Intro:
The
name Nemesis Prime has been synonymous at being an evil duplicate of Optimus
Prime, otherwise sometimes known as Scourge. The idea on an evil Prime was
first introduced in the Armada series, where a duplicate of Optimus Prime was
controlled by Sideways attack and destroy most of the Transformers from both
side of the divide. He was eventually destroyed by a Powered-up Optimus Prime (with
Overload) and a reformatted Megatron, i.e. Galvatron.
On
the meantime, as the Alternators line began to grow, people began to wonder
when Optimus and Megatron would be making their appearance in the line. By now,
we already know that Megatron never made it, and Optimus Prime eventually made
it, in the form of a Dodge Ram SRT-10. The thing is, back in Japan, the
Binaltech Convoy (or Optimus Prime) was relabeled as Ginrai instead – a character
that originated from the Transformers: Masterforce series.
I
initially wanted to get Optimus Prime, but for some reason, Nemesis Prime
reached our shores first before Optimus did, and since I think this figure
looks cooler in black rather than red (I’m a sucker for black cars/ trucks), I whacked
up Nemesis Prime in a bubble packaging instead.
I
got this figure way back in 2006, and I think it’s about time that we review
this baby up, isn’t it?
Alternate
Mode:
Comparatively
to the other Alternators, this Optimus Prime/ Nemesis Prime mould is relatively
the biggest in the line, but me thinks Nemesis looks cooler.
Nemesis
transforms into a menacing-looking Dodge Ram SRT-10. It is actually designed
based on the 2006 model, special edition Night Runner, where only 400 units of the
actual cars were produced. The only difference between this figure and the real
thing is the deep-read-tinted windows.
 |
| A real-life Dodge Ram SRT-10, photo taken from the internet |
It
works for me.
Despite
being 100% plastic, Nemesis Prime does have some weight to him, which is good.
As
with all Alternators, Nemesis Prime is incredibly detailed. It comes with the
Alternators-exclusive Cybertron Radial rubbers tyres, as well as open-able trunk
and hood (which reveals the Viper engine inside), and both front wheels turn in
tandem.
Unlike
some of the earlier Alternators, where the front wheels are connected by a set
of magnets, that makes them turn in tandem, they are actually connected with a
piece of extendable plastics. On mine, while the mechanism does work, it isn’t
as smooth as I would’ve liked as it was with those magnets.
The
paintjob is very good and every single small detail is absolutely fantastic. There
is a small Dodge Ram logo of a ram head on the front hood, and the word VIPER
on both sides of the hood scoop.
On
both doors, there is the word RAM SRT-10, and at the back, there is the word
DODGE and SRT-10, as well a California plate number dated July 2006, with the
name NEMESIS on it.
The
doors open to reveal a very detailed interior with three seats, instead of the
conventional two.
Underneath,
the kibbles are really that good. The head and the fists are clearly exposed.
Still,
the overall look is fantastic and is a huge Alternators vehicle, by any
standards.
Robot
Mode:
I
have to say, Nemesis have all the makings of a Prime. He looks the part – just as
tough and imposing, but way meaner-looking.
The
overall black paint job, with flashes of blue here and there works well with
figure.
Everything
about the robot mode is huge and thick. The legs are bulky. The main body and
torso are huge. The hands maybe a bit too small for the overall size, but the
shoulders are humongous.
Articulation-wise:
the head rotates 360°; inner shoulders swing back and forth; outer shoulder
swing back and forth as well, but on a vertical direction; another shoulder
articulation enable the arms to move outward; the upper arm is virtually
non-existence as the double-jointed elbows comes right after the shoulders; the
wrists rotate; the thumbs are fixed, the fore-fingers move, while the other
three fingers move in tandem; Nemesis also comes with a waist joint; universally-jointed
hips; the knees rotate and bend; finally the front piece of the feet is on a
ball-joint, so you can use it to adjust Nemesis’s stance.
Some
of the joints can be rather loose, such as the hips and the knees. Due to the
sheer size of the figure, those loose joints can be quite a hassle. Then again,
it might be just an isolated case with my figure.
When
you look at Nemesis from the front, his upper legs are virtually non-existent –
they are way too short for this figure, hence, wasting a lot of good
articulation points there.
In
short, the entire bulkiness of this figure, which made him look awesome, is the
same thing that ruining him. It restricts almost all of his possible movements.
Another
qualm to take note about this figure is its right shoulder guard, or rather his
right bumpers. That particular bumper has the tendencies to detach way too
easily, as well as the left doors – again, these may be just a few isolated
cases.
The
good thing is that Nemesis wields a gun, formed by his engine piece, which
sports the words VIPER.
Overall,
I think that this figure is a good showpiece, but probably not meant for
multi-posing or playing.
Overall:
I
have to say, Nemesis Prime is a mixed baggage. He has got a very cool-looking
alternate mode; the sheer bulkiness of the robot mode is delicious; but it is
just too big for his own good.
Both
of his modes really do make him a good display piece, and while his vehicle
mode is loads of fun, his robot mode isn’t really that playable.
Car
model collectors are probably going to love this car mode, and the Dodge Ram
SRT-10 is a good choice of car mode for a Prime, considering that this has been
the fastest pickup truck on Earth since 2004, only for the record to be broken
years later.
Recommended
for collectors, but definitely not for kids.
Final
verdict: 7.5/10.
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