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The set doesn't really come with too many accessories, and I guess that's a reflection of what the character was seen with in the movie. Luckily what is provided is of high quality, with a great looking rifle and enough hands to cover most action poses. The main focus of course is on the figure itself, and it's most impressive!
If you're not thinking "Wow!" when you unbox this thing, then you mustn't be human! The sheer detail in this thing will have you pouring over all its features and being amazed at how they've assembled everything.
I've been told now that the style of the shoulders and forearms are to match the earthbound look that Optimus had in later scenes of the movie. In my review I thought they had made some error since it differed from the way he looked in the opening scene, but that was his Cybertron look. So ThreeZero have actually made it very accurate; unfortunately the DLX doesn't have swap out pieces like the larger Premium scale figure that will have swap out features for each mode.
Regardless, the way this figure moves is one of its most impressive aspects. The joints and various points of articulation all move so seamlessly, that seem completely organic and natural in a way that you'd imagine a real robot to move.
Each move reveals or hides some detail as appropriate, especially around the shoulders, elbows, and knees. It's amazing how small panels will adjust or move out of the way as you rotate or bend joints. Nothing seems too delicate or easy to break, although the instructions do give you some warning as to areas where you need to be more careful so as not to chip any paint if parts collide or scrape against each other.
The fanciest joint for me would have to be the ab crunch that reveals so much more detail in the rear spine. It's amazing how they were able to hide so much detail in the rear and have it appear effortlessly as you bend the figure forward. There's very little risk in paint damage, and it all feels silky smooth in its movement. It's a beautifully designed feature.
The legs, both front and back, have plenty of detail too. I'm not sure if the wheels are actually rubber, but they do feel like a slightly different material to the other surrounding plastic parts. On the point of plastic, the figure feels pretty heavy and there are definitely diecast parts on the internal components of the figure. But most of the external parts are plastic, but the paint application and weathering is so good, much of it looks like metal anyway.
The ankle articulation is probably the only part of the figure that I wish was improved. The tilt upwards to sufficient, but there is not a lot of movement downwards. This mean jumping poses (like that iconic scene from the 1986 movie) don't look as natural because you can't point his feet down like they would be if he was in the air. But in the scheme of things, it's a minor nitpick amongst all the other great aspects of the figure.
There's plent of articulation points to get him into many of the iconic poses. I love the way in which the hips panels all move out of the way on their own balljoints to give plenty of freedom in movement. They way the shoulder joint moves out to reveal the larger butterfly mechnism, coupled with a nice tilting motion in the torso, really make for natural action poses.
This Optimus figure perfectly complements the previous Bumblebee figure. ThreeZero certainly don't look to have lost any of the build quality set by that first figure. I passed on the Blitzwing figure because I didn't really like that character, but I can't wait to get the upcoming Soundwave!
Some collectors have claimed that the figure is not a true Transformers figure because it cannot transform. For me, the amazing level of detail and articulation in the figure more than makes up for the its lack of transformation. ThreeZero has made it clear this series is about delivering as much movie accurate details as possible in bot mode, and they've nailed that goal in incredible fashion.
For me, the TF Masterpiece series is what I go to for transforming figures, and I use that to get my G1 nostalgic fix. I'll be sticking with these ThreeZero DLX figures for all my non-cartoon representations of the characters.
The designs from the Bumblebee movie strike the perfect balance between a new, more modern style coupled with enough homages and hints to the original designs to satisfy G1 fans. I much prefer these over the far too busy and complicated designs from the Michael Bay movies.
In the end, ThreeZero have done complete justice to these new designs with a figure series that excels on all possible fronts. I just hope that after Soundwave, they continue the series and announce more of the characters that featured in the opening scene. That would truly make this a legendary series of TF figures that will be sought after pieces in Transformers collections for many years to come!
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