Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Optimus Prime – Toy Review
- Series: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
- Size class: Leader
With the release of Transformers 2 just around the corner, its only necessary that we take a look at the new Optimus Prime. Every Transformers series needs Optimus Prime to lead the way, and each year, the toys for old OP get more and more impressive.
Vehicle mode
Optimus transforms into a Peterbilt 379 big-rig truck, with red & blue flame décor streaked across his chasse. Now possessing flames on the side of his hood, & a lighter tone of blue, his paint scheme is much more screen accurate, and generally looks nicer, than the previous movie leader Prime. This upgrade from the first movie Prime also does a much better job of hiding the bits that transform. There are no visible hinges and clips in vehicle mode, and the creases between the pieces (yay, rhyming!) are all in places one would expect individual plates of metal to be situated, which makes the truck mode near seamless.
Structurally, the truck mode also has a longer, slightly tapered hood, and a longer wheel section, again making it more screen accurate than its predecessor. However, a slight downgrade from the earlier version is that the tires are plastic, rather than rubber. Whilst rubber tires would have been nice, considering the complexity and expensive nature of the toy, it’s forgivable.
A cleverly concealed button on the back of the cab, when pushed, plays revving truck engine sounds, and causes lights in the windows to light up. Holding down the button makes the sound continue to play, until the button is released. The button is easily accessible from most angles, which makes it perfect for kids who want to push it along the ground, making driving noises.
All-in-all, this is a gorgeous mode. Not only is it an entirely screen accurate truck, with incredibly fine details, right down to individual screws on the chasse, but it’s a great display piece. One could place this truck on a shelf, with other vehicle replicas, and there would be nothing to suggest that it was actually a giant robot. It’s a toy which epitomizes the term ËœRobot in disguise’.
5/5
Robot mode
Standing 10 ½ inches tall, (taller than all but one of the figures in my collection) Optimus Prime’s robot mode is without a doubt, the most screen accurate depiction of this incarnation you are going to get outside of the robot replicas. The thing that makes this toy better than the replicas is the fact that this guy transforms.
Articulation-wise, Optimus’s head is on a swivel joint, and can rotate 360 degrees. His arms can bend up and down, and rotate 360. His elbows hinge back and forth on ratchet joints, and rotate 360. There is no waist articulation, but his hips hinge in and out, as well as backwards and forwards, and his knees bend back and forth, and rotate to a certain degree, though I have found it is somewhat limited by the armour on his thighs & his wheels. His feet are on ball joints, and are wide, meaning he can assume many positions, whilst still perfectly balanced on his broad feet.
The amount of screen-accurate detail on this guy is incredible. There are so many tiny details and features on this guy, which make me really appreciate the effort that went into this toy. The orientation of his back armour, shoulder cylinders, golden chest rings, knee spikes (which can hinge up and down), the shape of his feet, and so many more. little things that most people wouldn’t notice on the on-screen character, but make this toy a fantastic piece of engineering.
A hinged piece of armour on OP’s stomach flips down, and when pressed, it makes his head and the windows on his chest shift, and his robot-form sound bite is activated. I am Optimus Prime. He declares. It sounds very much like Peter Cullen was hired for the voice, and it’s a nice little feature The moving armour reveals the new gimmick in the ROTF line. Gears inside Optimus’s chest form the ËœMech-alive’ system, which is composed of moving gears, which spin upon the windows moving. Whilst, considering the engineering of the toy, its pretty impressive that this feature had any space to be incorporated into the toy, it seams kinda pointless to me. The gears are visible through the windows in truck mode, and the promotion for the ROTF line seems to put a huge amount of focus on the mech-alive, when its really kinda insignificant.
Small buttons on Optimus’s forearms release hinged Energon-swords, which flip out from underneath his arm guards. Again, highly detailed, with Cybertronian hieroglyphs adorning the blades, They make him all the more impressive and intimidating. They are also something of a precursor to awesome, as the trailer for ROTF reveals that Prime now has two blades. Double the blades, double the carnage, double the awesome.
5/5
Final verdict
To cap-off, this is not a toy; this is a work of art. This is the pinnacle of what a Transformer toy can achieve. It’s incredibly accurate, highly articulated, & it’s the best toy based on the movie Prime that you’re gonna get. A word of warning before you purchase it though; the transformation is insane! I honestly believe this is the most complex & convoluted conversion for any transformer I have ever seen. It honestly gives the masterpiece figures a run for their money as having the most complex transformation of all time.
However, the transformation can be forgiven, because the transformation results in the forming of one of the most gorgeous, and magnificently designed robots I’ve ever seen. It’s a must have, and it is now the crowning jewel of my collection.
5/5
Purchase Now – Help (Cool) Shite
So what do you think? Is this one of the most well designed Transformers ever, or has this toy raped your childhood?
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I must say, I whole heartedly agree with your comments and well thought out review. Transformers ROTF is trash….utter trash. But this figure has everything I ever loved about the transformers I grew up with, rolled into a sparkling new package.
The insulting figures they had previously put out are shamed by the beauty and genius design team behind this piece. The fact that it does not look like it could possibly go from one robot to car or vice versa is a credit to the no doubt marvelous creative team that made this. I feel like a kid again and I’m not ashamed to say it. Thank you hasbro for hiring some talent.
Very impressive review…Might actually have to pick this one up! I’ve been spending all my time collecting the free trading cards at http://www.tf2cards.ca (help a brother out!), so I think it’s about time I splurged for another collectible.