Transformers Robot Heroes Optimus Prime & Blackout

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TRANSFORMERS
REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

ROBOT HEROES
Movie Series 2
Optimus Prime & Blackout

(Produced by Hasbro)

A toy review by Mark Patraw
Posted on 9/21/13

Packaging
Optimus Prime and Blackout come sealed inside a blister card that measures about 6-1/2" (16.5 cm) wide, 6-1/4" (15.9 cm) tall, and 2-1/8" (5.4 cm) deep. The curved plastic bubble is glued to the backing on the top/bottom and the side flaps wrap around, and are taped to, the back of the card. There are nice character portraits of both Transformers, done in the Robot Heroes art style, on their respective sides of the bubble's interior, and I also really like that the Autobot and Decepticon logos are molded, in raised relief, into the top of the bubble itself, which is a fun detail. The back of the card has a short blurb about Transformers in general, as well as photos of the four sets of figures available in this wave: Sideswipe & Sideways, Springer & Starscream, Optimus Prime & Blackout, and Bumblebee & Longhaul (which I also own). After removing the bubble, you'll find that the two figures are tightly nestled inside their respective depressions in yet another plastic tray, but all you have to do is simply pop them out--there aren't any twist ties, or other bindings, holding them in place, which is always a welcome sight.

Optimus Prime
The leader of the Autobots looks good with chubby, diminutive proportions. There are all sorts of intricate mechanical details sculpted on his body, and Hasbro chose to render Optimus with his normal hands replaced with intimidating orange energy blades, so Blackout had better watch out! Both of these Robot Heroes Transformers are made out of a solid, slightly-rubbery plastic (PVC?). The Autobot stands about 2-3/8" (6.0 cm) tall, at the top of his "ear" antennae. This figure has rotating cut joints at the neck and shoulders, which is enough to vary his pose a little bit, but isn't terribly impressive. Prime's paint job exhibits one of my pet peeves when it comes to toys: the front of the figure looks colorful and great, but his backside didn't get the same kind of attention, making him appear unfinished. Hasbro likely did this to cut costs, but, for what they used to charge for these things, I think they could have, and should have, treated Optimus better than that.

Scale comparison with a 5-3/4" (14.6 cm) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Fast Action Battlers Double Blade Optimus Prime.

Blackout
At 2-1/4" (5.7 cm), Blackout is close to the same height as Optimus, but, because some of the Decepticon's stature comes from the helicopter bits on his back, he's actually smaller than that. Blackout has smoother and simpler detailing than Prime, but I think that's appropriate for a character that's supposed to change into an aircraft. I particularly like how his helicopter blades are folded up on his back to resemble wings, not unlike an insect. Just like his Autobot adversary, Blackout has rotating cut joints at the neck and shoulders. Unfortunately, the large pill-shaped structures mounted on his biceps (fuel tanks?) tend to impede the arms' range of motion because they collide with other structures on his body (however, because these figures are slightly bendy, they do have some give to them, so, if necessary, it is possible to squeeze things past one another when moving the limbs). I'm not too crazy about the predominately powder-blue/periwinkle color scheme on this guy either--that pale hue makes him look more like an Autobot than a Decepticon in my opinion (a darker blue/gray would have provided a more sinister appearance).

Cost and Value
I found these, brand new and still sealed in their original packaging, at the local Goodwill for $2.09. It's unusual to find unopened toys at thrift stores, but it does occasionally happen (the same day that I bought these, they also had a Tech Deck skateboard set that was still sealed on its card). The Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Robot Heroes Series 2 wave of figures came out in 2009, so it's kind of odd to see an unopened set in a brick-and-mortar store in 2013. I wouldn't pay a buck a piece for these loose, but, for some reason, I'll pony up that amount when they're new. While they're nice-looking figures, at the end of the day, with their relatively small size and limited articulation, they're really not that much better than fast food toys, so, at their original retail price (around $5-6, if memory serves), they weren't a very good value in my opinion, but, for what I paid, they're reasonable. I'd have to say that I still prefer my old Bumblebee and Longhaul set to this pair, but I do find that the more of these you accumulate the more attractive they become as a whole (the old "Gotta have 'em all!" mentality).

For Parents
Hasbro recommends the Robot Heroes figures for ages 3-and-up, which I agree with. There aren't any small parts, and the figures are too big to swallow, so there's no warning about choking hazards.

PROS	CONS
Colorful and sturdy figures with intricately detailed sculpts. Pairing a hero and a villain together provides more play potential than a single figure would. Chubby, simplified "kids" robots are cute and an interesting alternative to traditional Transformers figures.	Minimal articulation that's further limited in Blackout's case by his design. Hasbro skimped on the paint on Optimus Prime's backside.

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