Review: #859
Name: Optimus Prime (10302)
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Lego Icons
Year of Release: 2022
Size Class: N/A
Mold Status: N/A
PACKAGING AND CONTENTS:
A collaboration between Hasbro and Lego, Optimus Prime is part of the Lego Icons series, and this is a decently sized set at 1508 pieces.
The packaging shows off the usual stock photos but also the unique gimmick that this set can also have Optimus transform between vehicle mode and robot mode... without any disassembling.
He comes with eleven bags labelled 1 to 10 (there are bags labelled "5"), and this is how the instructions split the building process into ten sections.
There's a sticker sheet and a thick heavy instructions booklet.
The instructions booklet also contains some quick history and blurb about the character.
And finally, the instructions themselves are easy to follow.
BUILD PROCESS:
Although it depends on how fast you build, Optimus Prime takes around four to five hours to complete, which is quite a decent amount. It's a fun process, although if you do it in one session, it can be tiring and sections will be repetitive since you need to build two legs and two arms etc. The first five sections have you slowly building up the torso and the thighs.
Then the sixth to eighth section has you finishing the arms and the rest of the figure.
The ninth and tenth sections are for building the various accessories in the set.
VEHICLE MODE:
And once you're done, you get a Lego-fied version of Optimus. In vehicle mode, he transforms into the familiar red and blue short nosed truck.
There aren't many exposed Lego studs, and the vehicle is blocky enough, that it fits the Lego aesthetics really well. This is a good truck mode.
It's a big truck mode too. Once you've built the figure, you'll realise how heavy he is. Above is a comparison against various Optimus Primes over the years, the Age of Extinction Leader, Siege Voyager, Legacy United Deluxe, and Studio Series Devastation, just to give you a sense of scale.
He has six rolling wheels, and the tires are rubber so he grips the surface quite well. The robot gun can peg in between his legs, the other accessories are left out to the side though as there are no dedicated storage spaces for them.
The back is ironically one of the better ones for Optimus, since the robot feel folds down and doesn't stick out the back as much.
The front bumper is a sticker. The vehicle mode mostly locks together, but due to its sheer weight, it can come apart when you pick him up.
A surprisingly good vehicle mode, and one that doesn't look too Lego-fied, which is surprising.
TRANSFORMATION:
The biggest gimmick of the set, Optimus can transform without any need to detach and reattach parts. It helps that the G1 transformation is pretty simple, and he transforms like most other G1 Transformers figures. Fold down the back to form the legs, the arms come out from the sides, rotate the torso, fold the grill pieces into fill out the torso and flip up the head. It works really well, although since it is made up of individual Lego pieces, pieces do not have the same type of friction to give that satisfying "click" as it moves into place.
ROBOT MODE:
Robot mode is equally impressive, even if the first stock photos didn't really show up. He is instantly recognizable as Optimus Prime.
He doesn't carrying too much kibble, and there aren't many hollow parts. This could have been an issue given that the transformation doesn't quite allow for pieces to cover up any unsightly gaps after transformation.
The head is probably the more deformed aspect of the set, and it's not surprising since it's also the least blocky section. It's passable as Optimus but the proportions are definitely off.
He is absolutely huge in this mode, even bigger than Commander figures (although nowhere near Titan figures). He is very hefty too, you might not have expected it, but all those Lego pieces do make him quite heavy.
He has articulation, with joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips and ankles. Basically, he's only missing knee articulation and there's a good reason for that.
He is so heavy, and particularly quite top heavy, that even without knee articulation, his hip and ankle joints cannot support the weight at times when you try and pose him, that he'll just keel over.
He has a bunch of accessories, and the first one is that his chest windows can open up to reveal the Matrix of Leadership, which can also be removed.
Next is his energon axe. It's somewhat big and unwieldy, but you attach it to his arms after removing the hand. It would have been nice if you could have attached it without removing his hand though.
Then there's his rifle, which looks surprisingly close to the real thing. While he might hold the handle, it actually attaches via Lego studs on his forearm, which is quite clever and elegant.
There is the energon cube, represented by transparent purple pieces, which he can hold in his hands.
A neat addition is a jetpack, which pegs onto his back and fills in the gappiness there.
Finally, there is a plaque with his details and stats. It's basically a Lego piece with a giant sticker on it.
So Optimus has a ton of playability and versatility. Unfortunately, they couldn't completely solve the weight issue, even without knee articulation, his hip joints give way too easily if you wanted to pose him even a little bit more dynamically.
Had had some finger and thumb articulation. Thankfully, he isn't too fragile that pieces fall off when you pose him, although they will from time to time if you are putting pressure in the wrong sections.
The torso is also a bit off but that's the best that they can do with pushing the truck mode's grill in a bit, and the other pieces to fill the sides left by his arms. Also, he comes with two bumper pieces, one is accurate to vehicle mode, and the other is more accurate to robot mode (with an orange block), you can change them easily at any time.
Despite his flaws, this is still a really good robot mode.
OVERALL:
If you're a fan of Transformers, then Lego Optimus is definitely worth your time and effort. He is fun to build, and seeing the collaboration between to rival toy companies is quite interesting. The end product is an impressive feat of engineering. While the robot mode has its flaws, with no knee articulation, and some stability issues, it's a great display piece that provides a lot of options.
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