In the past year, Takara has introduced another G1 reissue line known as Encore. Recently, they have added another wave to their release schedule. One of these releases will be Omega Supreme. Omega Supreme has traditionally been known as the powerhouse, and often times, last defense of the Autobot army. However, he (like other Transformers) started life out very differently.
History
Omega Supreme's original name was the Super Change Robot Mechabot-1, released by the now defunct ToyBox company in Japan. The mold orignally sported a gray, red and white paint scheme but was otherwise identical to the version Hasbro eventually released. In 1985, Hasbro (who was reeling in the success of the Transformers line) was looking for anything transforming figure to add to the lineup. Most of Takara's Diaclone line had been used already, and Bandai was starting to market their own figures. Along with Sky Lynx, Hasbro acquired the rights to Mechabot-1 and repainted him into Omega Supreme.
Omega was introduced in the animated series during the second season, when the show started experimenting with trans-galactic plots. During this time, it was learned that Omega Supreme was part of the original Guardian design built by the Quintessons. Although most of the Guardians never acquired sentience, Omega somehow did. He ended up being the sentry for the martyred Crystal City. Omega was betrayed by the Constructicons, who had been reprogrammed to serve Megatron, and they destroyed the city he was to guard. After trying unsuccessfully to recover his friends, he withdrew himself and focused on revenge. As part of his act, he repressed all emotion and adopted a brunt and analytical manner of speech. Only Optimus Prime could get Omega to speak as a normal mechanoid. He ended up coming to Earth after hearing rumore that the Constructicons also came there. Sky Lynx eventually replaced Omega Supreme as the intergalactic transport during Season 3, although Omega did have one appearance on “The Big Broadcast of 2006”.
In the Marvel universe, he was portrayed differently, although there is still a strong tie to the Constructicons. The Autobot Grapple is credited with the creation of Omega, trying to mimic the benefits of the Constructicons, although Omega was a single being. He originally was given the task of protecting the Ark, in which he fended off a Decepticon attack on his own. Omega eventually beefed up defenses on the Ark, and controlled these new defenses with a Power Booster Rod. This rod was eventually stolen by the human known as The Mechanic. Omega was also at one time in the running for Autobot Commander during Prime's absence in “King of the Hill!”. After Trypticon attacked the Ark, Grimlock ended up being chosen instead. Omega was eventually defeated and deactivated by Starscream during his control of the Underbase. Although Ratchet is shown in later panels working on Omega in an attempt to revive him, there is never proof that Ratchet succeeded.
Omega also appeared in the Energon series. He was part of the original Primus vs Unicron battle. After that battle, he was sent into suspended animated, but was reactivated by Dr Brian Jones and Primus in 2020. Eager to return to battle, he joined the Autobots and gained the ability to merge with Optimus Prime to form Optimus Supreme. Omega could split into 2 pieces and formed a battleship and a construction crane. These pieces could merge to form a 'supertrain' of sorts. The 2 pieces could also form artillery. Omega has also had brief appearances on Dreamwave, Devil's Due and IDW comics.
Figures
Omega Supreme, being the complex figure he was, only had one release in the original G1 lineup. In alternate mode, he formed a space defense base. His arms formed an interplanetary rocket, his back and legs formed the base perimeter and his head/torso formed a tank. In robot mode, he had the ability to 'walk', which was remarkable for the time. In tank mode, the same motor that enabled his walk would also drive the tank around the base perimeter, which was a track. This might explain his hefty price tag of $50.
There is also a lesser known version of Omega. After G1's final demise in the US, the Actionmaster line gained another sub-line called Actionmaster Elite. While some might call it a misspelling, Omega was named
Omega Spreem. While the transformation was simplistic (think Jumpchanger without the jump), and the colors garish (red, orange and royal blue), he did have a battery that could power his front treads in Alt mode. This figure was only released in Europe and Austrailia.
In 2003, the Energon line revived
Omega Supreme. He also got a recolored version known as
Omega Sentinel. Sentinel is considered the rarer of the two molds. The figure was pretty much a brick and the combined alt mode took up considerable room. However, it's 'headmaster' was an intentional homage to the Actionmaster Elite figure. This figure could be stored in the construction crane cockpit when the figure was in alt mode. These two molds were also featured in the
Attactix line.
Animated
Spoiler Included: Read at your own risk!
In the pilot episode of Transformers: Animated, the Autobots were onboard a starship that had coloration resemblance to Omega Supreme. In this episode, the Autobots tried to reactivate the defense systems on the ship, known as “Code: Omega”. However, that attempt failed. The ship crash-landed into Lake Erie and remained there for the first season. The Autobots managed to get the ship reactivated in an attempt to lure the Decepticons and their revived leader, Megatron, off the Earth. However, Megatron was able to damage the ship and it ended up crash-landing into a mountainside.
It has been found out that the ship will in fact be Omega Supreme, and he not only will be reactivated but have a
robot mode as well. The figure is expected to be priced at the Supreme (fittingly) price range of $50.
Trading History
As mentioned earlier, Omega Supreme in his G1 form was retailed at around $50. Since then, he hasn't really appreciated in value much. This might be blamed on the motor used to power his walk, as it is well known to fail. However, he can fetch as much as $250 if 100% and with original box. There was even an
AFA grade asking for a whopping $3000! However, it ended with no bids but had over 1400 visits. The Encore edition is set to release in June 2008 for $115.
Stay tuned to Tformers.com for more details as they are made available. Your best resource for all the Transformers news and community every day.
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