First look: Transformers BotBots are cute, tiny Transformers on the way in 2019

These Transformers are much smaller than what you’re used to but still might have a big impact when they release next year.

Hasbro knows what it’s doing when teasing the release of a brand new Transformers line. For Transformers BotBots, the company just might have outdone itself.

Disclosure: FanSided was provided with free product for the purposes of this first look, though as you’ll see, it was done in above average style.

It began with a mysterious letter that invited us to a grand opening but suggested that we’d need the enclosed scissors to cut a ribbon. And those scissors looked a little … peculiar.

Then a package arrived, one that did, in fact, have a big red ribbon around it. We chose not to use those scissors and just take it apart by hand. The back had the awesome artwork you can see above, while the front opened up to this:

Clearly this was something of a big to-do. We actually did start where it said “Start Here” so we could get the backstory of the BotBots. What happens to a mall that ends up covered in Energon that falls from the sky? It ends up seeing a lot of the objects inside turned into smaller, much more mischievous Transformers.

The idea is that the BotBots are items that we see and use every day, so they take Robots in Disguise to another level. Just about anything can be a BotBot, and in Series 1, which includes 61 figures in all, just about everything is. The new characters aren’t divided into Autbots and Decepticons, but rather eight “tribes” that more or less tell you what kind of alt forms you can expect from them:

• Backpack Bunch – School/office supplies
• Greaser Gang – Fast food and other guilty eats
• Jock Squad – Sports equipment and accessories
• Shed Heads – Things you might find outside in your shed
• Sugar Shocks – Candy and sweets
• Techie Team – Electronic gadgets, new and old
• Toilet Troop – Items you’d encounter in the bathroom
• Lost Bots – The catch-all eighth tribe seems to be made up of alt forms that could come from any of the other seven; maybe there’s a story-driven reason for that

It appears BotBots will be packaged in three different ways: In individual blind packs, one per pack; and in five and eight-bot packs where you’ll be able to see all but one of the figures you’re getting before you purchase them. Also, you’re guaranteed two BotBots from a specific tribe in the multi-packs.

The instructions with the box implored us to open packaged until we were able to put together an entire tribe. That took a while, and it appears some characters will only be able to be found in certain pack types. But we persevered, and not only did we finish off some tribes, we actually found all 61 characters (spread over three levels of rarity) in BotBots Series 1.

We’ll get up close and personal with some of our favorites after the holiday, but we can tell you a bit more about Transformers BotBots right now. All of them come with instructions, which is good because even though their transformations are pretty simple (most are three steps), not all are obvious. The pieces tend to be very small, but they’re fairly sturdy despite their size and anything that came off a BotBot while we were converting them was able to be snapped right back on.

Some of the Series 1 bots are physically bigger than the rest and a few were easier to stand than others — though we got all 61 standing at once for the picture you see above.

Hasbro also is challenging people to take pics of the BotBots and share them with the #BotBotsChallenge hashtag to get others to try to spot them when they are mixed in with other everyday items. Their tiny stature makes it unlikely you’d really fool someone that way, though we’re sure people more technically skilled with photography and graphics can probably do really cool things with them.

In the meantime, please enjoy our totally ordinary pre-Thanksgiving meal with nothing unusual about it at all:

Transformers BotBots seem like they’ll be a great line for younger fans, and one with all new characters so no older collectors will get upset about kiddified versions of their favorites. There’s definitely an all-ages appeal to them as well; my 10-year-old son, who is mostly out of the “toys as toys” age and becoming more of a collector, was really taken by them.

Hasbro obviously has big plans for them too, as the checklist that came with the box promised three series for 2019 encompassing more than 190 characters in all. It will be cool if they catch on, as there’s nothing really like it in the Transformers product mix at the moment. Until next time, keep an eye on all your household goods, just in case.