I was thrilled when Hasbro announced Omega Prime as the 2024 summer HasLab project—part of Transformers' 40th anniversary celebration. I remember watching Robots in Disguise (2001) as a young adult. It was the first major Transformers series to hit U.S. television after Beast Machines.

Back then, I wasn't in a place to buy the toys. I was fresh out of high school, and my focus had shifted to video games and movies. Toy collecting just wasn’t on my radar.

Fast forward to my 40s, and collecting every major version of Optimus Prime has become a passion project. There are still gaps—I never really watched Energon or Cybertron—but the quest truly began in 2018. I made it a goal to own every significant version of Prime, regardless of brand or release. In 2023, I even sat down and made a full list to guide my collection.

When HasLab announced Omega Prime, the legendary fusion of Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus from the RID 2001 series, I backed it almost immediately. I only regret not buying a second one to keep sealed. But looking back now, I’m kind of glad I didn’t.

The 2025 Tariff Crisis and Toy Collecting Madness

2025 has been a wild ride for toy collectors. Around mid-April, I found myself placing more orders than ever before—not because I suddenly had more money, but because of one word: tariffs.

Due to rapidly shifting U.S. tariff policies on goods imported from China, India, and Vietnam, many collectors—including myself—started panic-buying to avoid potential price hikes. Ironically, I haven’t paid higher prices yet. But that’s not the point. The fear was real.

Now, how does this connect to HasLab’s Omega Prime? Let’s talk about it.

How Tariffs Work (and Why They Matter)

To understand what happened here, we need to break down tariffs in simple terms:

• A U.S. company buys goods made overseas.

• Those goods are shipped to U.S. ports.

• A tariff (tax) is applied based on the shipment’s value.

• That tax is paid to the U.S. Treasury.

In normal times, tariffs are small—maybe 5%. If a container costs $50,000 to import, that’s $2,500. Manageable. Companies can usually eat that cost or spread it across retail pricing.

But in early 2025, those tariffs were rumored to hit 145%.

At that rate, a $50,000 shipment would cost over $72,000 in taxes alone, making it almost impossible for companies like Hasbro to profit unless they raised prices drastically.

Which they couldn’t do for Omega Prime.

Why? Because the product was already paid for over a year ago. The backers funded it at $250 per unit, shipping included.

The Timeline That Doesn’t Add Up

Hasbro originally stated that Omega Prime would begin shipping in late May or early June. But then reports started surfacing in March. I received mine by mid-May, a full month ahead of schedule.

On paper, that sounds great. But the early release raised red flags. And sure enough, quality control issues began to surface:

• Cracked chests right out of the box.

• Reports of yellowing plastic on Ultra Magnus.

• Weak joints or breakage during transformation.

While I haven’t personally seen yellowing, and my unit arrived intact, the cracked chest problem is widespread—and in my opinion, completely preventable.

Why I Think Hasbro Rushed It

Let’s run some numbers.

The HasLab campaign needed 10,000 backers at $250 each to go into production. That’s $2.5 million gross. If we assume a modest 15% profit after materials, tooling, labor, and shipping, Hasbro could have walked away with around $375,000.

But they didn’t stop at 10,000.

The final count was 28,230 backers. We don’t know how many bought multiple units, but even conservatively, we’re now talking about $7+ million in revenue, and easily millions in profit.

Now imagine trying to ship that many units from China during a 145% tariff spike. Hasbro would have lost money on every single shipment if they waited too long.

I believe that’s exactly why they rushed production and started pushing units out ahead of schedule—to avoid catastrophic losses. It was a business decision.

A Flawed but Understandable Call

Here’s the reality: Hasbro is a business. Like any business, they exist to make a profit. If they can’t, they stop making the product. We’ve seen this before—remember those 12” Marvel Legends? Most people don’t. They were $60 at retail, didn’t sell, and vanished. I got Spider-Man on clearance for $25. Cool figure, but it never took off.

If Omega Prime had waited another month or two and been slapped with a 145% import fee, Hasbro’s profit margin would’ve vanished. They couldn’t raise the price—backerhad s already paid. So instead, the project got rushed, and the cracks—literally—started showing.

Who’s to Blame?

Do I blame Hasbro? In part, yes. They should have tested everything before the final shipment. If there were known issues, they should’ve communicated a delay. Most fans (myself included) would rather wait a few more months than receive a damaged collector’s item.

But I also blame the policymakers. The idea behind these tariffs—forcing companies to bring manufacturing back to the U.S.—isn’t just unrealistic, it’s outright absurd in today’s economy. These are global supply chains. You can’t flip a switch and bring it all home.

Final Thoughts: Fixes, Frustrations, and the Future

To Hasbro’s credit, they’ve been replacing broken parts and honoring their quality guarantees. If your Omega Prime arrived damaged, definitely reach out. If yours is fine but you’re nervous about future stress or cracks, there are simple fixes available online.

I’ve transformed mine a few times. I may do the chest fix when I prep my review video, but I haven’t needed it yet.

Let me know in the comments—did your Omega Prime arrive safely? Have you had any issues? Do you agree that the rush was likely due to the tariff crisis? I’d love to hear your thoughts.