Canon is no stranger to making cute replicas of its own products, and Takara Tomy has been churning out toys since time immemorial. But even so, nobody could’ve predicted that the two companies’ most iconic brands, EOS and Transformers, would ever cross paths. Well, they just did.
Thought Optimus Prime’s only alternate form is a giant truck? Think again: this pint-sized robot toy is able to morph into the Canon EOS R5, the Sony A7-fighting full-frame mirrorless camera. When folded in on itself, this 80% scale model – aside from the myriad of cuts and the slightly cheap-looking mouldings – looks very much like the real thing.
Takara Tomy’s attention to detail deserves to be applauded here. The shutter button can be pressed and the dials rotated, and the viewfinder and hot shoe have also been faithfully modelled. But the standout part is the lens – ironically, it’s not a prime (ba-dum-tss), but it is modelled after Canon’s workhorse 24-105mm f/4L, replete with the trademark L lens red ring. It has its own lens cap and can even be removed like a real interchangeable lens, exposing the 35mm sensor within.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Transformer if it didn’t, you know, transform, so everything – including the lens – can be pulled apart and turned into the blue-and-red Autobots leader we all know and love. The aforementioned lens cap can be used as a shield; what’s more, the set also comes with something called a Matrix of Leadership, which is apparently used by Optimus as a proof of his authority (can’t you tell I am not a Transformers fan?). The latter can be mounted behind the lens’ front element.
And just so you can live out your Xzibit fantasies, there’s even a tiny EOS R5 to go with the whole kit, so Optimus can pretend to take photos with a pretend camera…while being a pretend camera himself.
But there’s more. You can also get the EOS R5 Transformer as the Decepticon Refraktor – appropriate, given the character’s alternate mode is an SLR camera. Aside from the slightly different design and the blue and green colourway, you also get a Quantum Dial instead of the Matrix, and the mini EOS R5 has been swapped out for a vintage SLR modelled after Refraktor’s original alt mode.
The camera even splits into three, referencing the Spectro, Spyglass and Viewfinder robots that make up Refraktor in the seminal animation. One caveat, however – unlike the Optimus Prime version, the Refraktor model can only be purchased on the Takara Tomy Mall online store.
No doubt, this is quite a sick toy aimed at camera enthusiasts, but even if you live in Japan, it’s gonna take you quite a while to get it – the Canon R5 Transformers are only going on sale at the end of February next year. Both the Optimus Prime and Refraktor versions will be priced at 19,500 yen (RM654).
