Product Line / Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Scale & Class / Voyager Class Transformers Figure
Manufacturer / Hasbro & Takara Tomy
Release Date / 2023
Appearances / Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the second entry in what’s argued as the rebooted Transformers live action movie franchise, had unique production circumstances. These include global events everyone’s aware of and led to the film’s delayed theatrical release. The same circumstances also had effects on the toys and merchandise which led to design differences between the Rise of the Beasts “core” or mainline figures, and the collector-oriented Studio Series. And while the former is targeted to mainstream consumers with lower price points, that’s not saying they are inferior offerings. Such is the case for Voyager Class Optimus Prime.
The team who designs Rise of the Beasts “core” series figures are different from the team responsible for the Studio Series line. As such, Optimus Prime over here doesn’t share any tooling with the Studio Series Bumblebee version despite the similarities. It may seem detrimental but it’s not because what we have here is a good Optimus Prime figure with a unique play pattern at a lower price point. What is detrimental is the lack of paint in the mid-torso section and the lower legs. Especially given the copious amounts of sculpted detail on these areas. Articulation is also good, though the head could’ve benefitted from a ball joint instead of the swivel joint. Speaking of the head, it does appear proportionally smaller compared to the rest of the body. Optimus Prime only comes with his Ion Blaster lifted straight from Bumblebee, a telltale sign of its control art design origin.
