Wednesday 13 July 2011

Review: Transformers - ROTF Leader Optimus Prime


We were off to Grandma's house. I wasn't driving, and when I'm not driving I like to sit and waste away the hours fiddling with something. I find Transformers fill this role quite nicely as it can take a few minutes to turn them from robot to vehicle and back again.

Transformers from the films are very good in this regard, as some of them can take forever to transform.

As you'll be aware if you've read my review of Dark of the Moon, I'm not a particularly big fan of the live-action Transformers films. That doesn't necessarily mean the associated toys are bad though. Generally, I think the toys are about as good as the first Transformers film was - okay, not nothing spectacular. We pick up a few (usually when reduced) that look like they're going to be quite good.



I bought Leader Optimus Prime from the Revenger of the Fallen line from Home Bargains for ~£20 at the end of last year. I grabbed him for the journey as we were leaving the house. 'This'll probably entertain me for the whole trip,' I figured. Little did I realise it would indeed be the whole trip...

All of the following takes place in the back of my sister's car. It's a Vauxhall Astra...something, for those interested. It's red and the roof goes down.

It's been a while since I've played with this one, a fact I was quickly reminded of when I tried to turn it from its starting robot mode to lorry.


It didn't start too badly, but them I became stuck trying to get these bits in...


I know I'm currently being shouted at by people who own this toy. 'You fool! They slot into the legs!' Yeah, well I know that now.


It only took me about an hour.

At about this point in the journey I was beginning to feel the tiniest bit ill. Was this due to me working on this pesky (language neutered for any children reading) thing? General travel sickness? Who knows?

It probably didn't help that my travelling companion's mood had changed slightly...

 

To get the full-on experience of what it was like, turn your volume up to 11 and play the following.



Thankfully we soon arrived at the motorway services. Baby had some food and I had a walk round until I felt better. It is to be noted that no one bought me a coffee or chicken burger. The meanies.

And then we were off again! Not long after (actually quite a long while after as I couldn't figure out how his head went. I know, I know...) I finally got Optimus to vehicle mode!


Despite the problems with conversion, I quite like this toy. If only because the lorry has comedy eyebrows...



I'm easily pleased.

The weird thing about this toy is that there's a very obvious place on the back for a trailer to hook on, but as far as I know neither Hasbro nor a fan-run company has made anything to fit.


My only real gripe about the toy is the terrible ground-clearance. The bottom of this toy is going to be horribly scraped as soon as it's driven over anything that isn't a super-smooth surface.


And then, just as I was about to nod off, we arrived at Grandma's house where I was promptly handed over a list of jobs for me to do :'(

Speaking of which, I'd better get back to them or I won't be allowed any tea this evening.

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