Optimus Prime (2007 Movie Version) [Classic Class]

Lately, a documentary about the live-action Transformers films has been making the rounds, and honestly, the random behind-the-scenes insanity has been pretty funny. It also got me thinking about those movies again—which, despite how much people complain about them, always seem to be playing on some FAST channel. Funny how that works.

As I’ve said before, flaws and all, I have fun with the movies. It felt like a good excuse to dig into my ever-growing backlog and finally build this Blokees Transformers Classic Class kit of Optimus Prime as he appeared in the 2007 film.

This one was a Christmas gift from the Mrs and works as a nice counterpart to the 2007 Megatron kit I covered earlier this year.

 I still remember when early images of this design started circulating around 2006. People lost their minds—mostly because the leak was of the truck mode. Instead of the classic flat-nosed cab, we got a long-nose truck with blue and red flames, and for some reason a lot of folks expected a straight G1 adaptation. Personally, I was kind of hoping he'd be for something closer to the G2 Laser Rod Optimus Prime design due to the truck… and, hey, he did end up with glowing swords.

At that point, after 20-something years of Transformers, I was already used to redesigns. I thought the movie designs looked cool—leaning more into something alien—and I was always ready for something new.

This kit ended up being a really pleasant surprise. Not just because I like Transformers or Blokees, but because the build itself was more involved than I expected. Most Blokees kits are quick, but this one took some time. All those layered details in the movie design? They’re layered here too.

I assumed parts like the chest might be larger, single molded pieces—but no, it’s built up from multiple components, which gives the figure a lot of depth. There’s also a solid amount of paint detail on things like the flame deco. It looks great—likely tampographed, which I’m totally fine with.

One thing that I've always noticed with this design is just how long and skinny his legs are. It never fully clicked until I was putting him together, but they honestly look like a pair of flared jeans with flame airbrushing—like something you’d find at Hot Topic in the late ’90s or early 2000s. I have no idea if that was intentional, but I can’t unsee it now.

Once assembled, Optimus is nicely articulated and can pull off a wide range of poses. He comes with his blaster, both swords, and multiple hands to make the most of it. Like other movie Blokees kits, he also has a light-up feature… and like my robot mode Optimus Primal kit from Rise of the Beasts, the battery was dead out of the box. Awesome.

My only real complaint with the build is that some parts require a very specific touch to get seated properly. I’ve got big fingers, so that didn’t help, but a few pieces definitely tested my patience. The sides of his head, in particular, kept popping off even when they seemed secure. After a few attempts—and some wiener voiced cursing—I ended up disassembling and rebuilding that section entirely. No idea what I did differently the second time, but it worked.

Also worth noting: to equip the swords, you’ll need to partially disassemble the forearms. It’s not a huge deal, but something to be aware of.

Despite a few frustrations, this was a really fun build. I enjoyed the layered construction, and the final result looks fantastic. There’s also an “EX” version with metallic parts and upgraded paint, paired with an “Iceman” Megatron in a two-pack. Based on how good this standard release turned out, I imagine those look incredible.

On its own, though, this Optimus already feels like one of the more premium Classic Class kits—and it looks the part.

Godzilla Minus Zero (trailer)

November 3rd & 6th 2026

Holy Shit 

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

I just got back from seeing The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and just like the first movie, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

While the movie takes inspiration from Super Mario Galaxy, it pulls from all over the Mario series. There are even appearances from other Nintendo properties, which makes it feel like a full-on celebration. Like the previous movie, it’s a fun love letter to Nintendo fans while still being an enjoyable ride for all ages.

Like I usually do with movie posts, I’ll avoid spoilers. But since he’s been all over the marketing, I think it’s safe to mention Fox McCloud showing up. Seeing Fox and his Arwing from Star Fox in the movie was really fun, and I’m hoping it leads to more Star Fox in general—games, a movie… or, as the Mrs pointed out, toys. I’d absolutely lose my mind if Fox showed up in those little Mario figure displays at the Walmart check out. I check those things every time I’m there.

The movie isn’t a direct adaptation of Super Mario Galaxy, but it's used more of a framing device, similar to how the first movie worked. It’s probably too early for me to decide which one I like more, but right now it feels like a natural continuation. It blends really well with the first movie, and I like that a lot.

Honestly, I’m still riding a high from watching it. As a big Mario fan, this thing is packed with so many Easter eggs and references it’s kind of mind-blowing. I’m still thinking about the Pro Wrestling poster hanging on Mario’s bedroom wall.

I’ve seen some people online already trashing it, but they feel like the same type who went after the first movie—people who just hate popular things to try and seem interesting instead of developing an actual personality.

Me? I loved it.

I made a complete dork of myself. I brought a small Mario figure with me and wore a Mario Kart shirt. The theater had Super Mario candy and themed ICEEs, plus Yoshi popcorn buckets that were already sold out. I grabbed a pack of Feastables Yoshi Eggs—white chocolate with peanut butter—which felt very appropriate with it being Easter. They were actually pretty good.

I don’t really know who MrBeast is, but I like a lot of his products. It honestly feels like he just appeared one day out of nowhere. Who the hell even is he?

The Mrs grabbed one of the ICEEs—Mario Cherry and Princess Peach (peach flavor... wouldn't it be great if it was mango or something?). She went with Mario. I tried a few sips and yeah… it’s just cherry. Still fun, though. I had a Pepsi Zero Sugar... I might be addicted.

On the way out, we noticed the theater had a custom Mario balloon sculpture in the lobby. No idea how we missed it on the way in, but it was a nice extra touch.

Overall, it was just a really fun experience on top of a great movie, all centered around something I’ve loved forever. Pretty awesome.

By the Power of Grayskull!

Wickedness comes this Way Occasionally

There must have been a rule back to show Something Wicked this Way Comes on local channels around Halloween time in the day. It was on steady rotation on TV's during the spooky season all over the UHF dial. Before that, Disney Channel would include it in their downright awesome Halloween programming. The movie used to terrify me as a kid... but now not so much. Still, it's charm is inescapable. In these days of streaming apps, I really hope some kids stumbles onto it. Something Wicked this way Stumbles.

Candy Corn and Vengeance

This move seemed to always play on a local station on random Saturday afternoons when I was a kid. I'd usually flip across it during a scary part, watch for a second, and get told to mow the grass. I really appreciate it as an adult. It's a great little movie where the bad guys are the main characters. Last year, I watched it on Halloween night after all the trick or treaters stopped coming. The Mrs had fallen asleep on the couch and I had a bag of candy corn. It made for a very pleasant way to close out the spooky season. Think I'll spend another pumpkin spiced night with it this year again. Just need some candy corn.

Transformers One

I saw the newest Transformers movie this past weekend and loved it. Transformers One was an animated feature length movie that I feel is the movie Transformers fans have been wanting all this time. As usual with movies, I took in a Sunday morning showing. My mother came along and even bought me a Bumblebee popcorn bucket. It's worth noting that the Mrs bought our tickets on Transformers Day earlier in the week. All things considered, it felt super fitting. This movie really felt perfect during the 40th anniversary.

I'm trying not to give away any spoilers while talking about the movie. So if I seem vague, that's why. This movie is a love letter to the Transformers fandom. Ever since 2003 when the live action movies were announced, this is the sort of thing many of us hoped for. In fact, I strongly have been recalling an old fan rumor from the 90's ever since leaving the theater. During beast era, the idea of Mainframe making a CGI version of 'G1' was pretty prevalent. So many folks believed they'd outright remake the original cartoon using the original voice tracks. At the time I figured they'd make something new that referenced like the original series, much as what Beast Wars had done. In many ways that's what this movie ended up being. A clean start that heavily referenced what came before. 

This movie felt like the theatrical adaptation of the classic Transformers cartoon many fans hoped for when the movies were announced. A new take on Orion Pax's early adventures before becoming Optimus Prime with a new light on his relationship with Megatron. In more recent years the idea of them originally being friends has been a constant, but it was actually well done here. Like, you felt their love for each other as best friends during the adventure leading up to heartbreak losing a relationship like that can bring. Along the way we got a new look into the miners and the caste system that plagued Cybertronian society. As someone who grew up from working class roots, that's something I can certainly identify with even if the extremes differ. 

I definitely loved the extended cast showing up as side and background characters. Something as simple as Hound walking by or Prowl in one scene made a huge difference. Cybertron was packed full of classic Transformers characters and I loved it. As friend noted the only thing that would have been more perfect would have been a showing of the 40th anniversary short right before it started. I agree. This was a very special movie that will touch your heart. My only criticism is that I wish the heel turn would have been stretched out a little longer. It's done well, I just would have liked to see D-16's descent a little more. The movie is hilarious, but only when appropriate. That was an early complaint I saw when the trailers started showing. Just like I predicted back then, it was a much more serious toned film. I really hope more films following this follows and even a TV series. I want more of this. 

P.S-Don't miss the after credits scene.

Bios: Ravage

Bulleting down through the atmosphere at better than 15 times the speed of sound, Ravage considers the data he has already amassed on the small, soft creatures that inhabit this planet. They seem weak and fragile, yet they are the ones that destroyed Megatron. That is a fact he will keep in mind as he penetrates their most sensitive installation. Against such an unpredictable enemy, stealth will be his watchword.

Strength: 6 Intelligence: 9 Speed: 7 Endurance: 7
Rank: 4 Courage: 10 Fireblast: 4 Skill: 8

Transformers One trailer in space!

At 9am this morning I watched the live Transformers One trailer in space. If you weren't there, it was a camera on a drone that flew up to space with an Autobot symbol. The trip took an hour, in which I took a nap. My alarm went off in time to see space for a few minutes before the camera shifted to a screen that then played the trailer in the video above. I was optimistic about this movie before, but now I'm ecstatic. This looks like a lot of fun and I plan to be there the whole way. I really hope they make toys of the deer.

Ghosterbusters: Frozen Empire

I just got home from my first movie of the Empire of Old double feature weekend. I have been looking for the newest Ghostbusters movie since it was announced and despite my viewing being delayed a week, was VERY excited to see the newest adventure. Considering the movie is just a week old at this point and just opening in other countries now... I'll try my best to avoid spoilers. That being said, this was an absolute blast. Frozen Empire feels more like a feature length episode of the Real Ghostbusters than a movie. One of the new team members is even a direct homage to the animated version of Egon.

That's a good thing as after 40 years I want to feel the 40 years of Ghostbusters in the newest movie. Frozen Empire is a solid adventure with a great story. Garraka is a solid final boss and a serious threat. I enjoyed the idea of getting the chills being used as weapon. As a long time Ghostbusters fan, the variety of ghosts and gadgets was pure euphoria. The various story lines of each character was a real treat as well. There was a big cast and everyone had their own thing going on in addition to the main plot.That made the movie so much better, there was just so much going on. My only disappointment was when it ended. Great movie.

Bios: Comettor

Optimus Prime and Comettor partner up for lunar battles. Quick, agile, and tough, Comettor is specially engineered for ultimate performance on the harsh lunar surface. His high-caliber compressed Energon cannon easily breaks through Decepticon fortifications, allowing Comettor and his Autobot soldiers to roll in with the heavy weaponry.

Strength: 4 Intelligence: 5 Speed: 8 Endurance: 6

Rank: 4 Courage: 6 Fireblast: 7 Skill: 6

Godzilla Minus One

My local movie theaters clearly didn't want me to see Godzilla Minus One. Though after planning a short road trip, everything changed and it was suddenly showing at my regular theater. So, I finally got to watch the movie without any trouble aside from a delay. It wasn't easy feeling like missing out as I kept hearing about just how good of a new film this is. That's one of my biggest take aways from the movie... it's actually a really good movie. I think it's fair to say it'd be just as good without Godzilla in it. Though I'm not complaining about his role either.

In so many ways, Minus One feels like a remake of the original Godzilla film from 1954 with a different story. It hits the familiar notes and tones, but differently. I also appreciate just how much like an actual animal Godzilla feels. They really captured that well. Not to mention just how big of a threat he imposes. I've been watching these movies my entire life and this is probably the first time the threat felt real. It's just so tangible in this movie. They did a really good job. Not to mention, Godzilla's design is just great. Talking about this without spoiling is hard, as I just want to go over every scene with anybody and everybody. There's no other way to say it, this movie is perfect.

Scourge w/ Predacon Scorponok (Beast Alliance/Beast Combiners)

Coming back to the Beast Alliance figures from Rise of the Beasts is Scourge with Scorponok. This set is a nice departure from the other Beast Combiner. There's something about Scourge rocking the beast armor that just works. Like other Beast Combiner main bots, he is a more simpler figure. That doesn't take away from the pleasantness of him. He's a satisfying toy of the movie incarnation of Scourge with a little more color. In the movie Scourge is really dark while this toy gives us a little visual variety with a mainly copper/brown body. It makes for a good looking departure. He turns into a Mad Max style truck like other Scourge toys.

Scorponok is a pleasantly large partner figure. A scorpion (duh) that combines with Scourge (or any other Beast Combiner) easily by fitting over the base robots head and shoulders. His tail becomes a melee weapon that I like to think is a whip. Combined mode really stands out as it gives Scourge an extra set of arms and an overall gnarly look. It's worth noting that Scorponok fits onto Scourge facing forward as opposed to sideways across the shoulders like the other Beast Combiners. Thanks to Scorponok and Scourge's dirtier colors combined with the more monstrous looks... we get a pretty unique looking robot. There's a definite fantasy flavor to the super robot styling of this toy. I like it. This is a pretty unique Beast Combiner and so far the best looking one I've covered so far. We've got one more Beast Combiner to look at soon, but until then, let's appreciate this mutant freak.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Woo!

Rhinox (Rise of the Beasts/Voyager

I've always liked Rhinox, it's hard not to. He's this really likable gentle giant who's also the smartest person in the room (not counting the events of Beast Machines). Being one of the robots from the new movie, he's getting plenty of toys. This is his Voyager figure from the 'main line' of Transformers Rise of the Beasts. It's pretty great. I know I've been saying that a lot regarding these, and that's because they are. To me anyway, you might think differently. That's ok. I'm not pretending to be the definitive opinion on anything. This is just mine, and I like these toys. Being a Voyager class figure, Rhinox is pretty large. He's a big guy, so he should be.

Rhinox is fairly articulated and well sculpted. Many of you might wonder why there's a mainline and Studio Series Voyager figure of the same character... and that's a fair question. The Studio Series is meant to be a collectors line, while this is a better fit for all ages. This Rhinox is a little more toyetic, his transformation is a little easier and has more 'fun' features. These features aren't some sort of play gimmick, but accessories. Rhinox has his twin Chain Guns of Doom and the beast mode horn can be used as a melee weapon or mounted on his shoulder. The guns can rotate and of course pay homage to classic Rhinox's famous weapons while the melee weapon is similar to the one his Transmetal version wielded. That's probably not an intentional homage, but I find these movie beast warrior designs similar to Transmetals. So that's a neat extra, even if accidental. 

The chain guns can mount on his beast mode's sides giving a pretty fun look to the rhino. In the movie, Rhinox has a big hammer... as does his Studio Series toy. Like I said, they made this version more toyetic... this is fun. Not to mention, I kinda like this better. It's got a little more character. If I did have a complaint, it's that Rhinox could use more color. However, it's a movie toy so... yeah. Despite that, Rhinox is a really fun figure. He's big and chonky, nut not a brick. There's plenty of play value with his various accessorizes and they store away nicely in beast mode. I haven't had much bad things to say about the toys from this movie, and the way things are going, won't. That's a pretty great thing.

Mirage (Battle Changers/Beast Alliance)

Returning to our looks at the Battle Charger class is Mirage from Rise of the Beasts. Like the others before him, he's a simple figure to scale with others in the Beast Alliance sub-line. He's also a lot like the Bumblebee Battle Charger in that there's no interacting with Beast Battle Masters unfortunately. One can't be held nor one cannot be plugged into a port. Ignoring the gimmick incompatibility, Mirage is still a neat little figure. I'm not the only one who has noticed Mirage's toys aren't exactly screen accurate. Like some of the Cheetor toys, I'm guessing this is another result of designs getting changed during toy production. Maybe one day we'll get a more screen accurate figure, but honestly... I like the look of the current toys.

Thanks the silver, Mirage makes me think of Baron Von Joy. His simplicity goes with that comparison. I initially thought there was a mouth plate instead of the face we all know... but was wrong. He's got a mouth, just not a super obvious one. Admittedly... I kinda like the idea of a mouth plate. It may not be screen accurate, but it'd match this design. Mirage turns into a Porsche 911, which looks pretty great. We've all had the Jazz conversation before, it just is what it is. I don't mind it so much here. Maybe because it's so hard to hate on Mirage after seeing the movie. Like other Battle Changers, a hand will flip out into a weapon. It's a harmless way to give Mirage a gun that won't get lost and works well on such a simple toy. I like the gimmick. I like this Mirage, he's a simple little toy for not a lot of money.

Cheetor (Jungle Mission 3 pack)

Cheetor is the reason I wanted the Jungle Mission 3 pack to begin with. Fortunately the entire set was pretty great. As of this writing, I haven't seen the movie yet (but will have by the time you read this). I know enough going in that this toy is not based on his character design from the movie. A few of Cheetor's toys were made from an earlier working design that's closer to his original Beast Wars character. This is giving us some variety in cool cats, but probably confusing a few folks. To be fair, this has happened with prior movies (and even a few regular line) toys. While I enjoy his movie design, the BW fan in me is overjoyed. There's a fair amount of tech detailing that really adds a cool twist on the classic design.

Of course Cheetor turns into a cheetah, and while the robot mode was classic BW, this has a Transmetal vibe. I dig it. For the record, I do not have a bad thing to say about this toy. Cheetor is one of my favorite Transformers characters and I love getting new toys of him. The more mechanical parts in his beast mode break up the main yellow of the cheetah body with some brown in the hind legs. This is an odd color choice that I wouldn't have made on my own. However I do think it looks good. While it's a different big cat, the colors make me mentally think Tiger Force from GIJOE. I love how these toys are making me come up with all these mental comparisons. The metallic blue Maximal symbol is also a nice touch. It contrasts really nicely against the yellow. I've always like blue and yellow together.

Cheetor transforms fairly easily and everything goes where you'd expect it too. I did find myself struggling here as it is a slight bit different from prior Cheetah toys and my fingers went into full muscle memory from the Kingdom mold. I guess with the multiple different versions of that toy, my mind just assumed it was another one. A lot of people have mistaken this for a remold of the Kingdom one and to be fair... it'd be easy to do so from pictures alone. However it is a much different toy in hand. Things work and joints move differently. Just as visually, engineering is a different take on a similar design.

Cheetor has a variation of some of his classic weapons. A laser gun stores from his abdomen similar to the classic toy's 'gut gun' and the beast mode tail once again becomes a melee weapon. This time a sword similar to the original Beast Machines toy. It's really neat how this toy is as much of an update of prior ideas as is a new take. I really like it. Score one for this cool cat... I'll never not say that.

Rise of the Beasts

I tend to see movies on opening weekend as opposed to opening day. I specifically perfer to see them on Sunday mornings to avoid a big crowd. That being said... I just saw Rise of the Beasts and boy are my arms tired... wait. So anyway, I'm here to talk about this movie today! Since this isn't a clickbait news site, there'll be no intentional spoilers. However I will be talking about some of my views of the movie, so there will likely be some. With that in mind, if your reading this on the main page, please continue after the break if you'd like. If you followed a link, fair warning.

MAYBE SPOILERS BELOW

Optimus Prime (Beast Alliance/Battle Changers)

I'm taking another look at the Beast Alliance Battle Changers with Optimus Prime. He is a better representative of the size class than Bumblebee with gimmick compatibility. Battle Changers Optimus is similar to a Legion/Legend class toy only sized up. I can see that being a turn off for some folks, but if you know what you're getting going in... then it just is what it is. Battle Changers are meant to be a lower cost option and seeing as they're to scale with the higher priced Beast Alliance figures... it kinda works out. I'd be lying if the fact that this lower priced option is what I paid for a deluxe about 11-12 years ago didn't irk me... but times change.

Optimus turns into a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT), which is a militarily truck that's kinda like a hardcore version of his standard semi truck. Personally, I think this fits Optimus pretty well. It looks cool. As you'd expect the transformation to robot mode is fairly simple and you end up with a fairly satisfying figure of Optimus Prime. Optimus has a basic level of articulation, arms move from the shoulders and legs from the hips. His forearms do swivel from transformation adding a little extra possibility. Like I said prior, he has compatibility with the lines gimmicks. Specifically the Battle Masters. Optimus can hold one in weapon mode or it can plug into his forearms. Like other Battle Changers so far, he has a flip out weapon. His sword from prior movies folds out and it's pretty neat.

Battle Changers Optimus Prime is a fun simple toy that's probably not going to be for everyone. That's ok... there's literally a ton of product coming out for this movie, so I'm sure there's a little something for everyone. This is clearly intended for children to have little adventures with that's more affordable in these somewhat harder economic times. Considering this toy was probably designed during the pandemic with expectations for the current economy in mind... just think what's in store about two years from now.

For somebody who likes gimmick toys and enjoys oddball little things like myself, Battle Changers are pretty neat. They're an entryway, lower cost figure for a play pattern designed sub line. Honestly I do wonder if these will continue past Rise of the Beasts as it sure is a pretty fleshed out system for a movie tie in line. I've been a fan of these simpler toys for some time now anyway as they make me think of older style robot designs. While I've been happy to see the advances in things going forward, older style robot toys still had a place in my heart.

Rise of the Mermaid

At my #GotGVol3 screening they played the transformers and little mermaid trailers at the same time and they synced up perfectly pic.twitter.com/IVoxjaWQYN

— Blake Perry (@BlakeRobPerry) May 5, 2023

This could be the best movie ever.