{"id":30678,"date":"2020-03-31T00:00:15","date_gmt":"2020-03-31T04:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/?p=30678"},"modified":"2025-10-07T16:28:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T20:28:13","slug":"transformers-botbots-gumball-machine-surprise-unboxing-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/2020\/03\/transformers-botbots-gumball-machine-surprise-unboxing-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Transformers BotBots Gumball Machine Surprise Unboxing review"},"content":{"rendered":"

It's been a while since we've been able to do any Transformers BotBots<\/a><\/i> reviews, so we're coming back with something special.<\/p>\n

Series 4 of the BotBots<\/i> started to trickle out before the world shut down and we all became hermits banned from going toy shopping. The first releases were big fancy multipacks designed to cater to kids' love of unboxings: one meant to be a claw machine, the other a gatcha machine.<\/p>\n

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The box is 10\" wide and 10\" tall, with the upper edge designed to curve. A clear window in the front allows you to see the capsules within, while the art on the sides (and around the back!) makes it look like there are dozens more balls inside there.<\/p>\n

What's really awesome though? The box actually functions<\/b> like a real gumball machine! The slot where you'd insert a coin is just a graphic, obviously, but the door where you'd retrieve your prize is perforated so it can open. And how, pray tell, does the prize get from the display at the top of the box to the door at the bottom? There's a sliding tray built into<\/b> the packaging: push it to the right, and a single capsule drops in; slide it back to the left, and the capsule drops down again. Holy crap, whoever engineered this thing is amazing<\/b>!!<\/p>\n

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There are two different versions of the Gumball Machine Surprise Unboxing, each with different exclusives, so completists will need to buy both. Since some unnamed designer put a ton<\/b> of work into this packaging, we're going to honor them by playing with it the way it was intended; sure, we could just cut the tape on the top and get all the balls out at once that way, but we're going to drop them out one at a time, with no clue what's coming. This is going to be a fun review!<\/p>\n

Click onward to the next page<\/a> to see what's in our first orange capsule...<\/p>\n

<\/a>BotBots<\/i> Series 4 has given up on including art of the mall where the tribes all live, so we don't know where Fancy Flutter's cookie store would be located, but at least we know he's a member of the Sugar Shocks<\/a>, one of the groups still hanging around from Series 1.<\/p>\n

This is a macaron, a French sandwich cookie noted for its light, airy consistency and never tasting as good as you think they're going to. That's not to be confused with a macaroon, which is a wad of coconut and meringue dolloped out and toasted. One takes care and attention, the other can be heaved at a cookie sheet from across the room. Macarons come in many different colors and flavors, so the fact that this one is purple with a light pink icing is probably not outside the realm of possibility.<\/p>\n

Another thing BotBots<\/i> Series 4 has given up on? Instructions. Apparently they're now trusting us to be able to figure it out on our own. Fair enough, we're going to say... unfold the bar on the top, and twist the wings out of the filling on the sides?<\/p>\n

Everybot knows Fancy Flutter throws the fanciest mischief parties, and everybot knows you won't be invited back if you don't follow his 4 Golden Rules of Mischief Party Etiquette:
\n1. Be sure to RSVP
\n2. Always show up to the mischief on time
\n3. Arrive with your gears well-greased, and with a clean faceplate
\n4. Never hog the mischief. Greedy bots will be escorted out and forced to behave<\/i><\/p>\n

Fancy Flutter appears to be a dragon, maybe? The wings are more leathery than feathery, nor are they the butterfly wings his name might have led you to expect. The face is as pink as the wings, with a single \"pair of goggles\" eye and a line stretching all the way across the head for a mouth. There's some tech detailing along the back and under the tail, though the balljoint that allows you to turn the tail into place is stiff, and feels like it'll rip if you're not careful.<\/p>\n

The third thing BotBots<\/i> Series 4 has given up is original art of all the characters, with just product photos on their website - amusingly, Fancy Flutter's stock art shows him upside down. Top-notch work! Both versions of the Gumball Machine Surprise Unboxing include a Fancy Flutter. Maybe in case one does break.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Next out of the slot is a clear gacha, so it won't be as surprising, but let's look anyway!<\/p>\n

<\/a>BotBots<\/i> Series 4 has given up on including art of the mall where the tribes all live, so we don't know where Smore N'More would be hanging out (what kind of shop sells s'mores at all? Isn't that something you just make at home?), but we can at least tell you she's a member of the Sugar Shocks<\/a>. We promise not every bot in this set will be.<\/p>\n

S'mores have been around for about a century, with the first published recipe (documenting a treat that had already been popular at summer camps) appearing in the 1920s: you heat up a marshmallow until it's gooey, then put it and a chunk of chocolate bar between two pieces of graham cracker. It takes about 10 minutes to make one over a camp fire, or about 30 seconds in the microwave. The graham crackers used to make this s'more are the thickest ever seen, nearly as big as the marshmallows! They're sculpted with an appropriate texture, and the design even makes the marshmallows look like they're melting!<\/p>\n

BotBots<\/i> Series 4 has no instructions, leaving you to decipher things on your own. The best we can guess is that you split the top cracker, then lower the marshmallows on the head and feet. It's not the greatest plan, but it's what we have right now.<\/p>\n

Smore N' More can't help it, she just always wants some more, and more. ESPECIALLY chocolate. And marshmallows! They're just so ooey-gooey good she eats them by the handful. Other bots have to hide their sugar stash so she doesn't eat it all. But somehow, she always finds it! And instantly devours it. She's insatiable.<\/i><\/p>\n

The figure seems to be slightly misassembled: the (conjoined) marshmallows that end up on top of her head appear to be molded with little bumps representing toes, while the (separate) ones under her butt have no such thing. The face is white, like marshmallow, while the rest of the body is chocolate brown. The outer biscuit layer just hangs off her sides, with no good indication of what they're supposed to be. And what are the things on the head? Is she supposed to be a bunny?<\/p>\n

Again, this BotBot is available in both Gumball Machine Surprise Unboxing sets, and both in clear capsules.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Onto the next page, where we shall examine another orange ball.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Series 4 of the BotBots<\/i> may have ditched a lot of things - pictures of the mall, pictures of the bots, instructions - but they're keeping alive the tradition of repainting older toys as new ones. But at least we're getting new factions out of it, right? That's how Game Older can be a member of the Retro Replays<\/a>!<\/p>\n

This is the same mold as Skillz Punk<\/a>, making it a nice, old-fashioned game cartridge. It's light gray with some purple at the top, and the label on the front is a red-and-purple static pattern. This wasn't a very exciting figure the first time it came out, and it still isn't now. At least we already know how it's supposed to transform.<\/p>\n

BotBots<\/i> are intentionally simple to convert, so all you need to do is raise the head, pull the arms out to the side, and flip down the legs. The arms are much easier to move than before, and the legs lock in place so he won't fall over.<\/p>\n

Game Older forgets a lot of important stuff. Game saves, secret codes, birthdays - with him, it's always FILE NOT FOUND. Bots have tried some pretty weird things to help his memory. They'll blow the dust out of him, shake him around like a maraca - even put him in the freezer! With that kind of treatment, it's no wonder he can't remember anything!<\/i><\/p>\n

Okay, blowing into the cartridge is something we all knew to do (with absolutely no instruction, making it a prime example of parallel development), but shaking it? Freezing it? Are those things people actually did? To what system? Game Older isn't a particularly interesting robot, either, little more than a block with limbs - nothing clever happens when changing the cart into a body. His facial features are even a direct copy of Skillz Punk, just in different colors.<\/p>\n

In addition to the Gumball Machine Surprise Unboxing, Game Older is also available blind-packed<\/a>, as #16.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Let's keep going, with one of the capsules in \"Series 4\" blue.<\/p>\n

Oh, it's a sticker. Well, only four of the 10 capsules in the Gumball Machine Surprise Unboxing will have those, so that means we're still getting six BotBots - more than half. This sticker shows Pop N. Lock and Snorg the Conqueror<\/a> watching Whirlderful dance.<\/p>\n

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Next page, the second clear ball!<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>BotBots<\/i> Series 4 has given up on including art of the mall where the tribes all live, so we don't know where Frostfetti Frostyface's store would be located, but at least we know she's a member of the Sugar Shocks<\/a>, one of the groups still hanging around from Series 1.<\/p>\n

Actually, would a \"store\" really be selling birthday cake by the slice? It's more likely this would come from a restaurant, where unwilling employees are forced to sing \"Happy Birthday\" to equally unwilling customers. It's a substantial slice of yellow cake, with white and pink icing and blue sprinkles, plus a short candle right near the edge. The texture of the cake is appetizing, with the sides looking fluffy rather than perfectly straight. There should be more of a point in the front, but maybe someone already took a bite?<\/p>\n

Another thing BotBots<\/i> Series 4 has given up on? Instructions. Apparently they're now trusting us to be able to figure it out on our own. And in this case, it's not too hard at all: swing the legs out and around, fold the arms forward, lift the flap over the face, and tip the candle onto the top of the head.<\/p>\n

It seems like everything comes easy piecey to Frostfetti Frostyface! Like being happy, being sweet, being loud, being colorful, and being EXCITED! She faces the toughest challenges with a giggle and celebrates even the smallest of victories with lots and lots of confetti! YAY! Other bots may complain about things being too hard, but for Frostfetti Frostyface, everything is a piece of cake!<\/i><\/p>\n

\"Frostfetti Frostyface\" feels like an over-engineered name, doesn't it? Like they were trying to play off of Boaty McBoatface, or like the two names were pitched separately and simply mashed together. She does have a wondrously joyful expression on her face, and colorful whirls of pink \"hair\" on her forehead. The cakey texture continues here, on what was once the bottom of the cake. There's some blue on her upper arms, and pink on the back of the hands. The legs were assembled backwards on mine, but they pop off the balljoints so easily, it's not even an issue to fix them.<\/p>\n

Frostyfrost Von Frostfrostbox is only available in this Gumball Machine Surprise Unboxing set, nowhere else. Her mold will show up again in Series 5 as Richmond Cakesmore.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Rolling out of the slot next, we've got another blue!<\/p>\n

Our second sticker, this one featuring Angry Cheese<\/a> using Fottle Barts<\/a> to spray Spud Muffin<\/a> with ketchup.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Last blue sphere, come on down!<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Okay, all three of the blue capsules have had stickers inside them. This one is Starscope, being star-struck.<\/p>\n

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There are three gacha left in the Gumball Machine Surprise Unboxing set, but only one more sticker. Will it be in the orange, or one of the greens?! Place your bets as we move on.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>Series 4 of the Transformers BotBots<\/i> may have stopped giving us most of the original art with these toys - no mall scene, no character art on the website, nothing but the faction shots on the back of the cards - but that doesn't mean they've stopped being creative. Series 4 introduces eight new tribes of bots, with only three being holdovers from previous series! New factions like Los Deliciosos<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Invented in either Tampa or Key West, a Cubano is a ham and cheese sandwich for people who think holding a strong opinion about food is a substitute for a personality. It's best known for being the centerpiece of a Jon Favreau movie that reads like \"Sideways<\/i>, but sandwiches instead of wine\" on the surface, and is a metaphor about Iron Man<\/i><\/a> when you look beneath the surface. It's served on what is functionally half a loaf of French or Italian bread, but squashed in a panini press. So this sandwich is flat on one end and curved on the other, and there are deep ridges angled across both the top and bottom of the loaf. There's some brown and white paint on the sides - presumably meant to be meat and cheese?<\/p>\n

Along with the art, Series 4 has also dropped the instruction sheets. How does this BotBot convert? All we can do is guess! Well, \"open the four panels,\" but do the top two stick out to the sides or fold behind him? You get to decide!<\/p>\n

When it comes to sandwiches, King Cubano has seen them all... except one. He's on a mission to find the legendary triple-decker frog butt sandwich with pickles and roasted fire ants, smothered in horse cheese. It's the one sandwich that has always eluded him, and stands in the way of his total sandwich mastery.<\/i><\/p>\n

...okay, moving on. King Cubano has a great<\/b> robot design, with a botty body and paint that makes him look like he's wearing a short-sleeved shirt. He's even sculpted with tiny suspenders! Between the fedora and the mustache, he reminds me of LaBamba from Conan<\/i><\/a>. Where's his tiny robot trumpet, Hasbro?<\/p>\n

With a super cute robot design, a problem-free conversion, and no assembly issues (not to mention the power of \"supreme sandwich knowledge\"), King Cubano is the definite highlight of this set.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Click through to see what's in our first green capsule.<\/p>\n

These stickers! Not my cup of tea, I tells ya. This one has Drippy Pup<\/a> micturating onto Meltz Down<\/a>. COMEDY!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

One last green ball to go.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>One of the new tribes introduced in BotBots<\/i> Series 4 is the Winner's Circle<\/a>, a group of golden trophy-bots who will judge the other team's efforts to cause mischief in the \"Goldrush Games.\" They pretty much take the place of the previous series' Lost Bots, hiding out in the blind-packed portions of the packages.<\/p>\n

Geeze, Hasbro and their metallic repaints. They've done it for years with Star Wars<\/i>, and they tried<\/b> to do it when they got the Marvel license (luckily for us all, Marvel fans were smart enough to not bite, so the idea was unceremoniously dropped and never brought back), and now they're trying to wheedle it into Transformers<\/i> as well, just without the \"it's an anniversary\" angle. We're still left with a solid gold doughnut - which, sans any paint to suggest frosting or sprinkles, ends up looking like a solid gold hemorrhoid cushion. Thanks, Hasbro, this is just what everybody wanted.<\/p>\n

Most of the Winner's Circle bots are existing molds, so we know how this one converts: pull down the feet, spread the arms, rotate the face forward.<\/p>\n

The BotBots tribes are competing in the Goldrush Games to see which tribes are the most mischievous! Winning tribes are awarded shiny gold trophy bots from the Winner's Circle tribe! This trophy bot is awarded for the most sweetly silly, bouncing-off-the-walls mischief and won't stop until he finds the perfect tribe! Who will grab the gold?<\/i><\/p>\n

This is a repaint of Sprinkleberry D'uhnut<\/a>, a Sugar Shocks bot we haven't reviewed yet. Being formed from a torus makes for an interesting robot mode, with chubby arms held out to the sides and tiny little feet that don't really come down any lower than the rest of the body. The face gets different paint than previous uses of this mold, with highly wide-set eyes.<\/p>\n

Like the Lost Bots<\/a>, the Winner's Circle members are only available in one package. So if you want Goldenberry D'uhnut, this Gumball Machine Surprise Unboxing set is the only place you'll find him.<\/p>\n

Honestly, this set would have been a lot<\/b> better with four more bots instead of stickers, and the golden one is totally meh, but it's still a lot of fun to dispense your own gatcha capsules and be surprised by what's inside.<\/p>\n