A spokesperson for Hamleys recently told us that Lego has had an "incredible year so far" and we can understand why, it has released sets with some killer licensed brands in 2011, including Pirates of the Caribbean and its own Ninjago, and they've really taken off. Therefore, when Hasbro decided to join the brick building playset market with Kre-o, it only seemed natural for its launch to hang onto the coattails of its own mega brand, Transformers.

Like Character Options' Doctor Who Character Building, the entire Kre-o Transformers range is completely compatible with "market leading brick building sets" (that's Lego, natch), but has the added bonus of being as incredibly cool to Dads and collectors as kids.

That's because, rather than base the initial wave of packs and Kreons (Hasbro's answer to Minifigs) on the modern movie versions of the Transformers, as seen in Dark of the Moon, the toy company has opted to go old school, offering construction sets of 80s series 'bots. Superb!

And, from what Pocket-lint saw at Hasbro's Christmas in July event, those construction sets are no feeble effort to cash in on a trend. The top set, obviously featuring Optimus Prime, contains no less than 500 pieces. It can make up the 80s version of "OP" and the entire truck and trailer. It doesn't transform, so you'll have to completely rebuild for each version, but that's half the fun, surely. And, as an added bonus, the trailer converts into a mini base for the Kreons - or can store them inside.

Five Kreons are also included. Although Hasbro expects to offer collectable packs separately too.

A stack of other 'bots will be available too, although they gradually fall down the scale of number of bits (and price) as they go. Bumblebee, Sentinel Prime, Megatron, Starscream (which transforms into a really cool jet), Autobot Ratchet, Sideswipe, Prowl, Autobot Jazz and Mirage (the racing car) are all featured in different construction sets, with plenty of other characters making the grade as Kreons.

Prices range from £8.99 for the smallest set, up to £69.99 for Optimus Prime, and all of them will be available in toy stores in the UK from September.

What other brand would you like to see as a Kre-o/Lego set? Let us know in the comments below...