Transformers Toys No Longer Make Kids Work For It

I'm pretty sure I could find a scar or two from my childhood spent painstakingly transforming robots into vehicles and back again, a process fraught with occasional pinched fingers. The metal ring puzzles were a challenge to my generation, but today's kids need to smash their toys to get the job done.

This is the new Transformers: Bumblebee Cyberverse Adventures Dinobots Unite Smash Changer Optimus Prime figure, and it bears a resemblance to the hero bot leader that was introduced to the world in the original series. Since then, there have been countless Transformers cartoons and movies, and to keep them all unique and marketable, the character's appearances and vehicle modes have changed considerably. The multi-step process of going from a robot to a vehicle and back again was enjoyable and challenging for those who did not have an instruction manual.

It takes just three steps to transform a toy into a robot, but it's even easier than that. The nine-inch tall Prime can be transformed using three smash motions instead of twisting limbs and folding body panels. Remember the rage you felt as a kid when the villain in the movie was killed off? Kids can channel that energy into the toys. After smashing the top of the truck, kids just need to smash the toy a couple of times on a hard surface to reveal Prime's bot mode.

I'm all for every generation having an easier run on this planet than the last did, and I'm not going to pretend I didn't have moments as a kid when I wanted to smash a Transformer toy. It was those frustrating childhood experiences that made me the wise old man I am today.