The Entire History Of Kre-O TRANSFORMERS

TFanPage101

Anyone remember the long line of Kre-O building block sets from Hasbro? With sets heavily influenced by the Transformers? Let's look back at all the released sets and Transformers themed Kreons. This includes everything from buildable figures, vehicles, Micro-Changers, Kreon Warriors, cancelled sets, and featured Manga artwork.  Kre-O Tweets: https://x.com/TFanPage101/status/1805231530073350499 Evan's Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CdlBQc5O1Q2/?igsh=NTc2c2xsOHRqcmhw Paul M.Wood's Concept Artwork: https://paulmwood.com/projects/on49W?album_id=2840293  Business Contact: tfanpage101@gmail.com Thanks to the Members for supporting the channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7_waRbV2VnP_K5FOyfFS3w/join Ko-Fi: https://www.ko-fi.com/TFanPage101 MERCH: https://teespring.com/stores/tfanpage101 https://www.redbubble.com/people/tfanpage101 EXTRA Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiECMi8yRVzEZoZq67Q7B-w Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/TFanPage101 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TFanPage101 Main: https://www.facebook.com/TransformersFanPage  Most music used in this video provided by YouTube's Audio Library under Creation Tools. Everything, including clips and audio, has been used for reference and/or is under Fair Use.  #Transformers

Transcript

00:00It's safe to say that LEGO is super popular, right?

00:09For perfecting the interlocking building brick system as a product, so it's no surprise

00:14that another major toy company would like a taste of that action.

00:17As long as they're not purely ripping off the builds, they can do so.

00:21The brick build system is a building tool, like screws and nails, so any company can

00:25legally tap into the system, even if they're compatible with other brands.

00:30Hello I'm Brian, what's up?

00:31And we're taking a look at the Rise and Fall of Kre-O Transformers.

00:39Back in 2011, Hasbro launched Kre-O, a LEGO style toy system for their various themes

00:44like Star Trek, Dungeons and Dragons, Cityville Invasion, G.I.

00:47Joe, and that crappy Battleship movie, but nothing was as popular as their Transformers.

00:52But this isn't the first time, in the early 2000s, they released Build to Rule.

00:56I can tell why the boxes promoted the alt modes, the robots were transforming bricks

01:00with spindly limbs, uncomfortable bodies, and parts slapped wherever.

01:04The sets were popular with Armada, I saw them everywhere, but they'd just gotten to Energon

01:09for a short time before getting canned.

01:11Even before that, Takara wanted to release Blocktown sets to tie their Generation 2 Transformers,

01:16yet it never released.

01:17Jump to 2011, we come back to the Kre-O brand.

01:20Before Transformers, they released major sets and Kreons, which were either human drivers

01:24or minifigure style Transformers characters.

01:27Safe to say, they were pretty much the reason why anyone would be into Kre-O.

01:30They also released the robot chicken skit.

01:33From the promos and microchangers to the obscure, cancelled sets and Kreons that never existed,

01:38let's take a glance at every Kre-O set from Transformers.

01:42And where else to start but with

01:43I'M PISSING ON THE MOON

01:45Special thanks to my members for the support, and you!

01:48You're watching this.

01:49Thank you.

01:50Except for the two smallest ones, each major Build Will figure came with a few Kreons,

01:54including one based on the main character.

01:57But since there were only a handful of sets, we got some extras, like Optimus came with

02:01Blue Streak and Skywarp, or Bumblebee came with Red Lurk.

02:04Since most of the parts got reused in both modes, they didn't look right, some had

02:07lumpy torsos, parts hanging off awkwardly, panels for arms, not to mention they felt

02:12tedious to go back and forth.

02:14Okay, maybe Build to Rule had the right idea.

02:16OF COURSE BUMBLEBEE GOT TWO SETS, A SMALLER TRADITIONAL STYLE, AND A LARGER ONE BASED

02:21ON THE BEAVERS.

02:22I like Jazz's car in Movie Silver, and at least he has a finger for a hand.

02:26Sideswipe should have had a black helmet, and his legs look like a scene from Misery.

02:29I love Mirage's F1, but his hands are flippers.

02:33Gotta give him credit, Prowl actually looks the part down to the chest.

02:36Ratchet's ambulance looks like a knockoff, brick-built car from a dollar store, but does

02:41the robot have too much red?

02:43Sentinel's made with too many plates, he looks like he's gonna fall apart at the chest,

02:46but he did include a Kryon, Thundercracker, and Soundwave.

02:49Starscream looks solid, but the proportions are so bad, his head is tiny, it's like

02:53G1 and Beavers had an ugly baby.

02:56I actually got Megatron, mostly for the Shockwave, but I love the Dark of the Moon truck form.

03:00I think the most well-rounded was Optimus, based on the film, but he came with an awesome

03:05trailer.

03:06To me, the tiny one is a secret of Ryan Pax.

03:08Also there was an exclusive premiere Optimus Prime Kryon with an opening Matrix chamber.

03:13This was meant to be limited, but ended up everywhere, including accidentally packed

03:17with the big Optimus and an activity book.

03:20Apparently a Kryon Ironhide was teased in the first wave, but came out a year later.

03:24There was also a planned bright green Kryon hound that just vanished, without a trace.

03:31Ooooooh!

03:32Anyways.

03:33The following year was the quest for Energon, with the major sets featuring a clear-colored

03:39torso to power up your figures, and transparent pieces to combine and create the ultimate

03:44Energon weapon.

03:45Most of them also had structures and side builds.

03:48The sets seemed more refined and smaller, so I guess the builds weren't as tedious.

03:52There was the Kryon Pax with Cyberchase with Barricade and the Autotroopers, and Decepticon

03:57Ambush with three Deacons and a soon-to-be-dead Cliffjumper.

04:01At least when they did another Bumblebee, they did the stealth colors with the Prime

04:04as Kryon.

04:06Motor Rage was cool, featuring Vortex with his outlandish colors.

04:10Look at the head, I love it!

04:11Optimus and Megatron returned in the battle for Energon, even though it seemed like Megatron

04:15was just trying to rob a bank.

04:17The highlight has to be the street showdown.

04:20I mean, a Prime and G1-inspired wheeljack and knockout, why didn't I buy this?

04:25Then there's Destruction's Night Devastator, featuring a bunch of Kryons with Ironhide

04:29and four Constructicons like that Robots in Disguise build team that can be rebuilt into

04:34Devastator with a Drill, Wrecking Ball, and such.

04:37Toys R Us offered the same set with an exclusive Ironhide build, and a Kryon Devi in G2 colors

04:43that was also released as a singular promo.

04:45A Bumblebee in Transparent Blue was another promo, and there were these dangler flashlight

04:50Kryons.

04:51Now with Kryons being a highlight, Hasbro introduced a Mystery Pax series called the

04:55Kryon Microchangers, adding parts that would rebuild them into their alt forms.

05:00This allowed more obscure characters to be made.

05:02The all-Decepticon preview wave had Galvatron, Waspinator, Crankstart, Spinister, Scorpnock,

05:08and Sunstorm.

05:10Series 1 had Warpath, Springer, Rampage, Arachnid, Insecticon, Blastoff, Bludgeon, Inferno, Dirge,

05:18Hook, Quickslinger, and Singed.

05:21Now it-

05:22Did you notice some names of combiner team members in those Kryons?

05:27The rest of the teams were made in these four packs of actual Kryon combiners.

05:32True cheap, but okay.

05:34There's Superion, Devastator, Bruticus, Predaking, Abominus, Defensor, Pyrrhonicon, Computron,

05:41and Menasor.

05:42Kryon packs also got custom sets with added weapons and optional chrome or clear helmets.

05:47There was Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee, Soundwave, which I have, Ironhide, and Starscream.

05:52For the major sets, Beast Hunters was the big name, but the large figures dwindled to

05:56a handful of sets.

05:57There's the Ripclaw Strike, which looks like a demon, a Beast Blade Optimus Prime with

06:02a show style truck form.

06:04Can't believe I got that monkey off my back.

06:06Then Bumblebee got a net and jeep mode before it was cool.

06:09For the little guys, Dragon Assault included Trail Cutter, Mech Venom Strike included Wind

06:14Charger, and the Prime based Autobot Command had an Optimus Truck, Prime RC, Ratchet, Bumblebee,

06:21Shockwave, and the super duper secret-

06:24It's Knockout.

06:25Can't forget the Micro Changers.

06:26Series 2 included Scourge, Acid Wing, Hardshell, Blight, Lugnut, Aviacon, Perceptor, Groove,

06:35Classic RC, Bulkhead, Powerglide, Hoist, and Series 3 had Beachcomber, Guzzle, Cheetor,

06:43Huffer, Nosecone, Kickback, Long Haul, Nemesis Prime, Ramjet, Thrust, Sea Wing, and Sharkticon.

06:52For the special promos, Botcon had a Machine Wars themed set with Megaplex, Hoist, Obsidian,

06:58Skywarp, and Stryka with only 1500 packs released.

07:02Is that a dinosaur?

07:03Oh my god!

07:05Can we um, can we get a moment of silence for the larger Kre-O figures?

07:09Okay, that's enough of that.

07:10The larger bots were discontinued in favor of sets the Kreons can interact with.

07:15Also Age of Extinction came out, so a lot of the sets were influenced by the release.

07:21The four series of microchangers had Alphatron, Brawn, Iceberg, Rhinox, Cup, Erotomus, Sandstorm,

07:28Slipstream, Breakneck, Barrage, Cyclonus, and my personal favorite, Demolisher.

07:35The next two waves were tied with the movies, but more or less just continued what was already

07:39going on.

07:40Wave 1 had Highbrow, Jetwash, Draugr, Fangwolf, Mindwipe, Nightbeat, Misfire, Silverstout,

07:47Scrapnel, Taurasaur, Trypticon, and Wingspan.

07:51Wave 2 featured Gears, Scattershot, Seaspray, Sunstreaker, Trailbreaker, Wheelie, Blackarachnia,

07:58Frostbite, Fuselage, Runamuck, Scalor, and Skimmer.

08:02Notice most of these names feel made up.

08:04Combiners continued too with Grimstone, Laserbolt, Volcanicon, not to be confused with Volcanicus,

08:10and Obsidian.

08:11Custom Creons kept going with Drift, Lockdown, Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Crosshairs,

08:19Hound, Galvatron, and a whole wave of Dinobots with Grimlock, Strafe, Slug, and Scorn.

08:25Hey, so I totally forgot Cliffjumper, Dreadwing, Galvatron, Autobot Hound, Autobot Jazz, and

08:31Predaking.

08:33My bad.

08:36I don't know what she's doing.

08:37Now for the playsets.

08:38I remember these were on sale or clearance everywhere.

08:41A lot of them also repeated their vehicons with metal parts and magnets to stick to the

08:45Dinobot builds.

08:47God to say those Dinobots look ugly, sporadic, and what's with all the gold?

08:51I only managed to get Dinobot Charge with Drift and Scorn's Street Chase with Crosshairs

08:56for $5 each.

08:57Silkblock Breakout featured a buildable Strafe with a high-octane Creon Bumblebee and Evasion

09:03Mode Optimus Prime.

09:04Grimlock's Street Attack looked rough, but the golden Optimus is shiny.

09:09Lockdown's Air Raid is based on his smaller ships, but came with Lockdown, Hound, and

09:13the only Age of Extinction Lightfoot released.

09:16They called it Sideswipe, but I mean, we all caught on.

09:19Want more dead guys?

09:20Optimus Prime Dino Hauler is like those LEGO Dino Attack sets with a cage for an oversized

09:25gecko and a Creon Ratchet that can drive Optimus like an old animation error.

09:29Then there's the Galvatron Factory Battle.

09:31This overly cluttered set has a few prints showing the centuries and a Creon Optimus

09:36that has no chance with the weirdly colored and larger Galvatron.

09:40A bonus Elite Polybag Optimus was released to match the height, though apparently it

09:45was a Canadian Toys R Us exclusive.

09:47For other promos, there was Dinobot's Ride with a teeny tiny Optimus and an Age of Extinction

09:52DVD pack with two exclusive Creons.

09:55BotCon released another pack with a G2 Breakdown, Fractal, Landshark, Shattered Glass Rodimus,

10:01Rattrap, and Gigatron.

10:03Randomly, a large Kre-O Grimlock build was released for a short time in Toys R Us.

10:08There's no robot mode, but the best part, the Creon gets a crown.

10:11Furthermore, Decepticon Replicator was hard to find.

10:14As a nod to the cheap knockoff of both Optimus and Bumblebee, it came with a movie style

10:19nemesis and exclusive stinger.

10:21There was a five pack turning the movie Autobots into the ongoing Knights style, and they introduced

10:26a four pack featuring early movie decos of Megatron, Bee, Prime, and introducing Evac

10:32for the ride that they had to change multiple times.

10:34Then at the tail end, they finally did what I was asking for.

10:38Creos that transform without parts being removed.

10:41These are like larger Creons with Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Starscream, and Grimlock.

10:46There's a few two packs, Optimus Prime again in darker colors with a trailer that came

10:50with Megatron and Ratchet with Soundwave and his minions slapped all over him.

10:54Also, I somehow missed the Creo encyclopedia with the exclusive Orion packs.

10:59Lastly, there was a class of 84 pack with most of the original Transformers characters

11:04in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the franchise.

11:07God, that was a big year for Creo.

11:11Are we done?

11:13So we agree, Creon Microchangers was probably the best thing they ever created.

11:18So why did they turn them into cosplayers?

11:21I don't really get it, but I won't argue Ninja Megatron sounds like a rad idea.

11:25Wave 1 had Wild West and Samurai Optimus Prime, Gladiator and Pirate Ratchet, Gladiator and

11:33Wiseguy Bumblebee, Knight and Ninja Megatron, Army and Pirate Starscream, and Army and Ninja

11:40Shockwave.

11:41Wave 2 was harder to get, but I managed to get at least one.

11:44There was Gladiator and Pirate Optimus Prime, Army and Knight Bumblebee, Wild West and Samurai

11:51Hound, Wild West and Samurai Megatron, Ninja and Wiseguy Starscream, and Knight and Wiseguy

11:59Soundwave.

12:00Battle Chargers continued with the single pack version of Megatron, Shockwave, which

12:04I did manage to get, Ironhide, and Hound.

12:07The bulk of everything else was tied to the Robots in Disguise 2015 series.

12:12Custom Kryons continued with Bumblebee, Optimus, Grimlock, and Steeljaw.

12:17The bigger sets were mostly vehicles of the characters in which they can drive themselves

12:20and capture the Decepticons.

12:22Bumblebee Disk Demolisher had him against Bisk and a very oversized version of Clampdown,

12:28Sideswipe Roadway Rundown had him chase down Hammerstrike, Strongarm Capture Cruiser was

12:34against a bipedal Springload, Optimus Prime Beast Blaster went off on Fracture and his

12:39Minicons, and Underbite Jetpack Takedown had Optimus, Ped, and clearly Underbite's

12:46Child.

12:462015 also featured another Botcon set with Robot Master, Dr. Arkaville, Nightbird, Autobot

12:52Strike, and an animated Sentinel Prime with Headmaster that you can pop onto any Kryon.

12:57Like the previous year, there was a class of 85 pack featuring alternate versions of

13:01a lot of the past Kryons and new ones based on characters introduced in 1985.

13:07The Winter Optimus Prime Polybag looks like a Sunny D commercial.

13:10In reference to the cancelled Blocktown sets, a subscription service version of Carzap was

13:15released with Kreoblocks to replicate the unreleased pack.

13:19Things started to dwindle down as most future releases were sold through Dollar General.

13:24For example, custom Kryons were replaced with new armored Kryons in three different flavors

13:30of each set.

13:31Always wanted them but never found any.

13:33There was Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Grimlock, and Sideswipe, with the choice of a regular

13:39armored up, Night Strike, or Blizzard Strike versions.

13:42There's not much to say about other sets.

13:44I know there were more bulk bins and human Kryons, but I never really cared.

13:48There were a few random brick box sets with Kryons, thrown together sets, or re-releases

13:53like Ripclaw.

13:54The only real new thing in the future was a new version of the Ride Pack.

13:58This featured a green Beachcomber recolor named Nest Sentry, heavily influenced by the

14:03Revenge of the Fallen Dunerunner.

14:05It is the last known Kryon to be made, ending its short but outstanding run.

14:10May the line finally rest.

14:13Oh wait, there's more.

14:14Like that's ever gonna happen.

14:15A number of unreleased stuff was pitched but never came through.

14:19Two more ways of the cosplay Kryon warriors were developed.

14:23Series 3 would have a Ninja and Army Optimus Prime, Samurai and Wild West Bumblebee,

14:29Knight and Wild West Grimlock, Army and Pirate Ultra Magnus, Army and Pirate Megatron,

14:36and Gladiator and Knight Starscream.

14:38Wave 4 would have featured Knight and Wiseguy Optimus Prime, Ninja and Pirate Bumblebee,

14:44Knight and Samurai Drift, Army and Ninja Jazz, Gladiator and Wiseguy Megatron,

14:50and Samurai and Wild West Starscream.

14:53Battle Chargers was also meant to expand with triple changers.

14:56There was a tease on Drift with his minicon shown at a convention,

15:00and Blitzwing was also meant to be released with alternate heads like in Animated.

15:05Apparently Evan at Hasbro has a concept build for a victory saber somewhere.

15:09More polybags were meant to release too, with a Hawaiian Vacation Tour Drift,

15:14a soccer player version of Bumblebee, and apparently a Santa Grimlock for the holiday season.

15:19Hinted in animations and conventions, apparently there were supposed to be

15:22combiners using the smaller Kryon bodies to form Optimus Prime and Bumblebee.

15:27I know we just talked about the cosplay figures,

15:29but this is probably the weirdest thing they've made.

15:32All those faces screaming in pain, crying for help that never comes.

15:36There might be more that we don't know about.

15:37A post from Gary Chind in April 2023 shared images of clear versions of Kryons that we

15:43never seen before of Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee, Starscream, and Ratchet.

15:49There was also a white version of the robots in disguise Optimus,

15:52and a Galvatron Deco version of Megatron.

15:55Also gotta mention the Japanese manga for giving us some cool art of what we could have

15:59had for some Kryons. These aren't unreleased characters, they're just

16:03characters being referenced in the manga.

16:05However, I'd definitely buy a Kryon Tarn, Thunderblast, Redwing, Metalhawk, Victory Saber,

16:10Thrustinator, Minerva, Prime Breakdown, Dinobot, Leo Convoy, Blaster,

16:17Energon Sixshot, Armada Sideways, Megatron in a Dress, I could go on.

16:25You know, I think Kryo needed to define itself early on,

16:27rather than progress into something better for itself.

16:30The Kryons clearly took the spotlight, and there was so much potential for more Kryons,

16:35even with everything we got in the line.

16:38Regardless, Kryo made a huge impact. I love the line for what they tried to do,

16:43and I would like to see it come back in some form.

16:45I think Hasbro learned a lot,

16:47I don't know if they're interested with LEGO at the moment making their icons.

16:50I'll be honest, looking back, there's some sets that seemed fun.

16:53I would love to get ones that I missed at some point, but for now,

16:56Kryo was such a treat we probably took for granted, and while some things didn't land,

17:01I'll look back fondly at the things that did work.

17:04I thank you guys for watching, and I'll see you guys next time.

17:15Bye!

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