Optimus Prime's "Smash 'n Change" version's vehicle mode is fairly accurate to the movie model, for the most part. The most obvious departure is the big handle behind the cab section-- which is used to grab hold of the toy during the transformation itself, so I can let that one slide. The overall proportions of the truck mode are just a TAD more horizontal and less vertical than the actual truck, but it's a minor enough "squishing" where it's easily overlooked. My bigger issues have to deal with the robot extras in this mode, and I'm not talking about the handle; the feet stick out pretty clearly from the back end, as do the lower arms from the sides of the vehicle mode. That's also nowhere to store the sword that comes with the figure in this mode-- I've found that you can peg it into one of the bolt holes on the right side of this mode, but it's unsightly and certainly not a purposeful design inclusion. As for Optimus' colors, nothing much is changed for this version; he's got the same old dark blue 'n gray color scheme, with a decent amount of red in the flame paint apps around the windows and front hood. His windows are also painted black, and his grill a rather nice shade of gunmetal gray. All of the paint colors work quite well with the dark blue, though the gray plastic is of a pretty boring shade; I wish some metallic flake had been added to it, particularly in robot mode where it's more prevalent. All of Optimus' paint apps are concentrated towards the front here; his entire back half is entirely bereft of paint, which is definitely an oversight-- it makes it look a bit too prototypish. The headlights and/or wheel hubs could've used some paint, too. The mold detailing is generally very sparse in this mode, as befits the aerodynamic look of the vehicle; that said, there's still some neat mold details here and there, like how part of the handle is molded to look like Optimus' shield (even though it can't come unattached).
    Unlike the other toys in this subline, which are "FLIP 'n Change", Optimus' "Smash 'n Change" transformation involves taking hold of his handle, turning him on his back end, and pressing down on a flat surface; when you let go, the robot mode will unfold a bit from the bottom of the vehicle mode, where pretty much all of it is stored anyways; the only parts that are really shared between the two modes are the shoulders (made out of the truck grill halves) and the arms. (Do the same thing again to transform Optimus back into vehicle mode.) It's not the most impressive transformation, but it gets the job done-- Optimus is fairly proportional in this mode, though his arms could stand to be a bit thicker/beefier. There's pretty much the entire truck mode on his back, and it definitely sticks out of the sides of the toy and between his legs, making it more obvious that most of this mode is just detailing on the underside of the truck mode, but it honestly doesn't bug me as much as I thought it would (though it certainly is still a downside); perhaps it's that it still fits the overall shape of Optimus' robot mode. And as for his mold detailing, it's a HUGE improvement over his vehicle mode; movie-accurate armor plating and robotic details are all over the place, particularly on his chest and upper legs. His face is sculpted with the mouthplate down, and he looks like quite the formidable opponent. The dark metallic blue paint on the knees matches the plastic very well, though Prime's paint detailing is still a bit sparse; outside of the kneecaps, there's a bit of red and silver on his chest and some silver on his head, but some vital details are still unpainted, like those on his lower arms, his "hip skirt", his eyes, and some more detailing on his chest. For articulation, Optimus can move at the elbows (at two points); that's it, so he's very nearly a statue in this mode. Granted, articulation isn't the point of this subline, but a bit of helmet rotation or perhaps a bit of shoulder movement wouldn't have hurt. Optimus can hold his sword accessory easily in either of his fists, but it's molded so that it fits into his fists at an angle-- a bit odd, but it works given the largely static nature of the toy.
    Age of Extinction's "Smash 'n Change" Optimus certainly has his share of downsides; almost no articulation, some obvious robot bits in vehicle mode, a rather boring (if effective) transformation, and not enough paint details in either mode. All this said, the mold detailing on his robot mode is great, and he's the only "simplified Optimus" toy of the line that manages to retain pretty accurate proportions in both modes without really obnoxious extras. Thus, even though he's my least favorite mold of the "Flip/Smash 'n Change" subline, I'd still recommend him the most out of all the AoE simplfied Prime toys out there.
 

Review by Beastbot

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