KRE-O Transformers Year 4 (2014) Review

Parts of Grimlock Unleashed, Dinobot Charge, & Decepticon Replicator sets

    Given that 2014 featured the fourth Transformers movie, you'd expect the toys to center mostly on that movie; and, to a large extent, you'd be right. However, not ALL product for the year was Age of Extinction-related, with many of the individual Kreons themselves hearkening from other eras of Transformers. The first big change to hit the line, though, was that in 2014, the entire line became a Toys "R" Us exclusive. To a certain extent, in the previous year it essentially became that anyways, as all but some smaller online retailers basically stopped stocking the line, particularly the toys that weren't individually-packed Microchangers. On the one hand, this meant that KRE-O had a dedicated retailer for them; on the other hand, it meant that it was also subject to the whims of said retailer, and for those cheaper products that had different "waves" of product during the year, Toys "R" Us would often-- for various reasons-- skip on a wave or two of that product, which led to an unusually large number of releases for the line in 2014 coming out only overseas in Hong Kong/Taiwan and/or in a VERY limited release in Canada and the West Coast of the U.S.
    First, let's focus on the "big ticket" items for the U.S.-- i.e., the main larger, boxed KRE-O sets. Beyond simply being Kre-O sets, all of the sets for this year went along with AoE's theme of being Dinobot-centered, with all of the Dinobots having a magnet hidden somewhere on them that could be attached to a magnet "backpack" that some of the Kreons (particularly the Vehicons) wore. With this simple gimmick you could have the various Dinobot builds attach hapless Vehicons to their mouths, horns, or tails, as if the Dinobots were in the midst of crushing their enemies. Although not spectacularly innovative, it was rather nifty for the most part, and didn't really interfere with the builds much (if at all), so I certainly didn't mind it. There were also "mini-Kreons" introduced this year for the human characters, which had one solid tiny leg piece, a little body piece with teeny arms that could move at the shoulder, and a normal-sized Kreon head. This was a nice way to keep the TF characters small while still making them "big" in comparison to the humans. The builds for the Dinobots themselves were, largely speaking, medicore-to-good, but the "building" parts-- such as computer screens, signs, arches, and the like-- were still a bit on the small/weak side, due to the relative limitation of KRE-O parts when compared with LEGOs, as well as the price limitation set on KRE-O sets given that the largest sets ($50+) from earlier years didn't seem to sell that well.
    Unless otherwise noted, all of these were fairly easy to find so long as you had a Toys "R" Us nearby (all prices in this review are in U.S. dollars, MSRP):

-Cell Block Breakout set (contains Strafe pterodactyl build; cage & turret build; and "Evasion" Optimus Prime, "High Octane" Bumblebee, and Vehicon Kreons) ($20)
-Decepticon Replicator set (contains duplication chamber build; electronic readout builds; Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Nemesis Prime, and Stinger Kreons; and Mad Scientist mini-Kreon) ($15-ish) [Released only in Taiwan]
-Dinobot Charge set (contains Slug triceratops build; as well as Drift and Vehicon Kreons) ($12)
-Dinobot Ride set (contains mini G1 Grimlock t-rex build; as well as Optimus Prime mini-Kreon) (Free) [Available only as part of a "Make and Take" special event at stores in June]
-Galvatron Factory Battle set (contains Galvatron super-robot build; Galvatron construction station build; metal refinery build; Dinobot velociraptor build; Vehicon, Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee Kreons; and KSI Scientist, KSI Soldier, and KSI worker mini-Kreons) ($50)
-Grimlock Street Attack set (contains AoE Grimlock t-rex build; Chinese arch build; and Golden Knight Optimus Prime and two Vehicon Kreons) ($22)
-Grimlock Unleashed set (contains large G1 Grimlock t-rex build; as well as G1 Grimlock and AoE Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Galvatron, and Lockdown Kreons) ($25)
-Lockdown Air Raid set (contains Lockdown ship build; Dinobot velociraptor build; and Hound, Leadfoot [incorrectly referred to as "Sideswipe" on the package], and Lockdown Kreons) ($30)
-Optimus Prime Dino Hauler set (contains Dinobot ankylosaur build; Optimus Prime truck w/ cage build; Autobot Ratchet & two Vehicon Kreons; and Truck Driver mini-Kreon) ($30)
-Scorn Street Chase set (contains Scorn spinosaurus build; flag build; and Crosshairs & two Vehicon Kreons) ($15)

The popular Kreon "Microchangers"-- Kreon-sized ~$4-$5 Transformers characters that had alternate small vehicle/beast builds-- continued into 2014, though they weren't quite as numerous as in 2013. The Microchangers selection largely mixed A- and B-listers (Blackarachnia, Trypticon, Jetwash/Jetfire, Sunstreaker) with some truly out-of-nowhere obscure homages, such as Jarugar from the late '80s Japanese series Victory and "Scattershot", who was not the G1 character, but actually homaged the Airazor redeco of the Energon Treadshot/Windrazor mold that was done for the Target-exclusive Revenge of the Fallen Superion/Aerialbots giftset. A few of the Microchangers had the wrong allegiance symbol on their toy, though, which is a bit of a head-scratcher considering how otherwise accurate their details were. There were also some "Dinobot/Con" Microchangers in the assortments that were completely new characters-- Torosaur, Silversnout, Skimmer, and Frostbite, namely. In addition, at Botcon 2014 a set of six Kreon Microchangers was released (as opposed to the "non-transforming" Kreons from Botcon 2013) which celebrated the 20th anniversary of Botcon by doing Kreon versions of exclusives from years past. These builds were particularly inventive, with Landshark and Rattrap being quite ingeniously done (as opposed to the "usual" Kre-O team, these exclusive Microchangers were conceptualized by longtime Transformers fan "M Sipher", and that, combined with the looser limitation on parts count due to the exclusive nature of the pack, made these my favorite Microchangers from the year).
Sadly, although the Wave 1 Microchangers had the usual codes on the back of the blindpack where the last two digits would tell you what was inside, this was completely done away with for the Wave 2 Microchangers for the year, which were truly blind-bagged. Add this on top of the fact that the Wave 2 Microchangers had a VERY limited release in Canada and along the West Coast of the U.S., and getting a complete set of the latter wave tended to be a bit expensive. Listed below are all the Microchangers for 2014, with identifying codes where applicable:

Kreon Microchangers Wave 1 (Red-striped packaging):
Skrapnel (aka red G1 Shrapnel) - 45
Fangwolf (aka Cybertron Snarl) - 46
Misfire (mistakenly labeled Autobot on toy) - 47
Trypticon (Classics version) - 48
Mindswipe (aka G1 Mindwipe) - 49
Nightbeat (aka G1 Punch, oddly enough) - 50
Highbrow (mistakenly labeled Decepticon on toy) - 51
Jarugar (Victory Jarugar) - 52
Jetwash (aka G1 Jetfire) - 53
Wingspan Hawk (aka G1 Wingspan) - 54
Torosaur - 55
Silversnout - 56

Kreon Microchangers Wave 2 (Yellow-striped packaging):
Autobot Gears
Autobot Seaspray (based on Autobot Alliance version; mistakenly labeled Decepticon on toy)
Autobot Wheelie
Decepticon Blackarachnia
Decepticon Runamuck
Decepticon Skalor
Fuselage (aka G1 Octane)
Frostbite
Scattershot (aka RotF Airazor)
Skimmer
Sunstreaker
Trailbreaker

Botcon 2014 Kreons: ($49 for set)
"Generation 2" Breakdown (based on 1994 exclusive)
Fractyl (based on 1997 exclusive)
Gigatron (based on 2012 exclusive)
Landshark (based on 2009 exclusive)
Rattrap (based on 2006 exclusive)
"Shattered Glass" Rodimus (based on 2008 exclusive)

Select 2014 Microchangers & Microchanger Combiners

Microchanger Combiners continued for another year, and how they were built remained largely unchanged from the 2013 combiners-- that is, the combined forms pick-and-chose pieces from the individual Microchanger builds, of which there were four in each $10 pack. As opposed to 2013 where the combiners were all based on previous "actual Transformer toy" combiners, all of the Microchanger combiners for this year were new characters, both in terms of the individual members and the gestalts themselves. They still were a great deal, though, and most of the new characters had dinosaur alt modes, in keeping with the theme of the year.
There was only one wave of Microchanger Combiners for the year, which were relatively easy to get. They are listed below:

-Grimstone (comes w/ Crackback, Iguanox, Ironeye, and Mollux Kreons)
-Lazerbolt (comes w/ Bullhorn, Floodgate, Freezeout, and Roadhound Kreons)
-Obsidian (comes w/ Bullwark, Freefall, Hemocron, and Stronghorn Kreons)
-Volcanicon (comes w/ Farside, Liftoff, Lugmutt, and Power Surge Kreons)

Custom Kreons, introduced in late 2013, also continued for another year, using the same "gimmick" in that they came with an alternate set of hands, legs, a main body, a helmet, and weapons in addition to their "default" parts, as well as a "weapons rack" to store the unused pieces on. (The alternate hands/legs/helmets were usually transparent and chromed variations). As before, the Custom Kreons could not "transform" like the Microchangers, unfortunately; they sold for ~$6-$7 each. Also unfortunately, the second wave of "Classic/G1" Kreons was never stocked in Toys "R" Us in the U.S. or Canada, and thus only saw a limited release in Asia. The first two waves of Custom Kreons for AoE were relatively plentiful, but the last wave of the year-- the AoE Dinobots, namely Grimlock, Dinobot Slug, Strafe, and Scorn-- also didn't make it to retail except for a VERY limited release in Canada (and didn't really go on sale until into early 2015, on top of that).
Listed below are all the Custom Kreons sold in (or at least MEANT to be sold in) 2015:

Custom Kreons "G1" Wave 2:
-Autobot Hound
-Autobot Jazz
-Cliffjumper
-Dreadwing (aka G1 Darkwing)
-Galvatron
-Predaking (from Beast Hunters)

Custom AoE Kreons:
-Autobot Drift
-Autobot Hound
-Autobot Ratchet
-Bumblebee
-Crosshairs
-Dinobot Slug
-Galvatron
-Grimlock
-Lockdown
-Optimus Prime
-Scorn
-Strafe

Finally, there were a few odds and ends also released in limited/exclusive quantities, such as an Asia-Exclusive Kreon set of "special" Silver Knight editions of the AoE Autobots, a Universal Studios exclusive set of Kreons from Transformers: The Ride, and a surprisingly affordable ($60 for 30 Kreons) large SDCC 2014 exclusive "Class of 1984" Kreon set, consisting of a large number of non-transformable Kreon TFs from the first few years of Transformers that came in a yearbook-style package and featured detailing that more closely resembled their original G1 toys when compared to the more "mass release" Kreon versions of those characters (if they DID have a mass release version, that is). They also came with some tongue-in-cheek accessories, like cassette tape pieces and an '80s hair style piece you could use in place of some bot's helmet.
Listed below are all the Kreon characters that were released in these packs:

-Class of 1984 set (contains Kreons of Arcee, Bluestreak, Brawn, Bumblebee, Gears, Hound, Huffer, Ironhide, Jazz, Megatron, Mirage, Optimus Prime, Perceptor, Prowl, Ratchet, Shockwave, Sideswipe, Skrapnel, Skywarp, Soundwave, Starscream, Sunstreaker, Thundercracker, Trailcutter, Ultra Magnus, Wheeljack, Windcharger; mini-Kreons of Frenzy and Rumble; and several Kreon accessories)
-Silver Knight Autobots set (contains "Silver Knight" Kreons of Bumblebee, Drift, Optimus Prime, Hound, and Crosshairs)
-Transformers: The Ride set (contains Kreons of the Revenge of the Fallen versions of Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Evac)

Selected 2014 Custom Kreons

The continuation of Microchangers and Microchanger combiners was a big plus for Year 4 of the Transformers KRE-O subline, though distribution was a bit more spotty for the line due to it becoming a Toys "R" Us exclusive. The "Dino Force" magnet gimmick for the traditional sets was also fairly cool if simple, but I do miss the complete abandoment of large robot-mode builds in the line; having a robot build for the "Grimlock Unleashed" set in particular would have been really nice, and the "buildings" in the main sets were also a bit too simplistic and/or unimpressive. Because of the more limited distribution, removal of codes from the blind-bagged Microchangers, and the aforementioned downsides, the 2014 KRE-O line doesn't score QUITE as high as the 2013 lineup, but it still is a pretty fun line for Transformers and/or LEGO enthusiasts.

Overall Rating:7/10 Good

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