Review: 44029 Queen Beast vs. Furno, Evo & Stormer

[VBBN]

Set name: Queen Beast vs Furno, Evo, & Stormer

Set number: 44029

Piece Count: 217

Year Released: 2014

Price: $34.99

Box Front

The front of the box displays the lovely artwork we have seen in the previous wave. With the sets I received, they were signed by set designers. I'm not sure if the respective designers signed the sets they had input on, but given the different signatures on each set I believe this was how it was done. In that case, Queen beast was only designed by one person (who didn't have the most uncommon of signatures )

Box Back

The back of the box has a slew of features to be shown. This is the first set in a while to really come with two large sized builds for a hero and a villain. last time we saw this was Bulk vs Vapour. I did want to keep the box in as nice of a condition as possible, so I cheated on the right hand side there, cutting underneath the perforated tabs.

Contents

Instructions

The instructions are quite large, but not as thick as the ones with the combat machine. Let's have a look at some of the more interesting things inside.

Random Image

A quick peak at how the instructions are layed out.

Comics

The comics return in this wave. Usually the first few pages show the set in action, and the final pages show the combo models making an appearance.

Beast Combo

The beast combo, which is a large scorpion-like creature.

Hero Combo

The combo of the three smaller hero machines. Not really sure what that's supposed to be, but I'll reserve judgement until instructions come out to properly construct it.

Interesting Parts

Interesting Smaller pieces

A smaller chain in gold and the blue jumper shell.

Cocoon petals

The set includes two cocoons, a trans light blue and a trans green one.

Head pieces

The queen features a very cool new head print, and the other jaw half is not new in that color, but this is the first time we see it unprinted.

Gold pieces

The set does include some other cool bits recolored in gold. We have the 3.0 spike accessory and the kaiju fin. Also ther eis the new Chima ultrabuild armor piece, though it comes in gold in all of those sets as well. I do wish it had come in black or something with this set, but here's to future recolors.

Spike and Chest armor

The queen comes with the new bone-styled spike piece, which is also featured on CHI Sir Fangar in a similar fashion. The chest piece is printed with a very odd design, that is shared with Crystal beast. I'm not a fan of this print, it has orange in it's colors yet neither set has the color orange anywhere on them.

Build

Minifigs

The Queen Beast set includes the most miniheroes in one set to date. Evo, Furno, and Stormer are all the same as their previous incarnations. Accessory wise, there is one projectile gun, and one of the guns from the first wave with a set of binoculars on the front. Two guns with three minifigures? Granted, Evo can pilot the mech and the other two can have the guns, but it's made quite clear on all official images that the projectile gun is Evo's (Theres also clips on the mech to hold it) Stormer is the one who gets the short end of the stick, since apparently he just chills out in the Queen's cocoon-rear.

Jumper

Since this is the Queen set, I'll take this moment to full give my thoughts on the jumpers colors. In the first wave, we saw black-shelled jumpers with the following body colors: Red, lime, and orange. In this wave, we have blue shelled and black shelled jumpers, with orange and lime as the body colors. I like the blue shells, but I can't help but feel dissapointed that we didn't get new body colors. Blue, darker green, purple, yellow, even glow in the dark to homage the visorak of 2005. I know I'm not the only one who would have liked to have seen this, but share your thoughts in the comments on this matter. In the instructions for the combat machine there was also a 'checklist" for the minifigures, jumpers, and cocoons. I don't really see such a limited range of colors being so collectible.

Cocoons

You can see that the cocoon petals can stay open. I really love the look of these, and look forward to seeing how people utilize these in future MOCs.

Torso

When I first watched the invasion From below episode, I attempted building this small mech, but I never realized the mech uses the small XT4 torso. I said it before and I'll say it again, I really love these unconvetional mech builds this year, they offer a lot of new and interesting building techniques.

Legs

The legs are added on. One printed shell is used, and it is the same as the printed shell we saw on the previous two Evo sets. The instructions only call for 1 clip, but there were some extra so I threw one on the other side as well.

Weapon

A construct is made to connect the containment pod, and we also see the trans bright green sphere launcher added on.

Finished Walker

Front

As annoyed as i am about seeing yet another Evo machine, I do adore the color scheme he brings with him. With the first two mechs it was rather annoying because he was too similar to Rocka, but this mech gets rid of some gunmetal and really hits you with the yellow and trans bright green, which I just think looks fantastic.

Side

The most annoying part of this build is the sphere cannon. It's built really low to the ground, and the cockpit is also jammed right up to it. When evo is inside of it, the canopy doesn't actually close fully because his feet end up being in the way.

Rear

Build (queen)

Torso

The Queen's build starts with two XT4 torsos.

Legs added

The front legs are shorter than the back ones. Also you can see the placement of that chima armor piece.

Wings

The queen uses the bone-spike in a similar way as Sir Fangar, but of course without any sort of function. You also put on a bunch of trans neon green shells with spikes on them to give a universal armored look.

Arms

All of the beast sets this wave include brick built hands, which I much prefer over the paw piece that we constantly see. Of all the hands, the Queen's have the best thumb design, putting it into a proper proportion to the two moving fingers.

Head

Here we can have a closer look at the head print. it has a bunch of eyes, as well as a nice metallic gold finish. The build of the head also decorates the head in gold pieces to create a crown-like texture.

Staff

The weapon is..strange. The top has a chain piece on it, but i can't for the life of me figure out why. I thought at first this way to keep it in an open position, but it stretches quite far and doesn't hold the blades in any useful position.

Rear-cocoon

The trans blue cocoon gets placed on her rear. Since it's construction was no different than usual, any cocoon can be placed here. It is attached with a simple socket piece, so there is some movement.

Completed Beast

Front

I prefer to position the wings lower on her back as seen here.

Side

I noticed some people didn't like the longer rear legs, but i quite enjoy them. it adds an insectoid flare to the set.

Rear

Not the most interesting angle.. The jumper looks rather odd staring back out from there

Pose 1

The Queen Beast does look very cool when posed, however. Her arms have plenty of articulation (very free shoulders)

Pose 2

"I didn't sign up for this!"- Furno

Pose 3

Actually it's the same as pose 2, just a different angle. But I really like the organic look she had, and you can achieve some very menacing poses.

The Queen Beast. The most expensive set this year. Is it really worth a demanding price tag of $35? That's more than a tank of gas for me, and I can think of a lot of things $35 would buy. The real question is, does this set feel like it is the most packed set of the year. The answer?

Yes.

Now granted, many people look at this and see a 200 part count, but don't be mistaken; A large chunk of those parts go into the minifigures, their accessories, and the cocoons. What you are left with, is a mech that is between a small and medium sized set, and a Queen beast that would fit into a 20$ price tag. So really, it does feel like you are getting quite a bit for what you payed for. And another thing to consider, if you are getting this set, you get both a hero and a villain in buildable form- not the standard formula of a buildable set and opposing minifigures. The evo machine is a cool little mech, and while I don't think it was the best choice to put in as a final opponenet to the Queen, it was the last mech besides the flier to be near the Queen in the episode. The Queen herself is better than I expected, and while not nessecarily huge in scale, she does have some good poseability and a lot of design choices I can get behind. It's a big price to pay, but I do believe this is one of the better sets of the wave, and it's also fairly decent in the way of parts.

[Brickus]

I really like this set, it is very well rounded.

[Sir Brickalot]

This is much better than the pictures depict! I think I'll be getting this.

And now I've commented on all of the IFB reviews, I'd like to say thank you VBBN for the excellent quality of your reviews. Thank you!

[Mutant Orc]

Thanks for all the reviews. I have changed my mind again about this set. Now I want it again!

[TheOneVeyronian]

I really like the Queen Beast, your photos really show off the best side of her. I don't really think much of Evo's machine though. Despite that £35 price tag, I'll be picking this up on day of release. As a parts pack though, despite some XT4 torsos, gold 3.0 spike armours, the beast head and the printed chest, it doesn't really cut it, well, not at that price anyway. The Queen is worth more than the sum of her parts to me I guess

I just wish that those female tri-connectors in the cocoons were black though, they stick out like a sore thumb to me despite them being dark brown. Black ones do exist now (in 70163), but I guess nobody told the HF design department about that

Anyway, I really appreciate the review, thanks!

[Kalhiki]

Thanks for the review! (And thanks for all of them, for that matter)

Wow. What can I say? I thought the Queen looked terrible from the first pics we got. But now it looks to be one of the best of the year. Super excited to get this once it comes out.

[Shakar]

Again, a great figure. The Queen beats Splitter Beast, like Crystal beat Flyer and Tunneler beat Jaw (narrowly!). Overall I find the Summer Beasts are above the Winter Beasts, both in design and colours.

Once again, thanks for the review! Great job on these 7 as usual!

[Leewan]

Thanks for the review.

The Queen looks better than I expected, and Evo's machine is so cute and lovely with its six tiny legs.

But I don't think I'll buy it, it will certainly be 35€, which seems a bit much for my wallet...

[williamfurno]

I have three words...I LOVE IT.

[Cirkit]

I like this set best of all. It's got everything you need for a good battle (in the HF world) and then some.

I like Evo's little machine. Almost reminds me of a tanker-truck.. but with legs. I like how bright it is too!

The Queen looks terrific. I like how her torso looks in the first few steps. Both halves of the pre-limbs bone build are almost a mirror!

Color scheme is nice, and though I don't get the function of the staff, I do like the gold.

We've got 3 heroes to fight/negotiate with the Queen. Stormer doesn't have a gun for some reason, but I imagine he can just defeat crawly beasties with his icy glare.

And those cocoons.. two of them! Lovely.

Definitely seems worth the cost for the play value and parts. Definitely one I'd pick up for sure!

[Aanchir]

Good review. It's fantastic to see the Queen from so many angles. Any misgivings I had about the design have been laid to rest. A bit of a shame Evo's machine has some issues with the proximity between the cannon, the cockpit, and the ground, since it's definitely among the most cohesive-looking machines, without a lot of gappiness in its design.

I have a feeling that I'm going to end up with at least two of each hero the way things are shaping up... not that I'm complaining.

The combi models both look pretty cool! The beast combi model in particular is amazingly cohesive compared to most combi models. Normally, you just can't judge a combi model by the same terms you use to judge a set, since sets have greater control over the parts at their disposal. This combi model, then, goes above and beyond the usual expectations. Hopefully it functions as well as it looks!

[TheLazyChicken]

Thanks for the great review!

This might be another great set to pick up!

[Agent Fusion]

I want to love this set, but the price keeps turning me away. Maybe if it's reduced, but I think I'll just convert Tunneler Beast instead.

[Csacsa234]

I think this set has a really great play value, The queen looks awesome and menacing, I like the gold pieces on her. But my heart is stolen by Evo's little walker, that mech is perfect for my taste, TLG really hit the spot with that, it looks like a great utility machine with combat ability. The minifig choices are a bit boring but it's a good way to get the 1st half year's figs without buying those sets (except breez and rocka, but they make an appearance in the 2nd wave's smaller sets). Thanks for the great review!

I'm also curious to see the beast combo model in higher resolution someday, it looks great.

[TheGreatSpirit]

The new evo machine is pretty nice, and the Queen feels quite well done!

Unfortunately, I probably won't pick it up unless it goes on sale. $35 is a bit much, even if I feel the set is worth that much.

[Aanchir]

The new evo machine is pretty nice, and the Queen feels quite well done!

Unfortunately, I probably won't pick it up unless it goes on sale. $35 is a bit much, even if I feel the set is worth that much.

It does seem a bit pricy for its piece count, compared to some of the other sets this year — $10 more expensive than Evo XL Machine for just 24 more pieces. But then again, the price per piece is actually better than most of this year's sets. The only four sets that seem to have it beat in terms of price-per-piece are the two $25 machines and the two $15 machines from the summer, all of which are probably a bit inflated by their heavy use of tiny elements like Technic pins and flick missiles. It has fewer pieces than Jet Rocka for the same reason (though still more parts than Speeda Demon — both it and Stormer XL were strangely overpriced for their piece counts compared to both earlier and later sets).

[DuckBricks]

This is much better than the pictures depict! I think I'll be getting this.

I agree, VBBN's awesome review has pushed me into purchasing this!

[Shakar]

VBBN, a question: are the Queen's arms limited in poseability in any way? Do the wing connection and/or the narrowness of her shoulders create some issues? I built her upper body a while ago, not sure if I did everything correctly back then, but her arms gave me some trouble.

[VBBN]

VBBN, a question: are the Queen's arms limited in poseability in any way? Do the wing connection and/or the narrowness of her shoulders create some issues? I built her upper body a while ago, not sure if I did everything correctly back then, but her arms gave me some trouble.

None that I noticed no. The narrower torso actually makes it easier to pose them, because it's easier for her arms to come closer together in the front- she can properly hold her staff. The wings don't pose any problems either how I had them, but I suppose if you position them so that the lower part of the wing is behind her arms, you might have some backwards clearance issues there.

[Shakar]

Excellent! Thanks a lot VBBN. ;-)

[Hunter1]

Queen Beast surprised me, now I see that it's a really good set. Evo Spider Machine is good too. And this beautiful combiner... I think, that it's one of the best HF combiners.

By the way, thanks for good review, VBBN.

-H.unter

Edited June 23, 2014 by Hunter1

[Agent Fusion]

Indeed, the Beast combiner looks magical.

[BrickBuilder3213]

I feel that this set would've originally been two seperate sets in the design stage: Evo Spider Machine (with the Spider Machine, blue-backed jumper and the cocoon) and Queen Beast Vs. Furno And Stormer (everything else).

[Chimaninja454]

I agree with you that the Evo Spider Machine and Queen Beast looks very well done, and I definitely picked it up today,

Great work VBBN!

[Logan McOwen]

Apologies for necroing a thread, but Leewan recently got hold of this set and I wanted to see what the fuss is about.

I really loved IFB. It's the second best HF line in my opinion, only topped by Breakout. However, this was one set I was always quite skeptical of.

The Queen Beast herself was the main reason I was skeptical of this set... But looking at her more in depth, she actually looks really nice! Granted, the colour scheme is somewhat eclectic (no thanks to the gold), and the fact that she can give birth is most peculiar, but she's still put together quite well. The weapon is reasonable, but I don't understand how a giant bug-lizard Kaiju would even have a weapon in the first place. I think she would've been a lot better if the gold was swapped for lime green or medium azure.

Evo's little machine is pretty cute. The build is unique, which is something which really set IFB apart from other HF waves. I for one don't mind the placement of the launcher but after building battle machines with a similar launcher placement in the past I can definitely concede in your complaint. The tubes underneath the storage tank are a mystery to me, but they work aesthetically so I don't really mind them being there.

All in all, this is a good set. I doubt I'd buy it now, as I can probably replicate 90% of it with my current collection, but if I find it for a bargain, I might just bite.