by Lando Da Pimp If asked to describe the new LEGO line Exo-Force I would say that they are a combination of Bionicle and Alpha Team sets. Recreating an anime style of LEGOs provides unique new creations of LEGOs. Anime LEGO fans will love this line while LEGO purists will despise them for lack of bricks. My preference on these sets are somewhere in between the purists and Anime fans. While I love the older LEGO sets I can't help but be pleased of the new colors, pieces, and creations that are consistently released, providing if nothing else room for more creativity. That being said I have an open mind that not all LEGO lines are for me and that change can be a good thing. I don't care too much for the Bionicle line, but I loved the Alpha Team sets. I review the sets based on what I like about them but what can make them better. Thunder Fury is a very intimidating looking mech armed to the max. On the right arm is a giant machine gun that rotates around but is prevented from making a full 360-degree rotation because of the clear tube that connects to the body.
On the left arm is a giant razorblade chain saw. In the middle of the robot is the cockpit with a robot mini-figure above a massive machine gun. The set is about 7 1/2 tall and is 197 pieces including a robot mini-figure. If you also purchase set 7703 Fire Vulture you can build a giant Battle Machine. When I first looked at this set all I could think about is how much the Sonic Phantom resembles a Pod Racer from Star Wars Episode I. I also feel that it doesn't fit in with the rest of the sets. The look of the Phantom is very different to me than the sets I have seen so far. Even with that the set is still a fun build and is easily customizable to be a POD racer. The Sonic Phantom is powered by two large nuclear engines in front with an engine on either side of the vehicle. The Phantom is armed with a light up laser canon and a working missile launcher on the bottom of the vehicle. On either side are rotating laser guns that rotate on the nuclear engines. The piece count is 215 including a robot mini-figure.
Gate Assault is a battle set recreating the humans keeping the robots from breaching the gate. The only problem is what is the gate protecting? Why don't the robots just go around the side? Gate Assault is packed with two smaller MECH robots, battle tank, and of course the gate. The two MECH robots are a smaller than the Thunder Fury set. The white MECH is a human bot while the red is the Robot, uh, bot. (Yes, I am aware I put a human into the robot Mech) They are also armed with multiple weapons including missiles and machine guns. This set also comes with two human mini-figures, and based on discussions I had with fans are now causing an up-roar from LEGO purists. The hair of the mini-figures, are not a hard plastic but a soft rubber. I do like the smaller mechs, however I was really disappointed with the battle tank and gate. The gate is also not a gate but a gate entrance. The gate is very simple and really isn't protecting anything. I did make the suggestion to LEGO for a cool fortress that the gate protects.
When the gate opens it hits a lever that launches a missile from the launcher. On top of the gate are missiles and guns that protect the battle tank from entering the gate. This set has 402 piece count. I really like the idea of LEGO MECH robots however I think that the MECHs could use more design tweaking. As I stated earlier the back of all the robots are ignored leaving them flat and not real 3-dimensional. LEGO purists will not like the mini-figures' hair while LEGO customizers will love them. I can easily see how a person can use the red anime hair to create a Syndrome (The Incredibles) customized mini-figure. I have also noticed lately that a lot of LEGO sets are not fully armed with massive weapons. This helped sell me on Exo-Force. However it is time to stop with the stickers. I am not a fan of the stickers and would very much be relieved if I didn't have to stick them on LEGO pieces. All three sets have a large amount of stickers that need to be placed. Exo-Force is definitely not everybody's cup of tea.
I enjoyed the Mech robots and will be looking to pick up additional sets. And swing by our collected LEGO coverage . All characters and likenesses are copyright their respective owners. This is my own story linking the Throwbots and the RoboRiders. deliberately ignores much or all of the "canonical" storyline. The BIOlogical chroNICLE, Lego's big thrust into the action figure market. And lots of other markets. Year One: Toa versus Rahi Lego in a can! Six Technic motorcycles built on the same sort of themes as Three Throwbots merge to form the Super Throwbot Fusion. Blaster, practically a Super Throwbot in his own right. Each is sold separately. Known as the Millennium Slizer outside the U.S., it was renamed simply Millennia of the Throwbots when released here. Millennia is a standard size Throwbot with a big motorcycle, and you can build a 7" tall Throwbot byClick HERE for a review. This isn't the official designation, but I felt I needed something to call
Team Blue is composed of Ski, Scuba, Torch and Turbo, and they make up the humanoid Super Throwbot. Team Black is composed of Amazon, Jet, Electro and Granite, who merge to form the Dragon Super Throwbot. According to the Lego® homepage, Granite's alt mode is...a fake rock. UPDATE 10/11: Adrian Schneider points out that Electro's transformed mode could be interpreted as a lightning bolt, being that it's a sort of zigzag. A short piece comparing the Throwbots to various Trigrams and Hexagrams of the I Ching, or Book of Changes from Taoism. I've gotten a German Lego® catalog from Raksha, and it lists the European names for the Slizers (which is what Throwbots are called everywhere but North America). It also gives some backstory: in another Solar System is a planet divided into seven wedge-shaped "continents," each with radically different environments. At the north pole of this world is a capital city and/or judgment arena.