Toy Review - OPTIMUS PRIME (Studio Series, Rise of the Beasts)

[GoktimusPrime]

I'm really eager to get this after seeing all of the reviews that are popping up. Where did you find yours Gok?

Bigkidscollectibles. Also available for preorder from JB Hi Fi.

I suggest that this might be in error.

Cheers, fixed.

[SharkyMcShark]

I've had this for a day now, and perhaps this is recency bias but I genuinely think this is in for a shout of best voyager class figure ever.

Robot mode is stable, posable and from most angles doesn't even look like it transforms.

The transformation itself is a fun process that is both involved and intuitive.

Vehicle mode is the weakest part of this package, in the usual 'Optimus Prime's back half is just his legs' way, but the figure actually does shit some mass around in new ways for a different twist on that paradigm.

I actually sat down with TFWiki and quickly looked through a list of each of the voyager class figures released (bearing in mind that the size class came in during Cybertron, so it's not that old). To me, the top tier of all of those are:

• Classics 2006 Optimus Prime,
• Revenge of the Fallen Mindwipe,
• Transformers 2010 Highbrow (the ww2 fighter),
• Thrilling 30 Springer,
• The Last Knight Megatron,
• Studio Series 06 Starscream (F-22 Raptor),
• Earthrise Optimus Prime (this got a Voyager release without the trailer in the Netflix line)

This stands above those.

[Dimi194]

A great figure, though the hand gun is comically small! It's okay once you get used to the shoulders, but agree with people that these are a bit limiting. Same as the legs.

The kibble on the truck is unfortunate, but I'd take a good robot mode over vehicle mode every day of the week.

Once the DNA Kit is added on this will be the best voyager SS figure - but appreciate that's almost doubling the price of the toy!

[Sutton]

The quote "much good work is lost for the lack of a little more" sums this guy up for me. It's lazy. In fact, you can apply that to most of ROTB Studio Series line...the back of Scourge's truck, the overall messiness of Battletrap in both modes, the fact that Cheetor turns in to a bear...pretty bizarre considering they had an extra year to work on these.

There's a lot of good stuff here especially in robot mode, but that truck mode is just......yikes. While I appreciate that for some the altmode comes secondary, we've seen that Hasbro can do both when it wants to. I partly blame the real life truck design itself - there's very little material to work with at the rear to make the legs work, so you'd have to go to MP level engineering to do better. Hilariously, the truck mode almost looks better with his legs not transformed at and just sticking out the back. On the plus side, transformation is quite smooth and easy compared to the Bumblebee Prime so...there's that.

I also find the mini handcannon a little bizarre - if it was small because it flipped inside the arm I could understand, but it's just an accessory so....make it bigger? One of the iconic poses from the trailers for the film was him pointing the big cannon at the camera all mad and 'STAND DOWN' etc. But this looks like a little Milo tin.

[Deano85]

I also find the mini handcannon a little bizarre - if it was small because it flipped inside the arm I could understand, but it's just an accessory so....make it bigger? One of the iconic poses from the trailers for the film was him pointing the big cannon at the camera all mad and 'STAND DOWN' etc. But this looks like a little Milo tin.

Now I will have to paint the mini cannon green hahahaha. Already pre-ordered the DNA upgrade kit.

[GoktimusPrime]

The quote "much good work is lost for the lack of a little more" sums this guy up for me. It's lazy. In fact, you can apply that to most of ROTB Studio Series line...the back of Scourge's truck, the overall messiness of Battletrap in both modes, the fact that Cheetor turns in to a bear...pretty bizarre considering they had an extra year to work on these.

My understanding is that these toys are based on earlier screen models. Bear in mind that while toy designs must be finalised at least half a year in advanced (often longer), screen models can be tweaked only weeks before a film's release.

I partly blame the real life truck design itself - there's very little material to work with at the rear to make the legs work, so you'd have to go to MP level engineering to do better. Hilariously, the truck mode almost looks better with his legs not transformed at and just sticking out the back. On the plus side, transformation is quite smooth and easy compared to the Bumblebee Prime so...there's that.

Agree 100%
On the plus side, the RotB Optimus Prime screen model is incredibly toyetic. Never before have I seen an Optimus Prime transform on the big screen where it really feels like watching an action figure transform! This got me really excited about getting the toy when I saw it in trailers. Watch this video from the 3:11 to 3:16 minute mark. It feels like a "reverse Masterpiece" moment; whereas MPs are usually makes you feel like the screen models jumped out and became toys, this moment feels like your action figure jumped into the movie and became a screen model! I don't remember seeing anything quite this toy-like since Beast Wars. Okay, BW is still better, but that's because the toys were made first and the animators 3D scanned the figures.

I also find the mini handcannon a little bizarre - if it was small because it flipped inside the arm I could understand, but it's just an accessory so....make it bigger? One of the iconic poses from the trailers for the film was him pointing the big cannon at the camera all mad and 'STAND DOWN' etc. But this looks like a little Milo tin.

The cannon isn't proportionately large, being only marginally bigger than Optimus Prime's hand.

Granted it is still proportionately bigger than the toy's gun, but only slightly. The design of the shoulders disappoints me more than anything else, as it affects the functional playability of the toy. A slightly smaller gun really doesn't bother me in the slightest.

[klystron]

For me, this robot mode is... ugly. I hate its look and design. There is something off about it; something that is preventing me from liking it.
I'm not saying its a bad figure. Sure, it might be the best Voyager Optimus of all time.
But personally, based purely on aesthetics, I do not like it.