Optimus Prime’s latest action figure is big, bulky, and wonderfully cartoony

Transformers come and go, but through the entire saga there has been one single constant: Optimus Prime. The stoic leader of the Autobots, Transformers without the greatest prime is like Xmas without a bad gift from your grandmother: Unimaginable. Not just a great character, Optimus Prime also boasts a design that is eternal.

Red, blue, and grey paint over an imposing frame that transforms into a heavy duty truck. Simple and to the point, you just cannot change what already works. But you can improve on perfection! Out of all the designs we’ve seen in the 2010s, it’s the Cyberverse version of Optimus Prime that has stuck with me.

While the Bumblebee movie has a terrific design that combines the classic incarnation with the incredible detail of the live-action films, Cyberverse’s Optimus Prime captures the spirit of the G1 original and redesigns it for a new audience. That audience is younger though, and naturally the Transformers toys for that market have been simpler. Quick-change Transformers whose robot modes have very little detail afforded to them.

The Optimus Prime for the Transformers Bumblebee: Cyberverse Adventures Line of Officer-Class figures though? It’s one heck of a great figure in the looks and fun department. The most striking feature on Optimus is his Energon armour, which can be flipped into position using not only a switch, but a voice command as well. Even better, this Optimus features some neat lighting and sound effects to go with his snazzy new design, a chunky sword, and a thick shield that is also more than meets the eye.

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If you’d prefer a classic look, the armour can be tucked behind Optimus in favour of his regular threads. Like any Prime worth his Allspark, you also transform Optimus into his standard Peterbilt truck vehicle mode, which has slots to store the shield and sword combo. It’s not too complex, and can be done in a dozen steps.

Where the figure stands apart from other Cyberverse Optimus Primes, is in its sheer presence. At around 27-28cm in height, Optimus is on par with Masterpiece figures from Takara in the size department. He’s also a lot easier to pose, thanks to an expanded range of articulation that gives him greater ranger and is closer to what you’d find on the recently released and excellent War for Cybertron figures. While I do wish that Hasbro had chucked in a hand swivel, the tight joints, elegant details in the armour, and thank Primus, the ankle pivots make for a figure that can do a lot.

That’s the bridge I’m looking for with these figures, and Optimus easily transforms into it. He’s flexible enough to appeal to adult collectors, durable enough to take a knocking from kids, and packed with features that will make both camps smile.

If you want the Autobot leader or any other Cybertronian, you can find them right here at Takealot and Toys R Us.

Last Updated: December 8, 2020