[Joe Moore]

Hasbro's take on building blocks.

[methusalen]

The only thing that really disappointed me was that you have to disassemble the figure to 'transform' it... Well, that and the spare parts that appear to be unused in the other mode in some sets...

[Wolfe]

I would hate to see what the cost would be if they were able to work "transforming" into the set. That being said i wouldnt be against paying a premium for ones that transform.

[Wolfe]

They should also sell blind packs of the kre-ons.

[Optimus Vader]

They don't need to transform. The Ult Prime, Sent Prime, & SS, are all very nice sets as is.

[Hot Shot.]

I hope they use better sticker placement in the future. Mirage's Bot symbol sticker will not sit flat on the completely-rounded piece it's for.

[methusalen]

I guess I should try them before I judge them?
How are the cheaper sets? I'm not ready to drop some *BIG* money on the sets, but how are the smaller (ie: *cheaper*) sets?

I seem to remember a transforming set of Lego-type blocks from when I was younger... I'm 90% sure that it *WASN'T* Lego, but maybe Mega Bloks?

[Shadowbreaker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by methusalen

I guess I should try them before I judge them?
How are the cheaper sets? I'm not ready to drop some *BIG* money on the sets, but how are the smaller (ie: *cheaper*) sets?

I seem to remember a transforming set of Lego-type blocks from when I was younger... I'm 90% sure that it *WASN'T* Lego, but maybe Mega Bloks?

Eh... The Basic sets (Prime & Bumblebee) aren't too great. Plus they don't come with the Kreons. Though the Bumblebee isn't that bad, and it's good if you like your Bumblebees to be smaller than the rest.

Sentinel Prime is a great set, but pretty expensive. The larger Bumblebee looks good, and the ones in between (Mirage, Jazz, etc) have the same kind of arms that the Basic sets have, which I'm not too fond of. I thought Ratchet and Prowl looked good, but I didn't read any reviews on them.

You may find it better to get a set with Kreons. Just in case you don't dig the main thing you got, at least it has cool little figures.

[methusalen]

Thank you. I was thinking about picking up the little Prime & Bumblebee to test the waters. If I liked those, I may go after the larger ones. I agree with Wolfe about how the Kreons should be sold blind-packed, as I'd *love* to get them by themselves...

[UNI Prof]

Quote:

Originally Posted by methusalen

The only thing that really disappointed me was that you have to disassemble the figure to 'transform' it... Well, that and the spare parts that appear to be unused in the other mode in some sets...

Agree completely. I was really excited for these sets until I found out that they had to be disassembled to transform. Fans have created "transforming" versions of their own, so I figured Hasbro could do it as well.

[Shadowbreaker]

Thing is about the whole "transforming" thing... There's billions of Transformers toys that transform. The idea of any building block set, be it Lego, Mega-Bloks, or Kre-O, is that you can take it apart and build something else, which is what you do with the Transformer Kre-O sets.

It's kind of disappointing that it takes the larger sets a good amount of time to "transform" them, but it's better that having them be transformable, but looking like complete trash. Granted, some think Kre-O is complete trash, but hey, it's a matter of opinion.

Another thing: I really wish Kre-O could improve it's stickers. Some of the stickers on my Sentinel Prime already tore. Thing is, once you put the sticker on, it's ON. No gentle tearing off and moving to the right spot. Which is bad for me, since it takes a good couple tries before a sticker is on right with any toy.

[Shin Densetsu]

Paper stickers=FAIL, I hate them. Lego does it? So what. Doesn't mean Hasbro should follow. Clear backing for me please!

I like the KreO sets so far. Wish they could transform but I figure this will eventually happen over time. Some say transformation would've compromised them and something tells me for Hasbro, it was either put them out now or wait until the transformation process was figured out.

For basic Prime I took mine apart and rebuilt it using much different configurations. Now he has better articulation and looks but is not as stable. The set as is in robot mode doesn't look too appealing so something had to be done.

[Ethereal]

I built my Sentinel Prime's robot mode. First Kre-O, but I liked it a lot. Very cool, posable, and some neat Kreons. And he ended up at $20, so no complaints there

[updatedude]

Still waiting for these guys to hit my shores. Any recommendations on who to start with?

[Shin Densetsu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by updatedude

Still waiting for these guys to hit my shores. Any recommendations on who to start with?

In general, the bigger the better, but be forewarned, the leg joints on some of the bigger ones loosen under their weight.

The medium ones are great to start out with, like DX Bumblebee and Ratchet.

[Ethereal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by updatedude

Still waiting for these guys to hit my shores. Any recommendations on who to start with?

My former roommate grabbed Jazz and Mirage first, he loved them. I think those would be a nice, low cost to enter and you'll get to check out some of the best.

Also, keep an eye out at Toys R Us for BOGO1/2 sales on Kre-O specifically. Seems to be happening frequently enough, so you could try grabbing a higher pricepoint for less

[Shadowbreaker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ethereal

I built my Sentinel Prime's robot mode. First Kre-O, but I liked it a lot. Very cool, posable, and some neat Kreons. And he ended up at $20, so no complaints there

I got Sentinel first as well. But wow, $20?! WAY worth it.

On who to get first: As smart as it seems, getting the Basic sets first wouldn't be the best way to go. The medium-sized sets would probably be the best option.

[updatedude]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Anyone got any input on that basic Prime/Bumblebee?

[trebleshot]

I picked up the basic Bumblebee and I like it. Definitely got me interested in getting some more sets. There's only one piece that Bumblebee doesn't use in robot mode, but that piece works pretty good as a makeshift pistol for him. Car mode leaves a lot more unused pieces, but I was able to make a decent-looking melee staff that I can equip to a larger figure (once I get one).

Really looking forward to getting a set that comes with a Kreon. And I suspect that's why Kreons are not sold in blind packs yet.

[Optimus Vader]

Shin, I'd be interested in your Basic Prime mod if you wouldn't mind posting a picture?

I think Ethereal has the best suggestion on where to begin--one of the smaller, but not a basic set. I'd probably recommend Ratchet since he's only $8 more than Jazz/Mirage, and I think is one of the better looking sets in both modes.

[Ethereal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadowbreaker

The medium-sized sets would probably be the best option.

Which ones do you classify as "medium"?

[Shadowbreaker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ethereal

Which ones do you classify as "medium"?

Probably Mirage, Ratchet, Jazz and Sideswipe. So about $12-$20 price range.

[Shin Densetsu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ethereal

Which ones do you classify as "medium"?

For me, the $20+ and up sets.

[Ethereal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadowbreaker

Probably Mirage, Ratchet, Jazz and Sideswipe. So about $12-$20 price range.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shin Densetsu

For me, the $20+ and up sets.

OK, sounds about right. I don't think Kre-O has size classes, which is why I was curious

[trebleshot]

Technically size classes are just a short-hand for price points. This is how I look at them personally (based on previous TF standards):

$7.99 = Basic (small Bumblebee, Classics Prime)
$11.99 - 16.99 = Deluxe (Prowl, Jazz, Mirage)
$19.99 = Voyager (Sideswipe, Ratchet)
$24.99 - $29.99 = Ultra (Megatron, Starscream, large Bumblebee)
$39.99 = Leader (Sentinel Prime)
$59.99 = Supreme (Optimus Prime w/trailer)