Action Figure Name:  Optimus Prime

I know it's taken me a while to write this review but I finally took the time to do it. The new Optimus Prime is a little different from the good old classic one. When I first heard that the new Optimus Prime would be a fire truck, I was a little upset. I mean, Optimus was a transport truck. He SHOULD always be a transport truck. Yet after I got the toy and saw the cartoon, it didn't hurt AS much. I still think he should be a transport truck though. Anywho, the new Optimus has three forms: Main robot form, Super Robot form, and Fire Truck form. Mind you, as I've said in my Megatron review, he has a forth form in which he combines with Ultra Magnus.

1) Main Robot Form (pictured below) - The smaller robot form is pretty good. At first glance, you can see all the carry-overs from the original Optimus such as the mouth cover, the antenae, and of course the similar colours. There's a great deal of poseability too, making the action poses very easy to get. The only downfall to this form are left over pieces that make up the super form and the rest of the fire truck. Also, this form is very easy to get too. Not difficulties at all.

2) Super Robot Form - The larger robot form of Optimus is pretty cool. Not only is it bigger, but it uses all the pieces so none can get lost. Unfortunately, it looks less like the original Optimus Prime which isn't that much of a problem. However, since the pieces used to make this form are additions to the smaller form, poseability is lost. It still has a great deal of it, but not as much as the smaller robot form. To get the small robot to this one is rather simple and quick.

3) Fire Truck Form - Even though it's not a transport truck, the fire truck form looks absolutely fantastic. I had no problems getting to the robot forms from the fire truck but had a little difficulty at first getting back to the truck. What's cool is the fire truck's ladder is all moveable with spring loaded missles and you can get a cool truck pose. The sturdiness of this form is incredible as well. The only weak spot for this form is where the smaller robot's gun goes. It slides into the front of the truck underneath as a small wheel, but it never feels like its in there properly.

4) Combined Form - This is where things get interesting and tricky. If you have both Optimus and Ultra Magnus, the two can form together to make a BIG HUGE robot. And by huge, I mean it. It dwarfs anything on my toy shelf. This form is a little difficult to get to, but after a couple attempts it's not as bad. My main two beefs with this form are the weakness in the mid section and the left over parts. Again, the smaller robot form is used as a base and all these bigger parts fit into him. And since the whole upper section of the robot is the heavier part of Ultra Magnus the waist seems a little weak. Not that it can't support the weight, but if for some reason I'd fear for the mid part buckling under the heaviness if someone knocked it over. Still, the form looks fantasitic and the blues and white of Magnus and reds of Optimus look good together.

Overall, Optimus is a very spiffy toy. Though he looks best in his smaller robot form, I keep him in his super robot form simply to ensure no parts are lost. Even though he's a firetruck, this Optimus is still a cool toy and very well worth the money, especially if you have Ultra Magnus.

NiceGuy