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[Continued from Part 1]
The final version of the “original” Optimus Prime toy available during G1 was a 1986 release promoting Transformers: the Movie. Available by mail-in only and costing $21.50 and 5 Robot Points, this version eschewed the typical box and came in a plain brown mailer, with the toy secured in the usual Styrofoam tray inside. This version also included a special Movie Edition Certificate that stated how the owner bore allegiance to The Transformers’ [including incorrect apostrophe, and misuse of “anyway” (any way)], as well as a blue Autobot symbol sticker with the inscription “Movie Edition Transformer”. The toy itself is barely distinguishable from a “regular” G1 Optimus.

Movie Edition Optimus Prime Mailer
This showed up in some lucky boy’s mailbox, nearly 30 years ago.

Optimus Prime mailer back
No tech specs – just some dried out paper tape.

Movie Edition Optimus Prime
Sometimes, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

Movie Edition Optimus Prime
Hasbro Direct’s editor was fired. Incorrect grammar DOESN’T help the Transformers.

Movie Edition Certificate
Apparently girls aren’t allowed to help the Transformers. If by “helping” they mean “bringing money to the franchise”, Megan Fox didn’t get the memo.

Finally, we have an interesting glimpse on one of the various international Prime toys: a 1985 Plásticos Iga Optimus Prime from Mexico. Iga Transformers are known for spotty quality control, poor coloration, and an incident involving a lead paint coverup. Many Optimus samples feature a red paint on the die-cast that mismatches the plastic, or even missing factory stickers. This sample doesn’t seem to suffer from those problems. Still more Iga toys (including Optimus) used yellow paint for the eyes which was found to contain lead, so remaining stock had the yellow areas sloppily hand-painted over with a thick coat of red. That red-headed Blitzwing you saw might not be a hack custom job after all! We’ll probably never know if this sealed sample has the red eye paint, but we are happy to imagine him NOT looking like he’s weeping blood!
G1 Optimus Prime
Plásticos Iga Optimus Prime. Still “Autobot Commander” instead of “Comandante Autobot”, for some reason.

Iga Optimus Prime back
Here’s where the real differences are. Note the lack of a tech spec chart.

Iga Optimus Logo
“Toys with life!” Unless you ate the yellow lead paint.

Published by Ben Meier

Ben started collecting plastic robots at the ripe old age of two. His life mission ever since has been to accumulate as many as possible.

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