It’s Prime Time for Prime 1 Studio’s Optimus Prime Statue

There's no shortage of Transformers collectibles out there, however if you're looking outside of Takara and Hasbro for anything beyond the standard fare, pickings are pretty slim. In recent years, more companies have been dabbling in larger-form figures and statues, and that's particularly true of Prime 1 Studio. While most of you might recall that name due to the company's outstanding Batman pieces, Prime 1 has also released a few movie-based Transformers statues.

Your mileage may vary on what you think of the films and those designs, but Prime 1 did quite a number on bringing them to life. Now the company is taking its talents to the Generations branch, and its kicking things off with the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime. There are about a thousand ways to call something beautiful, and none of them are strong enough to fit for how amazing this new statue looks.

Designed by Josh Nizzi, the Premium Masterline Optimus Prime Transformers Generations 1 statue is based on the character's look in the classic '80s cartoon and toy line, commonly referred to as Generation 1. It's not an exact recreation, but more an updated interpretation filled out with detail that wouldn't have been possible back in 1984. And oh how much detail there is. To be fair, it's a little bit easier to get nuance like wiper blades, rotors, fan belts, dozens and dozens of rivets and more packed in there when the piece you're working on is 24" tall. Optimus Prime has never been a small Transformer, relatively speaking, but this two-foot tall piece of art sets a new precedent for how grand a Transformers collectible can be.

I've been staring at these pictures for an hour now, and I'm still picking up subtleties I didn't at first glance. I can imagine the same will hold true when I see one in person (obviously in someone's collection because no writer could afford this). As nice as all the production shots are, they just can't compete with the actual, physical product being right there in front of you. The paint app is immaculate in this prototype as well, striking the perfect balance between a realistic truck cab and alien technology. The LED lights in the head are a nice touch, too. They give ol' Optimus a little bit of life. For the hefty price and size, I'd expect some sort of lighting to make the piece that much more impressive.

The Premium Masterline Optimus Prime Transformers Generations 1 statue doesn't have a release date just yet, but there will only be 1500 created, and it will cost $999 when it does arrive. An exclusive edition (750 pieces) will be offered as well, and he'll include Prime's energy axe as a swappable weapon.

We'll update this post with more details when Sideshow Collectibles has them.