Yolopark Transformers ROTB AMK Pro Optimus Prime review

It's a shame Rise of the Beasts probably won't be getting that promised trilogy at this point, given how its box office performance turned out (with it and Bumblebee each having less money than The Last Knight despite that movie being described as a bomb). Whether it's due to Paramount moving forward with the rumored next Michael Bay-directed film, Hasbro no longer funding their movies after Transformers One flopped hard, or the upcoming restructure at the movie studio as a whole, thanks to the Warner Bros buyout, we are already 3 years in with no crossover involving the G.I.Joe series (even if I never cared about that series). Having rewatched this film from time to time, it may not hold a candle to the original Bayverse trilogy, but it's easier to enjoy this far more than any other recent TF media released since 2020. I know some mentioned that Optimus in this movie was fairly out of character compared to his one-dimensional cameo in the Bumblebee movie, but at least Peter Cullen isn't forced to mimic the equally one-dimensional voice acting of Jon 3.0 for re-recording dialogue. And hey, with almost every other TF media since 2020 treating Optimus like shit, from everyone saying he is in the wrong for his actions to Elita-1's recent portrayals being corporate Hollywood-mandated girlboss cunts, it's a miracle the far more supportive Arcee is in the movie (also, Arcee >>>>> Elita-1 even before 2020). Seeing Optimus decapitate Scourge after promising to do just that halfway in the movie easily beats him being all mopey in Netflix WFC, being a lame dad-joke dork in Earthspark, or acting like a Reddit-tier himbo in One or Cyberworld. Anyways, let's take a look at what we got with Yolopark's PRO-upgraded AMK set for the Autobot Leader himself!

Here we have Optimus Prime fully assembled, and we once again have the G1 design only given a live-action filter, as with almost every robot in the Bumblebee movie. I already mentioned my preference for the ROTB look, but if there is one thing Yolopark helps accentuate with a design like this, it would be the heavy paintwork we would never get on a stock Hasbro product; the intricate paintwork in making every mechanical component stand out from one another, but the heavy use of a wash to make all that detailing pop even further is always something I appreciated from this company. From the arms having the red separated by the gunmetal grey to the back section having the cylindrical detailing his in-house Hasbro toys omitted, this is an example of masterwork we would only get on a Threezero or Prime1Studio release, only much easier to afford under $100 (depending on where you buy this from). There is even a burn on his left thigh that I never noticed was actually in the movie, and while it may come off like a paint error, it's something that made me appreciate rewatching the movie and learning something new about Prime's look. And from rewatching the movie, I'm happy to confirm the robot mode proportions are 1:1 with the CG model, which pleases me greatly since the switch between The Moving Company to WetaFX for ROTB made me think Yolopark would have limited resource material rather than have everything mostly under ILM. Nothing on his body looks off or undersized, and we also have the bonus of rubber tires that spin somewhat on his legs as with Mirage from the same movie. We have gone a long way from the simpler days of Robot Replicas and the limited reach of Revoltech, as well as the DOTM Dual Model Kits.

Head sculpt is one of the things that helped me warm up to the BBM design, as this visual tweak with the exposed face, a la his 2007 appearance, made it easier to believe this was a soft-prequel Prime who could have looked like this before having to return to Earth again (which can at least explain why he is more experienced this time around when he meets Sam, though we don't know how he left Earth at that point). I love how much it captures that Peter Cullen-esque facial structure that made me appreciate it when a voice actor's look influences the character he or she voices (something that we usually see with Pixar or Dreamworks, yet with Transformers, it was mostly done with Optimus/Cullen, Sentinel/Nimoy, and even Ratchet/Foxworth). As with all AMK Pros, using the included insignia magnet on the base lets you light up his eyes, and I'm happy to confirm that Prime's eyes work properly after my Mirage had issues with his. His articulation consists of a double neck joint (one ball joint and a hinge at the base of the torso), shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, bicep rotation, a diaphragm joint in the upper torso, waist rotation, double hip joints for further range if the ball jointed hip panels get in the way, outward leg movement, thigh rotation, TRIPLE-jointed knees (though one seems to only bend at 2 points), ankle hinges, rockers, and toe-ticulation.

While he never used an Ion Blaster in the movie, one is included for everyone bothered that he never had a handheld gun rather than ones that transform from his forearms. I believe he did lose it in the Bumblebee movie, and we clearly see Transformers in ROTB as well as the first two main Bayverse films use integrated weaponry before that was mostly phased out with Dark of the Moon-onwards, but his left hand is now replaced by one of the two articulated hands. The index finger bends at two knuckles, while the thumb is on a ball joint and has a single knuckle joint. Meanwhile, the rest of his fingers use the same two-knuckle system, yet are fused together. And as you might tell from his face, the mouthplate is deployed thanks to the option of swappable faceplates on this figure (much like with his TLK counterpart).

In one photo, he has a pre-posed pointing hand with the two fingers pose that he normally does, but his left hand lets him hold his battle axe. I know many will prefer the giant yet nonexistent on-screen axe he used in very few Bumblebee movie merch, but who needs that when you've got twin blades that clip over the wrist joints? It can be a little tricky to get them on there with how angled the clips are, but at least the end result is so cool. I wish they had some orange, though.

The most noteworthy accessories would have to be his light-up arm cannons. Much like Mirage, they also have their own LED function, and it helps make the value for money on a set like this extremely worth every penny (assuming we still use that phrase after they retired the coin). As we discussed with Prime's head, the magnet can either leave them activated, blink rapidly, or slowly glow on and off. One thing that I haven't shown is a trigger finger hand, likely meant for his Ion Blaster; held with his additional open palm hands, it is likely meant to hold the gun, given the sculpted pose it's in, yet the grip is far from ideal, especially with how much open space remains when it's held in-hand...

Two years before the AMK Pro version was made, we did get this exact model kit for when Rise of the Beasts proper came out, and while I did want to buy it at the time, given it looked good and cost as much as a Voyager, the lack of weapons did prevent me from wanting to get it ASAP. Not to mention, I was hoping they'd show a mouthplateless head given how specific it was for Movie merch, arguably more than any Prime we got since then. Eventually, we did get an accessory kit for this Optimus, but it should have come with him in the first place. A re-release of the regular AMK with the weapons did come out after the Pro version, which is fine for people who are on a tighter budget, but why did the stock photos forget about his cannons and have his back thigh plates among his accessories? I don't plan to get the vanilla AMK since the rich detailing of the Pro made me happy as it is, and with my previous distaste towards the Bumblebee movie, I have no plans to get the AMK Pro version of that design for Optimus. It's admittedly neat that he comes with the larger axe as well as the option to make him either Cybertronian or Earth-based (with differences far more negligible than the tweaks he had from ROTF to DOTM), and it's still funny how they gave the Matrix to this one but not ROTB (probably to comfort those still believing Bumblebee is a 100% reboot because BaYvERsE bAd).

For a comparison with the other AMK Pro figure I got, it's not Mirage but instead someone else whose eyes still work: his TLK counterpart! While the review setup might make heights somewhat wonky, I tried to look for more even surfaces, and sometimes either this Optimus is taller than the TLK version, or they share the same height. I believe the slight height discrepancy is due to it being based on a figure that was probably meant to be a one-off licensing deal, yet the popularity skyrocketed with later AMK waves (no doubt thanks to the G1-related merch), meaning that Yolopark could go all in with the AMK Pro series and modify this version of Optimus albeit without tweaking scale given it's main changes are deco and die-cast. Regardless, even if I prefer the more inventive designs for Optimus, I have no regrets buying this awesome model kit. Sure, it is weird that we got the regular AMK version with weapons after this was released, but I'm happy I held off because of my goal of obtaining as many AMK Pro releases for the movies as I possibly could. I love the detailing and proportions as usual, but the little things like the alternate faceplates and the various weapon options he comes with make him a whole lot more enjoyable than I thought he would be. Now bring us that 2007 design, Yolopark! We have an evolution to complete! In the meantime, I have an overdue Megatron review to go over...

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

McFarlane DC Multiverse Zatanna & Mr Terrific review

When it comes to tech and magic in the DC universe, two of the best heroes to look for in moments like these include Mister Terrific and Zatanna. The former, a member of the Justice Society of America, once lost his wife and was inspired by the Spectre's history with the Golden Age Mister Terrific and became a superhero himself. Michael Holt continues this legacy JSA chairman while sharing a friendly rivalry with Batman. Ironically, after the events of Flashpoint, Michael Holt was captured by Earth-2’s Mister Terrific, aka Terry Sloan. As for the latter review subject, Zatanna is member of Justice League Dark, a subgroup that tackles supernatural threats the regular JLA can't face. While her magical abilities are a blessing, Zatara must also know they can be a curse. Accompanying her is Detective Chimp, who setting aside any monke memes, is a super intelligent chimpanzee who gained his high IQ after drinking from the Fountain of Youth and solved the murder of his owner. Apart from JLD, he is also affiliated with the Shadowpact. Many already know of Zatanna's appearances in the Justice League cartoon if they have never read any comic books involving her, while Mister Terrific was present as probably the only good thing in the shitty James Gunn Superman movie. Anyways, let's see how well these two Collector Edition figures turn out.

Here we have Mister Terrific in-hand, without his leather jacket so he can show off his tattooed arms. The body mold seems to be of the Blue Beetle buck, which might explain why he has these ridges on his boots. I know sometimes the boots are broken up as being solid black, but that ridge detailing would have worked better if the lower legs were slightly filled in beneath the line to show they were actual boots and not rely on people pretending to ignore said line. Beyond that, the rest of the deco is generally crisp and has no real QC issues t

So to speak. Even the knee joints are painted on both sides to color match the respective sides. The costume's T motif is kept intact and it will look even better with the coat. Here, at least the arm tattoos are nice and crisp.

His head sculpt is appropriately stern and has the red T mask on his face. Sometimes, the mask is either that color or is solid black; either one works, but the standard one has the red with a black outline to help it pop more. While the articulation is the same between McFarlane figures in general, we can see his left hand has a molded-on.T-sphere that is painted decently for something permanently stuck on the appendage.

As for his other accessories, he comes with a sneering faceplate as well as a screaming one, both done well though the faces remind me a bit of Hellboy. We also have his swirling T-spheres and a shield generated from one. As for the leather jacket, the material is nice and I haven't had any severe stitching issues, though as with soft goods like these, my biggest concern has to be the longevity over the years. If you remember what happened to ToyBiz Blade, you know what I mean.

Much like Guy Gardner, having a screaming face means that the inside of the mouth is sculpted on the head, rather than being a part of the faceplate like on any other figure. As a result, we get NIGHTMARE FUEL! Between the drilled in forehead, the empty cycloptic eye socket, and the deformed mouth, this is what they do to people as they turn into DCU shills.

If you're one of those completionists out there looking to get every version of a McFarlane figure by any means necessary, look no further than the Platinum Edition with the black mask (no not the Batman villain one) as well as a Red Platinum with a black and yellow suit combo as well as a purple mask (with matching energy effects from the T-spheres. I think his name sums up how I feel about the figure; he's a great release overall apart from a few minor issues (mainly the boots), and he makes for one of the best examples of a McFarlane Collector Edition.

As for Zatanna and Detective Chimp, both characters are sold together in a single Collector Edition set as we've seen with some McFarlane characters who come with animals (Return of Superman coming with Krypto the Superdog and Power Girl coming with Streaky the Cat). However, we did get Ace the Bat-Hound with Silver Age Batman, a non-Collector Edition. Both are generally new sculpts, a miracle for Zatanna since female characters usually either Knightfall Catwoman or the legs of Collector Edition Wonder Woman. I love that the overlay for her magician dress has the yellow shirt piece going past the diaper piece, which makes more sense for a design like this than the broken up sculpt of Pfeiffer Catwoman. The fishnets are painted on, but they are also applied with few to no issues at all. Her wand is permanently molded on her left hand meaning she will have few options of having it be displayed in other ways unless you like her being a lefty. As for DC, I appreciate that he has a bit of a hunched posture from the legs being bent somewhat band the shade of green used for his shit compliments the yellow on Zatanna. With all the reuses of suited figures from both McFarlane Toys and Hasbro, I like seeing a different primate wearing a suit AND being a new sculpt. Reminds me a bit of the Hit Monkey BAF from over a decade ago with Hasbro's Return of Marvel Legends days. 

Their head sculpts are done marvelously, with Zatanna having a lovely smile that is complete with elegantly painted eyeliner, lipstick, and blue shading on her hair. Chimp, meanwhile, has a nice level of texture that maintains a sense of organic realism, and I like that there is a proper bit of separation by the paint work between his sneering face and his hair. While Zatanna has the usual articulation, I have her wearing her top hat as one of her few accessories she comes with. As for Chimp, his neck, shoulders, and waist rotate, though I wish he had more articulation given he's, you know, part of a species said to be the human race's closest relative.

The only other accessories we get with her are the alternate hands with flames sculpted and painted on. Neat but is that really all she comes with? Surely some sparkle effects or different magical pieces would go a long way. It's Zatanna, for God's sake; use your imagination with her abilities!

Of note, her hair comes off likely as a carryover from an intended hair swap you could.do.when.she was meant to be an Elite Edition. We don't know what kind of hair she would have come with, but it likely was also meant to be swapped with the face that comes with the Platinum Edition, who has an entirely different costume deco as well as no fishnets for the legs (though they are not bare skin). Said face is a stern expression, and it would have been intended that the hair comes off so you can use it on either expression. Detective Chimp's got his own alternate head yet the entirely different suit color makes any swap look out of place if that were possible to even switch heads.

Thankfully, we have not gone the Elite Edition route that would have been a huge disaster for the character. Sure, I wish Detective Chimp am with an alternate head since the colors of each version are far from matching, but paying around $35 beats paying $60 any day (even if $35 is still steep). I just wish that either she came with more parts or Chimp had more articulation. Doesn't have to be both at once (though it would still be helpful given the price hike.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Mr Terrific)

⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Zatanna)

Transformers 2007 Screen Battles Final Stand (Longarm w/Bumblebee) review

In the 2007 Transformers movie, Bumblebee lost his legs while helping Ironhide prevent Starscream's missile from damaging the surrounding area. Though there was very little he can do by that point, Mikaela was able to step forward and hook him onto a tow truck for his safety; yet, with a seemingly high chance of the Decepticons winning, the two came up with a new strategy: she'll drive, he shoots. That was later immortalized into the Final Stand set from the Screen Battles wave, where a Deluxe figure comes with minifigures of the humans based on a specific encounter that took place during the movie. In this case, the Autobot figure known as Longarm, based mostly on the tie-in game, was used to represent the same on-screen tow truck that inspired his altmode. Let's see if this set is still worth picking up even without the nostalgia goggles.

Here we have Longarm in his vehicle mode. This tow truck isn't exactly like the one Mikaela drove in the movie, with the toy resembling a Ford F-350 rather than an older GMC Topkick. What I can say is that my copy has some Reprolabels applied by the previous owner, and while they are meant to go over the originally inaccurate Orson's Towing stickers and any other paint apps that weren't 1:1 with the proper, they are see through either by design or from age. I may peel off any redundant ones. Still, the many paint apps kept on this figure is a decent amount for this alt mode, and while not accurate, you know what this is supposed to resemble since it's likely more iconic than anything from Earthspark or One. Inside the driver's seat is a non-removable figurine of Mikaela Banes, which means that she will always be stuck like this even in robot mode unless you want to cover the windows up or disassemble the toy to remove her.

As for the Bumblebee figurine, it depicts him with his lower legs blown off and only poseable at 5 points. Not much to expect from a dude who was severely injured from Starscream's attack, but it does the job fine. Paint apps and sculpted details are good for something at this scale (apart from the barely legible Chevy badge and a dot instead of an Autobot insignia), with the head better matching the CG model more than the old Deluxe toys. Makes me want to do a swap if that were ever possible. The sculpt is based on the Robot Replicas version of Bumblebee yet no parts were reused. That being said, the proportions on the left hand match the rest of the figure far less than it should, but even weirder is that Hasbro did not include any door wings for the back.

Hooking Bee onto the tow truck is pretty simple, and he thankfully won't slip out that easily. While the truck proportions aren't 1:1, it is still in decent scale with the CG model and the physical prop we get of Bee in some close ups.

Transformation is somewhat involved, but still not to the later movie levels of complexity as Hasbro designers started learning how to translate the Bayverse's realism. While closer to how the robots in Cybertron looked with some movie influences, this isn't too far off from the on-screen cast. When I bring up Cybertron, I refer to how chunky the figure remains, not being quite as alien or broken up as Ironhide, for example. We also have part of the altmode staying attached on the right arm. The only bit of Automorph we get on this toy is on the light bar. The resulting robot mode is a boxier version of the CG model from the tie-ins game. Not that it's a bad thing, but he ends up looking squat in comparison to what he is based on. Makes me wonder if his proportions would be different if he turned into the actual truck. The whole crane section becoming an arm cannon is very close to what some prior TF figures did, though it is stuck on his right hand with no proper way of taking it off unless you unscrew it. If there was one other thing I would change, it would have to be the door wings going back more, as they sort of get in the way of the shoulder articulation. Honestly, he may not be as refined as most a Studio Series figures were when it comes to engineering, but it isn't a horribly dated toy.

His head sculpt is closer to a version of G1 Hoist's head rather than either Autobot or Decepticon head used in the 2007 movie game. See, depending on the faction you're playing, Dropkick, along with every NPC drone you fight against, is either an Autobot with a Dropkick-esque head (the pickup truck one, not the dude from the Bumblebee movie) or a camera lens head based on Swindle's. This head was designed by Alex Kubalsky, an former TakaraTomy designer from Australia, didn't get enough of the Activision reference material for a good while and had to make up a few Hoist influences for the toy. Once he got them he tweaked the toy slightly without using either drone head. Anyways, the articulation consists of a ball and hinge combo for the neck, ball joints for the shoulders, wrists, and hips, double jointed elbows, and hinged knees and ankles. There is a slight bit of rotation in the torso but it rarely works.

If you want to leave him without his weapon permastuck, you can unscrew it off via the back of his left hand, but be warned that it depends on that screw to keep it in place.

This is what the figure looks like by itself, mostly using the Orson's Towing decals and slightly fewer decals that even before the stickers were on. The interior also had no Mikaela inside, so this option is your best choice if you want him to not have a human inside him 24/7.

This figure also came in a 2-pack with Bumblebee, though a fairly pristine one in his Classic Camaro form. Only available in the UK.

The last use of regular Longarm specifically came in a 4-pack with 3 ROTF characters: Breakaway, Sideways, and Rampage. As the only 2007 mold in the set, the aesthetic and engineering differences stand out between him and the ROTF trio.

As for the sole repaint, this is an actual Hoist that came in a 2-pack with a G1-themed Mixmaster. Ironically, that figure came with a retooled head to go with his paint job. If you want this mold to.b a bit more Geewunish and are not triggered he won't fit in with your Bumblebee movie characters, he works.

For a size comparison, here he is next to a modern Voyager in the form of Brawl. While the sizes fluctuates over the years, I think he might fit in decently with your Studio Series collection. While not as dynamic as their designs, on top of him just being a truck in the movie, the scene that inspired this set at least should be enough to get fans interested in this toy along with the nostalgia for better days. Get this at a reasonable price if you see it.

Here's an idea for Hasbro to do: make a new version of the Longarm design for the Gamer Edition subline instead of doing more G1 stuff so we can get a bit of Bayverse rep that isn't from the movies themselves. Either that or end the Gamer Edition subline because the WFC and Devastation figures are mostly being as mediocre compared to the games they're based on.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐