If your dream has always been to see an official Optimus Prime Lego set, then consider your dreams fulfilled. This collaboration between LEGO and Hasbro is the first time the companies have ever worked together, and it was worth the wait. The Optimus Prime toy not only looks uber cool. It also transforms.
But no, it can’t transform on its own. It’ll still need your help to do that. Before it can do that, you have 1,508 pieces to assemble first. Expect the set to cost $170 (roughly R2, 700) which isn’t bad, considering the price of Lego in general.
The set releases on 1 June this year, with no word of South African availability. Sets like these generally show up here, on time, and not too far from international pricing. We’re expecting it to actually pitch up in SA on 1 June, probably around the R2,800 mark.
Mom! It’s not a toy, it’s an action figure
The toy itself looks just marvelous. Optimus stands tall with a height of 13.5in (34cm in rest-of-the-world units). When in truck form, it stretches to become a 27in Semi (68cm). With a length that impressive, your partner should have absolutely no trouble with you displaying it to everyone. Included with the set are detailed instructions for building Optimus’ Energon axe, jetpack and an Energon cube. The chest also doubles as a container, specifically for “the Autobot Matrix of Leadership”.
For now, Optimus is the only figure from the Transformers world to be made into a Lego set, but we’ll see how long that lasts. Both Lego and Hasbro should see a decent response to this set. It’s probably only a matter of time before Megatron, Starscream, Arcee, and the rest have their own sets. It might even lead to a Lego Transformers game being launched. Hey, we can dream, can’t we?