For me, as long-time fan of the Transformers and having built LEGO Transformers myself, LEGO releasing LEGO Transformers 10302 Optimus Prime was a pleasant surprise. It looks great as a robot, decent as a truck and the transformation sequence is fantastic. Its look is also largely faithful to the original Optimus Prime toy from the eighties. In my book, the one thing that could make it even better was for Optimus to have his trailer or Combat Deck. So, I built one myself.
If there’s ever a need for reliable communications for the Deceptions, you can rely on Soundwave. The only comms channel we need open now is to The LEGO Group from fans to convey that we will be needing more LEGO Transformers, and this build by Zach Sweigart reinforces just that message.
Click for more visuals of Decepticon Soundwave
Student Scissors has impressed us before with transformable builds based on characters from The Transformers franchise. But it’s one thing to try and replicate an existing character/transformation scheme. It’s a whole other challenge to invent one yourself. But that’s exactly what Student Scissors has done here with Cuff – a transforming police car who isn’t based on any particular Cybertronian, but who would fit right in amongst the Autobots. Cuff’s novel transformation involves the car’s windscreens and roof splitting into thirds to become both of his feet and the center of his chest, while the car grill forms his waist and hips. It’s an inventive solution to the problem of turning a car into a humanoid robot that I hope we see in the official toy line someday.
Shockwave’s cold intellect and looming presence stand out in this LEGO figure by Shaddowtoa. Coming out of the Transformers toy line, Shockwave is the Decepticon’s leading scientific mind. This articulated figure captures his often repeated iconic look as established by the 1984 The Transformers animated series. This figure bears the classic purple and grey color scheme befitting Shockwave, with that dark pink chest. His singular yellow eye shines out from his angular head, analyzing everything in his gaze. The recessed black around the eye is cleverly achieved by way of SNOT (Studs Not On Top) techniques paired with brackets and slopes for the purple surrounding it. The articulation of the figure is well worth the sacrifice of the transforming elements. The figure has bend at the shoulders, elbows, ankles, knees, hips, head, and waist–not to mention the articulation in his wrist and fingers.
The amazing thing about these small Transformer LEGO builds is how well defined the characters are! They stand as proof of the skill of builders like Student Scissors here. Keeping the characters transformable and recognizable is the tricky bit when working at this scale. When I look at this figure, I instantly recognize Starscream and all his ambition to lead the Decepticons. This particular figure is based upon the Transformers 2007 movie, which turned 15 years old this month. To celebrate, enjoy the craft of this figure. Starscream’s jet alt-mode looks wonderful with little kibble left over from his robot mode. Looks like most of it tucks away nicely underneath, no doubt thanks to the clips and round plates making up the transformation joints. The robot mode is just as gorgeous, giving him his squat outline from the movie. Wedge slopes define the wide shape of his head. I have little doubt he’ll turn and flee to live another day should the battle take a turn for the worse. Classic Starscream.
No, you read that right. This incredible build by Student Scissors is actually the Transtector of a human known as Ginrai. Transtectors, if you’re not familiar with the term, are non-sentient Transformers controlled by humanoids, and there’s a good reason Ginrai’s Transtector looks an awful lot like Optimus Prime. But all that is beside the point in appreciating this impressive build. If you want to call it Optimus Prime, go ahead. Truth be told, we did end up getting the Ginrai figure imported to the States rebranded as “Powermaster Optimus Prime.”
Anyway, convoluted franchise history aside, this fully transformable semi-truck doesn’t just convert into a robot, it also comes with a trailer that the main cab can combine with to form Super Ginrai. That Student Scissors made the combined form possible with enough articulation to put the original Ginrai toy to shame is an impressive feat. That it was accomplished at such a small scale – a truck mode that’s only four studs wide – is extra incredible.
If transforming LEGO sets are your thing, be sure and check out our review of LEGO’s upcoming official take on the Autobot leader.
In the early 1980s, an actor named Peter Cullen told his brother Larry that he was using their shared car to go to an audition for “the voice of a hero truck.” Larry, a decorated Marine officer, gave Peter some advice on how to play an effective leader, “Be strong enough to be gentle.” Peter took Larry’s words to heart and earned the role of Optimus Prime, commander of the Autobots. The show Peter Cullen was auditioning for, The Transformers, was basically a commercial meant to sell repurposed toys from Japan to kids in America. It wasn’t supposed to create an icon. But, when Optimus Prime was killed on-screen in The Transformers: The Movie, the backlash was swift and immediate. Peter Cullen’s “strong but gentle” performance had turned Optimus Prime into something more than just an action figure in the eyes of the audience. The Transformers team quickly set to work on a series of episodes to revive Optimus Prime in Season 3 of the show, and Optimus would remain one of the few constants of the ever-evolving franchise from then on. Now, nearly forty years later, that original incarnation of Optimus Prime has been given new life once again as a fully transformable 1508-piece LEGO set. LEGO The Transformers 10302 Optimus Prime will be available June 1st, for US $169.99 | CAN $219.99 | UK £149.99
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
Clicking here to read more is the right of all sentient beings.
The treasure trove of parts in the 10295 Porsche 911 set have made their way into the capable hands of yet another builder. This Transformer by Adrian Drake resurrects a generation one star of the series, Jazz. Originally a Martini Porsche 935 Turbo, this version still shares some of the same body designs as many of the iconic original toys sought after by collectors today. The Porsche’s front end makes up most of his torso while the doors swing out from the back like wings or down with the rest of the body to form the legs and feet. Making a functioning Transformer with LEGO is no easy feat but Adrian sure did well here.
Moko is back with another awesome morphing robot build. Both modes are cleverly designed, as the bike mode barely even looks like it contains a mech within its structure. Sections of the legs are attached via ball joints twisted out and around when forming the mech. The gun is actually made up of the back of the bike, primarily the back seat and exhaust, which acts as the barrel.
If you were into Transformers as a kid in the early 80s, there are a few characters that probably stand out in your mind, even if you haven’t stayed current with the franchise. Optimus Prime, obviously. Soundwave, the cassette player with a chest full of evil minions. And probably right up there with those two is Astrotrain – the evil Decepticon triple changer that turned into, well, a space shuttle and a locomotive. Alan Yap certainly remembers Astrotrain. In fact, he spent two years constructing a fully transformable LEGO version of the character.
Click here to take a ride on the space train…
Way back in the mid-2000s, Hasbro launched a show and corresponding toy line known as “Transformers: Animated.” The title was no doubt a reference to the fact that Michael Bay was working to bring the Transformers franchise to live-action movies for the first time, and the corresponding Animated show was setting itself up to be everything the Bay franchise wasn’t: hand-drawn, on TV, well written, and over too soon. Hasbro managed to produce the majority of the main Animated cast in toy form so that fans of the series could continue to revisit this era of the franchise long after the show was canceled. But there was one major character that escaped our grasp and was never given a proper figure. Thankfully, Alan Yap has come to our rescue by delivering this LEGO rendition of Animated’s Omega Supreme.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Transformer without transforming, and Alan has us covered. Continue reading
There’s a worry that when someone builds something in LEGO that looks so much like the real thing folks may simply pass it up when scrolling through social media. We at The Brothers Brick, on the other hand, are slightly more astute than the average bear when it comes to spotting clever LEGO creations. I can assure you, fellow bears, that this creation by Julius von Brunk is a clever one. It likely would have been featured anyway if it was merely a well-built LEGO facsimile of the Super Nintendo Game Console. Normally, we’d highlight this or that sweet build technique, point out a nice parts usage here or there then move on with our day. Shampoo, rinse, repeat. But then. But then upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that each element, the game console, cartridge, and both controllers transform into robots!
Click here to see more. You know you want to!
