Legends
of Chima
Product
#:
70128
Brapter's
Wing Striker
146
Pieces
$14.99
Build
Time:
Approx. 55 Minutes
My
main reason for getting this set was for the Braptor minifigure. I
know it doesn't seem like it makes sense to buy a set for just the
minifigure but it happens more often than not with me. I am not a fan
of the bird Chima minifigs but I thought the vehicle looked cool
enough to justify the purchase.
The
packaging is decent for this one except that it puts the Eris minifig
up front, which I think is a mistake. Brapter is so cool but almost
hidden among the black on the wing striker itself. I really like the
green lasers shooting from the side guns even though that’s an
exaggeration of what the vehicle can do. Well, that’s marketing for
you, drag the kids in by blatantly lying on the box.
Level
Of Intimidation Of Build:
I
have a confession to make, collecting LEGOs has made me a bit cocky.
Most of the sets I have collected are around 200 pieces, this being
one of them. Now granted, there are some smaller pieces, but overall
they usually go together fairly easy. Later I will discuss how I was
fooled by this school of thought.
Minifigure:
Well,
I've already told you I bought the set for the bat Chima called
Brapter, so it shouldn't surprise you that he was indeed awesome! He
even comes with a great little gun that had a lot of thought put into
it. What I didn't expect was how much I like Eris. The bird Chima
looked very cool in person coming with the bonus of an awesome
looking staff.
Build
Process:
This
is a very cool set piece. If you ask me what it is I would have to
guess, so here's my thoughts. It a gem covered by plants and a
gigantic leaf of some kind. I think I'm close. No matter what it is,
it's pretty unique and I like it. The leaf thingy even has a hinge on
it, so it moves up and down to reveal and conceal the gem inside.
I'm
not going to lie about this one, it was a lot tougher than most LEGO
sets. I kept putting on the wrong piece in the wrong place. Of
course, I got a few of the flat pieces stuck and had to pry them
apart with a knife. And no - don't try that at home kids, its more
dangerous than you think. For some reason the instructions weren't as
easy as most sets to follow along with. It was a frustrating Saturday
morning putting this thing together, hopefully the ages stated on the
box have an easier time than I did.
There
were definitely some tricky parts to this build, especially the wings
on this bad boy. I wasn't a fan of this thing on the box but as I was
putting it together I knew it was something special.
You
see, the two wings in front also act as a grabber. Now, normally I
wouldn't be that excited about something so simple but the LEGO
engineers designed a sliding mechanism (the platform with the green
railings and purple vents) behind where Brapter sits making it lots
of fun to play with. I can imagine the striker swooping down while
scooping up Eris as they are fighting over the gem.
Moving
Pieces:
This
thing feels like its chocked full of moving parts making the
playability factor very high!
Leafy
Thing: Like
earlier mentioned, the leafy thing is hinged to reveal and conceal
the gem.
Gliding
Trigger: Behind
Brapter is a little platform but upon further inspection it acts as a
trigger by sliding back and forth causing the wings to move back and
forth.
Side
Gun: Beside
the platform trigger is a pair of guns that move from the side to
straight up.
Wings:
The
vehicles wings move, not up and down but to the front in order to
grab things. Also both minifigures have wings that do move as well.
Horns:
In
front of where Braptor sits is a pair of horns that are on a hinge so
they move back and forth.
Completed:
I
must say this thing is way more impressive than the box makes it out
to be. The wings/grabbers are a really cool addition making it really
stand out from other flying vehicles. The minifigs in this set are
both a great addition to the Chima line. Although I am not big on the
bird figs, Eris does a good job of standing out, especially with that
cool looking staff! I also love how LEGO always throws me for a loop
by adding the little touches like the gem hiding plant thingy.
Overall:
Look,
initially I only wanted the bat Chima known as Braptor but upon
further inspection there is a lot more to this set. As always the
price is cheap for what you get, however if you just want the
minifigs, the rest of the set is not great to piece out. There are
some odd things like the wings and railings that may not be good for
other projects. Some people like the Legends of Chima line and for
those, this is a perfect set. For quality and playability, you cannot
go wrong with this one. Kids will especially like this one because of
all the cool things that they can do with it while parents will like
the price. It does look cool on a shelf but as the problem with all
flying vehicles (at least for me) it looks strange for them to just
be sitting on the shelf and not in the air in action.
Originally
I was gonna give this one a 3.5 but since it turned out to be even
better than I could have imagined I had to bump it up a little.
Score:
4 out of 5
-R.T.
Follow
me on Twitter @richardrants
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