We’ve been seeing more and more of the new version of “Evasion Mode” Optimus Prime from Transformers: Age of Extinction, part of the Studio Series line. We also knew that the engineering of the original figure from 2014 was really good that Takara Tomy used the original mold and upscaled it for a couple more releases. So it’s not an understatement to say there are expectations on how this design will be translated for this version.
The original figure was the first Optimus Prime design from the Michael Bay films to be based on a flat-nosed cab. If you recall, one reason Optimus Prime had a long-nosed vehicle mode on the first three films is to accommodate the complex transformation for the toys. So having the live-action design be closer to the G1 original was much appreciated when it was released.
The 2014 figure was also notable with the way it transforms from robot to vehicle and vice versa. It’s basically turning the cab section inside out between modes. It’s not exactly the easiest transformation to handle, and likely contributed to why the The Last Knight knight line dialed down on the complexity, but collectors really appreciated the clever engineering.
I’ve seen a couple of reviews of the Studio Series version and it does channel the same transformation scheme, but implemented in an easier order.
I will be getting this guy no doubt, but I will understand if some will skip this release and keep the original. Heck, Takara Tomy based their recent Synergenex Evangelion Prime Unit-01 figure on an upscaled version, so the older release had clear merits.
