Transformers Studio Series

Steeljaw is weak. Didn’t realize he’d be a parts-former. His ass and tail are basically a separate piece, along with his laser wings. Those could have been integrated into the bot instead of these hip cannons he has.

I got Swoops new weapons from where I usually get my upgrades and things. Ummm... luckily it wasn't expensive. I'm not a huge fan of the sword. The blade is hollow, it even has slits around the edges for some dumb reason. And it doesn't attach very well to the figure. There's like, 1 spot it attaches to, and it doesn't stay very well. I don't know why they couldn't just put a peg on the side like the rest. The paint is also a little choppy. Not awful, but noticeable. I like the new missile launchers though. They're solid, without those stupid slits on the bottoms and the missiles still come out. They also attach very well, and they look nicer. So it was a mixed bag. I *may* consider looking for another sword for him, but I didn't see any others I liked the designs of and that would mean spending more money so, ehh, I don't know if I will. I can take some pics if people are interested, but this thread doesn't see alot of action so I'm not gonna do it unless requested.

Shipping label created by CMD for Commander Class Optimus, who I assume will have his heels incorrectly assembled.  

Is there an easy fix for that error?

@normdapito pop out the metal pins. Heels are upside down and need to be swapped.  I think some heat and you'll need something thin enough to push out the pin.   Pin Punch sets aren't too expensive if needed.  Iirc, the pins have to be pushed out in  specific direction. 

Supposedly, the error doesn't affect transformation.

@mrboshek Ugh that sounds like a pain in the ass. I've never had success pushing those kinds of pins out without ripping up or stripping the area.

@normdapito I may leave as is. I have tried one time when I wanted to remove a piece kibble from one of the Beast Hunters figures. It seemed easy enough, but it was a very chunky figure and easy access area.

My big questions: Have they corrected production?  Should I have waited?

So far I have no plans on swapping the heals.  Haven't transformed him yet, but there was one design choice I thought was odd.  The flap in front of the hips is one piece.  I would expect most modern Transformers to have separate pieces for the legs.  

Posted by: @mrboshek

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So far I have no plans on swapping the heals.  Haven't transformed him yet, but there was one design choice I thought was odd.  The flap in front of the hips is one piece.  I would expect most modern Transformers to have separate pieces for the legs.  

Are you sure about the flap being one piece? This photo suggests otherwise:

@nilocomic 😲 Mine were so tight they were moving perfectly in sync.  See, I better not critique a figure without spending at least an hour with it. There were a couple other parts I was almost afraid to untab like the ankles and butterfly shoulders. With the shoulder butterfly, I have lift up the top portion of the cab near the shoulders a tiny bit just to free the tab.

Seems EE is about to ship studio 86 Optimus. 

Anybody else love Transformers One?! My daughters and I were crazy for it. So cool. I preordered all the Studio Series figures for the movie. 

Transformers One was a fun movie and a great intro for younger kids to the TF brand. Took my sons to watch it and they loved it. I’m Geewun forever but I will give props where deserved. (Shout out to Beast Wars and Transformers Prime)  My oldest was actually surprised by how good it was and he actually empathized with Megatron of all things. Lol. Thor and Black Widow did a good job with voicing Pax and Elita. I heard this movie was a flop though. If true, then that is a damn shame because it was very entertaining. Hopefully there is a sequel at some point. 

On to the toy side of things. I just recently saw SS 86 Springer at Target and the price point and seeing the toy itself really ticked me off. I know he comes with new parts but I’m having a tough time believing that justifies the $20 hike. He doesn’t even look that much bigger than the previous releases, if at all, at the 34.99 price. I do still want to buy him but not at $54.99. I’m gonna chance it and wait for a sale. 

TF:One was great. Hopefully it finds an audience. I preordered the SS figures.

I was able to place an order for in store pick up this morning at Target, and I'm now the proud owner of a Studio Series '86 Optimus Prime. This thing is a beauty and a beast.

Right out of the package, you can feel how much more substantial this figure is. Definitely on par with SS86 Ultra Magnus in terms of heft and plastic quality. Once you start moving around, you feel that thickness in the plastic, in the pegs, in the joints. Everything is thick and tight.

Aesthetically, it's the spitting image of our hero. If anything, his hands look a bit small. But he has double hinged fingers and a separate index finger. He really feels like a Masterpiece at mainline scale.

Getting through the conversion, it's really amazing to me that Takara/Hasbro and at least half a dozen third parties have come up with their own take on changing from the iconic robot to the iconic truck, all slightly different from one another. This iteration is just as fresh, with some clever movement in the torso, backpack, and legs.

It's not without flaws, though extremely minor. The panel that his head is attached to would not line up flush in truck mode. I had to shave a bit off for it to fully rotate so the roof portion would not be crooked. The smoke stacks are constantly spinning out of position. The existing tabs do nothing to keep them in place. The handle for his rifle to peg into his hand is very short, so he doesn't have a strong grip. Aside from those issues, this is the ultimate anime-inspired Optimus Prime at this scale. Almost too good for the rest of the line, which tempts me to keep him separated and continue to use the Earthrise version as my primary Prime for the collection. This one will chill with the Optimus Prime focus collection.

The other accessories are all cool, but they're just padding. Obviously, he wouldn't feel complete without his trailer, Roller, the medi-bot, his rifle, his axe, two blast effects, and the undercarriage thruster effects. But the figure itself really makes the price feel worth it, with the accessories as icing. Without those things, I'd still feel like $75 would be a fair price. Which makes it even cooler that I was able to use the Target Circle promotion of $20 off $75. This will undoubtedly make it onto my best of 2024 list.