Laser Optimus Prime was released in 1995 at the end of the Generation 2 line. He's the third Prime in G2, and the second larger Prime after the repaint of the G1 version. This version updates Optimus's vehicle form from a flat fronted truck to a long nosed petrol tanker. I suppose because I'm English and the majority of out trucks are flat fronted I'm naturally biased but I don't particularly like the long nosed look on Prime.
I'm less concerned about him being a petrol tanker - there's something about the leader providing energy for his troops that sits right with me.
Even less forgivable is the colours of the truck - Optimus is in basic form primarily red. Here the red is limited to the front of the nose and under the sides with most of the rest just being black. Doesn't sit right with me. As a repaint, maybe. As the primary form, No. However in some ways it's paving the way for Prime's future form as a black gorilla .....
The tanker is a mixture of black round the front, back and top with grey sides. I'd have gone for an all silver grey look to make it resemble the original Prime's trailer a bit more - the black here however ties in with the G2 Prime trailer. Unfortunately they've decided to jazz the sides of the tanker up with a picture of Optimus firing his gun and the words Optimus Prime in large letters (also written on the cab door)
Both the components of the vehicle have action features. On the top of Prime's cab there's a button that light up the headlights. On top of the tanker there's two round protuberances like what are used to pour oil into tankers. Turn the one at the rear and the front one fires a succession of discs out the front bearing the G2 Autobot symbol. These will return to haunt us later.
To TF: Uncouple the tanker, stand on it's end and press the button behind the trailer hitch. The tanker then folds out to form the base mode. Then fold out the missile launchers and place the disc launcher facing forward over one wall. Take the cab, remove the sword from underneath and fold down the feet at the back of the cab. Pull out the back of the cab and separate the legs. Stand. Pull the front of the cab out to the sides - with the sides of the cab and pull down to form arms. Open up the blue chest plate, fold the head up and close the chest plate. Place sword in one hand and the double barrelled gun from the trailer in the other - doesn't matter which but they both need to be in his right hand for the lightup gimmick to work.
It was in Japan during late G1 that someone hit upon the idea that a Prime cab doesn't need to have the same front as the robot opening up the way for long nosed Prime's. Star Convoy was the first followed by Combat Hero Prime (although Action Master Prime drove a long nosed truck before these came out !). This follows the tradition by making the underside of the cab the Prime chest and by molding it so it resembles the typical Prime look so the G1 Prime homage is obviously intentional here. Unfortunately the colours bring it down - it's mainly grey which looks so dull. Then the grill on the chest - which should be silver or at least grey - is painted blue. Finally the windows commit a double sin by being the one part of the chest that is actually red and by having his name plastered across them "Dave & Sharon" sun visor style. The shoulders are much larger than is typical on a Prime and are also grey on the front. They extend up someway and have two holes molded in the front of each shoulder which look like a forward facing missile array (I recall not if you can stick any of the smaller missiles from the trailer into these holes) The arms turn up & down at the shoulders - bellow which they're cast in red - and bend at the elbow. The fists are painted in light blue which matches the head, chest grill & feet. While his left arm moves freely at the shoulder the right arm is limited by the wires required to power the gimmick in the fist and to me that's not a good thing (this too will be back to haunt us later)
The head on the robot is light blue with the a silver faceplate. The eyes are lightpiped in the same clear colour as the sword - plus points scored here. When I was younger the head used to bother me as being a bit too plasticy - I suppose the blue could be darker - and cartoony but I'm not finding that so much now. The head turns at the neck.
Further down the body I'm pretty sure the waist turns, the legs bend & fold to the sides at the hips and bend at the knees. The waist looks like a continuation of the body molded in grey, as are the top of the legs but here it feels more suitable. The lower part of the legs are black which works, but having the feet molded in bright blue looks odd against the black.
The base mode consists of a tower and two walls either side of it. On one of the walls is mounted the disc launcher from the tanker mode. The other has a five barrelled missile launcher - each missile has it's own launch button on the back of the launcher. In the tower is stored an air powered missile and it's launcher. The space for the missile isn't quite big enough and you'll end up with at least one missile with a squashed tip - there are two other missiles stored within the tanker as are five spares for the more conventional spring loaded launcher.
Given this is a high price point Prime toy my expectations are raised but this doesn't meet them. There are obvious colour flaws in the intended G1 design on the robot mode that could have been fixed, and the cab mode could have looked more Prime like too - even just repainting it in red. The sides of the truck are too gaudy and the base mode feels like it's thrown together as an after thought to do something with the trailer and throwing in all of Hasbro's then favourite forms of missile launcher without any regard for the design being a decent play environment for small toys (Gobots and Cyberjets) to use.
A big disappointment to me in 1995, and I'm not that fond of it now.
Laser Prime received a Japanese reissue in 2006 at which point there was an e-Hobby exclusive repainted version - see bellow.
It's obvious there's some attempt at cost cutting on this toy. Gone is the light up gimmick and although the toy is now a Decepticon the G2 Autobot symbols remain on the disc weapons. This then forces him to use this symbol so it appears upside down on his shoulders and just looks odd. Because one Decepticon has the symbol they all must so the Car Robots Decepticon symbol used on the Combaticons is an upside down G2 Autobot symbol.
Black Convoy is the first black Optimus Prime repaint (followed by Jafcon Black original Convoy) He wouldn't be the last.
The black works well on the toy and it's a better colour scheme all round. However You feel cheated having the light up gimmick removed and still being left with the problems moving the arm that contained it !
Near identical to the Japanese version with the exception of the swapping of symbols and the making of the clear pieces clear red.
I do have a problem with this toy's name. Rather I think it got the wrong name. Onslaught's RID repaint became Mega-Octane. I associate the word octane with fuel, indeed the G1 Decepticon Petrol Tanker was Octane. Therefore I feel the name Mega Octane more appropriately suits a large tanker truck (like this) than a Transport vehicle.
A quick check on eBay reveals this version is worth 2 to 4 times as much as the Japanese one !
No thank you.
So as you can see I'm not fond of this mold. I'd like to see it getting the repaint I suggested above (red cab, red robot with blue lower legs & head, grey/silver upper legs & grill and a better painted trailer)