Spoiler

Shhh

 

Just came across this thread while looking up some KREO references. You're doing great work here! Your Jazz especially blew me away because at first glance it looks so official!

 

Welcome back to my custom Kre-O Battle Changer showcases, and I think you guys are familiar with my sense of style already. I always like to challenge myself and see how far my LEGO abilities can go, and a challenge – this figure DEFINITELY was. This was a character that I had thought the longest time would be impossible to make. I had attempted him numerous times, but all came to no avail. I thought to redeco him from a different character, but that had some...less favorable results. I became so confused with how I would adapt the character, that for a while, I gave up on him altogether.

But as the character himself said, "where there is confusion, there is opportunity."

And I am so glad that my confusion led me to the glorious opportunity to make this figure. So without further ado, let's buckle our seatbelts for the Kre-O Battle Changer Astrotrain!

I absolutely can’t believe what I’ve been able to do with this character. Blitzwing was one thing, but I had instructions there. Here, I had the dubious and difficult task of getting a BC to turn into a train, AND a space shuttle. Yeah, now it doesn't seem so hard, but I had to lower my standards a little in order for this guy to be properly fleshed out.

Now I know what that means, both to you and me: this figure may not be up to par with the other BCs, including Blitzwing. But hey, no planet ever lost its orbit underestimating my ability in making these things so far, so I gotta have faith in myself and remain grateful if you still feel that way once you've checked this guy out.

I love what I've done with Astrotrain's profile here. It's a cool mix of G1, Animated, and Prime. I understand that the light-grey wings are going to evoke Buckethead, but they'll do for what I'm looking for. I should also note something about those purple bits on his collar. They are meant to evoke the corresponding areas from G1, but the best part about them? Their presence in the figure was COMPLETELY BY COINCEDENCE. Those things are the locking mechanism of the backpack, as well as having a few functions in vehicle mode(s), so I didn't even realize that they would evoke G1's design until I looked back on the cartoon model.

Speaking of the cartoon model, the version I used for reference was from his debut appearance in "Triple Takeover". There, Astrotrain was a mostly grey bot, while in later episodes he donned a purple helmet. I never liked the purple helmet, but I did like the grey wings. This will become an issue later on.

If you look closely, that head is a Megatron-head that I painted over with a silver marker (which is turning out to be more useful than initially thought). Yeah, it’s not perfect, but this had to have been the HARDEST paint work I’ve ever done! And that goes for the torso as well. It’s one thing to just reuse a torso, but another thing entirely when you’re able to make it resemble the original chasis so well. Brilliant!

Oh, and that helmet! SPOT ON! Sometimes, the best effects come from the simplest of tools. I took the Megatron head that I had from the prototype and used a Silver Paint Sharpie to cover the crinkles and lines, as well as using a black sharpie to outline those luscious eyebrows. The helmet, as you can tell, isn't of Kre-O origins, but LEGO design, specifically from a LEGO Minifigure of a Space Marine which had a silver stripe tampographed onto its top that I painted with a gold sharpie. Then, to better reflect the purple helmet of the cartoon, I used a purple sharpie to outline certain panel lines that I wanted purple.

Actually, yeah, most of my painting tools are sharpies. Not ideal, for sure, but it'll hold for as long as I need.

Now we get to the...worst part of this mode...the backpack kibble. It's not bad, but it juts out noticably far, and that gap in the bottom is really bad...

The arms, though, were done really well. They have a place in vehicle mode worth mentioning later, but I love how they resemble arm guards of some kind. Also, you'll notice that Astrotrain has something on his right arm-guard, and that plays into the weapons storage...

Oh, and Astrotrain's heel-struts will be a problem, though it's one of the two areas that took inspiration from the BC Blitzwing. I'll explain later.

From this angle, though, the kibble looks much better. It really helps outline Astrotrain's more slender figure (despite most of it being obscured by the wings...whoops) from the legs up. It's also really cool to see different parts of the two modes near each other. One of the main forms of appeal with the Transformers brand as a whole is seeing which parts of the robot line up to form the vehicle, and the Triple Changers were extremely fun in the regard of blending (more like shoving) two modes together. It was even cooler to see how the robot moves with those kibble parts to get to the two modes.

Oh, the wings. They were too short for the figure initially, hence why I added those things on the arms so I could "extend" the wings out a little to resemble space shuttle wings.

But about the slender body, it offers a lot of neat poses to get him into.

Oof.

Now, about that thing I said about the cartoon model...well...

I am a little bit iffy about the wings. As you know, Astrotrain’s color scheme tends to invert colors between the toy and the cartoon model. And that is usually dependent on the helmet color. As you can see, my figure has a grey helmet like the toy,…but grey wings like the cartoon. This is mainly because my favorite Astrotrain episode is his debut: Triple Takeover. In that episode had him with a grey helmet. Honestly, though, I can live with the inaccuracy. After all, Astrotrain’s purple shoulder-guards have been preserved, and that keeps things lined up for me. But I understand that the shade of grey in some areas may not sit well with you, as the G1 character was much darker in comparison. This is mainly due to the fact that I wanted Astrotrain’s alt-mode to have realistic colors for a train or space-shuttle (or realistic enough).

Also, I should note, those tiles on the legs are something that I partsformed onto there for my own satisfaction. It isn't meant to exist on the figure at all due to it interfering with the Shuttle mode, but I just like to add those for myself. If you want to replicate this figure, I do not recommend doing this.

Otherwise, what are TOTALLY necessary are his two impressive melee weapons.

Aside from that mini-arm cannon that turns into his train whistle, Astrotrain carries a silver tomahawk that he can use for close-combat damage, y'know, to make it personal to those filthy Autobots...

...but it's the giant broadsword that makes short work of any nuissances his way.

Yeah, that figure is tall when confronting the Autotroopers...

But how about he pick on someone his own size?

Here he is with Battle Changer Prowl:

Thanks to Aadeon for suggesting the redesign choices.
His fellow Triple Changer, BC Blitzwing:

The soon-to-be finished BC Swindle:

And avonekgrey’s Battle Changer Jetfire (review coming soon!):

Astrotrain is a moderately sized figure, though obviously the tallest of the selected, only matching Blitzwing. Unfortunately, my word confirms that he’s shorter than Onslaught, so we do not have a new victor.

Anyway, as he’s a triple changer, that means two modes to get through, so let’s start with the Train Mode!

Yeah, the gaps are still here and there, but this is a great train mode, especially with everything I was trying to do with the figure. The wings folding up is a direct reference to the original toy, where the wings would fold down to become the sides of the train-car.

One complaint that I have as an afterthought is the fact that I couldn't fit any wheels onto this mode. The most you could get is the holes on Astrotrain's thighs, but that does stretch it. I do like how the shoulder-guards had turned into a...a...I don't know what that room is called but it's where the conductor it. It's also hollow, just like the real room, so that's nice.

Now this is the justification for those heel-struts: they form the cowcatcher, aka the part in the front of the train right below the engine that deflects obstacles of any kind. I wanted him to have one, and I think it works well enough.

Though I will say that the engine is a bit too...long. That's mainly because of the length of the rod that is holding all of those pieces together. Without the length, the engine wouldn't stick out the way it does in robot mode (which, as previously stated, worked really well).

I also like the way the legs folded up and attached to the sides. It reminds me yet again of the toy's transformation. I love it.

Also, the part that becomes the whistle is the previously mentioned, and never used, arm cannon. That is not partsforming. But the back of the figure IS partsforming. The random piece that I had mentioned is meant for two purposes: 1. becoming the underbelly of the shuttle nosecone, and 2. Being stored under here and keeping it in place.
I'm not proud of the partsforming, and technically this isn't the last we'll see of it.

Aside from that though, the caboose looks great, and the piece does hide the head a little...though that could be avoided if you just turn the head the proper way.

But wow, this is a great underside. You can see how Blitzwing somewhat inspired me in regards to the arm kibble, as the wing-extensions fold in. You can also see how the folded nosecone attaches onto the sides. I used two of Soundwave's arm-shield pieces to allow that, and it works great.

And now, let’s get to the Shuttle Mode!

Aside from those...heel-struts...this looks great. The tomahawk becoming the third wing is so perfect I can't describe it, but you can also see how the partsforming piece adds to the flow of the mode. Better yet, it helps call to mind an actual space shuttle.

If I had to stretch, the heel-struts could be landing gear...but...no.

You're also probably wondering how the hell that engine got on the other side without partsforming again. Well that's easy to explain, for you see...

...and that's how I failed middle school–I MEAN–Uh–engineered this kibble.

Gotta say that this is the best part of the entire figure. The engineering that makes this mode possible is through that single base. It flows really well between modes, thanks to the double joint that I have with that purple and grey connective.

Moving over to this side of the mode, it also looks...it's alright.

The thing I want to talk about right now the most are the placement of the shoulder-guards. To get them in that position, you have to stretch them 180º across their base; because the two pieces are hollow, this isn't a difficult task, but does cause them to temporarily disconnect from their bases. I wouldn't call it partsforming though, mainly because I...well...I don't want to...< . But despite that shortcoming, the shoulder-guards actually can be used to hide the face here, which is brilliant.

But yeah, the engine on the back is the worst kibble ever. Its something the figure has to deal with, and I haven't discovered a way to make it shorter.

Even in the back that engine length is visible. Though about the engine, you'll notice the piece I'm using here is the same from Shockwave's feet, and it's adjusting the engine at different angles. I like that, especially since it makes the kibble more manageable, and you can get the engine to be level with the front of the space shuttle.

Also, I've forgotten to mention those arm-guards. They were what locked the arms in place in the train mode, and here, they're covering up the torso and giving more shape and detail to the figure by emulating the large shuttle hatch. I just wish I had a robot arm to go with.

Regardless of that engine breaking the suspension of disbelief, you can still get some dang good aerial shots with the mode.

Badass...

So that about wraps it up for the figure. I haven't had much of a connection to Astrotrain as I did others, but I still felt it necessary to make a figure of him. His appearance in "Triple Takeover" and his immortalized scenes in the 1986 Transformers movie made it clear to me that he has a strong presence in G1 lore. The other reason for building him was ultimately to rise up to the challenge. No one has built a triple changer BC on their own, as Blitzwing was constructed by many individuals working together, while I managed to work it all by myself. This figure was an amazing opportunity indeed, however. I do not regret making this one, and he will certainly make a fine addition to my collection.

Now...
So about them side-changers...

 

By the way, guys (mostly Thatsjustkreo67 cause he wanted it and waited for it patiently), I've decided to give in. I will be making the other two Combaticons as mini-BCs, and they will be forming up to create Bruticus.

 

And the Fandom rejoiced.

 

Hey laserhead I stopped by Toys toys toys and look what I found! And it wasn’t just these they had tons of grimlocks hounds and shockwaves! And since you need more and If you’re going to tfcon Toronto it’s about an hour(half an hour I dunno) away. Plus they’re on sale! Also great job on the custom battle changers they look great!

 

Daw, thanks for the scouting, man. But I...don't live in Canada. I'm stuck here in Chicago. Moreover, I'm a high-school student, so I can't go anytime soon.

I appreciate it. BTW, Amazon started selling BC Ironhide and Shockwave again, so Swindle's gonna get done faster.

 

Welcome back to my custom Kre-O Battle Changer showcases, and this time we’re not showcasing one of my figures. I was initially planning to make my own, but then a series of thoughts and events made me reconsider. See…I’m not a fan of there having to be two different designs for the same character. Sure, it works for me when the two looks are set in different continuity, but I really don’t like this when it comes to toys…especially the brick-based kind. I usually like to be consistent with my works in respect to others. If someone has made a design that I believe is much better than what I could come up with, I will regard it as the “true” build, and will be less motivated to make my own.

Because of that, I REALLY WANTED THIS FIGURE, because it is JUST THAT GOOD.

This design comes from our friend @avonekgrey, who made the design for this all the way back in 2014-15. I contacted him and asked him for a break-down of his design, and he happily gave them to me. Obviously, though, I changed a few things in my version to better stand out. And I hope you like my take on @avonekgrey’s custom Kre-O Battle Changer Jetfire!

Put plainly, this figure has been a long time coming. I had actually created my own design via LDD before stumbling onto @avonekgrey's, and frankly, it's a decision I do not regret.
For advertisement, here's the original:

So of course, in contrast to my idea...

I mean, come ON. What was I even THINKING?!
Ultimately, this more compact and less strenuous design was the way to go. Though of course, I did put my own spin on a few things, which of course, we'll take a look at.

Also, I haven't mentioned how great the figure itself actually looks, and MAN he looks great in robot mode. The chest thing was something I was going to do from the get-go, in an effort to bring him closer to the G1 cartoon, but the head makes him stand out so much more. Where avon used the Ironhide helmet, I painted over a Ratchet helmet, and it works. I like to think it's based on his head from IDW, though he doesn't have the Macross-inspired battlemask. What he does have are black spots to emulate the Macross-Valkyrie's antenna. I think I did it great justice.

Though, there are a few things I'm pondering on. The things holding up the cannons are red, but maybe I should change them to black in order to further emulate the antennas? Also, I know some of my color choices are a bit wonky, specifically in terms of how much grey there is. I added it to further reduce the whiteness of his color palette, and not only to homage his surprisingly accurate movie-counterpart (though the parachute thing and his age was too far).

Though, of course, it's worth mentioning the figure this is based on. The main deviations came in the head and the head. But other touches include the color scheme. I wanted a larger presence of red in my figure, mainly to harken to the Macross Valkyrie, the figure that the original Jetfire model was based off of. And yes, avon's design moreso inspired by Skyfire, which is why there are parts here and there that will be more influenced by the Valkyrie. The obvious one being those red cannons on his shoulders.

Granted, they aren't as massive, but in keeping with the balance between Jet and Sky, it was a great compromise.

Dude's profile is also pretty compact. I didn't have the same wings that avon had for the tail-fins, so I had to build them instead. I like it. Also, something that deviates from the design overall is the fact that the booster pack at the butt of the giant backpack folds up. I was trying to make it more...slim. There's something else that I had also wanted to do, but never got to do it.

See how the jet-mode's nosecone is resting against his backpack? Initially I had wanted to have the nosecone face the opposite side, as a reference to his model in Fall of Cybertron. It...didn't work. For now, I'll have to stick with avon's version where the cone is facing back. It's not that bad.

But there is one problem with avon's design that could honestly be avoided, but I'll explain why I didn't avoid it.

See that? In this yoga exercise, Jetfire is the only one who's not able to stretch his arm to his side. This is because of those two slabs you see on his shoulders that are limiting the articulation. The reason why I kept them was because...well, it looked cool, and also because it matched the feel of the character. Avon had put great thought into how Jetfire would look, so I chose to respect that. But this limitation IS annoying. Sometimes, what I like to do is turn the slabs 90 degrees towards the "bicep" part of the shoulder, but when I forget to turn it back, it interferes with the transformation.

Another thing that's a bit annoying is that Jetfire is not compatible with my flight stand.

But honestly that's the least important part. What is more impressive is the fact that his weight enables him to carry objects much better. It reduces the risk of him falling over.

Though, despite that weight...he is still prone to it happening.

Though, again, this is my fault, as his feet can be a bit loose sometimes.

Gosh, y'know I haven't really talked that much about the design avon made. I love how bold it looks, how different yet similar it feels to the original. As you could see in my LDD experiments, I was trying to replicate the "scissor-wing" formation that the original had, but here, I love how avon put his own spin on that formation in a way that makes him feel that much more amazing. It's just so hard to describe.

Maybe I'll find words to describe it when we get to the size comparison:
Here's the other airborne autobot, BC Powerglide

BC Skywarp (woulda done Starscream, but I found him broken at the bottom of a bunch of stairs)

Micro-Changer Blast-Off

The other Greg Berger character, BC Grimlock (man is he short)

And finally, the STILL incomplete BC Sideswipe (I have an excuse, I swear)

As you could see with the Skywarp comparison, Jetfire isn't overly big. He's got a standard size, and nothing makes that bad. It's just perfect.

So, with that concluded, let's get into the JET MODE.

This is some third-party witchcraft, I'm sure of it. But holy hell this is such a simple transformation that it CAN'T be witchcraft! This mode perfectly encapsulates Jetfire/Skyfire's appearance from the cartoon, and while it certainly isn't to scale (there is no way this thing could fit a friggin' TRUCK and a SPACE SHUTTLE), it feels incredibly large anyway.

Granted, this mode doesn't bring back the fondest memories...as Jetfire kinda stayed in this mode and soon began to settle into the show...by becoming a glorified taxi. That's part of the reason why I tried sprucing this mode up with some Robotech references. One of those being the grilled slabs I put on the wings, which is meant to harken back to the front thrusters of the Valkyrie

This mode is also where another change from avon's design is evident: I swelled up the cockpit. In the original, it was just a tile of clear blue. Here, I've popped it out a bit more.

But on the side of the jet, one thing becomes clear in comparison to avon's

In this image, you can see that the figure's arm is parallel to the floor. For some strange reason, my figure isn't able to do that. It may be a mis-build, but from what I'm seeing, I did everything correctly, so I don't know why this keeps happening.

Anyway, that increase of grey that I mentioned earlier is more evident when you look at the underbelly of the mode. I would've turned the head around, but that actually interfered with the nosecone resting.

The back-side looks good and accurate as well. I love how avon managed to connect the wings to the legs, and how the feet become an extra pair of thrusters. And of course, with my design, you fold down the backpack thrusters down.

One of the issues with my chest modification is that it ends up tilting the figure to one side. It's not bad, especially in lack of a flight stand, but it does get a bit annoying. Heck the only reason you saw the mode completely parallel to the ground before was because I had rotated the blue part of the chest to provide extra support instead of a slant.

And of course, even if you aren't a Robotech/Macross fan, you'll recognize this pose anywhere. I added it here mainly to stick it to Bandai for denying Hasbro and Takara from using the design, as well as denying us any use of Jetfire's name and for some reason to make a new toy of him. But here we are now in a Macross-Cartoon Cross with Jetfire's history, and I'm loving how Bandai aren't able to do a thing. I mean what are they gonna do? Sic the Power Rangers on us?

Oh…that’s right...

Anyway, that raps this review up. @avonekgrey, if you're there, SOLID 9/10. The flaws of the figure are HEAVILY outweighed by the sheer amazingness of it. This is a design that Hasbro themselves honestly should have made, or asked you to have made for them. Keep up the hard work!

If you guys are tired of me talking, make sure to stay tuned, because I know a few others who are more than willing to share their stuff. Avon has already been open to the idea of sharing his other figures, and if you guys have your own, contact me and I'll be more than happy to let you post your own too!

For this figure, I honestly wish I had gotten more decals for him. But I got one, and luckily it was the one that counted the most.

Well, this review was fun! Though I got some bad news for you all...
...the Battle Changers are slowly leaving the internet.
It's become harder for me to make more, especially due to a lack of parts. I'm gonna have to scour the depths of eBay for some new figures...and I've got the right guy for the job.

 

Woah! Nice job! I wished Hasbro continued Battle Changers, or just Kre-o in general.

 

Thanks once again. Trust me, the project itself may be nearing completion, but my reviews are far from over.

 

Do you take the old ones to bits or do you have enough pieces for them to all exist at once?

 

Actually I don't. Not usually anyway. I have a ready amount of pieces (mostly LEGO) to build the chasis. Usually, when I need a new "protoform" (aka when I need new arm and leg joints), I'm able to buy them from an existing figure that I have to rebuy.

 

Okay, guys, the Jetfire post is finally updated. You guys can speculate now.

 

Barricade.

 

Oh what gave it away...

Welcome back to my custom Kre-O Battle Changer showcases, and as Alpha Minor 128 guessed...we're taking a look at the custom Kre-O Battle Changer Barricade.

I know, I know...different than what you were expecting, right?

To think that this character was going to be a redeco of Prowl...
Well I'm super glad I didn't do that, because this guy is just AMAZING. For what I was going for, this rings perfectly for Barricade. Though it might not ring well for you guys, so let me explain. I thought long and hard about the direction I wanted to take one of my favorite movie Decepticons in. The guy was one of the first movie characters, if not THE first, to receive an official 1984!G1 design before any of the newer characters, and was also one of the first characters to effectively merge with the G1 character-namesake despite loosely using the G1 character's name initially. Henceforth, I wanted to put my own spin on Barricade, one that paid homage to all versions (my favorite has to be the version from TFP), with exaggerated proportions and a sense of authority. Looking for inspiration, I stumbled upon the EVERGREEN version of the character, who was lacking in purple but more than making up for it with a striking white and blue color scheme, and...wait, Barricade had a TFP version?

Yeah, the Evergreen design was so great that I completely forgot that the TFP design was good. Though the figure does pay homage to it in some areas (the touches of purple being the biggest indicator). The Evergreen design fits the character much better cosmetically, so much so that it actually ended up in the Last Knight and proved to be the better design for the character. Thus, it was THAT design that won out over TFP's darker and more movie accurate mold. And in adapting the Evergreen design, I REALLY like the way I've crafted this. It kinda looks like a SWAT officer, what with the helmet and the chest resembling a bulletproof vest, and having an entire shield to complete the look! The only difference being that this doesn't have police lights on the front. But don't worry, they're there. Also, make note of those light-grey bits on his chest/vest. Those claws are meant to evoke those spike-barricades on the original's chest. And the best part? It plays into the vehicle mode!

As for the head...yeah, I'm a bit torn on it. On one hand, I like the look of a gold face, and I actually did have that...but then I colored it blue for Dinobot (note: I haven't made that one yet), but on the other hand, I had planned to use the Hound head for quite some time. I probably might include an alternate head to better fit the G1 design, which had a gold face instead of a silver. What I can try is to color the face I already have gold, but that would be an extremely extraneous process and I don't know if it would work. For now, I might stick with the head I've got, where I've already compensated by at least coloring the teeth gold. The helmet, on the other hand, is a different story; should I use a Bluestreak helmet, or should I stick to the SWAT helmet? Whatever the case, I don't have the Bluestreak helmet on me, so I can't act on that right now.

There're the police lights! And beneath them are the connective axels that lock with the chest. We'll see how in a few moments.

But aside from that, there's little to say in regards to the back. It's just really bland. The notch you see at the top is meant to hold the shield for the transformation. I do like how the wheels fold down in that way as well, though I wish I could do more with them, because if I had them standing up it would be in the exact place it normally would be for the vehicle mode, so I didn't want to make that useless, y'know?

Oh, and the figure is one of my few that has an actual ankle pivot, which is always cool.

As you probably noticed, the arms on this guy are extremely limited due to them being attached onto the body rather than onto a shoulder joint, thus drastically limiting their articulation. The arms are an issue that I can kinda let slide, especially in terms of the vehicle mode, which we'll get to.

And while the leg design looks armored and supports the look of it being a SWAT officer, it does get in the way of poseability.

But if you work with what you got, you can get some great stills out of it.


I had a fun time recreating this scene from the 2007 movie because of this. It may not have been one for one, but seeing it charge up to Bumblebee like that was pretty cool.

But how does Barricade actually scale if he's meant to be so intimidating? Well, let's find out.

Here's his archrival, BC Bumblebee

Lego Spike/Sam Witwicky

All of my unfinished Battle Changers...

Yeah, there's a lot left...

And finally, his fellow Micromaster and movie 'Con, BC Blackout

Okay, something's up with my camera because all of my figures are getting overexposed in lighting.

Anyway...

The vehicle mode is GREAT. If the robot mode didn't make you think 'SWAT officer', I hope this makes you think of a SWAT truck.

Now as you can see, the arms are being a bit iffy in terms of their kibble issue. But I don't mind it; they could be extra car-armor for protection against, I dunno, gunfire. I also took some design cues from one of the more recent Barricade toys promoting the Last Knight, which allowed the Kibble backpack to be removed and used as a shield. As you can tell, that's very much present in my figure, as I incorporated the shield as being the front of the car. I guess all I need to add is a grill.

Oh, and the spikes that Barricade has? I simulated that through the hinge pieces you see on the wheels. The claws are meant to evoke that, but frankly they didn't do a very convincing job. I'll see what I can do later on.

The back of the figure really sells that sense of bulk that could pack a lot of officers in the back. The feet fold up to become the exhaust pipes, and by folding them down they resemble a ramp.

But here's the most IMPRESSIVE PART of the figure.

ZERO. KIBBLE.

It's perfect, and you CAN'T FIND IT. On. eBay.

Hell. Yes.

Okay, well, you can see the head from the side...but let me have this, this review is already overdue and I'm going to bed late...

Anyway, that raps it up for today. Barricade was one of the few bots with actual personality in the movie, and his never ending war on eBay will always be remembered. But despite having personality, he lacked character and an arc of his own. That's to be expected when you keep DISAPPEARING halfway into the climax, you CHICKENSHI-

You get my point.

So when I found out about Barricade's IDW counterpart, I delved deeper and found that he was basically Prowl if Prowl wasn't a prick. Barricade had a legitimately interesting sense of righteousness where he wanted to be act on his own moral authority, only joining the Decepticons to bring a more open sense of equality to Cybertron. He was one of the few who was legitimately HAPPY that the War finally ended, going against Starscream and aligning (but specifically not joining) with the Autobots in an effort to maintain peace. Heck, he even fell into a relationship with Swift and convinced her that fighting for the Decepticons was for equality (that would...unfortunately not turn out to be true...thanks Needlenose). IDW's Barricade sacrificed his life after coming to struggle with compassion, and gave up his life to save Cybertron.

A goddamn hero. I don't care if I've spent my time referencing the movie version. It's good to know that this character and my figure has a redeeming history behind it.

Anyway, next time, we close out Phase 3 with a review...that has been one long time coming.

Yeah, that'll be a game-changer.

See you all next time.

"We meet again, Ladiesman217."

 

Amazing work! How long did this take?

 

Thank you! Each figure takes at least a month to make, though it's entirely dependent on when my parts may arrive.

 

Dude I’ll pay you for the instructions

 

Welcome back to my custom Kre-O Battle Changer showcases, and today...it's one small step for Kre-O, one giant leap for Transformers. Yes, my friends...it's time. I have eyed it, I teased it way back in the Jazz showcase...and now it's here. This will officially be the first ever review of this figure, mainly because this figure HASN'T ACTUALLY COME OUT!

How cool is that!? I'm actually the first in something! So let's do this figure some justice and knock this review outta the park. And afterwords, please tell me what's on your mind...OR I'LL SPLATTER IT ON THE WALL, AND SEE FOR MYSELF!!!

So let's dig in, and review the figure that (arguably) kicked off my ambition to continue the Battle Changer line after Hasbro shut it down: The Kre-O Battle Changer Blitzwing!

(comes with sword & gun) (official figure would've come with three heads, a sword, and a gun)
What we have here is a never-before seen figure, people. It may not be the genuine article, but it's got the same articulation, same joints-system (sort of), and same character. I, of course, applied my own touch to the figure in the parts where I wanted it to, so I'll be referencing that original color scheme throughout the review. For those wondering what the figure was supposed to look like...

Thanks to the box art, we know what that would have been, as well as a general idea of what the box would've looked like. I can’t get enough of how cool that artwork is…part of me really wants to find the guy who made it so he could draw some of my figures.

Also, I gotta say that the sword and blaster look GREAT. My versions are attached way down below.

Anyway, onto the figure itself.

Right off the bat, the figure’s torso is great and intuitive in its engineering. It’s not one for one to the G1 version (the treads/thrusters formed the feet, not the cockpit), but it’s a clear attempt to work within the boundaries of Kre-O. I can’t say much about the color choices, due to my figure using slightly different colors, but the original was going to be on-point. I also appreciate how they were going to include three separate heads, a direct homage to his face-changing gimmick from Animated. For me though, I prefer one face, because while the Blitzwing from G1 didn't have three heads, he was basically all three of the animated heads wrapped into one, and honestly I prefer him that way.

Once again, this lacks stickers because I suck, but know that if you have the instructions that Isaac Hill sent you, you can actually zoom in, and digitally recreate the stickers from the actual instruction sheet! It's really cool!

Also, something about the football-player aesthetic of the figure just works for me, especially from this side. It certainly fits with the character's more bruiser-type personality, and I'm always a sucker for these cartoonishly exaggerated proportions.

I also really like what they were going for on the back. Sure, an overly long kibble piece, but it does call to mind the image of a labcoat, which feels like a tongue-in-cheek reference to Animated. I dig it. Also, I'll save my further comments on the engineering later, but I really like the way they handled the shoulder kibble! The hinge plate extending out to form the sides of the jet/tank were brilliant, and it gets EVEN better.

Plus, on a technical basis, the ball catches used here for the leg joints are not normal. The instructions detail them to be single studded pieces, and that's not exactly an option, because these pieces need to be single-studded if you want the figure to actually hold itself together. Because that piece has...yet to come out...if it ever will...I had to go in and alter it myself. Because of my slightly inaccurate cutting, that allows for an extra level of poseability yet to be tapped by my other BCs.

Neat.

Oh, right. Since this is the FIRST EVER review of this figure anywhere, I suppose I ought to tell you how this stacks up against the articulation test. The legs are great, as previously mentioned. Arm poseability is average, with the kibble kinda weighing the right arm down, and that same kibble makes it hard to SWIVEL HERE around the arms.

While it's posed like this, I guess I should mention that the only way to get this guy in a G1 accurate model is by flipping the shoulder joints 90 degrees upwards, that way the wings are pointing up and are facing you. Though that causes a few issues with how the figure looks.

That...is more accurate to the original toy...but looks too weak.

Also, the original BC came with a gold-colored Hound helmet, which I painted myself.

This is actually one of my few issues of the main release. This felt...too flashy and desaturated at the same time, y'know? And I never liked how yellow Blitzwing's helmet was anyway. That's why I went with the beige helmet instead. It better suits him, and also calls to mind his Animated counterpart, which is the version that I grew up with.

See? The others don't approve either.
Also, before moving on, I gotta mention that, according to the instructions, the official release would have included a fully tampographed torso just in case you weren't a fan of the built-on chest, and because I had got the 2015 Blitzwing kreon, I got to recreate that same easter egg.

So cool--
Wait, if the backpack piece was just another one piece like with Optimus and Soundwave in the original instructions, then...it was never meant to be an option. So why did they tampograph a torso that wouldn't be seen?
But moving along, WHAT A ROBOT MODE! This was so amazing to build and play with! This is a great figure through and through, and was super fun to handle and pose.

Anyway, SIZE COMPARISON!
Here he is against:
Battle Changer Astrotrain

Battle Changer Megatron

(scales well, right?)
and my half-assed BC of Vortex.

I tried getting in contact with simonlaw16 to help me with the Vortex figure, but he didn't respond. Oh well.

Blitzwing stands at about average height, around say, a Seeker's height. And if that is lacking in size, then it's more than making up for it in how bulky and incredible it feels.

So without further ado, let's get to the alternate modes, starting with the tank mode.

Holy crap this is amazing! I mean, I like the Megatron and Ironhide, but those were basically shellformers compared to THIS! It's nothing short of amazing! The way all the joints come together and fold outwards to create this thing is a goddamn miracle!

It uses the same principle that the first Megatron BC did, where they only used one wheel for the treads, while the chestpiece balances the vehicle out.

This mode also brings spotlight to that ingenious mechanism that I was talking about earlier. That Kre-O hinge piece is what is allowing the whole side to fold out and connect to the legs. It's nothing short of amazing.

The only complaint I have about the side is that there was no way to cover the head, but that's okay if you look at it as a part of the tank. And besides, you're never going to look at the tank upside down.

ARE YOU.

Goshdamnit--okay, maybe just once so we can look at this closer.

I really like how Hasbro folded in the wings to be almost completely flush! But what's even more impressive is the way the sides plug into the legs! They essentially had those little studs with the connective rod sticking out, and you just have to insert it into the hollow gaps in Blitzwing's thigh (which is secured by two technic pins). Now, you do have to adjust the plugs a little, because otherwise it'll look very uneven, but it'll be worth the effort.

But this is even MORE amazing. A functioning TURRET! And the arms BARELY GET IN THE WAY!

This thing looks so cool and I wouldn't change a thing about my additions to it. I have no complaints about the turret.

In fact, I have barely any complaints about the tank mode. Whatever complaints I do have are really just my use of colored pieces, which are obviously different from the official release's. But I'm proud of whatever I did to get the figure as close to Blitzwing's color scheme as possible. This is a GREAT tank mode.

Which brings us to...the jet mode.

This is...an okay jet mode. I do appreciate how alien and militaristic it feels, and the transformation is fun going from either of the two previous modes.

I especially like how the jet essentially changed from beige to purple. The sides sport the best example of that.

It's a cool gimmick.

Also, the way this all locks together is really intriguing, but compared to the tank mode, it's a bit harder to deal with. The ball joints you saw on the back of the figure have to be fiddled around with in order to get them in the correct spot for it to work. Most of the time, it doesn't, and that's because you need to stretch the waist out a bit and partially disconnect it from the torso in order to align it better.

Honestly my big problem with the jet mode is the fact that it's way too bulky and non-aerodynamic to be a jet, but that issue with the ball joints is far greater and might be immersion breaking.

Of course, I can imagine it to be a Cybertronian jet, thus allowing for a suspension of disbelief.

But yeah, those wings are too damn small.

The arms in this mode may seem they're just sticking out for no reason, but that's just a matter of parts for me. The instructions detail needing slope pieces for the arms in order to presumably resemble tail-fins. So let's give a point instead of talk about how badly out of place they look.

One interesting thing is how the tank turret acts as the jet engine/thruster.

But of course, you can spin it around to do the opposite.

That's how it looked like in the instructions. Also, I want to mention some of the aesthetic choices that I made to the "nose cone". The instructions had the yellow and grey parts be gold and purple respectively. While I did have those parts, I realized that my choice would better call to the G1 design, so I went with that.

And that wraps up the review! Solid 8/10.

I'm so glad I could get this figure in one form or the other, and having amassed parts for it over a long period of time, it felt more than worth it. Blitzwing was one of my favorite characters from Transformers Animated, and my picture of the Decepticons was just incomplete without him, hence why I just HAD to have him, even if it meant not buying him through conventional methods. If you have the right pieces at home, I DEFINITELY encourage you to do the same. Because this figure was stolen from us by Hasbro, and it would have been a huge success.

Phew! That's finally out of the way, and concludes Wave 3 of my showcases!

Kicking off Wave 4 will be one that I didn't expect to do at all. I won't reveal who it is, but it'll be a shocker...as if an old friend/figure has returned from the dead...or I just got all the parts to finish that figure that I hoped would come back after so long...

Aside from that, Wave 4 will be filled with new figures that I hope you all love! I can say that we're FINALLY gonna look at Swindle in this wave too. And even if I'm not telling you the name of the very next BC, I can tell you that in this wave, we'll finally take a look at...

Spoiler

BEAST WARS.

 

Thank you!

I'm replying to this now because I took a look at your abridged series. Great work! It was really funny!