Studio Series 32 and 44 Optimus Prime Review: A B- Effort in a Long Line of B- Optimus Primes

While the original Studio Series 05 Optimus Prime was and still is a fantastic toy, partly because we haven't seen such an affordable, screen-accurate movie Optimus figure in a long time when it came out, this Studio Series 32 Optimus Prime is slightly better in every way. Originally released in 2019, which is somehow an entire 2 years ago now, I never got around to publishing a review because I was too busy completing my 9 year streak of working without a vacation, sick leave, or health care.

But I digress. This review also covers the differently painted Studio Series 44 Optimus Prime that comes with an unpainted, grey trailer and poorly sized, ugly weapons that become hideous, ugly, dumb armor. Other than those things, its same exact toy as SS-32. 

Speaking of trailers, the nicely painted trailer that you see as a prop in my photos belongs to an older movie Optimus toy that I can't even remember the name of at this point. It's not important. Let's move on.

SS-32 Optimus's chest looks a heck of a lot more screen accurate that previous movie Optimus toys. Small tweaks like the forearm thickness, longer legs, and taller head position makes him look like a completely different toy than the old SS-05 movie Optimus Prime figure. 

The vehicle mode also looks better thanks to the painted grille, wheels, and the overall increase in size. Woot woot! Hasbro heard us and listened, ya'll. A lot of us Transformers nerds, or T-Nerds as we like to be called, complained that the SS-05's size was too small to scale properly with the rest of the team. 

Of course, like others in the series, SS-32 Optimus is as poseable as hell. The waist joint makes me happy every time, even though he is screaming out for ratchet join lets and arms because...

He combines with Jetfire! He looks wicked, dunnit he? He even maintains that sweet, sweet waist joint. This mode isn't as screen accurate as I would like, but he still looks cool af.

That said, the top-heaviness of the combined mode can easily overwhelm the leg joints. You can get him into a few cool poses, but good luck getting him to stand still for two goddamn minutes. Worse still, the blue pegs on the back of my copy of Optimus are already showing stress marks from the weight of Jetfire's kibble. Not good. You're going to anyway, but I wouldn't buy any SS Optimus Prime toy for the combined mode as it basically turns your action figure into a statue.

Back to Optimus himself: I'm dismayed with how robot mode features more accuracy in some areas but in others he takes a few steps back. The truck mode fenders, both front and rear, stick out even worse than the previous SS-05 toy, and the wheels are still poorly integrated in robot mode via cheap feeling plastics. Those areas and his super short, non-telescoping smoke stacks cements SS-32 Optimus Prime as another B- effort in long line of B- movie Optimus Prime toys. Great, I guess?

While SS-35 Jetfire is almost GOAT, SS-32 Optimus Prime isn't so close. I'll happily give Hasbro a combined $260 for a studio series Devestator (review coming soon) that'll just sit on a shelf literally until I die, but Hasbro still refuses to deliver a movie Optimus Prime that's vastly improved over their previous toys? C'mon, Hasbro, remember MPM Optimus? Just make a mainline toy like that but smaller! Easy! Toss in the trailer, guns, and blades and I'll give ya $60 for him I promise; just do it! I believe in you!

Honestly, even in 2021, SS-32 Optimus is a good buy if you're not too picky. Otherwise, for the best mainline, screen accurate movie Optimus toy, I suggest looking for SS-44 Optimus instead. Either way, they both combine with Jetfire and they're both fun despite their flaws.