Studio Series Apelinq

Prelude: Remember that guy from the Transformers Universe comic book way back in 2000? That surfboard ape who was available only at Botcon back when it was run by 3H Productions? No? Well, I don’t blame you. Apelinq was certainly not a very memorable character and no one suspected he might ever return. But return he did in Rise of the Beasts and he even gets a Studio Series Leader Class figure. Who’d have thought, right? Let’s say go!

Robot Mode: Now Apelinq here is a retool of Studio Series Optimus Primal, whom I have previously reviewed. This review here will focus on the differences, so if you haven’t already, head on over and read the Primal review first. Done? Good, then let’s look at how Apelinq differs.

We never saw Apelinq in robot mode in the movie, but given the strong resemblance of his ape mode to Primal, it stood to reason that they would be similar in robot mode, too. Apelinq received a new paint job, consisting mostly of greys and silvers, giving him an overall lighter look than Primal. He has different shoulder pads and forearm gauntlets, both of them bigger than Primals, which changes his silhouette a bit. Both also look worn and scratched a bit, giving him a bit of a “used” look. Finally, there is the changed head, which features a mouth plate instead of Primal’s mouth.

Apart from the changes to the figure itself, Apelinq also carries different weapons. He carries two scythe-like weapons that he can hold in his hands or store on his back. Technically he can also plug them into his forearm gauntlets, but that’s really more for the ape mode, as they are on the inside of his arms in robot mode. Better to have him hold them in hand. He also comes with the connector “chain” for the weapons that Primal also had for his swords.

So bottom line for the robot mode: a few new parts and some different colors don’t quite manage to make it seem like this is an entirely new figure, but it still looks pretty great and different enough from Primal to be recognizable as a different character. And the robot itself is still the same fun, very nicely articulated, and cool-looking robot that it was the first time around.

Alternate Mode: Naturally Apelinq transforms into a techno-organic gorilla, very similar to the ape form of Optimus Primal. Here, too, the different shoulder pads and gauntlets come into play, as well as a modified ape head. Here the resemblance to the movie character is pretty strong, the face is a close match, and you can attach Apelinq’s blades to his forearms as was seen on the screen as well. The belly plate is the same as Primal had, but it, too, has gotten the silvery-scratched look as the gauntlets and shoulder pads. 

Apart from these changes, it’s the same excellent gorilla made Primal had. The transformation is the same, too, of course, basically just shortening the legs, turning the figure around, and switching out the head and hands, done. He can still walk four-legged or upright and position his head accordingly. The blade, when not in use, can still be stored on his back. 

So bottom line: still an excellent ape mode and looking very much like the character we (briefly) saw on screen during Rise of the Beasts’ opening scene. 

Remarks: Apelinq had but a brief appearance at the start of the Rise of the Beasts movie where he faced Scourge and bought the rest of the Maximals time to flee from Unicron. Now the original Apelinq, a redeco of Beast Wars Transmetal Optimus Primal, hails from the year 2000 and the time when 3H Productions ran the annual Botcon convention and had him as an exclusive figure for that year. He also appeared in the Transformers Universe comics and was eventually transformed into the ill-fated Sentinel Maximus. 

Even though he is “just” a retool, Apelinq is every bit as good a toy figure as Optimus Primal and he gets the added bonus of being a very, very obscure character that I never thought we’d see another figure of, ever. The changes made to the figure make sense, the resemblance to the on-screen character is great, and the figure itself is just plain fun. So unless you’re really not a fan of beast-formers or don’t like to buy retools of figures you already own (if not, why not?), then you really should take a good look at Apelinq. He’s worth it.

Rating: A

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