Toy Review: BTS Toy's Mobile Command Base

In recent years of Transformers toys hitting store shelves, children and Transformers toy collectors have asked one question: Whatever happened to Optimus Prime's trailer? Optimus Prime's iconic truck mode remains part of "Transformers" lore to this day and usually features him towing a boxy trailer of sorts behind him. Yet his Hasbro toy incarnations tend to lack a trailer. The only good trailer included in Optimus Prime toys sold in 1984. As a trailer, it stored Optimus Prime's rifle and other tiny Transformers cars. Then it could unfold into a repair bay that launched a Roller scout drone. It made for a fun toy to play with despite really just being a plastic box. I understand Hasbro may have trouble selling trailers since they are really just plastic boxes. But given the current imaginations of people and technology of today, they could make an effort to complete Optimus Prime's look.

Until Hasbro develops a trailer toy to compliment Optimus Prime, third party toy manufacturers will heed the call and get the sales. I found the Mobile Command Base trailer designed by BTS Toy at an online store and decided to give it a chance. While not officially sanctioned as a Hasbro toy, perhaps this third party toy manufacturer could hold a similar quality and playability fitting of a Transformers toy.

Trailer Mode:

The Mobile Command Base trailer is a silver colored trailer just like the original 1984 "Transformers" cartoon that goes with the Voyager Class Optimus Prime from the Transformers Classics toy line. BTS Toy also sells a variant black trailer matching the Nemesis Prime repaint of the Optimus Prime toy. As predicted, the trailer is a giant box that awkwardly attaches to Optimus Prime in his truck mode. The trailer's locking mechanism does not lock well to the truck and often comes loose. The silver painting combined with the blue angled marking akin to the 1984 trailer looks good although the paint job does blotch akin to an amateur's attempt at painting a plastic model toy. The plastic is functional but feels a little cheap. The trailer is seriously lacking an Autobot insignia, but that is most likely due to copyright issues. Serving as the trailer's wheels is what is dubbed the "Rollout Drone." The trailer features some odd angles that do not match the rectangular shape of the 1984 trailer design, but that change feels like an acceptable modern change that I can accept. As a trailer, it can store one Deluxe Class Transformers toy in car mode, two smaller Scout Class Transformers toys, or several Legends Class Transformers toys. The trailer is a simple toy with minor faults, but it functions well as a trailer complimenting Optimus Prime's truck.

Mobile Command Base Mode:

Not content with merely selling a plastic box, BTS Toy enabled the trailer to unfold into the titular mobile command base. The base is nothing more than the surfaces of the trailer unfolded into silver ramps on a black floor, but it is a very imaginative unfolding. The surfaces are paneled with detailing and a lot of effort in that work is seen. A blue repair arm--complete with cockpit control deck--swivels and functions. The arm is part of a repair floor that fits two Autobot land vehicles. Other features include a very miniature heli-pad for Mini-Cons or Legends Class figures, a mounting point for one of Optimus Prime's guns, a locker with a gun either for Roller or Optimus Prime, and an additional locker with a gun intended for Bumblebee or other Deluxe Class Transformer. This Mobile Command Base is fun to play with but feels cluttered when trying to play with all of its features simultaneously.

Rollout Drone:

The Rollout Drone, based on the Roller drone from the 1984 "Transformers" cartoon, is also included in the Mobile Command Base. In trailer mode, it serves as the wheels. This is an ingenious way to incorporate the drone instead of merely stuffing it inside the trailer. In Mobile Command Base mode, Roller is an open top scout vehicle. Besides seating, the vehicle has two holes to insert a gun into and Transformers figures can balance on the Rollout Drone and ride it like a skateboard. Despite never liking Roller in the cartoon, the Rollout Drone serves as a functional and fun addition to the Mobile Command Base while bringing back that nostalgia of the original cartoon.

While the trailer is not the best thing since sliced bread, the BTS Toy Mobile Command Base in its base mode is a very fun play set that disguises the fact I spent a chunk of change buying a plastic box. These third party toys are sending an interesting message to Hasbro consisting of, "If people want it and you will not make it, we will." Shortly after receiving this trailer, I noticed another third party trailer for Optimus Prime designed by another company. Perhaps I will review that new trailer and compare the two trailers.