D-Style Optimus Prime

        I wasn't going to.  I really, legitimately wasn't going to.  Oh, I'd been tempted by preview images, but once he went up for pre-order, I didn't even consider snagging him... and then the "tiny angry Megatron" appeared and... well, he'd need someone to battle, right?  So why not snag an Optimus for $20 while Figma Motoko was getting pushed back anyway?  Yeah, there was reasoning.  Kind of.  Enough.  My point is, this is actually my first Optimus Prime, even after all these years.  And I paid to build him myself.  What the hell is wrong with me.



        To be fair, look at the bad-assery of that box art.  Optimus proudly declaring, "I am gonna tell you a thing!"  Or something, hell if I know.  Shiny tiny robot.



        Oh god not again.  Now I have to say, while opening the box was overwhelming, the number of parts... not so bad.  And actually they all fit together really tightly and really well, with only one instance where I needed glue, which was likely my own fault in trimming the window pane too close (more on that later).  But this... this was terrifying.



        But not too terrifying, I guess.  Actually, it wasn't too bad!  ...It scares me that I may be getting used to this stuff, but at least the instructions were mostly visual since I still can't read Japanese.  (I can pick up the technobabble in Star Trek, but Japanese?  Not a chance.)
        So here we have a fully poseable Optimus Prime!  And weapons!  He has his glowy ax and his glow mace--which can be combined for an ax-mace!  And his gun, of course.  He's also got his pointy finger hand, because hey.  And then there's a tiny transformed Optimus Prime in vehicle mode!  For some reason.  Well why not.



        "Humans have gotten a lot bigger since I've last been to Earth."
        First: yes, he is tiny.  But not in a bad, "I'm griping about this" sort of way.  Considering how poseable he is, this is just plain impressive.



        Evidence.  Optimus secretly visits earth because he's very fond of disco.
        While I was actually putting him together, I didn't anticipate just how much motion he was capable of.  The joints are very simplistic, but extremely versatile.  He's also a hell of a lot harder to break than I was worried he might be; the limbs simply detach easily if there's too much stress on them, and yet fit firmly in place again right after.



        Not that you'd be pulling limbs off.  Of course.  No, no of course not.  Just because he's the leader of the Autobots doesn't mean he won't kick your ass.  Or shoot it.  Or... chop it off.  ...Ew.
        This is also where I needed to use glue: to glue the red frames to the blue windshield panels in his chest.  the red frames kept falling off, so I assumed I must have accidentally snipped the tabs (sprues) too close on the blue plastic, but it was a quick fix and the only one I needed.  Go me.



        Oh geez, Optimus, not in public man!  ...Oh, right, the Matrix.  It's like Transformer magic or something.  Ish.  Sort of.  Point being, this was a neat little extra, having his chest open up to reveal the Matrix of Leadership, aka why he's a Prime, and that's a really long story, so just nod and pretend you understand.  Thank you.  He can actually pull that sucker right out of his chest, but that's kind of... you know, painful looking.  Makes me hope for a tiny Roddy Prime one of these days, though.



        And we must always have the ass shot.  I mean, it's a thing I do.  I bet you, like everyone else, noticed the little tab there.  He didn't come with a stand, but supposedly...



        According to the instructions, this is a place to store his gun.  Yes, really.  I... don't know.  He can stand just fine without the additional help, so I'll just... not.  It looks uncomfortable.



        As for the tiny truck, this is another suggestion for the gun.  Which is cool and all, tiny truck with enormous gun, except...



        This made me laugh, so it's staying this way.
        All in all, I have no regrets.  Nor do I regret also pre-ordering tiny angry Megatron, or tiny angry Nemesis Prime.  There will even apparently be a tiny angry Starscream, and everyone needs at least one of those!  So... I am kind of lost to this, I suppose.  At roughly $20 a pop (depending on the retailer), they're a good value for the money even if you do have to put them together yourself.  The plastic is very good quality, the joints are much more versatile and sturdy than I thought they might be, and... well, tiny angry robots.  Come on.