Product Line / Transformers Studio Series
Scale & Class / Voyager Class Transformers Figure
Manufacturer / Hasbro & Takara Tomy
Release Date / 2019
Appearances / Bumblebee (2018)
Many fans have clamored and expressed disappointment over Optimus Prime’s design for the first Transformers live action film back in 2007 and how it strayed away from the vertical front or “flat nose” look of his G1 counterpart. This has been primarily attributed to the limited toy engineering at the time and how the designers were unable to cram more parts with the vertical front truck design. But as seen with 2014’s Evasion Mode Optimus Prime from Transformers: Age of Extinction, such design challenges are now a thing of the past. And thanks to the creative direction behind Bumblebee, we got an Optimus Prime that’s closer to G1 design than ever before.
So far, the Transformers Studio Series versions of the live action movie designs are currently their best representations in figure form, and this Optimus Prime is no exception. Copious amounts of sculpted detail are basically all over the figure, and would definitely from a coat of panel wash. On that note, the figure has a decent amount of painted detail, including painted rims on the wheels and the various silver stripes which look really good in vehicle mode. Articulation is what’s expected from a standard Voyager Class release and not hindered by any transformation mechanism. The transformation process is not the most complicated, but it can be pretty involved especially if it’s your first time doing the transformation. A common nitpick on this figure is how the leg panels don’t really lock properly and can easily get dislodged when handling and doing some poses. Optimus Prime only comes with his signature Ion Blaster for accessories, but as with all Studio Series releases, it includes a display backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge to recreate his meet up with Bumblebee at the end of the film.
