Class of 85
Special thanks for Hasbro for providing this sample! The Class of 85 and other SDCC exclusives will be available at hasbrotoyshop.com July 28th 2015!
Following up on 2014’s Class of 1984 San Diego Comic-Con exclusive, Hasbro has released the Cybertron High Kreon Class of 1985 for the 2015 SDCC. Like the previous year’s set, the Class of 1985 features beautiful packaging resembling a yearbook ; the packaging opens up to reveal two large ‘pages’ that feature each Kreon and their class titles.
30 more exclusive figures have been selected to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1985 line. In the three decades since graduation, many of these Transformers have found lasting success at Hasbro while others have gone to try their luck in the 3rd party market.
Alpha Trion
“500th Year Senior”
Astrotrain
“Designated Driver”
Beachcomber
“Most Likely to Grow Totally Organic Energon”
Autobot Blaster (né Blaster)
“Most Popular”
Blitzwing
“Class Jock. President, Chess Club”
Insecticon Bombshell (né Bombshell)
“Best at Convincing Someone Else to Do His Homework”
Autobot Cosmos (né Cosmos)
“Most Out There”
Devastator
“1-Bot Entourage”
Dirge
“Most Likely to Be Found Wandering the Woods Wearing a Hockey Mask”
Autobot Grapple (né Grapple)
“Most Artistic”
Grimlock
“Me Best Looking”
Hoist
“Most Helpful”
Inferno
“Class Hottie”
Jetfire
“The Brain”
Kickback
“Best Break Dancer”
Omega Supreme
“The Athelete”
Autobot Powerglide (né Powerglide)
“Will Do Anything on a Dare”
Ramjet
“Best Headbutt”
Red Alert
“The Basket Case”
Autobot Seaspray (né Seaspray)
“Class Castaway”
Autobot Skids (né Skids)
“Most Thoughtful”
Slog (né Sludge)
“Most Likely to Lose a Spelling Bee by Misspelling Bee”
Dinobot Slug (né Slag)
“The Criminal”
Smokescreen
“Most Likely to Copy Your Homework”
Snarl
“Most Likely to Skip Class”
Strafe (né Swoop)
“Most Likely to Have His Identity Stolen”
Thrust
“Class Loudmouth”
Topspin
“Most Likely to Make Like a Tree and Get Out of Here”
Autobot Tracks (né Tracks)
“Most Worried About This Superlative Messing Up His Paint Job”
Warpath
“Loves the Smell of Cryo-Shells in the Morning”
In addition to the 30 figures, also included is the Kreon Class of 85 Artifacts that make various references to the 1980s. I was born in 86, yet had some trouble trying to figure out some of the references made. The Almanac and Newspaper are pretty obvious references to Back to the Future while the Map and Candy Bar I believe are Goonies References. Unicron Crunch is obviously Captain Crunch cereal but I don’t know if this is a direct reference to a movie or not. I had to ask for some help with the “Jetfire be good” record but turns out the Johnny B Goode scene from Back to the Future. Turns out that Jolt Cola was released in 1985, explaining its inclusion but I’m actually still be bit confused about the coins. The design and numbering of the coins as well as the lay out in the package are reminiscent of Lego gold coins, but I don’t believe they were released in 85 so it could also be another Goonies reference. The detention slip should be a Breakfast Club reference, as well as Denim and Letterman jacket which were worn by Judd Nelson and Emilio Estevez respectively.
The Kre-O line and Kreon figures are obviously meant as a competitor to Lego, with the figures being very close in height to Lego minifigures. Design wise, they are actually much closer to Medicom’s Kubricks in articulation, which unfortunately I could not find mine for comparison. The plastic quality is actually quite high in the figures, though still pales in comparison to the perfection that is Lego (sorry I’m biased) and there are still some obvious QC qualities in some of the helmets. The SDCC Kreons actually have vastly superior detailing compared to the standard Kreon releases, with additional leg printing and much more intricate chest prints. It’s hard to compare the Kreons to Mega Blok’s microfigures, but I do consider the Kreon plastic quality to be of superior quality.
As a lifelong Lego enthusiast, I’ve purchased my fair share into varying competitor’s brands. I’ve purchased a few Kre-O sets before, but the cheap ‘transformation’ gimmick of the Kreons was disappointing and trying to match Lego prices meant that I would always choose Lego over Kre-O unless they were sold at deep discount. From a collector’s viewpoint, all I ever wanted were Lego scaled figures of classic G1 Transformers without a useless transformation gimmick and the SDCC Class of 85 set finally delivered. Priced at 60 dollars, you are paying two dollars per figure, which is actually cheaper than the price of the blind bagged Kreons. This is exactly what I always wanted from the Kre-O line and it’s sad that Kre-O seems to be almost entirely dead in the US, with maybe a couple released in Canada and Asia. I wonder if Hasbro had just released figures like these from the start, the line might be doing better. Not only does the Class of 85 offer everything I had wanted out of Kre-O, the detailing is much better and resembles their G1 counterparts so much better. If you have the opportunity to purchase The Class of 85 and still have any interest in Kreons, I would highly recommend trying to get one. It’s the Kre-O we deserve and even if the line is completely dead, I do hope Hasbro will continue the Kreon Classes as SDCC exclusive at the very least.
