We are still on the trail of the hottest Christmas toys and coming in at number 3 on Hamley’s predictions are the Transformers Movie Leader Optimus Prime and Megatron figures. These are large scale Transformers action figures but they come with a fairly hefty price tag of around £45.

So what are these Transformers toys and are they worth the money?

Transfomers Movie Leader Optimus Prime

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“Transformers Movie Leaders are huge & very realistic. They’ve got speech, sounds & lights & they transform too, but it will be a challenge!”

Transformers Movie Leader – What Does It Do?

Standing at just over 30cm tall, these Transformers Revenge of The Fallen Movie Leader action figures are pretty big. They are very realistically designed and detailed to mirror the film characters. They are made using ‘Mech Alive’ technology which means their moving armour panels and internal gears are shown when certain parts of the toy are moved. They also have the expected electronic speech along with lighting up eyes and chest you have come to expect. Snap–out swords are an additional feature. They are stored behind the arms until ‘flipped’ out. As we are talking Transformer toys here, the robot form converts or “transforms” into a vehicle form. In Optimus Prime’s case this vehicle is a truck, with engine revving, racing and conversion sounds. For Megatron it is a tough alien tank, with firing fusion cannon and blasting sounds. These toys are for children aged 5 and over.

An 8 Year Olds Reason For Wanting A Transformers Movie Leader

“Optimus Prime is my favourite character and transforming the toys is the best part of them.”

Transformers Movie Leader – Is It Any Good?

The Transformers Movie Leader toys are a love them or hate them item.

The new Revenge of The Fallen toys are improved over those released with the first film. They are less bulky and the flip out swords are a great new addition. There is no need to worry about the swords though as they are made of soft plastic! The only things these new versions are missing over their predecessors are articulated fingers and rubber tyres.

Children will love them as they are large scale (but not heavy), have great film sounds, are sturdy, colourful and well made. The figures’ joints are of the ‘pop off’ variety to avoid breakages. They are easily reattached.

They are accurate to the movie characters and are well articulated so you can stand them in many positions. As with all action figures, they encourage imaginative play.

One extra feature of this Transformers Optimus Prime toy is that you can ‘merge’ it with the Jetfire Leader figure (sold separately) to make the ultimate Optimus Prime character seen at the end of the film. The two figures just snap together making a huge resulting combination where Jetfire becomes body armour and a jet pack for Optimus Prime.

Transformers Movie Leader – Are There Any Downsides?

The main downside of the Movie Leader figures is the transformation process. Transformers fans rate the transformation as anywhere from “a little tricky to transform” to “completely impossible”. It is definitely thought to be one of the hardest and most challenging Transformers figures yet.

The instructions are lame at best, with poor illustrations rather than written steps, and the only way to get the job done if you are struggling is by watching one of the many demonstrations fans have loaded onto YouTube. As well as by the instructions, you are also hindered by the fact that the toy does not stay in place until the transformation is complete and all pieces are snapped into place. Unusually some parts do not fit well either.

This downside means that younger fans will need a lot of help with this process and may get very frustrated. If they are happy to play with it in robot or vehicle mode then your life will be easier. The chances are after a few transformations they will have a mode that they prefer to play with so your transforming skills can take a well earned rest. The age of 5 years and up is definitely inappropriate if you are planning on this toy keeping a 5 year old quiet on their own.

The Transformers Movie Leader Megatron is supposedly a bit easier to transform but this doesn’t help if you have an Optimus Prime fan. In this case you may be better off with a Voyager figure. Alternatively you could check out our review of the #2 hot toy this Christmas – the Bumblebee Helmet.

Some people find the tricky transformation to be a positive as they find the whole process part of the fun of the toy and the ones that you can change in an easy 4 steps are not very challenging.

The other complaint is that various pieces, like the feet and chest plate, fall off – often.

Finally the electronic speech may get a little tiresome during transformation but this is easily fixed by taking the batteries out until you are done helping and you can leave your child to it!

Buy Now

A word of warning if you are planning on buying the new Movie Leaders, make sure you get the Transformers Revenge of The Fallen toys version. There should be two orange swords with Optimus Prime. The older toys from the original film are more expensive and harder to get hold of.

          

You can also buy these Transformers toys from The Toy Shop, Toys R Us or Play.com. Compare prices now.

If your child has the Optimus Prime Movie Leader I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Please leave me a comment.

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