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LuxorV

Review: 2141 Surge 2.0

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Set name: Surge 2.0 (Mark Surge)

Set Number: 2141

Price: ? $, 9.99 Euro

Pieces: 30

Year of release: 2011

Links: Peeron, Bricklink and Brickset

The Box

Front

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The new wave of Heroes from Hero Factory use the same Hero Pod as the 2010 ones, only with a standardised orange top. Personally I prefer this solution, as it makes them look more like a set of standard-issue vehicles from the Hero Factory garage.

The box art for Surge 2.0 is very cool, way more action packed than that of the 2010 sets. It introduces us to the new Fire Lord’s gang of enemies with the burning/exploding background, and it gives us a glimpse of some new vehicles used in the Hero Factory universe, as there is a squad of (star?)fighters flying in the upper left hand corner.

Back

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The back shows a possible combination of the Surge 2.0 and Nex 2.0 sets to form a bigger robot, again on a fire-y background. Unfortunately, unlike the first Toa sets, these do not include instructions for this combination model. Either it is there just for inspiration or the instructions will be available on-line.

On the right we also see a 1:1 scale picture of the Hero Core and a small image of Surge sliding in his Hero Pod, ready to fly into the battlefield.

Top

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As said, the top of the box is the same of the 2010 wave, only in orange. Now that I think of it, somebody could find a use for this top in a microscale scene as a helicopter landing pad.

Top’s inside

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Like for all the other Hero Pods/boxes from this series, the top piece has a code printed on its inside. We’ll see later what this code is for (not a hard guess, I’m sure you’ll agree).

Size comparison

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A simple shot to make a size comparison with the bigger Villains’ boxes.

Contents

Inside

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As expected with this kind of box, the parts are loose in the Pod, and they nicely shower on your table. The instruction booklet (we’ll see it better later on) is curled to follow the Pod’s curvature.

Recoloured parts

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There are two recoloured parts in this set: the Spike Flexible 3.5L in Lime and the Bar 4L Lightsaber Blade in a full Trans-Blue. I’m sure Star Wars fans will be happy to have a cool new colour available for their blades!

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Here, Luke kindly poses for us to show how the new colour looks. In my opinion, it works better than the old Trans-Light Blue for a lightsaber.

New pieces

Being this one of the first sets to use the new socket-and-ball parts, it is really full of new molds. Just consider that out of 30 pieces in this set, 27 are new! The only not new ones are the over-mentioned recoloured bar and spike and a Technic Axle Pin without Friction Ridges Lengthwise in Tan.

Connectors

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These new parts are very interesting for a number of reasons.

First of all, they all have a ball at one end and a socket at the other one. This is no real news, but it means that they mark a fundamental step from the BIONICLE based line of 2010.

As better seen in Evo 2.0’s review, they all sport a set of small holes (three per side with respect to the front/back orientation of the parts) on the ball end. I think this is meant to reduce shock stress upon connection. Indeed, they snap in place more easily and with less effort.

Head

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The head is made of 3 different parts: face and socket connector, head-gear piece and half-helmet. The face part is a solid Lime, and I must say it looks very cool with the overall colour scheme.

We are used to trans-coloured head parts from the BIONICLE line and the 2010 Heroes, but the new ones look far more interesting and robotic, in my opinion.

The head-gear piece, in its turn, is very detailed, and I really like how it sports a telescopic (possibly infra-red sight) and a microphone. Being Surge the sniper of the new team, this equipment fits him really well.

Armour & Co.

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The new connection system is not limited to the limbs/main body parts. The new armour is designed to fit on the new frame only. This means that it connects to the body via the ball-and-socket joints, and it does not have any technic styled connections.

The limb armour pieces come in 3 sizes in this set (as well as in the other Hero sets). In the picture above you can see a direct comparison of the 3 sizes: small (3 studs long), medium (5 studs long) and large (6 studs long).

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The body armour is composed of two parts plus the Hero Core. The outer armour part is very similar to the 2010 ones, only it connects via a couple of ‘studs’ or rods of the same diameter of a lightsaber blade bar. Below this, attached to the body frame with the socket-ball system, is a sort of undercoat like that of the Middle Ages knights (at least, I like to picture it that way).

The Hero Core is solid Lime like the face part. Now, while I like the overall look of it, I sometime think a trans-coloured version would have looked better, as in a ‘shine with energy’ way, like the 2010 Cores.

Hands and Feet

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Here you can have a look at the new hand piece with four fingers. I think it works better than the old 3-fingered part, as it looks more proportionate to me.

I’m still not sure I like the feet. The flat portion with the line of three holes just behind the front is not very nice to the eye, in my opinion. Maybe this solution was chosen for a reason related to connecting the Heroes to vehicles which will be revealed later on during 2011, who knows.

Hero Badge

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One of the most anticipated parts of these new sets is the ‘Hero Badge’ piece. Some said it had to be a normal armour part with sticker, few hoped for a printed part. I can assure you this is printed, and very nicely too. The text includes the Hero name and version number, and a very small and almost un-readable code number below it. The design in the upper part of the print reminds me of a stylised version of the Hero Factory Tower, or a sort of sonic boom effect. Being it on every Hero’s ‘Badge’, I think I’ll go for the first interpretation.

Weapon

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Surge 2.0 is equipped with a sniper rifle made of 3 parts: the lightsaber blade and 2 of the pieces (I do not think they have official names yet) used for the other Heroes’ shields. The Dark/Gun Metallic Grey one is the same included in Evo 2.0 set, and Light Metallic Grey one looks very much like a sort of pickaxe to me. These two parts can only combine in the way they are used here, as the lighter piece has an axle, but no holes. The overall look is very smooth and technologic, and it is well proportioned with respect to the figure.

Instructions

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Cover – It reproduces more or less the same design of the front of the box.

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First pages – Here we have a set of figures explaining us how to use the code we found on the inner side of the box top piece. We’ll have to wait and see what contents these codes will unlock.

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Back cover – We have the usual ‘enter our survey to win LEGO’ add.

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Random page – The instructions are standard fare for a Hero Factory type of set. Unfortunately, as in may other cases, the Black and Dark/Gun Metallic Grey can hardly be told apart.

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Pieces count – Not much to say here, apart that Black and Dark/Gun Metallic Grey are more clearly defined in this page.

Building

Start

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His build starts off with the torso, limbs and feet. No cracked joints yet! This new system works really well.

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Then we add the armour and weapon. The lower leg armour, turned towards the outside, gives Surge 2.0 a slimmer look than the other Heroes. I must say the way he holds the weapon in this picture looks quite awkward, but we’ll see soon that he can get some great poses with it, too. Just one more step, and we have the…

Finished set

Front

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The armour fits very nicely, and the colour scheme is awesome, cool and fresh! The asymmetrical look of the head, given by the head-gear, really fits the character in my eyes.

Back

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The new armour helps in giving these Heroes a better look, but the back angle is still a weak spot. On the other hand, having an open back armour lets you grab the main body frame to move your figure around with fair ease.

Posed

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Once Surge 2.0 grabs his rifle with both hands, all the awkwardness of the previous shots vanishes, and he turns into a real action ready Hero.

Bonus images

Sniper unit in position, ready to take out the enemy!

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While the new joints system allows a fair amount of mobility for the limbs and head, the size of the gun and the fixed position of the handles make it a bit difficult to get a good pos in this situation.

Score 100%

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Who’s better than me in target practice?

Back from mission

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Having some free time

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When they are not on mission, the Heroes like to hang out with friends. Except when Stormer sends them into the training spheres to hone their skills, that is.

Final comments

Overall, Surge 2.0 is a very cool figure. He has one of the best colour schemes amongst the Heroes of the early 2011 HF line. The fact that it uses a new connection system reduces the chances of MOCing a bit, but I’m sure that all the people interested in this series will soon have enough parts for that too. His design, while standardised with that of the other Heroes, is still pretty unique and fits well his role in the team.

Colours scheme - 10/10 (Very fresh and cool.)

Parts - 8/10 (I greatly appreciate the new system, but there is to consider it limits the blending with last year sets of the same theme.)

Design - 10/10 (Smooth and slim, makes for a fast and cunning fighter.)

Articulation - 9/10 (He has a greater motion range then older sets.)

Quality - 10/10 (As far as I can see, the new solutions introduced to limit the breaking of socket joints work very well, and all the parts are of great quality.)

Overall: 47/50 Excellent

More pictures can be found in this Brickshelf gallery (once public).

Special thanks to TLG and the Hero Factory team.

As always, questions, comments, and pic requests welcome!

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Gosh, the back really is awfully empty. It wasn't as obvious in the Evo review due to the dark color of his armor.

I'm rather disappointed in that. I didn't have the slightest misgivings about last year's torsos-- there were holes, yes, but they weren't gaping empty spaces. These ones, on the other hand, are extremely hollow. A flat piece that snaps on the back would have done wonders for this set, though I'm not sure how it might affect the price point. Preferably any "filler" armor would be in blue or black, since the set's color scheme looks dreadfully imbalanced from behind.

Another great review. Keep 'em coming, everybody!

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Great review, you are quickly becoming our resident Bionicle, errr, HERO Factory reviewer.

As you know I'm not a huge fan of these sets, but I love a good review., and tis figure actually looks pretty cool.

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Great review! Surge 2.0's my favourite hero, plus the fact that I'm a huge fan of snipers, he's a must-get for me.

Still, I agree with Aanchir on the emptiness of Surge's back. While this may not be a problem with other Heroes like Evo due to the dark colour of his torso armour, Surge's white against black is a real eyesore.

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Thanks for the review. Do you happen to know why Nex and Evo are "2.0s"? Were they exclusives that I missed, or was it just to go with the others? And is there some storyline to why they didn't bring back Stringer and Bulk (my favorites)? Thanks!

-Santhor

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Gosh, the back really is awfully empty. It wasn't as obvious in the Evo review due to the dark color of his armor.

I'm rather disappointed in that. I didn't have the slightest misgivings about last year's torsos-- there were holes, yes, but they weren't gaping empty spaces. These ones, on the other hand, are extremely hollow. A flat piece that snaps on the back would have done wonders for this set, though I'm not sure how it might affect the price point. Preferably any "filler" armor would be in blue or black, since the set's color scheme looks dreadfully imbalanced from behind.

Yes, that's the big con of these Heroes. As I wrote, this does provide a good grip from behind as you can take the body frame with two fingers, but some more complete backs will always be one of the LEGO Action Figures' fans' dreams!

The sniper rifle doesn't do anything, right? No launching lightsaber blade?

No action feature with the rifle. This may look like a downside, but it allows to keep its design simple and clean.

Thanks for the review. Do you happen to know why Nex and Evo are "2.0s"? Were they exclusives that I missed, or was it just to go with the others? And is there some storyline to why they didn't bring back Stringer and Bulk (my favorites)? Thanks!

I'm just as curious as you are about Bulk and Stringer's fate. As far as box art goes, Evo and Nex are '2.0' too, probably just to be in line with the others. They could be new Heroes who join the theme after Bulk and Stringer retire or go to special missions... I think we'll have to wait and see what the story tellers have prepared for us :laugh:

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Hmm. Even if I don't collect "blue Bionicles" anymore I think I wll get this set just for pieces! New joints look sick! I love them!

Then I guess you have to collect "blue hero factory" sets :D

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I would have personally found paying an extra money unit (9.99) a fair price if they had a single piece to cover the back. Without it I am feeling very discouraged to get the heroes that happen to have contrast between the armor and the black skeleton in the back, they look just awful.

Edited by vexorian

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He looks great! But I'm kind of wondering about the story and its transition. How did Surge with his lightning weapons get upgraded and is now using a Sniper rifle? Its like surge 1 and surge 2 are two different people. :hmpf_bad:

Still nice set though :classic:

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Awesome! I just love the new mask, and the lightsaber blade is so cool. I hope it crosses over into other themes!

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He looks great! But I'm kind of wondering about the story and its transition. How did Surge with his lightning weapons get upgraded and is now using a Sniper rifle? Its like surge 1 and surge 2 are two different people. :hmpf_bad:

Still nice set though :classic:

As far as I know, the Heros all lost their weapons in the last confrontation with Von Nebula, so no direct conversion of the lightning weapons to the sniper rifle. As they get constant up-grades based on the data from every mission, I think their weaponry and armours 'evolved' to the new style after that experience.

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Just wondering, do you take picture requests, Luxor? :classic: I was wondering if you could take a side shot of Surge 2.0 holding his rifle parallel to his right arm instead of perpendicular. I wanna know if he can bend his arm at ninety degrees when holding the rifle like that. Thanks!

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Just wondering, do you take picture requests, Luxor? :classic: I was wondering if you could take a side shot of Surge 2.0 holding his rifle parallel to his right arm instead of perpendicular. I wanna know if he can bend his arm at ninety degrees when holding the rifle like that. Thanks!

I can take more pictures on request, of course. The only problem is I'm not sure I understand what you mean :blush: : do you want a lateral shot of Surge holding the rifle with both hands, parallel to the right arm with the left one bent at 90° over the torso?

If that's the question, no, it is not possible. The elbow cannot bend more than a few degrees in that sense :sadnew:

The other possible interpretation I see is you ask if, when holding the rifle in one hand, he can bend the elbow on the sagittal plane. Again, the answer is no: the weapon is too long to allow that movement, unless you turn it slightly outwards. If you want, I can provide pictures of this.

If it is not what you want, please explain it better, and I'll see what can be done :classic:

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I can take more pictures on request, of course. The only problem is I'm not sure I understand what you mean :blush: : do you want a lateral shot of Surge holding the rifle with both hands, parallel to the right arm with the left one bent at 90° over the torso?

If that's the question, no, it is not possible. The elbow cannot bend more than a few degrees in that sense :sadnew:

The other possible interpretation I see is you ask if, when holding the rifle in one hand, he can bend the elbow on the sagittal plane. Again, the answer is no: the weapon is too long to allow that movement, unless you turn it slightly outwards. If you want, I can provide pictures of this.

If it is not what you want, please explain it better, and I'll see what can be done :classic:

Heh. I'll be clearer. As they say, a picture speaks a thousand words. :laugh:

sirenMoritaSniper.jpg

I want to know if the elbow can bend ninety degrees when the rifle is held like that. Just the right arm. Thanks again!

Edited by Lockon Stratos

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Here we go:

2141_035.jpg

As I said before, you can get this pose only if you rotate the hand slightly inwards, so that the stock of the rifle points outwards. If you keep it in line with the arm, then it gets in the way and the elbow bends way less.

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Here we go:

*snip*

As I said before, you can get this pose only if you rotate the hand slightly inwards, so that the stock of the rifle points outwards. If you keep it in line with the arm, then it gets in the way and the elbow bends way less.

I see. Thanks for the pic, Luxor! :thumbup:

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Definitely a set I'd like to buy. But I'm curious, are these the summer sets for 2011? Or the early 2011/winter sets?

Early/winter. A Dutch catalog that was leaked early on gave a March release date, and I'm not sure what time of year other countries have for a release date, but they're all definitely pre-summer releases (unless LEGO does something like they did for 2010 Power Miners and delay some of the sets for half a year in the United States).

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Early/winter. A Dutch catalog that was leaked early on gave a March release date

You know, I feel like the girl from Willie Wonka. The one who falls down the egg chute.

"But Daddy I want it NOW"

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