Hasbro Transformers Rise of the Beasts Deluxe Beast Weaponizers Optimus Primal and Arrowstripe Figure Hasbro, 2023
Day #2,593: July 4, 2023
Beast Weaponizers Optimus Primal and Arrowstripe Tiger Bow
Transformers Rise of the Beasts Beast Weaponizers
Item No.: Asst. F3897 No. F4611 Manufacturer:Hasbro Includes:Figure with Tiger Weapon Action Feature:Transforms from gorilla to robot and also tiger to bow Retail:$16.99-$19.99 Availability: April 2023 Other: Not bad, not impressive, but I can't stop playing with it
It's a pretty good gift set. Optimus Primal and Arrowstripe was something I got out of a fit of temporary completism - I ordered the three weapon buddies and Optimus with the chainsaw wolf, so I got this too. It didn't look great, and when I got it in hand, I don't think it paid off. For $15-$20 you do get a fair amount of plastic. But for $4 you can get Optimus Primal from Authnetics at Aldi [FOTD #2,557] which, while shorter, still has a pretty interesting transformation. This 2-pack has a nifty kitty weapon, and while Optimus has sturdy limbs the transformation gives a new low hurdle in terms of complexity. This is very much a "get it on sale, or don't" kind of a toy.
I appreciate that it's fundamentally different from some of the Primal toys I have - after all, so many are black, red, and blue. This has no red or blue. As a collector, this is interesting but as a toy I expect it to pile up on-shelf for being too bland. There's a lot of detail and great metallic grays and blacks, but that won't stand out in the Walmart shelf dumps.
Optimus Primal has a familiar looking head with an open face plate and a visible mouth. He has pale blue eyes, and a lot of silver and gray. The sculpted detail is mostly mechanical in both modes, with little patches of fur. The sculpted detail is nothing terribly special, but it's chunky and feels like a good 5 1/4-inch action figure with decent articulation. The limbs bring you 14 places to pose him, but there's no neck joint and no torso joint. The entire torso flips over for transformation - I haven't seen that before - with the head and chest rotating as one big piece. And that's pretty much the entire transformation. The legs extend a bit, the feet rotate around, and that's it. It's pretty much the same as the original Optimus Primal toy in its overall simplicity, but given he has no gimmicks or even a jointed neck it's a little more disappointing. For what is effectively a kid's deluxe, it's pretty basic. If it were $5 or $10 I don't think I'd complain too much.
Arrowstripe is cute as a mostly mechanical tiger with painted stripes and lots of robot bits. There's not a lot of fur to be seen, but the tiger stripes help mask that on his head. There's not much articulation here, but the neck, front legs, and tail are articulated but it's not like they're going to do you much good.
As a bow, Arrowstripe is huge - it's almost as wide as Primal is tall. It's ridiculous, but it's imposing and Primal can hold it in a fist, on a wrist, or on his back. Options are good. Still, it's just a fancy accessory. It's nice that it has an unusual transformation that really unfolds to something big and impressive, but like a lot of toys there's not much "toy" here.
Like a lot of the collector/fan toys, this set has two pretty good modes and zero action features - and that only gets you so far. The difference between a gorilla and robot are minimal, and the Arrowstripe doesn't really do a lot other than look neat. I would've loved a projectile or some other action feature, because while the sculptor and deco artist executed this idea well I can't say there's going to be a lot of reason to pick it up and fidget with it. It's not bad, but I can't say anything about it that particularly stands out as innovative or exceptional. It'll probably sell if kids like the movie, but there are so many other toy options for just the character that you may want to give them a look first.
16bit.com is best not viewed in Apple's Safari browser, we don't know why. All material on this site copyright their respective copyright holders. All materials appear hear for informative and entertainment purposes. 16bit.com is not to be held responsible for anything, ever. Photos taken by the 16bit.com staff. Site design, graphics, writing, and whatnot credited on the credits page. Be cool-- don't steal. We know where you live and we'll break your friggin' legs.
RSS 
