Blog #1208: Toy Review: Transformers: Generations: Titans Return Voyager Optimus Prime & Diac

Transformers: Generations: Titans Return Voyager Optimus Prime & Diac

There are a few things I need to say about the Titans Return line.

First off, the trading cards.  Hasbro made a big deal that they were doing real trading cards and not just a picture with no meaningful back.  I guess they tried, but in the then end, they failed miserably.  The cards suck.  There are only four ratings instead of the eight that nearly all other tech specs have had for 30 years (when we’ve actually had tech specs).  There is no quote or function, and the only bio is a couple lines on the back of the package, they didn’t even bother to put it on the card.  Hasbro fails again.  What else is new?

Secondly, what the fuck is it with Hasbro that they need to focus on only one theme at a time?  Why are we getting Targetmasters and Powermasters as Headmasters?  It makes no sense.  Worse yet, the two Targetmaster converts, Blurr and Scourge, both have awful paint jobs (or I should say, barely any paint jobs at all).  They put all the work into the real Headmasters and just mailed it in on the Targetmasters that they shouldn’t have been doing in the first place.  As usual, they half ass everything, just like with Combiner Wars, where they ended the line without doing Terrorcons, Predacons, Seacons, Monster Pretenders, G2 Protectobots, and G2 Constructicons (in both colors).  I mean, they still could do those as box sets next year, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

Thirdly, the Titan Masters.  Why can’t they be consistent?  Apeface, Brawn, Nightbeat, and Terri-Bull are named for the actual characters they are the heads for instead of the actual heads they represent.  Clobber and Skytread could theoretically be the Headmasters for Grimlock and Flywheels.  This makes no sense.  Pick one way of doing it.  It would make far more sense to name them for the Headmaster and not the character they partner with, as we are only getting the Headmaster.  Related to that, it really sucks that we aren’t going to get any real versions of the Headmaster Juniors or Headmaster Horrorcons.

Finally, the Headmasters are freaking tiny.  G1 Headmasters were way better than these, and had the ratings meter on the chest gimmick that they didn’t even try to reproduce.  Another thing that sucks is that the heads of the Headmasters are articulated.  This makes it so that the larger robot heads are articulated, but also makes it hard when plugging them in to Titan Masters vehicles.  G1 Headmasters were so much better, but that’s true of most G1 toys.

Anyway, on to the review.

Diac

Titan Master: I love Optimus Prime’s head sculpt.  Diac’s name is pretty clearly a Diaclone homage.  He doesn’t look anything like Optimus Prime, so I’m guessing he’s based on a Diaclone toy.  Not a fan of the silver head.

Optimus Prime

Vehicle Modes: Optimus Prime’s truck mode is pretty awesome.  I do have a couple of nitpicks.  I wish his sword could fit under the vehicle.  (This is also an issue with him in jet mode.)  I hate sticking swords on the sides or tops of vehicles as if it makes no sense.  I can’t complain too much as they have been doing that for years, but if they could have put his sword under the truck and his gun on top it would have looked better.  My other nitpick is the gray plastic right behind his cab.  This could easily have been red if they had made the tail of the jet red instead of gray.  Not really sure why they didn’t.  It’s not a major thing, but is noticeable.  I really like his jet mode.  It’s unnecessary, but we’re getting Octane, so I won’t complain too much.  He does have a couple of bigger issues in jet mode.  His wings do peg in place, but they don’t stay very well.  The sides of his cab under each wing also don’t peg in, but they stay in place.  Still, I would prefer they peg in.  Since the cockpit is flipped around in each vehicle mode, it’s designed for Diac to be placed facing either direction.

Robot Mode: In robot mode Optimus Prime is perfect.  There is no other way to say it.  He has the pop up pieces on each side of his head since his Titan Master head is small.  I kind of prefer it without them, but either way it looks good.  Obviously this version of Optimus Prime is based on the G2 Laser Rod, but in G1 colors.  I’m not sure why he has gold piece in the center of his chest, but it doesn’t look bad.

Overall:  This is a great toy, but he should be in his G2 Laser Rod color scheme.  We are getting that version in one of the upcoming box sets, so if you only plan to get only one, that is a better homage to the original toy.

Thanks for reading!