Construct-Bots
Year 1 (2013) Review
In the fall of 2013-- attempting
to both cash in on the popularity of the "building set" toys and concepts
like Bionicle Hero Factory-- Hasbro released Transformers Construct-Bots
at mass retail (for the most part). Just like KRE-Os, with Construct-Bots
you build your own robots, but this time around it's a bit different. Instead
of using standardized blocks, each Construct-Bot Transformer has the same
core "skeleton" pieces, but with completely different "accessory" parts--
such as wheels, wings, weapons, armor, feet, heads, shoulders, and the
like. The armor bits are largely interchangable amongst figures, and there
are more connection ports then you could possibly fit pieces on, allowing
for quite a bit of customization if one so desires.
Since each figure has
the same core skeleton parts, this means that each Construct-Bot figure
is the same size-- the difference between the various size classes entirely
has to do with how many pieces you are given beyond the initial skeleton
bits, with the most expensive 'bots being quite "armored up" or having
a ton of extra pieces, whereas the cheapest 'bots have only the minimum
number of parts required to make a fully "functional" Construct-Bot. Every
Construct-Bot is very well-articulated, being able to pull off just about
any pose you can reasonably imagine (including a waist swivel), with many
of the joints being on ball joints coated with rubber. This gives the joints
a nice snug fit, but if you put too much weight on them, they WILL sag
underneath it-- thankfully, this isn't really a problem unless you really
load up your Construct-Bot. The plastic is generally pretty durable, but
the C-clips used to clip certain joints together need a major overhaul,
as this author has seen MANY examples show up online of snapped C-clips
if the pieces are taken off at any real angle. This fragility of those
points-- which is becoming more and more known across the internet-- is,
for obvious reasons, making people neglect to customize their Construct-Bots,
which is a big point off for them, given that that's part of their whole
gimmick.
Surprisingly enough,
all Construct-Bots (at least if you assemble them according to the included
instructions) can transform, which is something pretty cool for a toy that
you put together. Nearly everyone, regardless of alt mode, transforms in
the same manner (with a few very minor differences depending on the alt
mode):
1. Open up the chest,
rotate the head into it, and then re-close the chest.
2. Flip up the back
piece so that it's flush with the chest piece.
3. Rotate the waist
piece backwards so that it's perpendicular with the chest and back, then
turn it around.
4. Move the legs up,
connecting them into ports on the back that roughly line up with the lower
half of the legs.
5. Rotate the arms down
and plug them into the side of the legs.
6. Finish up the transformation
(this varies according to alt mode-- it includes various little steps such
as locking the feet together to form a front bumper, flipping the hands
up, plugging in weapons, and/or folding tires forward). These bits are
often so minimal as to not be specifically pointed out in the instructions,
unlike the other steps.
Although it obviously varies
a bit compared to individual taste, shape of the pieces, and color scheme,
in general those with jet alt modes tend to pull this off the best, sleek
sportscar/race car modes range from okay to iffy, and heavy duty vehicles/trucks
tend to look pretty bad, not having nearly the bulk to look like what they're
supposed to. (Those with ground-based alt modes also have wheels and other
"fender junk" hanging off in a rather unsightly manner from their arms.)
The sole exception to
this transformation scheme and alt mode comparison is the Target exclusive
release at the $25 U.S. pricepoint-- Predaking, the only character from
the 2013 line that transforms into a beast (a dragon) instead of a vehicle.
For Predaking, to transform him into dragon mode you basically do step
1 outlined above, then fold him down on all fours, fold out the beast head,
and attach and re-attach a few minor pieces like his claws and tail. Predaking
manages to look pretty cool in both modes-- if a bit overly skeletal in
dragon mode-- though his wings are a bit too heavy for the rubberized ball
joints, making him the only one of the Year 1 figures that has overloaded
ball joints in his recommended configuration.
For the Year 1 figures,
Hasbro decided to stick heavily to G1 characters, with a few Prime-inspired
characters such as Dead End and Breakdown thrown into the mix as well.
Listed below is the full lineup for Year 1. Scouts are $10 U.S., Elites
are $15, "Triple-Changers" are $25, and "Ultimate" class figures are $35:
- Autobot Hound (Elite
jeep, Autobot)
- Blitzwing (Triple
changer jet & tank, Decepticon)
- Breakdown (Scout 4WD
vehicle, Decepticon)
- Bumblebee (Scout car,
Autobot)
- Bumblebee (Triple
changer jet & car, Autobot)
- Cliffjumper (Scout
car, Autobot)
- Dead End (Scout race
car, Decepticon)
- Decepticon Dragstrip
(Elite race car, Decepticon)
- Ironhide (Scout 4WD
vehicle, Autobot)
- Megatron vs. Optimus
Prime (Ultimate 2-pack; Decepticon tank & Autobot truck, respectively)
- Megatron "Translucent"
version (Elite tank, Decepticon)
- Optimus Prime "Translucent"
version (Elite truck, Autobot)
- Predaking ($25 U.S.;
dragon, Predacon) [Target Exclusive]
- Shockwave (Elite jet,
Decepticon)
- Silverbolt (Scout
jet, Autobot)
- Smokescreen (Elite
race car, Autobot)
- Soundwave (Elite jet,
Decepticon)
- Starscream (Scout
jet, Decepticon)
- Thundercracker (Scout
jet, Decepticon)
- Wheeljack (Elite car,
Autobot)
Regarding individual releases/size
classes, I find the scout Bumblebee and "translucent" Optimus Prime &
Megatron releases to be pretty redundant and a waste for the line, particularly
so soon after it was launched (they all were Wave 2 releases). Neither
are all that different from their other versions besides some plastic colors
and weapons/accessories; repaints may cut it when you have to put as much
engineering and development as you do into a "traditional" Transformers
toy, but not when they're already made up of a lot of individual standardized
parts. Cliffjumper is almost completely a "repaint"-- pieces and all--
from scout Bumblebee, rendering the latter even more pointless. The head
molds are often reused, but with different faces. Some of these make sense--
using Ironhide's noggin for Blitzwing works well for both-- but some are
complete question marks. (WHY did they re-use Wheeljack's head for Silverbolt?
Other than eyes, they have NO facial features in common...) I don't think
unique heads for releases where it makes sense is too much to ask. Another
disappointment is that the "triple-changers" really aren't at all; rather,
they come with enough pieces to allow you to give them either one alt mode
OR the other, but not both at once. One last bad thing to mention here
is that starting with the Wave 3 releases, the allegiance symbol pieces
stopped being painted, which is a big no-no in my eyes-- if ANYTHING besides
the face needs paint, it's the allegiance symbols. On the positive side,
the "ultimate" 2-pack, unlike the other sets, comes with several extra
accessories and parts for additional customization, which is a nice touch.
One last thing to note is that all of the releases except those in the
Scout size class come with their own little translucent plastic cases to
store their parts in, which is appreciated.
Each Construct-Bot comes
with a piece of paper with a code on it, worth so many points in the free
downloadable Construct-Bot game app. (The more expensive 'bots, of course,
give you more points.) These points are used in the game to purchase "parts
packs" or individual parts with the in-game currency they also give you.
Then, in-game you create your own Construct-Bots with the virtual pieces
you've amassed (of which there are noticeably more unique parts here then
there are "in real life"). Each part gives your Construct-Bot more speed,
strength, or defense (shown by meters on one side of the screen). This
part of the app is quite well put-together, easy-to-use, and your Construct-Bot
will often move around and make a funny pose for you. When you're done
you can "transform" it virtually, to boot. However, the actual "game" part
of the app is, quite simply, a joke. You go through various locations and
battle random Construct-Bots in order-- with Predaking being the final
boss of every area, for some reason. However, a "battle" simply involves
you picking the Construct-Bot(s) you want and clicking okay. Than a "fighting
cloud" animation happens with a few Construct-Bot pieces flying around,
and then the game tells you you either win or lose, depending on whether
the Construct-Bot you faced was overall stronger or weaker than yours.
No actual battle controls or anything of the sort, though the game does
occasionally mix up things by requiring you to enter multiple Construct-Bots
into one battle or make you battle a Construct-Bot that's particularly
strong in one aspect. Regardless, it doesn't feel like a "battle" game
at all, just you clicking some options and then watching the game's calculator
of sorts give you an outcome. (If you lose a battle or barely win it, your
Construct-Bot will "lose" some parts--and thus get weaker-- unless you
replace/upgrade them in the customizer section. This barely ever happened
to me, though-- if your Construct-Bot is adequately "armored up", he'll
win almost everything.) Couple this with overly loud, annoying music that
I can't figure out how to switch off without muting my speakers and code
that's often broken (there were several weeks at a time-- spaced throughout
the latter half of the year the site was online-- where major portions
of the site were down or not working), and you've got a game that's just
not worth playing, even if the virtual Construct-Bot option is a little
cool.
The first year of Construct-Bots
has some very good ideas-- such as transformations that are the same throughout
the series yet can result in rather different alt modes, a large number
of customizable ports and pieces on the skeleton of each 'bot, excellent
articulation and posability, and an online customization tool. Unfortunately,
they're marred by a shaky-at-best website launch, a horrible "game", snapping
C-clips on the toys, overusage of some defining parts like heads, and some
rather poor-looking alt modes for the heavier ground-based vehicular TFs.
The subline has promise, but at this point it still has "work in progress"
written quite plainly on it.
Overall Rating: 6/10
Above
Average
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