Review: #72
Name: Sentinel Prime (w/ Kreons Sentinel Prime, Thundercracker and Soundwave)
Brand: Kre-O Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot (Sentinel Prime) and Decepticon (Thundercracker and Soundwave)
Line: N/A
Year of Release: 2011
Size Class: N/A (386 pieces)
Variations: none
PACKAGING AND CONTENTS:
Seriously, they have one major problem with the packaging of the Kre-O line. The boxes are way too big, and the contents don't even fill like half of the box, this is overkill. I get that they want to give the look that it's value for money but it's having the opposite effect, you open it, and you're underwhelmed and get an instant feel of you're getting ripped off anyway. Plus, if you're importing this kind of stuff (or buy a lot from the shops), you would not be happy at the big size of it.
Apart from that, however, the presentation of the packaging is excellent, it looks much better than the standard (cheap-ish) Transformers packaging you get, this feels more like a premium. What sucks though is the use of computer generated models rather than the actual product, so it looks much more polished than normal. Also, the set has 386 pieces, no way am I going to spread it all out and take a photo, it simply would not fit into the shot anyway...
The instructions booklet is very very thick, which just shows the complexity of this guy.
At least the instructions are pretty good, showing a step by step process, I've taken a few shots to show as samples.
I wished the instructions could have a better colour distinction, why? All too often you can mistake a brown piece for a black piece or a grey piece for a dark grey piece. Not too big a problem though.
I would highly recommend at least having some experience with the smaller sets, to get you into the style of thinking at how constructing such a big guy works.
Oh yeah, if only they could have given up some sort of storage container, you'll the reason why once I get into the vehicle and robot modes.
KREONS:
Now, going onto the utmost popular Kreons, we have, first up, the good guy, and titular character of the set, Sentinel Prime!!! Honestly, I don't get why Kreons (or mini-figs in general) are so popular, they might look (somewhat) cute and good, but yeah, not my tastes. Anyway, you get four in this set and Sentinel Prime gets a (rather large) gun to hold. Looks nothing like the larger guy though, more Sideswipe or Red Alert than anything.
I think my favourite Kreon out of this set would have to be Soundwave, the helmet and face plate just looks great!! He also has a gun, but much more proportional. A common thing I found was that the heads of all the Kreons are tight, so when you try to turn them, you'd usually turn the helmet rather than the whole head.
Thundercracker has the most pieces out of all of them and looks the most complex. All the key features are here, the null rays and the back wings. All Kreons have balljointed shoulders and legs, both Soundwave and Thundercracker have loose legs however... so I don't know if the balljoints (with limited range) are a curse or a blessing...
Here's a look at how the pieces are attached, I thought it was rather clever actually. Obviously it copies Lego's styles, but I like how the other pieces are integrated.
And lastly, is the generic fireman. Nothing special about him, and probably why the generic Kreons are the source of complaints, I really would have preferred a Kreon based on a Transformer as it just looks like Lego mini-fig now.
There are quite a few extra accessories included for these Kreon's to hold, all on a sprue, which you would have to clip out the individual accessories yourself. These include an axe, spade, wrench and a hammer.
As an aside to the main figure, I think these Kreons are fairly cool, However, if I had to buy them separately then I don't think I would, simply because I don't really care about them. I do acknowledge many many other people are the complete opposite (preferring the Kreons rather than the assembling character), and I can see where they are coming from.
VEHICLE MODE:
In vehicle mode, Sentinel Prime has a really familiar form, a fire rescue truck that's remnant of his DOTM form. Surprisingly, all six wheels are actually rubber, so he rolls exceptionally well.
A well-rounded vehicle overall, it is blocky, but it is fairly streamlined. It's a really well thought out construction set.
The two ladders on the side do like to pop off since they are not attached very securely. Weirdly, there's a gap right behind the windshield. The designer could have easily have another clear plastic piece there, as such, it looks incomplete and dodgy.
Sadly, there are a lot of unused pieces here, I know that it's pretty hard to engineer such a large figure that complete uses up all the pieces, but still, having so many pieces spare makes them easy to be lost or misplaced. Unlike the smaller sets, it's hard to incorporate the rest of these pieces without damaging the streamlined look of the vehicle.
The front and rear of the truck is really well detailed. I loved how the pieces stacked upon each other create such a complex yet tidy look.
The doors on either side open, which was an unexpected feature, although it doesn't really do much.
Perhaps, most surprisingly, is that the cab is empty, and has enough space for Kreon to situate inside. It's furnished as well, with a steering wheel, gear stick and a seat (as well as these panels on either side that looks like they might be something). I thought that this was a really nice feature.
The arm on top is articulated as well, so it's not only there for show. It's primarily on two joints, and there is a blue missile that is fired via a pressure launch system (but it doesn't really work).
On a side by side comparison with the DOTM version, there isn't much in common apart from the basic colour scheme and choice of vehicle.
Sentinel Prime's vehicle mode is roughly leader sized. It has the same weight, but is just a tad shorter and not as wide as DOTM Sentinel Prime.
A better vehicle mode that I would have expected. It's actually a really well-formed truck (apart from the gap) that doesn't look too brick-ish.
PROCESS OF ASSEMBLY:
Wow, prepare to spend an hour (or more, depending on how fast you are) assembling this guy. As with all Kre-O sets, the disassembling portion of the procedure is the most annoying, especially when you have so many pieces now. Thankfully, the instructions are easy to follow, and with such a large figure, it's great fun slowly seeing him coming together and forming into something that's recognizable. Probably a bad thing here is having so many small pieces, that it takes you a few seconds before you realize which piece you actually need and if it is the correct one. Probably not one to do if you're pushed for time. I found going into vehicle mode to be more fun.
ROBOT MODE:
In robot mode, he is more clearly inspired by the DOTM incarnation, from the angled window chest to the shield and sword. Sentinel Prime looks massive in this form.
What I find amusing is that they even emulated the cape or chunk of kibble that Sentinel wears on his back. If you look carefully though, you'll realize that pretty much half the height is from the legs, with the torso being very short and small.
The windows are adjustable, so there's various ways to situate it to your preference. They aren't really tight though, so any handling will dislodge them. Another cool feature is that just like the DOTM toy, he has two wheels behind the windows making up part of the chest.
In robot mode, there are still unused pieces. You can try and incorporate them, but with so many pieces to work it, it'll take you some time to find their optimal placements.
Sentinel is decently sized, but is heavy. This heaviness causes some of the balljoints (particularly the ankles) to have some problems supporting him. He tends to sag forward over time.
In case you are wondering, he does have proper hands, just that they are obscured from view due to assembling the shield and sword over them.
The head, however, is based heavily upon the Animated incarnation (albeit not as jerk looking).
The shield looks great, and is a fairly big piece in general.
He's about leader sized once again, but feels heavier, he just towers over Deluxe and Voyager sized figures.
It's only when you pair him against the DOTM version that you see that they aren't really too similar after all. Apparently, the stock photos had him having even more elements taken from DOTM.
Articulation is excellent, everything that you would expect from a mainline toy. He has jointed shoulders, head, elbows, wrist, hips, knee and ankles, there are a wide range of poses that are possible for him to make.
You would have to watch out for him keeling over, since he is too heavy for some of the joints to hold. The balljoints aren't tight enough. I'm happy to say though, that he doesn't break apart easily when you're handling him.
I think he might need a larger and more stable footprint, as he lacks heelspurs. If you want, you can take off the shield and sword and having him have proper hands. The missile launcher is now situated uselessly on his back.
A much better figure than I had anticipated, although it's price a bit below a leader sized figure, I think he's well worth the price (even more so sale or clearance).
OVERALL:
A good set. Again, if you're not into construction type sets then you should steer way clear of this one, as you would seriously need a decent amount of time to properly go through both modes and then settle on the one that you like. I don't like how there are extra pieces set over for each mode, and like I've mentioned in other reviews, I would prefer if you can assemble him once and then he can transform the classic way between each mode. This isn't a big issue, and for what he is, Sentinel Prime is pretty fun, and he's one of the better looking sets out there.
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Have a look through some of my other reviews here.