"The whole idea in the beginning was to show my son, Ryan, that anything is possible", says Fiduccia. "To show him that he can accomplish his dreams if he is willing to put in the time and the work necessary to achieve his goals. But I've come to understand that there is more to it. My mission doesn't stop just because I successfully replicated a fancy truck."
Now several years later, Fiduccia has made it his new mission to show the world that his truck is the closest thing to Optimus Prime that most folks will ever see...both in body and in spirit.
Fiduccia tells us: "from Day 1, people have come up to me commenting on the quality of our replica. They notice things that the screen-used trucks don't have, they point out myriad of differences between the two, and they make it a point to tell me how they prefer seeing our truck over the originals. That is has more character. So I started thinking of ways I could harness that feedback and convert it to something more meaningful."
And that's when Fiduccia's replica truly took on a form of its own.
Over the course of the past several years, and with the support of Transformers fans like himself, Fiduccia has added several upgrades and modifications to his replica that were not on the originals. For example, both the left and right front bumper covers sport custom airbrush designs.
The driver side contains a tribute to our country's military veterans, while the passenger side shows a tribute to
Kyle Comeau, the graphics artist who designed the original flames seen on Optimus. Kyle tragically died shortly before getting the chance to paint those screen-used trucks. Fiduccia learned about Kyle's story in 2017, and with the help of his parents Paul and Vicki, the tribute was created by Kyle's mentor and friend.
Fiduccia has also installed a custom entertainment system on the truck, complete with an 8-speaker setup that projects the voice of Optimus Prime using sound bytes from the cinematic films. Some of which was installed thanks to a partnership with a local auto shop called
Custom Import Performance.
As the result of another partnership with a company on the west coast called
CryoFx, Fiduccia has added an advanced CO2 system to Optimus. One that shoots clouds of CO2 gas from 10 different locations when Optimus speaks.
"It's the one thing I was lacking", says Fiduccia. The presence of the truck is enough. When he speaks it brings more life to it. But then when it was over, I felt like it needed something more. That's when the CO2 came to mind. And it's over-the-top awesome. Families are quite literally blown away when they see it."
And as if that isn't enough, this replica of Optimus lights up with a full energon glow at night. Thanks to one of the first partnership's transpiring back in 2017 with Firewire LED's, over 120 ft of blue strip lights emit a glow below the truck and even inside the stacks, giving kids the illusion that this replica runs on the same fuel as a real Transformer.
Adding more life to Prime is an 8-foot sword prop he built from 2 planks of wood. A prop that he installs on the back of Optimus for most shows. Fiduccia says he has plans in 2020 to build a few more props, including a 3-foot All Spark cube that will eventually hover over the 5th wheel when on display.
Fiduccia's modifications continue with a custom mural of Optimus Prime on the back of the truck, just behind the 5th wheel plate. This design of Optimus not only covers the unsightly rear end components, but also incorporates several hidden messages in the form of constellations and Cybertronian lettering that only Joe and a select few know about.
The same artist from
MoralChaos Studios also designed a new graphic that is prominently displayed between the majestic stacks on Optimus Prime. In incorporates an image of the Matrix (the element that provides a Transformer the wisdom of Primes past), and it includes the phrase "Unleash Your Inner Prime."
"That message is for all of those people who doubt themselves", explains Fiduccia. "In this journey with Optimus especially, I have encountered plenty of people who doubt me and attempt to bring me down. It's yet another form of bullying that needs to stop. So this is my message for those passing me on the highway. Those people I'll never meet face-to-face. A message to those who feel bullied to stand up and unleash their inner potential."
