Transformers Cybertron Primus
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The recent offerings in the Transformer lines have held little interest for me with the exception of the Alternators line.
But I still have a soft spot in my heart for the larger Transformers and the characters I remember from the old comics. So
Hasbro produced a Primus figure, I knew my collection would be growing larger. Primus is the creator of all Transformers (or
at least the Autobots depending upon which version of the Transformers you are dealing with) He's alternate form is also
the home planet of the Transformers, Cybertron itself. With a pedigree like that, Primus has a lot to live up to. Let's
hope Hasbro was able to deliver.
Packaging - 6/10Primus is a big figure. And it takes a big box to hold him. And while the packaging is big, it may not be big enough. Essentially it is a window box, with a single large window on the front and top panels. But the window isn't large enough. you can only see about half of the figure. Meanwhile it is so large that there is little room for other graphics on the front of box. They did include a photo of Primus' planet mode and a drawing of Primus with the Omega Lock in action even if they are stuck on the smaller, angled panels on the side. There is a description of Primus' background on one of the side panels which leaves the back panel clear to show off all of the features. That's all well and good, but there are so many features of his robot mode pointed out that they don't even have room to include a photo of his planet mode and there is only a small photo of his battle station mode. I like what they tried to do, but there is just so much information and so many images crammed onto the limited surface area of the box that the final result is to busy. They should have either used a larger box (which isn't very feasible if it is still going to fit on a store shelf) or included less info. The box's size also results in some durability issues, though nothing too serious.
Sculpting - 8/10The sculpting for Primus is excellent. There is a great deal of detail in both modes. The planet mode is terrific. There is plenty of small detail without looking too busy. It retains the semi-hollow, layered look of the classic cartoon though it is not as pronouced. Primus' robot mode is well balanced. There is a great deal of detail. Its biggest drawback is the feet which retain too much of the spherical shape of the planet mode. There is also suppose to be a battle station mode, but it just looks like the planet mode split in half. His size is also an issue. Primus is noticablely smaller than Unicron in both planet and robot modes. It's not a huge difference, but Unicron is about a head taller than Primus in robot mode and an inch large in diameter in planet mode, not including the ring around Unicron. Primus does have a big advantage over Unicron in one reguard. His planet mode has four towers which stick out on the bottom to form a stand.
Paint - 7/10The paint work on Primus, like most Transformers is very well done. It is neat, the edges are clean and there is no sloppiness that I've noticed. The paint scheme is selected to favor his robot mode which looks great. It also works reasonablly well in planet mode. Ideally I would envision Cybertron as a shiney silver planet. Instead we get a combination of different shades of blue with minimal amount of silver and other colors. It works well enough, but I would love to see a completely silver repaint.
Articulation - 6/10The articulation on Primus is pretty good, but his bulk limits his poseability. The biggest drawback is the feet which are not able to adjust to support the figure if the feet are in anything other than a straight standing pose. The arms are nicely articulated including individually jointed fingers. There is also a pair of articulated manipulator arms on the legs which are a nice extra touch.
Accessories - 5/10Primus comes with just a few accessories: two projectiles, a Cybertron cyber planet key and the Omega Lock. The projectiles load into the two cannons over Primus' shoulders and are fired via small buttons. The cyber planet key is a small piece of plastic with a small tab that can be plugged into the figure's forearms to trigger the cannons to pop out. It can also be plugged into the Omega Lock, but it serves no purpose to do so. The Omega Lock is the most significant accessory. It is used to activate Primus' transformation and has a light up feature of its own. It's not terribly decorative and it would be nice if there was some place to store the Omega Lock on the figure.
TransformationPrimus has a wonderfully simple transformation. The hands are retracted into the forearms and then the arms are placed at the figure's side. Then using the Omega Lock in the socket on the chest, the head, shoulder pads and chest panels all slide into place. The waist turns 180 degrees and the feet swing up across the chest to form the lower half of the planet. The two cannons over the shoulders are aimed straight up and then folded to the sides where they lock into place. Then you use the Omega Lock in his back to slide the back panels into place and complete the transformation.
Value - 7/10The regular retail price for Primus is $50. That's a pretty hefty price tag. But this is a terrific figure and worth the price, even if you are just going to use it as a display piece. But if you are like me (ie cheap) it may pay to shop around. I picked up Primus for $30 on clearance. If you are fortunate enough to find the big mechanical god of the Autobots on clearance, you should definitely pick him up.
Happy Hunting:Primus was quite common last fall. But many stores have stopped carrying the figure. I bought mine when Target was clearancing them out. But the figure is still available at Toys R Us. He is also available online from KBtoys.com, Walmart.com or Big Bad Toy Store.com.
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