Picked this up at TRU today.

The box essentially uses Dark of the Moon style graphics, but the “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” logo has been replaced by the generic “Transformers” that is used for the other 2012 product.  The vehicle mode pictured on the back is this toy, however, the robot mode picture seems to be of the Wal-Mart deluxe toy (though I don’t have mine handy to check).  It doesn’t look anything like the actual toy in the box in paint job, but doesn’t quite look like the Japanese one either.

On the bottom of the box is a cross sell for the Trilogy Series Bumblebee, Ratchet, and Soundwave repaints that will not be released in the USA (though not pictured is the Wheeljack that is supposed to be include in the set of four).  Dumb.  It’s just dumb to put cross sells on boxes when you have no intention of releasing them.  I’m sure there will be some technical reason why Hasbro does that, but it’s still just dumb.

I already have the Japanese Chronology set that includes this toy, so I’m going to compare the two.

The cab is the same Optimus Prime that was available as an exclusive from Wal-Mart in the USA.  The Japanese version is redder than the US version, which is almost orange on the nose of the cab.  The Japanese version has silver painted wheel hubs, and silver paint on the thighs, legs, waist, chest and hands, where a lot of that is dark gray paint, or unpainted gray plastic on the US version.  They even use a bright blue tinted plastic for his eyes on the Japanese version.  The only places where the US version looks better than the Japanese is with it’s tinted blue windows (the Japanese one as clear windows) and the dark gray plastic on the feet and chest, where they use a plain gray plastic in Japan.  However, with the paint job, the Japanese one does look better overall.

The Japanese version comes with a MecTech weapon.  The US version comes with no weapon at all.

As to the trailers, molding appears to be identical.  It’s just paint differences.  The Japanese version has red “lights” painted along the bottom edge.  Wheel hubs are painted, as well as the upper taillights.  None of these are painted on the US version.  The silver Autobot logo on the front of the cab is bordered in darker red on the US version.  On the sides of the Japanese trailer are gray outline Autobot logo.  The US version has a red logo, which I like better, but it is only on one side.

Overall, the US version isn’t terrible, but the Japanese cab/robot is far superior looking.  Side by side, the US one almost looks like a “dark” version, but at $35 compared to $120 for the Japanese version (that does come with a G1 cab, though) the US one isn’t bad.  Nice for display, but nowhere near as nice as the Japanese Voyager or Ultimate Optimus Prime.

Thanks for reading!