Primus!

It must be the evilness of my RAZR, but I haven't posted a word since I got it. Well, that is to say, after I said I got it. Anyhow, back on the topic. Primus.

Some years ago, as part of the Transformers Armada series, Hasbro released Unicron, the Chaos Bringer. (not me, the more nouny chaos) This was inevitable, since Unicron factored so hugely into the Transformers universe. He premiered in Transformers: The Movie, and has been featured in post-TFTM G1, Beast Wars (I think), Beast Machines, Armada, Energon, and somewhat Cybertron. After all this, a toy was inevitable. Primus featured mostly in the UK and US comics, but quickly became a critical part of the Transformers mythos. According to the mythology, Primus and Unicron were the ultimate incarnations of good and evil, respectively. Primus and Unicron battled for eons, eventually Primus banished Unicron to the farthest reaches of space, where he consumed and grew in size and power. Primus, on the other hand, surrounded himself with metal and went to sleep to make it harder for Unicron to find him. Over time, he became the planet Cybertron, the homeworld of the Transformers.

So, as you would expect, you start with a roundish shape. Unlike Unicron, who is only round on one side, Primus is completly round, which is good. Also, scattered across the surface of the globe is landmarks familiar to a transfans. I don't know them all, but I know some people do! :)







Transformation to robot mode is remarkably simple too. I timed myself at transformation to planet mode in under a minute. Included with the figure is the Chip Square. Or, if you prefer to watch the US version, the Omega Lock. So, the first step is to put the Chip Square into the lock on the top and slide it back. This makes the 'wings' the the planet pop out and also the main guns. If you raise the rear armor panel, it is now in 'planetary attack mode' or something like that.



Also of note is that the Chip Square has it's own battery and lights up when inserted into one of the lock areas. It's pretty cool.



After that, you unfold the entire lower hemisphere to make the legs. When you have the legs down, insert the Chip Square into the leg locks and rotate them to lock them into position. As the leg parts rotate, the guns on the legs rise into position. Check this out.



Next you insert the Chip Square into the chest and push it up. This lifts the shoulders, seperates the chest plates, widens the shoulders and raises the head. If I had two AA batteries, his eyes would light up and some noise would be made.



Rotate the waist around and you are done. One of the first things that struck me about Primus is the incredible amount of detail on him. The surface detail rivals that of Noisemaze, with little structures and lines over every square centimeter.


(sorry for the blurry shot, it didn't look blurry on the tiny LCD screen on the camera)



When prototypes of Primus first surfaced, people complained about his long heels, and how dumb they looked. Whether in response to the complaints, or if it were already designed in, the heel flaps fold up. I honestly don't think it does a whole lot to make it cooler looking, but it does make him less stable.



Posability on Primus is really good, and he can do a lot of cool action poses. I was a bit concerned that his wrists don't rotate, then I figured out that they rotate up by the elbow. His forearms are massive, but his upper arms are teeny tiny, the elbow joint is immediatly below the shoulder joint. Somehow, though, it works out perfect.





When you insert his Force Chip, the guns on the forearm pop up and extend.



All in all, Primus is a really really cool figure, the pinnacle of the entire Transformers line, and exactally what us transfans have been waiting for all these years. I give him a perfect score, since I can't think of a single way to make him better.