This Kuro Kara Kuri Optimus Prime toy is unlike anything else out there.
One of the newest toy companies to make waves in recent years is Flame Toys, and their take on Optimus Prime from the classic transformer it is impressive.
To give a little history lesson, Optimus Prime was originally known as Convoy from the Takara toy line, Diaklon. Diaklon AND Microman would eventually merge into transformerand Convoy was renamed Optimus Prime as a result.
It’s important to know this as one of the original designers of the mech behind Convoy, and thus Optimus Prime, was Shoji Kawamori.
Kawamori has made a name for himself over the years with his various mech-transforming designs, such as long-term variable fighters. macro series. This means that when Optimus Prime is rendered in more detailed toy form, he tends to be styled more towards the Kawamori design style.
However, in this case, Optimus Prime has been given a more athletic design, closer to something Masami Obari would create. This is because, unlike others transformer toys, this does not transform.
Over the years, I’ve often joked about why anyone would want one transformer non-transforming toy. I mean, what’s the point of making a toy like that? Well, Flame Toys have a very strong answer for that.
Simply put, this is a live action figure of Optimus Prime. It has epic articulation, cutouts throughout, and a wide range of accessories and gimmicks.
The big difference is that Obari’s infused style makes regular transformation impossible, and the emphasis is then on making Optimus Prime as robotically cute as possible.
You also get a variety of lights, from the eyes to the Leadership Matrix on the chest and knees (with batteries included). So it’s a very comprehensive figure.
This Kuro Kara Kuri Optimus Prime toy comes with lots of accessories and light tricks.
It’s also pretty thick and has a nice heft to it, which is largely due to the sheer amount of metal used in its construction.
The styling is really king here, and the detailing and paint are very nice. To be honest, I collect a lot of mecha toys and until today, I have never seen one as detailed as this one.
So it compensates the loss of transformation all these changes? In short, it’s a surprising yes. I never thought of one directly transformer the action figure would totally win me over, but this is so well done.
I had been hesitant about previous Flame Toys releases, but this one is great and fun to play with. Despite all the intricate detailing and sculpting, it’s still a solid toy with sharp articulation throughout.
As for the Jet Power Armor, that’s something else entirely.
Jet Power Armor, sold separately, attaches to the exterior of the Optimus Prime figure. It also comes with all sorts of lights (again, with batteries included), but unlike the base figure, it’s much more subtle. Once assembled, it’s still stunning and definitely an imposing piece, but there are a lot of parts involved.
This means that playability is significantly reduced over the base figure. It’s also quite difficult to get the armor pieces to attach properly, but once in place they stay in place very firmly.
Overall, if you want a really cool non-transforming Optimus Prime action figure, this is definitely the one to get. The use of diecast throughout means the figure is heavy enough and strong enough to handle its wide range of articulated movement. The Jet Power Armor is also very impressive, but is meant more as a display piece. Both are still highly recommended.
The Karo Kara Kuri Optimus Prime is available from BigBadToyStore for $399.99 and the Kuro Kara Kuri Jet Power Armor is around $299.
Kuro Kara Kuri Optimus Prime
Gallery Kuro Kara Kuri Optimus Prime
Manufacturer: Toys with flames
Publication date: January 2025
Price: $399.99
Disclosure: Hasbro sent me this toy for the purposes of this review.
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