OPTIMUS PRIME
Series - Rise of the Beasts
Sub-line - Not Applicable
Size/class - Voyager
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 1
Released here - April 2023
Approximate Retail Prize - $49.95 (Big W), $59.95 (Toyworld)
Approximate Size - 15cm to helmet horns, 15.5cm to smokestacks.
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Truck
Main Features/Gimmicks - N/A
Main Colours - Red, blue, grey
Main accessories - gun

I was caught off guard by this figure. My initial reaction was that a mainline figure has no right being this good. I think I'm still scarred from the Bumblebee main line.

Truck mode
- It's the standard red cube with legs hanging off the back, more or less.
- There's a bit of kibble that is sort of half justified, if you pretend that it's a racing truck and if you squint hard and tilt your head to the side the feet do look a bit like a spoiler.
- I ran out of things to say about Optimus Prime G1 style truck modes in the early 2000s if I'm being honest. Let's move on.

Transformation
- Really fun, very intuitive. It does a lot of things that it didn't have to, give that it's a mainline (not Studio Series) figure. The shin flip/collapse, and ER/WFC style fuel tank fold out is a lovely touch.
- I love the way that truck grill and wheels roll up to sit in the small of the robot mode back.
- It feels like a really refined SS-38 transformation - really really good hand feel.

Robot mode
- Really fantastic articulation. It lacks a ball joint head (swivel only) and the knees only go to 90 degrees, but everything else is there. Ball joint wrists, free range feet, hip skirts. The waist is a weird two step thing where the actual 'waist' only has a range of about 30 degrees either side of centre, but there's a joint will full range of motion higher up the chest. Combine the two and you get very organic looking waist poses. The figure has an ab crunch too!
- Great proportions. Broad chest, tapered waist. this Optimus lifts.
- The boxy shoulder 'pads' are separately jointed to the actual shoulders, which adds to the organic posing.
- Really really solid.

Build
- QC is on point. Everything is just as tight as it needs to be.
- Paint is the figure's one weak point. There is a lot of unpainted grey here. I don't mind but your mileage may vary.
- This figure is quite small for a voyager, and light. If it wasn't as good as it is in almost every other area, I'd be annoyed. However, it justifies the price.


Absolutely get this figure.