The Transformers Construct-Bots are buckets of buildable fun

When I was a kid I loved building things with by blocks.  Back then I had a square box with red, white and blue blocks and the only things I could make were buildings or vehicles with square wheels that weren’t attached.  Of course that time was the late 70’s, things are much different now and KRE-O is morphing the scene with Transformers Construct-Bots.

Personally I like how trendy Transformers have become.  They’re like a science fiction version of an erector set with wheels and free play to encourage the imagination.  We were sent the Transformers Construct-Bots Scout Class Ironhide and Wheeljack to try out.  They’re slightly different, lots of fun to assemble, a little frustrating to convert and overall a great deal for your toy buck.  Both of the Construct-Bots that I played with are intended for ages 6 and up.

Ironhide is the more entry level of the two, has 45 pieces and can be converted to a jet or truck also.  Building Ironhide was great fun and not too challenging for me.  Children may need a little assistance in assembling it and will certainly need help in converting it from a Transformer to a vehicle.  I had to put it down and walk away from it 3 times before I finally got my head around a certain set that breaks it down to a vehicle.

Wheeljack is the slightly more complex of the two and has 55 pieces.  It was very fun to put together, might be too difficult for children 6 years old and converts to a car much like Ironhide.  Wheeljack comes with a red container that can hold the vehicle if/when you take it apart.

Because both of these are part of a set it’s not a free build activity at first.  Once you get comfortable with the pieces it would be fun to have at it and see what you can build.   When you get the two assembled they can battle and transform with ease once you get the movements down.

That is the tricky part.  They can move in any number of ways and that is great, but it can also be frustrating when you’re trying to move them between one stage and the other.  Each little piece is supposed to be where it is, if you don’t follow the directions they way that they are drawn you will create a FrankenBot that can neither Transform, move or do anything fun.

Tip:  Save the cardboard packaging.  It has a picture of what it looks like in both stages.  That way you’ll have a model to reference if you find yourself in a Transformer jam.

One bonus about all of the action figures in the Transformers Construct-Bot line is that they’re priced very reasonably between $9 and $28.  If you shop around you can find multi-packs with a couple of them in there too.  These aren’t the prohibitively priced block that makes you swear off boy’s toys.  If you lose a block that’s another story as the entire toy could be nulled.  However, as they stand the Transformers Construct-Bots are entry level KRE-O toys that young builders will love.  You may bang your head against the wall when you have to convert them, but exhale, remember that it’s a children’s toy and you can do it.