As this toy has hit Australia first for a retailer's mid-year toy sale (as their store exclusive), some of us collectors have already grabbed it, had a play with it, and taken some images/video for the benefit of others.

My photos...

The box.


Next to a Movie Voyager box, to show size.


Back


Sides


Top


The insert tray


The instructions


Out of packaging




Robot mode, compared to the other Cyberverse Optimus toys (except Trailer version, which is identical to the regular Warrior toy)...
(from left - Ultra (not bought yet), Spark Armor, Ultimate, Warrior, 2nd 1-step, 1st 1-step, Scout)


Truck mode, compared to the other Cyberverse Optimus toys...
(top left is Spark Armor, bottom left is Ultra, big one in the middle is Ultimate, two smaller ones to the right are 1-steps, and the two on the far right are Warrior and Scout)


More truck mode shots




Truck mode Spark Armor carrying Ark.




Ark armor split up into its parts


Combined with Optimus




(note - the combined mode has heals that fold out from under the feet, which I didn't notice until after I had taken the photos)


Next to Ultimate Optimus, the previous biggest Cyberverse Optimus toy.


A video review from Australian, Ham-Man Reviews...

.

 

Good pics (and video review) but no knees (amongst other things), no sale. I'm trying to like this but it isn't working. To be honest, the only thing I'm (slightly) interested in is the Ark, but I'd be happier with a non-transforming replica of the original ship. (though I'll still be waiting for my Animated Omega Supreme).

 

Somepeople say this isn’t for me, and I agree. But how much do you really save by omitting knees?

 

No knees. No sale from me. I was planning on getting it too...

 

I don't know about Hastak, but I've saved quite a lot.  

 

True enough I suppose. Cyberverse is the only line I’ve never bought anything from.

 

Same here.

The only three I'm interested in are Gnaw, Cheetor and Ultimate Grimlock, though I'll wait till they're released before finally making up my mind. It's funny that all three are beastformers of sorts.

 

I’m sort of the same way. Cheetor is really about it.

 

They're junk. Period. Hollowed out junk that is full of stupid gimmicks that barely holds together.

People tell me I'm wrong, I'm not, kids deserve better than this and yes, knees are normal in toys, now. If your child can't transform a toy because it has basic articulation, then society has a problem. I'm not trying to be mean, but this is just ridiculous.

Or... Or...it's Hasbro cutting corners, kids aren't stupid and parents are too lazy to make their kids work for their enjoyment.

 

When I was like 8yrs old, I avoided most of Star Wars & He Man figs and mostly only bought & played with GI Joes....because they had articulation.
They were also cheaper than most other toys.

These look cool but too exp and stiff to get for my 6yr old. She wants them to atleast be able to sit down.

 

It's huge and they still couldn't give him knees? Is this a new version of the safety/solidity thing that lead to a lot of G1s having conjoined legs?

 

Man, that would be kinda horrifying. (And might explain why the legs on some of the larger figures are just hollow, one pieced stumps of their former selves.)

It's kinda funny though, considering the large amount of Arm articulation found in some of those figures. But that's an rare exception most likely.

 

This figure looks pretty great, but what really turns me off is the lack of knees and other points of articulation which 'could' have been added easily, especially given how large the toy is.. I think they honestly should have re-released the matrix blast mold and used that for the ark armor.. But maybe that's just me? I dunno.. The armor overall looks okay I suppose, and I 'do' like that they've incorporated the Ark into the toy line, especially given how few toys and play sets actually exist. The only one I have is the one that came with Roller from DOTM, which.. I'm gonna re-paint one of these days as well lol.

 

I like it. It’s like if Optimus Prime was a Megazord, he’d be this.

 

A Megazord?
I was actually thinking, in combined mode doesn't he look somewhat like... well, Unicron  

 

I used to complain about the dumbing down of TFs (starting with RID15 I think), and I would use my son as an example to argue that lack of articulation does not make these things more appealing to kids. People countered that my son was a bit older and is probably influenced by my preferences.
A few years later, I have a four year old that is far more interested in my figures than any Rescue Bots of Cyberverse figure out there. He has no attachment to the franchise like my oldest does. He likes PJ Masks and things like that. With those, he always goes for the more articulated figures over the minifig-like toys that he also has. Kids simply recognize quality. When I was a small child, I could easily tell the difference between a nice toy and a cheap piece of garbage. So, I do not for one second believe this new approach is anything more than cost cutting.

 

This thing is going to retail for $50 in the USA right?

For $20, maybe it would be worth it. Just because something is larger is does not mean it should be more expensive. I\'m thinking there will be plenty of these on clearance racks, just like the Optimus with the trailer that Hasbro wanted $35 for.

You can buy a ten speed mountain bike at Walmart for $60. Don\'t tell me the Transformer costs more in materials and takes more labor to build.

 

I will wait to get it on sale or clearance only. No way it's worth 100$.

 

I really wanted it for the ark, but prime being unpainted just ruins it for me.
Ah well, I could always paint it, but being in Canada, it'll cost $70-80 bucks, and it's just not worth in the end, so pass unfortunately.