Hello everyone,

It is a great honour to have this exclusive opportunity for me to review this upcoming most exciting new very own LEGO theme known as the Legends of Chima. Special thanks to TLG (The LEGO Group) and Eurobricks Staff for providing me a special chance to bring up this coverage for our Eurobricks Community as well as the entire LEGO Community. Without further ado, let me share with you on the latest insight of this brand new set.

Name: 70003 Eris' Eagle Interceptor

Theme: LEGO System / Legends Of Chima

Year: 2013

Pieces: 348

Minifigs: 3 minifigures

Price: USD $34.99, GBP N.A, EURO N.A, SGD $59.90

Resources: Brickset, BrickLink

An original box image of the 70003 Eris' Eagle Interceptor

Back view of the original box image of the 70003 Eris' Eagle Interceptor

A closer look at the illustrated official action scenes

More illustrated official action scenes

Just by seeing the back of the box with the supporting images above, it shows us and touch on the different playability approaches that it is capable of doing such as the flapping of wings, opening of the rear storage area, dismantle of aircraft separation, flick missiles, etc. Every bit of it simply adds more fun through the playing mechanism. Can't wait to show all of you on what this set is fully capable of.

The Eagle's Tribe first line of aerial defence

Ah ha, the Eagle Interceptor and it is actually one of my favourite set for this current release of the first wave of products. It is certainly the pride of the Eagle's Tribe to demonstrate its aerial supremacy in the Chima universe. Little background information is given behind the Legends Of Chima theme at this moment and we only have this teaser from TLG to tease us further. In a nutshell, it will be a conflict between six tribes which is likely to compromise of three good (Eagles, Gorillas, Lions) and three bad (Crocodiles, Ravens, Wolves). It will be one of the biggest launch of LEGO own theme without the usage of Licensed themes to be part of their product range. I believe it will be a huge campaign, if not bigger than the LEGO Ninjago launch campaign since 2011. I think there might be a cartoon series similar to Ninjago which might involve this theme to tell a story through this approach. This method will be very effective for children to be able to associate these sets with better comparison with the story and the sets together.

The content of the sealed box

Within the sealed box, it comes with 3 mint numbered packages, a sticker sheet and an instruction manual to build up the set. After the building is completed, these are the remaining spare parts in packet 1, packet 2 and packet 3.

The complete Legends Of Chima unique characters and tribes for the first wave

At the centre of the instruction manual, you will find this very comprehensive listing of the new Legends of Chima minifigures. It states the names of each unique character which can be found in the proper set(s). I do believe that there will be more new characters that will be introduced after the first wave of release.

Upcoming Legends Of Chima sets which will be released in the first wave

I do believe these sets are merely the tip of the iceberg and more Legends Of Chima sets will follow in subsequent waves by expanding and integrating into other mentioned animal tribes.

Creating more awareness and reaching out to LEGO fans

The new engaging experience of Speedorz and the LEGO website of Chima that will feature many interactive games and content, fans will also find out more about this new theme. I haven't checked the video link provided by the instruction manual yet but I do believe it will provide some insight to this new LEGO theme.

How should you begin building the set?

A simple illustration to show how you should start building the sets with some friendly reminder to facilitate better building experience. In this method, it helps to speed the building process but it actually takes away the fun of searching for the correct elements for the required steps among the pile of mixed bricks and parts. I do know some of the builders enjoy searching for it.

The building content of Packet 1

The completed built for Packet 1

After finished building the content of Packet 1, you will have the Eagle Interceptor's self-propelled cockpit, Raven's Glider and three minifigures in it. This pack is the highlight of what you are able to obtain for the minifigures assortment inclusive of weapons and the small aircraft designs.

A closer look at the official characters' images at the box image

The new Legends of Chima minifigures

As seen above, these are the three beautifully designed Legends Of Chima minifigures in this set. From left, the first Raven minifigure is known as Razar, followed by the Eagle minifigure known as Eris and the last Raven minifigure is Rizzo. The minifigures are extremely detailed. All of the minifigures have back printing on the torso and the head. I am particularly fond of the heads' designs with the print of the beak and its appearance. Then, take a moment to admire the front of the minifigures too.

Looking at the back view with the arch feathered armour on, you can see the magnificence of the spread of the wings. In this image, it shows a detailed view of the arch feathered wings which is the first of its kind. This is another image of a simple comparison of the minifigures with and without the attached armour.

Building up the minifigure for each of the mentioned tribes involves a decent amount of parts to form either one. It requires two of the clips to hold the feathered wings together by attaching both clips at the back of the chi-armour where I believe the source of the energy of 'chi' comes from to sustain their power. The helmet itself is special and it is easily recognised to be in the form of a bird species. This is a close up image on the two Ravens baddies.

The main weapons highlights

Both of them are wielding some hi-tech energised 'chi' weapons, which take the form of a sword that looks pretty much a combination of both sword and lightsaber together, while the other one took the form of a golden double-axe. These are the essential building parts to build up these weapons and the sword base and the axe head in particular are new.

The Raven's weapon blaster

This is certainly one giant weapon blaster which requires some bricks to build; this dark looking weapon is capable of blowing something big similar to a bazooka. This is the side view of the Raven's weapon blaster.

Razar's Raven Glider

I understand there are a few gliders being featured for the Raven's tribe and the 70000 Razcal's glider is one of such examples. However, this Razar's Raven Glider is definitely very different from the rest and it is exclusive to this set. Seeing the sleek design of the black glider, the first impression that it gave me is the potential capability of being able to pursuit its prey in top speed due to the lightweight of the aerial frame and the ability to make tough manoeuvres together with its dual-charged powered lasers to shoot down the enemies. This is not a glider that can be taken lightly.

Different view of the Raven's Glider

Top and rear view of the Raven's Glider

Off to pursuit the enemy

Eagle Interceptor's self-propelled cockpit

Doesn't this look very cool? It looks just exactly like an eagle head and it is very easy to identify. It is also similar to those kind of big eagle-looking sci-fi robots. This is actually similar like an escape pod but I do believe it has a much different and meaningful purpose since it is able to detach itself from the main aerial frame. It is able to self-propelled to either escape from the enemies pursuit by breaking apart or to disengage itself from the burning end of the aerial frame to ensure survivability of the pilot. It is really up to individual's imagination to decide the intended useful purpose of this cockpit.

Different view of the Eagle Interceptor's self-propelled cockpit

Eris is inside the self-propelled cockpit

You are able to place Eris into the cockpit nicely by removing both feathered wings. Later in the review, you will notice the placement of the feathers. Trust me, you won't place the feathers loosely by tossing it at the back of the storage area.

Evading enemies pursuit

The building content of Packet 2

The completed built for Packet 2

After opening the second packet, I have actually completed the built of the eagle interceptor's tail wing and the main aerial frame which consists of the storage area, engine compartment and the fuselage. The entire built for the packet 2 largely comprises of mixture of different shades of blue including dark, medium and azure, along with some white bricks to complement. The usage of blue is easy to associate with the good faction. It is a pretty good colour to begin with.

Different view of the Eagle Interceptor's main frame

Opening up the rear storage area

You are able to lift up the rear storage area hood with ease and you can also notice that there is a 'chi' crystal stored safely inside. I can't entirely be certain that it will be safe from the enemies' pursuit but it is definitely an obvious interest to them since I believe this 'chi' crystal is a source of power to their energy. This is merely a speculation on my part. I can't wait to find out what purpose do these crystals hold.

Can you see the forming of the shape of the eagle?

The building content of Packet 3

The completed built of the eagle's talons

Now we are almost finishing the entire built with the last remaining packet. The last packet focuses mainly on the distinct built of the eagle's talons and feathered wings. You notice the talons are fixed together to support the legs with armoured shins at the front. However, please note that the talons are easy to drop off due to lack of grip at the hinges. The grip is not very strong since the talons are meant to be adjusted freely. Therefore, when you start to play with this set, please be careful not to leave behind any of the talons in your playing area. It can be quite frustrating if you lose any of the talons since it won't be able to support the Eagle Interceptor firmly on the ground.

The rocket boosters are beneath the eagle's talons

This is the bottom of the eagle's talons, and are you surprised to see these rocket boosters? Actually, I am even pleased to note that these rocket boosters parts are printed. These printed parts are very neat and nicely done. It adds realism to see how the talons engage the source of taking off of the Eagle Interceptor through these powered rocket boosters.

The completed built of the eagle's wings

The eagle feathered wings are spread out nicely with four winged feathers on each side. The one nearer to the missile is azure blue while the rest are made up of medium navy blue. The winged feathers are soft and able to bend gently. It comes with decent weapon arsenal which is attached to both wings including flick missiles capability.

Eris is preparing the controls of the aircraft

The Eagle Interceptor is awaiting for clearance to take off

Opening up the rear storage area where the 'chi' crystal is safely kept away

Please note the pair of white feathered wings in minifigure's scale on the side of Eagle Interceptor wings. Eris's wings are attached to the side of the feathers of the aircraft.

Eris' Eagle Interceptor is on the correct plot of the journey

Eagle Interceptor taking some different poses

The Eagle Interceptor is incredibly amazing! It far exceeds my expectations and it looks really nice with its different poses. I can hardly believe that you are not only able to swoosh it around which I actually did, to re-ignite my playful childhood experience of swooshing aircraft around. This set rekindle such experience. Furthermore, it is very posable with the rotating wings, feathers and legs. Regardless of the Eagle Interceptor flying or being on the ground, it will look different depending on what you will choose to play with and that is a feature which I love the most.

Different views of the Eagle Interceptor

Enemies are closing in

Without the main frame, I will continue to evade further

To conclude, this set is totally amazing and the built is pretty simple and easy to follow. The experience is very engaging and it is fun to play with, even with the set on its own. It does not require other forms of integrations with other sets in order to bring out the playability. Instead, the features in this set allow a wide range of playability such as swooshing, posing and illustrating an aerial battle scene between the good and the bad. It comes with 3 extremely cool minifigures filled with tons of details that encompass from the top and bottom with the introduction of new minifigures accessories. Furthermore, this set provides a very good introductory sample on the new Legends Of Chima minifigures which also includes two rivalling tribes of the skies. All in all, I am loving this set and I applaud the TLG designer for doing such an excellent work to create this Eagle Interceptor.

My only two complaints are the possibility of its high price tag since it is targeted at USD$39.99 and it will likely cost double in many parts of the world with the low parts per cost ratio and the loose grip of the talons which are attached to the robotic legs.

Nonetheless, this is definitely an outstanding set, which I strongly recommend to any LEGO fans to start and see if you will enjoy this new theme.

Summary review

Playability: 10/10 (Very fun to swoosh them around with lots of interesting playing feature.)

Design: 9/10 (Design of the entire set is very pleasing and sleek. You are able to recognise the form of an eagle instantly.)

Price: 5/10 (The price is definitely on the high side with the low parts per cost ratio.)

Overall: 8/10 (Despite of its high price tag, the entire set definitely gives you the fun playing experience.)

I gave it a "5" based on my Review Score Card. What about yours?

I hope every one of you enjoyed reading this simple review of mine. Comments and Criticisms are strongly welcomed.

Pictures can be found in My Flickr and My Brickshelf (When moderated)

Dear all,

I am very pleased to present to all of you on my latest completed reviewing project.

This review is now officially fit for public viewing. Please feel free to leave your thoughts.

WhiteFang

Nice review, but what do the figures look like without their helmets on?

Nice review, but what do the figures look like without their helmets on?

Thanks. I only have this image. Will that helps?

Thanks. I only have this image. Will that helps?

Aye that's perfect, the figure on the left of that image looks really cool. The other two are just ok, thanks a lot.

Thank you for the review!

I suppose this set has great playability and great minifigures to play with.

I am sure everyone will have lots of fun time with this set!

Great review! Agree on the playability which is really plentiful! Looks like it is released with the kid collectors in mind?

Thanks White Fang! Leaving Speedorz aside, this is the only Chima set I am interested in.

Whle the legs are a bit too sqaure, the model looks great; it's nice to see how many different poses you can choose from.

RRP for Italy is 35 Euros. Sets with the same RRP include Seaside house and Excavator transport.

This makes it a must-buy set as soon as it comes with a 20+% off.

As for the rating, I'd say 4,5/5.

Another great review by WhiteFang. While neither this set nor the theme in general appeals to me in any way, I can certainly appreciate the amount of detail LEGO has put into it. It proves that they still care a great deal about non-licensed themes (unlike what some claim), and I believe this will be a huge hit with kids. Possibly even bigger than Ninjago.

I've built this set and find it amazing. My favorite Chima set so far. Glad that I came across this set, the one that appealed to me the most, back when I saw preliminary images etc.

I asked some Chima designers a week ago who built it, and was not surprised that Nabii (Mark) http://www.flickr.com/photos/nabii/ is the creator.

The birds are nice, and I have been engineering the eagle head earlier this year, based on another designers virtual sculture.

In Chima, the minifigures have really raised the bar.

Front/Erland

Part Design

Edited December 26, 201212 yr by Front

Wow it's a nice and insightful review! Kudos to all for making this review possible especially the reviewer!

Now I am getting hooked on this new theme!

My favourite of the wave too! The white wing pieces would be really cool to create some sort of archangel. The new pieces on the wings of the aicraft are really nice too.

Much clearer review of this set than the other one.

Anyway, the claws look really nice. And the set seems really posable, which is a rare feature for a vehicle.

Thanks for the review, one thing I wanted to point out is that the US Shop at Home prices it at $34.99, not $39.99.

I'm still really not sure if I want it. The raven section is very cool, but I don't know about the interceptor itself, just doesn't seem my cup of tea. It does look better here though, and has some neat pieces.

Great review. I am curious why you gave it such a low rating in the value catergory, though. Are you basing this on the Singapore price? Because as you showed, in the US it practically reaches the renowned "10 pieces per dollar" price ratio, which has long been considered to be a very good value.

Edited December 26, 201212 yr by Zarkan

Even though I love the Interceptor itself, the Eris minifigure is what is selling me this. I think she is so adorable as an eagle warrior girl. Thanks for the wonderful review! I plan to be getting this set soon, after picking up Ultimate Speedor Tournament.

Thanks for another great review, WhiteFang. Still the best of the new Chima sets IMO. It has a great Zoid-ish feel that really resonates with me. Wish the entire line followed suit.

Thanks to Mark Stafford for another great design.

This was my first Chima buy ($34.97 at Walmart) I think I'm hooked on the theme. The minifigures are outstanding, and the set itself is pretty fun,

Thanks for such a comprehensive review WF, really provides a great insight into the set and the new Chima line.

The stars of the show for me are definitely the minifigs: they are deadly! LEGO's first full foray into the realm of the anthropomorphic which so many artists fail to capture gracefully, but presented here look fantastic! Each and every minifig has so much character, the overall shapes are unique and interesting and the printing is superb. I can really see these getting a lot of use mixed with other themes and MOCs.

I'm not such a huge fan of the vehicles/models for the Chima line as a whole, I think it's mainly the wheeled vehicles I have issue with, but this seems to be the poster-child of the theme and I've got to admit, when I saw how sleek yet poseable it is, I was impressed.

All in all, I think this one's a must have for me... that first set to dip my toe into the Chima theme. Oh, and Eris ROCKS. ;)

The bird vehicles in this theme are the ones that are desirable for me so far.

This is my favorite set so far from this theme. But with all of the other themes I have to buy, this is pretty low on the list. Thanks for the review, you've confirmed that I'd like it.

Thanks for the great review! I knew there had to be at least one female hawk since Crooley is the female Croc. I will be picking this up for the figures, but there are some nice pieces in the set, and the build itself is decent. Can't wait to pick this one up!

Thank you guys! It is indeed very exciting to build up this set and review it too. I like Eris as much as the rest and the focus of the entire building concept is simply wonderful to begin with.

Great review! Agree on the playability which is really plentiful! Looks like it is released with the kid collectors in mind?

Definitely possible as these kids will likely to have a fun time to play, pose and swoosh it around.

Another great review by WhiteFang. While neither this set nor the theme in general appeals to me in any way, I can certainly appreciate the amount of detail LEGO has put into it. It proves that they still care a great deal about non-licensed themes (unlike what some claim), and I believe this will be a huge hit with kids. Possibly even bigger than Ninjago.

Can't wait to see this new theme launching in full wave with the cartoon series! I am confident that it will be as popular as Ninjago.

I've built this set and find it amazing. My favorite Chima set so far. Glad that I came across this set, the one that appealed to me the most, back when I saw preliminary images etc.

I asked some Chima designers a week ago who built it, and was not surprised that Nabii (Mark) http://www.flickr.com/photos/nabii/ is the creator.

The birds are nice, and I have been engineering the eagle head earlier this year, based on another designers virtual sculture.

In Chima, the minifigures have really raised the bar.

Front/Erland

Part Design

Thank you Front. Now I know who is the designer of this lovely and wonderful set who have indeed done an excellent job.

Thanks for the review, one thing I wanted to point out is that the US Shop at Home prices it at $34.99, not $39.99.

I'm still really not sure if I want it. The raven section is very cool, but I don't know about the interceptor itself, just doesn't seem my cup of tea. It does look better here though, and has some neat pieces.

Thank you for pointing out the price update for USD.

Great review. I am curious why you gave it such a low rating in the value catergory, though. Are you basing this on the Singapore price? Because as you showed, in the US it practically reaches the renowned "10 pieces per dollar" price ratio, which has long been considered to be a very good value.

I rated it based on SGD pricing which is close to 2 times of it, so to me, it is not entirely value for money based on low parts per price ratio.

Thanks for such a comprehensive review WF, really provides a great insight into the set and the new Chima line.

The stars of the show for me are definitely the minifigs: they are deadly! LEGO's first full foray into the realm of the anthropomorphic which so many artists fail to capture gracefully, but presented here look fantastic! Each and every minifig has so much character, the overall shapes are unique and interesting and the printing is superb. I can really see these getting a lot of use mixed with other themes and MOCs.

I'm not such a huge fan of the vehicles/models for the Chima line as a whole, I think it's mainly the wheeled vehicles I have issue with, but this seems to be the poster-child of the theme and I've got to admit, when I saw how sleek yet poseable it is, I was impressed.

All in all, I think this one's a must have for me... that first set to dip my toe into the Chima theme. Oh, and Eris ROCKS. ;)

Thank you Pedro, didn't know you are also into this. This set is certainly one of the best sets ever to sample into thi new theme. I am not a wheel based fan as there are many LEGO vehicles around and aircraft like these are always very much welcomed.

Thanks for the review. I was a bit hesitant when I first read about Chima, but seeing the great minifigs etc in this set has turned me around, now I want this :)

Excellent review WhiteFang. This is my favorite set of the Chima theme so far, and it kinda reminds me of the golden flying bird in the 80's cartoon The Mysteriouse City of Gold.

Edited December 28, 201212 yr by TimH