the way optimus is standing there breathing and posing on his own like he's an actual guy that you're just roasting relentlessly right in front of his face adds so much to this one
Yep, with the big tech companies pushing for more development in ChatGPT and other AIs, they're going to be eliminating jobs left, right, and center in the next few years.
"It's not bothered about my company. It won't let me enjoy it. I've gotta sit over here and watch itself on my behalf." has me utterly dead. My brain went in the gutter and stayed there.
I had much the same feeling of "wow, that's incredible!" followed swiftly by the realization I'd never be able to play with it, and the gimmicks would definitely wear thin within a few hours. seeing that it doesn't actually have a "stand still for display" mode is crazy
The absolute nuts on Thew to be on two offical Hasbro event streams, get approached for the single most expensive first party transformer ever made by the very people who produce it, and just thrash it. 1000pts to you, Thew, for not being a pushover. that last bit about "releasing this during a cost of living crisis" fuckin put the ball in the net. i dont doubt this was incredibly stressful to upload but evidently tons of peeps are glad you did. here's to 250 more!
I'm just coming at this review now, and after noping-out of PvP's "hot-takes" on the Robosen Grimlock (still damn impressive) I have to say, Thew has hit the nail on the head. Solid, practical take on a very impractical consumer item.
The "breathing" idle movement kills me...why? Some of the Beast characters in beast mode are the only transformers I recall ever seeing noticeably "breathing." Literally no other videos I watched have shown the movement errors so I had no idea that was a thing. Kudos on the objectivity Thew, it's why we love you.
Technically, he doesn't say its not worth it; just not worth it to the average TF collector. This is more targeted towards those interested in actual robots, that want a cool thing people will recognize. If it had a resting mode, or just the ability to turn off without collapsing in a heap, that would likely up its worth to TF Collectors, since at least then it could be displayed when your not actively using it rather then shoved into its box somewhere.
Sorry, he's not the first to talk about the price. There are many reviewers that mentioned the price is a lot for the average collector.. on the other side of that coin there are many who believe that it's absolutely worth the price! So him saying it's not worth it... opinion
@@manuprealtalk I disagree. You are correct that it has been mentioned. I have seen several reviews where it is dropped, and summarily moved on from. Thew put it in comparison, perspective. He put forth a bit of dialogue instead of just saying it's expensive. That is what I meant. Comparing it to rent, putting the cost in real-world terms instead of simply saying "it's a lot." I appreciated him discussing the cost as a relatable thing. $600-$1000 is an absurd amount of a splurge. For me, that is huge, and pointing out comparative things helps quantify it. Thew is also the first I have seen to bring up errors happening frequently, and the difficulties of this remote controlled model. How yes, it transforms and is in that iconic shape, and even has Cullen's voice...but it doesn't play like a transformer. It doesn't react well to just being handled. In fact, Thew is the first I've seen to say it's not worth that price. Such is a breath of fresh air. He isn't sucking up to this thing, and being honest. That is what I said. "The first person to talk about the price, and say it isn't worth it"
Keeping in mind it can't be displayed, and even if it could, it's not in scale or style with anything else, it would have to be a center piece. Which of course it can't, due to the aforementioned ragdoll mode, unless displayed in vehicle mode. At which point it's just teasing you with what it can't do.
I saw somebody describe this thing as a “physical NFT” and I have to agree. It’s technically a tangible thing, but you can’t do ANYTHING with it, so it may as well not be.
You put into Purplest Prose the exact thoughts I had when I saw the prototype of this ages ago: “Oh that’s neat! Anyway” *goes back to $25 optimus prime toy*
I think the problems with these types of toys in general is that after an hour you've basically gotten all the playtime out of it that you could've wanted. You've seen everything at that point.
Thew, thank you for posting this! My wife and I saw this at NYCC and naturally, I was like "oh cool!" But we weren't allowed to touch it, just watch the demo. You made some good points and I really respect your opinion. My wife was talking about trying to get a big gift for me for Christmas. And honestly, she was considering trying to get this. But after watching your review, I think I'll opt for a new iPad. Congratulations on 250 reviews!
That was absolutely incredible. You did a fantastic job articulating what is undoubtedly conceptually awesome about this, and then smashed it against the wall of reality without mercy. I feel like there was some genuine disgust and maybe even anger coming across towards the end, you've been faux-angry in some older reviews, but never this genuinely pissed at an item's existence. I truly appreciate the realness of this one. And regarding you doing whatever you want for a bit - that sounds fucking excellent Thew, and I look forward to it. And doesn't have to be a bit, if you ask me, do whatever you want for as long as you want to keep doing this.
The toy element of transformers being tactile puzzles deserves acknowledgement. Also maybe action figure was always a misnomer. I expect some future similar toy will be more adaptable with visions systems like the teddy in AI but it won't change the fundamental line between a toy you watch for entertainment and a toy you control for entertainment. Maybe there's some position in between with interaction but that's still divided I think.
Yes! I've been saying for a long time that Transformers are unique in their appeal to adult collectors because even if you've outgrown taking them out and inventing fantasy scenarios on the carpet, they function as more than just display pieces. They're Rubik's Cubes with character profiles!
With how brutally honest you are about it I actually think it's great they specifically had you do this. I found myself laughing at multiple points but I also love that you simply did not hold back on scrutinizing it's very existence.
It's taken 20 years for people to repeat the mistakes of Armada Optimus Prime's automatically transforming trailer; fun for five minutes the first time, and then batteries out. At least that could hold a pose and still transform without batteries. My biggest fear with Robosen, what happens in 5/10 years when the app no longer exists?
Or if the internals get damaged? I can only imagine how expensive it'd be to get something like this repaired, nevermind finding someone who'd know how to. What a waste of technology and money. It's impressive, but unnecessary.
Or when a light bulb dies? Or when a gear breaks? Or when the buyer realizes it has no functional display options outside of truck mode, which just taunts the owner with what it *can't* do?
@@collegerebel in all technicality anything besides machines or things that actually serve a purpose for work or a life need are a waste of money just let the ppl[ who like it have hair fun no need to be a downer lol
I mostly ended up displaying Armada Optimus in truck mode, with Overload hooked onto the back of the trailer, and Jetfire on top of that on the long hall table. Looked pretty good.
Amazing. I had a huge amount of FOMO and was bummed when this came out. I love Transformers, I love robotics! It looks so cool, yet I can never afford it! You cured any of those thoughts or feelings I had with your truth and honesty. Thank Thew.
I feel like this is the perfect subtle Halloween review episode. Rather than Thee reviewing something monstrous or mildly spooky (or even dressing up), the figure itself is his worst nightmare.
cannot understate how much i appreciate the integrity you showed off to review this thing so honestly WHILE bringing up the cost of living crisis on a review where they literally sent you the damn thing
In the process of poo-pooing a Rubik's Cube that can solve itself, you failed to understand that the Rubik's Cube solving itself was the entire point. Forget it's Optimus Prime for a minute. You're looking at this product through the lens of a toy collector. It's not trying to be a Transformer toy. It's a robot. It's for people who are into robotics. It's like complaining that a Transformers colouring book doesn't transform.
@@CakeorDeath1989 yeah but there’s only so much mileage anyone can get out of a self-solving Rubik’s cube. Even if that IS the point, as a concept it would lose it’s lustre in minutes, whether you can appreciate the craftsmanship or not. Robosen prime, to me, seems like the same deal. As even if you’re “into robotics” and “appreciate the engineering”, it doesn’t change the fact that it really can’t do anything besides the transforming feature and be slightly manipulated by the app. This is all especially crazy when you consider it costs upwards of 1000 USD in most places. I’d definitely expect more from something that costs so much. In my opinion, it’s not for people who enjoy robotics or engineering, let alone transformers, I think it’s for the wealthy crowd who loosely follow tech trends (who seem to be the people buying it atm)
Holy shit, I love this. Every other video I've seen of it has been this fawning thing about how amazing the engineering is (which it looks like it is, to be fair) but nothing about what it's like as an actual thing. Granted, I haven't exactly gone out of my way to search out reviews of it, just seen what few The Algorithm served me. All the stuff about how much space it needed and that it hates carpets opened my eyes. None of the other videos showed it getting stuck or the stupid robot voice it makes when it does.
Same, but as well, I've only seen around one other proper video of it. Depending how common that is, I feel it's almost irresponsible to advertise such a costly thing w/out driving home the practical and especially the technical limitations of it. Imagine committing so much only to find all this out after the fact. Jeez.
None of the other reviews showed it because Thew lives in a really tiny house it seems. Most of the other reviewers showing this thing off live in the US or Canada and have much larger houses as a result.
So many well-meaning people have sent me videos of this thing. They don’t understand Transformers and they don’t understand me. Thank you for articulating my feelings about this thing.
Same thing happened to me man. A lot of people that I know are wowed by this thing. But they don't understand the actual appeal of toy collecting. And this is not it.
"I look at Robosen Optimus Prime and all I see is death" 😂😂😂This is the first video I've checked out on your channel after your fantastic appearances for Hasbro, and it did not disappoint!
Nailed it. Heh, I always thought of transformers as a kind of cross between action figure, puzzle, and stress toy. Some transformations are so satisfying to work through, and I have been known to just flip them back and forth when my brain is churning on a problem. The best designs are a pleasure for the hands: the feel of the ratchets, when things lock or tab into place or an inspired movement reveals itself in the transformation process. As far back as Jumpstarters and Battle chargers doing nosedives off of my coffee table, I've always been more interested when the plastic persona waiting patiently on my bookshelf was a tiny masterpiece of mechanical parts manipulation that somehow made two or more very different modes look and feel fantastic not only when finally locked together, but when they are in the process of bending and unfurling, flipping and undulating cybertronian chunks in my hands. Yes, Robosen's Prime could theoretically make a good entrance into programming - but ironically it keeps you away from the actual physical engineering. If you are interested, a transformer can teach you about parts tolerance, weight and balance, how ratchets and tabs work, how to think about things 3-dimensionally. Often Transformers fans suggest ideas for engineering that I later see Hasbro use, not because these fans are engineers, but because the experience of playing with these things has given them a feel for what works and what doesn't - and usually the end result is more solid and stable. Heh, I had a few friends that BECAME engineers and would talk about transformers as an entrance into their sense of mechanical design. Not that programming isn't a very useful thing to teach; a lot of jobs are disappearing and I have a feeling eventually programming and repair will be pretty much all that's left as AI and machines take over most basic jobs (if Musk can get HIS optimus robot to not be constantly going "hip malfunction", we'll have an Amazon or dock worker that can be bought for $20,000. It would eventually be cheaper for companies to pay that one time and cover repair than it would be to pay multiple years salaries for workers that would probably want more than that $20,000 a year - and as technology gets better and cheaper, the more likely that is to happen). Nonetheless, you don't need a Transformer for that - there are a lot of cheaper and much more effective tools for teaching kids programming on the market. This item feels like an attempt to move a blue collar kids toy into the homes of people with golden toilets that whoosh our monthly incomes down the watery spiral with effulgent disinterest while losing the very things that made that blue collar kids toy satisfying in the process.
You nailed it man, the best transformers are the most satisfying ones to maniuplate, a fine balance of complexity and satisfaction. One that does it one its own is not fun. Now this one sure is alot cooler than the transformers meant for REALLLY young children but the novelty would wear off fast.
Tbh i love the review but i still love the fact that they even made Optimus into a robot wasnt even expected the price tag is insane I definitely agree
This has been my concern with it. it's a thing built to be demoed and keep some hobbyists engaged with the programming thing but other than that it's an expensive thing that let's people know you can spend £1k on a thing to demo to people. It's cool and all but not for us. Was kinda surprised you can't just get it to stand still when you were showing it during that stream the other week. That seems like the one thing a big robot should do really well.
Feels like you're just paying a thousand bucks for a novelty that unless you're a US Military Veteran with a massive two story house with hard wood floors, in other words, the only kind of person who could afford something like this, you won't get much enjoyment out of it. Or, rather, any more enjoyment than a $60 RC Optimus Prime that can also convert into robot mode.
Bold of you to assume that US military vets can have even close to enough money to afford that weaponized wallet destroying thing when half the time the Veteran’s Administration can’t cover shit and not many jobs in the Army or Marine Corps pay particularly well. Unless you’re like an a commissioned officer, who’s usually pretty well off as-is, you ain’t affording shit as a veteran any more than any other person.
This thing is like a gifted child that makes you really proud of it but also makes you think it's too good for you and that you regret giving birth to it
OMG that was great! I'm of the same opinion having just seen the thing. It's a great novelty, but after 30 minutes max I'd be done with it. Thanks for covering the fact that it's always jittering about. I figured you could at least have it standing on a shelf but that seems to not be the case. Even after seeing others gush over it I was just left thinking: 'why?' I do however hope they make different characters just because....you know....the novelty of it and really more so, just seeing the engineering. One of the best things about Transformers is the engineering for some of these figures.
@@tartatovsky Well, yeah. That's what I think because that's how I feel about it. Don't take stuff so personally. I don't actually ask them 'why?', I think to myself....'why?'.
This has to be your biggest takedown of an officially licensed Transformer figure since the Darth Vader/Star Destroyer, and the kicker is they ASKED YOU TO DO IT XD
Thew, you are the first person to actually give this thing a REAL review for this thing! Everything you said was spot-on accurate: It's a novelty; something to be displayed at a trade show or electronics expo where people who like robotics (not toy robots) would get a kick out of it. Transformers fan transform their toys BY HAND, not have it done for them! They display them on a shelf, not have it "breathing" and moving around even in idle! While the engineering is impressive and I love Peter Cullen's voice being used...it really doesn't know it's market. It's got complex settings for programming for adults, yet the play value and RC-car appeal for kids. It's got pristine packaging for MISB collectors but a price for millionaires. A transformer that transforms itself? So basically a toy that plays on it's own and doesn't need someone...makes sense for a toy line that has it's core focus as having the consumer change it from one form to another (or Transform, as it were). Should have just stayed a novelty for expos and not been sold to the public. Thank for the keeping it real, Thew!
I just love how optimus punches unicron during that rant. dunno why but that was so damn funny XD. like the cool new toy you absolutely hate knocking over your potential centre piece
My favorite part about this is how they took one of the most iconic fictional advocates for freedom and turned him into a slave you can literally make dance for your entertainment.
I can't be the only person whose initial draw to Transformers was their tactile appeal. I love fiddling with them, posing them, changing modes. This figure completely misses all that.
Don't look at this as a Transformers toy that transforms itself. Think of it as a consumer robotics product that has the mass appeal of Optimus Prime's face attached. I highly doubt Robosen initially set out with the intent to make Transformers toys. But if you're a small company, you sell a little piece of your soul to Hasbro if it means you get to live to fight another day. Because I guarantee that this Optimus Prime will have sold double, triple, quadruple all of their other products, and that money will be put to good use developing new innovations in future products. So maybe the next iteration of Robosen products won't say "left hand stuck" every five minutes, because they've been able to invest the money into improving the technology. It's business.
This is probably the only REAL review of this Prime. All of the other ones are (understandably) overwhelmed by the sheer joy of seeing a self transforming robot (I would be overwhelmed by that as well). Thanks for finally coming at it from the standpoint of someone who has limited shelf space and likes playing with his toys
I've watched several videos of this thing and my jaw dropped at "left hand is stuck, reboot to restore". NO ONE showed that aspect of this thing. Not only is it nice to see this reviewed with Thew flare, but this is the first HONEST review I've really seen. I love collecting different Optimus Primes, but this is one I never considered, even back when it was 700 and not a GRAND.
Thew, I first caught your videos when you had recently shorn your scalp and were giggling your head off reviewing X-Transbots Apollyon and MP Smokescreen, and as much as I love you death grunting "SCOOOOOORN" into the mic, I have to say this has got to be your best video to date; reasoned, honest, witty, the hole shebang. very well done matey
Every time I saw the original viral video the comments would be filled with people saying 'omg so cool i want this so bad', and if that was the only market research Hasbro/Robosen did I can't say it was particularly thorough. Who is this *actually* for? Even without the financial difficulties we have now this was never going to be affordable or practical or even fun. You know when people say 'omg i want this art as a t-shirt' and then you make the t-shirt but nobody puts their money where their mouth is? This is the t-shirt. Except 50x the price and released in the middle of a critical late-stage capitalist cost of living nightmare.
It's for people who are into robotics. It looks like a recognisable character in pop culture so it has mass appeal. I understand why Transformers RU-vidrs would make videos on it, but it is clearly not catering to Transformers collectors.
@CrosshairsProductions -- You bring up a fantastic point. I help run my wife's business, and so many customers will say "You should make X in the colour Y! I would buy ALL of them!" So we make 50 units of X in the colour Y, because that's often the Minimum Order Quantity the factory will produce. And we sell maybe ONE unit per year while the rest of the MOQ takes up warehouse space and incurs storage costs.
I respect his review. Its not just the honesty, its the reality. He illustrated *why* this isn’t fit for everyone, even if they **really** want to own it: Lack of open living space, your various home surfaces interfering with its movements (this is a BIG one), inability to display in robot mode, it does the transforming work for you, fun for a short while *UNLESS* you’re programming new moves for it, too fancy to really be a toy, you’re deathly afraid of wearing/damaging it, the app may eventually become unsupported, the high price, releasing this in a recession. Price aside, I think the biggest issue from his review is that many surfaces, even ones you think would be fine, even after adding on the foot grips, will still interrupt the proper operation of this toy. I would be furious if Hasbro black listed him because of this honest review, and I say that as someone who owns 2 of these Primes with 2 trailers on preorder. It’s a marvelous piece, but people need to realize that it may not be for them and their home conditions may not be compatible for it to work right. So I’m quite glad Thew pointed such issues out for anyone curious about this item.
I didn’t realize that turning him off would cause him to completely collapse. Meaning you can’t display him in robot mode at all. That seems like a huge oversight on their part. What were they thinking?
Keep on the good work and love you repeatedly mentioning that releasing this kind of thing during such an economic crisis and then advertising through reviews is ghastly. Important message to get across! Thanks, Thew!
So Thew managed to review Robosen Optimus Prime? On the surface, one would assume that an electronic Optimus that transforms by itself would be a dream come true, but now we've learned that several drawbacks outweigh the pros. Plus, Optimus' asking price would only make him suitable for collectors who have computer programming skills and more disposable income than most of us. 15:11: Careful, Thew, because that almost sounded like Piccolo's meme-worthy "inert" line from Dragon Ball Z.
Absolutely loved this review here. Unfortunately it is one of those "toys" thats a concept and it cant even be used as just a standing guy. Even if i bought a cool expensive 3rd party lightsaber i could still like display it. Its not going to break and go "Sorry we dont do that here". Another one under the "its cool and all but i aint buying it...i gotta pay rent"
This is what I love about Thew. He doesn't try to sell you on toys like other Transformer reviewers (That Toy Guy). Thew just gives you facts and lets his viewers decide if they want to buy it or not. That said, I would never buy this for most of the same reasons Thew has said. You can't pick it up and play with it, you can't display it anywhere, and you have to rely on an app to use it.
I think a lot of us of moderate income have gone through the same cycle of thoughts: 1 - Wow, that's cool 2 - I want it 3 - That is insanely expensive 4 - I still kinda want it but I can't afford it 5 - Wait... what would I actually DO with it? 6 - I mean really... I might get 15 mins of fun before it goes into a closet... 7 - You know, I'm good.
I know it is not even close to being the biggest issue with this toy, but GOD that single red kibble panel behind his head absolutely drives me to extremes Like would it have been THAT expensive to have one more joint on the thing to cover it up?!
Thank you! This was the review I needed! You're spot on! Everyone else I've heard just praise it in a demo setting, looking at the cool movements. And yea, they are cool! Really cool! But you put it in context, and asked the hard questions of playability, and what are we actually gonna do with it?!?
I love the points you have presented here. They are something that collectors can think and ponder about this robot. When you said that it being a display piece can be an issue, that made me think. As an Optimus Prime fan I would love to display it in my shelf. Another good point you emphasized is the space required for it to operate optimally. Man I am having space problems with my current collection so that means this robot is not for my collection for now. Your review did not make me despise this robot but it allowed me to assess this more thoroughly before buying it. Thanks for making this review. 😊
Great reThew as always, but I do recall seeing an easier way to program it if you want. Somewhere on the app you can just move the limbs to where you want them to go, I don't remember how speed factors into it, but that's as hands on as it gets.
