Hero Factory 2013

[Kalhiki]

I personally don't mind Breez's lower legs. I had the size 3 armor piece on one of my Recon Team Heroes' lower legs, and it really doesn't look too bad. At least all the pin holes are covered.

I seem to be one of few people who doesn't mind some of the armor choices.

Personally, I'm more annoyed with the look of the size 5 shell on Bulks right shoulder with the square-ish armor piece on that. Don't know why, it just looks weird.

Referring to a few posts above, I too thought that the brain slugs were the main villains. Maybe not the actual sets being battle suits, but rather they're beings mutated from prolonged exposure to the slugs (if they have powers like that).

Kalhiki

[Aanchir]

I personally don't mind Breez's lower legs. I had the size 3 armor piece on one of my Recon Team Heroes' lower legs, and it really doesn't look too bad. At least all the pin holes are covered.

I seem to be one of few people who doesn't mind some of the armor choices.

Personally, I'm more annoyed with the look of the size 5 shell on Bulks right shoulder with the square-ish armor piece on that. Don't know why, it just looks weird.

Referring to a few posts above, I too thought that the brain slugs were the main villains. Maybe not the actual sets being battle suits, but rather they're beings mutated from prolonged exposure to the slugs (if they have powers like that).

Kalhiki

Yeah, that's sort of what I'm expecting too. I think the "brain slugs" are probably parasites of some kind and the Heroes' visors may be to protect against infection.

[Shakar]

Yes! Female Villain! Please LEGO, MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Also, I think the cape really suits Furno. He's always had somewhat of a regal vibe to me and the cap just enhances it.

As for the villain figs being battle suits, you and I are on the same page Shakar.

I don't know, white might have given him a more regal look. I'm not complaining though- it's the first figure cape since 2007 (Karzahni)! And black is more useful anyway (and cooler!).

Indeed, the slugs might be parasites like some of you mentioned. The reason I thought about battle suits is because the Villains heads look like they actually are hollow without the slugs inserted in...as if they were giant evil Toa Metru brains.

You mean, like a Hivemind?

I am so going to love LEGO if they do a Hivemind set.

Hmm, I wasn't thinking about a proper hive mind, more like a typical sci-fi society of insect villains ruled by a queen character, kinda like the Visorak. A hive mind would be really cool, but I'm not sure if Lego would do that- it's a pretty complex concept for kids.

A few more thoughts:

1)Looking at the pictures again (the bags show the sets from slightly different angles), it seems all 3 small Heroes use the narrow shoulders torso. Which means that, yes, they finally got Breez's body build right! Rocka keeps his somewhat lanky look he had since his debut (he's probably among the most consistent ones about that, along Furno)...and Bulk returns to being skinny, unfortunately. Considering how rare the narrow torso is compared to the wide one, this is still a good thing, especially since we're dealing with the least expensive sets.

2)Bulk does need some bulk, especially on his legs.

3)Glorious 4 part paragraph dedicated to Breez.

a) The brown and the earth green need to disappear.

b)Her weapon kinda sucks, although I guess it's slightly better than Bulk's.

c)What's with that random titanium metallic shoulder pad? I realize they didn't want to recolour it just for one set, but I'm sure they could've come up with something better.

d)She totally needs the 1.0 feet back.

4)Rocka seems to have switched from tr. bright green to tr. neon green. I'm not sure if I'm going to like that, especially with all that silver. His colour scheme suddenly became a lot lighter..

5)I just can't figure out how Bruizer's torso is built. The right part might be wider than the left, otherwise I can't explain how the tr. orange shell (connecting the rock armour piece to the top of the shoulder) and the Stringer 3.0 paw manage to coexist. There has to be some weird building technique involved. Although I prefer Pyrox, Bruizer's build seems to be most fascinating one in the evil quartet.

6)This topic needs to be renamed.

Edited October 13, 2012 by Shakar

[Jetrax99]

I don't know, white might have given him a more regal look. I'm not complaining though- it's the first figure cape since 2007 (Karzahni)! And black is more useful anyway (and cooler!).

Indeed, the slugs might be parasites like some of you mentioned. The reason I thought about battle suits is because the Villains heads look like they actually are hollow without the slugs inserted in...as if they were giant evil Toa Metru brains.Hmm, I wasn't thinking about a proper hive mind, more like a typical sci-fi society of insect villains ruled by a queen character, kinda like the Visorak. A hive mind would be really cool, but I'm not sure if Lego would do that- it's a pretty complex concept for kids.

A few more thoughts:

1)Looking at the pictures again (the bags show the sets from slightly different angles), it seems all 3 small Heroes use the narrow shoulders torso. Which means that, yes, they finally got Breez's body build right! Rocka keeps his somewhat lanky look he had since his debut (he's probably among the most consistent ones about that, along Furno)...and Bulk returns to being skinny, unfortunately. Considering how rare the narrow torso is compared to the wide one, this is still a good thing, especially since we're dealing with the least expensive sets.

2)Bulk does need some bulk, especially on his legs.

3)Glorious 4 part paragraph dedicated to Breez.

a) The brown and the earth green need to disappear.

b)Her weapon kinda sucks, although I guess it's slightly better than Bulk's.

c)What's with that random titanium metallic shoulder pad? I realize they didn't want to recolour it just for one set, but I'm sure they could've come up with something better.

d)She totally needs the 1.0 feet back.

4)Rocka seems to have switched from tr. bright green to tr. neon green. I'm not sure if I'm going to like that, especially with all that silver. His colour scheme suddenly became a lot lighter..

5)I just can't figure out how Bruizer's torso is built. The right part might is wider than the left, otherwise I can't explain how the tr. orange shell (connecting the rock armour piece to the top of the shoulder) and the Stringer 3.0 paw manage to coexist. There has to be some weird building technique involved. Although I prefer Pyrox, Bruizer's build seems to be most fascinating one in the evil quartet.

6)This topic needs to be renamed.

1. Bulk is named as such due to the strength his piston system generates, not because of his size. This is realized in Savage Planet when Furno say, "I know, you're the smartest of all of us, but I need thos big pistons you were designed with." His body size is irrelevant.

2. Equally as stumped as you on Bruizer's torso.

3. Rename it the Official 2013 Discussion already.

[Shakar]

About Bulk- I didn't know that. Still, the 1.0 version actually did have a pretty bulky torso, so they probably should follow on that. Breakout Bulk certainly did.

[Aethersprite]

Actually, Breakout Bulk didn't have a bulky torso. It was those shoulder pieces that, somehow, make his silhouette much more imposing.

With the exception of Furno, the Heroes are really lacking this time compared to their Breakout counterparts. That said, Rocka's simplicity is nice and Breez is interesting, but Bulk seems just plain lazy to me. I also can't stand Bulk's helmet - he looks like he has teeth!

[DraikNova]

Personally, I'm more annoyed with the look of the size 5 shell on Bulks right shoulder with the square-ish armor piece on that. Don't know why, it just looks weird.

Kalhiki

I agree. However, in some way, he does kinda fit with the image I have of him: lanky, but with more powerful "muscles" (pistons). Also, I quite like it when sets have similar builds, as it allows for more interchangeability of parts, without the result having a completely different style.

[Aethersprite]

Is the red on Pyrox regular red or could it be Metru red? It looks darker to me, especially if you compare it to the colour of the red spikes on his claw-arm.

[Shakar]

Actually, Breakout Bulk didn't have a bulky torso. It was those shoulder pieces that, somehow, make his silhouette much more imposing.

With the exception of Furno, the Heroes are really lacking this time compared to their Breakout counterparts. That said, Rocka's simplicity is nice and Breez is interesting, but Bulk seems just plain lazy to me. I also can't stand Bulk's helmet - he looks like he has teeth!

I know the torso is the same, I was talking about the rest of the figure giving off a strong appearance- the big shoulders, the 5M shell on the right lower arm (like a "heavy hitter" character), the big boots. I should have worded that better.

I noticed Furno's lower arms are dark bley...and they seem to be Stormer 2.0 lower leg bones. Another cool recolour, I guess. Man, 2013 seems filled of them.

As for Pyrox, I think it's dark red. Compare his armour to that fire blade weapon he's wielding.

Edited October 14, 2012 by Shakar

[DraikNova]

It's definitely dark red. Breakout is new parts, Brain Slug Attack is recolors.

[Gatanui]

4)Rocka seems to have switched from tr. bright green to tr. neon green. I'm not sure if I'm going to like that, especially with all that silver. His colour scheme suddenly became a lot lighter..

I wouldn't be too sure about that, actually. The colours are hard to make out on these pics. It could still be trans bright green. It's hard to see on Breez as well.

-Gata

Edited October 14, 2012 by Gatanui

[Aethersprite]

Nice to see we're getting so many new recolours, looking forward to the dark red. A pity about Pyrox's lower legs, I have no idea why they used the bones for the thighs/upper arms as lower legs. Really hinders the articulation of the feet. But it's an easy fix.

Anyway, still on the fence on Ogrum. On one hand he has a crazy array of new recolours, and I like his overall design, but his face is way too organic looking for my taste. It really puts me off on the set.

I know the torso is the same, I was talking about the rest of the figure giving off a strong appearance- the big shoulders, the 5M shell on the right lower arm (like a "heavy hitter" character), the big boots. I should have worded that better.

Yup, strong is the word - Breakout Bulk is really the definitive version of the character.

Edited October 14, 2012 by Lockon Stratos

[Shakar]

It's definitely dark red. Breakout is new parts, Brain Slug Attack is recolors.

Indeed! Breakout had a decent array of recolours, but that pales compared to the upcoming wave. That said, we still are getting some nice parts, like the handle piece Furno, Bulk and Pyrox use, Furno's cape, the visors, Rocka's sword..

I wouldn't be too sure about that, actually. The colours are hard to make out on these pics. It could still be trans bright green. It's hard to see on Breez as well.

-Gata

I was mostly thinking that due to how dark Breez's tr. green looks compared to Rocka's, Scarox's and Ogrum's. We might still be in for a suprise, however.

Anyway, still on the fence on Ogrum. On one hand he has a crazy array of new recolours, and I like his overall design, but his face is way too organic looking for my taste. It really puts me off on the set.

Yup, strong is the word - Breakout Bulk is really the definitive version of the character.

I started liking Ogrum once I made the connection to Japanese Oni- he even uses a mace-like weapon, which is similar to the spiked clubs Oni often wield. I still don't the random foliage and the brown- sorry, I just don't like brown on action figures.

Agreed on Bulk- that's one of the things that made the Breakout Heroes so great: for the most part, their designs matched the characters' personalities and themes very well.

[DraikNova]

Also, the shield used in Rocka and Bulk has it's first HF release. I might use the brown from this wave to make a dog-like character, which I have been wanting to do since I first saw Savage Planet Bulk's helmet.

Edited October 14, 2012 by DraikNova

[Aanchir]

4)Rocka seems to have switched from tr. bright green to tr. neon green. I'm not sure if I'm going to like that, especially with all that silver. His colour scheme suddenly became a lot lighter..

Ehhh... still looks like Tr. Bright Green to me. But it's hard to differentiate the transparent green colors in most of these images.

5)I just can't figure out how Bruizer's torso is built. The right part might be wider than the left, otherwise I can't explain how the tr. orange shell (connecting the rock armour piece to the top of the shoulder) and the Stringer 3.0 paw manage to coexist. There has to be some weird building technique involved. Although I prefer Pyrox, Bruizer's build seems to be most fascinating one in the evil quartet.

It's tough for me to tell as well. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say his right arm is probably attached to his back somehow rather than directly to the shoulder joint on his torso beam. It wouldn't be unprecedented-- Nitroblast and Drilldozer both attached parts to the back in that fashion, although those were used to add support to the arms already connected to the shoulder joints rather than as the arms' primary means of connection to the body.

Is the red on Pyrox regular red or could it be Metru red? It looks darker to me, especially if you compare it to the colour of the red spikes on his claw-arm.

I had originally thought Bright Red, because we've seen that Bright Red 2.0 torso shells exist even though they have never appeared in sets. They are present on the designers' part shelves I shared a picture of earlier in this topic, and since other parts like the Earth Green 2.0 torso shell are used in next year's sets, I wouldn't be at all surprised if other 2013 parts were present in that image.

However, on a second look I'm thinking the torso might indeed be Dark Red. There seems to be a major contrast between the torso armor, shoulder armor, and mask and the spikes on his hand, the Technic connector on his tool, and the flame elements on his tool, all of which are almost certainly Bright Red.

Edited October 14, 2012 by Aanchir

[DraikNova]

Whatever the specific name, it's probably just the apple-ish trans green he used before. Also, you've got a good point Aanchir, but seeing how it lines up with the rest of the torso, I think it's probably not connected via the back.

Edited October 14, 2012 by DraikNova

[~Reality~]

Whatever the specific name, it's probably just the apple-ish trans green he used before. Also, you've got a good point Aanchir, but seeing how it lines up with the rest of the torso, I think it's probably not connected via the back.

I don't know, the only way I can see it being possible is either through a new piece or having the arm attached at the back. I managed to get a similar effect in LDD by using a narrow torso and attaching the arm with an extra joint to a Glatorian neck at the back. Might not be how it's done, but it looks pretty similar as far as I can tell. The only real issue it leaves is that the shoulder is left floppy and free to move around.

[Aethersprite]

Bruizer looks like his right arm might connect in a way similar to Furno's. Could it be possible that there's an additional bone piece connected to the ball joint for the arm on the torso, to give the armour piece an attachment point?

Indeed! Breakout had a decent array of recolours, but that pales compared to the upcoming wave. That said, we still are getting some nice parts, like the handle piece Furno, Bulk and Pyrox use, Furno's cape, the visors, Rocka's sword..

I was mostly thinking that due to how dark Breez's tr. green looks compared to Rocka's, Scarox's and Ogrum's. We might still be in for a suprise, however.

I started liking Ogrum once I made the connection to Japanese Oni- he even uses a mace-like weapon, which is similar to the spiked clubs Oni often wield. I still don't the random foliage and the brown- sorry, I just don't like brown on action figures.

Agreed on Bulk- that's one of the things that made the Breakout Heroes so great: for the most part, their designs matched the characters' personalities and themes very well.

On Ogrum, his helmet reminds me too much of the Gamorrean guard from Star Wars. It looks like a fat boar! His brown does match the dark green nicely, though. But I agree that all those Piraka minifig backbones are a little odd.

Also, Furno seems to be the only Hero whose new design aligns better with his fiery theme than his Breakout self!

[Cirkit]

Yeah, that's sort of what I'm expecting too. I think the "brain slugs" are probably parasites of some kind and the Heroes' visors may be to protect against infection.

That sounds like a logical conclusion. I could imagine bad villains becoming worse once infected with the hyper-intelligent slugs(I'm assuming their intelligent- It could go either way)...!

Bulk does need some bulk, especially on his legs.

Agreed. While it's the only one element of the character that's mentioned to be more powerful(pistons), because of the 1.0 look I've always preferred Bulk, well.. Bulky. I'm not a fan of skinny, pre-workout Bulk.

3)Glorious 4 part paragraph dedicated to Breez.

a) The brown and the earth green need to disappear.

b)Her weapon kinda sucks, although I guess it's slightly better than Bulk's.

c)What's with that random titanium metallic shoulder pad? I realize they didn't want to recolour it just for one set, but I'm sure they could've come up with something better.

d)She totally needs the 1.0 feet back.

Yes, yes(no arrow? That's a bummer), replace the titanium metallic with silver like on Bulk; and I agree to the last. Marvelous.

5)I just can't figure out how Bruizer's torso is built. The right part might be wider than the left, otherwise I can't explain how the tr. orange shell (connecting the rock armour piece to the top of the shoulder) and the Stringer 3.0 paw manage to coexist. There has to be some weird building technique involved. Although I prefer Pyrox, Bruizer's build seems to be most fascinating one in the evil quartet.

Bruizer's an interesting looking chap. Rocky, spiky, and way asymmetrical, this guy had me at first sight.

I agree to your right club-arm connection theory, it is plausible, and would make him more worth his cost(I assume $14-ish where I live, that's how much Voltix was).. not that all those delishous 'Metru-Grey' parts don't already.

I still say his face looks reminiscent of Megatron's from the Michael Bay "Transformers" movies.. look in DoTM and you'll see what I'm getting at.

However, on a second look I'm thinking the torso might indeed be Dark Red. There seems to be a major contrast between the torso armor, shoulder armor, and mask and the spikes on his hand, the Technic connector on his tool, and the flame elements on his tool, all of which are almost certainly Bright Red.

Marvelous. We could use some more Dark Red, and that torso will come in handy for completing an OC of mine.

His face is outragishly devilish and I lurve it :3

[ralkon]

I have a small complaint about the posing of Scarox and Pyrox. Their posing makes them look like they have tiny midget legs. It took close examination to realize that they had normal legs, and I wouldn't want to buy a villain with tiny legs.

[Kalhiki]

I have a small complaint about the posing of Scarox and Pyrox. Their posing makes them look like they have tiny midget legs. It took close examination to realize that they had normal legs, and I wouldn't want to buy a villain with tiny legs.

You and I had the same idea. I get that they're action shots, but the legs were posed horribly.

Kalhiki

[Dorek]

I just realized that Pyrox actually has a lower jaw, instead of being a Waspix ripoff.

I like him much better now.

[Aanchir]

I just realized that Pyrox actually has a lower jaw, instead of being a Waspix ripoff.

I like him much better now.

Wait, don't you mean Scarox? I have no clue how you could even draw a connection between Pyrox and Waspix.

And yes, Scarox has a lower jaw, but it's not like it's hinged or anything, so I don't see what makes that so special. And anyway, it's not the things that he has in common with Waspix (or for that matter, XT4) that make me dislike him. It's the fact that he fails at everything Waspix and XT4 succeeded at. His shrimpy-looking arms are not remotely fearsome, his colors and motifs are patchy-looking in their distribution rather than evenly organized, his legs scream "boring humanoid" on a set that calls for anything but, and his body seems to involve some mess of a Technic construction rather than something simple and cohesive. Overall I think he's the worst villain set of the wave by far.

[Dorek]

If you picture Pyrox without the light red part of his jaw, it looks way more like Waspix than Scarox does. I don't get the connection between those two; can't see it at all.

But yeah, he's still not good. Silly weapon, inconsistent color scheme, etc. I'm just saying that he went up in coolness point because the face/mask is actually really awesome. I'd love to use it on something else. Scarox isn't great either, but gets points for being gold.

Edited October 16, 2012 by Dorek

[Aanchir]

If you picture Pyrox without the light red part of his jaw, it looks way more like Waspix than Scarox does. I don't get the connection between those two; can't see it at all.

But yeah, he's still not good. Silly weapon, inconsistent color scheme, etc. I'm just saying that he went up in coolness point because the face/mask is actually really awesome. I'd love to use it on something else. Scarox isn't great either, but gets points for being gold.

Scarox and Waspix both are bug-like villains with four arms, which is still more of a resemblance than I can see anywhere on Pyrox-- unless you're talking about the helmets only (and looking at the pic of the bag rather than at the out-of-package pic where the difference in the helmet is obvious), in which case I can maybe see where you got confused? It seems like overkill to call one set a rip-off of another based on the helmet alone, though, when the rest of the sets have almost no resemblance to one another.

Anyway, even looking at the packaging pic and ignoring the lower jaw, Pyrox looks much more like Malum than Waspix IMO. Same color scheme, eye shape, and twin horn motif. Personally, I love Pyrox's weapon. It's not huge, but it's unique-looking and the design feels very energetic. His color scheme doesn't seem too inconsistent to me either, but then, I felt the same way about Voltix.

Edited October 16, 2012 by Aanchir