Studio Series #102 - Optimus Prime
“Let him come. United. We will destroy him once and for all.”
One of 2023’s hardest toys to find!
While it’s unfortunate that Transformers Studio Series #102 - Optimus Prime was released as a Target exclusive in the United States and Toys R Us exclusive in Canada, he is by far the best Optimus Prime released in the Studio Series line up thus far. He’s got the details, paint, and articulation that makes him worthy of the name Optimus Prime.
Being The Best Isn’t a Hyperbole:
In claiming that this Optimus Prime is the best, maybe I’ve ruffled a few feathers already. There really hasn’t been a “bad” or even mediocre Optimus Prime in Studio Series. For many, SS 38 remains one of the strongest Studio Series has to offer in his incredibly bold and intricate transformation combined with movie accurate details and excellent posing. Even SS 7 with all its flaws is a fun figure to transform and to admire all the iconic details that make him an Optimus Prime.
What allows SS 102 to rise above his predecessors, I think, is the balance he strikes between all the features we’ve come to expect from a Transformers toy in 2023/2024 and a faithful representation to his onscreen counterpart. I’m never going to be the one who is going to sink or elevate a figure based solely on how accurate it is in detail and personality to the CGI or cartoon model. Yet, it’s always an added bonus.
More importantly, the transformation here is not complex but superiorly refined, especially in comparison to the other SS Optimus Primes. Again, I’m not saying they’re “bad” or “inferior.” I do love SS 38’s transformation, for example. The way the flat-nosed truck unfolds and collapses into Optimus Prime is reminiscent of ILM movie magic. And I honestly believe that the way that figure handles the transformation of the truck bed into Prime’s legs should be the basis for all Optimus Primes to come. That being said, SS 38 verges on over complication, yielding a fiddly and janky experience. Getting all the panels to tab in isn’t always a pleasant set of operations, and there are panels, tabs, and limbs that sometimes get in their own way.
SS 102 shines in the way he finds clever but simple engineering solutions to transform a bulky, flat-nosed truck into a nimble and stoic Optimus Prime. To be sure, there are quite a number of folding panels on this figure, but they elegantly fold or collapse to give way to intricate mechanical details. None of the vehicle parts get in the way of moving limbs or folding panels. Most importantly, everything fits into place with an audible but pleasing click.
Ultimately, I think the design decisions behind this toy allowed a hyper articulate Optimus Prime. The right sacrifices were made in his transformation sequence and his accuracy of vehicle mode to allow for a wide range of motion in the ankles, the head, the wrists, the forearms, the waist, the hips, the knees, and even the torso (which has two points of articulation).
Optimus Prime SS 102 is a toy in which every time I sit down to play with, I find new ways to express the essence of Optimus Prime. For me, that’s a toy collector’s dream.
SS 102 can fall into just about any pose you can imagine!
The Best But Not Perfect:
There are flaws, of course, but they’re not deal breakers either. The biggest might be his shoulders, which remain a talking point in the community. Combined with comically large smokestacks, the shoulders are on hinges that can only move vertically. This means that when you want to raise Optimus Prime’s arm away from his torso, the shoulders and smokestacks crash into his head. Further to looking goofy, it limits some natural stances without at least mistransforming him slightly.
It’s not the end of the world, but it can be a little bit of a nuisance. Thankfully, DNA Designs has released an upgrade kit that not only shorten the smokestacks but change the shoulder assembly to allow a more natural range of articulation.
I think the most notable fault of SS 102 is the lack of worthy accessories. The trend with Hasbro figures these past couple years has been to skimp out on gimmicks, missiles, and now weapons! Accessories far too often now lack detail and paint. Guns have become pea shooters. Swords and axes have shrunk. It’s disappointing. And for the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime disappointingly comes with a puny sword and a knob for an ion cannon.
Honestly, it’s underwhelming. So, I’m looking forward to the upgrade kit that adds more hefty accessories. But I agree with the sentiment that collectors and toy enthusiasts shouldn’t have to spend the extra pennies for upgrade kits to feel like they are completing their figures. I know, I know. No one is forcing anybody to buy upgrade kits. Accessories are an important part of any toy.
Maybe an accessory references an iconic moment in the franchise. Maybe it’s just an easter egg. Or maybe it’s just a suite of weapons and blast effects. No matter the case, accessories give collectors, enthusiasts, and even kids opportunities for expressing their favorite moments either in a picture or on the floor in their bedroom.
Not too shabby, granted you don’t spin him around!
Autobots, Roll Out!
Nevertheless, the flaws of Optimus Prime’s shoulders and accessories, for many, are ignorable. What’s not ignorable, however, is the back of Optimus Prime’s flat-nosed truck in his alt mode. It is ugly. And it’s bizarre even in comparison to SS Galvatron and SS Scourge, two figures who don’t exactly have the cleanest truck beds.
I would agree that the weakest aspect of SS 102 is the truck bed, and this aspect shows where the majority of the sacrifices were made in his development. Based on his appearance in the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts movie, Optimus Prime transforms into a licensed 1987 Freightliner FLA Truck. Perhaps from a distance, Optimus looks good. If you get the angle right, the messy truck bed is negligible. Once you look at the finer details, unfortunately, the illusion of robot in disguise fades away.
Truck bed aside, there’s actually a lot going for Optimus Prime’s alt mode. One’s gotta love the iconic white stripe that goes around the sides of the cab. The wheels are pinned in, and they are decked out with silver paint on the rims. The front grill is magnificently sculpted. And despite a few noticeable hinges, the doors and sides of the cab complete the look of the Freightliner truck. For me personally, from some angles, this is one of the best-looking truck modes for Optimus Prime in toy form, period.
Cohesive is the word I’d use to describe the truck mode!
I think that the designers faced difficult decisions on a limited Buzzworthy Bumblebee budget. I can’t in good faith fault them for the little flaws in this figure because he’s still a banger of a toy.
FINAL VERDICT:
Studio Series #102 - Optimus Prime might be a hard toy to find on store shelves. But if you chance across him your toy hunts, I think he is very much worth a pick up for any fan of Transformers!
