Apelinq
(Botcon 2000 Exclusive)
(NOTE: Because this is a repaint, this is not a full-blown review. This mainly covers any changes made to the mold and the color scheme, and merely compares it to Optimus Primal Transmetal. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of Optimus Primal Transmetal here.)
The Apelinq toy is very
nice overall. It has the same sense of "balance" to it and the lack of
extras that its predecessor, Optimus Primal Transmetal had. However, the
colors don't contrast with each other that much. Me, I prefer the transmetal
blue on Optimus Primal Transmetal as opposed to the transmetal smoky gray,
but it still has a nice feel to it. The silver, off-white, and reddish
brown all come together to give Apelinq a "rock-like" appearance, like
he was made from materials in the Earth's stone and dirt. In robot mode,
Apelinq, especially the face and outer chest, is colored a bit too much
like Optimus Primal's, making it hard for me to imagine him as a different
character. No mold changes were made to Apelinq, so he retains all the
flaws and features that Optimus Primal Transmetal had.
Although Apelinq is
a very nice toy (he didn't earn a rating of 9.0 for nothing, folks), his
color scheme doesn't attract one's eyes like Optimus Primal's Transmetal
does. Thus, unless you are a completist, I would recommend that you get
the cheaper and, in my opinion, better, Optimus Primal Transmetal toy.
Review by Beastbot