" of having a split chest and shoulder pads was conceptualized by IDW Comics for their Transformers Title.

We've since seen this design incarnated into the Legends Class Transformers Generations Optimus Prime, and; into Toyworld's Orion.

Neither Hasbro or Takara have come up with an official IDW Split-Chest Optimus Prime, but we're sure it's just a matter of time. Til then we have Shigeru Ningyo Do (SND) to thank for their Primo Vitalis Upgrade kit for the Transformers Combiner Wars Optimus Prime.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP.

SND-01 Primo Vitalis Optimus Prime Upgrade Kit Assembly Guide

SND-01 Primo Vitalis Optimus Prime Upgrade

Welcome to an assembly guide for the SND-01 Primo Vitalis Combiner Wars Optimus Prime upgrade kit.

We had the chance to discuss the SND-01 with several other Transformers collectors and the consensus seems to be universal that this is without a doubt one of the best upgrade kits ever to be released in the market.

However a lot of collectors are overwhelmed by the a) Suggestion that the Primo Vitalis is less of an upgrade kit and more of a kit that creates a new toy, and; b) Idea that doing so means that you have to deal with the "exploding" joints of the Combiner Wars Optimus Prime.

Both ideas are true. Unlike car upgrades, most Transformers upgrades can be reversed or removed. While the SND-01 Primo Vitalis can be reversed, it would require a hell of a lot of work. And a quick trip to YouTube to watch some people bully through the instruction manual will show just how explosive the hip joints of the Combiner Wars Optimus Prime can be.

Hopefully this assembly guide will help.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP.

Combiner Wars Optimus Prime Perfect Combiner PC-08 upgrade

Combiner Wars Optimus Prime PC-08 upgrade 

Presenting the 3rd party Perfect Combiner PC-08 armor, hands and feet upgrade kit for the Combiner Wars Optimus Prime.

We should probably point out that this version of Optimus Maximus is also backed by Reprolabels

To read more about our Reprolabels upgrade, click here.

This is our 3rd review involving the Combiner Wars Optimus Prime. All three past reviews involved complaints about how unstable, unsightly and ungainly his hip area was.

If you want to see our past reviews for the Transformers Combiner Wars Optimus Prime, click here

So when the Perfect Combiner PC-08 upgrade came out in the market, we had to have it for Optimus

MORE AFTER THE JUMP

Transformers Combiner Wars Shockwave

Transformers Combiner Wars Shockwave

Presenting the Decepticon Shockwave from the Transformers Combiner Wars toyline.

This particular figure hit the market nearly three weeks ago and he quickly disappeared from the shelves as opportunistic hoarders took them to make a profit off anybody who wanted to arm the Combiner Wars Bruticus with a Shockwave rifle.

So we were lucky to come across one, but we have no intention of getting ourselves a Bruticus, we just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

To the uninitiated, Shockwave is probably the Transformers most popular "Empurata" - a term we first encountered while reviewing the Transformers Generations Whirl.

Transformers Combiner Wars Sky Lynx

Transformers Combiner Wars Sky Lynx

Presenting the Transformers Combiner Wars Sky Lynx.

Sky Lynx is quite a unique Autobot. One of the few major characters of power and reknown that does not have a humanoid form (Well... til now that is). He instead transforms into.... well the G1 manuals call him a "dino-bird", but clearly he's a form of gryphon.

He's so unique in fact that he's actually quite vain  (Though he can back up his vanity and rank of Lieutenant Commander with power, speed, grace and talent, so "Bite me" seems to be his standard response to any criticism.)

Sky Lynx is so vain he's known for the quote "Before you do anything, think, 'Is this what Sky Lynx would do in my position?', and you will not go far wrong."

That's probably why Springer calls Sky Lynx "Commander Modesty".

Transformers Combiner Wars Rodimus Prime

Rodimus Prime, leader of the Autobots

Presenting the Transformers Combiner Wars Rodimus Prime - or just plain Rodimus.

We're honestly not sure why someone in Hasbro in his infinite wisdom blurted out "Hey let's shrink the little guy! No one likes him anyway, they won't notice!"

Sigh. For all the misgivings we may have about the guy who: Caused the death of Optimus Prime; stole the Matrix of Leadership from Ultra Magnus, and; led the Autobots to near destruction prompting the resurrection of Optimus Prime; Rodimus was still the leader of the Autobots and deserves a little more dignity than this.

And everyone else from the IDW comic books more or less got to scale toys made out of them, so why is Rodimus so diminutive?

What do we care, we don't like Rodimus? :)

MORE AFTER THE JUMP

Unite Warriors / Combiner Wars Grand Scourge

Would you classify Grand Scourge as a Nemesis Prime?

Presenting the Transformers Decepticons Dark Commander, Grand Scourge - or Nemesis Prime if you prefer - from Takara Tomy's Unite Warriors toyline - their version of Combiner Wars. 

Personally we don't really think he should be equated with Nemesis Prime, but he will be so let's just leave it at that.

Basically this dude is Jet Li's Lawless from "The One." Grand Scourge is a dimensional hopper that seeks out the bearers of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, and kills them. Armed with his Matrix Breaker Sword, Grand Scourge in the e-Hobby comic book was portrayed to have already claimed the matrix of Reverse Prime. Now he's come for the Matrix of Optimus Prime (Gabriel Yu Law), because there can be only one.

More after the jump

Ultra Magnus Reprolabels - Combiner Wars

Presenting the Transformers Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus with Reprolabels applied. We're quite fond of the Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus and we said that he was worthy of how he looks in the IDW comic books and has a mold that fits nicely in his other versions including when he appeared as the Autobot City Commander in The Transformers Movie.

So we have to tip our hat to Reprolabels for creating a need and making us realize that there was "room for improvement."

The Reprolabels are based upon Magnus' original G1 toy design and his portrayal by IDW in the Dark Cybertron series, both of which depict Ultra Magnus with a solid red lower torso and upper thighs.

We honestly appreciate though that Reprolabels did not go overboard with turning those body parts red as Ultra Magnus' cartoon version is primarily white and blue - probably an attempt to make him as distinct from Optimus Prime as possible. We think that this is a fine compromise between the two. 

Combiner Wars Optimus Maximus

Presenting the Transformers Combiner Wars Optimus Maximus!

Or.... The Combiner Wars Sunstreaker, Mirage, Jazz and Ironhide, combined with The Combiner Wars Optimus Prime that has been modified with Reprolabels and further modified with the Perfect Effect Combiner PC-01 Black Hand and Foot Upgrade.

So it's a heavily modified Optimus Maximus.

No the Matrix does not glow, the Reprolabels  are reflective and just caught the light perfectly.

Anyway, Hasbro/Takara decided to go all Bio-Man on Optimus Prime. Since we're not fans of the rainbow coalition (They should have made Hound a member instead of Prowl. Hound is green and the new Optimus prime is white so it would have completed the Bio-Man prism) we're slightly more fond of the Optimus/Aerialbots gestalt.

Combiner Wars Optimus Prime Reprolabels Upgrade

Presenting a Combiner Wars Optimus Prime with a Reprolabels Upgrade.

The Combiner Wars Optimus Prime is one of our favorites. We cited it for high articulation and a design worthy of what he will eventually become on his own - a Combiner (Great thing are in store for Ultra Prime now that we know that the redocos of IronHide, Sunstreaker, Mirage and Prowl are coming),

So when we saw the Reprolabels upgrade, we knew we had to get it - and we love it.

In a nutshell this is about taking something that looks good, and making even better.

In a nutshell we think that the Reprolabel stickers add enough detailing - and some of it is really simple - to add to the air of authority that surrounds Optimus Prime.

Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus

Presenting the Transformers Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus!

This is the IDW/G1 continuity Ultra Magnus and not the Ultra Magnus who was robbed of the leadership of the Autobots by Hotrod (Rodimus Prime).

Which means that the Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus is the Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, and upholder of the Code of Interplanetary Conflict - or so he keeps saying.

He also hides a terrible secret: The real Ultra Magnus was a law-enforcer. He's dead. After he died Chief Justice Tyrest believed that the legendary law-enforcer had to continue on given what he symbolized. So he created and released an Ultra Magnus armor that was run by "loadbearers" - a small amount of tiny Autobots who had sparks strong enough to animate the armor.

Each time the Ultra Magnus pilot would receive fatal injuries, the armor would return to Tyrest and a new loadbearer would animate the armor. Because of this Ultra Magnus gained the reputation of being "unkillable" as he seemed to have the ability to bounce back from critical injuries.

Little did anybody know that four loadbearers had already died in the service of Tyrest. The current pilot of the Ultra Magnus armor is Minimus Ambus - a tiny Autobot who always dreamed of holding the line against the Decepticons in the Great War.

Transformers Combiner Wars Superion

Presenting Superion from the Transformers Combiner Wars series. 

To be perfectly honest we really weren't planning on getting the Transformers Combiner Wars Silverbolt which would allow us to create the mighty Superion.

But after having so much fun with the mega-mighty Ultra Prime, we had to check him out and see if Superion was just as much fun.

To the uninitiated, this is Superion, the gestalt form of the Aerialbots. The Aerialbots were a group of Autobots cold constructed by the G1 Autobots as a response to the Decepticon Team, the Stunticons. 

They were intentionally created to all be flyers because the Decepticons always had air-superiority and because the Decepticons had created the Stunticons to be land vehicles.

Transformers Combiner Wars Optimus Prime

Presenting the Transformers Combiner Wars Optimus Prime.

Well technically this is Ultra Prime: The Transformers Combiner Optimus Prime with the Aerialbots Alpha Bravo, Firefly and Skydive with the Decepticon Stunticon Dragstrip.

Yes a Decepticon. Hasbro chose to release the series sans one Aerialbot and released a Stunticon instead.

And being the suckers we are we just could not wait for the second wave of Combiners and bought Dragstrip instead just so we could have a complete set to review.

Personally we're hoping that Hasbro or any other 3rd party group releases other combiners that are more.... robust. Perhaps a combiner team dedicates solely to Prime.