REVIEW: Transformers BotBots Series 3

Review Sample Courtesy of Hasbro

There’s no stopping the BotBots! Hasbro was kind enough to give us a new care package (wonderful packaging job!), this time featuring their new Transformers BotBots Series 3! Scroll on to find out what Tribes are leaving, what new Tribes are being introduced, as well as a sneak peek at Series 4 and the introduction of the BotBots Goldrush Games!

OUT WITH THE OLD…

They say all good things must come to an end, and such is the case with three longtime BotBot Tribes. Strarting with BotBots Series 3 (*cue sad music*), Backpack Bunch, Shed Heads and the Techie Team will be no more. I’ve mentioned in my past BotBot reviews that I was never that keen on Shed Heads (aside from some of the power tools), and there’s only so many “back-to-school” items you can do for Backpack Bunch. To be honest, I’m not sure what other electronic gadgets they could have done forTechie Team either. So yeah, it’s probably for the best to retire them too.

And while the press kit Hasbro sent along with BotBots Series 3 specifically mentions those 3 Tribes retiring, I also noticed 2 other Tribes not present in Series 3 (or listed as part of Series 4 – more on that wave later in this review). These include Toliet Troop (good riddens, but they should have done a toliet!) and Greaser Gang (big bummer, I really liked these food items!). So it really looks like FIVE Tribes are saying goodbye!

IN WITH THE NEW!

Ah, but Hasbro is replacing those retired Tribes with NEW ones! A total of FIVE new Tribes are debuting in BotBots Series 3, including:

GOO-GOO GROUPIES

Baby items are the name of the game! A bundle of adorably baby-crazed (and sometimes cranky) bots from the baby store make up this assortment, including Shushifier (a baby pacifier), Nampy (a baby crib), Drippy Pup (a sippy cup with a cute dog face on it. Rarest bot in Tribe), Bottle O-Tears (Baby bottle. Depressing name, cool BotBot!), Crib Watch (a baby monitor), and Highroller (a stroller, I didn’t get this bot). I appreciate anytime Hasbro adds new items to the BotBots series, so collecting these is fun. However, I question how long this Tribe is gonna last. There’s only SO much baby product!

SEASON GREETERS

Now we’re talking! These are fun, easily recognizable (for the most part) seasonal items, including Meltzdown (a snowman, the rarest of the bunch), Wizengreen (Christmas tree), and Yule B. Bored (a TV set playing a fireplace video). Others, which I sadly did not get, are Sugar Breath (candy corn!), Stringgaling (not sure on this one, some kind of drink) and Halloween Knight (a jack-o-lantern!). Aside from Stringgaling, these are some really unique BotBots!

PLAYROOM POSSE

Seeing rubber ducks in some of the multi-packs I was opening was my first clue to this new Tribe. For the most part (looking at you D-Pad), these are some great new, colorful BotBot additions! Bots include Pop-O The Clown (Jack-In-The-Box), Cuddle Wuddle (a teddy bear!), Q.U.R.O.B.O. 6000 (a toy robot? Building blocks? I DO like his colors!), Quakles (rubber ducky! Love it!), D-Pad Chad (a kid’s tablet? Thankfully, this is the rarest bot in this Tribe), and Kikmee (soccer ball). Great new Tribe theme with loads of possibilities down the line.

FRESH SQUEEZES

This is a colorful bunch of new bots! My favorites are all the fruits, such as Sensei Spiney (a pineapple, nice play on Fruit Ninja!), Avocando (an avacado, yum) and Bunches (purple grapes!). My least favorite include Latte Spice Whirl (pumpkin latte? Rarest bot),Trend Blend (smoothie?), and Smerg the Sad (a…plant? WTH?).

ARCADE RENEGADES

This new Tribe (all two rows of them) is shown on the Series 3 check list (pictured above), however none were to be found in the sampler I received. A shame, as there are some great BotBots in there, such as an arcade machine and popcorn!

RETURNING BOTBOTS

In addition to the new Tribes listed above, some oldies but goodies are coming back in Series 3. These include:

LOST BOTS

Lost Bots, a random assortment of all the Tribes. Highlights here include a Toliet Trooper named “Grave Rave” (so I guess that Tribe isn’t quite dead yet? Rarest bot in this group), Fresh Squeeze orange, the Trisourtops, and a Music Mob maraca named “Smooth Shaker”.

SUGAR SHOCKS

I’m kinda over this Tribe as I’ve seen so many of these characters before (cupcakes, etc). Food is fun, but I’d rather see more REAL food items, like a whole turkey, rack of ribs or slab ‘o steak (man, I’m getting hungry). Oh, and the cannoli in the picture above (Disgusto Desserto) is actually a Spoiled Rotten (see below). My bad!

SPOILED ROTTENS

Speaking of Spoiled Rottens… This gross food category is back with some more food gone bad! In addition to Disgusto Desserto above, I enjoy the looks of Moldwich and Slimey Slurps. Croaks, the yellow dead plant, needs to go the way of the Shed Heads. Didn’t like that bot there and I don’t like him as a Spoiled Rotten. Too animal-like and not enough bot!

JOCK SQUAD

Another Tribe that I feel should call it quites while they are ahead of the game (har!). Some of the items in this wave – like Terror Tale Torch (flashlight), Mal Content (a tent) and Rink Stink (a backpack?) – aren’t even very sporty. Heck, camping, isn’t very jock-like at all. Regardless, I’m pleased to see a baseball (Dinger) finally join the gang! Batsby and Big Boi’ii the baseball bats have a new friend 🙂

SWAG STYLERS

This cutsey Tribe has always been aimed at girls, which is cool with me. The more BotBot collectors the merrier! The pink diary, Blabberbook, is my fave (love the heart eyes) and Perfumigator the perfume bottle is stylish with its gold and purple color scheme. Maybe we can get a tube of lipstick next?

MUSIC MOB

Time to make some noise! Musical instruments return with a few cool new BotBots, including a drum set (Batterhead), speaker (Loudsy), and piano (Calamity Keys). The rarest bot in this group is Dingledeedoo, a bell, which if you look close enough, is a smart repaint of the plunger Clogstopper all the way back from Series 1!

THE FUTURE OF BOTBOTS…

Along with this wonderful look at BotBots Series 3, Hasbro shared some info on Series 4! The main hightlight of this wave (hitting early next year) will be the BotBots Goldrush Games. All the BotBots tribes will compete to be named most mischievous and win one of the shiny, gold trophy bots from the Winner’s Circle Tribe (but really it’ll be you just lucky enough to find one)!

BotBots Series 4 will be the first series related to the Goldrush Games theme in 2020. Some of the new Tribes being introduced from the Winner’s Circle include:

Magic Tricksters: The tricky little tribe of bots from the magic store!
Movie Moguls: A band of movie buff bots from the movie theater!
Science Alliance: Mad scientist bots fromt he science store!

Other new Tribes teased on the Series 4 checklist include:

Retro Replays: An assortment of old school tech items, like a boom box and 80’s cell phone (the “brick”)!
Wilderness Troop: Those odd BotBots infiltrating the Jock Squad (tent, flashlight) are finding a real home with this outdoor themed Tribe.
Home Rangers: This Tribe looks fun! Lots of household gadgets, such as a vacuum cleaner, iron, coffee maker… even a couch!
Los Deliciosos: The Greaser Gang may be no more, but this Tribe looks to replace it with yummy Spanish/Mexican cuisine! Salsa verde, burritoes and more!

Stay tuned for our BotBots Series 4 review next month! Scroll on for more images!

Miss my past Transformers BotBots reviews?