We’ve got quite a few of Hasbro’s KRE-O sets here at Rock Father HQ, KRE-O being their spin on the building brick category (technically, “Oxford Bricks” re-branded for the U.S.), and “compatible with major brands,” which means that they can be mixed-and-matched with LEGO, Mega Bloks, C3, you name it. I’ve even reviewed a few KRE-O sets here on the site, and one of the earliest came from the TRANSFORMERS assortment. Now, with TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION obliterating the box office, there’s some new sets, and Hasbro sent us a couple to check out. Here’s my thoughts…
KRE-O TRANSFORMERS Micro Changers Combiners Obsidian:
A neat concept in that you get to build 4 beasts or 4 robots (these don’t transform, since they’re a building set), then combine them into one larger character a la the Constructicons back in the day, this is the one piece from the new line of TRANSFORMERS items that we haven’t been thrilled with.
“Obsidian” is an oddity in that he seemingly aligns with no faction, nor is he a previously-released character in this form, yet the name “Obsidian” has been used for various Autobots and Decepticons over the years in different mediums, including toys. Also odd is that the 75-piece Obsidian building set is pictured on the Hasbro website, but called “Firewing,” also noting it as being 100-pieces, so the wires are crossed somewhere.
But is it fun?
That (along with quality) is always the most important thing when it comes to toys, and I have to say… it didn’t go over well here. While the pieces look cool (we did all three builds – beasts, robots, combiner), the character feels really fragile, and with pieces coming off, Addie didn’t dig him, and I got tired of helping to re-assemble.
KRE-O TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION GRIMLOCK STREET ATTACK
Now this is more like it. The 196-piece set is recommended for ages 6-12, and finds it’s inspiration from a scene in the actual film – one in which Optimus Prime rides the Dinobot T-Rex Grimlock into battle on the streets of Hong Kong.
Why is Optimus represented as a “Gold Knight,” here? Well, there are some “knights” touched upon in the film, but it seems to be one of those “make it fun for the kids” types of changes (I had a Gold Batman once that came with a glider), so I’m cool with it.
Addie digs it, and the fact that “it’s a dinosaur!” scores extra points because kids + dinosaurs = a win. Additional bonus? The “Dino-Force Technology” (magnets) is pretty cool when Grimlock is feeling hungry!
