"REVIEW" 7160 DROP SHIP

[Front]

As the Eurobricks staff decided to have a Hero Factory month, I thought I should add a little to the focus on the action figure part of EuroBricks. As a Eurobricks member, big AFOL, and Part Designer at LEGO in Billund, mainly working in the action figure products, I find it pretty cool that we should have a Hero Factory month. After all action figures are not the hottest thing among AFOL, so the month come as a bit of a surprise to me.

So what is up with Hero Factory ? Well it is the successor to Bionicle, which more or less has defined the buildable action figure toy market since it was introduced in 2001. Hero Factory has kicked off this summer with a website with a lot of new stuff like a "radio channel", a "Call Center" and the usual movies, product descriptions etc.

Short movies are also being shown on TV in varies countries, to build the Hero Factory universe as a strong new product. I think we are so succesful with this new line that it might even continue into 2011

Now what is the highest prize point product of Hero Factory in 2010 ? It's the DROP SHIP, 7160, a Technic based aircraft which fit an action figure the size of the six heroes inside the cockpit.

7160 DROP SHIP

2nd half 2010 release.

50 $ set.

Brickset link:

7160 on Brickset

Bricklink:

7160 on Bricklink

I'm not really sure what the name of the blue guy in the yellow dropship is, but I made a red dropship for the hero named Furno to fly around in. By stripping a few Technic sets for panels, this is possible.

The DROP SHIP features the new silver colour (# 315). The red one I built features the "old silver", named "Pearl Light Gray" on Bricklink. Let me tell you that the new silver # 315 is darker, but more importantly looks much more like metal than the old Pearl

Light Gray. As always a bit of difference in appearance of the colours should be expected depending on the material it is made in. But I see the new colour # 315 and the darker metallic # 316 as a big improvement in the colour palette. In fact I regard #316 as the coolest LEGO colour in the current lineup.

The building of the DROPSHIP is pretty straight forward, but as with a lot of Technic building, it's pretty hard to see what you are building when you start putting the pieces together. In fact I think it's one of the cooler things about building Technic, compared to System, where it's pretty obvious straight away what you're working on.

Furno and the "blue" guy ready for take off.

Hope you like my pictures of the DROPSHIPS.

Front aka Erland

Edited September 19, 2010 by Front

[Mrlegoninja]

It looked good before and it still looks good in these pictures.

I will probably buy it.

[prateek]

Thanks Erland! I like this set, and it's really detailed too.

[cryoshell]

...has the dropship only one blaster? O.o

or on both sides?

[Front]

...has the dropship only one blaster? O.o

or on both sides?

No, it only has one. If you look at the second picture you can actually see that my yellow ship is missing the laser-cannon (black cross axle with red light saber at the end) on the left side. It must have fallen of before I took the pictures today, and I only noticed afterwards.

[Brickthing]

Thanks for this semi-review, it's good to see that the Drop Ship doesn't look lacking without stickers.

I never realized that the Drop Ship only had one blaster. Other vehicles in the past have been very generous with those blasters, so is there a design reason for why there is only one? I always prefer when the vehicles are symmetrical, to cater for left and right-handed people (unlike the Rockoh T3).

The Red Drop Ship looks great - someone built a Red Jetrax in a similar manner some time ago. The ship might be better suited for a different coloured Hero though - Furno doesn't stand out very well with Red on Red.

[Extreme Sadness.]

That settles things:

I am getting this set as soon as possible.

BTW, good job on the recolor for Furno.

-ES

[Front]

One thing I completely forgot to mention is the functions of the set. The Midak-SKy-blaster can surely shoot, and it is using four Zamor spheres in the new color # 315. The more important function is the drop-function, the ship has a nice handle with which you can swoosh it around. At that handle that when pulled will allow the ship to pick up a Hero-can underneath the ship. The two grabbing arm has small rubber beams with two cross holes that secure the transport of the can even when flying rapidly through the air.

Here is that rubber beam:

2-M Rubber Beam with cross holes

btw. here is the link o the drop ship at Bricklink:

7160 on Bricklink

Apart from grabbing a can, the lever will also move the entire wing assemblies of the ship a bit upward.

[Front]

Thanks for this semi-review, it's good to see that the Drop Ship doesn't look lacking without stickers.

Yeah, completely forgot to talk about stickers. But there is so many things I did not include in this "review", that it barely deserves that designation. Btw. you will not see any stickers from us in the near future

I never realized that the Drop Ship only had one blaster. Other vehicles in the past have been very generous with those blasters, so is there a design reason for why there is only one? I always prefer when the vehicles are symmetrical, to cater for left and right-handed people (unlike the Rockoh T3).

When you fly with the aircraft you hold it with one hand, and can only fire a single blaster. The blaster is on the left, meaning that holding the aircraft with the right hand, you pull the trigger with the left. For left hand people the blaster can be moved to the right side of the aircraft, but it's not shown in the instructions. Things like that is probably too difficult to explain in instructions, when you can't use words and only pictures.

The Red Drop Ship looks great - someone built a Red Jetrax in a similar manner some time ago. The ship might be better suited for a different coloured Hero though - Furno doesn't stand out very well with Red on Red.

I actually like a pilot that fit the colours of the aircraft. But your point is what the marketing people or designers at Bionicle/Hero Factory seems to think as well

[Brickus]

Thanks for the review, I already have this set and it is really good probably one of the best HF sets.

[JunkstyleGio]

To stirr up an old thread:

Does anyone know what the black "thingy" is that is shown to demonstrate the dropping/pickup action in the picture below?

[Aethersprite]

To stirr up an old thread:

Does anyone know what the black "thingy" is that is shown to demonstrate the dropping/pickup action in the picture below?

That would be a hero canister.

[JunkstyleGio]

And what is a Hero canister?

(Sorry, but I'm into Technic but a total NOOB in this kinds of sets..)

[Bricks2000]

And what is a Hero canister?

(Sorry, but I'm into Technic but a total NOOB in this kinds of sets..)

What is a Hero canister? It's the packaging of Hero sets.

[Brickthing]

What is a Hero canister? It's the packaging of Hero sets.

More specifically, it's the box that the six small $7.99 Heroes of each Hero Factory wave come packaged in, with the stickers/box art removed. The main 6 BIONICLE/Hero Factory sets (almost) always come in canisters rather than cardboard boxes, to serve as a place to return each action figure for storage.

The Hero Factory canisters are referred to in the storyline as "Hero Pods", which Heroes use to get to their missions on various planets. This Dropship set is meant to fly a Hero Pod and the Hero inside to their mission destination, and then drop them into the battlefield.

[JunkstyleGio]

Thanks! That was a answer I was looking for!

[CabooseBM]

What is a Hero canister?

A miserable pile of secrets!

[TheSpinjitzuStud]

Nice Semi-Review!

[Logan McOwen]

I hate to necro a thread, but this set is just so incredibly appealing. I don't really own sufficient Technic to replicate it, so I guess I just gotta sit here and dream.