Review: Mega Bloks Legends King Arthur: Attack Action Warship
Every now and then, I find myself walking around a Toys R Us clearance section, and I come across something that's just too cool to leave without. That's what happened a while back. Well, sort of.
Credit where credit's due, this was actually something my wife found. We were checking out the clearanced Mega Bloks sets, and I was considering picking up a bridge set, largely because there was a cool sea monster included. I'd noticed the warship, but I didn't really give it much thought: it was cheap, but still a little more than I was planning to spend.
Well, my wife, who's about ten times more perceptive than I am, noticed an action feature: it seems that the small block men, driven by a motor, actually turn the oars. That, I had to see in person.
I haven't reviewed many Mega Bloks toys so far, but I actually have a decent collection. For a while they were licensed to produce Batman and Superman playsets, and I've got quite a few of those: the figures are fantastic, the vehicles are great, but the Batcave they produced is a horrible mess: nothing snaps together right, the design doesn't really work, and it couldn't support its own weight (there were some great pieces, though).
The only Mega Blok toys I think I've looked at here are the Plasma Dragons Booster Packs, very simple, minimalist figures I bought as army builders.
I've seen the Legends King Arthur sets floating around Toys R Us stores for a while. By the way, I'm not sure why it's "Legends King Arthur" as opposed to "Legends OF King Arthur", but I'll just assume Mega Bloks's marketing division knows what it's doing. While the action features on the block figures didn't interest me, the rowing feature did, as did the design of the ship and the hydra which came with it.
Credit where credit's due, this was actually something my wife found. We were checking out the clearanced Mega Bloks sets, and I was considering picking up a bridge set, largely because there was a cool sea monster included. I'd noticed the warship, but I didn't really give it much thought: it was cheap, but still a little more than I was planning to spend.
Well, my wife, who's about ten times more perceptive than I am, noticed an action feature: it seems that the small block men, driven by a motor, actually turn the oars. That, I had to see in person.
I haven't reviewed many Mega Bloks toys so far, but I actually have a decent collection. For a while they were licensed to produce Batman and Superman playsets, and I've got quite a few of those: the figures are fantastic, the vehicles are great, but the Batcave they produced is a horrible mess: nothing snaps together right, the design doesn't really work, and it couldn't support its own weight (there were some great pieces, though).
The only Mega Blok toys I think I've looked at here are the Plasma Dragons Booster Packs, very simple, minimalist figures I bought as army builders.
I've seen the Legends King Arthur sets floating around Toys R Us stores for a while. By the way, I'm not sure why it's "Legends King Arthur" as opposed to "Legends OF King Arthur", but I'll just assume Mega Bloks's marketing division knows what it's doing. While the action features on the block figures didn't interest me, the rowing feature did, as did the design of the ship and the hydra which came with it.
Appearance and Construction: 6/10
There are several different aspects of this set that need addressing, some of which we'll consider here and some of which we'll look at below. For the purposes of scoring, I'm considering the boat and the soldiers here, and I'll look at the ballista, the chest of gold, the barrels, torches, "wands", and hydra below.
First, for a building set, the boat looks good. I love the faux wood sides, the carvings, the mast, and the headpiece - actually, I REALLY like that 2-headed eagle headpiece: that looks awesome.
Things get a little less shiny when you snap them all together.
The sides just don't lock together quite right. I'm pretty sure I followed the instructions to a 'T', but I ended up with gaps on both sides of the ships just beneath the woodwork. I can press these down and see how it's supposed to look, but as soon as I move my hand they pop out again.
The problem is nowhere near as bad as with my Batcave, but it's hardly ideal. I'm not sure whether it's caused by a molding or design error, but mine just doesn't go together the way it should.
I have mixed feelings about the cloth sail. It looks pretty good, and the symbol is certainly welcome, but the mixed media effect comes off as a little "arts and crafty" here.
First, for a building set, the boat looks good. I love the faux wood sides, the carvings, the mast, and the headpiece - actually, I REALLY like that 2-headed eagle headpiece: that looks awesome.
Things get a little less shiny when you snap them all together.
The sides just don't lock together quite right. I'm pretty sure I followed the instructions to a 'T', but I ended up with gaps on both sides of the ships just beneath the woodwork. I can press these down and see how it's supposed to look, but as soon as I move my hand they pop out again.
The problem is nowhere near as bad as with my Batcave, but it's hardly ideal. I'm not sure whether it's caused by a molding or design error, but mine just doesn't go together the way it should.
I have mixed feelings about the cloth sail. It looks pretty good, and the symbol is certainly welcome, but the mixed media effect comes off as a little "arts and crafty" here.
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The oars are fine, but not exceptional. What really works is the grating on the rear of the boat - I'll talk a little more about this when we get to Play and Display.
The little block men are fine, but not great. In order to accommodate their "MicroMotion" action feature (more on that below), they've got hideous holes in their backs. Still, the design work is pretty good, especially on the figures with horned helmets. I should also add that there are five figures in all; four evil knights and one good. While the boat looks good, the problems in construction drag the score down. Building sets, when put together correctly, should always lock in place. That's why this is a six rather than a seven or eight. |
Packaging and Extras: +1
I'm generally opposed to "Try Me" action features, but complaining too much would be a little hypocritical here. After all, I only bought this after seeing it at work in the store. Here's what it looks like in the store:
Now, accessories are a bit subjective when you're talking about a play set: after all, you're really buying bags full of pieces. But some of these things are more essential than others: had this come with only what was described above, I wouldn't have really noticed anything missing (or, at the very least, I wouldn't be able to describe WHAT was missing).
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Fortunately, you get quite a bit more, starting with the ballista. I almost counted this as part of the ship, but decided it really felt more like an add on. It looks pretty good, and it both turns side to side and swivels up and down: always a plus. The bolt is less impressive, but it does fire, thanks to a rubber band. I wish they'd included a black band instead of a white one, but that's life. Moving on, you also get a chest of loot, complete with loot to go in or around it. The chest is very cool, though the loot is somewhat less so. The coins come in peg-sized piles of gold, bronze, and silver. The problem is that these look utterly ridiculous together. Had the individual pieces been painted in multiple colors, they'd have worked as piles of treasure, but as it is you wind up with small, separated piles. |
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As I said before, the chest is much better. It opens and closes, and even has some paint. Sure, they could have chosen a better color than red, but that's life.
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The soldiers also get accessories of their own: they come with tiny weapons: axes, swords, maces, and spears for slaughtering their enemies. They also have shields, but these really belong on the side of the ship until they fall off and are lost.
The weapons are fine, but not exceptional. They're actually fairly similar to the ones which came with the Dragon Booster packs. My only real complaint is that there's no whip: where's the enticement to row faster? You also get a small, unpainted hand telescope. |
In addition, there are two wands intended for the "MicroMotion" action feature advertised, in large print, on the front of the box. Oddly enough, this seems to be the defining feature of this entire line. Here's how it works: you shove the wand into the back of one of the soldiers, press the button, and the soldier swings his sword in a mighty arch.
Well, that's the theory, anyway. In practice, the block men kind of shake the sword, like they're trying to get a bug off without hurting it. Considering the absurd length of the wand, it's a bit of a letdown. Frankly, this is one of those extras I didn't ask for and don't want.
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Fortunately, the rest of the accessories fare better. You've got barrels (again with the red), which could use some paint, but serve as somewhere to put the weapons. There are also rats, who could also use some paint. But still, come on: block rats? How cool is that? When my wife and I were in the store waffling on whether to pick this up, we saw that there were miniaturized rats included, and that's really what finally sealed the deal. The included torches are also great. The translucent orange plastic, topped with a touch of yellow paint, really sells the illusion. |
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Unless I forgot something, there's just one more accessory to discuss, and that's the Hydra. In some ways, this is the most impressive extra, though it is a tad disappointing.
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For some reason, all of these sets seem to come with a monster. I'm not sure whether this is supposed to be a monster they're encountering or one they've enslaved, but it's pretty cool. Like everything else, you put him together, which means all four small heads, as well as the legs, are ball jointed. Technically, the tail is, too, but it doesn't really function like one.
I love the texturing here, as well as the legs, which kind of remind me of the dog monsters from Ghostbusters. The problem is the middle head. First of all, hydras really shouldn't have a "main" head. The point is, no matter which head you cut off, more grow in its place. In addition, they've included pegs, presumably so one of the block men can ride it or something. These aren't doing the figure any favors. |
But the real problem here is the action feature: press on the center horn and the center head wiggles. Yeah: terrifying.
Other than that, it's still a nice figure. I wish there had been a little more work put into the eyes (the yellow isn't all that impressive), but it's a good addition to the set.
One last addendum, and this one's a positive. The instructions are unusually easy to read and follow. There are no bonus points for that, but, in the off chance anyone who worked on it ever reads this review: THANK YOU.
The bonus point is mostly for the hydra, but also for the rest of the pile of extras included here. Things like this need some accessories, but this went a bit above and beyond.
Other than that, it's still a nice figure. I wish there had been a little more work put into the eyes (the yellow isn't all that impressive), but it's a good addition to the set.
One last addendum, and this one's a positive. The instructions are unusually easy to read and follow. There are no bonus points for that, but, in the off chance anyone who worked on it ever reads this review: THANK YOU.
The bonus point is mostly for the hydra, but also for the rest of the pile of extras included here. Things like this need some accessories, but this went a bit above and beyond.
Play and Display: ----
When I bought this, I really expected this category would be deserving of a bonus point. Lets talk.
There are several different action features, articulated parts, and other things deserving of our attention. I've already provided my thoughts about the MicroMotion: an absolute waste of time and resources. Really, it looks awful, it intrudes on the sculpts, and there's nothing fun about sticking a block figure at the end of a stick. The best use I came up for this was removing the sword, holding the stick figure in the air, and pretending he'd been stuck on a pike by Vlad the Impaler. Even then, the figure barely twitches.
Likewise, the button on the hydra was unnecessary. The effect is, frankly, pathetic. If they'd dropped it and instead stuck on another small head or two, it would have been a much better figure.
The firing ballista fares a bit better; just be aware it's a pull-back feature as opposed to button opperated.
There are several different action features, articulated parts, and other things deserving of our attention. I've already provided my thoughts about the MicroMotion: an absolute waste of time and resources. Really, it looks awful, it intrudes on the sculpts, and there's nothing fun about sticking a block figure at the end of a stick. The best use I came up for this was removing the sword, holding the stick figure in the air, and pretending he'd been stuck on a pike by Vlad the Impaler. Even then, the figure barely twitches.
Likewise, the button on the hydra was unnecessary. The effect is, frankly, pathetic. If they'd dropped it and instead stuck on another small head or two, it would have been a much better figure.
The firing ballista fares a bit better; just be aware it's a pull-back feature as opposed to button opperated.
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In additon, you've got the opening and closing treasure chest and grate, as well as good articulation on the figures. Plus, if you want to, you can take the figures apart and swap pieces. Or, you know, disassemble the ship and build something else. It's a block set; sky's the limit. Now then. Lets move onto the main event. I refer, of course, to the action feature that sold the set, the turning oars pulled by the blockmen, while their cruel lord whips them. Okay, here's the thing: this works great, I mean absolutely great... for about five seconds. After that one of the rowers pops off his base and flops around until I turn it off. It's still really cool and really fun, but it's not sustained. So no bonus point. |
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 7/10
Retail for this set was forty-five bucks. Now, HAD the rowing feature worked perfectly and the pieces locked together correctly without gaps... yeah, okay. It wouldn't be a great deal, but it wouldn't have been awful.
Fortunately, I picked this up for around seventeen dollars, which is far more reasonable given the realities of the set. I don't want to sound like this is a bad set: it's really not. But, given the problems here, it's not worth $45.
Here's the thing: everyone loves the Lego brand, but they're just not reasonably priced anymore. Mega Bloks fills a niche between Lego and the truly generic brands out there. When they're at the top of their game - like with the Batmobile sets they put out five or so years back - they're offering Lego quality at half the price. And - I've said it before - I like Mega Blok's Batman figures more than I like Lego's.
The problem is that sometimes Mega Bloks isn't on the top of their game. They have some serious design and quality control issues they need to work out to keep their toys from winding up on clearance. Of course, then I wouldn't get to review them....
Fortunately, I picked this up for around seventeen dollars, which is far more reasonable given the realities of the set. I don't want to sound like this is a bad set: it's really not. But, given the problems here, it's not worth $45.
Here's the thing: everyone loves the Lego brand, but they're just not reasonably priced anymore. Mega Bloks fills a niche between Lego and the truly generic brands out there. When they're at the top of their game - like with the Batmobile sets they put out five or so years back - they're offering Lego quality at half the price. And - I've said it before - I like Mega Blok's Batman figures more than I like Lego's.
The problem is that sometimes Mega Bloks isn't on the top of their game. They have some serious design and quality control issues they need to work out to keep their toys from winding up on clearance. Of course, then I wouldn't get to review them....
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