Featured Toy of the Month: Armada Supercon Optimus Prime

The TFormers.com Featured Toy Of The Month is Armada Supercon Optimus Prime! A poseable, economical alternative to the Super Base-class Prime, this one can't turn off your TV set when you transform it but it does happen to be the standard by which all Deluxe Optimus Primes- if not all modern Deluxes -are judged.

Boxy and bulky in the best possible way, Armada Prime is definitely more in line with the G1 aesthetic than the previous year's Robots In Disguise Prime. Though in a pleasant change, chest windows have been eschewed in favor of an enlarged truck grille to give the torso a heavier, armored look. Big shoulders and a deep-set head also help to make this Optimus look like a real bruiser. And he once again turns into an equally chunky truck- not a cab-forward model but something more in line with his late-G2 incarnations. Two Powerlinx ports- one on the roof of the truck and one on the bed- are available for attaching Mini-Cons. While a trailer definitely didn't cost out at the Supercon level, Prime can tow the Super Base trailer even if it doesn't turn into a fancy pair of pants for him.

But the feature that makes Supercon Prime the favored figure with many adult collectors is his articulation- which of course is how he earned the nickname of "Bendy Prime." Shoulder hinges set in the extreme upper corner of the shoulder blocks provide the best possible range for the arms, topping off solid-to-excellent articulation in all other locations including a waist, pre-knee swivels, and rocker-joints in the ankles. None of which may sound terribly groundbreaking now, but made Supercon Optimus the best-articulated figure in the Armada line by far. As a final touch he includes Over-Run, a triple-changing Mini-Con who also functions as a Targetmaster and can be plugged into a 5mm socket on the back of the trick for a sort-of artillery truck mode. Over-Run also triggers a lackluster "Power Punch" gimmick in Optimus, which functionally is more of a Power Shrug, but more importantly the gimmick has zero impact on the basic function of the figure- another aspect that makes Bendy Prime all but unique among Armada figures.

Ideally, you might want to consider unscrewing his lower legs and swapping the thighs- the sculpted details on the front of the legs bumps into the hip armor and limits that crucial point on an otherwise very flexible toy. But seeing as this is the only genuine flaw with the figure, it's little surprise Hasbro reused this mold time and again: not only was this mold used for Armada Nemesis Prime and Universe Ultra Magnus, but it returned in Cybertron with a Cyber Planet Key swapped in for Over-Run. On top of which, there are several distinct running changes for the basic figure in Armada. But there's little denying it's a figure that deserves the degree of reuse it's gotten. Supercon Optimus Prime set the stage for the modern Deluxe Transformer, and if you don't own at least one version of the mold yet, you should.

Photos courtesy of Remy's Galleries at TFKenkon.com