Construct-Bots Year 1 (2013) Review

Dead End, Shockwave, & Translucent Optimus Prime (Robot Modes)

    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.

Dead End, Shockwave, & Translucent Optimus Prime (Vehicle Modes)

    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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