Most Recent 2026 Transformers Studio Series Reveal Rant

For nearly 8 years, the Studio Series line was my favorite toyline to look forward to, tied only with the Lightning Collection. What better way to get excited for Bayverse merch than getting figures that were based on older movies? Seriously, with how lackluster most of the AOE and half of the TLK lines were, I was happy to get new versions of classic characters like Ironhide and Starscream after not getting their older toys back then, as well as designs we hadn't seen for a long time like Optimus's Peterbilt design or Megatron's 2007 form. I was a poor kid back then who could only get a few characters for Christmas or birthdays and whatever my pocket money could get me from allowances, so naturally, this was my dream come true after getting back into full-time collecting. Now, fast forward to 2026, and the tide has shifted for the worse. The first red flag was the inclusion of G1 characters in a line primarily aimed at the live-action movies; no matter how good the 1986 characters were in toy form, I would rather see more space filled in with characters we hadn't seen yet. Even still, we can always do the Gamer Edition and Concept Art schticks via any scrapped character we never saw in the movies (even if they did get toy forms), as well as designs we got in the tie-in games, in addition to some of the repaints we got. Then things went wrong again after around 2024 when it came to Hasbro announcing fewer waves per year as well as spreading them out even further apart, meaning the wait for any new character was going to be more painful than it needed to be. I also know many fans weren't so keen on some figures we got of late, like Que and TLK Barricade for being under-painted or the lack of Voyager versions of TFOne Optimus Prime and Megatron, but the most recent Studio Series reveals made me want to write down a rant I haven't made for a long time. Let's break down what was announced nearly a month ago (sorry) and discuss what will/won't be reviewed.

Starting things off with the Matrix of Leadership, I honestly don't mind this so much. Granted, it's pretty predictable of a choice from Hasbro, but if you're going to sell role-play merch for older collectors, this makes perfect sense as a Transformers release. While we have had a few Matrices for our human scale in the past, such as Diamond Select's 2006 release, as well as the likes of Icon Heroes and CultureFly, this is the first one to be made from Hasbro in-house. This Matrix can not only open like in the movie, but sound effects and The Touch can play with a hopefully clear speaker. It's even possible to display the Matrix with the lights on at all times with a USB plug, much like what many Iron Man figures from Hot Toys use. That being said, the first issue I have is that there isn't much paint for the silver pieces or the display base. While the gold should be enough for most, we have to consider that we're paying $125+ for something that is meant to be the quality between a Commander and a Titan. And sure, those mostly don't get complete coats of paint, but for something meant to be in a similar style to what we got with the Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black Series roleplay merch, this is honestly closer to what we had with the Lightning Collection Dragon Dagger in terms of paint (and presumably the other Ranger weapons we got but I can't verify). That, and who knows if the stand will be fairly robust or be a flimsy, cheaper plastic material. I also have concerns regarding whether or not the damn thing will open properly, given that sometimes the mechanisms could get stuck or something may not line up right. Regardless, this could be a decent pickup at a lower price, but now I wonder what else can be done for a role-play item? Transformers' weapons aren't iconic enough on their own unless they're held or attached to their owners, so what other thing can we get out of a brand primarily reliant on action figures? I think the Allspark would make sense given next year is the 20th anniversary of the 2007 film, but that will depend on whether Hasbro will actually give it some proper attention and not do any other 1986 crap.

And now we're about to talk about one of the most frustrating things regarding the most recent wave of figures: the repacks. Let's quickly go over the Target-exclusive MTMTE options. I don't have a problem with them doing Leader versions of Optimus and Megatron in their battle-damaged forms. I mean, sure, we can complain about how they are far from deserving a price tag that's higher than their Prime Wars versions, but the figures are at least still good for the most part, and I appreciate it when they try to add something new into the mix. Do Prime's cracked windows look amateur at best? Yes. Is it stupid how this Megatron has the more accurate shades of dark grey for most of him and more accurate lower leg coloring? Of course. But for people who want to display them in their final battle before they tremble at their knees and cry over the 40-year-old trauma, you can do much worse. And as for one positive I can say, paying for that Optimus likely beats the near Commander Class price point for the Skybound version that ironically was announced before this retool, yet all it has is just a new arm and head. For once, that made me actually hate seeing an Optimus toy go on the offense. I still question why Megatron keeps all of his accessories while including the new pistol yet Prime only has his gun and Matrix. I know he has the stake that goes on his torso, but were the axe and blast effects meant for him launching not available?

And now we delve into the duality of the Voyager releases for the subline: Hot Rod and Scourge. The former at least tries doing a few new things to make it unique from the 2021 release, such as the magenta color scheme, replacing the blast effects with his fishing rod, bootleg lightsaber, and XS-sized shield, and making some of the unpaintable plastic the same color as the rest of him after fans complained about the glaring issue with the yellow breaking up the old release's red. Oh, and the Matrix is unpainted, but I'm sure Hasbro knows you got other Matrices lying around at this point. Seriously, we used to go from an Optimus or an equivalent character coming with a Matrix almost yearly (ignoring re-releases and sculpted details on some releases) to having it pop up every week and month. Sadly, the figure is said to have had some molding problems, as well as there being pieces coming off on some copies. As for Scourge, I guess it is neat to see him return for anyone who missed out, but I'm positive he and his Sweep were still on shelves for a good while compared to Hot Rod. I would rather see an improved Cyclonus instead, but it is said he will pop up in a later wave if any 2026 listings are true. We'll see what happens.

And now we delve into the world of stupid decisions Hasbro pulls off...Sunstreaker, Wheeljack, and Hound each getting a single box release after being in the expensive 5-pack for Legacy United. I think it'a a win-lose scenario for more than two ways. Anyone who got these will either be happy to save money or mad they spent more money getting everyone instead of just the ones they wanted; likewise, those who never got these versions of the characters will either be happy they can cherry pick easily or get mad they haven't done updated versions of everyone. Honestly, I would rather see new molds for Sunstreaker and Hound; Wheeljack mostly needs longer robot mode wings but is generally fine. The annoying thing about these is the supposed rumblings of there being a "Studio Series 84" for the 45th anniversary of the brand, and with how much Hasbro likes to stalk the echo chambers of online forums, I guarantee you there will be something like that before they even grow the balls to make Skids and Mudflap. 

So they reissue versions of three characters most of us already got, so what? Well, the problem stems from the fact that not too long ago, we got a reissue of Sunstreaker for the Earthrise line. Same mold, only in the mismatching yellow between the molded plastic parts and the rooftop. I guess he is good for completionists of the entire figure selection we got since 2019, but okay, him being a Target exclusive saves him in addition to being a normal reissue that doesn't affect the current AOTP/SS lines.

What does that make for Wheeljack's situation? Even worse given how we had a Devastation version of himself a year prior!!!! I don't care if he was part of a slightly different version of G1, and I don't care if he was a Target exclusive! This is still part of the same Studio Series line up, and barely a year since we got this they decide to sell the 2024 version in a single pack. At least have it be a dead Jackie just for shits and giggles! Hell, I would rather have Blurr get rereleased so we can fix his head sculpt given some fans complained about it; at least he was a prominent character in the movie and not a guy who we only saw in his dead state! 

The Deluxes are already uninspired as they are, right? What about the Voyagers? I'll only talk about Shockwave since he is either a new mold using Siege's engineering or is a heavy retool. At first, this figure seems like a great idea; the other main G1 Decepticons have been given consistent molds for the SS86 aesthetics and thus don't have to deal with any scale or detail inconsistencies, and Shockwave being the fourth character to get this treatment means we can easily phase out the Siege/Earthrise molds, right? The first red flag comes with the figure not having a size bump like everyone else, meaning he is stuck in the same height as the Siege version. Up next, being a heavy retool means he doesn't have anything new to offer compared to the other characters. Granted, Shockwave is a simple design yo work with, but what good would you get from reusing the core robot mode of a character who was a Leader? Speaking of, we trade in the battle armor for a measley mini version of himself?! I don't care if the Siege armor was hated by some fans for the whole "price bump" aspect, at least it offered different play patterns and alternate display options when you integrate the parts on him. Also, why not use the budget normally allotted for two articulated hands so we can have him receive a fully articulated right hand that lets him point and salute to Megatron? The price serves as the final nail in the expensive yet smaller coffin when you consider it's only about 5-7 bucks less than what the Siege version went for in 2019, and that's even if we talk about the high chance it was heavily discounted! Is it really worth spending $45+ for this thing?! The only good thing is that he can combine with Bruticus as a shoulder cannon, but this figure is wasted potential all around.

The worst had yet to come, and now it's here. This is the new version of Astrotrain meant to replace the totally awful Siege version according to some fans. And when I say that, I question why fans would suddenly shit on that figure and praise this malnourished excuse of a Leader Class. We went from a fairly stumpy yet still good bot mode with armor attachments that suck the most in robot mode to a robot mode that looks like pure ass and everything wrong with how Hasbro handles Leaders today. Oh sure, we get the option for a tailfin tie look for the chest, and the cufflinks work in train more, whoopdeefuckingdoo. Why is his chest nothing but hideous hinges? Why are his arms so skinny Unicron could smoke them from.being no thicker than a cigarette to him?? Why does he look leaner than he should be when he's usually given some bulk with his character model??? WHERE DID ALL THE BUDGET GO?!?!?! Oh and how convenient that only NOW we get blast effect parts on a Leader Class figure when barely anyone else gets to use them. Thanks for the consistency, Hasbro. I don't even want to get this on clearance, it's THAT bad. Oh and how clever of Hasbro to reissue Snarl in the same wave, aka the same Dinobot who was only in one or two frames for the whole movie (even if he is a better toy).

As one would expect, we got A-Level figures to expect this year...again. No, we don't have different characters for the selection, what kind of question is that when all we get are Optimus Primes and Bumblebees?! Oh but this time, we get an Orion Pax so that would make it a bit different, right? Sadly, it barely saves the figure. The harvesting device looks awesome, and the gold with silver/gunmetal makes it even more badass than it has any right to be. I'm getting Cybertron Metroplex vibes if he ever went Super Saiyan (or used his Cyber Key power to the max). I also love the map piece representing the planet Cybertron, which I bet it would be repurposed for other figures. And hey, at least we don't have to use those Prime Changer versions of Optimus and turn him into Orion Pax, right? Unfortunately, positives end from here on out; the alt mode has the thighs exposed in a way comparable to Classics Deluxe Optimus, it's just as bad as the exposed fists from the 2024 Deluxe of this same iteration. I also have to question why the wheels and ankles had to be molded in red plastic, especially if they stand out even more on top of the grey and blue. It would be fine if they were fast in grey or black, but seeing them as they are, I bet Hasbro used the term "affordable" in reference to how cheap the toy is to produce than it is for consumers to buy. The proportions in a vanilla pose also seem off compared to the CG model: I know Orion was meant to have this halfway point aspect between his cogless form and his Prime look, but the way it turned out here has him look as if he has his pants pulled up way too high. 

Even the scale sucks for this toy, as he ends up being BETWEEN the heights of Elita-1 and B-127. It already makes no sense that the TFOne characters are going to tower over most iterations of these characters for any legitimate reason (other than them wanting to make them larger than life in scale than in personality because the writers of the film are uninspired), but to have Orion Pax be slightly shorter than the corporate-Hollywood girlboss bitch is another painful reminder at how lousy the scale works in TFOne. All of this could have been avoided by canceling the movie and flipping off the "animation = cinema" twerps making Prime and Megs proper Voyagers so they can tower over the official figures we have that can be reused as Orion and D-16 instead. However, Hasbro can take that inevitable D-16 and shove it up their tailpipes.

I do feel a bit terrible for not planning to pick up Devastation Bumblebee. I love the design he has in that game, and this figure manages to look cooler than past G1 Bees we got since 2020. However, after just getting SS86 Bee and stickering him up, I want that to be the last CHUG-scale Bee for me. And while I would want to get this figure since he is the best of the Devastation releases, who else would I want to get if they're either repaints I already have versions of or a shitty Optimus? I doubt we'll even get Grimlock as a Deluxe, so I'd rather wait this be retooled as Cliffjumper.

I guess that about wraps it up. If anyone wonders, I do plan to get Kranix, even if he is more of a glup shitto than any Bayverse D-lister, and Skywarp to naturally have Seeker synergy. Grimlock will get reviewed but I am worried about the price given that Titans got a bit more expensive, and who knows if he will be worth it after seeing the way Star Convoy turned out. I wish I could as much from Studio Series as I will with Age of the Primes,  but at least I can show some Bayverse love in other methods: retro reviews!

Transformers Dark of the Moon Sentinel Prime review

The Dark of the Moon toyline may have been one last mainline hurrah for movie toys, but it has been somewhat of a letdown for the way some characters were missing either in specific size classes that made sense (Topspin and Mudflap), canceled for most countries except Asia (Leadfoot, Que, or both Soundwave), or not being made altogether (the other Dreads and Dino). Going back to the former issue, the only Leader Class figures we got were Sentinel Prime, Bumblebee, and Ironhide; given his height and overall prominence in the movie, it made sense to have ol' Spocktinel be in this size class. Bumblebee was clearly yet another instance of Hasbro selling many versions of the character to the kiddies yet eventually upsetting older fans in the process for going too far and clogging shelves as a result. Ironhide was flawed from my experience of owning him, but at least he was intended to be one last hurrah for the weapon specialist before he was killed halfway through. We could have had a new Megatron for Dark of the Moon that didn't have to be a single unit truck like the Voyager, and Shockwave was only logical so both can be compatible with the already existing Leader figures of ROTF Optimus and HFTD Starscream; Prime at least had larger size classes to attend with given the whole flight tech aspect of his in the film, but you either had the mediocre Ultimate hunk of junk with a hideously inaccurate robot mode or the necessity of importing Takara's Jetwing version yet getting another ROTF Optimus that will only work with it thanks to the retooling (unless you go with Striker for a Leader option). Thankfully, for the 15th anniversary of the best Transformers movie of all time (even including the animated ones), it's time we go back to the time when Spock went nuts in more ways than one for this review!

Here we have Sentinel Prime in his Rosenbauer Panther 6x6 airport fire truck. As many should know, these are massive fire trucks that would easily cast a shadow over the kinds you'd associate with G1 Inferno; this alongside the RID 2001 and Cybertron versions of Optimus are how you do big fire trucks for the kinds of Transformers that nothing but STATEMENTS. This alt mode also fits well for a character who was in a position similar to his successor as former Autobot leader, only he betrays his own faction purely to fulfill his deal with Megatron in saving Cybertron his way. This altmode is 1:1 with how it appeared in the film, from the overall color layout to the shape and proportions you would expect with the real vehicle. I kind of wish the windshield was tinted in a darker color so the head and any innards of his robot mode would be less visible, but I will always appreciate the sculpted details, the mirrors sticking out somewhat with a horizontal L-shape, the 316 and Fire Rescue decals in addition to the logos representing the manufacturer and his faction, we even have an additional water nozzle to go with the one on the top.

Surprisingly, the shield can store under the fire truck while the blade is hidden from the inside. Helps keep the weapon storage intact without anything being in the way or sticking out too much. Still, be sure all 6 tires are touching the ground properly, even if turning him into his vehicle mode is tedious at times.

Like with many Dark of the Moon figures, he has a Stealth Force gimmick of some kind via pressing a button on the shield so it can splay out more, with a cannon on full display to go under the water cannon now serving as added fire power. Also, the back has some cannons that can be revealed for extra firepower, a bit like the hidden guns on Bee's rear windshield kibble. As for the lights and sounds on this mode, the sirens naturally light up while emitting the usual sounds you'd hear whenever there's a fire in need of being put out. With the shield or any 5mm compatible weapon, you can insert it on the port facing the passenger side, and it will play a deployment sound before the same button meant for the sirens plays blasting sounds. Removing the weapon plays the transformation sound.

For a vehicle mode size comparison, here he is next to Striker Optimus Prime (the Asia Premium Series version) since any TF fan who either collected the Movie figures would naturally want to pair up this fan favorite with the then-new mentor toy to go with it. Unfortunately, scale is not something meant for these two; Sentinel Prime is naturally meant to be a larger vehicle than the likes of even Optimus Prime, so this sadly going to look incorrect compared to their on-screen vehicle modes. Also keep in mind that a Peterbilt 379 is a somewhat small long nose truck, a decision mostly done to keep Optimus from being too tall get not feel as small as a flat nose cab for realistic transformation reasons and to keep a fairly athletic robot mode. I guess the closest scale would be to use the Ultimate version of Optimus Prime, but I don't feel confident in using that aforementioned letdown or a toy.

Transformation is pretty involved as one would expect from an older Bayverse toy, but in a generally good way. While getting him into his vehicle mode is tedious, the conversion to robot mode is very clever in using as much of the vehicle mode as possible to integrate these many fire truck parts and panels in most of the robot's mass. While the arms aren't given this treatment compared to the torso and legs, they at least have some of the fire truck kibble to vaguely represent part of his robot cape rather than have them stuck under his forearm. Sentinel Prime's robot mode is generally closer to what will become the standard for AOE-era robot designs compared to the more alien ones we had in the first trilogy; he has a cleaner robot mode, an impossible to replicate cape that all of his toys can loosely pull off with the tops of the fire truck mode, and and less vehicle mode kibble beyond the inclusion of the fire truck tires and I guess his chest (which is shaped differently here than on the CG model). Out of necessity to have Sentinel be in a Cybertronian form for a while until he gets his Earth mode scanned past his resurrection, the robot designers of the movie made sure he would remain mostly the same before adding the needed vehicle components where they would make sense to go and choosing the right altmode for a character such as himself. Kind of reminds me of the way they would do something similar with Bumblebee robot mode for his solo film when they took his Volkswagen Beetle design and retrofitted the Cybertronian elements onto it, but to a more prominent extent since Sentinel looked more alien than Beewun Twenty-Seven. While the toy generally captures the look of Sentinel Prime in the movie, the integration of electronics sadly makes him "fatter" in the torso than the way he appeared in the CG model. Obviously, so much you can do with a toy like this, but between his chest sticking out and his backpack having some extra weight thanks to the internal components, he ends up having a hard time balancing in a vanilla pose.beyons that, this is still a good looking robot mode that screams wise and robust for a character who would sadly betray the Autobots the moment he explained his true intentions.

His head sculpt is pretty good for the most part though the eyes not being as detailed and the beard being much shorter due to the gimmick integration makes it slightly inaccurate and somewhat dead. At least he has more paint than normal ROTF Prime did unless we go Buster Prime. As for the articulation, he has neck rotation, ratchets for the arms moving front and back as well as in and out, the elbows, hips (front and back as well as in and out), and the knees. He has additional swivel joints for the biceps, wrists, and above-knee rotation. His fingers and ankles are on hinges so he can hold his dual bladed sword and shield. The latter swings around a bit so be sure those fingers are wrapped around tightly.

As with every Leader Class figure, press a button and he emits some light and sound ackshun. His mouth quivers while his eyes glow as he says "I am Sentinel Prime!". If you attach a weapon on the same port from earlier, you unlock two new phrases: "What has happened to the Allspark?", and "Good to see you alive, Optimus!". Sadly, he sounds nothing like Leonard Nimoy, the Star Trek dude who voices Sentinel in the movie (and also voiced G1 Galvatron 25 years before DOTM).

Here he is next to Buster Prime, and it is this robot scale that makes me forgive them being incorrect for the altmode sizes. We see them in bot mode far more than in their vehicle modes anyhow, and I am more than fine sticking with this for my display than I am sticking with a toy that's Ultimate in name only.

And here he is next to MPM Ironhide. Sentinel should still be generally twice the size of Ironhide, rather than about one Ironhide and I guess less than half of him. Still, the scale here does generally work well for anyone who has yet to get the third party KO serving as an MPM-stand in. Thankfully, this version of the character does not have his Cosmic Rust cannon, so Ironhide will not be discharged from duty this time. Overall, while Sentinel has some issues for his engineering and occasional inability to balance, I have to comment Hasbro from the late 2000s/early 2010s for doing Leader Class figures the justice they deserve compared to the Voyagers with Benefits we get nowadays. Sure, some will prefer what we get of late for the slightly better engineering and articulation, but I miss when we used to have ratchet joints, lights and sounds, and gimmicks that complimented the figure. Sentinel wasn't perfect but he makes me wish we can get Leaders back to their big ticket status that only Commander Class figures and Titans can get, but not with the same value.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Marvel Legends X-Men Retro Mystique and Storm review

While Target exclusive releases have been nothing new, it seems any retro-carded X-Men figures for now will be sold at Target stores, while we have the mass-retail 97 waves to focus on. I haven't paid much attention to the Legends line of late, apart from a few exceptions here and there, but I have been interested in other versions of characters not represented as often as someone like Wolverine or Juggernaut in my collection. Mystique has had her Fox counterpart, along with the Walgreens version I later got in 2023, but Storm's only other figure I have is her Jim Lee look from the earlier retro-carded waves. Is it worth going for these two X-babes after owning versions of them in the past, especially after the current state of Marvel Legends? We will answer that question for today's review.

Here we have Storm in-hand, wearing the time she was in the Australian Outback along with her fellow X-Men. While black has been a common color used with her outfits (even as far back as her original costume where she had more skin revealing), the addition of gold on the lightning bolt and the trim of her cape flaps helps compliment what would be a mostly bland design. Not that it's a bad look for the character, but while it is recognizable as someone like Storm, that is mostly aided by the signature white hair and blank eyes as well as the aforementioned bolt. You can argue that the cape is a visual aspect of the character, yet I'd argue you can turn it from two flaps into one by filling in the back with a triangular wedge. Speaking of the cape, I really hate how it's a basic ass sheet of flimsy floppery without any wiring to make it look better in a vanilla pose. I have seen comic panels where she held her cape in a way similar to Batman in the Burton movies, so having them with wiring benefits would have helped her pose more dynamically if they weren't going for the usual route of having there be loops connected to her wrists. The shoulders on her costume are somehow more reminiscent of the shoulder pad trends of 80s fashion more than the Jim Lee route, though maybe it's due to how slim her arms and overall body are with this tight spandex. Finally, her elbows and knees are pinless joints all around, which is a miracle for a Hasbro Legends figure likely retooling a prior release.

Head sculpt is the same as the white costume version, though it is a downgrade in regards to the lackluster shading and inexplicably having a lighter skin tone than her prior version (unless it got naturally darker when we got to the 90s). Also, maybe it's just me, but I swear she looks like she has faint blue pupils staring back at me while taking the picture. Her articulation is standard for the Legends line's females, including the increasingly common double jointed elbows (though not everyone has this benefit, looking at you Red She-Hulk). Still, why are we only using just a diaphragm joint and nothing else at the bottom? I'd take a waist swivel given how easy it is to implement it below the "belt", even a reverse ab crunch like the female Lightning Collection figures! Hell, make the figures worth the price by doing a double ball peg! At least the hands have lightning effects sculpted on instead of the white costume's stupid wrap around accessories.

Here she is with her 90s counterpart, both using the same splayed open hands. While I prefer the 90s version of Storm in terms of a character design (especially with Jim Lee being one of my favorite artists and the 90s animated series being a show I grew up with in the Jetix reruns), the black and gold motif works just as well for Ororo Munroe. With an X-Man name like hers relating to weather in a sense, going with either black or white costumes suits the nature of the clouds in the sky either brightening in the sunlight or getting darker when it's going to be rainy. Honestly, I still wish we went further with the articulation improvements so Hasbro won't have to be doing the bare minimum as usual; an additional torso joint and an ankle joint meant for rotation at the foot would go a step or two further.

As for Mystique, this is a retool of the late-2010s version of Mystique, no doubt in her classic costume once again. It's easy to be enamoured with a blue chick like her, and even if she isn't a nudist like her Fox counterpart, this is still her sexiest costume design yet. That being said, the separation between the fabric of her dress and any slightly exposed skin around the shoulders and edges of her butt cheeks are merely painted on, with no additional sculpting to separate the white from the blue. I guess there isn't much to expect if you are just doing a simple sheet of fabric, but how long has it been where we just leave any deco unpainted? On a side note, there are now two holes on the back of the figure compared to just the one from the previous version. I don't know if the cel-shaded version had either hole count, but if you're not going to cover her back or peg in a cape, put those holes somewhere else! In fact, everyone knows it's logical to put those holes in the front and back of her waist than leaving them out on her upper back!

Her head sculpt is the same as the original tooling of this model, maybe being slightly crisper in detail. Hard to say since the last version holds up fine. One improvement I like is her double jointed elbows, but once again, no extra torso joint...at least her weapons are black instead of cheap gold.

Her other accessory is the head of Jean Grey, which looks as great as what we would expect from Hasbro whenever they put more effort on the faces than their bodies. Next to the original version, the shades of blue on the newer version have a closer, bluer hue than the slight hint of green we previously got (which is still blue but not the shade of blue more associated with Mystique). The newest version is slightly better than the old one, but these are merely tweaks on a figure that always alright then and alright now. Not awful but far from mind blowing in 2025/6.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐