1984 TRANSFORMER AUTOBOT OPTIMUS PRIME MISSILE ROCKET SERIES 1 VINTAGE G1 TAKARA

img DON'T BE FOOLED BY SELLERS WHO HIDE THEIR FEEDBACK or MAKE THEIR AUCTION LISTINGS PRIVATE IN FEEDBACK! WHAT ARE THEY AFRAID YOU'LL FIND OUT? GREPDOGG - OFTEN IMITATED NEVER REPLICATED!I ship internationally by numerous options including Europe, Canada, United Kingdom, UK, England, France, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Hungary, Asia, South America, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Korea, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa, Hong Kong and China to name a few!1984 TRANSFORMER AUTOBOT LEADER OPTIMUS PRIME BLACK MISSILE This is FOR ONE original Hasbro Optimus Prime black missile from Series One. It is in very good condition, no apparent wear. Please look at the multiple pictures of every angle I have provided, in high resolution, to make your own decision on the grade of the item - good luck finding another sale where this much detail is disclosed! Optimus Prime – the very name has come to represent the Transformers brand. The most iconic toy of the first series of Generation 1’s debut in 1984 is most likely his toy. Transforming into a Freightliner FLA 8664 tandem-axle semi tractor and pulling a silver high-cube container trailer, Optimus has inspired more toys in his image than any other Transformers character. Origins Optimus Prime, like many of the other Autobot Cars, was originally designed for Takara’s Diaclone series as Car ROBOT No.17 Battle Convoy. This version featured the word “DIACLONE” and a smaller “Battle Convoy” printed on his trailer-side stickers, and included three plastic and die-cast drivers that could man the various positions in all of Optimus Prime’s modes. Interestingly, Battle Convoy was designed not by Koujin Ohno (the father of most of the Autobot cars), but Hiroyuki Obara. He is listed on the US Patent, titled Reconfigurable toy assembly (aka Transformers G1 Optimus Prime) was filed on September 22, 1983 (U.S. Patent No. US4516948 A). Description Optimus Prime’s alternate mode is a well-detailed replica of the FLA 8664 cab, although some slight deviances were made, perhaps to accommodate copyright issues or make the casting more practical as a transforming toy. His red cab includes many molded details such as raised rivets, handrails, roof marker lights, and air horns. The smokestacks, grille, front bumper, and fuel tanks are all accurately sculpted and finished with vacuum-metalizing “chrome”. A transparent windshield graces the die-cast metal upper front of the cab, which can swing down to open the driver’s compartment for two Diaclone drivers. His two styles of chrome wheels sport rubber Desert Dog tires, a real brand of offroad tire which he shares with Trailbreaker and Hoist. The rear portion of the truck is much less detailed or realistic, but it does feature molded rock guards in front of the back wheels, and the stickers on his die-cast toes imply brake and turn signal lights. The trailer, which is designed to fit over the wide, low peg on the truck, uses the same wheels and tires mounted on wide metal axles. The sides feature a great deal of molded detail, as well as the highly recognizable blue and silver stripe stickers, now omitting “DIACLONE” in favor of an Autobot symbol. The trailer’s rear is molded with vertically divided doulble door details typical to a real truck, but it in fact opens downward, forming a ramp for loading vehicles like Autobot Cars inside. Optimus’s transformation is straightforward, with the sleeper portion and fenders of the cab forming his arms, his rear portion becoming his blue legs, and the head rotating to sit atop the cab. His blue fist

accessories must be pegged into the headlights to complete the robot. He can wield his black rifle by a peg placed strangely in front of a molded handgrip. The trailer provides a great deal of additional play value by opening down the center lengthwise after the tailgate is down. Its landing gear rotate out to the sides on the arms to support the open clam shell design. Inside, a number of large stickers decorate the interior of the trailer walls with computer consoles and other equipment. Two molded blue command consoles are situated on the trailer’s sides, and a spring-loaded vehicle launcher runs down the center of the trailer toward the ramp. The launcher is operated by a plate protruding out the front of the trailer, and was originally designed to launch Diaclone cars, or Optimus’s included vehicular parner, Roller. Roller’s body is a one-piece fictional buggy, with four seats and an accessory peg hole. Six black plastic wheels allow it to scoot across the floor when fired from the launcher. For the transformers release, Roller got two long cylindrical pegs on the back of its body to unlock the launcher by plugging into its two holes. Unfortunately, the launcher itself was modified to only function with the light Roller vehicle, and its travel was severely curtailed by the addition of an internal stop tab. The final component of the trailer is a repair robot that rises on a folding arm from its base near the front of the trailer. The robot, shaped like a small space ship, can fire a pair of missiles from its sides, or use its rotating radar and articulated claw to interact with other toys. It has an opening canopy to seat a Diaclone driver, and the arm it is mounted to can be moved to place the repair droid outside the trailer while the trailer is closed, either through a square hole on the front or on the top of the trailer. His

accessories include the blue fists, the small missiles fired by the repair drone, a black rifle, which can also be attached to Roller or accessory sockets in the trailer sides, a “gas pump” which can be attached the same places, and a rubber hose which attaches to the tiny fuel nozzle accessory. Collector Notes Most parts of the Optimus Prime toy are quite sturdy, but it is prone to a few typical breakages, like many early transformers. The semi cab’s smokestacks rotate laterally, but forces applied from the front or back can cause the stacks to snap off. Many front bumpers are similarly found with breakage toward the unsupported ends. The trailer is plagued with more problems, the most common being the hinges that hold the rear door. The door itself has two oft-broken tabs that latch around the trailer sides. The repair drone’s arms are a common point of failure, and the tongue-like vehicle launcher tab can be easily broken, since it is the only protrusion from the otherwise cubical trailer when closed. Variants Optimus Prime had a notorious number of non-interchangeable production variations. There are, however, some distinct primary versions. The earliest Generation 1 releases are the most distinct. They featured Roller, his launcher, and the trailer missiles molded in a silver-gray like the rest of the trailer. The sides of the trailer mount metal plates printed with the mechanical detailing, instead of the more common stickers. The metal plates are held in by tabs, which can be seen from the outside of the trailer by four rectangular holes around the stripe sticker. This version also included a distinct set of

accessories, often called “bloated”. The large fists have a tall cuff to better grip

accessories, and the rifle and gas pumps are significantly thicker to the point of being a different shape entirely. The cab also underwent several changes, many internal and not observable without disassembly. One of the common indicators of the grey Roller / bloated accessory Prime is the presence of a circular dimple in the license plate area of the front bumper. Later releases of Prime did away with these changes, using smaller fists, skinnier weapons, black missiles, and a blue Roller. The metal plates were replaced by stickers in every subsequent release. Another main version was “Pepsi Optimus Prime”, who featured a large Pepsi logo stickered over part of the trailer stripe. The Canadian release of Pepsi Optimus Prime had a Pepsi logo that covered the entire side of the trailer – molded detail and all!