Hero Factory 2012

[Bfahome]

XT4... is asymmetrical in the way his limbs are used? That's... weird, but refreshingly inventive.

Wait, how?

[Dorek]

It looked more like his front limb was on a mid piece, as appears on the torso or that Waspix/Toxic Reapa page, but it really might just be two ball joints. That's sad day.

[Masta' Blasta']

Stormer XL: I've purchased all of the "titan" sets except for Rocka XL (Frankly, I thought the set looked stupid), but Stormer looks wonderful. The only other set I own with white as the main color is Witch Doctor, so I could sure use some more white for MOCs. Getting it.

Stringer: Trans. Blue... Plus, I need some more black shells. Getting it.

Speeda Demon: Lime. Purple. Gold. Yay. Might get it.

Core Hunter: EXCELLENT! I'm pretty sure the white hero core was only placed there so they wouldn't lose it (I mean, they come in every set). The mask is the only part I'm unsure about, since it's hard to make out in every picture I've seen. Getting it.

Breez: Still not available in the U.S., I'm not happy that I have to wait until the Summer wave. >_> Might not get it.

Thornraxx: Same as above, as far as the release date. This set is awesome... I'll probably get it.

Voltix: Ow, my eyes. I'll probably get him because he's a titan and comes with interesting parts, if anything. I'll probably get it.

Bulk: Not much to say. Probably getting it.

Nex: Ew, wish I had gotten his 3.0 form. Not getting.

XT4: Cheap bones. Probably getting.

Good wave.

[MakutaDreadscythe]

Nex: Ew, wish I had gotten his 3.0 form. Not getting.

Pretty much sums it up.

Edited February 12, 2012 by MakutaDreadscythe

[MakutaNocturn]

As I said before, Core Hunter looks like Megatron to me XD Stormer is like from Gears of Wars. XT4 is good for revamps and MOCs. As a set it looks poor. And the best.

Bulk looks like Arnold Shwarzenegger XD Or Stallone XDD Lol.

BTW: Why our Core Hunty has got a Core on the knee? Wha da... ?

[Zwen]

Because all the sets contains one hero core for the codes. So, when they built the villains they just put it there...

[Masta' Blasta']

*Snip*

Pretty much sums it up.

"BOTH OF MY ARMS ARE GUNS!"

That sure does sum it up.

[MakutaNocturn]

Because all the sets contains one hero core for the codes. So, when they built the villains they just put it there...

But why on the knee? Not torso?

[MakutaDreadscythe]

But why on the knee? Not torso?

Because Core Hunter's torso pegs are already used up by the Superhero/Black Phantom chest armour piece.

[nuparu51]

Am I the only one who likes Nex? Sure, I would prefer a orange torso, but aside from that it's still an okay set. I'll probably get him, Stringer, Core Hunter (x2), and (maybe) Stormer.

[Aanchir]

Toy Fair was amazing, and all the Hero Factory sets looked fantastic in the flesh. Err... plastic.

Pics are forthcoming, but let me confirm one thing that the previous pics don't appear to have confirmed: XT4 does have a new, smaller torso beam.

[Mesonak]

Nope, you're not alone. I think Nex is a fairly good set. On par with Evo and Stringer while being slightly superior to Surge. At least, in my opinion. Currently the only two downsides in my eyes are the white torso (which is far less of a problem due to the orange printing), and the fact that he lacks a hand joint. Other than that, a fairly solid set.

[Masta' Blasta']

Am I the only one who likes Nex? Sure, I would prefer a orange torso, but aside from that it's still an okay set. I'll probably get him, Stringer, Core Hunter (x2), and (maybe) Stormer.

I don't like his helmet, his color scheme, or his weapon. Not to mention the fact that he has no hands.

[Vinyl Scratch]

Voltix: Ow, my eyes. I'll probably get him because he's a titan and comes with interesting parts, if anything. I'll probably get it.

Voltix.

Titan.

wat.

In the light of these ToyFair pictures, I will gladly say that XT4 sucks IMO. But it's a good parts pack.

Voltix, eh, I want to see if you can change the direction of the lightning bolts-ears.

Otherwise my opinions in this wave remain the same.

[MakutaDreadscythe]

Not to mention the fact that he has no hands.

Again..."BOTH OF MY ARMS ARE GUNS!!!"

[dviddy]

I like that Nex has a white torso. He originally had a white torso, and the consistency is nice.

[Dorek]

I like that Nex has a white torso. He originally had a white torso, and the consistency is nice.

By that logic, Furno originally had a silver torso, and is thusly no longer consistent. It's good to see his original color scheme to show up, yeah, but I'm starting to think he would have benefited from an orange torso.

[Jouster]

I can finally tell you all my opinion on the sets. *ahem*

Stringer: I do like the trans-blue chest but..It doesn't really fit with the rest. Although , it does look cool on Stringer. Especially because the color scheme is black and light blue. I will probably get him because he's pretty cool.

Bulk: He does look a lot better. He is kinda generic though. Nothing too special. Also, I love the design on his chest. Really,really cool. (and it fits with the color scheme because the gear-esque design is gold.)

Nex: I like him. A lot. I also love the Techno-computer-esque design on his chest. What I really dislike is the lack of hands.

Stormer: He's a good titan set but I really dislike the price. 25$ for 90 pieces? Not worth it in my opinion. Again, I like the printed pieces. I also dislike the fact that he re-uses Hulk's body design. (It looks like he does.) I also spy some nifty new molds.

Voltix: The color scheme is kinda messy but I still like him. A must get if you are a MOCcist like I am. The re-use of the Black Phantom's helmet is kinda boring.

Core Hunter: Just like Bulk, he is generic. Nothing too special. BUT! He has an awesome helmet. I really dig the creepy spider goggles/eyes stuff.

XT4: What is this piece of junk? Is this even a set? It's pretty horrible if you ask me. Although the body design is pretty interesting.

Speeda Demon: Cool set. I really like it, although it makes me think of Furno's bike a bit too much. Also, the re-usage of Black Phantom's helmet is...annoying. Well, it's in lime so I guess that's a plus. Also, MEDIUM LILAC SKRALL/VOROX ARMOR PIECE! YES!

Edited February 12, 2012 by Jouster

[Zwen]

I found Nex very interesting, despite of his size. HE is not a "Deluxe Edition Hero", and it would be good to see him with a full upgrade like Brezz or Rocka. But is OK, I hope they change his helmet into a more aesthetic one...

[Bfahome]

By that logic, Furno originally had a silver torso, and is thusly no longer consistent. It's good to see his original color scheme to show up, yeah, but I'm starting to think he would have benefited from an orange torso.

Yeah, this.

He may have had a white torso before, but it was a secondary color with orange on top. The all-white is a bit too contrasting for my taste.

[vexorian]

XT4 is meant to look like be a piece of junk. It also seems to be the sort of set that needs the correct pose and didn't get it during the fair. My complaint would be the face mold, it looks like it has lips. But then again Core Hunter has the same facial issue.

[Dorek]

I actually like XT4, dunno why he's getting a bad rep when the horribly generic Core Hunter is getting the love, but ah well. The new torso piece he has makes me excited, and I think he'll just be a quirky set that will eventually endear himself to people. (also he was built with his Hero Core lawl)

[Masta' Blasta']

Voltix.

Titan.

wat.

Is he not Fire Lord sized?

[Mesonak]

No, Voltix is the same size as the other $12.99 villains and heroes.

*yawn*

Well, now that we finally have reached the end of the rope in regards to pictures, and have seen all the sets from (most) angles, I think I can finally round up the sets and give judgement on the wave in general.

Nex - Despite my initial thoughts from the prelims, he's turned out to be a very solid set. I enjoy his weapons while others do not, and I enjoy his orange and white color scheme which harkens back to his 2.0 form. The helmet, like Evo's, is a faithful recreation which I enjoy immensely, and the torso printing makes his white torso much less glaring. My only major complaint is hardly major at all, considering how easily fixable it is; his lack of a hand joint holding his gun. I believe this marks the first HF set which has not had at least one hand joint. Kind of disappointing. But a good set overall. Nothing extraordinary, but vastly under-rated by many.

XT4 - Speaking of under-rated by many, I think this guy beats out Nex in that category. A set with pieces galore, a strict three-color scheme, with a plethora of interesting design choices and very inventive weapons. I can't find anything to complain about with this guy (unlike some) except his head design. I'm not impressed by that. Other than that, he's fairly good.

Stringer - Quite outstanding, though not without his share of flaws. To address the obvious, OMG TRANS-BLUE CHEST WANT

...

Now then, now that's out of the way. Stringer's "gun-guitar" is possibly one of the coolest weapons I've seen yet, and his seeminly unique shoulder armor definitely gives the set some points. Add onto the fact that the color layering is nice and balanced, and I can't really find... well, anything to complain about. Being a large Stringer fan, I'm glad this version of him has managed to live up to the others. I have but one flaw, and that is that I wish his normal cladding matched up with his torso armor in terms of coloration.

Voltix - He's interesting, to say the least. At first glance, I would write the figure off as trash except for the three glorious purple pieces. But upon closer inspection, he isn't all that bad - His color scheme, bar several accents colors, keeps it down to a three-color minimum, and if you look at it that way, really isn't terrible. I love the lightning pieces shooting out of his head, and he does have a certain charm with him. I doubt I'll get him, though.

Bulk - Very nice. His design is solid, the cannon's good, the bulky shoulderpads definitely help his character. But the color scheme is a major detriment; far too many colors clash, leaving silver, his dominant color, to only be featured in several pieces. Regardless, the actual design of the set is good.

Core Hunter - Fantastic. Still hard to make out details, but Nuremberg gave me a great hint to how he will actually be built. The pieces are excellent, his armor layering and color arrangement makes for a very good aesthetic vibe, and he looks very bulky and imposing, which is a good thing. Can't wait to get him.

Stormer XL - ....And unlike most, my positive opinions ground to a halt when I look at this guy. Overly simple design, lack of interesting pieces, mediocre printing on only one leg, ugly, off-setting feet, stubby arms, etc. I suppose the design is... inventive... (at least in the torso), and some pieces are nice... but I fin liking this set very difficult. Couple the piece count with the (as predicted) $25 price tag? No thanks.

Speeda Demon - Very good looking set. Solidly constructed, with a plethora of recolors and an interesting (though familiar) build. The problem? $35. I get that Witch Doctor was priced at $35 at.. Target... (I don't recall him being that price anywhere else, at least when I bought him), but with him, it was excusable, considering his piece count. With this guy? ...I'm not impressed. Will be skipping unless on sale.

Overall this wave is good, though I feel the larger sets are disappointments and the wave itself does not live up to the caliber of sets produced in the winter wave. Looking forward to (ironically) Breez and Thornraxx the most out of all the "summer" sets.

Edited February 12, 2012 by Mesonak

[Cirkit]

My thoughts on the new pics:

Stormer XL: He looks better than before. I was hoping those shoulder shells would be trans-blue.. but they still look good. Color scheme's consistant, and I love the decaled armor. Nothing too wild, and he's got some going on his leg too, nice! And, I really like those feet. Definitely a set to pick up.

Stringer: I have grown fond of the black-and-blue combo, unfortunately they are the same colors most villains end up after going toe-to-toe with him. The trans-blue cladding is excellent, I can already think of a few good uses for it, and the new 'speaker' shoulder armor. I am interested in seeing how the guitar-gun is constructed. Another buy for me.

Bulk: He's got guns on his arm, and missiles on his shoulders.. the ultimate equipped walking tank. The colors put me off a little, but at least enough silver is kept to make him familiar to his older form. The Gear-printing on his torso armor is awesome, very fitting to the character. If I pick up the set, I will be going back and adding more silver somehow.

Nex: Both of my arms are GUNS!!

Yeah, that about sums him up. I still think the torso should be orange with white print instead of what he's got now. The helmet looks too closed, the spot between the bottom of the eyes and the top of the mouth guard should be open, it would look a little better to me.

I probably will wait to pick him up when he goes on sale.

Speeda Demon: I think he looks exciting.. on the box. The massive amount of lilac on the bike is excellent, and it looks great with that gold. It also appears our rider can actually steer the bike, as opposed to Furno..!! Demon himself looks good, a little bland though. The gold and green with red eyes looks an interesting combo, and I'm loving those swords. I need a proper view of his torso, because I think he has a new shoulder pad piece for chest armor, but I can't be sure. I am actually getting used to Demon's full name (I tried it out in a 'villain' voice while riding my own bike.. it was fun! ), and I think he'll be one to pick up.

Voltix: MOAR PURPLE LILAC!!

He's got some interesting things color-wise going on. The blue and red tubes, the electricity going up from blue to yellow on his head and back, the dark grey and red armor on the legs, and that Lilac.. I wouldn't have thought that it would all work together so well without being overpowering, but it does! I really, really hope he's got a true yellow head instead of yellow-green though, it would add to the electric feel more so.

Definitely my favorite villain of this wave, and one of my favorite sets of the Breakout. Will definitely pick him up.

Core Hunter: Fierce. Still can't tell what's going on with the head, though it looks sort of like Bane's mask from Batman.. just a little. Colors are excellent, very consistent, though I wish he didn't use a green Zamor.. perhaps maybe a yellow one would work better.. or red marbled. Lots of recolored cladding too.. :D Another definite pick up.

XT4 (XT4): New Torso, or old pieces on a beam? I tried to replicate it with two Waspix ball parts and a random beam.. but it didn't turn out right. Not much going on here, but there's loads of bones and a big blade for a cheap price. So.. yeah, awesome.

I'm not going over Breez or Thornraxx, because, well.. we've already seen them. Besides, the others wouldn't stand a chance against those two. Hands down, they're the best two of the wave.

Cirki-GUNS!!