(NOTE: Because this is a repaint, this is not a full-blown review. This mainly covers any changes made to the mold and the color scheme, and merely compares it to the original RID2015 3-step Optimus Prime toy. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of the original RID2015 3-step Optimus Prime toy here.)

    Color-wise, this Optimus isn't different from the original 3-step. He's still got a dark, semi-metallic blue for most of the trailer/lower legs, and an even slightly darker, duller metallic blue paint used for his head. His red plastic may be just a SHADE lighter, but it's still that milky, semi-metallic shade, and is used for the truck cab and the upper rear portion of the trailer, which makes it his body and shoulders in robot mode. The difference here is that there's a bit more red on the upper body this time, with the lower arms actually only painted blue on the front-- no blue for the entire lower hands and arms. The moderately light gray is used on the exact same spots on this toy as on the original-- on the extendo-upper legs, and on some minor connector pieces not readily visible in either mode. The black is a bit more prevalent-- beyond just being on the wheels and cab windows, it's also painted on Optimus' crotch, knees, and feet, which helps break up the colors in robot mode slightly more on this version. There is a titch of silver on the middle of his arms, on his head, on a small portion of his grill (but not nearly as much as on the original) and on his smokestacks. Unfortunately some of the light blue details from the original are gone from the trailer and shoulders, but they're still used on Optimus' eyes and on his new weapons.
    Speaking of his new weapons, they're the major mold change made to this version-- large add-on weapon pieces have been added to the sides of the robot arms/top of the vehicle trailer, mimicking what happens to his Activator toy but without actually needing an Activator to have them pop up (indeed, they're permanently "deployed" on this toy). They're two large guns, though unfortunately a major caveat with them is the pieces that connect them to the main body only hold onto the guns with two tiny pegs. Given that Optimus can't hold either gun in his hands, the guns can't be used elsewhere on the toy, so there's no need to ever remove them. They pop off ALL THE TIME, so I'd recommend taking a bit of glue there to keep those suckers where they're supposed to be. Rather annoying they aren't connected more securely... Each gun has a port on the top of it for you to pop on a Mini-Con Weaponizer or another weapon with a similarly-sized peg. Additionally, to make up for all this additional plastic on the top, the truck cab has been "sucked dry" a bit. It's been remolded too, but it still has the same general "look" as the truck cab on the original toy-- just a lot hollower and chinsier look. The side portions above the wheels have been really shortened; the front grill is smaller; the front hood has some more detailing that fits his robot mode chest better than cab mode; the window details are skinnier overall; and there's a substantial gap on the rear sides of the cab that honestly look a bit ugly. Of course, this was done to keep Optimus still roughly the same plastic mass given you're adding on two big guns, but the original trailer looked far more solid. In one more cost-cutting measure, the middle wheel on each side has been removed and instead replaced with just the bottom half of a wheel detailed on the bottom side of the trailer and painted black-- so yep, he's got two fake wheels on this version. He still rolls just fine, though.
    THe 2017 mold of 3-step Optimus is still a pretty decent simplified toy, and I do love the addition of weaponry with some cool circuitry detailing on it. However, for just about every plus of this toy, there's a minus on it-- that is, the far less impressive cab; the removal of two wheels and some minor paint apps; and the fact that the guns come off at the drop of a hat without glue. I still like this version SLIGHTLY more than the original because I do really like that additional weaponry, but it's close.
 

Review by Beastbot

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