Let's Move Out - Transformers Ironhide

My love affair with collecting bricks of any kind (well I started off with knockoffs) began two years ago. I figured I didn't have crafty stuff to do, aside from photography and cooking. As my collection grow, I realize this hobby is the product of my frustration in pursuing my passion for film making.

I came across bricks of various brands, sizes, colors, and compatibility. I stumbled upon Kre-o while checking out bricks from the original maker in the toy section of Mall of Asia. Apparently, at the time, several minifigures are placed on 50-75% discount. I thought Hasbro or the mall is phasing out these Transformers items, so I hoarded (and yes, these products are no longer on the shelves, to date!)

While I'm at it, I thought it will be nice to show off one minifigure from my ancient haul.

 The Kreo Combiners - Volcanicon in another blog post was acquired earlier in 2017. I haven't released three-fifths of the blog series yet.

First up - Ironhide!

Boom!

Ironhide is one of the all-time friend of Optimus Prime, although not as popular as his sidekick Bumblebee. He takes the form of a red van or pickup, or in the case of the movies, a black GMC Topkick. A weapon specialist and a loyal warrior, his weapons range from machine guns to missile launcher. Apparently, he has more weapons than a third-world country.

In Revenge of the Fallen, he died while taking a surprise blow from Sentinel's rust gun.

Product
Brand/Model: Kre-o Transformers Custom Kreon Collection 1
Condition: Bought with box in clear plastic bags and sorted packaging

Character
Name: Ironhide
Affiliation: Autobot
Transforming to: red van - usually Ford pickup, GMC Topkick, or Nissan Vanette
Weapons: water gun, shockwave rifle, gatling missile launcher

A red van in a box

The packaging for Ironhide brick pieces is pretty neat and attractive for a compulsive collector-buyer. While flaunting the transparent and shiny pieces like helmets, torso, and machine gun, the instruction booklet and other pieces are hidden away behind the cartoon figure of Ironhide.

Reds and grays

Ironhide minifigure consists of 38 pieces -
1 4x6 gray base plate
1 2x4 black brick with Kre-o logo
1 gray head with a perpetual teeth-baring print
2 helmets - one is a red transparent and the other, a silver chrome
2 torsos - one in transparent white with orange printings and one in solid red with the bumper and window printings
2 sets of arms - one standard in red and silver to match the color scheme, and one in solid gray with length that stretches down to the leg
2 pairs of legs - one in solid red with gray and silver printings, and one in transparent red with no printing
2 small black wheels attachable to the side of the legs
1 red wing-like brick worn at the back (car doors for illusion)
1 red grid, where you hang the weapons (like in the movies!)
5 gray and 2 black clips, which hold the weapon holder and the weapons
1 long chrome-finished machine gun with attachable red nozzle and gray magazine
3-piece axe
1 black pistol (longer than the usual minifigure gun)
1 y-shape weapon which holds the claw-like gray weapon that can open and close

Such a long list! But I bet these are rare pieces for battle scenes.

Can't be a weapon specialist without the cool stuff

I find the pieces from this set intensely interesting! The claws look like one of those which grab a stuffed toy from a local game arcade. It opens and closes with not too much force. I specifically admire the chrome gun, which matches the silver helmet. Items can be clipped to this gun to extend its length or plainly, to accessorize it. The long arms are also a beauty. I can attach the red nozzle instead of the hand to make it look more animatronic. Why can't we have such an arm for Iron Man!

The set boasts of 16+ combinations as the pieces are interchangeable. I dare say that if you let your imagination loose, the combinations are unlimited. The verdict - this Ironhide, apart from being compatible with knockoff bricks (except for the leg and arm joints, of course!), is a must-have due to its molds that cannot be found in other non-Kre-o sets. One drawback is that it does not transform like the other Kre-o minifigures.

Autobot vs Decepticon
(see that long arm using the claw? amazing!)

P.S. To the kids reading this blog - the weapons are only cool for playing with your minifigures and doing action photography; they aren't cool in real life.

Until the next blog. :)

Transformers: Age of Kreons - Volcanicon (2/5) Farside

Farside, one of Volcanicon's minions, transforms into a dinosaur of stegosaurid species. With similar gold-beige color scheme as other Volcanicon minions, Farside boasts of a spiny stretch of bricks in the back and a geometric headpiece.

Egyptian mummy?

Product
Brand/Model: Hasbro Kre-o Microchangers Combiners
Condition: Bought with box in clear plastic bags, as set
Price: ~2 USD

Character
Name: Farside
Transforming to: Stegosaurid
Planet: Dinosaur

Bare model of Farside

There is nothing unusual or amazing with the Farside minifigure. It  has the same head printed with silvery details to make it look metallic and badass. The legs and arms are of the Kreo mechanism - which enables the limbs to be moved sideways. The torso has awesome prints of robotic details, but has no particular significance to its form. Its back has no printing, similar to Liftoff.

Fossils

The accessories that come with Farside minifigure consist of 1 helmet (which doubles as the head of the dinosaur), 2 silver curved blades (which are attachable to a red modified 1x1 with 2 clips), 3 pieces of bricks that form into spines, and 4 gold teeth (3 of which are rubbers).

Battle-ready Farside

 By bending an equipped Farside minifigure, it gives the illusion of transforming to a quadruped stegosaurid. The curved blades though are a steal for builders who customized. They can be used for various battle scenes but most notably, they could be used for samurai helmets.

Transformed Farside

Next: Lugmutt

Transformers: Age of Kreons - Volcanicon (1/5) Liftoff

After several attempts of raiding city malls, I've finally got my hands on the four coveted on-sale Kre-o items last month. At a very cheap price, leading malls have cleared out their warehouses with these Micro Changers Combiners, which include Obsidian, Volcanicon, Lazerbolt, and Grimstone. The sets have 70+ pieces at the price of 3 knockoff minifigures. Yes! I'll review a cheap original.

First up - Volcanicon. Along with his brother Obsidian, he seeks to avenge their planet Dinosaur destroyed by an unnatural force. Surfing the net, I did not find any animated or comic book sketches of Volcanicon. It appears that he only exists in dialogues and in the form of toys.

Microchangers Combiners Volcanicon

The box has 5 individual bags, 1 sheet of stickers, and an instructions manual.

Transform! 

How to Build a Transformers

This mech has 4 minifigures combined to make the Volcanicon figure. The individual bags obviously contain minifigures, accessories, and weapons. The bricks in scheme of beige, red, and gold, boast of 74 pieces, with gorgeous-looking samurai helmet, claws, wings, and bluish gray curved blades.

Chopped parts anyone? 

I didn't want to exhaust the pieces and characters altogether, so I'm doing installment reviews, beginning with one of the minions, Liftoff. Similar to Volcanicon, Liftoff is not on the grid of Transformers universe of comics and animation.

The Eagle has Landed

Product
Brand/Model: Hasbro Kre-o Microchangers Combiners
Condition: Bought with box in clear plastic bags, as set
Price: ~2 USD

Character
Name: Liftoff
Transforming to: Pterodactyl
Planet: Dinosaur

Bare model of Liftoff

The prints on the head, torso, and legs are decent, with intricate silver and orange patterns. The printing in the head looks badass like Dr. Doom's metallic feature.

The legs are way different from Lego and its knockoff counterparts, which can be moved sideways. Though well articulated, they are not compatible with other major brands, but can stand on regular studs.

The hip joining the torso and legs have a similar insertable part as the neck that holds the head, hence incompatible with major brands.

The arms are also well articulated and longer than that of a Lego minifigure, but they are similarly unable to bend the forearms. The hands are not capable of being twisted off.

Blank Space

The back of the minifigure is featureless, due probably to the mechanism of transformation being attached to the back.

Liftoff Equipped

Game On

Equipping Liftoff with red dragon-like wings, two-pronged claws, and triangular headpiece, makes him battle-deadly. These parts are compatible with Lego and other knockoffs, for customizable builds or moc.

Dare You To Move

The wings are worn through the neck like a jetpack and secured by the length of the helmet. The assemblage is easily broken apart by gentle pressure and the neck piece adjoining the backpack can easily break.

Roll Out! 

Go Fly! 

By bending Liftoff in the hip, it creates an illusion of transforming to a pterodactyl, an ancient flying reptile. The claws are switched to the feet through 2 brown bricks and additional gun-like brown bricks are attached to the hands - which I'm not certain what function or illusion they serve.

Next time: Farside