Bot Reviews: A Bunch of Blokees

Part of me feels like every reviewer out there has already done a Blokees rant of some kind, but then I remember that my experiences are not universal, I only watch a handful of video reviews, and that I still run into fans wondering what Blokees are, or at lest how they work. Well, I’ve got enough of these little guys now that I figure it’s worth a rundown, as well as trying to crack just what it is that’s made them popular. 

To coin a phrase from an old Gundam Wing commercial from my youth, Blokees are “Action Figure Model Kits.” I’ll add the commercial here, for nostalgia.

Basically, Blokees are little guys that you build, like a model, but are far more solid in finished form. Blokees is also the name of the company (and yes, it has an S at the end, even in singular form), and making these kinds of model kits is their specialty, whether it’s for Ultraman, Sesame Street (for some reason?), Marvel, or in our case, Transformers, which does seem to be their most successful line, but I do have a ton of confirmation bias.

By the way, this means that these Transformers Blokees are actual “Third Party” products, produced under license by HasTak, and not the unofficial stuff that everyone calls “Third Party.”.

So, the type of Blokees that people are usually talking about are the “Galaxy Versions,” pictured above, which were the smallest size they offered, until recently.

And here’s one reason for their popularity: They’re surprisingly cheap. I get mine from my local comic shop, and after tax, Galaxy Versions cost less than ten Canadian dollars. They literally go for single digit dollars! The other type I’ve gotten a few of are “Shining Versions,” which are slightly more expensive (but only slightly), but come with a few more parts, and a light-up gimmick, and still basically work the same way.

A catch about both versions, though, is that, cheap as they are, they’re not as easy to come by as I’d like, since they’re not available at normal physical Transformers retailers. I’ve heard reports of some American Wal-Marts carrying them, but this doesn’t seem to be universal, and isn’t the case in Canada. It seems the only way to get Blokees is at specialty hobby shops, online, or at conventions. Honestly, if my local comic shop hadn’t started carrying them, I might not have bothered tracking them down, so I’m glad they decided to stock them.

Now, here’s another big catch with these Galaxy and Shining Versions, one that I’ve always found a bit hard to get around: They’re blindpacked, meaning it’s luck of the draw what character’s pieces are going to spill out of that box when you open it, and rip the little bags inside.

As far as I know, there’s no way to cheat the system and check what’s there, so you’re really going in blind. Blind Boxes have never been something I’m fond of, just on a personal level. I’d rather pick a character before I buy. I find it a little bit easier to deal with when it comes to Blokees, though, mostly because I like a lot of different Transformers, so there’s never been a wave of them where I looked at the side of the box, and said “there’s someone in this set that I wouldn’t want.”

Of course, I wouldn’t want any doubles (unless it was a Seeker, I guess), but, luckily, fellow streamer Mr. Magnus opened an entire case of them on a Children of Primus episode, so we confirmed there’s no doubles within a case. So, if you’re picking some up in person, and they’re coming out of the same little cardboard display box, you’re  not going to get duplicates, unless the store, like, mixed them in or something. What you might not find in that case, though, is the ultra-rare “secret figure” that you have low odds of pulling (there wasn’t one anywhere in that full case we opened.) So, bad luck if that rare guy’s the one you want the most. For completeness sake, I’ll mention here that there’s a few other types of Transformers Blokees out there, including smaller “Galaxy Defender” versions that pack a robot in with their vehicle mode, and also a bigger scale called “Classic Class,” which actually aren’t blindpacked, and are model kits that are the size of standard, large action figures.

Those don’t really interest me, though, because at that scale, I’d rather just get the mainline transforming Transformer versions. 

So far, I’ve gotten Jazz, Skywarp, Thundercracker, and Bonecrusher out of Galaxy Version boxes, and Beachcomber and a toy-style Optimus Prime from the Shining Version ones. Generally, the character selection in these lines has been pretty purely G1, with the occasional Shattered Glass or IDW Comics character thrown in.

There was a Galaxy Version wave that was entirely Transformers One characters, though, and I hope I get a chance to crack into that eventually, especially since several of the characters in that wave, like Hound, Ironhide, and the Death Tracker, haven’t actually gotten normal mainline figures yet!

Anyway, open your Blokee up, tear the bags, and a bunch of sprues and loose parts will spill out, along with an instruction sheet.

When it comes to building them, you don’t need any glue, or paint, there’s no stickers that need applying, and if you know what you’re doing, you can knock one out in something like ten to fifteen minutes. That’s if you know what you’re doing, though, because I’ve always found the instructions a little bit hard to follow. Basically, each Blokee in a wave comes with the same instruction sheet, which shows you how to build one guy in the wave, and has a separate little section for the unique bits of other figures, so you might find yourself trying to build Jazz with instructions that mostly show you how to build Optimus.

Still, it helps that most Blokees have pretty similar construction to each other, being made from an identical “skeleton” of a torso and limbs, with all the unique character details then built on top of it.

At the same time, I’ve messed that skeleton up a few times, including mixing up arm and leg pieces, and assembling elbow and knee joints backwards, but honestly, I think that’s on me for mostly building these while I’m streaming, and despite all my grousing, it’s still a fun little process. 

Building an action figure is definitely a part of the appeal to these guys, sort of like Lego. In fact, they’re not so different from Bionicle, when you think about it.

For those not in the know, Bionicle was Lego’s long-running foray into buildable robot action figures, and there’s a significant cross-section of Transformers fans who are also into that franchise, especially if they were a 2000’s kid. And much like Bionicle, and LEGO in general, there’s an aspect of customization here, since these figures being built over the same skeleton means swapping limbs, heads, torsos, or smaller parts is pretty easy. Me, I’m a “build it like the instructions say” kind of guy, but I appreciate that the option is there. 

Anyway, snap all the bits together, and you have a little action figure, which, according to the box, stands 10.5 Centimeters tall, or just over 4 inches, placing them firmly in the Star Wars/Gi Joe/Epic Hero scale of figure.

Transformers Blokees are a good deal bulkier and wider than your average action figure in this scale, though, so they feel more substantial.

A big part of the appeal here for me is that hese guys are surprisingly sturdy. I’m used to model kits being a bit fragile, a bit prone to bits popping off, but these guys, once you build them, mostly stay together really well.

I’ve occasionally had a bit come off here and there (the parts that cover up the shoulders tend to be the most prone to coming out), but it’s way better than the Gundam, Flame Toys, and Figure-Rise Standard kits I’ve built. Blokees feel more like actual action figures. 

And they pose like them, too! Each Blokee has, from bottom to top, ankle tilts, universal joints for their knees and hips, a swivel waist, universal joint shoulders and elbows, swivelling wrists, and a ball-jointed head. Basically, they can bend as much as a good modern Transformers Legacy figure.

They’re also stable enough to stay standing on their own, but as a nice bonus, each Blokee comes with a stand, with four ports to plug their feet into, letting you hit a bunch of complicated poses unassisted.

Plus, the black stands that come with the Galaxy Versions can fit together. 

Aesthetically, one thing that might be a dealbreaker for some people is that all Blokees Transformers, even the bigger ones, have slightly stylized proportions, of the “bigger head on smaller body” chibified type. I’m not usually into stylized things like this, but at this small of a scale, I think it works. 

I suppose I ought to talk a little bit about each figure that I picked up, though the photos have been doing a lot of the talking. So, the first Blokee I pulled was Jazz, from series 1 of the Galaxy Versions.

One thing I found interesting about him was that they didn’t go strictly for animation accuracy, but based him a bit more on the G1 toy, since he’s got his door wings, wheels beside his head, and tampographs across his body that recall G1 sticker details (and say “Cybertron” on his.)

I dig his visored headsculpt, but I don’t dig the way it bumps up against his shoulder-wheels.

For accessories, he’s got a black laser pistol, which can actually host mainline Transformers blast effects. He’s also got some accessories that every Blokee has: Two sets of swappable hands, fists for holding accessories (they’re smaller than 5-millimeter), and open palms, and, strangely, a tiny little holdable faction symbol, with a different faction logo on each side.

I don’t know why it’s there, but I don’t mind the tiny little extra.

Next up, we’ve got Skywarp and Thundercracker, who are straight redecos of each other, which is why I’m talking about both at once. These guys feel more cartoon-style than toy-style, but still have a bunch of G1 sticker detail on them, on top of other nice tampographs for their chest-cockpits. I also appreciate the wing stripes and faction symbols on their backs, it’s something they could easily have skipped out on.

They’ve both got a really funny headsculpt, though, with pursed lips and extremely defined cheekbones that make me think of certain internet memes.

For accessories, they’ve just got the hands and faction symbols, though there’s  bit of bonus articulation on them in the form of null-rays that are on limited balljoints (and can also hold blast effects).

Next, from series 3, I’ve got the Constructicon, Bonecrusher. This is the closest I’ve come to getting one I didn’t want, since I’ve always had trouble telling these guys apart in their robot modes, and him not being able to combine puts a damper on the whole thing.

But the fact that he’s just got the angriest, meanest face does a lot for me, and makes me think of his 2007 movie counterpart, who, according to his toy bios, indiscriminately hated absolutely everything. That makes him more fun in my eyes.

This green meanie’s also got a strange bit of engineering I can’t figure out the purpose of: His chest can flip open, but all that’s in there is additional tech detailing, and enough extra tampographs to make me wonder if it’s a specific reference that escapes me.

He’s also got a green laser pistol, a standard for all the non-seekers so far.

Next up, we move onto the Shining Versions, with Beachcomber, AKA the guy I just reviewed the Legacy release of.

He does sort of expose a problem with these guys: They’re all the same size, so this minibot is the same height as everyone else, including the Seekers.

On the other hand, he almost feels like he scales with mainline figures, and something about his minibot-ness makes him look a lot less chibi-fied than his Blokee brethren, unless I literally stand him next to his Power of the Primes and Legacy versions. 

As a Shining Version, Beachcomber’s got some extras with him. Firstly, his platform is yellow, and a little bit bigger. Secondly, he’s got more accessories, and they’re a highlight for me. Beyond the closed and open hands, and the blast-effect-friendly laser pistol, he also comes with a Paradise Parakeet of his own.

It’s cast in solid gray, though, but is also in a flying pose, instead of perched, and fits perfectly in his accessory-holding hands.

Speaking of those, he’s also got an additional, uniquely-sculpted open-palmed right hand, cast in solid gold, replicating a plot point in “The Golden Lagoon,” his spotlight episode, when he dipped his hand in golden Electrum.

Finally, he’s got a clear pink Energon Cube, with one side left open, to help him hold it.

I’m really impressed with how characterful these accessories are, it shows that the people making these know their stuff.

As a Shining Version, he’s got another impressive gimmick: Light-up eyes. How they work is that he’s got a light inside his robot torso, and it shines up through his clear neck joint, and into the clear center of his head. Figuring out how I was supposed to trigger this was an adventure in Googling, though, since there weren’t any instructions in the box. How it works is that you shake him a bit. Or, as I figured out, tap him on the top of the head a few times to rattle his insides. The motion triggers the light, and it automatically stays on for about 60 seconds, making his eyes glow white, a little like when he tried to talk to the Parakeet in The Golden Lagoon.

It’s a really fun, unobtrusive gimmick, and I actually find myself wishing mainline Transformers had it.

Last up, we have my most recent Blokee, another Shining Version entry, Optimus Prime himself. They did a standard version of him all the way back in the first wave of Galaxy Version, so this version’s following in the footsteps of Missing Link, and Legacy Deluxe Optimus, and doing a version sculpted specifically after the G1 toy.

This mean’s he’s got slits on his mouthplate, six entire wheels on his legs and hips, and other specifically non-show-accurate details.

It’s a good design, and I like it for the same reasons I like the Legacy one.

That said, they opted to split the difference with his colors, and make him partially animation-accurate, giving him blue eyes and chest windows, leaving off most of his sticker details, et cetera. There is a version in the wave that fixes all those things, but it’s the super-rare chase figure. Still, that doesn’t kill this one for me, he’s still got that retro-robot charm.

He’s a bit lighter on the accessories compared to Beachcomber, though, only coming with his two sets of hands, his (admittedly very substantial) Ion Blaster, and another Energon cube.

I think his glowing gimmick makes up for it, though. When you tap him on his head, not only do his eyes glow blue, so do his chest windows, exposing a Matrix Chamber pattern both sculpted and painted into them.

It just looks really cool!

So, in conclusion….

I really like these guys, and I’ve spilled all this digital ink trying to articulate why, especially since they don’t transform, they’re in a different scale from the stuff I usually collect, and they do the exaggerated proportions and blindpacked distribution I usually dislike. Because of that last thing, you can’t even really aim get a specific character without playing the lottery. And yet! They compel me!

A part of it is just that they’re really cheap, and you can forgive a lot for under ten bucks. Another part is that building them is just a fun little activity.

And the end products are solidly built little action figures in a way model kits usually aren’t, with a good deal of characterfullness about them. 

So, I’ll leave it at this: I don’t know if it’s worth going out of your way to snap order some off the internet, ans pay shipping, but if you happen to see some at your comic shop, or hobby retailer, or in an American Wal-Mart, or at a convention, go ahead and spend a couple dollars to snap a few up. They’re more fun than you think.

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