Sign in to follow this  
VBBN

Review: 44027 Breez Flea Machine

From 1 to 5  

24 members have voted

  1. 1. How would you rate this set?

    • Outstanding
      3
    • Above average
      10
    • Average
      9
    • Below Average
      2
    • Poor
      0


Recommended Posts

14234229339_003495879b_b.jpg

Set name: Breez Flea Machine

Set number: 44027

Piece Count: 102

Year Released: 2014

Price: $14.99

Hello everyone and welcome to my review of the Flea Machine. Firstly as always I want to thank Lego and the Eurobricks staff who made it possible for me to bring these reviews to you guys.

In the winter wave of Invasion from Below, Breez was never given a mech of her own. This time around, she recieves the Flea machine. Is it a worthy mech for Breez? Read on to find out.

Bag Front

14336774441_aa78804fc7_b.jpg

The front of the bag continues to display the rather cool artwork that we have seen on previous sets this year. My sets were also signed by set designers, and I do believe they were signed by the respective designers. if that holds true, then this set was designed by 2 people.

Bag Back

14340105125_ccaedd3b2e_b.jpg

The rear of the packaging showcase the set's features. Jumpers, flick fire missiles, cocoons, and projectile weapons, and then there is the main feature of the set- The claw/flea/anchor whatever it is.

Contents

Contents

14153446619_8a0eb54e4c_b.jpg

2 bags of parts, a torso (the narrow variant) and instructions.

Interesting Parts

Random parts

14338466412_5d51bc0a30_b.jpg

The gun is not new, it was seen in earlier in the star wars sets, but since it is still technically new to 2014 and new to HF, I've included it. You can also see the blue jumper shell, and the armor add on in a lime green.

Cocoon petals

14339331444_a7c37f4d41_b.jpg

The petals come in red with this set. I will detail the functionality of these shortly.

More random bits

14340103835_7f3fc27fc3_b.jpg

At first I wasn't sure if breez was going to get her own printed piece, but in fact she does. Sadly it's only one piece and it's on a 4L shell instead of 5L, but it's there.

Build

Minifigure

14153445149_612dec7285_b.jpg

Breez's construction is just the same as previously.

Front

14336771441_bb7bf362d7_b.jpg

This time around Breez gets a projectile weapon, as well as a datapad. Notice the orange clip on the datapad- It's actually meant to be attached to the cockpit as you will see, however the back of the bag does show that she can utilize this on her arm.

Rear

14316969296_7da8311200_b.jpg

Unlike her variant in the first wave of sets, she does not have her rocket thrusters on her feet.

Jumper

14153491600_2311112312_b.jpg

The jumper is a blue and orange mix. It's quite vibrant, though i still would have preferred to have new body colors instead of the shell color in blue.

Cocoon

14340102315_5123795aa7_b.jpg

The petals can be bent downward to imitate hatching. Usually this works, though some petals can be stubborn to bend downward and won't stay down.

Body

14153447708_78d07fa565_b.jpg

The body begins by creating the section for the cockpit to attach to.

Legs

14316968666_05c4b06ef3_b.jpg

The flea machine has three legs, the front two being the same and the back one being slightly different, also gaining a friction joint to add support. While the front legs have a good range of motion, the rear legs doesn't move up much because it clashes with the bottom of the torso.

Mechanism construction

14336769801_ea9aa3788d_b.jpg

The build of the claw uses a heavy technic structure.

Feeders

14153490360_f01fbc87da_b.jpg

I was surprised to see how many feeders for the string were added on to guide it properly. Also notice that the rope-glider piece is hooked on to the side, so if the claw were grabbed onto something across a gap, breez could zipline over to it. However, because he hands are molded only one way, she is sideways while doing this. Good effort lego.

Finished

14340101155_49561563b1_b.jpg

I'll admit, this section took me a while to complete- I am slow as a tortoise when it comes to getting these strings tied up properly. Also after wall was said and done, I realized I had mis-fed the string through one of the holes and had to amend that. The string attached to the claw does not actually tie around it, rather you place it next to the axle that is plugged into the tri-connector.

Completed Set

Front

14339327404_d2916ebba7_b.jpg

The machine doesn't look too bad from this angle once finished. I think a green cockpit might have suited this better, but it varies the color scheme if nothing else. Also take note of the data pad which is now attached to the left of the cockpit. I don't know why they decided to put it there, but I will give props for matching the color of the clip to the seat.

Side view

14153445848_8af2746bbb_b.jpg

Exposed balljoints seem to be a common theme with some of the machines this wave but it's not a major issue. I do wish that they had placed some sort of armor on that gray bone piece though.

Rear

14153441469_fd3ae7ba6a_b.jpg

Although the rear leg is made differently, the armor placement is roughly the same, which I do appreciate.

"Posing"

14339326654_dee3e31150_b.jpg

Well, the set is a tripod, so most poses will not look very dynamic. If you attempt to raise the legs, it just falls over. (It probabaly could stand if it's feet were more stable, but just those little bars don't do much)

The claw

14336767491_bf5c8af4e4_b.jpg

The main attraction of the set is by a far the claw mechanism- and it works considerably well. The string is guided properly, so that when you turn the crank to pull the string back in, it doesn't overlap or get tangled. The string also reaches pretty far, this shot only shows it extended about halfway.

The Flea machine. I really don't knoww hat to think oft his one. On one hand, I'm happy that breez got a machine, and a printed part to herself. I also really like the set's mechanism, it's fun to build and works quite well. On the other hand, as someone who prefers the poseability of a set and how it looks displayed vs playability, the set does suffer. it really can't pull off any dynamic poses, and theres not a whole lot you can do besides extend the claw to grab onto things. Overall I'd say it's a good pick up, but I'd place it's value as a parts pack more than it's final version as a set.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Just really glad Breez got her printed piece. It's a 4M shell but that's ok, probably even better for what I need it for.

Really not interested in the set otherwise- still, thanks for the review.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Nice review, this is probably one of my favourites out of the mechs from this wave (maybe that's because Breez is a girl like me I suppose). I was particularly excited, outside the jumper and cocoon, to see the shin armour appear in lime green for the first time, as I can already think of 2 MOC's I have that could use those. Again, it suffers from exposed balljoint syndrome, but not nearly half as bad as, say, Surge and Rocka Combat Machine. Nothing that a lime green 5M shell couldn't rectify I suppose, but it does look awfully empty in the middle.

And pardon my potential ignorance, but how does the giant grappling hook actually fire from it's mount, or is it something that you have to pull out manually? I would have thought it was flick fire or manual, but the review only mentions the winch/retracting mechanism I believe. The way the mechanism actually works isn't too well illustrated on the packet either, it just shows that it can leave it's mounting, more focusing on the fact that the whole unit can be removed.

Otherwise, a fine looking set. And funnily enough, bright orange on lime green isn't actually bothering me as much as I thought it would, but I do wish the seat came in black, silver or gunmetal grey, or some other neutral multipurpose colour.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

And pardon my potential ignorance, but how does the giant grappling hook actually fire from it's mount, or is it something that you have to pull out manually? I would have thought it was flick fire or manual, but the review only mentions the winch/retracting mechanism I believe. The way the mechanism actually works isn't too well illustrated on the packet either, it just shows that it can leave it's mounting, more focusing on the fact that the whole unit can be removed..

Well, you could in theory "flick it out," but the string to connect it is also fed through the pin hole that holds the claw, so it doesn't launch all that well. Otherwise yes you can just pull it out, there really was no indication of the correct method.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, you could in theory "flick it out," but the string to connect it is also fed through the pin hole that holds the claw, so it doesn't launch all that well. Otherwise yes you can just pull it out, there really was no indication of the correct method.

Just as I suspected, though I wasn't 100% sure. I think I'll save my fingers some discomfort and pull it manually, my fingers can hurt enough from using the flick missiles. I couldn't imagine that, with the winch mechanism, it wouldn't launch all that smoothly or even very far anyway, it would just snag all the time. Thanks for the swift response VBBN :classic:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the review, VBBN.

I really like the set, the tripod concept works much better than on Evo's Walker (well, it was a smaller set, so I guess it's not that fair to compare them), and the claw function seems fun. I think it should be possible to add a technic beam and, with a rubber band, create a "trigger". Something like this, maybe :

44027m10.png

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Breez has her own little machine, and it's looking good!

I like that it has those add-on armors in there, in lime, and three of them too!

I like the grappling-hook/grabber & winch. Whether you're zip-lining or rescuing pods from falling off cliffs, or grabbing some mega-sized M&Ms from a bowl on a table, this machine is right for you!

:p

Don't like that it's not armored on or around the belly, but otherwise it's pretty neat.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I really liek this set, I think this is the best for the Heroes in the summer wave, the shape is unusual and looks great and the grappling hook is a great addition, however I have to try it's effectiveness first hand, also my favourite hero is Breez so I have a weak spot for this set, This and the Tunneler beast are the best in the summer wave IMO (not like the others being bad but these 2 are my favourites from the whole year)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think this looks like a pretty good set. It has almost everything: a nice little function, an original design, some rare parts (such as the blue weapon wheel and the longer bones), along with the best printed shell of all. To top it all off, it looks great as well. The only thing it's lacking in are unique recolors, but very few of the other sets sport them, and this set has green armor add-ons, so it even comes out pretty well there. The uncovered bone part isn't that big an issue, but I feel that a Waspix connector could have fixed that section's other problem.

Also, Leewan, that launcher mechanism looks great. I'm going to have to try that one out myself (albeit with the two pins for the rubber band moved further apart).

Edited by DraikNova

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Good review. This was already a set I was considering a "must-buy", but there are a lot of pleasant surprises revealed in this review like the inclusion of a printed shell and a zipline! I don't mind one bit that it's a 4M shell. 4M shells are useful! I'm glad to see that the claw works effectively as well.

I do not mind the cockpit being Bright Orange instead of Bright Yellowish Green. To be honest, I prefer when the cockpit is a contrasting color.

The blue jumpers kind of confuse me. On one hand, I think it's cool to have a different shell color for the jumpers to indicate "elite" jumpers. But on the other hand, Bright Blue is a weird color to signify that sort of status. You'd think they could have used a transparent or metallic color instead of one that isn't used on any of the beast sets to begin with. It does contrast nicely with the existing jumper body colors though. It's weird that none of the sets include red jumpers with blue shells.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Question: does this set actually come with a sticker sheet? The package shows stickers on the cockpit, but I don't see any mention of a sticker sheet/DSS in either this review or the BZPower review. I will be rather disappointed if it doesn't have one. I see what looks like one in the contents spread photo, but the brightness is so high that you can't make out the details, so I thought I'd make sure.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Question: does this set actually come with a sticker sheet? The package shows stickers on the cockpit, but I don't see any mention of a sticker sheet/DSS in either this review or the BZPower review. I will be rather disappointed if it doesn't have one. I see what looks like one in the contents spread photo, but the brightness is so high that you can't make out the details, so I thought I'd make sure.

Yeah it's there. It's the standard canopy sticker sheet, just of course with the words Breez on it.

I do not mind the cockpit being Bright Orange instead of Bright Yellowish Green. To be honest, I prefer when the cockpit is a contrasting color.

I couldn't disagree more with that honestly- that mentality to me feels like a "Just throw random colors into the mix" sort of thing. If it was red I might have preferred it, But orange has never been associated with Breez and it doesn't flow with any of the other colors in this set, the end result is not just a contrasting color, but a part that looks like it shouldn't be there. I think my opinions on this are mostly fueled by my anger that we only have this seat in two colors.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeah it's there. It's the standard canopy sticker sheet, just of course with the words Breez on it.

I couldn't disagree more with that honestly- that mentality to me feels like a "Just throw random colors into the mix" sort of thing. If it was red I might have preferred it, But orange has never been associated with Breez and it doesn't flow with any of the other colors in this set, the end result is not just a contrasting color, but a part that looks like it shouldn't be there. I think my opinions on this are mostly fueled by my anger that we only have this seat in two colors.

Well, OK, as far as character association goes you have a point, but I was talking about aesthetics. It doesn't matter to me whether it's orange or red in that respect — either way, it looks a lot more exciting to me than if it were the same Bright Yellowish Green as the rest of the battle machine.

It'd be cool if the seat were in more colors for variety's sake, though it doesn't bother me much as a MOCist since I can't picture a whole lot of sets or MOCs where neither Bright Orange or Bright Yellowish Green would work well with the color scheme. I guess if you wanted a grittier MOC you might want something less vibrant like Brick Yellow (tan) or Sand Yellow (Dark Tan), but for Hero Factory the bright colors work quite nicely, I think.

Incidentally, are the name labels in this set white like the ones in Furno Jet Machine or silver like the ones in Surge & Rocka Combat Machine? I can't quite wrap my head around why the color is different between the two sets. I think white labels would have worked just fine for all of them.

Edited by Aanchir

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.