Summer 2014 Hero Factory Sets — Pics and Discussion

The builds of these sets tend to be very complex and diverse, continuing the previous wave's trend, although this wave tends towards non-bipedal beasts and battle machines (with the exception of Rocka Crawler and Crystal Beast). Impressive piece counts too (which you can see, along with other details, at Brickset). I particularly like Breez Flea Machine, Bulk Drill Machine, and Tunneler Beast. I'm not terribly interested in Crystal Beast, which has an awesome color scheme but not a terribly innovative build. Which sets are you most excited for?

dotcom · June 2, 2014

I really like the looks of some of these sets (particularly the Drill Machine and Crystal Beast) although I seriously doubt I'll get any of them. So many things I want to buy, and not nearly enough money or display space! I'll most likely end up sticking with the themes I'm already buying rather than starting on Invasion from Below. (if only the winter release hadn't been postponed to march, I might have some reason to be more invested in Hero Factory, since I was planning on buying some around Christmas time. But they got delayed, I got interested in other things more, it is what is is) As tempting as some of these are (Crystal Beast, mostly), very probably not getting any, ultimately.

**Click** · June 2, 2014

Breez Flea Machine? That has got to be the oddest name I've ever heard for a set. I've been hoping they'd change it before release, but looks like it's here to stay. At least the set looks decent. It does have some great lime pieces and an interesting build. Okay have to pick it up.

Of the beasts, my favorite is Crystal Beast. It just seems like a pretty good parts pack, though I probably won't get it. The new face prints are well done and look very threatening.

I really wish Lego would start giving us more limb piece colors. This year, we are getting lots of trans-light blue and orange, as well as some brown and yellow, but I can't see myself using most of them in a MOC. I would really like some light grey and azure. I've had some plans for them, hoping they'll be released, but no such luck.

What do you think Lego will do next year? Will the mini Heroes continue? As far as I've heard, they have been fairly successful, but may wear out their novelty pretty quickly. Will it go back to figures? It would be an odd transition after this year. I'm almost crossing my fingers it will actually be the end and we can start fresh with the new theme that will probably be coming. I hope it will be more Technic heavy (though Hero Factory is doing much better with that.)

KZN02 · June 2, 2014

The mind boggles how we went from mechas to spider tanks. Not that's a bad thing, mind you.

Aanchir · June 2, 2014

The mind boggles how we went from mechas to spider tanks. Not that's a bad thing, mind you.

Well, spider tanks are technically still a type of mecha, at least as Wikipedia defines it. I do think it's kind of unusual how the two different styles of mech have been mostly separated into different waves (with only Evo Walker and Rocka Crawler breaking that rule). But I guess it's largely because of how they decided to divide the year's sets into "above-ground" and "underground" segments.

More news, everyone! Check out this catalog spread (initially reported in this Japanese blog post). It shows all of the sets in a not-too-special arrangement, but more importantly, the lower right corner shows a combi model that can be made from Crystal Beast, Tunneler Beast, and Queen Beast! It's scorpion-like in its design and looks pretty awesome!

I hope the instruction booklets for the new sets will have little mini-comics like the instruction booklets for the first wave to showcase the sets and their combi models.

Edited June 2, 2014 by Aanchir: Rachira of Time

believe victims · June 2, 2014

They did an excellent job posing the Combat Machine to hide the hideous backside and use foreshortening to hide the terrible legs, but some of its flaws are still obviously apparent, such as the massive discrepancy in foot size and the hodgepodge gappy nature of its construction.

Queen Beast's torso looks very long in comparison to every other bit of her. It's mostly the point where the torso meets the legs/abdomen; I dearly wish they could have found a body construction that would leave her better proportioned.

Crystal Beast has a neat color scheme but what's irking me is the neck; because the beast heads are so big, having a long neck in addition emphasizes the proportion in a bad way. It is nice to see Quaza spikes with a different color mix, though.

Otherwise, summer wave doesn't look too bad. The mechs are kinda neat, if not a little strange, and the beasts bring the same interesting look as before with some new ideas in there.

Removed297 · June 7, 2014

What beautiful part-packs; I especially like the Drill Machine, Crystal Beast, and Tunneler Beast sets for their selections of orange, trans-blue, and red, respectively. Also, it looks like the thruster piece on Drill Machine that connects the drill to the beams is in gunmetal, which I think is new for that part.

The designs themselves, as I believe I've stated before, are interesting and far more varied than anything we've gotten in HF before, but they don't thrill me; a good piece-to-price ratio keeps LEGO from filling in gaps and beefing up overly-skeletal designs. Perhaps if I can satisfactorily revamp a few they'll be displayed, but otherwise they're for the parts and the new Hero minifigures, not for the assembled set designs.

Edited June 7, 2014 by The Kumquat Alchemist

Aanchir · June 7, 2014

They did an excellent job posing the Combat Machine to hide the hideous backside and use foreshortening to hide the terrible legs, but some of its flaws are still obviously apparent, such as the massive discrepancy in foot size and the hodgepodge gappy nature of its construction.

Queen Beast's torso looks very long in comparison to every other bit of her. It's mostly the point where the torso meets the legs/abdomen; I dearly wish they could have found a body construction that would leave her better proportioned.

Crystal Beast has a neat color scheme but what's irking me is the neck; because the beast heads are so big, having a long neck in addition emphasizes the proportion in a bad way. It is nice to see Quaza spikes with a different color mix, though.

Otherwise, summer wave doesn't look too bad. The mechs are kinda neat, if not a little strange, and the beasts bring the same interesting look as before with some new ideas in there.

Yeah, I haven't seen good enough pics of the Combat Machine to really come to a decision on whether I like it, but I agree that I'm not the most optimistic about it. The build is definitely unique, but it also seems rather flimsy compared to what I would expect out of a $25 set. Waiting for a review of that one before I decide whether to get it.

EDIT: Just built the set on LDD to the best of my ability and it looks surprisingly impressive, both together and separated. But I'm still going to need to see a review to find out whether it holds its shape well — lots of hinges used in the lower section's construction. Incidentally, it appears that there are 31 parts used for the figures and cocoon, 83 parts for the lower section, and 74 parts for the upper section.

Queen Beast's torso actually isn't much longer than the torso on a set like Black Phantom, though, and I think how good it looks will depend heavily on how it's posed (since there are so many points of articulation). It seems like the box art is trying to emphasize her height, and a different pose with the upper body and midsection not quite so vertical might actually be more flattering.

What beautiful part-packs; I especially like the Drill Machine, Crystal Beast, and Tunneler Beast sets for their selections of orange, trans-blue, and red, respectively. Also, it looks like the thruster piece on Drill Machine that connects the drill to the beams is in gunmetal, which I think is new for that part.

The designs themselves, as I believe I've stated before, are interesting and far more varied than anything we've gotten in HF before, but they don't thrill me; a good piece-to-price ratio keeps LEGO from filling in gaps and beefing up overly-skeletal designs. Perhaps if I can satisfactorily revamp a few they'll be displayed, but otherwise they're for the parts and the new Hero minifigures, not for the assembled set designs.

The Titanium Metallic thruster piece is new for this year but not exclusive to that set. CHI Mungus also uses it in that color (something that few reviews seem to have emphasized). These sets definitely do make good parts packs, especially since they each have so many parts.

Some parts of the designs feel somewhat skeletal, like Breez Flea Machine's underbelly (going to need to see a review to really judge how much that detracts from the model), but on the whole I'm quite fond of them as set designs. It helps that the machines, not being characters, can benefit from more of a raw mechanical look than your typical hero or villain, so they don't need to be as solid or streamlined.

Edited June 7, 2014 by Aanchir: Rachira of Time

believe victims · June 9, 2014

Queen Beast's torso actually isn't much longer than the torso on a set like Black Phantom, though, and I think how good it looks will depend heavily on how it's posed (since there are so many points of articulation). It seems like the box art is trying to emphasize her height, and a different pose with the upper body and midsection not quite so vertical might actually be more flattering.

Sets like Black Phantom usually had longer arms and legs that accommodated the longer torso build, though. Queen Beast's arms, however, are smaller than those on some of the "canister" sets despite her torso's length in comparison. Overall, something just seems incredible off about the proportions, and I doubt it's just a matter of hunching her over to mitigate the tallness aspect.

Aanchir · June 9, 2014

Queen Beast's torso actually isn't much longer than the torso on a set like Black Phantom, though, and I think how good it looks will depend heavily on how it's posed (since there are so many points of articulation). It seems like the box art is trying to emphasize her height, and a different pose with the upper body and midsection not quite so vertical might actually be more flattering.

Sets like Black Phantom usually had longer arms and legs that accommodated the longer torso build, though. Queen Beast's arms, however, are smaller than those on some of the "canister" sets despite her torso's length in comparison. Overall, something just seems incredible off about the proportions, and I doubt it's just a matter of hunching her over to mitigate the tallness aspect.

Well, I actually think Black Phantom's legs were too long for a torso that size, but I guess that's beside the point. At any rate, I'll have to see reviews or store displays of the set to really judge it effectively. To me, though, the relative length of the legs isn't really bothersome in the pics we've seen. Perhaps if anything, an additional joint could be added to the front legs so that they match the back legs.

On another note, I built 44028 Surge & Rocka Combat Machine on LDD so I could see how it looked from different angles, and I'm actually surprised how much I like it. It definitely looks a lot better than it did in many of the Toy Fair pics, where it was generally very badly posed. It does have a number of gaps and bony areas, but since it's a machine rather than a character that doesn't bother me too much. Obviously other people's opinions might vary.

Overall, I'm much more keen on getting the set than I was prior to building it. However, I will probably end up with a duplicate Surge figure since I really love Tunneler Beast as both a design and a parts pack.

You can download the LXF below if you want to look at it yourself. I have the sections grouped so that you can separate them easily and look at each section individually.

LXF Download

believe victims · June 10, 2014

Queen Beast's torso actually isn't much longer than the torso on a set like Black Phantom, though, and I think how good it looks will depend heavily on how it's posed (since there are so many points of articulation). It seems like the box art is trying to emphasize her height, and a different pose with the upper body and midsection not quite so vertical might actually be more flattering.

Sets like Black Phantom usually had longer arms and legs that accommodated the longer torso build, though. Queen Beast's arms, however, are smaller than those on some of the "canister" sets despite her torso's length in comparison. Overall, something just seems incredible off about the proportions, and I doubt it's just a matter of hunching her over to mitigate the tallness aspect.

Well, I actually think Black Phantom's legs were too long for a torso that size, but I guess that's beside the point. At any rate, I'll have to see reviews or store displays of the set to really judge it effectively. To me, though, the relative length of the legs isn't really bothersome in the pics we've seen. Perhaps if anything, an additional joint could be added to the front legs so that they match the back legs.

IMO, longer, spindlier legs would be a great improvement, but that's more of personal taste than anything. I think if the arms were lengthened, though, they would then become to long for the legs, even if they matched the torso, which is why i would rather they had found shorter way of building the torso instead.

As for Surge and Rocka Combat Machine, I just can't stand it. Most of it is in the spindly, uneven legs, though the gappy "body" build doesn't help much either. I don't think being a machine should necessarily excuse that, as I can't think of many mecha that get away with having large holes through them.

Edited June 10, 2014 by Octodad

Aanchir · June 10, 2014

Queen Beast's torso actually isn't much longer than the torso on a set like Black Phantom, though, and I think how good it looks will depend heavily on how it's posed (since there are so many points of articulation). It seems like the box art is trying to emphasize her height, and a different pose with the upper body and midsection not quite so vertical might actually be more flattering.

Sets like Black Phantom usually had longer arms and legs that accommodated the longer torso build, though. Queen Beast's arms, however, are smaller than those on some of the "canister" sets despite her torso's length in comparison. Overall, something just seems incredible off about the proportions, and I doubt it's just a matter of hunching her over to mitigate the tallness aspect.

Well, I actually think Black Phantom's legs were too long for a torso that size, but I guess that's beside the point. At any rate, I'll have to see reviews or store displays of the set to really judge it effectively. To me, though, the relative length of the legs isn't really bothersome in the pics we've seen. Perhaps if anything, an additional joint could be added to the front legs so that they match the back legs.

IMO, longer, spindlier legs would be a great improvement, but that's more of personal taste than anything. I think if the arms were lengthened, though, they would then become to long for the legs, even if they matched the torso, which is why i would rather they had found shorter way of building the torso instead.

As for Surge and Rocka Combat Machine, I just can't stand it. Most of it is in the spindly, uneven legs, though the gappy "body" build doesn't help much either. I don't think being a machine should necessarily excuse that, as I can't think of many mecha that get away with having large holes through them.

Perhaps part of why it doesn't bother me so much with it is that the mechs remind me of construction equipment or other industrial equipment, like cranes and forklifts, and those often have gaps built into their design. Example 1; Example 2. Obviously that's not their function (they're more military/combat-oriented, so I guess more armor and fewer points to grab them by would make more sense), but I guess it's the cockpit design and the structure of the already-released sets that lead me to think of them that way. They'd hardly be the first mechs with that sort of industrial motif — in fact, some real-life military mechs are quite gappy and utilitarian-looking, although perhaps they might have been more heavily armored if they ever actually made it into combat use. Edited June 10, 2014 by Aanchir: Rachira of Time

Removed297 · June 13, 2014

The Titanium Metallic thruster piece is new for this year but not exclusive to that set. CHI Mungus also uses it in that color (something that few reviews seem to have emphasized). These sets definitely do make good parts packs, especially since they each have so many parts.

Some parts of the designs feel somewhat skeletal, like Breez Flea Machine's underbelly (going to need to see a review to really judge how much that detracts from the model), but on the whole I'm quite fond of them as set designs. It helps that the machines, not being characters, can benefit from more of a raw mechanical look than your typical hero or villain, so they don't need to be as solid or streamlined.

Perhaps I could agree with you more if HF had the same level of molded mechanical detailing on its skeleton pieces as BIONICLE did, but to me it looks incomplete, not robotic or industrial; but that's just a difference of opinion between us.

If anything, I feel that this line would have been perfect for introducing more mechanically-detailed shell pieces similar to this, but that hasn't happened.

Edited June 13, 2014 by The Kumquat Alchemist

Aanchir · June 13, 2014

The Titanium Metallic thruster piece is new for this year but not exclusive to that set. CHI Mungus also uses it in that color (something that few reviews seem to have emphasized). These sets definitely do make good parts packs, especially since they each have so many parts.

Some parts of the designs feel somewhat skeletal, like Breez Flea Machine's underbelly (going to need to see a review to really judge how much that detracts from the model), but on the whole I'm quite fond of them as set designs. It helps that the machines, not being characters, can benefit from more of a raw mechanical look than your typical hero or villain, so they don't need to be as solid or streamlined.

Perhaps I could agree with you more if HF had the same level of molded mechanical detailing on its skeleton pieces as BIONICLE did, but to me it looks incomplete, not robotic or industrial; but that's just a difference of opinion between us.

If anything, I feel that this line would have been perfect for introducing more mechanically-detailed shell pieces similar to this, but that hasn't happened.

I dunno, I tend to associate smooth, boxy shapes and exposed support beams (like the ones you might see on many modern-day Technic sets) with industrial equipment. BIONICLE's elaborate textures, accordion joints, and pistons remind me more of clockwork and other precision mechanisms (it disappoints me to this day that no mechanically-skilled BIONICLE fans have ever made, say, Toa Mata legs, torsos, and tools with working pistons and hinges).

With that said, this year's machine sets are using a LOT of this piece and this piece, some of the more mechanically-textured Hero Factory detail elements. The beasts, in turn, use more organic shapes like the 2.0 torso shell, Super Heroes chest plate, and the new talon piece. That's one of the things I like about the Hero Factory building system — the simplicity of the basic shells and beams means they can swing both ways, depending on how you use them and what other elements you use them with.

Edited June 13, 2014 by Aanchir: Rachira of Time

Collector1 · June 13, 2014

Am I the only who thinks of Power Miners when seeing Bulk's Drill Machine?

Aanchir · June 13, 2014

Am I the only who thinks of Power Miners when seeing Bulk's Drill Machine?

Probably not, since that's the theme that this drill head was introduced in (though this is the first set to have it in Bright Orange). With that said, it's definitely much different in structure than any of the Power Miners sets were — almost more reminiscent of this Mars Mission set, what with the four legs, lasers, and top-mounted drill. Edited June 13, 2014 by Aanchir: Rachira of Time

Collector1 · June 13, 2014

Am I the only who thinks of Power Miners when seeing Bulk's Drill Machine?
Probably not, since that's the theme that this drill head was introduced in (though this is the first set to have it in Bright Orange). With that said, it's definitely much different in structure than any of the Power Miners sets were — almost more reminiscent of this Mars Mission set, what with the four legs, lasers, and top-mounted drill.

Good point. It does have some elements of Mars Mission.

Pohatu: Uniter of Stone · June 16, 2014

Does the Rocka Crawler have the tiny torso found from XT4?

Aanchir · June 16, 2014

Does the Rocka Crawler have the tiny torso found from XT4?

Yes indeed. A lot of the summer sets use it, including Rocka Crawler, Tunneler Beast, and Queen Beast (which uses two for the queen herself and one for Evo's battle machine). With how much use it's gotten this year, it's almost hard to believe it was so very rare less than a year ago!

Collector1 · June 16, 2014

Does the Rocka Crawler have the tiny torso found from XT4?

Can't really tell from the photos. I suppose it does.

Aanchir · June 16, 2014

Does the Rocka Crawler have the tiny torso found from XT4?
Can't really tell from the photos. I suppose it does.

If you really need to see the sets in more detail, Eurobricks has reviews of all seven. Great photos, too!

Collector1 · June 16, 2014

Does the Rocka Crawler have the tiny torso found from XT4?
Can't really tell from the photos. I suppose it does.

If you really need to see the sets in more detail, Eurobricks has reviews of all seven. Great photos, too!

Thanks for the advice! That could help me out on some things!

Edited June 17, 2014 by Collector1

**The Swimming Beard** · July 24, 2014

I should have posted this here earlier, but anyway, on Sunday I found the summer Hero Factory sets at my local lego store. They had Crystal Beast, Queen Beast, Bulk Drill machine, and Surge and Rocka Combat Machine.

I bought Crystal Beast, so it was not as if they were stocked early but not yet available to buy.

Picture:

Edited July 24, 2014 by The Swimming Beard

NickonAquaMagna · August 1, 2014

For some reason, I can't find Breez' Flea Machine at any of my local stores. In fact, Toys R Us is selling every Invasion From Below set EXCEPT for that.

Why is that? Are we looking at another delay for Breez, like with the Breakout line?

Tristan Teridax · August 2, 2014

I think these are some of best looking sets since Breakouts, I actually really like the idea mini-Heroes with mech's and small monsters. Not to mention the playable features on them are pretty cool like jumpers, various launchers and the cocoon things.

Wazdakka · August 3, 2014

I don't want to be ignorant, but I am - have these sets come out yet?

Edited August 3, 2014 by Wazdakka

Tristan Teridax · August 3, 2014

I don't want to be ignorant, but I am - have these sets come out yet?

Online you can buy them now and I think stores have some of them now.

Tahu3.0 · August 7, 2014

the sets are awsome i already have the bulk drill machine but im planing to get the breeze flee machine next yea im low on cash

**Bfahome** · August 10, 2014

Got Rocka Crawler and Tunneler Beast while at BrickFair. I like them, they're both fun little sets that are pretty well-put-together for their size. Plus Rocka comes with one of the red pods.

Future plans are to get Breez Flea Machine, which I didn't pick up at the time because of cost and space issues.

(Kinda wish the jumpers still had the black bodies, though, I don't like the blue as much.)

Aanchir · August 20, 2014

Just thought I'd share that the LEGO.com homepage currently has an animation of Queen Beast and Surge & Rocka Combat Machine. It's short but pretty cute. It's easy to miss out on seeing these animations if you tend to bypass the homepage, since they cycle through them on a monthly or semi-monthly basis.

I still haven't gotten any of the new Hero Factory sets and am not sure when I will. There are definitely some I want, but it was so much easier to plan this kind of thing back when there would be big AFOL discounts during Brickfair Virginia. Now that those aren't around any more it's harder to decide when or where to buy new LEGO sets, and I mostly end up either waiting for a cool promotion on shop.LEGO.com or buying the sets on impulse. I haven't gotten any of the new Ninjago sets since early this year either... :confused:

EDIT: And I just noticed an unexpected surprise on the Hero Factory site. While the bios for the beasts in the first half of the year did not make any mention of their sex/gender, the bios for Queen Beast, Tunneler Beast, and Crystal Beast do. They're all female. For reference, this is the first time since the Bahrag that there have been multiple female villains in a single year of sets.

Also, happily, while the TV episode for this year did not have much in the way of characterization, the hero bios for this year are all consistent with the characters' established personality, with the exception of Evo, whose bio STILL seems to be describing Nex. <_<

Edited August 20, 2014 by Aanchir

believe victims · August 20, 2014

Also, happily, while the TV episode for this year did not have much in the way of characterization, the hero bios for this year are all consistent with the characters' established personality, with the exception of Evo, whose bio STILL seems to be describing Nex.

I'm not sure which personality was intended for which initially, but chances are it's a continuation of the initial Evo/Nex confusion.

Aanchir · August 21, 2014

Also, happily, while the TV episode for this year did not have much in the way of characterization, the hero bios for this year are all consistent with the characters' established personality, with the exception of Evo, whose bio STILL seems to be describing Nex.

I'm not sure which personality was intended for which initially, but chances are it's a continuation of the initial Evo/Nex confusion.

I suspected as much. It's frustrating, though, especially since the 2012 Breakout sets are clearly meant to portray Nex as the sociable communications and technical expert (with a communications antenna and a precision laser) and Evo as the quiet, methodical weapons expert (with armored boots and a heavy-duty tank arm). Even the 2013 set seemed like it was aimed at reflecting Evo's original TV portrayal — descriptions of his staff emphasized not only its raw power but also the level of skill it takes to safely and effectively use it.

Summer 2014 Hero Factory Sets — Pics and Discussion

Recommended Posts

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Join the conversation