General Information:
Release Date: May 2009
Price Point: $11.99 (varies depending on retailer)
Retailer: General (Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart etc.)
Accessories: None

Images:

• On Card
• Official Photo
• Scan of card front
• Scan of card back
• Front view
• Side view
• Back view
• Close up
• Angle view
• Posed featuring blade
• Alternate pose
• Running pose

Text from Hasbrotoyshop.com:
OPTIMUS PRIME knew that the destruction of MEGATRON was only the beginning of the end of the long, long war he had fought. Hundreds of DECEPTICONS remained alive to threaten the safety of the galaxy. So he continues to train, continues to see that his weapons are as powerful as he can make them, because he knows that one day, he will be called upon to again defend Earth against the evil of the DECEPTICONS.

Recreate exciting movie scenes with this awesomely detailed figure – or just add him to your collection! For play or display, this mighty leader is a must-have for AUTOBOT and DECEPTICON fans alike!

Fully poseable figure is movie-accurate to the finest detail! Figure does not convert.

The Robot Replicas line continues for "Revenge of the Fallen", and one of the first in the lineup is Optimus Prime. The new set of Robot Replicas are different than their predecessors in a couple ways. First, the Revoltech based joint system that characterized the first line of Robot Replicas is gone. Instead, use of a combination of ratchet and ball joints make up the figure's joint system now. Another change is the lack of accessories. The first Robot Replicas Optimus Prime could detach a forearm so you could attach a weapon-based forearm in its place. This is just one solid figure without any alternate parts.

One of the great parts about making a non-transforming version of a Transformers character is that the designers are free to focus on the look of a figure instead of having to worry about the looks and functionality in two different forms. Optimus' head sculpt is quite intricate. You can see fine details such as the circles on the sides of the mouthplate, the segmented portions of his central crest and the two flat, antennae pieces on the sides of his head. Several of the pieces are sculpted with bits and pieces that do not necesarily appear properly on other versions of Optimus. This includes the tubes on top of his shoulders, the triangular panels on either side of his head and a raised panel set at an angle on each forearm.

The way Optimus Prime is designed in the movies, his arms and legs seem to constantly be held out to the sides a bit. It gives him the appearance of walking almost like a cowboy out of some parody of an old western movie, but that's the point. When you see Optimus, he gives the impression of weight and power and he's literally carrying himself around with pride and power. This figure represents that well. The way his arms are designed, you can angle his arms out a bit on the shoulder joints, and his legs are set far enough from his hip joints that they look set far out a bit. His legs get wider as you move down them until you get to his really wide feet, something else the CGI model has as well.

By removing transformation as a factor, there's one more thing the designers could do which is make the figure relatively thin. Several transforming interations of Optimus had backpacks and bits of the truck mode hanging off of him. Here, these parts can be consolidated and made smaller such as the wheels on his legs and the bits of his vehicle mode on his chest. These proportions match up well with the CGI model, where many parts are "cheated" in the transformation and wind up compressing against the main body in ways that would be tough to do on a transforming figure.

Unlike the Robot Replica form the first movie, this Optimus does not come with interchangeable hands. Instead, his left arm has a fist while the right has his blade weapon. It's a bit thinner than its portrayed on the screen and that's a bit disappointing. If you're going to eliminate swappable arms, at least give us a mean looking blade. Still, the blade itself is well detailed with machinery at the base leading up to and along the blade.

Optimus Prime has sixteen points of articulation. This includes four points in each leg and an interesting articulation point in the chest. Each half of the chest is set on a ball joint, allowing him to push his chest out and aiding in the articulation of the arms. It certainly adds character to the figure and gives it a stronger feeling of being a dynamic, "living" machine.

Optimus is cast in silver, red and blue plastic. Metallic blue, gold, red, dark blue, orange and silver plastic are used for coloring in details. Most of the silver is used for mechanical bits such as the upper legs and his elbows. The metallic blue is used on his windows while the red color fills in bits of the vehicle mode on his chest and back. Red is also used for many of his flame details, usually set against the dark blue parts. The gold color is used for tiny parts such as the distinct circles on his chest and at the top of his legs. Orange is used for the blade weapon, giving it the apearance of glowing energy (one of my favorite effects on the CGI model).

Final Thoughts:
I'm really a fan of figures that are meant to represent characters more accurately. I see Robot Replicas much like the "Star Wars Unleashed" figures that offer superior sculpting. Optimus Prime has all this and great articulation to boot. However, the thing that keeps me from making this highly recommended is the price point. For roughly the same price (give or take a dollar) I can get a deluxe or Fast Action Battler figure that transforms and has good sculpting as well. This makes figures like this a hard sell, appealing to only hardcore fans. What makes this particular figure an even harder sell is the fact that a similar figure with more accessories was already released two years ago. I do recommend this figure, but only for the most hardcore of fans.