Guessing commands to say to Optimus wasn’t as much fun as simply going to the manual for the full list of 43 commands.

It's like he’s mimicking breathing but also tense and ready for battle. If you let Optimus stand there in robot mode while powered up, you’ll notice that he’s subtly moving. The instructions say this Prime isn’t even supposed to be on a rug. He works best on a big table or a hard floor. Outside of scattering his clipped-on plastic smokestacks, he was uninjured (and just as tough as you’d expect of a Cybertronian). That moment is really what this toy is all about.Īn early one I tried was the classic “Roll out!” and while in truck mode, Optimus did exactly that-and drove right off my dining room table to the floor before I could catch him. Say “Transform” or “Convert” and watch him do just that-go from truck to robot, or vice versa. He replies with, “Greetings.” You can then give him one of many preset actions to follow. The wake word for the toy is, “Hey, Optimus Prime.” The microphone resides behind his head, next to the power button. He’s waiting to talk to his new human friends. Optimus does a little calibration/reset of the servos and stiffens, ready for action, whether in truck or ‘bot mode. The same thing happens whenever he powers down, sometimes making for a real.Floptimus Prime.īut after you hold down the power button for five seconds, you hear that rumbly, “I am the leader of the Autobots!” and feel like a kid all over again. That's because all the servo motors are disengaged. It's a sturdily built device that impresses with every move it makes.īut, when you lift Optimus out of the box, he feels kind of floppy. The major giveaway that this isn’t an oversized version of the original toy is the size of Optimus’ feet-they’re quite large, as befits holding up an almost four-pound body.

The 80 recorded sounds absolutely nail all the feels for old-school fans playing with this robot. A lot of other actors have spoken for the Autobot leader, but-no offense to Alan Tudyk-Cullen’s is and always will be Optimus Prime’s real voice. The voice recordings were impressively made by original voice actor Peter Cullen, who also voiced him in the movies. Even the mobile app that can be used for controlling him defaults to playing a knockoff version of the original Transformers theme from almost 40 years ago. This is pure 1980s vintage “Generation 1” Optimus. If you want a robot that looks like the overwrought Optimus from the Michael Bay-directed movies, this isn’t for you. Inside the case is Optimus himself, plus some manuals, plastic additions (specifically his “chrome” smokestacks), and his two weapons-the ion blaster and Energon axe. In the box is a sturdy gray foam carrying case with the Autobots badge and the words “Authentic Transformers” on it. The packaging for the Elite Optimus Prime is as high-end as the price tag. But what’s it really like having the leader of the Autobots in your home? I was lucky enough to find out. Robosen claims this makes the Elite faster and more agile when changing or making moves. Shorter than its predecessor by about 3 inches, the Elite Optimus Prime still has over 5,000 components, including the same number of servo motor joints (27) and microchips (60).

This year Robosen and Hasbro have a new version of Optimus Prime, dubbed the Elite, ready to step into action with a somewhat more reasonable price of $699. It also sported a hefty price tag, though it is now down to $999 direct from Robosen (and even cheaper at $749.99 on Hasbro Pulse). A 19-inch tall version of this robot, now dubbed Flagship Optimus Prime, launched in 2021 with a lot of fanfare (like in videos featuring people such as director Kevin Smith).

Optimus prime voice command toy