Toy Review - Kre-O Series 2

[Sky Shadow]

*bonus points for those who know what that is referencing.

Sometimes I'm surprised when you deliver non-Transformer-related references - it seems out-of-place, like if Optimus Primal started wearing a scarf.

(In The Armageddon Factor, Tom Baker's Doctor had five of the six pieces of the Key To Time - which was a lot like transparent Lego that fit together into a purple block - so he worked out what the missing piece would be by filling in the gaps. An apposite reference!)

[griffin]

Somehow I pretty much expected you'd be the one to respond to knowing what that was...


Surprised at non-transformers-related references from me? My Transformers collection and I have an open relationship... my collection is okay if I see other fandoms, and I let it see other collectors.

[griffin]

All of the series 2 Sets, including the TRU exclusive Ironhide, and all the kreons (not the micro-changers though).



Now to build the robot modes...

[griffin]

Devastator...
Very disappointed with the size. It doesn't feel "impressive", as it is hyped up to be, with about 50 pieces left over, it is only the same size as the large ones from the first series.
It also just looks like a mess of parts, instead of something that looks obvious at being vehicles combined together. You get the colours and some construction vehicle parts sticking out, but it doesn't look like the usual combiner of "vehicles for limbs". You kinda have the legs doing that, but they are very simplistic, and everything above that is just a mess.
It certainly will be one to get cheap, as it won't be worth the AUS price we are likely to get here (it is US$80 in America, which will be about AU$150 here, if it is released here at all).

[Trent]

Surprised at non-transformers-related references from me? My Transformers collection and I have an open relationship... my collection is okay if I see other fandoms, and I let it see other collectors.

Just as long it doesn't go home with them..

[Seraphim Prime]

Hey Griff,

I notice that you have both the Green and Yellow Devastator Kreon. Did both come with the Toys R Us set, or just the Yellow one?

[griffin]

Just the yellow one in the TRU set.

TRU exclusive set has extra:
- Ironhide build set
- orange outhouse
- human Kreon driver
- hook for Hightower (gives you the choice of wrecking ball or hook)

Has different:
- Devastator Kreon is yellow instead of green
- box is bigger, but doesn't need to be as there is enough room in the original one for the extra parts.
- name of set is "Autobot Assault Devastator", as the regular set is called "Destruction Site Devastator".

And is the same as the regular set:
- Devastator/Constructicons
- 5 human Kreon construction workers
- building site, office, signs
- Ironhide Kreon

This photo shows the character art on the spines like the first series had, but since this second series has the "dark energon" gimmick (one purple Kreon abdomen included in every set), the character art on each is ruined by using it.
The TRU Devastator though is left fully coloured, probably to make it look more obvious that it is different to the regular set.


This one is from the top, which has extra character art (the first series didn't, but since most of these sets have more than one character in the box... it makes it a bit fairer to have both somewhere, and at least some art doesn't have the stupid purple chests).
This photo also shows the size difference between the two Devastator sets.

[griffin]

All the Series 2 bots finished now...



I was more disappointed with these ones than the first series, because it got very repetitious... each of the figures, no matter how big or small they were, had a basic
frame, with bits added to it to make it look like a certain character. As such, since the arms and legs are all the same length on each figure, the proportions of some are
either really skinny or really brutish. The only variable seemed to be how many pieces were in the abdomen between the arms section and the legs section.
Before I started on the Optimus figure, I put together all the limb pieces to show what I mean about it being the same frame with different bits added...


The larger ones of the first series had the same format, so a lot of their arms and legs look too skinny... but in the group shot above, the Second
series figures all look the same size, despite being very different in the number of pieces in the box.
Devastator is the obvious exception, but it still has the same sized limbs as the others, so doesn't end up looking as impressive or
intimidating as it was being hyped up to be.
So many parts were left over with the robot builds this time, and unlike the first series, the limb pieces mentioned above, were not used anywhere in the vehicle
builds. (one used a couple pieces, but with every other set, the entire frame shown in that photo above, was not not incorporated into the alt-mode build - which kinda
makes it look like less effort was put into this series if they just added extra pieces for each mode instead of utilising as many as possible into both modes)

If the first series was a failure at retailers, I can't see this series doing better.
I think the Microchangers (which IMO ruined the Kreon/minifigure gimmick) will be the
last Kreo Transformers we'll see.
Hasbro shoulda just sucked it up and got Lego to do it properly... instead of stubbornly trying to compete with them just because Lego were eating into their
monopoly of the board-games market.