logo
Missing Link Optimus Prime Toy Review: Right In The Feels

Missing Link Optimus Prime Toy Review: Right In The Feels

Forbes26-05-2025
This toy is so much better than the original you remember.
What if a classic toy were to be remade with modern articulation and detailing? That's where the new Missing Link toys for Transformers come in, and they are amazing.
The first of these was the classic Optimus Prime, with the iconic trailer, quickly followed by an anime-accurate version (minus the trailer).
The version here is the initial 'C-01' release with the trailer, and an awful lot else.
To back up a bit, most kids during the mid-80s would have likely had this version of Optimus Prime at one point. However, the original release had almost no real articulation to speak of.
It just stood rigid and couldn't be posed at all. Furthermore, the hands were separate parts that had to be attached.
Don't get me wrong, it was still a great toy, but this Missing Link version is really quite something else.
The articulation is really quite impressive for a re-imagined classic toy like this.
FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™
Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase
Pinpoint By Linkedin
Guess The Category
Queens By Linkedin
Crown Each Region
Crossclimb By Linkedin
Unlock A Trivia Ladder
Firstly, the articulation is way more involved now. You have more movement in its knees, hips, and feet, so you can actually pose the toy properly now. The arms are also more involved, as you can swivel them at the shoulder and elbow. The hands are now folded into the gap behind the radiator grate and can also be opened and closed.
The other big addition is that this release also includes a very shiny Matrix of Leadership. This, too, can be removed and held in the new articulated hands.
In the original toy, you can spaces for the small Diaclone figures, but these figures were removed when they came Westward as Transformers. The nice thing here is that the whole Matrix housing can also be removed to leave those old Diaclone seats as well.
So, that's just the main toy; what about the trailer?
This is basically identical to the original. You get the little buggy, but it's silver now, and the maintenance pod. The latter can also be removed and features hair-trigger, spring-loaded missiles.
The trailer can also be used in its three configurations: open, closed (but with the maintenance pod popping out), and the rather fun vertical maintenance bay setup (shown below). It's pretty versatile, and you also have stabilisers underneath that can be pulled out and retracted as needed.
The full maintenance bay setup with the trailer is still fun to do.
The main use of the trailer, though, was storing the other smaller Transformers toys, which this Missing Link toy line is pumping out multiple variants already.
Over the years, I've owned a lot of Optimus Primes. From multiple Masterpiece iterations to even the new Diaclone version, but this is probably one of my favorites. Even compared to the walking-talking Robosen version.
The fact it takes the classic toy and just updates it without changing anything drastic, just to make it a better toy, is something I cannot enthuse about enough.
All of this excellence is also pretty affordable, considering the amount of stuff you get, coming in at a decent $119.99.
Considering that the original 1984 toy can go for multiple times this amount, and doesn't have any of the new articulation or gimmicks, makes this an absolute bargain.
So, if your parents threw all your old toys away and you've fancied replacing your classic Optimus Prime, get this one. It's better than the toy you remember and is nowhere near as expensive compared to the original that's on the collector's market.
The Missing Link Optimus Prime is available from the Hasbro Pulse online store for $119.99.
Missing Link Optimus Prime
Missing Link Optimus Prime Gallery
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy, Hasbro
Release Date: February 2024 (Japan)
Price: $119.99
Disclosure: Hasbro sent me this toy for the purposes of this review.
Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Woman Asks Her 30-Year-Old Brother to Remove His ‘Embarrassing' Hat at Her Son's Little League Game
Woman Asks Her 30-Year-Old Brother to Remove His ‘Embarrassing' Hat at Her Son's Little League Game

Yahoo

time34 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Woman Asks Her 30-Year-Old Brother to Remove His ‘Embarrassing' Hat at Her Son's Little League Game

A Reddit user said her 30-year-old brother wore a hat with profanity to her son's Little League game The woman explained that she asked her brother to take the hat off, calling it 'embarrassing,' and then he left the game She asked fellow Redditors who was at fault in this scenarioA woman's brother is upset after she asked him to take off his 'embarrassing' hat at her child's Little League game, and she's now wondering if she was being unreasonable. The woman explained on Reddit's 'Am I the A------' forum that her 30-year-old brother recently showed up to her 12-year-old son's baseball game wearing a trucker's hat that read, 'America, F--- Yeah.' The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! 'I asked him to take it off since there were kids all over and lots of people there I know,' she wrote. 'He protested, and I said it was embarrassing.' The original poster (OP) said that her brother left the game early, even though she said she clarified, 'It's the hat, not you.' 'AITA [am I the a------], or should a grown man know better than to wear that to a family-friendly place?' the woman asked at the end of her post. The majority of commenters said that they thought the OP had made a perfectly reasonable request. 'NTA [not the a------],' one person said, adding, 'You weren't being rude. You asked him to take off a hat with profanity at a kids' game. That's a fair request. He's free to wear what he wants, but you're also allowed to ask for respect in a family setting.' Another person said, 'NTA. It was inappropriate. He needs to grow up.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. One person said that they didn't think anyone was at fault, and that the OP shouldn't worry too much about it either way. 'NAH [no a------ here],' they said. 'It's more on the line than over in either way. You asked, he complied, I wouldn't worry about it.' Read the original article on People

Jennifer Aniston teases ‘emotional' season four of The Morning Show
Jennifer Aniston teases ‘emotional' season four of The Morning Show

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Jennifer Aniston teases ‘emotional' season four of The Morning Show

Jennifer Aniston has revealed the plot of the forthcoming fourth season of The Morning Show will be 'complicated'. The 56-year-old stars in the Apple TV+ drama, which follows a fictional breakfast show in the aftermath of a prominent news anchor being hit with a series of allegations, alongside Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup and Julianna Margulies. Aniston – who plays the TV anchor Alex Levy on the show alongside executive producing the series with co-star Witherspoon – told People that The Morning Show 'is just a beast to film'. 'It is layered, it's complicated, it's emotional, it hits on a lot of topics and current events, so let's just say, it's not Friends,' she added, referencing the Nineties show in which she played Rachel Green from 1994 to 2004. She continued: 'We're involved in every single aspect of the show, on top of just the performance side, which is a big piece of it. But I've got incredible support, and we have such an incredible team.' Season four of The Morning Show finished shooting in December last year, according to a post from Witherspoon's media company, Hello Sunshine. 'And that's a wrap on Season 4 of #TheMorningShow!' it read. 'Thank you to our incredible cast and crew for bringing this season to life. We can't wait for you all to see what's in store on @AppleTV!' Season three of The Morning show saw a romance begin between Aniston's Alex and the space tech billionaire Paul Marks, played by Jon Hamm. Elsewhere, Witherspoon's Bradley attempted to salvage her reputation as a journalist after she chose not to reveal video evidence of her brother taking part in the insurrection at the US Capitol. Speaking to Deadline, showrunner Charlotte Stoudt said the next season of the show would explore deepfakes and artificial intelligence. 'We blew everything up last year with the biggest bomb we could possibly build,' she said. 'So, we have to ask ourselves how is the band going to get back together, and what will that look like? 'We get into the world of deepfakes and AI and the misinformation in the fog of war that we're seeing now in the Middle East and stuff. 'We're looking at who can trust. And can you trust what you're seeing? Can you trust yourself? Can you trust your news outlet?' The Morning Show returns for season four on Wednesday, 17 September on Apple TV+

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store