LEGO Optimus Prime vs Soundwave: Which Transformers Set Now
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LEGO's two big Transformers figures both convert between robot and disguise, but in 2026 only one is still expected on sale. Here is how Optimus Prime and Soundwave compare, what happened to Optimus and Bumblebee, and where the smaller BrickHeadz pairs fit.
If you want a large LEGO Transformers figure new in 2026, the choice has narrowed to Soundwave. Our catalog expects the 2025 Decepticon (10358) on sale until the end of 2028, while Optimus Prime (10302) and Bumblebee (10338) have both passed their expected exit date of July 31, 2026. All three are 18+ display figures that convert between robot and disguise, so the comparison below still helps if you find Optimus at a fair price.
Optimus Prime and Soundwave at a glance
This is a research based comparison built from LEGO's own set descriptions and our catalog. Prices, piece counts and current status are on each set's card and page.
| Optimus Prime (10302) | Soundwave (10358) | |
|---|---|---|
| Launched | June 2022 | August 2025 |
| Status | Past its expected exit (July 31, 2026) | Expected on sale until the end of 2028 |
| Disguise | Truck | Cassette player |
| Robot height | Over 35 cm (13.5 in) | Over 33 cm (13 in) |
| Extras | Ion blaster, Energon axe, Energon cube, jetpack, Matrix of Leadership | Ravage and Laserbeak, rocket pod, laser blaster, darts |
| Special feature | 19 points of articulation, chest chamber for the Matrix | Play button with recorded voice and sound effects |
| Age mark | 18+ | 18+ |
Soundwave (10358): the one to buy new
The Decepticon communications officer with Ravage and Laserbeak, converting to cassette player mode and back without disassembly. Expected on sale until the end of 2028.
LEGO's Soundwave is the most feature-packed of its Transformers figures. Pressing his play button activates specially recorded voice and sound effects. He converts to cassette player mode and back without taking anything apart, and his two companions, Ravage and Laserbeak, convert into model cassette tapes that slot individually into his cassette bay. He comes with a rocket pod, a laser blaster and darts, has posable joints, and stands over 33 cm (13 in) tall on display with a plaque of his power statistics.
Buy Soundwave if you lean Decepticon, if the cassette gimmick is what you remember from the original toy, or simply because it is the large LEGO Transformers figure you can count on finding new through 2028.
Optimus Prime (10302): past its expected exit
The Autobot leader launched in June 2022 and our catalog gives it an expected exit of July 31, 2026. That date has passed. Some regions still listed Optimus Prime (10302) in late summer, so a new copy may still appear at a retailer, but it is no longer a set to plan around buying new at list price.
If you do find it, LEGO describes a robot that converts to a truck and back again, with 19 points of articulation in robot mode and a chest chamber that stores the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. The accessories are an ion blaster, an Energon axe, an Energon cube, a jetpack and an optional waist panel, with a display plaque. In robot mode it stands over 35 cm (13.5 in) tall; as a truck it is over 27 cm (10.5 in) long, 15 cm high and 12 cm wide.
Bumblebee (10338): also past its exit
The third Icons figure, Bumblebee (10338), launched in July 2024 and shares Optimus Prime's expected exit of July 31, 2026. It is the smallest of the three, over 25 cm (9.5 in) tall as an Autobot, and converts to vehicle mode with an ion blaster, a jetpack and a display plaque.
The small option: BrickHeadz robot and vehicle pairs
Each BrickHeadz Transformers set pairs a small robot figure with its vehicle form, each on a baseplate. On the Optimus Prime and Bumblebee sets the vehicle comes off its base for play, and both are marked 10+, so they also suit a younger fan.
Optimus Prime as a BrickHeadz robot plus a separate toy truck. Expected on sale until the end of 2027.
Bumblebee as a BrickHeadz robot and car. Its expected exit is December 31, 2026, so this is its last holiday season.
Megatron as a BrickHeadz robot and a Cybertronian tank, the Decepticon leader the large Icons figures have not covered.
Which should you buy?
- One large figure, bought new: Soundwave.
- The classic Autobot leader: Optimus Prime, if you find it at a fair price; otherwise the BrickHeadz Optimus pair is the current way to put him on a shelf.
- Autobots against Decepticons: Soundwave with whichever Autobot you can still find, or the three BrickHeadz pairs together.
- A gift for a younger fan: the Optimus Prime or Bumblebee BrickHeadz pair, marked 10+.
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