New $70 Optimus Prime toy can self-transform between car and robot via remote control

May 31, 2022

A toy company has designed its own self-transforming Optimus Prime.

Set to arrive in September, Jada Toys’ Transformers Optimus Prime Converting R/C toy is able to transform from a 12-inch-long truck into a 13-inch-tall robot via remote control.

While in robot mode, the action figure can perform different poses and even walk, albeit in a “separated leg-like movement.” It features the classic, first-generation (G1) Transformers look from the original cartoon series, as well as lights, sounds and recorded voice lines.

While the toy’s launch is still months away, fans have already been posting images and videos of the product in the wild.

Priced at just $69.99, this version of the iconic robot from American company Jada Toys, founded in 1999 by Jack and May Li, is a cheaper alternative to the self-transforming toy manufactured by Robosen Robotics.

Last August, Robosen released the $700 Optimus Prime. The unique toy utilizes robotics technology that makes use of about 5,000 components including 27 servo motors, 60 connected microchips and a mobile app. In April, the company launched an accompanying auto-converting trailer.

Robosen’s toy also features voice commands that allow owners to shout phrases such as “roll out” and “convert” to control the robot.

The Transformers franchise, which revolves around sentient, autonomous robots who can transform into vehicles and animals, originated from Japanese toy lines Diaclone and Micro Change designed by legendary anime creator Shōji Kawamori.

Rebranded for Western markets by Japanese company Takara and American toy company Hasbro in 1984, Transformers has since become a cultural and commercial phenomenon worth billions of dollars.

Featured Image via Boomer 97.3

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