Aanchir

Oh wow that's brilliant! I hope your son loves it!

Short legs for minifigures do not need articulation and there is no useful way they could be given articulation. One major function of articulation in regular-size minifigure legs is so that they can sit down, which changes their dimensions. If the short legs were articulated the same way, then the difference between the sitting height and standing height would be less than two millimeters, and the fig in a sitting position would look utterly ridiculous since it would look like his feet are attached directly to his hips (which, in that case, they actually would be). The design of the short legs, currently, has the "hip" section embedded in the torso, which makes the proportions of the legs and body much more convincing. They lack articulation, but this is an unavoidable flaw and not one that causes a considerable amount of real harm to the usefulness of the figure. The main problem I've had with minifigures, for the most part, is that their arms can't be printed with short sleeves. But allegedly, some of the leaked Simpsons figures demonstrate that this is no longer the case and that the LEGO Group now has the means of creating short-sleeved minifigures. So with that said, I don't have any major problems with the design of the minifigure.

That was on a completely unofficial LEGO Ninjago facebook page. The official LEGO Ninjago Facebook page never said anything of the sort. I keep seeing this rumor pop up but a Google search for "Ninjago December 18" brings up mainly a bunch of unsourced rumors, some of which are now known to be entirely false (for instance, one in which the alleged premise for the new season was based on the eighth graphic novel, which turned out to be just a stand-alone story like the Graphic Novels almost always are).

BZPower posted links to all the instructions on their frontpage a couple days ago. The heading for the news article is "2014 Hero Factory Combiner Set Instructions".

It's possible that there was a change in the set's inventory in later production runs since so many fans were disappointed not to get a complete Meca One minifigure. It is not unheard of for a set's inventory to change slightly in later production runs, though most of the time it's simply a matter of parts being taken out of production and replaced with newer variants.

Yes, why did I list that sword there? I don't remember even typing that out. I must have been distracted since I'm watching my brother play Professor Layton at the same time. Was there another piece I meant to list in its place, though? Hmmm. EDIT: What I meant to type there was "Stormer foot". It's fixed now.

I think the back is supposed to be pretty exposed, since it's kind of like a chariot on caterpillar tracks. I'm not entirely sure what else you were expecting from the pictures we had seen. Moreover, the set's selling points are primarily supposed to be its functions — specifically, the swinging blades on the front, the saw blade shooter, and the rotating cockpit. In this regard I'd consider it much better than one of the 2012 store exclusives, the Fangpyre Wrecking Ball, which was a very big set that didn't do a whole lot (there was a winch to raise and lower the wrecking ball, and the cab and crane could rotate on the treads, but that was about it).

This is hardly any lower than the first wave this year, which had just 18 new molds (eight faceplates/helmets, brain, visor, head, torso shell, sword, flame, hilt, "H" shield, cape, rock detail). And the summer 2013 wave technically only had eight new parts — even fewer than that if you remove the two new molds (the fur detail and Frost Beast's sword) that were technically introduced a few months earlier in the Legends of Chima constraction sets. In fact, while I can't find the spreadsheet where I went ahead and counted new parts from the other waves, it seems like the early 2012 wave also only had 18 new molds (7 helmets, round detail, torso shell, launcher top, launcher bottom, hero cuffs, hero core, tool belt, hex shield, chest plate, sword, mace half), nineteen if you count the remolded feet for Toxic Reapa that started appearing partway through the year. And the summer 2012 wave only had ten new parts (3 helmets + giant chest plate + square detail + lightning + speaker detail + drone detail + Stormer foot + 3M Technic beam + 3M double ball cup + 5x6 torso beam). In this case you can also potentially subtract the two new molds (square shell detail and giant chest plate) from the Super Heroes constraction sets released in May. I may be off on my count (please correct me if so), but it seems like the first wave for 2014 is not really so far out of the ordinary.

Even the visual dictionaries and character encyclopedias almost always include main character variants. That way even kids who aren't deeply invested in the theme's story and don't recognize the minor characters will still have a strong incentive to get the book. Just take a look and see for yourself. Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Harry Potter, Harry Potter again, Batman, and Lloyd Garmadon. There are a few exceptions, like the LEGO Minifigures character encyclopedia, since that theme doesn't HAVE main or recurring characters, or the Yoda Chronicles guide book, which may or may not qualify since it isn't trying to tout itself as a character encyclopedia or visual dictionary.

If I had to guess, I'd say with Lloyd and Sensei Garmadon. I do not expect her to appear in the sets, personally, since most secondary characters who appear in the sets are designed for that purpose before appearing in the show. But then again, LEGO could surprise us.

Some of the bios on the new Ninjago site sort of hint at the possibility that Lloyd's travels are part of some father-son bonding experience between him and Sensei Garmadon. It certainly would explain why we haven't seen Sensei Garmadon in any of the trailers either. If the episodes give us some really heartwarming B-stories about Lloyd and his father to accompany the A-stories about the rest of the Ninja, words cannot express how happy I will be. On that note, has anyone noticed just how many of the details in the new character bios are designed to be humorous or heartwarming? I quite like that. Those sorts of things are a good reminder that beyond the epic fight scenes portrayed in the sets, the series also has a lot of heart.

I was thinking recently about the possibility of making down-scaled versions of some previous large Hero Factory sets, like vehicle sets. The Drop Ship is one that you would not necessarily have to scale down, since in the show they come in so many different sizes. However, if you wanted to re-enact this comic, you might end up actually having to scale it UP — I struggle to believe that there's any way Furno Jet Machine could fit in one of those canisters! Even partially disassembled it could potentially pose a challenge.

Maybe the scar was given to it by another of the monsters. Perhaps they're ruthless and destructive enough that they got into a few scrapes during the rush to the surface, or perhaps Breez was using her "reins" to drive into territory another monster has already claimed as its own.

Personally, I think figures being sized according to their price point creates more problems than it solves. I disliked how the length of the medium-sized hero legs in 2012 was so huge compared to the size of the body and was grateful when the medium-sized 2013 sets dropped the length of the lower legs down a module (I had already modded my Breakout Breez with shorter arms and legs, and was glad that Brain Attack Stormer and Surge didn't need any modding of that kind). Kids and adults alike should be able to appreciate that there's more to the value of a set than just its height — a higher-priced set is generally armored better and given more accessories than a lower-priced set, and it's pointless to stretch it out like taffy just to add to the perceived value when the REAL value has already been increased. All things considered, Splitter Beast is made up of two figures: one that's about the same size as a $15 set, and another that's maybe half the size of a $10 set. Since the total price of Splitter Beast is $20 that seems perfectly equitable to me.

Overreaction much? Honestly, why does this demand so much whining? In a lot of countries, it's normal to have to wait a few months for certain themes to be released. In some countries, certain themes aren't released in brick-and-mortar retailers at all. So in the grand scheme of things this is not so bad.

Love this guy! Anyway, good to see that the figs do, in fact, fit fine in the cockpits. In fact, it looks nice and snug. It shouldn't be hard to fix the issue with the controls if you use slightly more complicated controls, kind of like the ones in some Speeder bikes from LEGO Star Wars.

Skeleton bodies from LEGO Castle are slightly narrower than regular minifigure bodies, so minifigure armor doesn't fit them perfectly. The Ninjago skeleton bodies were designed to be slightly thicker to compensate, since all of them wore armor of some kind in at least one sets. Normally a LEGO Castle skeleton wearing minifigure armor will have the armor able to wobble slightly due to the gap, but I think in this case the shoulders of the armor hug tight to the sides of the shoulder joints to prevent wobbling.

I figured I'd mention here that the review index is in serious need of an update. It doesn't include ANY reviews for 2012, 2013, or 2014 sets.

I would argue the figures AREN'T "unnecessarily tall". For the armor and helmets to be compatible with classic minifigures at all without giving the heroes excessively cartoony proportions, the figures have to be at least this tall. And I don't think a lot of kids (i.e. the audience that actually makes a typical LEGO theme profitable) will be all that concerned about a gap above the shoulders. Also, do we know for a fact that the cockpits can't hold normal figures? I don't remember that being explicitly mentioned in any of the reviews, whereas Front explicitly said two pages ago that they do fit. So that assumption seems to be dead in the water.

I wonder if that gap could have been reduced somewhat if the heroes had used Ninjago skeleton torsos instead of the Castle variety. Ninjago skeleton torsos were designed with the shoulder joints somewhat lower and the torso itself somewhat thicker specifically so they would be compatible with the same torso armor as classic minifigures. Truth be told, I was somewhat surprised when I first realized that the minifigures WEREN'T using the Ninjago skeleton torsos, though I think they end up looking alright with the older variety.

I think all four are fairly nice concepts. The first one's left arm is a bit ridiculously long, but otherwise I think it looks excellent. Very vibrant, and the two-cockpit design is brilliant. The second one is less visually interesting since it doesn't have so many bright colors, but it's a nice, complex design that makes up for the boring design of Stormer Freeze Machine. Although you claim it's awkward to pose, it looks excellent in all of your photos. The third one is a bit disjointed, but overall it looks quite nice. I can see why it'd be awkward to pose though. I guess this somewhat explains why Splitter Beast has those friction joints. The final one, which I take it was too big for your normal photo space, actually doesn't bother me a whole lot aesthetically (in fact it's quite a brilliant concept for how simple it is), but the structural flaw you point out is a serious issue. I think that Evo XL Machine's swiveling waist probably should have been designed with more friction to begin with, perhaps using a ball joint in a similar fashion to the classic Toa Kaita Akamai. What's interesting to me is that the combination models have been returned to the instruction booklets! This was not something I would have expected at all, since they're not advertised at all on the packaging.

That paw piece makes a much better hand when the Exo-Force robot arms are not used on their own as the fingers. This MOC by Christoffer Raundahl used Barraki eyes in white (they also now exist in Silver Metallic/Flat Silver thanks to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme), and the CHI Laval and CHI Worriz sets from Legends of Chima used some spike pieces originally from the Atlantis theme as claws, which worked quite well. I think the look of that arm could also have been improved by using a 4M beam instead of a 3M beam for the forearm. That'd give it the same proportions as the lower arms of Ogrum, Evo XL Machine, CHI Worriz, and CHI Laval, which end up looking better aesthetically even if they don't actually have an articulated wrist. Overall, this is one of my least favorite of the machines as well. The torso design just doesn't feel as formidable as that of the other three machines. The bulk of the paw piece used to cover the crotch just cuts off abruptly for the rest of the torso design, and doesn't fit very close to the torso anyhow.

Personally, I think this set is quite nicely designed. There are some drawbacks like the lack of articulation in the legs, but overall I think most of them are worthwhile for the sake of such an original and beefy design. One thing I don't like about this set is how Evo's feet just sort of dangle. I much prefer how Furno Jet Machine and Rocka Stealth Machine use a simple shell to cover the mini-robot's feet. Then again, I'm not sure how easily that could be done in this set, what with the swiveling waist. Regarding the question of "Would it have been too much to ask to get a larger villain with this set?", the answer is of course "yes". That would have required at least bumping the price up to $35, I'm sure, and while there have been plenty of Hero Factory sets at that price point, I generally would prefer to get a larger overall model at that kind of scale versus what would probably be a rather mundane opponent to face off against the already impressive Evo XL machine. If you want a larger opponent for this set, buy a Jaw Beast — your total expense will end up being about the same. I'm surprised that when you were calling out new parts you didn't mention the hand/paw piece, which is new in Titanium Metallic. Or the 5M Bright Yellow shells, which only come in this set and Evo Walker.

Great set. Breez's new helmet is not the best, but it's not the worst either. I think it suggests her classic helmet enough to be effective. As for her lack of a mech, I imagine the reason was to keep the total element count for the first wave down — after all, this way, no Bright Yellowish Green shells or beams need to be kept in production, and there is no need for an additional printed shell. In any case, it shouldn't be hard at all for MOCists to cook up something suitable. I don't think Flyer Beast's asymmetry really hurts him much at all. The size of his claw helps make up for the shorter arm (though a longer arm would still have been nice — a black 3M beam for his lower arm would have been more than sufficient), and the printed shell isn't so inconsistent with the unprinted one on the other leg that it really throws off the balance of detail. I think the wings are also very effective. Despite comparisons to the wings of the Batman constraction set, these are MUCH better since they have an additional joint and don't have such a terribly huge gap between the two "fingers". Those tail pieces are always a nice piece to have and they are very consistent with the aesthetic of the beasts. I don't think the cost of the medium-sized sets is getting too high either. It IS higher than it was last year, but keep in mind that medium-sized constraction sets like this have been the same price for five years, and that in terms of piece count these are larger and more complicated than any of those. Flyer Beast vs. Breez has 91 pieces — even if you subtract the nine pieces for the mini-robot, Flyer Beast still has 10% more pieces than any BIONICLE canister sets or medium-sized Hero Factory sets have ever had. These sets' piece counts even greatly surpass those of the Chima and Super Heroes constraction sets, which were priced exactly the same ($14.99). Beyond that, I like that the prices are all in multiples of $5 now, so it's a little easier to compare their contents. Splitter Beast is equivalent in price to two Jaw Beasts, Furno Jet Machine is equivalent in price to one and a half Evo Walkers, and Evo XL Machine is equivalent in price to two and a half Evo Walkers or an Evo Walker and a Furno Jet Machine. I hope this pricing scheme sticks around for several years to come.

Good review. I do notice you called out the fire sword as a new piece, though, and it's not actually new — it's identical to Kai's elemental fire blade from the Ninjago sets 70500 Kai's Fire Mech and 70505 Temple of Light, minus the handle. Overall, Splitter Beast does not seem quite as impressive as early pics made him seem, but at the same time, the combined form is still quite nice, and he's a fantastic parts pack. The fact that the feet can be combined is awesome, though you would want to space them out a bit more if you wanted to take advantage of both ball cups. Thankfully, there's nothing stopping you from doing this. Beyond that, it's nice to just have some great new feet, particularly since they don't on their own have obtrusive protruding heels. I'm fairly confident the decision to use Evo again in this set is ultimately because the designers plan to keep the other four heroes — Stringer, Surge, Bulk, and Nex — exclusive to the summer wave.