VBBN Posted July 11, 2010 (edited) Welcome one and all, to yet another review by VBBN! Earlier in the Week I reviewed Mark Surge, so be sure and check out that review if you ahven't already! http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=43917 Now then, Today I will be reviewing the second of the Rookie Team, natalie Breez. Personally, I like Breez best out of the Rookie team members. And I have the other 4 heros on the way, so look for those reviews soon! Anyways, enjoy the review! Set name: Natalie BREEZ Set Number: 7165 Price: 7.99$, 9,99 Euro Pieces: 19 Year of release: 2010 The Canister Front Pretty much the same as .Surge. It shows Breez standing in a heroic position, with the small lable saying "From the makers of BIONICLE Products" as well as Hero Factory and the set information in various other places. Side Just like the other Heros, the left side of the canister has the Hero's Name and a small image of them. This is really useful if you have them all stacked next to eachother. Back Breez is shown fighting Thunder, once of the villans. Also, many saftey warning and such.. Contents Parts Spilling them out of the canister reveals a plethora of interesting new pieces. Now I reviewed many of these new pieces in my review of Mark Surge, so please check out that review for in depth analysis of the new pieces. Old Parts We have the Glatorian hands in lime green, as well as the Glatorian head in trans-neon-orange. Leg armor and feet The new leg armor and feet, this time in Lime green. I have to say,such large pieces in the shiney lime green is very bright and fresh for this set. Torso and Core The chest armor is the exact same as Surge's as all Rookie team members have the same armor. Her hero core is trans red. Again, its strange because the head piece is Neon Orange. It was confusing at first, because the canister shows it as being Neon Orange. Mask and weapons First of all, her mask. Its my favorite of the Rookie team's masks. It really makes me think of Lewa Nuva, as it has lots of little fins and such coming out of it. Like all the other masks it has a camera and microphone molded into it. The weapons are Boomerangs,and like all of the Rookie team weapons, have a variety of configurations you can put them into, but I have pics of that later in the review. I would be careful with them though, the green part is a very soft plastic, like the red parts on Pridak's weapons, bit the three prongs that connect the green part to the silver part are VERY thin, about the thickness of two 3x5 cards. The softness helps avoid breakage, but I'd still be careful with it if I were you. Limbs This time around, we get the new limbs in black. A very useful color for MOCing, plus it compliments the torso piece. Buliding Start Unlike Surge, Natalie's color scheme is a bit more unified due to the black limbs, which really help make the torso seem less out of place. Our core makes us who we are... Finished Hoorah! Finished Set Other Weapon Configurations Besides the normal configuration, here are two others I found. Wings and a crossbow type of thing. Bonus Images New Avatar image My sigfig and his new buddies(man I really need to touchup the silver on my armor...) Where's Furno? Overall, Natalie Breez is defininatly my favorite of the Rookie team, closely followed up by Surge. Her design is very sleek and awesome, and she has the best colors of the 3 members. Colors scheme- 9.5/10 (The red hero core looks somewhat out of place with the eyes.) Parts- 9/10 (I still knock one off for her having only 19 parts, but the amount of new ones really makes up for it) Design- 10/10 (Fantastic Looking) Articulation- 8/10 (A lack of knees and elbows is still a major issue, especially since we saw so many of the limbs bent in the images of these guys. Quality- 9/10 (Not sure about those weapons thickness.) Overall: 45.5/50 Excellent As always, questions,comments, and pic requests welcome! Edited July 17, 2010 by 3D Brickthing Indexed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
prateek Posted July 11, 2010 Nice review. I like the weapons on these Heroes, except Preston Stormer's. As you said, the black torso looks much better here than any other set. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aanchir Posted July 11, 2010 As I've said elsewhere, I'm amazed with the capacity of the generic rookie torso to look either masculine or feminine. I imagine it's partly because the overall proportions are so cartoony that the expectations aren't as strict. That, and the fact that there are so many sleek, rounded parts on this torso-- I'm sure, for instance, Stormer's torso wouldn't work nearly as well. The proportions of these sets kind of remind me of Rescue Heroes, which is cool. I thought that was a nice franchise in its day, even though I was forced to merely observe the toys my little brother had (can't remember how old I was at the time, but definitely older than the targeted age of the toys). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VBBN Posted July 11, 2010 Nice review. I like the weapons on these Heroes, except Preston Stormer's. As you said, the black torso looks much better here than any other set. Well, the Black torso looks good on Bulk and Stringer as well, But out of all the Rookies it looks best. As I've said elsewhere, I'm amazed with the capacity of the generic rookie torso to look either masculine or feminine. I imagine it's partly because the overall proportions are so cartoony that the expectations aren't as strict. That, and the fact that there are so many sleek, rounded parts on this torso-- I'm sure, for instance, Stormer's torso wouldn't work nearly as well. Much agreed. I mean, when I look at the two figures, Breez just seems more feminine and Surge looks more masculine. Granted, this is helped by the fact that Breez's face is more of a happier, cheerful face and slightly thinner than the others so it has more feminine feel to it, but still. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Crazy One Posted July 11, 2010 (edited) Great review. I was going to get Stringer and Surge next, but Natilie just made me fish out an extra 10. Edited July 11, 2010 by The crazy one Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
~~Natalie Breez~~ Posted July 11, 2010 EEK, awesome. Gave me more wants for first Hero Factory set. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ProducePrincess Posted July 11, 2010 I might have to bite the bullet and buy one of these sets for those new black limbs for mecha legs . Everything else is kinda useless though because its designed solely for this purpose. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VBBN Posted July 11, 2010 I might have to bite the bullet and buy one of these sets for those new black limbs for mecha legs . Everything else is kinda useless though because its designed solely for this purpose. Just send them to me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ProducePrincess Posted July 11, 2010 Just send them to me. Belive it or not everytime i look in my bionicle drawer i think 'would this be better in VBBN's hands rather than mine?' Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VBBN Posted July 11, 2010 Belive it or not everytime i look in my bionicle drawer i think 'would this be better in VBBN's hands rather than mine?' The answer is probably "yes!" Thanks for the front paging Svelte! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aethersprite Posted July 11, 2010 Awesome review! I like how the weapons look like a bow when put together in 1 hand. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SWMAN Posted July 12, 2010 Personally I am not really a big fan of this new line of figures. It feels like Lego is venturing too far away from their core, which is building sets, and is instead trying to go into action figures. These just don't feel very Lego and they look a little too childish for my taste. Of course, I was never a Bionicle fan, so I am a little biased. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mrlegoninja Posted July 12, 2010 Nice review. I am still disgusted Hero Factory I probably will never buy any Hero Factory Why did they discontinue Bionicle? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vexorian Posted July 12, 2010 As I've said elsewhere, I'm amazed with the capacity of the generic rookie torso to look either masculine or feminine. I imagine it's partly because the overall proportions are so cartoony that the expectations aren't as strict. That, and the fact that there are so many sleek, rounded parts on this torso-- I'm sure, for instance, Stormer's torso wouldn't work nearly as well. Huh? I can't really see the feminine aspect. The set looks all right aesthetically but I didn't figure out it was "Natalie" Breez until I read the thread title and remembered that the girl this time is not the blue one but the green one... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aanchir Posted July 12, 2010 Nice review. I am still disgusted Hero Factory I probably will never buy any Hero Factory Why did they discontinue Bionicle? BIONICLE's sales were starting to slip, and they were at a point where they figured it was safe to end it. Personally, I think it's nice to start fresh for the sake of new fans who probably had trouble adapting to BIONICLE's complex story, even though I've been a fan of BIONICLE's story and sets from the beginning to the very end. Are you disgusted at the sets, or just the theme concept in general? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BTK Posted July 12, 2010 Personally I am not really a big fan of this new line of figures. It feels like Lego is venturing too far away from their core, which is building sets, and is instead trying to go into action figures. These just don't feel very Lego and they look a little too childish for my taste. Of course, I was never a Bionicle fan, so I am a little biased. Personally, Lego would barely get money from me if it wasn't for these sets. I'm a big fan of Hasbro's Transformers so they gobble up most my money. What do I spend the rest on? Bioincle and now Hero Factory. I like the action figure feels. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
user Posted July 12, 2010 I was never a big fan of bionicle but I really hate to say it but these hero factory sets are really growing on me and I might get some after all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mrlegoninja Posted July 13, 2010 BIONICLE's sales were starting to slip, and they were at a point where they figured it was safe to end it. Personally, I think it's nice to start fresh for the sake of new fans who probably had trouble adapting to BIONICLE's complex story, even though I've been a fan of BIONICLE's story and sets from the beginning to the very end. Are you disgusted at the sets, or just the theme concept in general? I am disgusted by the theme. The storyline of BIONICLE was great , but the Hero Factory one sound terrible . The names are terrible too. Otherwise, the elements are decent. If the names were a little different, it could be a cheap knock-off of BIONICLE. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aanchir Posted July 13, 2010 I am disgusted by the theme. The storyline of BIONICLE was great , but the Hero Factory one sound terrible . The names are terrible too. Otherwise, the elements are decent. If the names were a little different, it could be a cheap knock-off of BIONICLE. I personally like the story of HF. Yes, it's simple. But by being so it's a lot more accessible than BIONICLE's storyline, which I always had difficulty explaining to an uninformed audience. With HF, there's no complicated names or lengthy backstory-- all a kid really needs to know is that there are good guys and bad guys who fight each other. And yes, they're robots, just like most people would assume about BIONICLE without further knowledge-- there's no need for them to struggle to understand the concept of "biomechanical" beings. Don't get me wrong; I loved BIONICLE's story from beginning to end, and the complexity merely added to it. But BIONICLE's story was deliberately written as if for a movie franchise, not for a toy line. Hero Factory seems to have a better grasp of what it is in that respect, and I'm hoping this market strategy proves as effective as it would seem to be in theory. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mrlegoninja Posted July 13, 2010 I personally like the story of HF. Yes, it's simple. But by being so it's a lot more accessible than BIONICLE's storyline, which I always had difficulty explaining to an uninformed audience. With HF, there's no complicated names or lengthy backstory-- all a kid really needs to know is that there are good guys and bad guys who fight each other. And yes, they're robots, just like most people would assume about BIONICLE without further knowledge-- there's no need for them to struggle to understand the concept of "biomechanical" beings. Don't get me wrong; I loved BIONICLE's story from beginning to end, and the complexity merely added to it. But BIONICLE's story was deliberately written as if for a movie franchise, not for a toy line. Hero Factory seems to have a better grasp of what it is in that respect, and I'm hoping this market strategy proves as effective as it would seem to be in theory. That may be true, but for kids. BIONICLE felt like a never ending movie, and I loved it . Yes it was complex, but it kept you hanging, waiting to know what would happen next. Of course Hero Factory is aimed at kids, not adults. I thought they would not discontinue such a great line, but they did. Anyway, I think Hero Factory will sell well. It was a good decision for LEGO, but not for BIONICLE lovers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vexorian Posted July 14, 2010 (edited) I am disgusted by the theme. The storyline of BIONICLE was great , but the Hero Factory one sound terrible . The names are terrible too. Otherwise, the elements are decent. If the names were a little different, it could be a cheap knock-off of BIONICLE. I think that stories like bionicle are better off if they finish soon. The addition of sets every year really forced the addition of new characters and character representations in a way that the story really risked getting bloated (I personally think it happened about 3 years ago). The story is continuing but without the need to add characters and events just for the sake of sets, it will receive a healthier end this way. It had to end some time. PS: I am not sure how many kids really cared for the story. Edited July 14, 2010 by vexorian Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VBBN Posted July 14, 2010 I believe Greg said that Hero Factory would be like transformers in a way that the story ends and a totally different story starts up the next year, they won't be connected at all, as a way to have kids jump in on the story easily. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aanchir Posted July 14, 2010 I believe Greg said that Hero Factory would be like transformers in a way that the story ends and a totally different story starts up the next year, they won't be connected at all, as a way to have kids jump in on the story easily. But they'll still have the same universe, right? So, for instance, we'd still have the main Hero Factory building as a base, and Zib would still be mission manager. I certainly hope so. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squidman85 Posted July 14, 2010 Nice set!I like the new weapons and some new lime pieces.Good for MOCs Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VBBN Posted July 16, 2010 But they'll still have the same universe, right? So, for instance, we'd still have the main Hero Factory building as a base, and Zib would still be mission manager. I certainly hope so. I assume so, I think he said something about it being like an 80s batman comic or something, so it should be in the same universe. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites