Transformers Prime: Optimus Prime Gatling Gun - Aristocratic Creature Huntsman

Presenting the Gatling Gun for Transformers Prime Optimus Prime AKA the Aristocratic Creature Huntsman.

We should note that he's also dragging Dr Wu's Starsaber / Skybreaker.

The Aristocratic Creature Huntsman is from Zenith Forge  the same people who made the Cretaceous Advancement upgrade for the FOC Grimlock (Which we recently gifted to our Nephew - hope he's still whole). The Gatling gun's ID number is ZF-002.

We should probably also take the time to point out that this is technically not a gatling gun as it is not crank activated. It's energy powered so it's technically a mini-gun, or more accurately a weapon's pod.

But calling it a Gatling gun sounds cooler.

Arcee Upgrade Dr Wu TP07 Courageous

Presenting TP 07 Courageous, the unofficial third party Transformers Prime Arcee's upgrade from Dr Wu.

I really, really love the First Editon Transformers Prime Arcee. Not just because it's a robot with chimichangas, but because she really is a wonder of engineering. Here we have a transformers that is solid, possesses incredible articulation (Relatively if you forgive the limitations of her shoulder pauldrons), and looks really good - kinda hot actually.

So when I saw that Dr Wu - a 3rd party (read as: illegal or frowned upon by Hasbro) Transformers accessories creator had an upgrade for her - the TP-07 Courageous, I just had to get the upgrade - even if Arcee isn't a primary collection item in the Dungeon.

Transformers Prime: Thundertron

Presenting Thundertron from the Transformers Prime Robots In Disguise Toyline.

Okay: Shoulder pads, what appears to be coat-tails, a beard, a peg-leg and a saber.

Hmmmmmm. All we're missing is a hat and we we'd have one bondafide Transformers Pirate (Get this, he transforms into a Lion who has what looks like an earring pierced into his left ear).

Thundertron is, for the lack of better words, yes, a pirate. He bears neither the Autobot nor the Decepticon sigil. He has his own sigil  (Head - skull? - over swords) that you can see on one of his coat-tails or on the packaging. So you could say that he fights for himself.

Thundertron was released as a part of the Transformers Prime toy-line, but he actually has yet to make an appearance in the cartoon. Despite his visage, he hasn't made an appearance in the Beast Hunters series either, but it does hint on him becoming a character for the series, especially sine Thundertron bears no love for anything Cybertronian - weird I know.

Transformers Prime Star Hammer (Jackhammer)

Presenting the Transformers Prime Star Hammer AKA the Jackhammer.

It actually took me a while to find any information on the Star Hammer despite the fact that I've seen it in action in the cartoons. The reason being that I had not paid attention to the Transformers Prime cartoons enough to realize that the Autobots referred to Wheeljack's one-man space exploring craft as the Jackhammer not the Star Hammer.

I'm not really sure where or why someone decided to change the name. It probably has something to do with Star Hammer being a class of ship and Jackhammer being the name of the ship - in the same way that a lot of people are confused with Firefly (ship class) and Serenity (Ship name).

The Jackhammer obviously gets its name from its owner and loner pilot, the former Wrecker known as Wheeljack AKA "Jackie" (Thanks to Bulkhead).

Transformers Prime: Wheeljack

Presenting Wheeljack from the Transformes Prime toyline.

I've actually had this particular figure for quite some time and the fact that I'm just reviewing him now is a fine example of how much backlog I have.

Oh well.

"Jackie" here - as Bulkhead likes to call him - is a former Wrecker. This is the first time that Wheeljack has been listed as a member of the Autobot suicide slash extermination squad. Because of this, the Transformers Prime Wheeljack actually has a personality that deviates from his traditional peace loving, pacifistic scientist who works well with others and created the Dinobots.

No. This Wheeljack has a personality akin to Dr. Nemesis, the mad Nazi-hunting scientist who was recruited into the X-Men: He doesn't work well with others, has no moral qualms about ending a life - especially in the name of science - hyper intelligent, and like sharp object because they cut things - Decepticons -  open.

Transformers Prime: Airachnid

Presenting Airachnid from the Transformers Prime Toyline.

I still really haven't figured out why a race of robots should have genders. I do believe we've talked about how Transformers reproduce in the past and somehow they apparently do sometimes reproduce like carbon life-forms - should be pretty loud and disturbing.

Airachnid is a psychotic big-game hunter with a fetish for collecting body parts from endangered species. To her credit she doesn't just go after lumbering beasts, she also goes after challenging sentient species who can provide her with a worthy challenge.

Airachnid is also a triple changer. For the longest time she transformed between her robot form and a half-spider/half-woman form till she was overwhelmed by the forces of Earth's Agent Fowler and scanned his Bell Huey 212 helicopter to escape - but somehow transformed instead into a Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche Stealth helicopter instead.

Unfortunately this particular Transformers Prime Airachnid only shuffles back and forth from her helicopter and robot modes.

Weaponizer Optimus Prime

Presenting the Weaponizer Optimus Prime from the Transformers Prime toy-line.

I'm personally not sure if this particular incarnation of Optimus Prime is canon. But given the fluid nature of Transformers as has been manifested in both the cartoons and the movies, I would not put it beyond Prime's abilities to manifest a pair of chain-guns.

And I've always thought that Optimus Prime is a bit under-gunned. Those big-broad shoulders definitely have room for additional weaponry. God-Ginrai showed us how cool it looked. But shoulder mounted weapons for Optimus Prime did not truly manifest. It took third-party groups to produce shoulder mounted weapons for Prime, particularly the Gears of War-2 Pack and the TAW-Sword:

Transformers Cyberverse Arcee (Legion Class)

Presenting the Legion Class Arcee from the Transformers Prime Cyberverse Toyline.

Recently the local market has been flooded with Optimus Maximus battle-stations. I thought that it was cool that Optimus Maximus was here, but noted that there were no Cyberverse Legion Class figures in the market to man the station.

A few days ago, while walking down a small side-stall in Toys R' Us in Galleria, disgruntled that there was apparently nothing new, I saw them: A few Transformers Prime Cyberverse figures. I'm not sure why the quantities were so small, or why these particular figures were hidden and not on the more prominent display racks, but here they were.

This particular figure of the Autobot's "Stealth Fighter" Arcee, which stands a mere 2.6 inches tall - not counting her flaring shoulder blades - is from that tiny selection.

Transformers Prime: Vehicon aka Eradicon (First Edition)

Presenting a Vehicon - AKA Eradicon - from the Transformers Prime Animated Series First Edition. There are a few issues that I have with the Vehicon.

The biggest happens to be its gender. It has a waif like figure which is fine because most Transformers Prime figures have waif like figures. But the Vehicon figure kinda also has... breasts (Like Arcee)... whereas the more macho male figures like Cliffjumper and Optimus Prime have flat barrel chests. Face it, with the glass on her chest, it even looks like she has lace covering her cleavage.

The only other booby looking chest that I know of would be Bulkhead's but then he's built like a Gorilla - complete with nipples.

It makes me wonder if this is a design flaw since the Vehicons were voiced by a guy.

But then the Vehicons have always been a source of much confusion.

Transformers Prime First Edition: Optimus Prime (Voyager Class)

Presenting Optimus Prime (Voyager Class) from the Transformers Prime Animated  First Edition Series.This is the big brother of the SDCC 2011 Exclusive "Matrix Prime" that we reviewed back in October. Only this time this one doesn't come with kick-ass packaging (A Matrix of Leadership that can be hung around your neck and a nice magnetic case) that we have here on the right.

Transformers Prime Voyager Class Optimus Prime debuted on the retail store shelves around December and I got him for Christmas along with Transformers Prime Bulkead. But since Transformers Prime: Optimus Prime is quite common and Bulkhead was rarer - and has those lovely baby-blue eyes -  I came out with him just now.

Transformers Prime Voyager Class Optimus Prime was purchased at the retail price of PhP 1,499.75 (Roughly US$ 34). Strangely he's available on Amazon for a whopping US$ 49.95 (Roughly PhP 2,200 plus shipping), which makes me wonder if he's rare in the U.S. If he is, give a shout out because it might be cheaper for you to get it all the way here from the Philippines where they fill toy-shelves throughout the Metro.

Transformers Prime: Bulkhead

Presenting Bulkhead from the Transformers Prime Animated Series. Think of the Transformers Prime Bulkhead as the smaller version of his Transformers Animated Series Legends class cousin - down to the wrecking ball.

Transformers Prime Bulkhead is the sterotypical gentle giant - down to the big-blue eyes (Hats off to Hasbro, something that small is actually pretty good detailing).  While he  seriously looks like a green gorilla on steroids, he also delivers on being the green gorilla that can drive you into the ground and both dish and take on a lot of punishment.

Bulkhead never saw himself as a genius and started out as a Wrecker but eventually followed Prime and was one of the last ones on the Earth-bound Ark - ironically the Wreckers, led by Ultra Magnus held off Trypticon long enough for the Ark to escape. The Wreckers stayed vowing to take apart Shockwave's new empire.

On Earth, Bulkhead befriends, and is most protective of, 15 year old Miko Nakadai who accepts his clumsy but well meaning ways.

It is this friendship that brings Bulkhead back from a coma after he accidentally gets into a situation akin to what happened to Spike Witwicky in the Transformers Revenge of the Fallen movie - except that because Bulkhead is... intellectually challenged... it overloads him, literally.

Transformers Prime: Cliffjumper

Presenting the ill-fated Cliffjumper from the new Transformers Prime animated series who's most famous quote is "Do I ever need back-up" and who can "layeth the smack-down" on any Decepticon dumb enough to cross his path. 


"Alas poor Yorick!  I knew him." SPOILER ALERT. If you haven't seen the series yet, you might want to stop here and just look at the pretty pictures. Well come to think of it, if you read the Transformers Prime Arcee review where I didn't put a spoiler alert, then I suppose you already know that Cliffjumper died. 


Unlike his Gen 1 "Whimpy little Autobot" character who is in there to teach people that little people can do great things, Transformers Prime Cliffjumper is a bad-ass! And best of all! Also unlike his Candy-ass G1 counterpart, Transformers Prime Cliffjumper is voiced by one of the ultimate bad-asses there is! The Great One! The People's Champion! The Brahma Bull! The Most E-lectrifying Man in Sports Entertainment! Dwayne "The Rock!" Johnson! Which is probably also why they had to kill him early on because the Rock is back and busy in the WWE having just Rock-bottomed the Miz, R-Truth and John Cena. 

Transformers Prime: Arcee

Presenting Arcee from the Transformers Prime animated series. Arcee is a Cybertronian Scout - when is she never a scout? One of Optimus Prime's best actually.





Except this particular Arcee is suffering from a severe case of Survivor's Guilt. Before the Autobots in the Transformers Prime universe abandoned Cybetron in what would be later called the Great Exodus, Arcee was paired with an Autobot named Tailgate.

During a mission, Arcee was captured and tortured for information by the Decepticon Airachnid. When Arcee refused to reveal any information, Airachnid brought our Tailgate - who was apparently also captured. Tailgate was tortured will Arcee admitted that she did not have any valuable information. Satisfied, Airachnid killed Tailgate. Arcee was rescued before Airachnid could do her in as well.

After the Exodus, Arcee was again paired with another Autobot, Cliffjumper. He not only looks like Tailgate, he gets killed too - well later he gets re-animated as a psychotic Zombie, cut in half by Megatron and scattered in a mine. Anyway, this drives Arcee - understandably over the deep-end and Arcee ends up hating having to be paired with anyone. Ironically, she's assigned by Optimus Prime to protect the human Jack Darby. You can imagine her joy at having to protect someone from the Decepticons.

Transformers: SDCC 2011 Exclusive Optimus Prime (Matrix Prime)

, Presenting the new Animated Optimus Prime from the recently concluded 2011 San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), AKA the Matrix Prime. The SDCC Matrix Optimus Prime is the precursor of the new line of Animated Transformers toys that are supposed to be released in the market  in December of this year - following the year long expansion of the animated mini-series Transformers Prime from a simple mini-series to a full fledged animated series with already 2 full seasons in release.

Basically Hasbro wanted to further hype the release of the toy-line by giving a teaser of the good things to come in December. The toy has gained the moniker "Matrix Prime" because of it's packaging. SDCC Matrix Optimus Prime comes in a box; inside the box is a replica of the Animated - not the movie - Autobot Matrix of Leadership (The one we've all grown to love and adore, especially if you enjoyed watching Ultra Magnus blow up like I did); inside the Matrix, is Optimus Prime. Hence the moniker "Matrix Prime"