Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015) Deployers (Drift with Jetstorm and Fracture with Airazor) and Mini-Cons Wave 1 & 2 (Divebomb, Dragonus, Sawback, Slipstream, Beastbox, Rattrap, Sandsting, Velocirazor)

A few notes on these before I get to the reviews.  Deployers are about the same size as Warrior Class toys, perhaps slightly larger.  They have a built in launcher that is attached to the right arm in robot mode to launch Mini-Cons.  The launcher swings down and launches the Mini-Cons along a flat surface.  Oddly the Mini-Cons don’t have wheels.  They are extremely well engineered so that the launchers also work in vehicle mode.  They have a built in safety mechanism that makes it very hard to launch the Mini-Con if the robot is not standing or vehicle isn’t sitting on a flat surface.  Drift’s Mini-Cons are all disc shaped while Fracture’s Mini-Cons are all torpedo shaped.  The Mini-Cons all come with Autobot or Decepticon shaped trees with their accessories on them.  This is kind of pointless, as they are useless once you remove the parts.  I think the point of this was to make it look like more toy than you are actually getting.  One cool thing about the attachable parts is that you can leave them on while they are in the launchers.  Lastly, each series of Mini-Cons has parts to build a “fifth” Mini-Con.  I put that in quotes because you have to take armor and weapons off the Mini-Cons to make the fifth Mini-Con, which leave them incomplete.  It’s kind of a stupid feature.  The “fifth” Mini-Con can’t be used in the launchers and doesn’t transform.  Also, what sense does it to make to build a Mini-Con out of both Autobot and Decepticon parts?  I didn’t even bother take pictures of them.

Deployer Drift & Mini-Con Jetstorm

Jetstorm is one of the better Mini-Cons.  I can’t say much for the disc modes in general, but his robot mode is great.  One thing I didn’t realize until after I took the photos is that the weapons can be put in the hands of the robots.  In the photo the swords are on his arms, but they can go in his hands.

Drift’s car mode is okay, but has the enormous hole in the front without the Mini-Con, and looks pretty silly with one in it.  He does have an amazing head sculpt.

Deployer Fracture & Mini-Con Airazor

I really like Airazor.  He’s very cool looking.  The blue parts on his legs can come off and be his weapons.  The torpedo shaped Mini-Cons look much better in vehicle mode.

Fracture looks okay in robot mode, but in vehicle mode he looks pretty awful.  The launcher becomes a sidecar.  He’s just not a great toy.

Mini-Cons Wave 1

Mini-Con Divebomb

I love Divebomb’s colors with his weapons attached.  He looks really cool in both modes.

Mini-Con Dragonus

Dragonus looks very cool in dragon mode.  It’s unfortunate that he can’t stand up, and can only lie down.  He looks great with his weapons on, especially in dragon mode.

Mini-Con Sawback

I’m not a fan of the Mini-Cons like Sawback who unfold from disk mode.  He’s not awful, but that tail sticking up like that looks silly.  One neat thing is that his animal head helmet can still stay on when he transforms.  I wasn’t expecting that it would fit inside, so the engineering is pretty cool.  What really annoys me with these different designs for Autobots and Decepticons is that we will never get him repainted as Ravage.  I mean, they could do it, but it wouldn’t make a lot of sense.

Mini-Con Slipstream

Slipstream is similar in design to Divebomb.  He looks very cool, especially with the orange weapons on him.  He’s definitely one of my favorites.

Mini-Cons Wave 2

Beastbox

Beastbox looks great in robot mode with his weapons on.  It’s one of the best animal robot modes among the Mini-Cons.

Mini-Con Ratbat

Ratbat is awful in robot mode.  Instead of outstretched wings, his are made for walking on, and it looks stupid.

Sandsting

Sandsting is my favorite Mini-Con of them all.  He looks awesome in scorpion mode with or without his weapons.  You might notice that the armor on his claws look like halves of a shark’s face.  They are.  The put together Mini-Con I mentioned above is a shark in wave 2.

Velocirazor

Like Sawback, I’m not a huge fan of Velocirazor, though he is much better than Sawback.  His dinosaur mode looks pretty good.  I had a lot of trouble transforming him with his armor on, but eventually was able to make it work.

Overall: My biggest complaint about Deployers and Mini-Cons is that if the Mini-Cons are supposed to be launched, then why is Fixit also a Min-Con?  It seems to me that if all these Mini-Cons fall into this one idea then you shouldn’t randomly have one that doesn’t.  That aside, they are fun, and I’m sure kids will love these.  Mini-Cons are cheap at $5 each, and even the Deployers aren’t bad at $20.  I just wish the weapons stayed on better, and were better quality.  They are all translucent and as history has shown translucent plastic is often susceptible to breaking.  With so many of them, they are easy to lose.  The show characters, Beastbox, and Sandsting are the best of them.

Thanks for reading!