The real sad part is that Hasbro has finally figured out how to make Kre-O toys that don’t suck (for the most part). No more big clunky sets where you need to build your vehicle then take it apart and build your robot. Battle Changers now actually transform, and the RID construction sets are mostly vehicles being used by the Kreons, as they always should have been. Though let’s not talk about the Kreon Warriors. Someone was on an awful lot of crack when they came up with those.
Anyway, I managed to get my hands on the first series of Battle Changers.
Bumblebee looks awesome in robot mode. He’s clearly meant to be a cross between G1 (with that helmet) and movie Bumblebee (Vehicle Mode). His car mode isn’t great, but it’s not terrible. He looks more like a Humvee than a Camaro.
The only minor design issue, and it’s on three of the four, is that the halves of the front of Bumblebee’s car don’t clip together. The leg joints keep them pushed slightly apart. It’s not awful, but it is something they should have addressed. Interestingly, they do have clips to hold the front and back of vehicles together. They should have done the same side to side.
Wow. Grimlock was the one that I thought I wouldn’t like, but he looks awesome in both modes. He even transforms like G1 Grimlock. He only problem is that they gave him an Age of Extinction paintjob. I would love to have him in G1 colors. In fact, I would love it if they did all the Dinobots and then did a G1 set.
The only problem with Optimus Prime’s robot mode is the lack of windows in his chest. It’s not a major thing, but it would have been nice if they could have done that. I know why they didn’t. In vehicle mode, his robot chest sits below the windows, so it would have been a problem in vehicle mode. His vehicle mode isn’t bad, but his cab is shorter than it should be and doesn’t really have a back on it. At this scale, I’m not sure they could have done better, and he looks okay. He, has the same problem as Bumblebee. His legs in vehicle mode don’t stay together. Too bad they didn’t fix that.
Starscream is my favorite of the four. He looks awesome in robot mode. He has the red vents on his shoulders, and his cannons on his arms. He just looks great. His is also the best vehicle mode by far. He’s awesome. He too has the same problem as Prime and Bumblebee. His legs won’t stay completely together in vehicle mode, but it can’t take away from how amazing he looks.
Overall: It’s hard to recommend these, since they are so expensive to get in the USA, but the Starscream is a must. Grimlock is awesome as well. I like the other two, but they are clearly the weaker ones in the wave.
This entry was posted in Toy Reviews, Toys, Transformers and tagged Age of Extinction, AOE, Battle Changers, Bumblebee, Grimlock, Kre-O, Optimus Prime, Starscream, Toys, Transformer Age of Extinction, Transformers, Transformers: Kre-O. Bookmark the permalink.