Review – Unofficial Transformers Kup and Perceptor Upgrade Kit

This past weekend I posted a review of the Growing Pains Custom Kit at the TFSource blog. That’s an excellent kit and recommended to anyone who already owns a Transformers United Bumblebee. If you want to see photos and read all about an unofficial Transformers upgrade kit that I am quite impressed with then I suggest skipping this review and focusing instead on of the Growing Pains Custom Kit review.

A Disappointing Release

For the last few months now third party Transformers toymaker iGear (website, Facebook) has been impressing me. Starting with their Transformers Generations Kup* head upgrade kit (review here) and leading into their Mini-Warriors series (Rager review here), Spray review here) the company had been making me quite happy. And it was because of those pieces that I was excited to get my hands on this new upgrade kit . . . a kit I now have to suggest skipping.

Plastic Case

The Kup and Perceptor Upgrade Kit (available at site sponsor TFSource) comes over-packaged in a plastic case that acts as a weapons locker for the five new guns included in the kit. The case is quite nice — molded in a single color with custom-cut foam insert — and the hinged lid works perfectly. The case is overkill and a lot more than we actually needed — a ziplock bag would have worked fine — but with the handle and hinged lid it’s impressive and, unfortunately, the best part of the set.

Kup’s Weapons

Below you can see the two bulky and ugly pistols from the set in Kup’s hands. These guns are way, way too big for the toy and have far too little detail for their size. Just plain ugly and a massive disappointment. And it’s completely my fault; I wasn’t critical enough of the pre-release photos and it wasn’t until I actually held the guns in my hands that I realized how cheap, ugly, and big they are.

Perceptor’s Weapons

Created for Reveal the Shield Perceptor (review here) iGear tried to bring the IDW Last Stand of the Wreckers* and All Hail Megatron* comics to life with a sniper rifle for Perceptor. Unfortunately, the rifle — as well as the two pistols — suffer from the same flaws as Kup’s guns and in the end this is a terribly disappointing upgrade kit.

Closing Thoughts

A huge letdown after the other great releases from iGear. Maybe I am being too critical now that I’m holding the guns in my hands, but I want to be absolutely sure that none of you read this review and leave thinking anything except that I do not like this upgrade kit and do not recommend it. Maybe someone else will bring us more Transformers weapons in the near future, but if they do I hope that the weapon are better detailed and appropriately scaled.

This one is so bad that I wouldn’t even recommend it on clearance . . . well, except maybe you could use a small plastic case. That would be worth $5 or so.

Philip Reed feels that he needs an incredible unofficial Transformers toy right now to help him forget about this junk release.