Dave's Transformers Artifact Rant

     2007 Movie Optimus Prime Cake Kit

     Permalink: http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Artifacts/Cake1

     Wal-Mart's bakery department has had a knockoff Hero Megatron cake for a
while now, but since I already have plenty of iterations of that mold, I
didn't bother asking if I could get just the toy.  But then I saw a sample
display cake out with what was clearly a little transforming Movie Prime, so
I asked, and they let me buy just the topper kit for $2.50.  I was told that
they'd prefer you buy the full cake, but there's not actually a corporate
policy against selling the toppers (individual managers may decide not to,
though).  Available both on a regular square cake and a cupcake assortment.
     The code is CK-395C, made by Bakery Crafts.  You can see it at
http://www.bakerycrafts.com/Items.aspx?SrchStr=CK-395C, but it looks like
they only sell to businesses or volume buyers in general, not singletons to
just whoever.

CAPSULE

     Optimus Prime Cake Kit: Brittle and floppy, although not too bad for wht
you pay, and kinda to scale with Spychangers.  If you can get is separately
without too much hassle, go for it.  $2.50 if available separately at the
Wal-Mart bakery department.


RANT

     Okay, as cake kits go, it's pretty straightfoward.  If you get it on a
cake, the cake is decorated in Prime's flame pattern (more or less...the
sample cake they had out was in blue and orange, I guess they ran out of red
that morning, or the lighting was bad and the decorator mis-read the sample
photo), with a plastic sheet sign stuck in it and truck mode Prime sitting in
the frosting.  If you buy it separately, it's just the toy and the sign in a
plastic bag.  Made in China, so don't eat it.  ;) Inside the bag is also a
little hazard label in orange, talking about choking hazards and how the
contents are flammable so be careful with candles.  It's actually a sticker,
I suppose it needs to be put on the outside of the cakebox.  There are no
instructions, but it's not like this thing is much more complicated than a
Spychanger.
     The sign is 1/64" thick plastic sheet (I own vernier calipers and am not
afraid to use them!), 5.5" (14cm) wide and 3" (7.5cm) tall, with truncated
triangular "spikes" at the bottom for sticking it in a cake.  Being plastic,
it can be cleaned off and reused.  And probably should be cleaned before use
if you buy the kit separately.  It's only printed on one side.  The
Transformers movie logo is across the top, partly covered by large images of
Prime and Megatron on the far left and right of the sign respectively.
Between them are much smaller Bumblebee and Barricade facing off.  At the
bottom is "AUTOBOTS vs. DECEPTICONS" in red, and then tiny copyright info.

     Vehicle Mode: Pretty gappy and not very stable, but not too bad for a
cheapo cake topper.  4" (10cm) long and reasonably well proportioned, made of
a mix of red, blue and light gray plastics, with black plastic wheels.
Reasonably well-matching blue, red and gray paints are applied as
appropriate, while the headlights and windows are a very pale blue.  All the
wheels roll, if not very well, and the front wheels are on transformation
joints that aren't too stiff.

     Transformation: Pull the rear section back and twist around 180 degrees,
then flip out feet to get the somewhat stumpy legs.  The side bottom panels
of the truck fold back to become arms, with the front wheels folding back out
of the way and fists folding out from inside.  The grille flips back, but
only by 90 degrees.

     Robot Mode: Well, it sort of Kids Meal cheats on the torso, with the
outer quarters being recessed and all "ignore me" so that he's not totally
squat.  The thighs are hollow.  Also, there's not much in the way of heel
spurs, so he doesn't stand very well unless you leave his grille up as a
sunshade.  3.75" (9.5cm) tall at the head, and the color balance between
plastics and paints is pretty good.  He has fake wheels molded at the waist
and painted black, and the fists are also painted black on gray plastic.  The
chest windows are painted pale blue.  About my only real problem with the
paint job is the lack of paint on the eyes.
     The head and waist turn, and the shoulders are ball joints.  That's
pretty much it for meaningful articulation.

     Overall: I'd love to compare this to Legends Movie Prime, but I don't
have one yet.  Still, it's mainly a novelty.  If you can get one without a
lot of hassle, I'd say go for it, it's cheap and at least is a better
kidsmeal-style toy than the actual ones from BK (if more brittle).

     Dave Van Domelen, really shouldn't be buying an entire cake for himself
in any case.