Addendum: You know, a few people I’ve shown this to asked, so I’ll go ahead and clarify:

Movie Optimus does not have a super mode. This is just Voyager Optimus with his smokestacks/guns slung under the arms, and Galaxy Convoy’s booster pack  stuck on top of his (ample) backpack.

So, I feel like I should apologize a little for how bitchy my last entry came off. Work is a good thing, and I do ultimately like doing freelance things.
That much done: time to get one more lump of saved Transformers ranting off my chest so I can get back to the usual here. I’ve pretty much got all the characters I wanted from the movie line already, which feels good considering the sheer girth of merchandise out there.

The Transformers Wiki article on Scale has been no end of amusement for me, especially in regards to the movie’s alleged attempts at realism not working out with the toy line at all. It’s nitpicky as hell, but it is kind of noticeable when it’s explicitly said that Blackout is the largest (assuming the shape of a transport chopper) and he manages to be one of the shortest in his particular weight class. And Bonecrusher, the dude who hated the spy who shagged me manages to look pretty massive with his huge arms and wide stance, until placed next to… well, anyone.

Bonecrusher wuvs you Thiiiis Much

I ended up siding with the smaller (Voyager-Class) Optimus since he was both more sleek looking, and half the cost of the Leader version. Another plus is that his truck cab features a tiny cowboy-hatted driver (who I hear is made to represent Peter Cullen, his voiceover actor) instead of a jumble of circuitry visible through the front windows. I guess having an upside down armpit cowboy is an acceptable tradeoff for everything else. His weaponry comes in the form of two long rifles instead of one stumpy arm blaster. The most common gripe most seem to have is with the giant backpack he ends up with, but that I really rather like. Heck, he even has (shortened) Mini-Con-compatible pegs on it. I guess the only thing that he loses in my eyes is sheer mass. He kind of loses his semi truck ‘oomph’ when he’s dwarfed by Ratchet. But at least he doesn’t make a bunch of noises every time I try to change him…

Which is kind of tricky, for the record. At least the part where the legs lock back into the truck cab.