LEGO 1,500-piece Optimus Prime Transformer set reportedly launching this summer

If all of the recent summer LEGO action wasn’t enough, today 9to5Toys is able to confirm reports on what may very well be the biggest collaboration of 2022. Slated to team up with Hasbro, the LEGO Group will be bringing the very first brick-built Transformer to its collection with an Optimus Prime set come May. Head below for everything we know so far.

LEGO Optimus Prime Transformer set in the works

First noted by the folks at PromoBricks, there has been a report that 2022 will see the LEGO Group team up with Hasbro to bring one of its most iconic properties into brick-built form. After waiting for some additional verification, we can now confirm that there is more credibility to the news than previously thought.

As for what we actually know for sure right now, the upcoming LEGO build enters as set number LEGO 10302. Kit numbers in the same range as this purported creation typically fall within the 18+ series, so that adult-focused and highly-collectible status should carry over. While this won’t be branded as the Star Wars-only UCS theme, we can certainly expect it to be in a similar style to those builds. Think the same approach we saw as last year’s Batman Tumbler.

Now onto the speculation. Right now, LEGO set 10302 is slated to mark quite the monumental introduction into the brick-built world, with Hasbro bringing over one of its most iconic properties. Transformers may have started as action figures back in the mid-1980s, but now the robots in disguise look to be getting the LEGO treatment ahead of the franchise’s 40th anniversary.

And we’re not talking about just any old Transformer now, as the LEGO Group will be giving all of the love to Optimus Prime. Slated to include 1,508 pieces, the set will not only recreate the robot as a display model, but also one that has the function to back up the collectible form. It is noted that the set will be able to transform between truck and robot forms without having to remove any pieces, which would certainly be quite the accomplishment of brick-built engineering.

Which form of the Transformer will be focused on is still up in the air, however. There’s no telling if the LEGO Group will be going for a more classic approach with the G1 Optimus Prime, or if the more recent live-action appearances will take center stage. Regardless, we can also expect that the LEGO set will include some form of display plaque with information about the Autobot leader.

Reportedly releasing sometime in May 2022, the LEGO Transformers Optimus Prime will retail for $199.99. That certainly makes it one of the more expensive sets of the year, and fits in with the builds we typically see from the range of LEGO builds that have preceded set number 10302.

9to5Toys’ Take:

The murmurings broke on the upcoming possibility that we’d see a LEGO Transformers set drop this summer over the weekend, but I’ve been waiting for further credibility before confirming. After looking into Hasbro’s recent licensing ventures, it seems like there’s more credibility to this rumor than initially expected. As of late, the company has been much more relaxed about which brands are able to capture the iconic Transformers likeness.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Kotobukiya’s popular Bishoujo series would be debuting two new characters from the franchise with both Optimus Prime and Megatron getting the anime treatment. And if Hasbro is willing to allow something as out there as waifu Transformers, LEGO versions don’t seem too far out there.

Licensing issues aside, there’s the actual feat of recreating Optimus Prime in LEGO form while delivering on the transforming aspect of Transformers. Many of the action figure versions of the Autobot are able to complete the truck to robot conversion with some simple mechanisms that could transition well into LEGO, but I have to imagine we’d see the G1 version of the Autobot rather than one based around the upcoming live action movie.

There’s also the possibility that we’ll end up seeing a Technic version rather than one made with typical System bricks. This is likely more of a stretch, though the final build will likely employ a blend of the two building systems in order to pull off the form and function of the Autobot leader.

All of this means that you should file this report into the wait and see category of LEGO leaks for the time being. On the flip side, all of the upcoming Star Wars 2022 summer wave details seem like a sure thing by comparison. Though if there’s one thing about the lineup for this year, it’s that the LEGO Group is going all-out and even channeling some new licenses like Sony Playstation to make that happen.

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