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Discussion on the latest addition to the LEGO Space universe, Galaxy Squad, started somewhere in the summer of 2012. Since then, we've gathered more and more information as time passed, from set names and numbers to photos and official release, to the LEGO Club Magazine comic (Nov-Dec 2012) that tied this theme to the Monster Fighters' one (pic from LEGO Wikia) in some strange and yet not fully explainable way (as they seem to be placed in different universes). But, as we know well, this led to the first 6 sets only; the next 4, scheduled to be released next June, where unveiled at the many Toy Fairs earlier this year. Among them are 2 Alien Bug and 2 Galaxy Squad itself sets. It would seem the GS boys and girl, together with their robot companions finally got to the Bugs' home-world, or at least their stronghold in this sector of the galaxy, and are now ready to take the battle to the fabled and dreaded Hive. So, if you got this far in my rambling introduction, without further ado, let's go on with the alien capital ship bug of the Galaxy Squad line: the 70708 Hive Crawler, brought to you in another Eurobricks Exclusive review, with thanks again to The LEGO Group! Theme: Galaxy Squad Set name: Hive Crawler Set Number: 70708 Price: 59.99 $, 49.99 £, 59.99 Euro, 69.99 CAD Pieces: 560 (+ 21 extras & 1 brick separator) Minifigures: 3 (+ 2 animals) Year of release: 2013 Note: no official description of the set seems to be available at the time of writing. Links: Peeron, Bricklink and Brickset The Box Front The box is pretty big (48 x 28 x 6 centimetres; 18.91 x 11.03 x 2.63 inches), as it's to be expected by a top-of-the-line 560-pieces set. It really makes you feel like you're getting something big and proportioned to the price. The box art is wonderful, with the blue-ish/grey background, slightly resembling a moon landscape, upon which we can spot a human colony (GS HQ, maybe?) in the far left corner, and alien looking fluo-green crystals on the right side. It would seem these crystals are connected with the Bugs in some way, as they appear to be the source of the mist crawling through the landscape and from which the Bugs spring from. In the sky at the far back, we see another couple of planets or moons infected by the alien menacing misty 'atmosphere'. Now to the starts of the set: the Hive Crawler and the diminutive (but not as diminutive as the current wave's one) Red Team vehicle/s confront each other/s while Bug Pods spew alien larvae on the battlefield. LEGO and Galaxy Squad logos, together with the set information complete the top left side, while the bottom right corner shows the action-pose shot of Billy Stabeam and his 'robot sidekick'. I'd like to spend a couple more lines on the GS logo and set info. First, I love the logo, as it hints at the ability of most human vehicles to split in two and, just like in the official game, go on two different paths to complete the common mission. Next, as you can see, this is the European version of the box, and as such it has just a minimum of set info to display; the North American version (again, the pic is from LEGO Wikia), on the contrary, sports a lot more data, including piece count and set name. Back The back shows the set on a clean and quite futuristic looking grilled starscape. I must say it is very relaxing to look at after the action-packed front. All around the Hive Crawler, small boxes show the play features, including rotating cannons, Bug Pods-shooting rear catapult, crawling action and the split option of the human vehicle. Quite strangely, only the humans get a caption explaining the details. Maybe the alien mech ones are clear enough, or maybe it's all part of the anti-Bug conspiracy! Again, LEGO logo and few set info complete the upper left corner, while a reminder of the LEGO.com/galaxysquad site address is menacingly brought to you by Billy in the lower right corner. Moreover, for those interested, a cube code in the lower left corner allows you to see the Hive Crawler in action (note: at the time of writing, I have not check to see if the video is available yet). Sides The sides of the box sport the usual miniature of the front's scene and LEGO logos and legal/safety stuff. Few details look interesting enough: the upper side shows a side-by-side 1:1 size mug-shot of all three minifigures included in the set, instead of the usual one (probably because the space was huge and LEGO box artists had to fill it up somehow); next is the left side, which sports some nice speudo-greeble printing and a line-up of the Galaxy Squad teams' badges, with the Red/Fast Team one highlighted, obviously in red. Contents Inside Inside the box, we find 4 numbered bags, two instruction booklets and a stickers' sheet. The last three were a bit bent when I took them off, but nothing tragic. New pieces New pieces are quite interesting, though most of them are strongly connected with this particular theme: Trans Red Windscreen Decorated, 6 x 6 x 3 Canopy Half Sphere with Dual 2 Fingers and composed eye, Trans Dark Pink Container, alien pod half 4x4x2, Olive Green Animal Body Part, Alien Bug Larva main body, Olive Green Slope, Curved 2 x 1 No Studs. Please notice that since most of these are not listed anywhere else at the moment, I made up their names, trying to follow the widespread Bricklink style; I hope they are clear enough, though the pic should solve any lingering doubt at what's what. For the same reason, links are not available for these parts at the time of writing. Re-coloured parts We have quite a number of re-coloured parts in this set: Tan Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Studs on 1 Side, Lime Brick, Round Corner 3 x 3 x 2 Dome Top, Lime Brick, Round Corner 6 x 6 with Slope 33 Edge, Facet Cutout, Lime Dish 6 x 6 Inverted (Radar) - Solid Studs, Lime Cylinder Hemisphere 2 x 2 Ball Turret Socket Base, Dark Red Cylinder Hemisphere 3 x 3 Ball Turret, Dark Red Minifig, Utensil Saw with Handle and Tooth, Dark Tan Slope 30 1 x 1 x 2/3, Trans Neon Yellow Minifig, Plume Feathers with Pin, and Dark Red Bar 1L with Clip Mechanical Claw, Cut Edges and Hole on One Side. Rare parts The many rare parts in this set include: Lime Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Angled #4 - 135 degrees, Dark Red Brick, Modified 1 x 4 with 4 Studs on 1 Side, Dark Red Cylinder 3 x 6 x 2 2/3 Horizontal, Dark Red Wedge 8 x 3 x 2 Open Left, Dark Red Wedge 8 x 3 x 2 Open Right, Trans-Clear Windscreen 6 x 2 x 2 with Handle, Lime Brick, Modified 2 x 2 x 2/3 Two Studs, Curved Slope End, Olive Green Brick 2 x 4, Lime Slope 30 1 x 2 x 2/3, Lime Slope 45 2 x 2, Dark Red Plate, Round Corner 4 x 4, Olive Green Wheel 18mm D. x 14mm with Pin Hole, Fake Bolts and Shallow Spokes, Dark Red Hinge Plate 1 x 4 Locking Dual 1 Finger, Pearl Dark Gray Hero Factory Weapon - Half Claw (seen in a non-HF set for the first time), Black Technic, Link 1 x 6 without Stoppers, Trans Light Blue Minifig, Utensil Saw with Handle and Tooth, Olive Green Plate 1 x 2, Dark Bluish Gray Tile 2 x 2 with 3 Hexagons, Spaceship and Alien Characters Pattern, and Lime Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Open Insect Mouth Pattern. Spares We get quite a lot of spares in this set (21 pieces), plus the brick separator. The parts include the usual technic bits: pins, half pins, a bush, a half bush and a straight connector; then we have some round 1x1 plates, a gear lever, horns and claws, a couple of tiles (both round and square varieties), a robot hand and a nice cheese slope in the new Dark Tan version. Minifigures Of the three minifigures in this set, only one is new: the Mosquitoid Elite. I must say I really like this alien, whereas, I did not appreciate much the lesser breeds in the winter wave sets. The rubbery head is better refined and more proportioned, in my opinion, and I love how LEGO designers rendered the multiple eyes (though they are not really bug multifaceted eyes) and the mandibles. Contrary to what happens with the flying musquitoids, this ones' antennae are part of the head mould and cannot be separated from it. The human and robot minifigures, as said, are not new and fans already know them pretty well. I like the details in the human's armour, as well as the robot's one. Moreover, the spreading use of printed legs in standard themes (as opposed to the Licensed dominance in past years) is a nice touch and adds to the overall detail level. As many have noticed already, i cannot help but think the robot's head is very reminiscent of the SW Mon Calamary species. So, since I'm tired of calling him/it 'robot' or 'robot sidekick', I'll use Squiddy for him/it from now on. All three figs have nice back printing as well. I especially like the fact that Billy and Squiddy's body armours look so much alike, except for the details in the lower section and the really nice addition of a cooling vent and access port on Squiddy's one. A better rear look at Billy and the bug without headgear, and a chance to have a look at Billy's lovely double face with facemask Same with the front view. Billy must have some very bad days out there saving the Galaxy! A side view of the three figs, for those interested. notice how nicely the bug's carapaces covers the standard minifig torso, giving this fig a more organic look, preventing the head from looking too big on the body. Where would Squiddy go without his trusted backpack? I mean, Billy often uses the vehicle in the 'complete' configuration, and Squiddy can't go around fighting hordes of invading flying bugs on foot. The design is far from innovative, but works pretty well, and nicely fills the 'gap' under the robot's elongated skull. This picture also shows one of my favourite new items from this line: the light, or plasma maybe, blades. I think any Halo fan around will easily recognise the source these must be based on (though we may never get a confirmation from LEGO designers?). Nonetheless, LEGO changed the design to make it their own, and I really like what they came up with. The jagged look and nasty points mark this as a deadly weapon, yet it must be "not as clumsy or random as a blaster; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age". I decided to include the small bug larvae in the minifig category, though they are more on the animal side of the spectrum, really. My only justification is these will one day grow into humanoid shapes (or so I gather), so... The body, made of rubbery material, is very scorpion like, with a poised tail, while the head sports two pair of eyes, both above and below the mandibles. The lower part of the head also has a small hole to fit the wings' pin. Quite curiously, it is a passing hole, extending through the whole length of this part of the piece and opening between the little eyes on the front. The four legs are indeed Viking horn pieces attached into bigger holes or sockets on the sides. The overall look, except for the wings, is a bit reminiscent of the Face-huggers from the Alien films series, but with a more (if I may say so) children-friendly tone. Instructions The two instruction booklets show a more compact version of the front of the box art on their square covers. The illustration on the first page teach us how to handle properly the contents of the box, using all the bricks in bag one before opening the second one and so on. As this bigger set includes a brick separator, the lower half of the page is devoted to instructing the viewer on how to use it, plus giving a cube code and an internet address to learn more about it. The odd pages sport a nice buddies shot of Billy and his 'robot sidekick' in action poses, probably taken at one of the GS parties. The background is a plain light blue hue with a superimposed white grill evoking a sense of virtual reality/cyber space from 1990s' TV shows. As you can see (and were expecting, undoubtedly), the steps are complimented by pieces call-outs and sub-steps for an easier building experience. When you finish building the human vehicle, a page is dedicated to make you separate the two sub models you just put together! No flick-fire missiles in this set, but don't loose hope, for we have giant Alien Bug eggs to shoot around with the built-in catapult. Beware - a giant Alien Bug egg in the eye may sting a bit! The final pages illustrate the play features of the set, like the crawl-when-moved-on-the-floor one and the battle-with-the-opposing-factions one. As this is a big set, the parts' summary coversthreepages thick with pieces' pics and numbers. Moving toward the end of booklet two, we find a Galaxy Squad line ad, showing both current year's waves: above is the summer wave, consisting of 4 sets, and below is the winter one. We have a total of 9 sets to collect, plus some polybags not depicted here. Then we have two pages of other themes' ads, namely Ninjago 2014, with a menacing "We'll be back" aimed to fans and enemies alike, and the Lord of the Rings lines. Finally, a page is dedicated to the LEGO Galaxy Squad site. Building Start The build starts with bag one, which includes all the minifigs, the bag larvae and pods and the parts needed for the human vehicle/s. Here we have the chassis, to which we'll add... ... the wings/cannons and have the... ... complete speeder. I like the sleek look, and the fact this is a quite fresh new take on the speeder design, not too reminiscent of the various Star Wars version we saw over the years. I'm not sure how Billy is supposed to pilot that thing (acceleration and steering plus pitch) and fire the cannons all by using the one control lever at his disposal, but oh well... You can find more angles following these links: left side and rear. Next up is the smaller flying platform (which reminds me of a personal underwater propulsion device of some sort). The first steps build the base, using an inverted tile to grant stability and good looks. As Squiddy will not be holding his/its energy blades while driving (clever 'bot), they are attached to a couple of clips and will be part of the offensive system/wings surfaces of the diminutive craft. The completed model is not impressive for its size, but sports a pair of frontal cannons that look almost as big as the speeder's ones. Where they will get the power to feed them is beyond me; probably some sort of hyper-miniaturized power generator or storing unit. Front, side and rear views for those interested. Squiddy takes the flyer for a spin before connecting it to the speeder to form the... ... complete vehicle. I must say I prefer this configuration to the speeder alone, as the latter looks a bit incomplete in my eyes, but it is just a question of personal taste. All in all, this is a nice little combiner model, and it could even have used a small set of its own. I'm not completely sold on the fact it can successfully contrast the Hive Crawler on its own, though. So, let's see how the alien model is built and then pitch them together! The belly of the Beast Bag two allows us to build the first portion of the gigantic Hive Crawler. I'm not sure if the alien vehicles are supposed to be just mechanical crafts, mecha-like artefacts or simply autonomous bio/mechanical units much like Japanese Zoids. Anyway, these models too have an inner core around which the rest of the structure is built, so here we go with the 'belly' of the Hive Crawler. Nothing too fancy for now, just a squared technic rim with some lateral protrusions, supposedly destined to hold the insect-like legs. Just a few more steps and we see what goes in the central hole (you did not expect that to be left empty just to spare parts, did you?): by using some cleverly assembled wheels, beams and connectors, we build the mechanism for the main play feature of this model. As we'll see in just a few more minutes, the wheels, by bearing the weight of the Crawler, gain enough traction on most surfaces, and will transmit the motion to the legs, allowing the model to perform his name-sake function: crawling. Next up is the second play feature: the egg throwing catapult. It's an easy build, with just a few technic beams and some cosmetic details. The first instruction booklet and bag 2 end with the addition of some plates to gain a new building surface on top of the chassis. Not much of an insect-like appearance to it for now, right? Is it cuticle or shell? Here we go with bag 1, building the main chassis... Oh, wait, this is bag 3! Again, we start with a clump of technic bricks and few system ones for detail, but soon enough... ... we assemble evidence of a new stage in our build: the power turbines that feed the Crawlers engines take position and the back of the model starts shaping. Granted the additional sturdiness and support this new portion adds to the structure, we can now connect the catapult arm to the main body via a couple of rubber bands and get what looks like a scorpion tail to rise menacingly, ready to strike. Since we do not want our enemies to see through our intension too easily, and we need an enclosed storage space for the munitions/eggs, we add this thick shell to the middle section of the vehicle. Of course, it is not just by chance that its shape is reminiscent of a couple of elytra; good job, LEGO designers. Now, by adding a pair of big round, lateral shields, we complete the storage and armoured area at the rear. Right now, the overall shape of the Crawler looks quite evocative of a grasshopper, more than anything else. Will this impression last? What is this big lump of bricks, and what does it have to do with the model? This is the back of the cockpit, and quite possibly the central control and processing tower of the Hive Crawler, its brain, if you will. As you can see, it covers almost two thirds of the forward deck, and its heavy shielding blends in with the overall organic and rounded shape of the carapace. We're almost there: by adding the cannons, mouth/eyes complex and legs, we get to the finished set. I must say LEGO designers did a fantastic job in building the head: the big round composed eyes and the multi-fanged mouth look terrifying, yet splendid. Moreover, the legs, extending to the sides and almost doubling the model's width, really capture the dynamic look of a crawling insect. Finished set Notice how the middle legs rest on a framework of technic beams and connectors: by pushing the Crawler on a flat surface, the wheels (you remember them, don't you?) will transmit their momentum to a series of pulleys which in turn will make the legs go up and down and simulate an insect crawling motion. Front I don't know what you'll say, but I think that, from this angle, the cannons look like a second pair of smaller eyes on the Crawler's shell. Side The heavy armour of this guy sure makes it a though customer to deal with, don't you agree? Back As it often happens with LEGO models, the rear portion is the weak point. I do think this one looks way better than may others, but it looks pretty defenceless. I'm pretty sure it will be swarmed by the catapult's servants and foot (winged?) troops to guard it and the eggs when in battle. Bird-eye The bird-eye view allows us a better look at the overall shape of the model. Where it looked quite grasshopper-like midway through the building, now it looks all the way like a big wing-less fly about to deliver destruction on the battlefield. Ready to shoot The catapult's motion is smooth, as the small stops prevent one egg to get in the way while you shoot the other. The range is not huge, but it can quite easily reach 30-40 centimetres, or 12-16 inches. The pod opens upon impact and spews its halves and the larva on the battlefield, ready to add to the mess of the scene. Bonus images Visiting the grandparents #1 - So you did manage to break out of this transparent chrysalis, in the end! Visiting the grandparents #2 Everybody agreed, Squiddy's great-grand-dad was a very clear-headed robot. Laundry day - I told you to be careful with the bleach! Talk about... ... shopping at the same store! And now, a little something for the Star Wars fans among you: - And then everybody will think you died. Instead, you'll be turned into a cyborg, and will travel to a galaxy far far away to battle humanoid bugs. - You mean I'll be fighting Geonosians again? - Well, not really... Final comments Overall, the Hive Crawler is a fantastic set, both for the small human vehicle/s and the titular alien one. As a flag-ship (or flag-bug), it really compliments the line, and adds a lot to the Galaxy Squad universe, introducing Elite warriors and larvae, as well as confirming the idea of a central hive guarded by new levels of the bug's cast system.. Design & Colour scheme – 10/10 (Very well proportioned and efficient. Both the human Red Team and the bug colour schemes are consistent with previous waves and the line's overall look. No complaints whatsoever.) Minifig – 10/10 (A couple of trusted human fighters, a great new Elite warrior and two small animals/larvae to throw in the mix make this a nice addition to anybody's LEGO space collection.) Parts – 10/10 (Great variety of useful parts, a reasonable amount of new pieces, especially the smaller curved slopes, and even a cool printed one! This set is also a treasure for rare parts and the re-coloured ones, too.) Playability – 9/10 (The movements of the crawling mechanism and the catapult are smooth and funny to play with, and the GS trademark human vehicles' separation/connection system is a good pros, too. Maybe, just maybe, the Red Team could have used something bigger against this gargantuan bug, but as they focus on speed, their craft look quite up to the task, all in all.) Build – 8/10 (Nothing too complex, but some efficient solutions are used, especially in the building of the crawling function's mechanism and the various sections of the Crawler's armour.) Price – 10/10 (60 $/€ for 560 pieces are quite good, especially considering that there are many big parts in this set. Adding to the count the new pieces, Elite warrior and bug larvae brings this up to an almost ideal price point.) Overall: 9.5/10 Excellent As always, questions, comments, and pic requests welcome! Many thanks to Kim Thomsen of The LEGO Group for providing this set for the early review. If you like my reviews, and would like to learn how it's done, please consider joining the Reviewers Academy: