Review – Bug Change Robot “Locust” (Bootleg Transformers Kickback)

One of the earliest reviews I wrote/posted here at battlegrip.com was of the 1985 Transformers Kickback toy. Looking back at that 2009 review shows that I was learning at the time, and I was still finding my own voice and figuring out exactly how I wanted to handle the photography for the site. That older review is weak and probably shouldn’t exist, but deleting that review would be a disservice to past me and to the world, so it stays there for all to read and laugh at. Hey, I think I improved as I spent more time figuring out how to structure my reviews.

I really should go back and write a new review of the toy — and take better pics! — but instead I’d like to direct your attention to this Bug Change Robot that was released in the mid-eighties and is close enough to Kickback that the toy should stand in nicely for that official Insecticon toy. Of course, the biggest problem with this toy is that it looks fabulous while being made of incredibly cheap plastic with joints that are both too tight and too loose all at once. How does that even happen?

Robot Grasshopper!

Below is a pic of the Bug Change Robot in its insect mode. Fans of the classic Transformers Insecticons toys will instantly know how the toy’s transformation design works, and it is here that I say that regardless of the bootleg status of the toy, the Bug Change Robot is a great addition to my collection of cheap transforming robot toys. This is great!

Robot Mode

I could think of no better way to show this toy in action than by snapping this pic of the robot alongside the 1985 Transformers Kickback and the clone army Kickback. Many of those EHobby Transformers packs are awesome (find at Amazon.com*), but I cannot say how happy I am to have the Insecticons set on display here at home. And adding this bootleg Kickback to the Insecticons shelf — everyone has a dedicated Insecticons shelf, right? — makes the display just a little more fun.

Stickers?

The toy came with stickers, yes, but I am worried that the adhesive is so old that the stickers would never adhere to the toy so I didn’t even bother trying to apply them. I probably should pull all of those stickers and attach them to the toy, even if it requires superglue, but I’m not quite yet ready to watch a sticker sheet from the eighties disappoint me as the glue proves to be more dust than anything else. The stickers are basically identical to Kickback’s sticker sheet, so worst case scenario is that I order a set of repro stickers. I should do that.

Closing Thoughts

I’ll admit that many of you don’t have the same fascination with Insecticons as I do, but I hope that these pics give you a new appreciation for the design of the original Kickback toy. You can always read my 2009 review of the original toy, but I suspect your day will be a lot more fun if you avoid that old review and instead just click on the different pics here.

This toy is by no means great, but it makes me happy . . . and isn’t that all we expect out of any toy?