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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