Review – Transformers Bot Shots (Jump Shot) Shockwave

The Transformers Bot Shots series (Amazon.com search*) continues to impress me. These little auto-transforming robot toys, complete with a built-in game, are inexpensive and fun and Hasbro has released several great designs.

And now an entire new wave of designs is out there, including a second Shockwave that’s a new sculpt and auto-transformation design dramatically different from the design released last year.

Jump Shots

The Shockwave shown here uses the “Jump Shot” mechanism. The way these work is that when the trigger is tripped the toy launches straight up and transforms into its robot mode. It does a bit of a spin in the air and doesn’t always land on its feet, but I really don’t care how it lands since just watching it leap is fun. Hasbro’s designers must have put a lot of work into designing these different transformation mechanisms and it’s good to see the toys selling well enough that the line’s still in stores.

Generation One and Fall of Cybertron Inspiration

The Bot Shots Shockwave has a bit of both the original character design and some elements from the Fall of Cybertron character design and is clearly Shockwave in both modes. This is a big improvement over last year’s Bot Shots Shockwave toy — which didn’t have any Shockwave touches in the vehicle design — and even if you have last year’s model I’m going to recommend that you grab this one since it’s clearly the superior of the two designs.

You’ve Gotta Try These

I posted two Bot Shots reviews last year — Barricade video review here, Thundercracker review here — and I really believe that since the first version mechanism was released Hasbro has only improved on the concept. These are great little toys at an affordable price and I think any Transformers fans who doesn’t try one of these is missing out on one of the best toy designs to come out of Hasbro in recent years.

Closing Thoughts

The Transformers Bot Shots series (Amazon.com search*) isn’t the most elaborate or complicated of toy lines out there, but it’s a fun line with fantastic designs and it makes me happy to see how the pegs around the Austin area clear when new toys are set out.

I will be buying more of these toys. And I hope that someone at Hasbro has read my recent post — “Hasbro, Bring Me Blind Box Transformers Bot Shots!” — and has already started discussing the idea in product meetings.