Via Transformers Never Die on Facebook we got word that some of the new Studio Series Wave 5 Deluxe and Voyager figures are out in Taiwan. WWII Bumblebee, DOTM Sideswipe, Bonecrusher and the new Optimus Prime mold were spotted at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi store in Taipei.
Courtesy of Yenting Lai from Transformers Never Die, we have our first in-hand images of the new SS-32 Voyager Optimus Prime. This is a remold of the original Studio Series SS-05 Optimus Prime. The changes let this mold combine with the upcoming Studio Series SS-35 Leader Class Jetfire in order to form Jetpower Optimus Prime.
Some noticeable changes are the chest, shoulder pads, several new connectors and remolded legs, new deco, and a completely different backpack, smaller and more movie-accurate. Instead of the blades included with SS-05 Optimus Prime, he comes with his iconic ion blaster.
You can check a small gallery of comparison pics between SS-32 and SS-05 after the jump.
Retroheavy
Part swapped the lower legs, front upper thigh piece and shoulder pads for more accurate looking prime. Doesn’t seem to effect transformation.
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Zeke1
I feel bad for the designers. Everyone was complaining that the original one was too dark. And now everybody is saying that the new one is too light. They must be banging their heads against the wall right about now. LOL!
LigerPrime
Yeah…the colours are too bright…
Retroheavy
2018 Transformers Studio Series Movie 1 Voyager Figure MOC – #32 OPTIMUS PRIME | eBay
45.00 shipped from this seller. I figured it was worth it now that I don't have to spend money on gas driving all over town hunting for this figure for the next couple weeks.
maxxzander
did someone said takara evasion prime??? gigidy!!View attachment 28178856
maxxzander
some comparison View attachment 28178847 View attachment 28178848
MST3KFan
The robot mode looks better, but really could use a bit more paint. From a distance it looks too… 'McDonald Happy Meal toy' to me.
SHIELD Agent 47
Now a video review from Kevin Liu:
kaijuguy19
I'm a little sad that he isn't that taller then the first SS Optimus as we originally thought he was but he still looks to be a major improvement all the same. Though I'm still waiting for the Leader version to see if that one's the best version to pick up or not.
Requiem Prime
True enough, when they're ready they'll probably repackage some version (ideally Takara's) and call it a day.
Chaos Muffin
Looks better than voyager HFTD Optimus and without the wonky knees.
Metalwario64
Those aren't on the actual figure. Whoever took that photo customized their figure.
What's bothering me the most is the height. Someone a while back compared them in box, and this one looked much bigger, then we got that video review, and this one was still noticeably larger, but not as much as the boxed comparison (which probably means the boxes have shrunk again so they can pinch more pennies. I still remember in late CW when the boxes got super thin and flimsy), and in these shots they're almost the exact same height maybe give or take a couple of mm.
Retroheavy
Pretty stoked for this guy. Looks like a few comprises are made on both robot and alt mode to make one good transformers toy… I hate it when they go so far to the left or right that you end up with one mode that just doesn’t work.
Ratchets Hatch
Damn, you're right. I've been living in a fool's paradise.
Huh. I never noticed those gold details before. Also, now that I look at them again, it looks like they only changed the color of the red plastic. They used the same shade of blue. Makes me wonder how much part-swapping would be possible/practical here.
Zeke1
At first glance I don't see the gold on the hips or the grey on the upper thighs. The abdomen detail is also missing. Although that change may be related to which movie Prime they are emulating. But it's still a reduction in detail IMHO. Also the door windows that make up the outer wall of his chest seems to be painted solid blue.
ObakaChanTachi
He’s definitely still shorter than Evasion
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Such a shame because had he been Evasion’s size I’d replace mine with SS32 in a heartbeat.
Ratchets Hatch
Not really. They changed the color of the plastic. The red and blue plastic on SS05 is super dark and has a sheen to it, which makes it look painted, but it isn't.
Zeke1
Ok, so basically they improved the backpack but took away paint and the folding rear fenders? I'm not sure that was a fair trade.
I'll be the first to admit that I really hated the backpack on SS05 but without the paint apps SS32 looks cheaper somehow.
Ratchets Hatch
I'm guessing they rushed the design process the first time around, and the feedback from collectors (myself included) led them to do an overhaul. They fixed (or at least attempted to fix) the principal things we complained about: the chest, the backpack, the size, and the absurdly dark color scheme.
The existing evasion mold is damn near perfect apart from the forearms. The going theory is that the upcoming SS Leader Class Prime is a DOTM-style remold of SS32 with a trailer and flight tech.
Best I can tell, he is pretty close in height to Evasion.