Hasbro to make Transformers constraction figures

[Jalaguy]

This isn't LEGO, of course, but I figured it'd probably be of interest to people here: following on from the Kre-O not-LEGO sets they've been making, Hasbro's releasing Transformers constraction figures later this year. It'll be interesting to see if they use the same size ball joints and stuff as Hero Factory sets...

[Kalhiki]

Ehhhhh....

I don't know how I feel about this. Buildable action figures for Lego copy-cats is nothing new. But these just look... Strange. And kinda bad.

I'll probably not be getting any of these. But it's still interesting to see.

Also: "each will come with a re-sealable case to ensure your kids (or you) don’t lose the parts". HF bags anyone?

Kalhiki

[WARHEAD]

Those look pretty good actually, probably gonna try and get one or two when they hit the shelves.

[Saberwing40k]

Eh, this isn't really new, that Kreo stuff has been around for awhile, and I don't really care if the joints are compatible, I'm not using them in any of my creations.

Edit: Whoops, I thought you were reffering to something else. My bad. I dunno about the look, but buildable figures that are supposed to transform is something different

Edited January 22, 2013 by Saberwing40k

[CabooseBM]

As a staunch Hero Factory fan as well as a Transformers fan, I don't know quite how to feel about these yet. The alt-modes are about what I'd expect from a constraction figure line.

I'll get Starscream since he's inexpensive and also wears his yoga-robot-vehicle mode the best. What'll make or break this toyline is joint strength and part quality.

[Cirkit]

Well, those look different.

Honestly when I imagined 'constraction', I instantly thought of LEGO's Hero-Factory and the Ultrabuild Superhero sets.

I think they'd look better in LEGO than they do in Kray-o or whatever that brand is called. Here they look a little.. awkward. But, they are functional, transform-able, and I like that. With LEGO you probably would only be able to keep the bots in their robot forms, but that's what customization is for..

I'll have to wait for a review before I decide if I like em or not.. The only ones that do catch my interest are Bee, Soundwave, and that Blitzwing guy. Purple and olive green go oddly well together.

[Aanchir]

I don't think it'll have quite the same versatility as HF, from what I can tell. But it's imaginative, which is more than can be said for the majority of Kre-O parts.

Interesting, the building system seems a lot different than HF's, which makes sense, since the HF building system is protected by at least two patents. Most of the joints on these figures are clip-based rather than ball-joint-based, which is an interesting decision but which makes sense for many of the joints and probably gives no less posability in the knees and elbows than actual Transformers figures would have. I wouldn't call this a rip-off of any LEGO products since all in all it seems to be based on a more or less unique building system.

Kind of disappointing that it's not being marketed under Kre-O branding or being made compatible with that brand. Then again, perhaps that's a part of some agreement with Oxford, the Korean building toy company that manufactures the Kre-O parts, to not include any non-Oxford products under that branding. Or alternatively, perhaps it's a marketing decision, with Hasbro feeling they'd get more of a reputation for quality by marketing it separately from their building toy brand, just as BIONICLE was initially marketed with little emphasis on its role as a LEGO product (the LEGO logo was even shoved to the bottom of the packaging rather than placed next to the theme logo as was typical among LEGO themes).

This probably belongs in the Community subforum, since it's about a non-LEGO brand, but I guess that's up to the mods' discretion since this has the most applicability to the action figures community.

[Jetrax99]

As I'm both a dedicated LEGO fan and a dedicated Transformers fan I say YES, YES, YES and.......also YES

DAT MEGATRON!!!

[Cahillrebel]

Am I the only one who thinks it is a bad thing to think Starscream has less flaws than the rest of them? The picture of Optimus Prime almost made me click off the thing. Hopefully they don't turn out to be those Built to Rule things I never saw had but heard were bad.

Edited January 22, 2013 by Cahillrebel

[vexorian]

The "Community" forum is up there.

They completely ripped off HF's build system. They just replaced the smooth ultra useful shells with already-texturized stuff to save up on costs.

[Cahillrebel]

Also note all of the stuff hanging off their arms and backs. I wonder if they did that so they actually transform.

[DOTM Shockwave]

Repeating what I said on a different forum site:

Interesting, I personally won't buy one (I say this now, but I could change my mind), but they look fun.

[CabooseBM]

The "Community" forum is up there.

They completely ripped off HF's build system. They just replaced the smooth ultra useful shells with already-texturized stuff to save up on costs.

No they didn't, there's a superficial resemblance but nothing is a direct copy of the bone-and-shell build system.

[Mencot]

This are diffrent from the Lego "knock off" sets that have been relesed before. Yea they are more like a HF and BIONICLE type off build it seems. I don´t think these look really good, they look so "plastic"

[Cahillrebel]

Like I mentioned before, the stuff hanging off their arms. Couldn't they not put it somewhere else or have the wheels not stick out like that? They even put starscream's wings in his forearms instead of his back. What is up with that?

[Rook]

Clearly Kre-O just wasn't enough. XD Ah come Hasbro pony up and let the big boys handle construction toys.

Edited January 22, 2013 by Rook

[JamesBenjamin]

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2013/01/construct-bots/?pid=2055

I'm not a Bionicle/Hero Factory fan, but I figured it's worth bringing up over here. Kre-O was surprisingly high quality, I'd expect these guys to be as well. Also if they use standard Lego connection points, the hands/heads might be useful to builders that don't mind using non-Lego parts.

With the 3 big Toy Fair shows over the next few weeks, I'd expect to see more pics, hopefully showing the connection points a little better. If you're interested, keep your eyes on TFW2005.com or seibertron.com (the two big Transformers sites).

[Faefrost]

The scary thing is this sort if thing is where Transformers began... And they did it better in the 70's. does anybody remember the toy line in the US called Micronauts? That was the Takara MicroMan line that eventually evolved into what Hasbro rebranded Transformers.

[vexorian]

No they didn't, there's a superficial resemblance but nothing is a direct copy of the bone-and-shell build system.

I am looking at Megatron's legs. I can see an uglified bone and an uglified shell.

[Crackerjack]

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2013/01/construct-bots/?pid=2055

I'm not a Bionicle/Hero Factory fan, but I figured it's worth bringing up over here. Kre-O was surprisingly high quality, I'd expect these guys to be as well. Also if they use standard Lego connection points, the hands/heads might be useful to builders that don't mind using non-Lego parts.

With the 3 big Toy Fair shows over the next few weeks, I'd expect to see more pics, hopefully showing the connection points a little better. If you're interested, keep your eyes on TFW2005.com or seibertron.com (the two big Transformers sites).

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=78543#entry1496256

[Rick]

I'm not a Bionicle/Hero Factory fan, but I figured it's worth bringing up over here.

Merged with the existing thread and moved to 'Community', the home of non-LEGO bricks.

[Aanchir]

I am looking at Megatron's legs. I can see an uglified bone and an uglified shell.

Those are bones and shells only in the same sense that Toa Metru upper legs were bones and shells. Which technically, by TLG's terminology, they are. The existence of bones and shells is NOT something exclusive to Hero Factory or even TLG; it's a very common-sense way of making buildable action figures.

Regardless, these sets do not use the ball joint as their fundamental basis the way the Hero Factory building system does, since the way the shells connect to the bones is clip-based and the way many of the bones connect to each other is clearly clip- and handle-based. The only ball joints I see anywhere in these designs are the shoulders, hips, ankles, and wrists-- in other words, the places a lot of regular non-buildable action figures have ball joints.

Edited January 22, 2013 by Aanchir

[ZORK64]

At first I thought this topic is about KreO, but then I opened the link and... huh.

I'm on the fence about these guys. Some of them look really, really bad since 90% of their alt-mode kibble hangs pretty useless around in the robot mode, and they look kinda gappy here and there.

But if these guys could be somewhat inscale to Hasbro's regular TF toys (sure, unlikely, but hey, hope dies last...), I'd gladly pick up a few sets to recreate a few of my character designs from Fall of Cybertron.

Otherwise, I'm fine with LEGO. Though the idea behind these guys is cool.

[Rook]

In robot form they looked kind of cool but then when they're in "car" mode I just them to be "fails".

[Zarkan]

I'm guessing this is Hasbro's response to the lego constraction figures (particularly Hero Factory) being a much better value than their current Transformers offerings. The correct response IMO would be for them to stop inflating their prices and start releasing figures that aren't so dang tiny. Trying to beat TLG at their own game isn't going to work, because Lego now is not so much putting their own spin on action figures as they are attempting to grab a significant chunk of the wider market. And judging by how sucessful Hero Factory has been, Hasbro better realize this fast if they want to compete.

Also, these new constractionfomers are ugly.

Edited January 22, 2013 by Zarkan