TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:
Alternate Mode:
Box Art:
Technical Specifications:
STR
INT
SPD
END
RNK
CRG
FPR
SKL

Vin Ghostal's review of: Rodimus Prime

Faction: Autobot
Function: Protector
Generation: One
Sub-Group: N/a
"Experience is the benchmark of maturity"

"A vanguard for the Autobot ranks. Possesses acute military prowess. Speaks with the savvy of seasoned veteran. Expert tactician with exceptional manouverability in battle. Can be hot-headed at times. Has a tendency to act first and ask questions later. In robot mode, carries a photon eliminator that shoots high voltage electricity. Range: 500 miles. Speed: 200 mph. Sole purpose is to protect all life. His only weakness is his compassion for other living creatures."

Alternate Mode: Adjectives fail me...16 years after he first appeared to me on the silver screen, I'm still at a loss to describe exactly what Rodimus Prime is supposed to BE. Released in the 1986 line that was fueled by the slew of new characters introduced in Transformers The Movie, Rodimus (and others like Kup, Blurr, Cyclonus, and Scourge) fell into the category of TF's whose alternate modes could be dismissed as "futuristic vehicles" and left at that. Whether such vehicles (which should be popping up in the next three years or so, I might add) are a testament to the toy developers' creativity or their laziness remains up for debate, but it leaves Rodimus standing as little more than a pimped-out, flaming winnebago.
Irregardless, Rodimus rocks more bright colors than you can shake a stick at...he's orange and yellow and maroon all around, minus his gaudy chrome exhaust pipes. The firey stickers along Prime's sides and on his hood nicely parallel the fire decals present on the Hot Rod toy, and the rubber tires (from the various Primes I've seen) seem to be less prone to cracking than other toys in the line. He rolls smoothly and is very sturdy in, er, vehicle mode, and seems about as indestructible as any Autobot car in the line.

Robot Mode: Transforming Rodimus is a piece of cake...whether you really want to or not is an entirely separate issue. To do the deed, hold Rodimus' trailer and pull the cab forward until it detaches. Put the trailer aside and make yourself a triple mai tai. Now then, grab the hood and pull it forward, then pull the arms outward. Fold the hood down 180 degrees, then flip up his head and push down on his torso until it meets his waist plate. Now turn that sexy little yellow spoiler 180 degrees until it's pointing upwards behind his shoulders, and flip out his feet...and you've got it. And for God's sake, give him his gun. Let it be known that Rodimus was released in variations that had either metal or plastic feet, and that I have the metal version because I'm better than you.
Now then, as for the trailer...following the line that goes down the middle, split the trailer's shell down the middle to reveal that really big gun that Prime wields. Pull up on the gun to stand it upright, then attach the two included black shields to either side of the stand. Now, stand Rodimus all cute-like in the trailer...and finish that triple mai tai. Even as a robot, Rodimus is way colorful, almost to a disturbing degree. His head, arms, waist, and lower legs are maroon, his chest and thighs orange, and his spoiler yellow. Somehow, the color scheme is much more charming than overwhelming.

Transformation: 6 - Absurdly simple for an Autobot leader. I know, Optimus wasn't exactly rocket science either, but...but...but at least you had to attach his fists! Yeah!
Durability: 8.5 - The Rodimus robot himself is practically indestructible, and the trailer is almost as much so, though there are a growing number of Primes on the secondary market missing a half of the trailer shell, which can break off if forced too far. Other than that, the worst you could do to Rodimus is lose his spoiler and gun.
Fun:7 - 6.5 - He's not as gripping as the original Prime or even Ultra Magnus, but Rodimus has a good amount of fun in store, especially if you use him as a robot battering ram atop his trusty mini-battle station thingy.
Price: 9 - Since the Japanese re-issue, Rodimus is practically dirt cheap. You can get an original Rodimus in great shape for $35-$40, and a sealed re-issue won't run you any more than that. A great value for a fairly fun toy.
Overall: 6 - He may be a significant character in the grand scheme of things, but toy-wise he doesn't have all that much to offer. Rodimus isn't awful, but he's not a great deal of fun and doesn't really look that great as a robot...so his options are rather limited.