Legends of Chima 2014 Discussion

[Aethersprite]

Oh dear... Ok. Let's hope the Legoland prices are at least reasonable... Although I did pay $4 extra for each Team GB minifig when I visited London just to get a fu set, so my wallet will probably suffer from my Malaysia trip ;)

Over here, prices nationwide are the same, regardless of store. Probably part of the local Lego branch's price-setting policy. So unless there's a sale, which is incredibly rare over here, you're more than likely to fork out the full retail price. Just to give you a rough idea, last year's normal-sized Chima figures cost SGD$27.90, which roughly equates to USD$22.20 each. I'm predicting Fluminox and Sir Fangar to cost around SGD$39.90, which equates to USD$31.80. Malaysia follows Singapore's pricing rather closely. It's steep, but many of us here have gotten used to it.

[DuckBricks]

Over here, prices nationwide are the same, regardless of store. Probably part of the local Lego branch's price-setting policy. So unless there's a sale, which is incredibly rare over here, you're more than likely to fork out the full retail price. Just to give you a rough idea, last year's normal-sized Chima figures cost SGD$27.90, which roughly equates to USD$22.20 each. I'm predicting Fluminox and Sir Fangar to cost around SGD$39.90, which equates to USD$31.80. Malaysia follows Singapore's pricing rather closely. It's steep, but many of us here have gotten used to it.

Wow, that's quite a hefty sum! Let's hope they will be selling for less by the time I come around... Thank you so much for the advice.

[VBBN]

A look at the combo models in the instruction

[DraikNova]

Wow, with one or two exceptions, those combiners are awesome. Even the ugly-looking Panthar combiner has a NPU of those wing pieces.

However, Mungus is the one that stands out for me. It's exactly what the set should have been designed as. It conveys the proper bulky aesthetic an anthropomorphic mammoth should possess, and it has an oddly charming use of asymmetric armor. The left shoulder's armor actually looks like it's made out of hides.

The three combiners that I really don't like are Fluminox's, Cragger's and Panthar's. Even Laval looks pretty awesome, what with the use of the tr. bones for the tail, the more balanced-looking colorscheme and the improved version of Fluminox's weapons. Also, the blades look better as wings than as weapons. Whilst Vardy's wings are only a minor improvement on the set version, I like how the combiner makes him look more predatory (I'm surprised how much it reminds me of dromeosaurids in that manner). And, even though the bulkiness and long tail don't really fit with big cats (technically also a valid concern with Laval's combiner), Sir Fangar looks pretty awesome. Really, if you would remove the bowls/whatever they are from the staff, it would be perfect.

EDIT: Actually, on second thought, Fluminox looks kind of nice too. The extended feet are still ugly as can be, though.

Edited May 27, 2014 by DraikNova

[VBBN]

I actually quite like Panthar's combo, the giant hair/mohawk/battle feathers he has going on is really cool, and I like how the weapons are constructed. Though I suppose the back thing does look quite out of place, I'm trying to figure out how it's even attached to him.

Also one concern I had about the new armor is that I felt it would look odd on most other things, but for really odd or cartoony things it works (putting this here instead of it's own topic)

[Mesonak]

Those combo models

are LEGIT.

Like, incredbly so. Some of the best (humanoid) combo models I've seen. Both versions of Laval+Fluminox, Vardy+Fangar, and both versions of Mungus+Fangar are fantastic. The Mungus-dominant combo model and Vardy's model are the standouts for me. Even the weakest of them, Panthar/Cragger+Fluminox, still manage to use pieces in interesting, different ways to pull off intriguing looks.

These make me even more depressed that I won't get many of these (if any at all). :(

[Csacsa234]

Wow, usually the combo models are quite mashed up, but these look cohesive, and awesome, I don't plan getting the action figs, but the mroe I look at them I start to develop the desire to get all of them

The first two combos are really epic!

Edited May 28, 2014 by Csacsa234

[Chimaninja454]

Hehe, I'm planning to getting all the action figures this year, because they look so awesome and definitely buying them.... :)

[Agent Fusion]

The ice combiners look awesome! The fire combiners, eh, not so much. Definitely picking up the ice villains now.

[Shakar]

It's odd- last year the sets showed up in Germany around May, possibly even earlier IIRC. Zork did a review of some them as well.

Now, that not happening this year isn't terribly surprising, but it's strange that the sets haven't shown up on S@H yet, while they're already available on Amazon and my local Lego store (well, the one closest to me :P) is getting them next Thursday.

That's something I'd expect out of a US relase, or a German one, to predate the official release, but the sets are showing up on time, so it's S@H which being uncharacteristically late.

I'll get them on Amazon or in stores like last year, no problem for me. But S@H is the only way I can get the HF summer sets before the sucky Italian release (September), so I hope everything's ok over S@H.

I'll write later on the combiners.

Edited May 29, 2014 by Shakar

[ZORK64]

It was around June when the CHI Ultrabuilds showed up, at least according to the German LEGO catalogue of July-December 2013. Could be possible I got them a bit earlier though, I don't remember that, to be frank (I'm also right now too lazy to search for my reviews of Eris and Cragger).

(on that note, I feel kinda honoured that people still remember my reviews - I really need to start writing reviews again)

I got used to finding the sets on shelves first, partially because I don't pay that much attention to S@H, partially because I got the impression S@H is always a bit late with constraction sets in Germany.

While I've been kinda oblivious to LEGO Chima recently, I'm pretty sure I would have noticed the red flashy bags of the Good Guys, but as far as I know, they still have the Ultrabuilds from past year on the shelves in my LEGO store (and every where else, for that matter).

Just like with Hero Factory, as soon I'll see something new around her, I'll let you know.

Edited May 29, 2014 by ZORK64

[TheOneVeyronian]

For those in the UK, I happened to spot all 7 of the new Chima ultrabuilds out on the shelves in one of my reasonably local branches of the Entertainer (Kingston upon Thames if anyone's interested, but you may have luck in other larger branches too). This is the first time I believe I've seen these actually out on the shelves (as opposed to online), though they had the usual Entertainer markup of an extra penny. There was plenty left when I left with a Panthar and a Sir Fangar. Well, I've got a little bored of waiting for them to appear on the UK S@H (which, again, is the last place in the UK to see most of the new releases) but I don't think it will be too long now

[Agent Fusion]

Jangbricks has released his own review on the new Chi Laval:

[Dorek]

Some of those combo models are a little dopey (all humanoids? Natch), but there are some really awesome ones in there; Fluminox+Panthar is legiiiit.

[Starrocks923]

I think I have found a clue that we might have an NA release of these figures after all.

I found a very American-sounding advertisement in English for the construction figures, which is right here:

Now, the speaker did not say "Each set sold separately", and of course LEGO said there won't be an NA release. But still...it's kind of curious.

[Agent Fusion]

Well, most LEGO adverts in English are voiced over by Americans, but I see what you mean.

[Aethersprite]

And the Chima constraction sets have just hit Singapore shores! Thankfully, the prices are lower than I expected - SGD$26.90 (USD$21.45) for 'normal' sized sets and SGD$34.90 (USD$27.83) for the 'titan' sized sets. I'll probably get Panthar some time this week to satisfy my constraction craving, then wait for a sale to get Fluminox and Sir Fangar.

[MakutaDreadscythe]

Well, for sake of discussion, I have looked at the sets in detail and, with the exception(?) of Panthar, I think the ice half is better executed.

Yeah, Mungus is unfinished and in no way resembles his system counterpart (further cementing that he and Sir Fangar should have swapped places) but they take more risks than the fire half and the weapons are more interesting.

The fire sets I feel suffer from having too many warm colours which make them blend together. I like the gold pieces a lot, and they could definitely be useful for a knight MOC, but the fire side stick to the same motif quite strictly. Yes, the ice bunch do the same, but it fits the characters and the shared colours tend to complement more, whereas the fire sets it feels more shoehorned in.

Case in point, Chi Cragger. Yeah, it’s a daring colour scheme, but ultimately one I don’t think works very well. The old incarnation wasn’t perfect, and the new chest armour actually looks like it’s from Chima, but it was more fitting of a crocodile. New Cragger I feel, while more armoured and generally being good for parts, loses some of his identity with the new motif. Not to mention the amount of colours he uses is staggering. Dark green, olive green, black, grey, gold, trans-orange, silver, gunmetal, dark red with gold print, yikes!

Laval also I feel suffers from this. Gold was one of his original colours anyway, so adding more and orange on top of that, it blends way too much for my liking. The feet are better though, I’ll give him that.

On a side note, something I think was a great step forward was the opening mouth feature. Three characters have this: Cragger, Panthar and Sir Fangar. As small a feature as it seems, it opens up a lot of personality and posing options that couldn’t be emulated by any Hero Factory set.

[SmoothJazz]

The Chima constraction sets this year look much better than the summer HF sets to me. It's a shame that they won't be released in the US, though I will probably import either Panthar or Mungus at some point.

[TheOneVeyronian]

Well, I didn't know where to put this, but given it's related to parts inventories for the Chima constraction sets, here goes!

LEGO.com updated the part inventories for the Chima constraction sets a few days ago, and I've just been musing over them, when I spotted something quite strange with the inventories of CHI Mungus, CHI Fluminox and CHI Sir Fangar, and it's to do with the high friction joint. For example, take the inventory of CHI Mungus. The high friction joint is listed second, and is quite clearly shown as being BLACK, which must be a mistake since both the set itself and the parts inventory at the back of the instructions have/show them as Dark Bluish Gray (or Dark Stone Gray for those who prefer LEGO's official colour names ). Either there'll be a second production run of these sets with the black friction joints, or (more likely) we're finally going to see black high friction joints in a future constraction set. If the black ones turn out to finally exist...

If this provides any further credibility, there's also an image of the black version and a part colour code of the part on BrickLink, though it's been obtained from LEGO.com (or my first link). I don't know, it's just something I noticed.

[Shakar]

This is something I wanted to see for YEARS (well, two years..). Hope this becomes reality, I'm kinda tired of being forced to use dark bley on all my large MOCs.

[8BrickMario]

That ad is promising. Since there is honestly no reason the CHI Fire vs. Ice constraction sets would be denied in North America, I've heard of region-exclusive sets/promotions, but not sets excluded from one specific region. I'd be very surprised (and equally disappointed) if the rumor were true. Unfortunately, we have to wait and see. If Jang is doing these reviews, where is he from? Australia?

Edited June 5, 2014 by 8BrickMario

[Bfahome]

It's not a rumor, it's been confirmed for about a month now.

The reason is that the Chima constraction sets don't sell as well here.

[Aanchir]

It's not the first time something like this has happened, either. In the 90s, there were sets and even entire product lines that were exclusive to North America. The Aquaraiders subtheme of Aquazone was only released over here, as were most Unitron sets (only the monorail transport base was released globally).

[8BrickMario]

I know, but I haven't heard of a specific region not getting sets, and LEGO hasn't stopped an export due to bad sales before.