Hasbro Transformers Kre-O Megatron review!

[JamesBenjamin]

So I was waiting for the reviews of these sets to come in, but it seems like every review I see is from a Transformers fan that is not a Lego fan (or at least, not the kind of AFOL that knows the bricklink catalog well and has 1298338734 parts stored by color and shape and... OK, you get the idea. Haha.

So I decided to do a review from an AFOL point of view. Now, before I begin, this review will have two aspects of comparing of these Kre-O sets to Lego sets.

1) the build itself

and

2) the quality of the bricks.

Lets not get off on a tangent about Hasbro copying or ripping off lego. That's a perfectly valid discussion, but its not for this thread. I just wanted to share the mechanics of the sets (or at least the one I've done sofar) and the quality of the parts. I'm a Lego fan first, but was curious how this'd work out. With that said, on with the review!

But before we go, there are LARGER versions of all these pics in my flickr thingie here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbenjamindavis/

First: the box:

Interesting art, though it looks like cheap CGI to me. Lego's art is better IMO.

Contents:

Bags are cheaper and rubbery, but serve their purpose. While the parts appear to be sorted in some way, its not the same type of sorting that Lego does (part size & sectioned builds). The only thing I'm sure of is all the painted parts (wheels, head) and rubbery parts (ball joints, more on that later) were in one bag.

Next: Kreons!

These are what most people are excited about, and they don't disappoint. This is also the first thing that's strikingly different about Hasbro's Kreo Bricks. First: the heads aren't "round," they have a "jawline" of sorts. This is easiest to see on the "human" kreons, as the robots have helmets. Sizewise, the heads are the same though, I forgot to take pictures but the helmets easily fit on a Lego Minifigure head.

The other major difference is the ball jointed shoulders and legs. The joints are tight, and allow for greater articulation. It looks weird at first (after having minifigures for so long) but it suits them well.

Also: Note that where the legs connect to the torso there is only one stud/plug (instead of Lego's two). This allows waist articulation, as well.

Bad parts: Shockwave seems to have stress marks where the gun plugs in. From reading other reviews, these stress marks to show up occasionally. We'll see if its a QA thing and later sets don't have them...

Next: Instruction book:

Basically the same concept as Lego books. Done fairly well, though with all the grey/light grey/black in this set, it was a pain to get the right colors sometimes. Though, that happens with Lego too, especially in larger sets.

Next, the part that all the Lego fans want to see: THE PARTS! First, all of them:

Some of these pics should be landscape, but I've already uploaded them. =(

The familiar part in this picture (top left, its been used on many star wars sets) was the first part I saw in pics of the Optimus Prime set where I thought "wow, that's a total rip off of a Lego part!" and its true. I didn't pull a Lego one out to check, but it seems pretty darn close to this part. That being said, most of the rest of the non brick and plate parts seem unique. Check out the rest of the "parts" pics. Most of them have 2 or 3 of the same part from different angles. The other parts in the above pic are a 2x2 curved slope with an angle on top (instead of just a flat curve) and a 1x2 "cheese wedge" slope that slopes the long way. Also what I found out later to be the steering wheel post.

More parts:

Red things are their seats, also note the 1x1x2 round brick and the NEAT 55 gallon drum with lid!

1x1 round with stripes/texture, their grills are slightly different, and their 1x2 bricks with grill side have a hollow back (so you could attach bricks at 90 degrees).

They have half wheel well things, and half windshields. Also note the 1x2 round-edged clear plates! Those are neat.

Ball joints. There were many of each of these (needed for all the robot joints) but the new thing here is the joints aren't hard plastic. They're coated with a rubbery substance that makes them much tighter, and presumably they will last longer. I've noticed the same sort of rubbery coating showing up in the ball joints of some Transformers figures too (notably RtS Wreck Gar's head joint, if you're a TF fan) so that's where they got the idea, I assume.

Their "ladder" part is completely different from the old one we've had since Classic Space (or maybe before?). One's not really better than the other, but it'd be a nice addition for some new looks in MOCs.

A new I-beam part, instead of a flat wall.

OK, that's it for noticeable new bricks. Lets talk about quality:

The plastic is really good quality. It feels just about as good as Lego plastic. The parts seem to have less sharp corners, and seem a bit more shiny, but overall, they feel just as solid. When I did what I call "the blind man's drop test" (taking one Lego brick and one Kreo brick of the same size/type and dropping them on the counter from the same height) they make virtually the same sound.

Clutching power: Just as good as Lego. My only thought here is will it hold up over time like Lego? I guess we'll just have to find out...

Its really easy to tell the difference, as all the Kreo bricks have one "empty" stud. And any Lego fan will notice the slight color/shape/feel differences easily. But overall, they're very good. They have a different sort of "shine," and its most noticeable on tiles.

Onto the build, I have only done Megatron's Truck mode so far, but I'm going out of town for a week tomorrow, so I wanted to go ahead and post the truck mode now, and I'll rebuild it later in robot mode and post my thoughts of that once I do.

Partially through, and I thought this was a really neat way of filling space and using the ball joint bricks. Better than an empty hole (and better than other bricks that would add to the price!).

Neat greebling in there, to represent the engine. Also the sides are SNOT, which I wasn't expecting.

Finished build:

Last pic above has a better look at the two 2x2 curved slope with ridge part, they're on the roof of the cab.

Final pics: advertised play features:

A jail above, and below: REAL FLICK FIRE MISSILES!

There is some sort of mechanism in there that actually makes the missile shoot out when you push from the other side! It works pretty well, and while I'm still not a fan, I'm sure kids will like it better than the Lego version that just plops out.

Final thoughts:

Build/design: Overall, the build was more interesting than I thought it would be. Megatron's truck mode turned out to be a pretty solid truck, and had some interesting techniques in there.

Quality: not quite Lego quality, but very good. Nowhere near as crappy as all the other clone brands out there. I still plan on keeping them separate from my Lego bricks, but if you're a parent and your kid wants the "Transformers Legos" correct him/her that they're not *really* Lego Bricks and then let them get a set.

Price: The pricing seems a bit weird. Bumblebee is 338 parts (I think), 2 kreons for $25, and Megatron was 312 parts with 4 Kreons for $30. So that's weird. Lego seems to take the # of parts and add a zero, then round up to the next $5 or $10 for the most part, and it seems like Kre-O is rounding down instead, with a tiny bit of fluctuation based on # of figures. Overall purely by parts ratio pricing is slightly better than Lego, but that makes sense if they're trying to break into the market.

As far as a recommendation: If you're a Transformers fan, go for it. Keep 'em separate from your Lego Bricks, and you'll be totally happy.

If you're a hardcore MOCer and like the idea of a few really neat new parts, take a good look at the sets and get what looks interesting. I bet you could sell the Kreons on eBay for half the cost of the set, as I know there are a TON of Transformers fans who just want the figures. I'd say to check out the reviews and pictures on Transformers sites to see what parts are in what sets, hopefully eventually Hasbro will do a parts breakdown on their site.

So there you have it! I'm leaving tomorrow for a long weekend, but I'll try to answer any questions upon my return on Tuesday. Though, if vacation gets boring, I might check in too, haha.

Thanks for reading!

Holding first post for ROBOT MODE!

Edited June 16, 2011 by JamesBenjamin

[5150 Lego]

Thanks for the review. Current finacial situation won't allow me to get any of these sets, but its good to know that there preety much on par with LEGO. Also good to see some unque parts in there. ( I really like the rounded clear plates).

So far i have yet to see a negative review of any of the Kre-o Transformers sets. The fact that your a LEGO fan and are giving a non baised review is even more assuring. ONe question, do the Kre-ons fit in the drivers seat as well?

[Vindicare]

Um...why is Megatron a semi? I'm pretty sure that's taken...

[IAmWillGibson]

As I mentioned elsewhere, these are technically Oxford bricks, if that lends any frame of reference to the quality. They seem to be one of the higher-regarded Not-LEGO brands out there.

But, yeah. Megatron's the one I'm most excited about, because his vehicle looks solid, and adds a Road-Warriorey vibe to things that I like quite a bit. I'd be interested to see some more photo comparisons of Kreons in LEGO vehicles, Minifigs in Megatron, and him next to, say, the City Truck [3221] or something similar.

Thanks for this, by the way. I think these sets will end up being more satisfying to LEGO fans who are also Transformer fans than they will be to Transformer fans who also like LEGO.

As an addendum: If and when you get around to making Robot mode, I'd love a shot dedicated to what parts are left over. My main thing for this guy is to figure out a way [if possible] to give him the arm gun, hopefully using the spare parts and the stuff that goes on his shoulders [that I'm not crazy about]. Heck, I'm curious what extra parts there are after truck mode, too.

Edited June 16, 2011 by IAmWillGibson

[Brickdoctor]

Nice review. The fact that the quality of the plastic is identical to LEGO surprises me. It has that waxy look to it. Maybe that's just us who are used to the nice glossy look of LEGO. The build looked pretty good, but the seemingly over-specialized pieces (55-gallon drum, I'm looking at you) appear more MegaBlok than LEGO. The figures look okay. Ball joints are nice, though the LEGO minifig is so iconic I wouldn't want it any other way. Overall this looks like a pretty nice clone brand set.

Except for Kreons. That's just a horrible name for a figure.

[prateek]

Very nice. I would give this a shot if I already wasn't tight on Lego money. I don't know why Megatron is a truck though

[KurttKrueger]

Nice review.

I'm planning on picking up a smaller set, but as I've just dropped a small fortune on Classics Ultra Magnus and City Commander armour (TF fans will know what I'm talking about here), I'm banned from buying TF stuff for a while! :D

[Peppermint_M]

Well, if these turn up in the UK, I shall have to get some!

Those drums look like a nice counterpoint to regular old Lego Barrels, the figure parts will always be useful. If the bricks are Oxford, they'll be tip top quality and great for a little extra when building.

Thanks for the review!

[Fugazi]

Thanks for the review JamesBenjamin, I happened upon it randomly and my eye was caught by some of the unique Hasbro parts. The ladder would look just right on American-type diesel locomotives (such as the Maersk train), and the I-beam type wall in different heights would be great for girder bridges and as roof support in industrial buildings. I just wish Lego would rip-off Hasbro (poetic justice?) and come up with similar parts!

[IAmWillGibson]

I just wish Lego would rip-off Hasbro (poetic justice?) and come up with similar parts!

Wouldn't be unprecedented. This new LEGO part was a BTR part from at least 2003, afterall. There's probably more.

[kermit]

I dont want to sound negative but when i first heard of these sets the very first thing that popped in my head was ''cool I can turn the vehicle into a robot'' and with that being said having to break down and rebuild from robot to vehicle and vice versa from what I gather from your review, would become tedious especially to kids playing with this set. Great review and it sold me on buying the set to see for myself however like I said it would of been better if it could of transform without rebuilding.

Edited June 17, 2011 by kermit

[Nightshroud99]

Synchronicity seems to be hitting me on the head today, first I heard of these sets was from a friend this morning, and here I see a half-review.

I don't care for Transformers myself, however Optimus Prime has caught my eye. Of course he's the most expensive one

[Canada_7]

Very nice. I would give this a shot if I already wasn't tight on Lego money. I don't know why Megatron is a truck though

From what I have read about Transformers 3, Megatron's vehicle form has turned into a Mack truck this time around.

Edited June 17, 2011 by Canada_7

[Tervlon]

I can't stand to look at the figures. I appreciate the ability to connect hooks to the arms but the consequence of that ability is really ugly. LEGO minifigs are so much easier to look at. One thing that is pretty innovative are the studs with holes in them. I can see uses for that, but it also creates an ugly looking brick, imo. I'm not a purist (I'm looking at you BrickArms) but I'm not fond of the way the Kre-O's turned out.

Oh, and the name Kre-O is awful. Its as ugly as the figs. I'm sure LEGO could use some competition, but I doubt these will prove too successful. Spending an hour building the truck and then playing with it and spending another hour turning it into a robot is far too complicated. I don't think kids & parents will even realize that the thing doesn't even transform until after they've bought it. That is sure to lead to disappointment.

[Arigomi]

I don't know why they added human Kreons to the sets. Transformer fans of all ages don't care about the squishy humans.

[Deinonychus]

Nice review!

Megatron was one of the sets I was looking forward to the most, it's good to see I won't be disappointed when I find him.

It's also good to see in your pictures that Megatron can attach easily to Optimus Prime's trailer. A little Grand Theft Autobot is never a dull thing.

Nice review. The fact that the quality of the plastic is identical to LEGO surprises me. It has that waxy look to it. Maybe that's just us who are used to the nice glossy look of LEGO.

I was very surprised with the brick quality myself. The bricks are indeed a tiny bit waxier than LEGOs, but really, after messing with them for about ten minutes you don't even notice anymore. The clutch is also excellent. I've been putting sets together all week, and the other night I put together a Best-Lock set and the difference was like night and day. It's a shame that between LEGO's expected quality, Mega Blok's exponentially increased quality, and Kre-O's fresh-out-of-the-gate quality that Best Lock can't get their crap together. But I digress

Can't wait to see the robot mode, but I totally understand the delay. I built Prime into truck mode and then didn't want to tear down such a beautiful truck...even for the second half of his review.

[TrunksTX]

I was very surprised with the brick quality myself...

I have several bricks that do not line up quite right when next to one another.

[shady333]

Thanks for review .

Our market is overloaded with china clones of Lego. And most of them has awful quality.

But some sets are observable (has like Lego quality and good price, or contains interesting parts which can be combined with original Lego).

I'm also looking forward to get a small KRE-O set for own review.