Here we have Optimus Prime fully assembled, which took me about 3-4 hours since I had to do this in front of a friend who was curious about this build, on top of the instructions being vague with the orientation of some parts thanks to the print quality being lesser than what Lego instructions used to have. Hell, at the part where you're supposed to attach the limbs and head on the torso, they had a massive rendering error where the layering is entirely out of order. I hope Blokees actually looks through their instructions and doesn't mess up their CG renderings, because model kit instructions messing up is worse than Hasbro instructions messing up. That said, Optimus Prime looks fantastic once fully assembled. I always loved the designs from Transformers Prime, and while I love the First Edition figure from top to bottom (with the PRID version being decent), but this one manages to capture the CG model the best thanks to the proportions and overall lack of inaccuracies usually left from certain engineering limitations. For starters, he had the proper bulk for the forearms, and the feet don't have either the wind vanes on the heels or look like dress shoes. The shoulder pads are also as dense and impenetrable as the forearms, and the lower legs feel more defined without the ridges used over the rear wheels. Further more, we get silver paint for the midriff, thighs, biceps, etc to help those areas pop amongst the red and blue. What surprised me is how much cleaner the back looks thanks to the parts only comprising of the rear cabin panels at a smaller scale along with shorter smokestacks. Less clunky than the admittedly good First Edition and the PRID version's rectangular cape. The blue on the back of the thighs is accurate to the show, but despite what some would believe. Also, a rare sight for an Optimus Prime toy: the double the tires on the legs, and they also spin decently on the pegs. Just an amazing rendition of this design.
Head sculpt is done just as well, and I love seeing that we have the silver smaller antennae in a way similar to how most Bayverse Prime toys have that. The eyebrows are also painted black, and I currently have the smiling option. Thankfully, it's not the wannabe Dreamworks smile we see the TFOne version do but instead a weary yet proud smile that fits an Optimus like this. Articulation consists of a double ball jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, bicep rotation, single jointed elbows with slightly extra range if you shift the forearm pieces, ball jointed wrists and thumbs, slight rotation and tilt for the upper body as well as an ab crunch, but nothing much if you want to have him rotate fully at the waist, hips are able to move front and back yet require you shift them down in order to have better range, even with the ball jointed waist piece's, in and out leg movement is fine, thighs rotate, knees bend at two points, and the feet are able to swivel, hinge, and pivot somewhat with additional toe-ticulation. Some areas could be more refined, but you can still manage to get a majority of poses right without issues, including this pose based on one of the promo renders. I remember seeing it back in 2010 at my elementary school's music class, but online archives are either lost through time or I'm stuck with these shitty DeviantArt recreations with way more Brony slop than I could tolerate. Maybe the render has Optimus looking to left in a different style of promo art where everyone was standing on the mountain? Who knows.
You have alternate display options to choose from, with Decepticon-labeled shoulders pads allowing you to recreate the Orion Pax three-parter where Optimus lost his memory from reusing the Matrix and was manipulated by Megatron in believing he was still an archivist rather than the Autobot leader he would revert to once his memories were restored. In addition, you can display him with either yelling or stern faces if you want to take the head apart and swap them to your liking. I kind of wish the inside of the mouth was painted black on the yelling face.
One of the surprising additions to this figure are the toy-accurate windows with inner detailing reminiscent of the Powerizer and Weaponizer figures from the PRID line. PRID referring to the Prime: Robots in Disguise line, which was made for mass retail compared to the limited run of the First Edition figures. We usually see G1 toy-accuracy for retools and stuff like Super7, but Blokees going for this route on a modern toy makes me feel so old, especially when the PRID line today is older than m the idea of retro homages in TF toys was in 2012. Also, for the first time in an Optimus Prime figure for this design, we have a Matrix of Leadership implemented within the chest; while the First Edition Deluxe for SDCC 2011 had a wearable Matrix with the toy inside it, and Takara's Arms Micron version of Weaponizer Prime has a Matrix accessory meant to form a sword, Blokees managed to have it as part of the chamber since no other toy of this figure could do that until now. Best of all, it lights up!
Displaying him with his blades and cannons is even better than the usual integration we had with the First Edition; you swap the hands with either weapon of choice, and they look perfectly seamless this way. I also love that Optimus's arms have small panels that can jut out to represent them transforming out of his arms. You have the option to have the blades deployed from the forearms with the ports behind the panels while the hands are still attached, but that was more of a Bayverse approach than in TFP, plus it was an inaccuracy the R.E.D version got wrong. That said, the blades are much longer than I expected them to, though they may be missing a bit of blue? Still, after having just clear blue blades on the First Edition KO I own for some reason, this is even better.
Finally, the Star Saber is included in both silver and clear blue, meaning it can be displayed either glowing with power when held by a Prime or not when it's sheathed on the back (or used by Bumblebee to stab Megatron in the Season 3 finale). I'm so happy you aren't required to swap parts to use either blade, nor are you stuck with just one option. Keep in mind that it is only compatible with the hands used on this Prime, so don't think about giving it to a regular Transformer with 5mm ports.
For some comparisons, here he is with his PRID and First Edition counterparts. I will always love the latter overall (despite being a bootleg) and say the former is decent, but it's great to see Yolopark nail the CG model without needing to transform. I also like that the colors are the right shades without being too dark like on the Takara version of the FE mold or too bright like on the Powerizer. Speaking of, with the toy-accurate chest window option being a thing, I wonder if Blokees plans to do a bonus accessory set featuring clear blue forearms, that 90s Macintosh looking MechTech weapon with no lock (WHY?!), and a Star Saber not named as such probably because it shrank in the laundromat. Yeah, if you find the idea of bootlegging the out-of-production First Edition to be "wrong" and are fine with the PRID version, paint those arms red and get him better weapons.
Here he is next to the APC Toys version of Megatron. If you want Optimus and Megatron to be the same height, then this is the way to go. That said, I would love to have a Megatron to go with this Optimus.
For a cross-continuity comparison, here he is with SS86 Optimus Prime and Yolopark AMK Pro Optimus Prime. I think the scale.between these three works for me, and while I have no plans for any model kit of G1 Prime, Blokees or Yolopark, I am waiting for an AMK Pro of 2007 Optimus Prime. Oh, and I call them the Cullen trio.
Here he is with the Robot Enhanced Design version of Arcee. She is the best, by which I mean only good, figure to come out of that doomed line, though that says nothing after it ended without any acknowledgement from Hasbro. While.she should be smaller still, this is still a decent scale if you want to pair her with Prime. Knock Out scales better yet my copy suffers from severe QC issues for the hips and the left arm not wanting to stay in place. Oh, and comparing R.E.D. Prime next to the Blokees version is why I am so happy that line died as well as why I will happily accept any other licensee doing non-transforming figures instead of Hasbro doing it in-house.
And finally, here he is with Tarn, the only other Blokees Action Edition figure I own. The DJD leader kind of fits well in the TFP universe better than any version of G1, only with a few tweaks to make his body a little more rounded in some areas. After this, there are plans to make yet another G1 Optimus (yawn) and Autobot Megatron (snore), but if Blokees wants my money, then I recommend they do TFP Megatron, Skyquake/Dreadwing, Predaking, Ultra Magnus, Unicron, and Hardshell. Hell, Beast Hunters Prime would work just as well since he almost never transforms and just flies with a jetpack and wings, Buzz Lightyear style. Back to this Prime, I love almost everything about it. While the torso joints are a bit limited, and the instructions suffer from not being clear enough, I love the way this figure turned out from top to bottom. He looks gorgeous on display, the Matrix and chest window choices are cool, his weapon options are highly versatile, and the removable mouthplate as well as swappable faces make him worth every penny. I highly recommend you get this figure ASAP.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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