“It’s from 2003 which honestly isn’t that long ago.” 2003 is the midway point between today and the original premier of the Transformers brand in the USA. That toy is nearly 20 years old. And yet it still looks freaking mint. That’s an impressive build quality.

I am Optimus Prime and I approve of this video

Fun Fact: MPM-01 Prime was built to scale with the Transformers: Alternators toyline (a very cool and interesting toyline, I suggest you check them out)

tbh i miss when masterpiece was about "what if the OG transformers were realistic" instead of the cartoon accuracy"

This guy was my first and only Masterpiece. I got the 20th Anniversary edition from Toys R Us I think. He came with an electronic display base that played voice clips. To this day it’s my favorite Optimus Prime figure. Although MP-10 came out only a couple of years later, still prefer this guy.

Got the MP04 version in about 2005 and it has been the pride of my collection ever since. It is out of scale to other figures, heavy and kind of awkward to pose due to the diecast, but it is the most important figure of the modern era, with amazing details and a figure any G1 fan should try and get if the opportunity presents.

In my opinion it's aged a lot better than a lot of the other early MPs. MP-3 and especially MP-5 are downright hard to look at nowadays. MP-1 definitely feels dated among the other more recent MPs and 3P figures, but taken on its own it's still a pretty cool representation of Optimus.

In a lot of ways, this first Masterpiece might as well be the ONLY Masterpiece - it was designed with the specific intention of celebrating the 20th Anniversary of TransFormers, alongside the beginnings of Binaltech/Alternators, long before 'Masterpiece' became just another toyline (albeit with massively inflated prices to cover the OTT transformation engineering). MP01's transformation is relatively simple and very true to the G1 toy. It's a Masterpiece because of the embellishments - vehicle mode suspension with rubber tyres, the LED feature for the Matrix, the pistons on the joints, the moving vents on the shins, the moving faceplate, all that delicious chrome... and, of course, the die-cast metal. MP01 happened at precisely the moment I rediscovered TransFormers, and had a decent amount of disposable income, so it's the main reason I got back into collecting TransFormers. To me, it's the best Masterpiece, looks better than MP10 and, aside from the absence of trailer on the original release (I don't count the cardboard thing that came with Takara's glorious battle-damage-free version), it's still one of the best reimaginings of G1 Optimus Prime, before this need to cartoonify everything took over the Masterpiece line.

I remember seeing a "clean" version of it back in 2004 with my Dad at my local Wal-Mart. I was 3 or 4 at the time and it's one of those weird, early childhood memories I still have with me to this day. They were selling it for $54.99, which is another thing I clearly remember too.

I remember when this came out. Advertised as "The toy you waited 20 years for" And I wanted it SO BAD

I still absolutely LOVE this guy, better figure than 44 to me, best update possible of the g 1 toy in look and feel. And with longer smokestacks like the takara release it looks even better in both modes, makes the truck look Very good even. Added some to mine using painted straws lol

I picked up a sealed MP-4 (the one with the trailer) a little while back for $150, and I got it signed by Peter cullen AND Aaron archer at TFCon, one of my favorite collection pieces right there

4:31 started to laugh so hard imagining by the sounds, old rusty optimus getting up after a tf movies marathon

19 years later and my Mp 01 is still going strong on my shelf.

Ohhh the nostalgia! I bought the Takara version around Christmas 2003 in a Toys'R Us near Osaka, I was an exchange student from Peru. Actually, this figure and the Binaltechs were the ones that reignited the TF fandom in me and kickstarted my collection in earnest! Sadly my MP01 suffered a broken hip in my suitcase while returning to my country, but he can stand just fine. I've never tried to glue that part back though.

If MP44 is the ultimate representation of toon Optimus, MP01 is like the ultimate representation of G1 toy Optimus. Especially with all the extra detailing, greebles, heavy die-cast use and the rubber tires.

his proportions are Very cartoon accurate, and Very close to 44, Mp10 is more modern with longer arms and smaller legs, and we've gotten used to it so much, but Mp 01 is more accurate somehow

Imo, this piece is absolutely worth it on its own, nobody cares if it's an MP or not but as an Optimus Prime figure, this thing aged way better than a lot of today's figures.

Those actually aren't teeth behind his faceplate. It's the grill of a speaker as depicted in issue #76 of the original Marvel Comics run of the Transformers comic series. The attention to detail of this guy is so amazing that they included the speaker as a mouth even though nobody will ever see it unless they actually break the toy. The speaker for a mouth look is really unsettling and inhuman which is kinda cool. It really set him apart as alien from us as humans. I've always hated the modern depiction of Prime with a mouth underneath his face plate.

Yes, I love this one, too. I remember when he first came out, it wasn't long before he was on the closeout shelf at every major retailer here in the States. I bought three of them for $20 each back then: two for gifts and one for myself. I really love him to this day. Like you, I can't find my accessories. My lights still work, though. Check the battery box if you haven't already; it might be corroded.

This Bot got me back into collecting, it looks a little less elegant than it did all those years ago (we have had almost 20 years of Prime's since) but it's still a proud and noble part of the collection.

I remember getting this for Christmas years ago I loved it.

Dude ... I bought that when it was new, still have the box. It's so cool to own. I got it for $50 back in the day.

My buddy got me the 20th anniversary version of this guy. He's on the top shelf of my collection. This thing is built like a truck. Next to him I have my MP-36 Dynastron/Megatron.

He's a great figure. Got mine back when they first came out. One of the panels on the back has split and comes off on mine but it'll sit where it's supposed to in both modes. Definitely a figure collectors should grab cos it's a piece of Transformers history.

When this was first coming out, I started a thread on a TF message board asking, "Who would you like to see for the second masterpiece?" I got BLASTED!!! "There will never be another masterpiece!!!" "Don't even talk about it because it will never happen!!!" Not only do we have numerous other masterpieces, we are now on our third Optimus! I wish I could find that thread...

Ok yeah he creaks when you move him, but in Prime's defence he's 4 million years old, you'd creak too Also, MY GOD those pistons are beautiful (and the LEG VENTS!). If they can ever figure out how to do that on a mainline budget, I'll buy ten of them

I have the 20th Anniversary version, I bought it in 2013 as my first MP. It was on eBay under the title “Transforming Robot” and had some dark pictures, thanks to that I got it for £25. I fixed the left leg (spring had become dislodged), fixed the chest so that the door closed and upgraded the smoke stacks for the longer versions and of course the faults weren’t mentioned on eBay. I still have this MP :) the wife loves him and would make me transform him and leave him on my bedside cabinet when I would deploy.

7:22 a side note, it is said that the second editions (including the mp-4 that comes with the trailer) tend to have their legs popped out at the crutch. Not sure if it's true on every copy but definitely sth to consider.

My favorite Optimus prime figure ever, I'm in love with this thing since I was 4 years old and to this day I'm still trying to get an mp04 without paying my kidney to the black market

I have the E-Hobby Black Convoy version of this. One of my all time favorites. Such a solid chunk of metal.

I broke my hasbro release (the leg collapse mechanism WILL break if you drop him) years ago but this mold pretty much solidified what the gold standard was at the time.

i remeber having this as a kid in the early 2000s and man was it a lot of fun

I remember the anticipation when this guy was to be released. I made multiple trips to Toys R Us hoping to pick him up. Luckily I did eventually get one. I still have him. He's still on my shelf, never been opened.

Learned something new today. I had MP-01 as soon as it dropped back in the day and I had no idea those vents on his legs opened when you pressed down like that. If you're lucky you can find these MP-01's around at your local thrift stores and are perfect for customizing :) I recently found one at Value Village for about ten bucks.

mp 01 has to be one of my favorite Optimus prime figures.

This one's a gem among MPs.

My dad has this figure, and got the upgrade kit for the smoke stacks, he also has the trailer, and it's awesome, so if you find the trailer for a decent price get it

Have had this for so long and he still holds such a presence. He wasnt even that expensive ar the time.

I just love how they merge realism and the g1 designs in older masterpiece figures. Wish they did that more. 10/10! 7/10 for the vehicle mode

This was my first MP toy and so far my last cause I'm a budget collector. I got mine at a yard sale in 2015 I think for 20 bucks and loved it so much until the clip that holds the legs snapped on me sadly :'( but it was a fun toy when it was working right and I didn't even have any of the weapons with it. It's a good toy for adults no matter what anyone says

Got that fig I moved it recently for dusting my transformers and I was surprised how heavy he was. I remember back then in 2003 I went to toys R Us to make a store to store Transfer I never got diseapointed I still like it I don’t have many MP but it fit well in my collection

I got the Last Shot way before MP-10 was released. And even today, I just love how imposing and MASSIVE this guy is. His only fatal flaw: ball joint ankles. Seriously?

This is a very cool version of Optimus, I'm about 50 years old now and I had a collection of the original Hasbro G1 toys that where played with I don't have them any more but I got them in the early 80's when they was new

First thing I did with my MP01 was to swap the smokestacks for 3rd party ones which made a big difference. I still love the bot mode but just don't get me started on the "Truck" mode 😔

that posing segment sounded like my knees

Got my Original MP01 NEW and it was the With Trailer Edition. Was about 450AUD I believe. Was so long ago and still looking brand new.

Congratulations on getting it to stand up. Whoever decided to make the ankles ball joints was insane.

I actually got my MP-01 (the same deco and the same creakiness) down to compare when the LEGO Optimus Prime was released. I also was able to change the battery in the Matrix box.

The original Takara version and Ultra Magnus both had cardboard trailers that you could unfold.

I never had this version but I did have the white Magnus version and I remember really loving it at the time (also it has the longer smoke stacks). I believe I got it in 2007 or 8, when the MP line still felt pretty new. It still looks pretty nice, but the proportions are a bit off, and I wish the ab grill was angled. Still seems like a solid toy.

There's a downscaled normal mp sized version of mp 01 made by igear and it comes in various decos (g1 optimus, magnus,nemisis, shattered glass) it also comes with some alternate heads

4:30 to 5:30 is one whole minute of some of the best asmr I've ever heard.

I won a used MP-01 at auction on eBay without any accessories. It definitely has a presence when posed correctly. Looks kinda goofy in a lot of poses, but his heftiness is worth the amount I paid. It looks a lot better in person, imo. All his joints have held up pretty well, considering how old this model is.

This is the 20th anniversary one. I think it was a TRU exclusive. Walmart had the one without battle damage, but an orangey red color. Mp-1 was Takara, and had no battle damage, and longer stacks. I love this Prime so much. Heavy and fun to pick up

This guy is special to me. I have 2, one still MIB and one that I took out.

I have MP 01 figure without the battle damage. I got the Japanese first run minus the trailer. The smoke stacks were replaceable with metal casted ones when it came out. The balancing / standing can be a pain but it had some great possibility. It was scaled in line with the Altenators line. The original box was also a fold out trailer. The original Takara MP01 is still one of my favourite versions. Bit retro by todays standards but it has alot of great details

This turned into an Asmr video really quick once he went over all of the joint cranking.

I still have my original MP01 I imported from HLJ for $99. Regardless of its flaws, it’s still my favorite MP.

Is this the one that has a base that you can push to play audio clips ? Does it also have a button on the back of the head to make his mouth move ?

the articulation sounds like me getting up in the morning

The knee broke on my 20th Anniversary release of this guy several days after I bought it in 2009. The Megatron gun also had its stock break. :(

The moving faceplate and pistons are thumbs up for me

I was absolutely and instantly OBSESSED with MP-01 when it first came out , I had never seen anything as big and as cool or like it at ALL. I finally got one of the US releases with the talking base and DVD I think but anyway.. so obsessed to the point that I bought the 3rd party longer smoke stacks to make it look right . But you said lol , the PISTONS, those bloody pistons I thought was the coolest thing I had ever seen. Still a great figure just for the die cast. But I do like where they took the MP line in recent years. REEEEEAAALLLY want MPG super Ginrai now but lol oh well

I have a ko of this before it have grey an blue hand but have everything include die cast and light for the matrix i was really good !!!

My dad gave me this toy when I was 5 I remember playing with it good memories

I got the anniversary edition. I actually put it together from just a head piece. Took me a few years put I managed to put it full together and get its original box and some weapons.

i had one of these as a kid & i loved it. my dad smashed it with a hammer when he got pissed off once so i don't have it anymore :( rip optimus u made my childhood special

As your resident gundam fan I love love the pistons

I have the original takara release with long stacks and no battle damage. The box insert could even be folded into a cheap trailer, but thats certainly no replacement for the mp04 trailer.

Got the Magnus got the battle damage one got the somewhat rare ko with grey parts. Making a custom with mp44 colors. Absolutely love this version. Missing the black one and the dead one but still looking. Awesome review. Waijiang Trailer for MPP10 was on sale for 60$cdn see if you can find one of those. I picked one up awesome quality. Oh please do mpp10 next unless you did it already.

The eyes are supposed to light up as well. It's the same button that lights the Matrix, so since you said that light's broken, so are the eyes. I got mine in 2003, long before they made it an MP or made the trailer. It's one of my favorite things so of course my brother broke it when he came up so we could go see the movie together and when he left in the morning he was visibly drunk at 8am and dropped it. So no lights for me either. No, Starscream never made sense. At first I thought "well, there was that one fake" but that WAS Starscream wearing the disguise. Though I guess talking to himself isn't wildly out of the question. I never had a problem with the proportions but when I got him, he took so long to actually GET and since it was 2003, I wasn't really spoiled for options like we are now so that's obviously colored my opinion. And yeah, he is HEAVY. I still have the box and all the accessories and transforming him isn't troublesome at all. The only bit that ever gives me any trouble are those front tires that fold up into his chest. Still ratchets satisfyingly after almost twenty not entirely pristine years. What I did was pair him up with Alternators Jazz and Wheeljack and that made for a mostly suitable display in terms of scale.

I have the MP-01 that Hasbro released for the 20th anniversary edition of the 86 movie. That one's communicators have Grimlock and Megatron.

DOGGOOOOOO!!! I’m glad doggo is making more cameo appearances

I remember finding a version of this where it was smaller and had a cape. I wanted it so bad, but never go it.

I found this guy at a flea market a year ago for 40 bucks, and I managed to find all the accessories thanks to ebay and reddit

That big beast is probably never gonna drop back down to reasonable price territory: the MP44 KOs are about 85-105 USD, depending on the mold version and where you get it from...there's an alright lookin' MP01 KO that's out which is about 100 USD (a few wonky colors)... and there's the 1:1 MP10 KOs, the upsized MPP10, and the downsized MP10V. The field's gotten even more chunky than MP01, he can't stay low priced. Especially when MP10V is the cheapest option.

Still my favorite and first mp. This figure set the standard and showed how the engineering had progressed. And they've only improved and influenced what takara hasbro and 3rd party makers are currently doing now.

Still blows my mind that for the scale, dicast, and everything else this one came included with it was about 110 Canadian back in the day after taxes, Felt about right when I nabbed one at TRU back in the day. As scary as the leg joints feel connecting to the mid section I am truly astonished they haven't broken let alone any of the other appendages given how long I've had this on display. Ironically the only thing to ever break on mine is also the Megatron gun. the rubbery section pinned in the rear. Only complaint I've ever had is the snub smokestacks.

i don't understand how a robot can be disproportioned, especially when the modern ones are even more disproportioned than this since 2003 we had a billion of optimus redesigns with different proportions and people said that THOSE were good if the new ones are good being that shitty imagine the really sturdy ones from 20 years ago could be i'd say for being a 20 year old figure he kicks asses

Honestly it's still one of my faves. It's an Adult scaled and cartoon accurate G1 Prime.

I've been wanting this ever since I was five. And I just moved and there's a store right up the road that has one and I want it so bad

The best part of these ‘old’ MPs Imo are there is no fake transformation part for the alt mode .

My dad owns this very same figure along with the trailer and accessories, its always sitting on his desk

I am primus I approve this. It was perfect… perfect down to the last my new details.

the Battle Damage is unique to the Hasbro release of MP-01 which was released for the 20th anniversary back in 2004

Bro I have the 20th anniversary for the 86 movie and all the ratchet joints in the knees snapped so I have to collapse the legs to keep Optimus standing up💀💀💀

Mine ended up missing a foot after a move out of state. I have no idea how to replace the foot. I wish I could find one. :(

this forced Takara to continue the line even if those time they didnt intend to why it took them so long to settle on the height and look of MP44 and know what a "madterpiece" should look unfortunately in most releases the back part is a mess...cool video ...i miss my own unit ,sold it a long time ago

I got a copy of this figure, its the one that was apart of the classics line and came with a blue verison of his blaster, why that colour, no clue, but he also has the soundbase display stand, but I not messed with him in ages, so he just stood on top of my bedroom cupboard with a bunch of other figures and I'm looking at him quite offen but not reaching to get him down, but then a lot of other figures are there and most of them are big as in leader class, Mp5 Megatron stood up there as well, but I not messed with him in AGES, but then, I only transformed him once to gun mode and back again, then, I'm not really a MP collector and I have only four actual MP figures: OP, Megatron, Grimlock and Star Saber! Of course watching this video, I never noticed the bit with his legs and the flaps, of course, when the word diecast came up, my thought turn to Primal's quote "Diecast construction, its a lost art!!" and he is pretty much right, its a lost art these days!!

It’s funny I saw the magnus version at my local mom and pop toy shop it’s been there for a while I don’t remember the price saw it and thought it was cool but what else was cool was that they had old generations toys and hftd toys sealed as well as rotf toys and the ultimate Optimus

Ive had this figure for as long as I can remember.

Can you review both the movie 1 voyager megatrons you have? I’m thinking about getting one but I don’t know if I should

Honestly? It's pretty great, I like how the joints have pistons and try to make it more than simple ratchet joints

It honestly blew me away that it transformed. Amazing looking Prime

It's still to this day very very cool

My dude is just cracking every single bone in his body🤣

I have one too and I always feel like I'm going to break him when I fiddle with it because of how it sounds lol

I just bought mine at TFcon Orlando ^^

Hot take, but I honestly prefer how MP-01 looks more than MP-10 in bot mode, wonky proportions and all, he just… has a presence to him, its hard to describe