Courtesy of Twitter user @UNOYUKI07153 we have new stock images (possibly from an upcoming Figure King Magazine) of the highly anticipated Transformers Kingdom Commander Class Rodimus Prime.
The new images show off the trailer in all its configurations and we have images next to Studio Series 86 Hot Rod in both robot and alt mode. As we can see from the images, Rodimus Prime is taller compared to Hot Rod in robot mode, and significantly bigger and longer in truck mode.
Click on the bar to see the mirrored images on this news post and share your impressions on the ongoing discussion on the 2005 Board!
AnonymousDwell
Yes, those are the grey armatures I keep referring to. The mysterious part though is, just opening his hood (which opens to reveal the matrix anyway) and using those armatures to flip his arms over, doesn't get you to the orientation you need for car mode. The wheels end up upside down. And if you flip them back over to get the wheels right side up, then his shoulders are facing the rear of the car, instead of the front.
So I think in addition to those armatures playing a role, there has to be an additional rotational step somewhere – possibly of the entire section the armatures are connected to – to get them into the right orientation between modes.
Obnimaz
https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/attachments/kd-12-rodimus-prime-02-jpg.28994228/ Wont let me embed the image, but I think the secret to the arm/wheel orientation lies in this picture. I suspect the top and bottom of his chest opens up, and the arms flip around on an armature inside his belly similar to how they do in SS86 Hot Rod.
Dann86
Yeah thats a good point the tabs would be wrong. Its really hard to figure out, most bots you can just look at and be like ah yeah thats easy enough, but he is pulling of some secret voodoo stuff here lol
AnonymousDwell
^ This is also why I think it's one of the other two options (unless there's an additional rotation on top of that, but then why have it to begin with, unless as part of a butterfly joint for additional articulation or something?)
Right now, I'm leaning toward the matrix chamber girdle (as I call it for lack of something else to name it
) rotates around, with the arms attached, and the grey armatures inside fold up to get the arms into their upright positions. But that's just a wild guess based on the images.
It could just as easily be that the grey armatures are attached to their own independent section that rotates. But that's a lot of independent rotation on top of waist articulation and everything else.
lord ginrai
While that would be some nifty engineering I don't think that's the case. If it were, those slots for his hood to tab into would end up on the outside of his shoulders in vehicle mode.
AnonymousDwell
Yes! That's another thing I'm considering. But that seems crazy. Right? Right?
No but seriously, it is a possibility, but the fact that the wheel also splits and is already mobile to tab into the shoulder seems to make that prohibitively complex (at least with the wheel also being able to roll.)
But it's actually possible, if the joint it rotates around is on the interior of the axel of the wheel/shoulder strut. And if it can get out far enough to give it room to rotate around the wheel before we split the wheel and slide it up for example.
Personally, given all the moving parts we see inside his torso, I'm inclined to think it has more to do with that. But it's definitely another possibility.
Those are the three ways I can see right now to accomplish it. Rotating around the wheels, the interior girdle the arms attach to doing a 180 vertically (e.g. the matrix chamber is facing backwards and the whole thing turns around to face forwards… I can't see if this is possible through the windshield,) or the whole torso has an additional flip out and rotation (ala 86 Hot Rod) before coming back together that we simply can't see the mechanism for right now.
It has to be one of those, though. Otherwise there's no way for the wheels to end up facing backwards. It's going to drive me nuts until we see it.
Dann86
Unless the whole shoulder folds round the wheel so it it faces the other way…..its hard to describe but sort of like the wheel stays in place but the shoulder 180s around it.
AnonymousDwell
Oh, I see. Yeah I see them, but I'm not 100% certain that's what we're seeing there though due to the image quality. That's why I said I wasn't entirely sure. It does look like it, though.
That double-jointed hinge might also be what facilitates the arms' rotation to get to the final bot mode orientation, but I can't be sure of that either just yet. (If they're attached to the grey armatures as they appear to be, that might be the answer I'm looking for. But they might not be. Really need higher quality images of his side view. Or better yet, his undercarriage in alt mode lol.)
IronEnder17
I know, but you said you weren't sure where they went and I showed you a pic that blatantly shows the hinges those tips are attached to inside the chest
gbm
Its been forever since I pre-ordered a Non-MP figure.
What seems to be the preferred place for doing so, that will get it to me before I see it sitting on shelves for weeks.
Lol
(In the US)
AnonymousDwell
What you quoted me saying above about the "tips" only addresses the front tips of his alt mode that hide his bot mode shoulders when he's in car mode.
What I'm talking about, is how his arms as a whole end up in their final bot mode orientation. Just turning them over doesn't accomplish that, as the wheels wouldn't be facing backwards as they are. And just turning his hood over doesn't accomplish it either.
I've poured over that image and every single other image, still can't tell what's happening with his shoulders.
One possibility is that that entire middle torso assembly (matrix and all) can rotate horizontally (horizontally from standing bot mode perspective that is) with the arms attached to it. But that's all I can think of at this point, and I don't think that's it, as they would need to do so independently of the hood/chest which doesn't appear possible. Like I said, I'm sure I'm missing something incredibly obvious lol.
IronEnder17
WolverineDragon
Well you see his arms moves this way and you have to rotate them 180 degrees backwards and then rotate them slightly forward. And then..
View attachment 29044440
AnonymousDwell
Everyone else is worried about scale and accuracy. I'm just over here going mad trying to figure out how he transforms his arms into their proper bot mode configuration with the wheels facing back instead of forward, and without his chest being upside down.
Probably because (as usual) I'm blind to something incredibly obvious and just overthinking lol. (Don't mind me, I just enjoy the "puzzle" aspect of Transformers.)
WolverineDragon
Some people were debating how much Rodimus was worth due to him being commander class and his height was the main point of contention. Also because scale accuracy was considered.
denebian
Deluxes are all listed as 5.5 inches. From large ones like Crosshairs/Ironhide/Ratchet, all the way down to small ones like Cliffjumper, all listed as "Figure Scale: 5.5 inches"
All of the Voyagers I checked (like Rhinox) are listed as 7 inches.
All the Leaders that had scale listed (ER Optimus, ER Astrotrain, K Galvatron) all listed 7 inches too.
Studio Series figures, on the other hand, use a different standard scale:
Deluxes (including Kup, Jazz, Blurr, and Bayverse figures) say 4.5 inches
Voyagers (Scourge, Hot Rod, and Bayverse) say 6.5 inches
So, you really can't trust it. It is a standard label they slap on listings that really doesn't mean anything.
Dann86
Only really brought it up cause people are like oh hes Prime height and way smaller than Galvatron etc etc.
Also the deluxes etc are listed at different heights so thats what made me think its pretty accurate.
SPLIT LIP
That extra .5 inches gets him on the big boy rides. You think he wears that crown just because it's stylish?
jksit1
ferrero rocher for me please!
jksit1
Thanks for that. Well jealous that you already have him! He didn't quite make it to the 7.5 inch bracket so he remained in the 7 inch even though he clearly is not.