Plastic Model Review] Voice Actor Yasuyuki Tai takes on the challenge of creating Optimus Prime from Doyusha's plastic kit "Transformers: Bumblebee"! Behold the shock of over 800 total parts!

When you are a working adult, you tend to have a lot of plastic models piled up in your busy life. ...... In this series, Yasuyuki Tai, a voice actor who loves robots and plastic models, takes on the challenge of building plastic models on your behalf!

The concept is "even busy working people can make it this far on their weekends off. There are only two rules: bare bones assembly and a production period of one to two days! If you read this series, you will surely find the plastic model you want to build.

So, "Weekend Plastic Model Making by Voice Actor Taiyuki! Let's get started with the 79th issue!

Taiyuki's Weekend Plastic Modeling Vol. 79: Transformers: Bumblebee - Optimus Prime

Transformers" has been the talk of the town this year, with the upcoming theatrical release of "Transformers: Beast Awakening" and the 40th anniversary of the series. The Transformers line has expanded considerably over the past 40 years, with toys, figures, and plastic kits now available from a variety of manufacturers.

The main items in the "Transformers" lineup are transformable action figures produced by Hasbro and Takara Tomy, and in Japan, plastic kits are imported and sold by Doyusha.

Among such plastic kits, we would like to introduce "Optimus Prime," which has been talked about for its surprisingly huge package and precise parts modeling. This time, the version that appeared in the movie "Bumblebee" will be commercialized.

Although Optimus Prime only appeared in the movie during the battle scene on the planet Cybertron at the beginning of the movie, his presence is still absolutely impressive. Let's see what kind of Optimus Prime can be assembled with this kit.

First, let's start with the packaging, which is an important visual when looking for the product in stores.

On the front, in addition to the title of the movie and the name of the character, there is also the logo of the distributor, the overseas manufacturer Yolopark.
When assembled, the Optimus is complete with this detail.

On the back of the package, there is an illustration of the finished product and an explanation of the gimmick of interlocking movable parts. It shows that the Ion Blaster (so-called "Convoy Gun"), Energon Axe (not the energy blade this time), and Matrix, the proof of the leader, are also included.

On the side is a cool looking Optimus Prime.

The opposite side has information and notes about the product.

On the top side, there is a handle, just like an appliance package. You can probably guess how big it is. The bottom of the case is all black, so I will skip that part.

When you open the lid, you will find an inner lid that seems to be used to protect the parts. Autobot's insignia welcomes you.

The instruction manual is more than 80 pages thick. It is as thick as any thin book out there!

Full color printing is used, and the colors of the parts in the illustration are the same as those of the real thing. The book is divided into sections for each part, and the runners to be used for each section are also provided, so you should not try to assemble the parts all at once, but rather, assemble them in sections, such as one section per day.

Since 90% of the parts are under-gated, be careful not to forget to cut out the gate marks. Because of the complexity of the mechanism, there are some parts that require tricky parts to be assembled. Even I, who have assembled more than 100 plastic models in the last year, had to spend some time deciphering the diagrams, so please be prepared for a long battle!

The movie "Transformers: Beast Awakening" will be screened in Japan in August 2023, and the summer vacation is coming up, so it might be a good time to take your time to tackle this puzzle. By the way, it took me a total of 16 hours to complete it!

The detail and density is so high that it is hard to believe that this is an assembly kit. Despite this density, the figure is firmly based on the original Optimus Prime. The Autobot insignias on the shoulders are pre-painted parts.

In addition, the number of parts exceeds 800 pieces.

The silver parts are painted silver with each runner. Tire parts are made of rubber. Die-cast parts are also used for the connection between the shoulders and the torso.

Let's look at the chest from above. The silhouette is the same as the first Optimus Prime, but the density of the parts is different. Some parts, such as the silver parts that look like collarbones, give the impression of a living creature. It is a super-robotic life form, right?

Close-up of the head. The eyes and other parts also give the impression of a living organism. The heavily detailed mask and slits on the forehead have the sharpness of a large kit. The eyes are blue clear parts.

On the chest, there is a block of clear parts familiar to Optimus Prime. The windshield wipers are also well sculpted. Hmm?　Something silver can be seen through the clear parts.
Some parts, such as the tubular silver parts on the flanks, work together when other parts are moved. The mechanical parts of the abdomen are made up of multiple colored parts, making the parts even more densely packed.

The waist and thighs have more silver parts. The contrast between the silver armor and the density of the internal mechanical parts peeking out from between them is amazing.

From the shin down, the color scheme is more blue, just like the first Optimus. The tank next to the knees, the two tires below the tank, and the silver slit-like parts on the shins all show the first generation's style, not only in color but also in the parts that make up the body.

Thanks to the undergates, the gate marks are not noticeable even when the model is unassembled.

The ankle exteriors are almost the same on both sides. The actuators and the complex overlapping armor are arranged in a way that is typical of the live-action movie version, but the design is reminiscent of the first generation down to the smallest details such as the sculpted toe bumps.

The shoulder insignias are pre-printed, but for those who prefer to paint them, water-transfer decals are also included.

What thoughtfulness! The way the red and white shoulder parts are combined was quite a surprise.

The belt on the inside of the forearm is a part that seems to operate when the arms are movable. The mechanical details that can be seen through the notches in the red armor give the illusion that there are mechanisms packed inside.

Around the back of the head. It looks more like the head of a mechanical life form than a helmet. The tubular detail on the back may be a generator, different from the Spark.

The parts on the back are also somewhat reminiscent of the human body. It is very detailed. The parts are divided into straight sections. Be careful not to forget to assemble the parts.

The thigh looks simple from the front and from the back, but from the side, there is a lot of detail.

The rear of the legs are eye-catching with tire parts and actuators where they hit the Achilles tendon. The tire dread pattern has a left-right distinction, so look carefully at the instruction manual.

Now let's look at the range of motion.

Bending forward and backward, left and right. It can turn around to about 45 degrees to each side. This is about the range of motion for a human being.

Bending forward on the abdomen. It cannot be bent backward.

When the figure is bent forward, you would think there would be space on the back side, but there are many more parts in the back of the gap.

On the top of the shoulder, there is a mysterious opening/closing gimmick that looks like a missile hatch. It would be nice if the instruction manual had more information on the gimmicks and functions of these parts.

The hips can be twisted to this level by moving the waist armor away from the hips.

The shoulder armor is connected to the shaft in an independent manner. The arm can be rotated 360° in the front-back direction. The arms can be lifted horizontally, including upward swing of the shoulder joints, up to about right beside the body.

In addition, it swings back and forth slightly at the base of the shoulder.

The shoulder armor has a ball-joint connection on the side, and can be moved to avoid the movement of the second arm.

There is a roll axis on the second arm, but instead of 360° rotation, it can be rotated outward up to less than 90°.

It can be twisted inward up to about 130 degrees.

The elbow joint also has an interlocking gimmick, so when the elbow is bent, a part of the mechanism sinks down.

The elbow can be bent to this level. Like the thighs, there is a lot of mechanical information here when viewed from the side.

The wrist area is quite movable. First, the wrists can be pulled out.

Swing forward, backward, left and right.

Rotation at the base of the wrist. Further swing movement inside the wrist.

Fingers are movable at all joints. The base of each finger can swing left and right. Thanks to this mobility, you can add detailed expressions to the hands. Be careful when touching the fingers, as they can dislocate if handled roughly.

A deformable disc-shaped part is incorporated between the shoulder armor and the body, and the shape is selectable. The right side of the image is a complete circle, while the left side has a part of the circle notched off. I think that the non-circular part is probably prepared so that it does not interfere with the range of motion, but I could not feel much difference in terms of physical sensation. I wish the manual would have explained the function of this part.

Waist armor. The front armor can be lifted up to this level.

Rear skirt armor can also be lifted up.

Side armor can be opened, closed and rotated.

Hip joint. The bearings connecting the legs can be moved down. The legs can also swing forward at the top of the thighs, and can be further moved by rotating the hip joint connection.

The hip joints and backward movement are comparable to that of a normal human body.

The legs can be opened horizontally to form a straight line if the side armor is moved aside.

When the knees are bent, the parts around the calves are retracted into the body, and at the same time, the armoring in front of the thighs and other parts move in tandem. When moving the parts, it is recommended to pay attention to which parts are interlocked with each other, as accidentally holding the interlocked parts with your hands may cause damage.

Ankle parts. The tip of the toe can be lifted. It is somewhat difficult to extend the toe down. Lifting the toes is also possible within the range of the human body in general.

The photo is of the left leg, but the ankle swings to the left and right, bending inward a lot and not moving outward much.

As for the chest parts, which I was concerned about, the panel can be opened to the left or right and ......

The stick-like part of the neck is deployed to support the chest panel. Then, deploy the abdominal armor, and furthermore, pull the red part holding the matrix at the center of the chest into the abdomen.

It is not clear if the scene where the Matrix is released, where wisdom shines through, will appear in the movie, but you can recreate the famous scene in G1.

The matrix can be removed. There is also detailing inside the matrix placement area.

Here is the matrix this time. Silver with blue clear parts. It is fresh and beautiful!

Now let's try posing. First of all, a thumbs up, which seems to be a "good idea". The fingers are movable at all joints, so of course it can be posed as a piece.

Did Dinobot do something wrong? Or rather, will Dinobot appear in the world of this movie?　I would like to see it.

It can also stand on its knees.

It looks like a high-density movable figure, but remember. This is an assembly kit. There are not that many parts, but depending on how much force is applied when moving it, parts may come off. Although this kit does not require adhesives, it is not prohibited to use adhesives, so it may be safer to glue parts that are not related to moving parts. However, be careful not to assemble it incorrectly.

Although the Transformers have flying gadgets, they have an image of being in a surprisingly meat-and-potatoes battle.

The "Ion Blaster" is a flying tool. In Japan, the "Convoy Gun" is probably more familiar. The image is that of the G1, but with more linear parts. By sliding the grip back and forth, the scope can be moved up and down.

To connect to the wrist, open the lid behind the blaster, deploy the wrist connection unit from inside, and close the lid again. ......

Insert the square shaft at the rear of the grip into the hole in the palm and hold the grip with your fingers.

The arms are much heavier when combined with the ion blaster, so it takes some finesse to hold the blaster in a forward-facing position with one hand. It is best to use a commercially available stand to support the blaster.

The thick barrel of the weapon also makes it suitable for two-handed use.

Optimus dodges the Decepticon's attack by keeping low.

The commander announces to his comrades that the battle is about to begin.

ATTACK!!!!"

Another weapon is included, the Energon Axe, a melee weapon. Normally, the Energon Axe is a clear part that attaches directly to the arm, but this time it is an actual axe. When holding it in the hand, the grip part is replaced with one that has a connecting shaft with the palm, and like the blaster, it is inserted into the hole in the palm to complete the equipment.

It is large and heavy in its own way. This kind of forceful weapon suits Optimus Prime.

Reproduction of the two-handed in the form of attaching the left hand. The wrist also moves well, so it is easy to use.

The blaster can be connected to the left hand as it is. The axe can also be held in the left hand by changing the direction of the shaft. The main body is not small, but each weapon looks relatively large.

Due to its weight, it is difficult to hold the blaster with one arm straight out in front of the other, but it can be held with the elbow bent without any problem, so it is possible to pose it with the Axe to a certain extent. It is very bulky!

It is a large kit, ......, so there should be no time left for the customary "plus a little work", but I had a "good idea" that I really wanted to do, so I did it!

A fancy dry brush all over with "Gilding Wax (Silver)" from Gaianotes!

I used the traditional "bald choro silver" technique to create a metallic look!

How do you like it? It may look a little messy, but I think it is an effective way to easily create a metallic look.

If you're going to do it, do it!　I dry brushed the edges of the figure, and I also dry brushed the flat surfaces of the figure to create a rubbed paint film.

The blade of the Axe, which has smashed the heads of Decepticons for who knows how many times, might look more impressive with some oil stains or something.

Especially the exterior of the back was moderately easy to do.

How was it?

If it is a large kit, I want to display it. If it is a large kit, I want to display it, and if I do, I want it to look good. We would like to suggest you a "one-time effort" to make it look better.

This kit is a bit difficult for a beginner to attempt, so if you are a beginner but want to give it a try, it would be a good idea to try assembling it with the help of an experienced friend. Although there are some parts that are hard to assemble, it is definitely a kit that can be completed without any major modifications, so you should not worry about that.

See you soon!

Product Information

Transformers: Bumblebee - Optimus Prime

Now on sale

. Manufacturer: Doyusha

Price: 46,200 yen (tax included)

Price: 46,200 yen (tax included) ・Non-scale

Number of parts: 809

No glue required

Decals included