G1 Optimus Prime

Blokees G1 Optimus Prime — Action Edition

Completed: 17 September 2026

This model was completed on 17 September 2026 to mark the 40th anniversary screening of The Transformers: The Movie, originally released in 1986.

After unpacking the box, I gave all the parts on the runners a base coat of Mr Hobby Mr Color No. 13 Neutral Grey.

I then worked on the moulded plastic parts according to their original colours:

• Red moulded parts: Weathered with Mr Hobby Gundam Colour UG10 MS Char’s Pink.
• Blue moulded parts: Given a flat coat using Mr Hobby Gundam Colour UG02. No weathering was applied.
• Yellow moulded parts: Weathered with Mr Hobby Mr Color No. 109 Character Yellow.

The parts that came pre-painted in the package, namely the gold and silver parts, were left untouched.

For the robot’s left shoulder, I used an ALEXEN MODELS Autobot logo stencil to achieve the desired shape. The Autobot logo was painted using Mr Hobby Mr Color No. 8 Silver.

Once the paint had dried, I applied Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color:

• Black on the UG10-painted parts and the pre-painted gold and silver parts.
• Light Grey on the UG02-painted parts.

Assembly

Assembly was generally straightforward. The main drawback was that some of the parts from runners H1 and H2 could be extremely tight when joining together. In some cases, they were too tight to assemble comfortably by hand.

The tight fit may have been partly due to the additional layer of base-coat paint on the parts. To get some of the pieces fully seated, I used a vice clamp to apply controlled pressure and tighten the joints. Care was taken to avoid damaging the parts.

Lighting Feature

After completing the assembly, I tested the magnet supplied with the kit. Passing the magnet over the designated area activates the lights inside the chest compartment, causing both Optimus Prime’s eyes and chest crystal to illuminate for a few seconds.

The model was completed on 17 September 2026, serving as my personal model-building commemoration of the 40th anniversary screening of The Transformers: The Movie.