KRE-O Transformers Kreon Review - Optimus and Bumblebee

Hasbro recently released their KRE-O line of building toys.  KRE-O is a LEGO clone which is compatible with LEGO.  Their first line of KRE-O toys is for Transformers.  As a LEGO and Transformer fan I picked up the Optimus Prime and Bumblebee sets to see what they were like. However, instead of reviewing the actual sets this review will focus only on the Kreons.

Kreons in the Optimus Prime set

Kreons in the Bumblebee set

Kreons are the small mini figures that come with the sets. Many people were drawn to the sets because of the Kreons. The Optimus Prime set contains 5 Kreons: Optimus Prime, Bluestreak, Skywarp and 2 stunt drivers.  The Bumblebee set contains 3 Kreons: Bumblebee, Red Alert and a driver.

I can see why they included the drivers in the sets, but personally I would have rather seen more Transformer Kreons.  The drivers look plain by comparison.  I'm going to skip them in this review because they aren't very interesting.  The driver that comes with Bumblebee could be passed off as Spike though.

All of the Kreons so far look like the original Transformers from the 80's cartoon.  This is in contrast to the main sets that are a mix of the cartoon and movies.

The Kreons are similar to LEGO minifigs, the main difference is their arms and legs are connected with ball joints and give them a much wider range of movement compared to LEGO minifigs.  Also, their torso is connected to their legs by 1 peg instead of 2.  This allows them to twist their waist.

Red Alert Kreon

Red Alert Kreon

The Red Alert Kreon is the mini version of Red Alert.  There's not much to say about him.  Although he looks like the original Red Alert his helmet is black instead of red and his arms and legs are red instead of white.  Apparently his helmet is too large as well.  Pushing it down all the way will cover his eyes.

Bluestreak Kreon

Bluestreak Kreon

Next we have Bluestreak.  He looks very much like Bluestreak from the original cartoon and toys.  His helmet has some color to it, which adds to his Bluestreak look.  He even has his door wings.

Skywarp Kreon

Skywarp Kreon

The lone Decepticon in these two sets is Skywarp and he does not look very happy about it.  Like the original Skywarp he has his purple and black color scheme.  He has his wings on his back and guns on his arm.  One thing unique about Skywarp is his feet have metallic purple paint on them.

Bumblebee Kreon

Bumblebee Kreon

Here we have Bumblebee of old.  He's got his horns just like the original Bumblebee and if he could transform I imagine he would transform into his VW Beetle form.

Optimus Prime Kreon

Optimus Prime Kreon

 Finally we have Optimus Prime.  Obviously Hasbro put more effort into Optimus than the others.  His helmet has silver colors on it, he's got two pipes on his arms and wheels on his legs.  He looks very much like the original Optimus.  One thing neat is his chest is open, showing the matrix of leadership. I looked it up on discussion forums and apparently there was a mistake in packaging where some Optimus sets came with the open chest.  Your Optimus might be different.

Kreons Versus LEGO Minifigs

Poseability:
Kreons have ball joint arms and legs which give them much better poseability. Their arms and legs can move up and down and also a little to the side.  The added articulation does come with some drawbacks in durability and quality.

Accessories:
Kreons have additional places where accessories can be attached.  Accessories can clip onto their arms and they have a hold on the side of their leg where an accessory can be held in place like with Optimus' wheels.

Details:
Kreons have a lot of detail.  Each of the Transformers' helmets are unique.  Also the Kreon faces are all unique.  Each one has their own expression that matches pretty well with their character's personality.

Durability:
Because of their ball joints the Kreons also feel a lot more fragile than LEGO minifigs.  The Kreons seem to be fairly sturdy, but  I can see children accidentally snapping off a Kreons arm or leg by pulling them in the wrong way.  LEGO minifigs on the other hand are nearly indestructible.

Quality:
The Kreons are built well, but there are some issues with quality especially when compared to LEGO minifigs.  The looseness of their arms and legs vary widely.  Some are very tight and some are loose.  In contrast most LEGO minifigs have fairly consistent tightness in their joints.  Many people mention that the Kreons suffer from stress marks.  On all the Kreons I've noticed stress marks around the wrists and hips.

Stress marks on the back of the legs

Stress marks on the front of the legs

Stress marks at the wrist joints

It shows up the most on the red plastic, but all of them have some type of stress mark.  LEGO minifigs on the other hand hardly ever show stress marks.  Even though they have stress marks the plastic does not feel like it is breaking.  Only time will tell if the Kreons hold up, but the stress marks don't instill a sense of long lasting product.  Other quality issues include being able to clearly see the seams in the plastic molds and paint jobs that are not as good as LEGO minifigs.  If you compare them with LEGO minifigs you will notice also that the molds are not as sharp or cleanly cut.  However, I cannot tell if this is intended or not.

This is not to say the Kreons are poor quality.  I would rate them much higher then Megabloks and Mini-Mates minifigs that regularly suffer from easily detached arms and legs, but lower than LEGO minifigs that rarely break.  If Hasbro wants to truly compete with LEGO minifigs the first thing they should do is get rid of the stress marks.

Conclusion
I think the Kreons are great.  As someone who grew up with Transformers they remind me a lot of the original cartoons and toys.  While the quality does not match the level that LEGO has established the Kreons are the only minifigs that I have seen come close to competing with LEGO minifigs.  The stress marks are unfortunate, but so far they have not led to breakage.  However, because of their ball joints Kreons appear to be much easier to break than LEGO minifigs.  Still, Hasbro could probably start a successful line of Kreons if they ever decided to package them individually and fix the stress mark issues.  Hopefully Hasbro will continue to produce more Kreons and improve on their design.

Don't forget the Kreons are part of the KRE-O line.  I'm looking forward to seeing how the actual sets turn out once I get a chance to put them together.