Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, is not always a semi-truck. Throughout the years, he has got many unconventional alt modes, including a pen, a hat, a watch holder, a camera, a lunar rover, and even a sneaker. Now, you can add one more unusual alt mode to the list: Manju Netsuke.
A manju netsuke is a form of toggle used to secure personal items suspended on cords from the kimono sash. In other words, it is immobile. I have no idea why Optimus Prime wants to be in disguise as something so immobile as a Natsuke but it is here anyways.
However, what sets this 40th-anniversary product apart is not just the odd alt mode; the robot is a little unusual too. It is not highly recognizable as Optimus Prime—thanks partly to the lack of the red and blue paint scheme. The silver and black colorways, and how it is structured, make it appear more like Optimus Primal, IMHO. I cannot be the only person who felt so.
Anyhoo, the figure is made by Japanese artisan Yuki Tsuboshima, known for creating transforming netsuke pieces. The figure is definitely not child’s play. It is a fine high-end handicraft product made of silver.
It is made to order and commands an eye-watering 660,000 yen (!!!) in Japan which works out to about a grand US$4,637 based on today’s going rate—making it the most expensive transforming action figure yet. The Takara Tomy Manju Netsuke Optimus Prime Figure will only be available to the Japanese market with pre-orders accepted only at the Transformers Expo 2024 in Tokyo from September 13 to 29, 2024.
Images: Takara Tomy [JP].
