25 replies to this topic

[Sinner]

Set Index: Black Phantom

Quote

Take control of the Hero Factory with BLACK PHANTOM!

Red alert! BLACK PHANTOM has been spotted inside the Hero Factory! He must be stopped at all costs, but be warned. He’s armed with a arachnix drone, saber strikers, staff with razor saber and mace. Watch out! He knows just how to use them. We know you won’t fail us!

• Features arachnix drone with ball shooter, saber strikers, staff with razor saber and mace
  
• Highly flexible and poseable elements
  
• Includes unique code worth 500 game points for LEGO® Hero Factory BREAKOUT game
  
• Battle with hero 6202 ROCKA!
  
• Combine with 6202 ROCKA for an even bigger model!
  
• Stands over 11” (30cm) tall!

"The Phaaaaaaaantom of the Factory is here.... inside a box". It's a nice shot too. I especially like how the opposite figure is shown in the background. This seems to be common throughout this line.



Ahhh.... heaven. It's a photo! Please TLG, do this more.

EDIT: I've been convinced otherwise!



Post deboxing goodies.



The part that I always dread, the traditional arrangement. Good blend of parts though.



Here's one TLG prepared earlier.



A chest like this is perfect for a Super Hero, so no surprise that it's perfect for a super villain too!



It's connected via the standard fashion... and unlike some of the other new Hero Factory parts, this looks un-interesting in reverse.



Same design as the one in Thornraxx. I really like the head detail of this mask...



...so it doesn't concern me that it looks bad inside. The clips are used for the eyes in this set.



I like this part. Nothing like a subtle mace to teach a hero who's boss. One of these parts is used as a power explosion in the Green Lantern set.



The new joint piece. There's some softer clear plastic inside that grips better than the standard joint. It's exposed on the inside and also on the outer ball joint sides.



One of my first thoughts was "I wonder how it looks joined to another". This was a mistake. Separating them afterward is annoying.... Seriously, don't do it!



Sword thingy. It looks almost like it's glow-in-the-dark. but it's not. This is similar to the head colour; personally I think it would have been better if the colour matched the shoulder pieces more.



These clips are used as legs/wrist straps, but they'll be really useful. I hope these are seem more across the themes.



Very nice head. With the head behind he looks like he has a evil smile.



Those side attachments will be very useful!



Yeah, we're back to axle connections. I do prefer how this one is a female rather than male.



These parts are used as shoulders for many of the new line. This one I'd consider using backwards...



I do like these colored hoses... which is good because they seem to be more and more common! It's much the same colour as the transparent shoulder weapon parts.



Time to begin! The legs are built very similar to Rocka XL but I do prefer the usage of the t-shaped part to stabilise the legs, rather than the 3 long one of Rocka. While it's a bigger part it blends better and in effect is less obvious. (The colour matching helps too.) Where he does differ is that he doesn't have the cumbersome double joint system that's been the norm for a while. Instead the new joint part caps the limb part. So how does it go? Well using the highly scientific grab-the-arm-and-move-it-and-make-a-guess method I think that the new joint is stiffer than two, while obviously being more compact. (It's probably cheaper to make the new part too rather than the supporting parts needed.)



I realise that people complain when black is hard to view in instructions, but I find the heavy white border a bit much. Surely there can be a happy medium!  



...and so we're done! I think he's a imposing demonic looking fellow so I like him!



From the rear he looks OK... not good, but OK. I do wonder if next time TLG will re-design the standard legs. To be honest as amusing as it was at first that "bum" effect is getting a bit tiresome.



This is an "arachnix drone". I don't think much of it as a weapon, but as a drone it's OK. I think it needs a tail, but I suppose then it couldn't have been used as a weapon. Perhaps they should have included some of the chain and had him leashed!



But wait! While I've been ranting Rocka has turned up looking for justice.... but he's not looking down.



Defeated at the hand of the Black fantôme... Where's Preston when we need him?



The evil trio... where it seems the Witch Doctor is in a playful mood.


Ratings

Posability:
Very good, the shoulder changes make a huge difference. 10/10

Parts:
There's lot's I like here; the new joints, the spiky ball, loads of dark red, the new chest piece... 9/10

Looks:
He looks demonic. Full points from me! 10/10

Fudge:
I like him... a lot actually. But I do wish TLG would mix up the legs a bit; he's too similar to other Hero Factory sets, such as Rocka XL. Hopefully next time. 8/10

Overall:
This is a big improvement over previous titans like Fire Lord and Rocka XL. The slimming of the torso and shoulders is a winner to me, and aesthetics aside it allows TLG to make sets a bit cheaper. 9/10






Bonus image by Front!

This review is part of a series. If you feel some aspect wasn't covered be sure to check my review for Evo, Toxic Reapa and Rocka before asking about it! I might improve some of these photos if time permits... but if you have anything in mind please feel free to ask.

[Lockon Stratos]

Siegfried, on 18 December 2011 - 01:25 PM, said:

Yeah, we're back to axle connections. I do prefer how this one is a female rather than male.

Now, now, Siegfried... Where's the PG13 rating warning at the start of this review?  

Anyway, thanks for the great review! IMO Black Phantom is the best HF titan Lego has put out so far, looking forward to getting him.

[Sinner]

Lockon Stratos, on 18 December 2011 - 01:45 PM, said:

Now, now, Siegfried... Where's the PG13 rating warning at the start of this review?  

None needed; EB is an AFOL site. Besides, it's a generic engineering term, don't blame me for your smutty thoughts.  

[K-Nut]

This is such an improvement over the past few titans! At first I thought it was just Fire Lord recolored, but this guy actually has some meat to him! Great work!

[GeluNumber1]

Thanks for the reveiw! I'll be getting this guy for Christmas, and I can't wait. I personally like the new green glatorian head.

[VBBN]

^Welcome to Eurobricks, be sure and introduce yourself in the introductions forum!

Thanks for the review,
I must say, He did look quite horrid originally, but now he looks like a very nice set. Surprisingly good, actually.
The headpiece is very cool, I like all of the attachment points it has. Though, the fact that an axle has to be put through is a little strange, as the red #2 axle coming out of the top of his head looks really ugly. I'm sure using a black one wouldn't be AS bad, but its still an eyesore at times. I mean, I know that will help with mocing that helmet as an armor piece, but there really not that much that can be placed ON the head, so unless this is later used an an armor piece, I find it a little pointless.

I also don't like how his glatorian head is the new green, whilst the shoulder-dagger-energy-pokey-prody things are the neon yellow. I would rather them have been both the same, either both the new green or both neon yellow.

Finally I dont like his...whatever kind of staff that is supposed to be. I get why it was built like that, but I'm more of a fan of weapons that are one piece and held in by the hand, not two different parts stuck onto either side of the hand. I like to be able to change its position in his hand, depending on the pose he is in.

With that said, He is most certainly now on my to-buy list, whereas he was not before.

[ZORK64]

Thanks for the review, Siegfried!

I was already curious about BP's look, and now I'm quite sure I'll get him, since he's definitely an improvement over the past titans (he also comes in colours I prefer more and I'm optimistic he'll be less pricey than Rocka XL or Witch Doctor).

Let us cross fingers that the sets will arrive soon here in Germany. -.-

[VBBN]

ZORK64, on 18 December 2011 - 07:16 PM, said:

I was already curious about BP's look, and now I'm quite sure I'll get him, since he's definitely an improvement over the past titans (he also comes in colours I prefer more and I'm optimistic he'll be less pricey than Rocka XL or Witch Doctor).

He's $20 USD on S@H, 25 if you get him from TRU, So he is cheaper than Rocka XL and Witch Doctor

[Vinyl Scratch]

Okay, now I will absolutely get Black Phantom as my first Breakout set.

Thanks for the Review!

[Nightcruise]

Much better than the old leaked pictures. Set looks really color and I love the color choices, but I'll get it for parts. Just one question about the sword part, is the green hard or soft plastic?

[Zarkan]

Well, Hero Factory finally gets a decent humanoid titan that uses the new building system. It only took them four tries... nopefully the fifth will not just be good but amazing, Maxilos/Takanuva/Brutaka style. Thanks for the review, Siegfried.  

Edited by Zarkan, 19 December 2011 - 02:49 AM.

[SpiderSpaceman]

Siegfried, on 18 December 2011 - 01:51 PM, said:

None needed; EB is an AFOL site. Besides, it's a generic engineering term, don't blame me for your smutty thoughts.  

I was helping a lady at my hardware store years back and she jumps when I say "female part" and mutters something like "well, I don't know anything about that..."

Christ, old woman. I'm not coming on to you, I'm trying to explain how your wires go together  


but anyway.. Thanks for the review! I love this one, but I'm budgeting to get all superheroes sets and all lotr sets and my collectible minifigures - and I've already bought half the HF and half the ninjago and a good haul of city - this is 2012 sets I've bought before 2012 so...
cutting a run on sentence short, I gotta get fiscally somewhat more responsible here and I think this one might not fit in.

Love the mask(s), love dark red, and love the staff (a lot. but I don't like the unfixedness and total dependence on friction pins). good stuff.

[wghost]

Thanks for the review!

Dunno, it doesn't work for me at all. The complete design is messy and somewhat lacking: I don't get the arm-thingies on the back and the 'antlers', the spider drone is farfetched and the torso is not really buff enough compared to the legs. The mace is okay but the dual function looks silly. Given these the aesthetics seem incoherent. Nice color scheme and streamlined torso, though. All in all, it nowhere gets near to Witch Doctor and the like in my opinion. (I'm aware of the difference part- and price-wise, but still.)

Edited by wghost, 19 December 2011 - 09:22 AM.

[Sinner]

Nightcruise, on 19 December 2011 - 01:39 AM, said:

Just one question about the sword part, is the green hard or soft plastic?

Hard.

SpiderSpaceman, on 19 December 2011 - 07:40 AM, said:

I was helping a lady at my hardware store years back and she jumps when I say "female part" and mutters something like "well, I don't know anything about that..."

Christ, old woman. I'm not coming on to you, I'm trying to explain how your wires go together  

  She's in the wrong workplace.

wghost, on 19 December 2011 - 09:17 AM, said:

All in all, it nowhere gets near to Witch Doctor and the like in my opinion.

I'm surprised. Personally I think the Witch Doctor is a weak set.

[Aanchir]

Siegfried, on 18 December 2011 - 01:25 PM, said:

Ahhh.... heaven. It's a photo! Please TLG, do this more.

Pretty sure that's still just a render. Check it out in high-resolution here. Personally, I like the use of renders for Hero Factory sets, primarily because nowadays they've gotten to the point that a render and a photo are almost indistinguishable, and yet renders tend to produce a crisper, more photogenic likeness of the set, especially at high resolutions. As long as the render isn't misleading (incorrectly built, posed in a way that is not possible in the actual set, or just plain inauthentic looking like many Aqua Raiders box images), then I have no problem with this trend.

Quote

I realise that people complain when black is hard to view in instructions, but I find the heavy white border a bit much. Surely there can be a happy medium!  

It really surprised me when TLG went back to this style, since it's a style they haven't used in instruction booklets since perhaps the 80s if not earlier. Granted, it's now been modernized so that the shading other than the black contour lines is more authentic. It does solve that problem of colors being hard to tell apart, but at the same time, I kind of dislike it because the instruction images no longer resemble the actual model as strongly.

Quote

From the rear he looks OK... not good, but OK. I do wonder if next time TLG will re-design the standard legs. To be honest as amusing as it was at first that "bum" effect is getting a bit tiresome.

I kind of agree. This guy looks weaker from behind than Fire Lord in some ways because his torso design doesn't feel quite as cohesive to me (though of course the complex design used for Fire Lord was only really necessary because of the extremely awkward and ugly shoulder supports). I wish Hero Factory could come up with a way to make the leg supports more like those in Takanuva, which both filled in the hip area (which really needs it in the HF titan builds) and was less obtrusive from the back and sides than the style Fire Lord, Rocka XL, and Black Phantom used.

And with that said, Fire Lord's leg suspension was better than Black Phantom's IMO because it narrowed towards the spine rather than sticking out from the waist quite as much as Black Phantom's.

Quote

This is an "arachnix drone". I don't think much of it as a weapon, but as a drone it's OK. I think it needs a tail, but I suppose then it couldn't have been used as a weapon. Perhaps they should have included some of the chain and had him leashed!

I like the color of that sphere; I was expecting it to be much closer to Transparent Bright Green than to the Transparent Fluorescent Green used on his back weapons. Either color would have worked for this set, but for other sets like 6217 Surge, I much would prefer this more yellowish-green color. Of course, it's possible that like the classic Zamor spheres, this is an arbitrarily-blended color that we can't count on to be consistent between sets.

Anyway, great review! I'm not sure if this set will be near the top of my list of sets to get, as he's very similar to the Fire Lord set I already have. But with that said, he's also much better than Fire Lord in almost all ways, so he's still on the list in the very least.

[Front]

Great review. I think this is the pinnacle of the build style that we have seen now in Firelord, Rocka XL and Black Phantom. Style wise I find that each set has exceeded the previous one. With the new high friction elements as shoulders, the poses the arms can be put in are greatly enhanced.

Allow me to add this picture to the review:

[Ceroknight]

Thank you for the review!
I probably won't be getting it, but it is nice to see that it's better then I'd thought it'd be.

[ZORK64]

VBBN, on 18 December 2011 - 08:08 PM, said:

He's $20 USD on S@H, 25 if you get him from TRU, So he is cheaper than Rocka XL and Witch Doctor

In other words, he'll be around the same price as Scorpio... which is very, very good.

Odds are high that I'll get him, Thornraxx, Breez and Surge. But I'm still waiting for the day when the new rounded shoulder armour pieces are released in white. Please TLG, please!

EDIT: Saw him today, he costs the same as Scorpio. I'll pick him up after christmas.

Edited by ZORK64, 21 December 2011 - 08:35 PM.

[Smithy_Boy]

Can we see him next to Firelord?

[Sinner]

Aanchir, on 19 December 2011 - 05:25 PM, said:

Pretty sure that's still just a render.

Yeah, I think you're right. For one, the eyes have been slightly enhanced

Aanchir, on 19 December 2011 - 05:25 PM, said:

As long as the render isn't misleading (incorrectly built, posed in a way that is not possible in the actual set, or just plain inauthentic looking like many Aqua Raiders box images), then I have no problem with this trend.

That's my exact point. There should be at least one image of the set as any twit can set it up to look like. People should be able to see what they are actually buying. Thus a render post naturally is OK, but a photo would be better.

Aanchir, on 19 December 2011 - 05:25 PM, said:

It does solve that problem of colors being hard to tell apart, but at the same time, I kind of dislike it because the instruction images no longer resemble the actual model as strongly.

I agree.

Aanchir, on 19 December 2011 - 05:25 PM, said:

I wish Hero Factory could come up with a way to make the leg supports more like those in Takanuva, which both filled in the hip area (which really needs it in the HF titan builds) and was less obtrusive from the back and sides than the style Fire Lord, Rocka XL, and Black Phantom used.

Takanuva is pretty cool; I really need to buy or make him.

Aanchir, on 19 December 2011 - 05:25 PM, said:

And with that said, Fire Lord's leg suspension was better than Black Phantom's IMO because it narrowed towards the spine rather than sticking out from the waist quite as much as Black Phantom's.

...so you're saying he has a big arse?  

Aanchir, on 19 December 2011 - 05:25 PM, said:

Of course, it's possible that like the classic Zamor spheres, this is an arbitrarily-blended color that we can't count on to be consistent between sets.

Too true! I should post my collection one day; I've even got the Zamor Spheres set!

Front, on 19 December 2011 - 05:32 PM, said:

Allow me to add this picture to the review:

I will!  

I'll have to take some better photos. Since these sets came late to us these were really rushed reviews and I didn't have time to set up a big area for photos.

Smithy_Boy, on 21 December 2011 - 08:03 AM, said:

Can we see him next to Firelord?

Sorry, I don't have him.

[Princess Muttonchops]

Awesome review Sieggy, Black Phantom really does look the part, with his demonic head and accessories.  The new soft plastic clip piece works a treat, making his shoulders more free to move (compared to the old, hard plastic clip).  His "pet" is pretty cool too, I've always wanted something like that myself...

[optimus99]

BP looks awesome

[wghost]

I've been wondering about this set and though I still have issues with it, it can definitely be seen as an improvement over Fire Lord (obviously) and Rocka XL as the building structure is more refined (I had no problem with the build initially either as I'm rather a layman in that field).

My main problems are still the tubed blades on the back (I suppose they were added to make the torso larger and more menacing, but it's somehow unorganized and random - am I the only who don't get them?) and the Arachnix drone; but they can be easily removed. I start to appreciate the mace as a kind of new weapon (I remember what a hit it was to have a mace/club with Stronius instead of a run-of-the-mill blade thorough the years of Bionicle) and ignoring the dual function (which would work in a smaller set, but Black Phantom is too large for the 'sword' part, so it appears rather short, I think) makes it a nice weapon to have. On the antlers/head add-ons: I would like to compare it to Voltix later when we have finalized images of the summer wave, but it's not as obtrusive as I thought earlier.

However, as it appears now the translucent lime/neon green appears strange next to dark red and there are not so many parts included in the set in translucent lime, so I'm wondering if it would work better replacing those parts to translucent red/orange (the sword/blade part is not available in that color, I know).

And a question for experts: aside from the glorious CGI, better posing and finalized new parts I don't really see too much difference between the finalized model and the preliminary leaked images (and for me that's a key issue because of the comments I've been reading stating how horrid it looked - I myself thought it seemed pretty bad as well). Especially the legs look identical which were the main problem for the majority of offenders as they seemed to be too thin and under-armored. I'm not really into building specialities as my main interest is the overall look, so it would be great to read other opinions about the shift from the prelim to the final model. Thanks in advance.

Because of the things stated above, I deleted my vote as I'm really confused about how would I rate this set. As of now, I don't think I'm buying Black Phantom, later inspections and upcoming sales might change that.

Edited by wghost, 31 December 2011 - 08:31 PM.

[Aanchir]

wghost, on 31 December 2011 - 08:24 PM, said:

I've been wondering about this set and though I still have issues with it, it can definitely be seen as an improvement over Fire Lord (obviously) and Rocka XL as the building structure is more refined (I had no problem with the build initially either as I'm rather a layman in that field).

My main problems are still the tubed blades on the back (I suppose they were added to make the torso larger and more menacing, but it's somehow unorganized and random - am I the only who don't get them?) and the Arachnix drone; but they can be easily removed. I start to appreciate the mace as a kind of new weapon (I remember what a hit it was to have a mace/club with Stronius instead of a run-of-the-mill blade thorough the years of Bionicle) and ignoring the dual function (which would work in a smaller set, but Black Phantom is too large for the 'sword' part, so it appears rather short, I think) makes it a nice weapon to have. On the antlers/head add-ons: I would like to compare it to Voltix later when we have finalized images of the summer wave, but it's not as obtrusive as I thought earlier.

However, as it appears now the translucent lime/neon green appears strange next to dark red and there are not so many parts included in the set in translucent lime, so I'm wondering if it would work better replacing those parts to translucent red/orange (the sword/blade part is not available in that color, I know).

And a question for experts: aside from the glorious CGI, better posing and finalized new parts I don't really see too much difference between the finalized model and the preliminary leaked images (and for me that's a key issue because of the comments I've been reading stating how horrid it looked - I myself thought it seemed pretty bad as well). Especially the legs look identical which were the main problem for the majority of offenders as they seemed to be too thin and under-armored. I'm not really into building specialities as my main interest is the overall look, so it would be great to read other opinions about the shift from the prelim to the final model. Thanks in advance.

Because of the things stated above, I deleted my vote as I'm really confused about how would I rate this set. As of now, I don't think I'm buying Black Phantom, later inspections and upcoming sales might change that.

You're not alone in recognizing that there isn't much difference between the final set and the preliminary images everybody hated so much. But that just goes to show how even without signficant changes between preliminary and finalized images, people can get an bad impression from the prelims just by virtue of sloppy cropping, inaccurate textures, and poor rendering or photography.

In the case of Black Phantom, if you look at some of the Technic holes on his legs in the preliminary image you can see that they were cropped badly, making them appear far gappier than the finalized set's legs. And while it might have been obvious to some people that the texture of the preliminary helmet was just because it was a rapid-prototyped part and not because it was intended to be some awful new material, other people didn't recognize this at first glance. Since part of the final set's appeal is the uniformity of its smooth, shiny, jet-black armor, this sort of thing could make or break the set in many people's eyes.

There are things that bother me about the set as well. While I appreciate the blades on his back, they are a bit unusual, and I don't like how the transparent green parts fail to match. Also, I am a bit frustrated that while he improves on Fire Lord's build in some ways, his legs and feet are almost identical, with his "butt suspension" even more obtrusive than Fire Lord's. In general, I tend to be willing to accept small faults like this, considering the set's budget and the number of improvements it does make. But that doesn't mean that I ignore them.

[wghost]

The preliminary thing was especially controversial for me because you cannot really rate a set horrid early on and later excellent without sufficient change in the design itself - or at least I would like think so. :) At first it seemed poor to me seriously and because of the appeal change I noticed among the fans (and in my view as well) lead me to believe it was because of the CGI alone as I was not counting the bad quality of leaked images as a factor. (I ignored the material of freshly moulded parts to begin with as I was aware of the reason behind them, so that was not my main problem.) So I think you're right on that matter, Aanchir, and it's nice to read I'm not the only one who noticed the things mentioned.

Edited by wghost, 31 December 2011 - 09:19 PM.