Hot Rod and Bumblebee [Swapticons]

It's time we look at the newest 'silly' Transformers line from Hasbro called Transformers Swapticons. Swapticons are a new line of smaller, simpler Transformers obviously intended for younger children, yet being enjoyed by a middle aged robot nerd.

These fall in line with other silly, but fun lines like Q Transformers, Kre-O, Bot Shots, and BotBots that I've enjoyed in addition to my 'serious' Transformers. Swapticons are similar to Micromaster Combiners in that an individual figure makes up one half of an alt mode. You combine 2 for a full vehicle or animal. These little bots are chunky little blocky guys with extremely simple transformations. Combination into alt mode is done by interlocking the robot heads together. The fun part is in the variety, you can get creative and stick any 2 Swapticons together. The silliness is played up as the characters have BotBot style silly faces.

Now that we've spent all that time explaining a silly toy, let's take a look at Hot Rod and Bumblebee. The main figures come in 2 packs for not a lot of money. As you can tell by this pack, they tend to be good pairings. I really like Hot Rod, the little blocky body really works well with his traditional looks. It's just a solid little representation. Of course his wacky face give it a bit of goofy characterization... but it works pretty well. Articulation on these guys is basic to put it mildly. They have little simple fold out arms that are just enough to express that they are arms. The toy is in the gimmick more so than the figure.

Bumblebee looks pretty good too, though I admit some of his detail is lost in all the yellow. He's your standard Evergreen Bumblebee. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just that Hot Rod looks so much more detailed next to him. They're a solid duo regardless and their combined vehicle mode is pretty cool. Hot Rod forms the rear end with Bumblebee becoming the front. It's a neat looking combination of the two. I'm really having fun with Swapticons so far. Right now I have no complaints... though like with other smaller toys... I wish they came with a sticker. A Bikkuriman style sticker would go perfectly with these little bots. Regardless of my endless fascination with autocollants, these are great.  I look forward to filling a shoe box with these silly little bots.