Toy Review - Rescue Bots Wave 1

[griffin]

(Please post photos, comments or even a fully comprehensive review - these are just brief details)

Playskool Transformers Rescue Bots Wave 1
(Not sure if these are the official Size classes - I'll change them if I find out for sure)

Figurines (6)
- Axel Frazier & Microcopter (pairs up with Deluxe Bumblebee)
- Jack Tracker & Jet Pack (pairs up with Deluxe Chase)
- Chief Charlie Burns & Rescue Cutter (pairs up with Deluxe Optimus Prime)
- Cody Burns & Rescue Hose (pairs up with Deluxe Heatwave)
- Sawyer Storm & Rescue Winch (pairs up with Deluxe Blades)
- Walker Cleveland & Rescue (pairs up with Deluxe Boulder)

Deluxe (3)
-Optimus Prime (pairs up with Chief Charlie Burns)
-Bumblebee (pairs up with Axel Frazier)
-Heatwave the Fire-Bot (pairs up with Cody Burns)

Electronic (2)
Heatwave the Fire-Bot w/ Cody Burns
Chase the Police-Bot w/ (Jack/Billy/Hunter)?

Bumblebee Rescue Garage (small playset)
w/ Bumblebee & Axel Frazier

Fire Station Prime (big electronic playset)
W/ Heatwave the Fire-Bot & Cody Burns



FIGURINES/BASIC

Series - Transformers Rescue Bots
Sub-line - n/a
Size/class - (Figurine/Basic)
Wave - 1
Released here - July
Approximate Retail Price - AU$14 (US$6 in America)
(Concept is similar to Action Masters - a non-convertible figurine with a convertible accessory)

Axel Frazier & Microcopter
New/remould/redeco - New
Approximate Size - 7cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - none
Main Features/Gimmicks - pairs up with Deluxe Bumblebee
Main Colours - yellow, black
Main Accessories - Microcopter (becomes "Robot Tool" for Bumblebee)

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/rb06a.jpg


Jack Tracker & Jet Pack
New/remould/redeco - New
Approximate Size - 7cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - none
Main Features/Gimmicks - pairs up with Deluxe Chase the Police-Bot
Main Colours - black, white
Main Accessories - Jet Pack (becomes "Robot Tool" for Chase)

(NOTE - prototype packaging image below says Billy Blastoff, and in Chase's comic he is called Hunter)

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/rb06b.jpg


Chief Charlie Burns & Rescue Cutter
New/remould/redeco - New
Approximate Size - 7cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - none
Main Features/Gimmicks - pairs up with Deluxe Optimus Prime
Main Colours - Red, blue, black
Main Accessories - Rescue Cutter (becomes "Robot Tool" for Optimus Prime)

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/rb06c.jpg


Cody Burns & Rescue Hose
New/remould/redeco - New
Approximate Size - 7cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - none
Main Features/Gimmicks - pairs up with Deluxe Heatwave the Fire-Bot
Main Colours - Red, black
Main Accessories - Rescue Hose (becomes "Robot Tool" for Heatwave)

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/rb06d.jpg


Sawyer Storm & Rescue Winch
New/remould/redeco - New
Approximate Size - 7cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - none
Main Features/Gimmicks - pairs up with Deluxe Blades the Copter-Bot
Main Colours - orange, grey
Main Accessories - Rescue Winch (becomes "Robot Tool" for Blades)

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/rb06e.jpg


Walker Cleveland & Rescue
New/remould/redeco - New
Approximate Size - 7cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - none
Main Features/Gimmicks - pairs up with Deluxe Boulder the Construction-Bot
Main Colours - green, black
Main Accessories - Rescue Saw (becomes "Robot Tool" for Boulder)

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/rb06f.jpg




DELUXE

Series - Transformers Rescue Bots
Sub-line - n/a
Size/class - (Deluxe)
Wave - 1
Released here - September
Approximate Retail Price - AU$25 (US$12 in America)
(These are the "regular" convertible toys)


Bumblebee
New/remould/redeco - New
Approximate Size - 16cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Car
Main Features/Gimmicks - Pairs up with Axel Frazier
Main Colours - Yellow, black, grey
Main Accessories - none?

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/rb03.jpg


Heatwave the Fire-Bot
New/remould/redeco - New
Approximate Size - 16cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Car
Main Features/Gimmicks - Pairs up with Cody Burns
Main Colours - Red, grey, white
Main Accessories - none?

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/rb04.jpg


Optimus Prime
New/remould/redeco - New
Approximate Size - 16cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Car
Main Features/Gimmicks - Pairs up with Chief Charlie Burns
Main Colours - Red, Blue, grey
Main Accessories - none?

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/rb02.jpg



ELECTRONIC

Series - Transformers Rescue Bots
Sub-line - n/a
Size/class - (Electronic)
Wave - 1
Released here - July
Approximate Retail Price - AU$59 (US$25 in America)
(Non-convertible gimmick toys)


Chase the Police-Bot
New/remould/redeco - New
Approximate Size - 26cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - none
Main Features/Gimmicks - Lights & Sounds, grabbing claw, human figurine
Main Colours - Black, white, blue, red
Main Accessories - Jack/Billy/Hunter? Figurine & StoryBook (Vol 3)
(The figurine is not mentioned or named anywhere on the packaging, so might have been a late inclusion)

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/rb08.jpg


Heatwave the Fire-Bot
New/remould/redeco - New
Approximate Size - 26cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - none
Main Features/Gimmicks - Lights & Sounds, chopping axe, firing hook, human figurine
Main Colours - Red, grey, blue, black
Main Accessories - Cody Burns Figurine & StoryBook (Vol 2)
(The figurine is not mentioned or named anywhere on the packaging, so might have been a late inclusion)

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/rb07.jpg




PLAYSETS


Bumblebee Rescue Garage
Series - Transformers Rescue Bots
Sub-line - n/a
Size/class - (Small Playset)
Wave - 1
New/remould/redeco - new
Released here - July
Approximate Retail Price - AU$49 (US$20 in America)
Approximate Size - 14cm (Bumblebee), 6cm (Axel), 20cm high x 45cm long (playset)
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - (minor conversion of Bumblebee to robot - stand up car like RPMs Minivehicle)
Main Features/Gimmicks - Lift, Car Wash rollers, Human figurine
Main Colours - yellow, black, grey, blue
Main Accessories - Bumblebee, Axel Frazier, towing hook

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/rb05.jpg



Fire Station Prime
Series - Transformers Rescue Bots
Sub-line - n/a
Size/class - (large electronic Playset)
Wave - 1
New/remould/redeco - new
Released here - (expected here September)
Approximate Retail Price - AU$? (US$50 in America)
Approximate Size - 14cm (Heatwave), 6cm (Cody), 40cm high x 40cm wide (playset)
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - (minor conversion of Heatwave to robot - stand up car like RPMs Minivehicle)
Main Features/Gimmicks - Lights & Sounds, firing projectile, lift, human figurine, folds up to be a carry case.
Main Colours - blue, red, grey, yellow
Main Accessories - Heatwave, Cody Burns, water cannon, water missile, Storybook (Vol 1)

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/rb01.jpg


NOTE - Storybooks:
Vol 0 - Given out at BotCon (probably at other events as well)
Vol 1 - Firebase Prime Playset
Vol 2 - Electronic Heatwave
Vol 3 - Electronic Chase

[Bumbleb33]

Picked up BubbyBee today, very impressive with the quality and charm of the little fella. Wouldn't recommend at full retail, but with Target's current sale, he's worth a pickup :)

[GoktimusPrime]

I would only recommend the Deluxes IF cheap. These are crappiest^least interesting PlaySkool Transformers I've ever picked up - no where near as nice as the Go-Go-Go-Bots/TF Big Adventures or 1-2-3 Transformers or even My First Transformers. Bah. Damnit! Now I have that STUPID Go-Go-Go-Bots theme song in my head!! <headbutts wall>

The so-called "one step" transformation is actually not one step - because the feet have to flip out for Optimus Prime and Heatwave (don't know about Bumblebee - I don't have him)... so that's really two steps. And even the main "single step" transformation doesn't work as elegantly as say the Flipchangers -- which work a LOT better. So that was disappointing... I was hoping these toys would have like a simplified form of Flipchanger transformation, but not really.

The large electronic ones are a complete WOBTAM... don't even bother with them. Playsets don't interest me... neither do the basic figurines which just look like expensive accessory add-ons. Do these things even sell? They seem to be shelf-warming everywhere I go.

The Deluxes seem to sell like hotcakes though... they've been DAMN hard for me to find (I finally found them at my local Myer)

[bowspearer]

Wow I never thought I'd be the one to go into bat for Hasbro here, but I think people have missed a key point with these Transformers- namely their gimmick. Heck, until I watched the infomercial on the site tonight, I was completely oblivious to it too.

Hasbro have actually outdone themselves with the deluxes, although these are definitely aimed more at 3-5 year olds and are actually educational toys for kids of that age.

So what's the gimmick? Well the transformation on each of the deluxes is designed to strengthen and reinforce a different gross motor function, be it twisting, prying, pivotting a lever, pulling apart something or pushing.

At the same time, while articulation is non-existent, they're even created transformable weapons (making them like action masters which still transform).

Hasbro are idiots if they don't get the cartoon out here to back up the line. The designs are well thought out and fun for the target age, the designs are great, the transformations are great as a first transformer for little kids, while the transformations actually help with a child's development at that age.

I didn't actually think I'd be saying this any time soon, but well done Hasbro.