DNA Design Animated OP Upgrade Kit (DK-52)

Prelude: Transformers Animated was one of the greatest Transformers TV shows ever, but sadly it was cancelled after three seasons, leaving the story incomplete. Among other things it was revealed that the never-produced fourth season would have included a Powermaster-style upgrade for Optimus Prime. Now this upgrade has been released by third party company DNA Design for the Legacy United Animated Optimus Prime figure. Fifteen years too late, but better late than never. So let’s say go!

Alternate Mode: The DNA Design DK-52 Upgrade Set consists of various parts that combine into a trailer for use with the Legacy United Animated Optimus Prime figure. The trailer attaches to Optimus Prime’s alternate mode and now makes it look, really for the first time ever, like an actual fire truck. Complete with a ladder  on top, though the ladder could easily be longer and maybe not all-white, as that swallows up most of the detailing. The two water cannons are attached to the end of the ladder, so Optimus can put out fires in upper stories as well. No rotation in the ladder, though, so he can only shoot forward.

Optimus’ axe can be stored on either side of the truck, so no parts are left over. I also like the fold-down panels on either side which show tools for use by the fire fighters. Just sculpted, of course, but looks pretty nice and rounds out the look. So bottom line: a very nice trailer for Optimus’ truck mode, where everything is stored away. Nice.

Robot Mode: The trailer falls apart into multiple pieces of gear that can be worn by Optimus in robot mode. The whole thing is basically an upgraded version of the Animated Wingblade Optimus Prime, as it contains the same winged rucksack with the cannons and gloves as the set from Takara. There are multiple other parts, though, to show that this is more than the hastily assembled gear used by Optimus in the season 3 finale of Animated.

Apart from the aforementioned winged rucksack (which clips into Optimus’ back once you fold down the truck canopy from his back) with its water cannons and the stabilizer gloves (which once again feature brand-new, articulated hands), you have a chunky pair of boots with ankle tilt, a mouth plate, and two different visors you can put over Optimus’ eyes, one in blue and one in white. The set also contains the Magnus hammer, which pulls double duty as a storage device, as you can store the visor and mouth plate inside its head.

The ladder from the vehicle mode can either be stored on the back or used as a big gun in the style of Galaxy Convoy. Here, too, I must say that the ladder should not have been pure unpainted white plastic, but rather adorned with some detailing. Also, the rear end of the gun cannot be straightened out, it’s stuck at a ninety-degree angle. It’s not a deal breaker or anything, but I think this could have looked a lot better with some minimal effort.

Overall I like the look of this upgraded Optimus Prime very much. The wings can flap a bit, the two shoulder cannons can be aimed independently in all dimensions, the boots give him a stable stance, it all works together very nicely. The original concept drawing included a Mini-Con / Powermaster figure to combine with Optimus, but that one was left out here. Not something I miss, mind you, just wanted to point out the difference to the armor shown in the Allspark Almanac. You can, of course, use just some of the parts, too, such as seen in image 16 in the gallery below. So bottom line here: a great upgrade for a great figure.

Remarks: The second volume of the Animated Allspark Almanach contained lots of material for the unproduced fourth season of the Animated show, which included some toy designs. Among them was a trailer for Animated Optimus Prime, which would become a Powermaster style upgrade for him, which he would use in final battle with Megatron, who would have received a triple changer upgrade himself to become Marauder Megatron. Neither toy was ever produced, naturally, but the designs were used in the TFNation 2017 exclusive Animated comic book “Trial & Error”, which tied up most of the open plot strings from the aborted Animated cartoon.

DNA Designs finally produced this set, though not for the original Animated Optimus toy, but rather for the more recent Legacy Evolution figure. While it’s partially based on the existing Animated Wingblade toy from Takara, it’s an entirely new set and personally I love it. I am even thinking of buying the variant of it that was made for use with the Legacy United Animated Motormaster figure. Just about the only thing I’d change about it is the ladder, which could use a bit more color and versatility.

So bottom line: if you’re a fan of Animated and own the Legacy Animated Optimus figure (if you don’t, why not?), then you need to get this set here as well. It’s more expensive than the base figure it’s for, sure, but it’s worth it.

Rating: A-