Optimash Prime

Following the success of their three Star Wars Potato Heads, Hasbro brought the mash-ups to their other properties. Spider-Man 3 was celebrated by the release of Spider-Spud, and the Transformers got Optimash Prime. The wacky potato is up to his usual antics, this time disguised as the fearless Autobot leader! He and his faction of taters are battling the evil Decepticons. Starchy situations call for a quick change - from truck to robot! No ordinary fries, these are Potatoes in Disguise! In August of 2006, Hasbro quietly filed for two new trademarks, which we stumbled across that December - "Optimash Prime" and "More Than Meets the Fry." There hadn't been any official announcement, but this was our first clue there'd be something special to go along with the Transformers movie, months before any product started to show up. When he did show up, however, fans were delighted. This is the G1 incarnation of Optimus Prime, as opposed to the movie version. That means he's simple and blocky, which suits the Potato Head design sensibility. The brown plastic body is the same used for all the regular Potato Heads - it's the body parts that are unique. His blue feet are squared off, just like the original toy's. Of course, since he doesn't have any legs, they couldn't duplicate all those details, but they did their best: he has tiny tires sculpted by his heels, and a hint of those "vent slats" that are on Prime's shins. His arms are square, with detailed pistons sculpted into the elbows, and smokestacks on his shoulders. There are yellow arrows and silver stripes on the arms, and his hands are blue. A sandwich just isn't a sandwich without the tangy zip of Miracle Whip, and a Prime just isn't a Prime without a chest that looks like a truck's cab. So how do you achieve that on a perfectly smooth tuber? Optimash Prime has a thin, sculpted chest piece that plugs into what, on any other Potato Head, would be the mouth hole. There's also a thin strip which reaches up to the "nose" hole, so that something plugged in there will help hold it in place. So what plugs in there? Optimash Prime's faceplate. The Potato Head has the classic Prime helmet, cast from two pieces. The top has the forehead crest and the antennae over the ears, while the front has the silver mouthguard we all know and love. Optimash's eyes? Regular Potato Head eyes. And hey, since the front of the helmet can be removed separately, you can pretend that Michael Bay was right, that Prime has a mouth behind there. Maybe even a mustache! Optimash prime doesn't have a weapon, like the previous "branded" Heads did, but Hasbro makes up for that with the inclusion of a different kind of accessory. There's absolutely no way this Transformer could ever transform, but the set includes a 2" long, unarticulated truck cab. It's a single, hollow piece, molded from red plastic, and painted with silver, black and blue, but there are almost more sculpted details on this extraneous little lump than there were on the original back in the day. As always, the truck and other small accessories can fit in the hatch in the potato's butt. Optimash Prime may not be your first choice when it comes to the movie tie-in products, but he's one fun little spud. If you're an old-school Transfan, Optimash Prime deserves a spot in your collection. Just remember what Prime always says: fry-dom is the right of all sentient beings. Auto-tots, transform and potato-roll out!

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