A DEDICATED father with no mechanical training has manufactured the world’s first fan-built Optimus Prime truck. Back in the summer of 2016, Joe Fiduccia worked day and night recreating the giant full-size replica that weighs around 21,000lbs. Optimus Prime is one of the most renowned characters to hit our screens from the hugely successful Transformers franchise that has taken more than 4 billion dollars at the box office worldwide. And being the determined father that he is, Joe from Monroe County, Pennsylvania, managed to produce this impeccable replica in order to inspire his 10-year-old son that anything is possible.
Video Credits: Videographer / director: Adam Gray Producer: Danny Baggott, Ruby Coote Editor: Ross Dower
00:00This is the only fan-built replica that's out there. There's only two other trucks like it, and those are the trucks that are owned by Paramount.
00:07My name is Joe Fiducia. I am the owner of the world's first fan-built replica of Optimus Prime from Transformers Age of Extinction.
00:15This is 36-year-old Father Joe. He's built a full-size replica of Optimus Prime, one of the most renowned vehicles from the Transformers movies.
00:34Taking more than $4 billion at the box office, Transformers has fast become one of the biggest franchises in the world.
00:41In the 80s, he was the leader of the Autobots. He still is the leader of the Autobots.
00:45He is that character that has the strong morals, the strong ethics. He's always looking after the little guy, always making sure that everybody else is taken care of.
00:53But that wasn't the main reason why Joe decided to build the giant replica.
00:57The inspiration behind this truck was for my son. Just go to the back.
01:01Ryan loves the Transformers just as much as I do. He's probably got hundreds of characters in his room stocked away.
01:07And to be able to build something like this for him, I mean, he was the main reason I did this.
01:16I love Optimus Prime. It's just so cool having it in your yard.
01:24With the help of close friends and external parties, Joe worked tirelessly day and night to complete the job and own the world's first fan-built replica.
01:33In total, there was probably about 25 people, including myself, that were involved with this build.
01:39One of the first things I had to do or actually chose to do was get legal permission from Hasbro to build it.
01:44And we had our legal team contact them.
01:47And about a month later, we got a letter in the mail from Hasbro saying that they approved.
01:52Weighing around 21,000 pounds, the spectacular truck is 30 foot long and just under 12 feet wide.
01:59And that means another tough job for Joe.
02:03Unfortunately, there's no car wash big enough to take Optimus Prime through.
02:08Washing Optimus Prime is a full-time job in itself, especially during the wintertime when all the salts on the roads kick up.
02:14You know, just a little drive around town and all of a sudden, I've got five hours of cleaning ahead of me.
02:20We actually ended up lowering it by about two inches because the original Optimus truck was much higher.
02:33But that creates a hazard for us when we're driving.
02:37The truck alone has a Detroit DD15 motor in it.
02:46It's a standard Detroit motor.
02:47No fabrication or modifications have been done to the motor.
02:50Optimus is maxed out at 65 miles an hour.
02:53He can't go any faster than that.
02:58The paint scheme on this thing is quite intense.
03:00He's got the red and blue warrior colors on him.
03:03But he also has a bunch of Autobot logos all over him between the front and the back is over 16 logos.
03:10Obviously, one of the big things that you'll notice right off the bat is the big Autobot logo here on the front of the truck.
03:15This was actually a solid block of aluminum that was custom cut to fit the contours of the hood here.
03:21And that was one of the most complicated pieces we had to make.
03:27Joe admits, now the truck is complete, he gets attention wherever he goes.
03:32Everybody's got their cameras out, everybody's pointing.
03:45It's larger than life.
03:47I am a huge fan.
03:49When I first drove up, I thought it was a real thing.
03:53It was a real thing.
03:56I'm really proud for my dad making this.
03:59It took him a lot of time, a lot of effort.
04:02It was worth it in the end.
04:04I could not have built Optimus Prime without the support of my family.
04:11It makes a big difference when you go up to somebody and you tell them,
04:15no matter what's going on in your life, no matter how impossible something seems,
04:18whether you're a kid or a grown adult, don't ever be afraid to try.
04:21You know, don't ever be afraid to pursue what seems impossible,
04:24because you never know one day you could be in the driver's seat of Optimus Prime.
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