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Review: XSZ General Grievous Clone brands aren't usually very creative. Most will simply copy an official Lego design, others will create lackluster custom designs. But sometimes, there are diamonds in the rough. XSZ, a Chinese brand, usually make duplicates of official Hero Factory figures, but they also produce some custom CCBS designs, including those fascinating Ninjago Ultrabuilds. But what I recently purchased from them is something a lot of you may recognise from a CUUSOO project of old; A figure of Star Wars character General Grievous. In light of Lego's official Grievous figure's reveal, lets take a look at this other company's take on the four armed frenzy. Packaging Yep. A zip lock bag. I ordered two copies of the set (for reasons I'll discuss later), and they both came bagged up like this. However, I did choose to buy them without the boxes, as doing so cut down packaging costs to the point where postage was free. But, this restrained packaging did cause some issues. Parts Parts are where this kit really shine. As you can see, there is a plethora of CCBS bones, Technic parts and more. But what will catch most people's eyes is those tan shells. The tan does indeed match Lego's shade very well. However, brief warning about XSZ's shells - the peg holes on these are tighter than on Lego's, so softer pegs like those found on armour addons will get worn down when used in them. I'd only use harder plastic things, like T-Bars and older spike pieces, with these. Also, as you can see, the cape is severely creased. This is due to the restrained packaging. It's easy to fix, but terribly annoying either way. The torso and chestplate are fascinating. I'm not sure whether the tan details are painted or printed, but they really do look the business. While the chestplate's pegs are a little loose, it's still invaluable to have such a generically styled print. The head is probably the only major let down with this set. While the mold is great, the prints and sad eyes make for a very weird face to give to a villainous four armed warrior. However, there's an upside - the head connects to the model using a dark bley Glatorian head piece, which is absolutely fascinating and could serve to be very useful for many builders. Also very peculiar, these friction joints... Without the friction. While XSZ's sockets are pretty damn strong anyway, they still included a pair of these with this model. They're the same as Lego's... Just without the little rubber nubbin on the inside. Very odd indeed. Build Ignoring his worrisome face, Grievous looks very imposing, and is actually a lot of fun to build. The arms are well laid out, and give plenty of room for Grievous to swing his lightsabers (which are simply solid plastic dowels) around. The torso prints really shine when assembled with everything else, although I do feel like the gunmetal is a tad unnecessary. The legs are standard, but do the job of capturing Grievous's gait very well. From the back, Grievous is largely obscured by his big red cape. This thing is made from a very similar material to that of the older minifigure capes, but with one plushier side on the outside. The creasing caused by the packaging could likely be ironed out. Apologies for the haphazard photography here, but I just wanted to show off how Grievous's body is put together. The upper set of arms connect to this XT4 torso, and the cape is pegged on to two Technic connectors near the neckball of said piece. This works beautifully, and is also a nice, cheeky way of getting another XT4 torso to add to your collection. Other notes As I mentioned earlier, XSZ's socket joints are very sturdy - sturdier in fact than Lego's. There is a downside though: XSZ joints can only pivot to around 90 degrees in a hinge joint. However, using a Lego bone in an XSZ hinge is just as normal. The plastic quality is absolutely fine, although the bone pieces are more matte in texture that Lego's, and the Technic pins and axles are a lot more lightweight than Lego's. Again as mentioned, the peg holes in the shell pieces are much tighter than Lego's so it might be dangerous to use official armour addons with them. Pros and Cons Pros: Fun build Tan CCBS Great selection of parts Lovely cape Good looking, vibrant lightsabers Unique prints on the torso and chestplate Cons: The head is disappointing The capes are likely to come creased The lighsabers wobble somewhat The upper arms don't quite have as much motion as you might like So, does this General Grievous tantalise your taste for tan? Or will you be waiting for Lego's official kit, coming out this summer? Either way, you can find this set on AliExpress, with free P&P. I'd say that this is worth buying two of, so as to get lots of that amazing tan, but even one of these guys is still a grand selection of goodies to add to your CCBS collection.
