The first-ever LEGO Transformers set is due to retire at the end of the month, so the clock is ticking if you’re hoping to add 10302 Optimus Prime to your collection.
There are a total of eight LEGO Icons sets retiring on July 31 and once that date comes around, they’ll all be gone for good. Included in that soon-to-vanish line-up is 10302 Optimus Prime, a 1,508-piece recreation of the Generation 1 Cybertronian warrior and the first of three brick-built buildable Transformers characters that have emerged from the LEGO Group’s partnership with Hasbro to date.
10302 Optimus Prime is currently still in stock in the UK, US and Europe, priced at £159.99 / $179.99 / €179.99 at the time of this writing, but there are no guarantees that the 18+ LEGO Icons set won’t sell out before the end of this month. With that in mind, let’s lay out the case for why you should definitely be aiming to pick up this awesome ’80s legend while you can…
The first-ever LEGO Transformer
The LEGO Group and Hasbro surprised the toy industry and Transformers fans back in 2022 with the reveal of 10302 Optimus Prime, what initially could have been a one-off set aimed at those with a nostalgic pang for the original Robots in Disguise.
Fast forward four years and that partnership continues to reap benefits, thanks to subsequent releases such as 10338 Bumblebee and fan-favourite 10358 Soundwave, as well as three different LEGO BrickHeadz models based around various Cybertronian characters.
While there haven’t been any hints regarding more potential LEGO Transformers sets so far, there’s a whole universe of robotic faces just waiting to follow 10302 Optimus Prime’s lead and be transformed into brick-built offerings, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed.
More than meets the eye
10302 Optimus Prime is in fact a 2-in-1 model, with the option to transform the Autobot from his iconic robot form into his truck mode and then back again, all without having to disassemble the LEGO Icons set.
From a sheer engineering standpoint, that’s an incredible achievement and a real testament to the skilled designers at the LEGO Icons team. It also means that 10302 Optimus Prime has plenty of play and display options available, without fans having to worry about handling the model too much.
What’s more, 10302 Optimus Prime has 19 points of articulation when in robot mode, including moveable head, arms, hands, fingers, legs and toes, as well as an opening chest area to access and store the set’s brick-built Autobot Matrix of Leadership.
Ready for action
Standing over 35cm tall and 18cm wide when in robot mode, 10302 Optimus Prime makes for an imposing figure indeed and is much larger than the original toy that the LEGO Icons set is based on. In addition, the model also comes with a number of essential accessories specifically tailored to the character, each of which can be attached and removed as required.
For starters, there’s a nifty jetpack that can be clipped into place on 10302 Optimus Prime’s back, as seen in the original 1980s cartoon series, the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, his trademark ion blaster, an Energon axe and an Energon cube, as well as an optional waist panel, with the latter allowing for two slightly different looks.
Rounding out 10302 Optimus Prime’s extras is a printed information plaque with details on the character, which makes for the icing on the Cybertronian cake when displaying the LEGO Icons set as part of your brick-built Transformers collection.
What price perfection?
10302 Optimus Prime is currently priced at £159.99 in the UK, $179.99 in the US and €179.99 in Europe, but has received numerous deals over the last four years that have made the LEGO Icons set more affordable.
While there aren’t any current offers available for 10302 Optimus Prime at the time of this writing, that could all change before the end of this month. There have recently been double points offers and sales available on LEGO.com, as well as reductions on the set in the past via third-party retailers, so you may still be able to save some cash on the build before it retires.
The official price point for 10302 Optimus Prime has always felt well worth it to me, though, so even if there are no more deals to be had before it retires you won't feel too hard done by picking it up at RRP. The best way to check for price cuts is adding the set to your Brick Search wishlist – you'll then be able to see at a glance when and where it's discounted, right there in the app.
Brick Search will also show you when every LEGO set on your wishlist is due to retire, so yuo can map out your purchases for the weeks and months ahead knowing you won't miss anything unexpectedly.
Dare to dream
The fact that 10302 Optimus Prime exists at all is a dream come true for longtime fans of the Transformers universe. The fact that both the LEGO Group and Hasbro acknowledged there was potential in such a set and that the arrival of the Autobot leader would become a springboard for even more brick-built Cybertronian characters has been nothing short of miraculous.
Yet the magic doesn’t stop there. 10302 Optimus Prime could have just been an impressive display build in its own right would no doubt still have been appreciated by many Transformers fans, but the set’s ability to convert from robot to truck modes and back again (all without removing any elements) is truly a thing of wonder.
10358 Soundwave may still represent the current pinnacle for LEGO Transformers sets to some, but the collection had to start somewhere and its first choice could have been none other than 10302 Optimus Prime. The LEGO Icons model remains an essential purchase to this very day and richly rewards those builders who were around in the ’80s and have continued to follow the ongoing saga of the Autobots versus Decepticons.
You can find out just what we thought about 10302 Optimus Prime in our original review of the LEGO Icons set right here. Also be sure to head over to our dedicated page to check out the full list of LEGO sets that are due to retire for good in July 2026 and beyond.
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