Hero Factory 2014 Discussion

[Dorek]

I like the Rocka Crawler for how quirky it is but I don't think it justifies the price tag (after Pyrox last year, I'm somewhat leery of that). Everything else seems pretty on the up and up. I should check my local stores for some winter sets.

Edit: Also, looks like the US finally updated their site in full. It's exactly the same as whatever European version people were using, but at least you don't have to manually change the language.

Edited February 16, 2014 by Dorek

[Aanchir]

I like the Rocka Crawler for how quirky it is but I don't think it justifies the price tag (after Pyrox last year, I'm somewhat leery of that). Everything else seems pretty on the up and up. I should check my local stores for some winter sets.

Well, by piece count, Rocka Crawler definitely fits comfortably in the same price bracket as Jaw Beast vs. Stormer and Evo Walker. Of course, some of those pieces are fairly small, but that could be said of any of those three. It's definitely a very different situation from Pyrox, who was on par with the $13 sets by weight but had a piece count similar to the $10 sets that year.

With that said, Tunneler Beast offers a fantastic value for money by comparison. No cocoon or jumpers, but it's got a great piece count including some very useful building elements and some not-too-common recolors (bright red Y-joints and dark stone grey 4M beams).

It's kind of funny that despite appearing in three sets, Rocka doesn't appear in a single "beast" set. He's the only hero who only appears in one type of set, not a mix of the two. You'd think the designers could have balanced his appearances out a bit better.

Love that so many of these sets include the new 1x1 plate launchers! They're really well-suited to the Hero Factory theme, I think. Can't wait to try one out for myself!

[Dorek]

Well, by piece count, Rocka Crawler definitely fits comfortably in the same price bracket as Jaw Beast vs. Stormer and Evo Walker. Of course, some of those pieces are fairly small, but that could be said of any of those three. It's definitely a very different situation from Pyrox, who was on par with the $13 sets by weight but had a piece count similar to the $10 sets that year.

Well yeah, he's on the other end of the spectrum; worth it for the parts if not the build. I prefer a nice balance.

[DraikNova]

The cocoons seem strangely translucent, especially the green ones. Boy do I hope that's just a fault of the lighting . Otherwise, not much new stuff to see.

[Mesonak]

Splitter Beast and Evo XL Machine are available for purchase on Toysrus.com! There's also a BOGO 50% off deal going on, AND free shipping on orders over $49. Couple that with the fact that the sets aren't marked up, and this is pretty fantastic. Hopefully the other sets are available for purchase soon.

On another note, some quick thoughts on Splitter Beast and Jet Machine:

-Splitter Beast is pretty amazing, not going to lie. Both models are pretty bland when set apart, but when combined a truly fearsome creature is made. Sometimes it's a little hard to pose the azure head due to conflicting necks, but overall it's a very impressive figure.

-Furno Jet Machine is a masterpiece. Probably my favorite iteration of Furno yet, and I find very little to complain about with him.

In conclusion, Invasion from Below's looking pretty schway so far.

Edited February 16, 2014 by Mesonak

[Aethersprite]

Looks like I'll only be getting Tunneller Beast and/or Surge Combat Machine. Tunneller Beast looks to have a very nice little build, and Surge's machine looks very menacing. Other than FJM which I already own, these are probably the only HF sets I'll be getting this year. Saving my money for the Chima Ultrabuilds and sets from other themes.

[refriedbeans]

I really like the Breez Polybag, hope it's available in the US soon.

[TheDesuComplex]

Went into my TRU, they had all the IFB instock and even without markup. I was only able to get the Evo Walker though. Don't get what everyone said bad about it, it's a joy to pose because everything moves and bends.

[EVO97]

Did Walmart get all of the Spring sets today?

[PenPlays]

Did Walmart get all of the Spring sets today?

It really depends. The Lego Store is the only store in my area that carries them for the moment. I just hope TRU gets them in before the BOGO 50% ends (US).

[bacem]

dunno if this means much now, but here's another set of pictures of HF from NY toy fair.

[Dorek]

Got the catalog for ToyFair; nothing new, the images are much more finalized than the ones from 2012. Bit of a shame, but ah well. Breez's machine looks a lot less streamlined with the anchor loaded.

[DraikNova]

Yay! Crystal Beast's printing is practically zero! I'm also warming up to the more translucent version of the cocoons, which look kind of ominous. Surge's helmet looks even worse though, especially if you look at Tunneler Beast.

[davesherratt]

Would definately like to see more from this series. So much opertunity for growth

[WARHEAD]

I'm also warming up to the more translucent version of the cocoons, which look kind of ominous.

I on the other hand hope that these are just prototypes and that the opaque ones from the German fair are the final ones because they look much better.

[Dorek]

The ones from the catalog are very opaque, but I don't think that tells us much, since it could easily go both ways. I'm kind of partial to the solid ones, myself.

[DraikNova]

Really, I still prefer solid ones, but the toyfairs where the models are usually more finalized have translucent ones, so I doubt we're getting the more show-like solid ones in the actual sets.

[Shakar]

I think the issue is about shade not opaqueness. At Nuremberg, the coccons were closer to lime, at NY the shade had a lot more blue in it, sorta like azure. I personally prefer the former, there's no point in another bluish tint.

[Kalhiki]

Eh. I don't mind the cocoons. I'm just hoping the one on Tunneler Beast is GitD. Because that'd be pretty sweet.

[DOTM Shockwave]

The Wal-mart I work at has Splitter Beast instock (I didn't notice if the others were there or not), if it wasn't for the fact I purchased four Chima Ultrabuilds (Laval, Cragger, Gorzan, and Worriz if anyone is interested) two days earlier, I would had got him/it.

Note: I live in Texas, so be on the look-out.

[Shakar]

BZP's Toy Fair NY on Chima (Ultrabuilds were missing, sadly) is up, and I just noticed the ice villain sets use normal tr. blue Zamors, instead of the blue/white mix spheres featured at Nuremberg.

Looks like the Nuremberg sets are final, while the NY sets are preliminary versions. Now I'm even more sure the Nuremberg lime cocoons are the final ones (they're much closer to the box art, too).

Edited February 19, 2014 by Shakar

[DraikNova]

That would be more of a reassurance if it weren't for the fact that several Bionicle preliminary pieces (such as Reidak's mask) were apparently more complicated than the finalized ones. Still, it would be a relief.

[VBBN]

Looking over BZP's pictures, IMO that Combat machine looks worse and worse in every picture we get.

[DraikNova]

What's so bad about it? It's a different design than is normal, using lots of bone pieces, it is relatively well-armored and it includes the most minifigs (Rocka, Surge + Green, Orange Jumper) of any HF set with the exception of the much more expensive Queen, who, incidentally seems rather small when compared to this set.

[VBBN]

I feel the same way that I felt about dragon bolt; It could have been so much better. It's good for what it is, but it's not what I envisioned. It's too open and lanky for my tastes, and the "jet" on top doesn't even remotely flow with the lower half, it's just not appealing to me.