Okay, , first I need to say that I’ve written this review twice before and both times it didn’t save…so hopefully third times a charm. On with the review.
Mega Bloks Phaeton Gunship
Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 30 minutes sorting, 1 hour 30 minutes building.
Set Piece Count: 455
Minifigs: Halo 5 Promethean Soldier X2, Oribtal Spartan (Green)
Weapons: Boltshot, Binary Rifle, Halo 5 style Rocket Launcher
Accessories: N/A
Special Features: Open/Close front hatch, cockpit, swivel guns, open/close rear hatch
Cost: $45
And on with the pics! (Click pics to make BIGGER)
The box art is well done as usual. Great action shot on the front with a decent descriptive shot on the back of some of the moveable features of the Phaeton.
Here is what you get in the box. Yep, that’s a REQ pack code card too!
And the pieces sorted out. Really happy to see the translucent pieces. You longer time readers know I LOVE see-through pieces!
Okay, let’s get into the build. This is the lower front half of the Phaeton. I like the section that looks like the 6-cylinder engine.
This next section is the top front part of the Pheaton. Not the hatch pieces for the forward hold.
Here are both the front upper and lower sections put together. Nothing hard about the build so far. Heh, this kind of reminds me of the Geonosion fighters from Star Wars Attack of the Clones.
Now we move on to the rear section. The two round parts are for hinges to be attached to. You’ll see those in a minute.
Here the rear section is completed. On top right, you see the pilot hold. At bottom left is one area where instead of the grey dish, there should have been an orange translucent piece (to match the in-game model). I suppose that was done though as often, when models are on display, you don’t see the bottom. It’s a minor thing to me, but would have made this set just a bit better.
Here shows the rear hatch as it can close and open.
At top you see two pins on the rear section. Those were the parts inserted into those holes I mentioned earlier. These are also inserted into two holes in the front section. This is done to create an angled shape. It’s a good solution. At middle, you see there are two small clear stand sections. Those are a bit flimsy. At bottom the model rests on those stands. At this point the ship can easily be knocked over. So I suggest to not put those stands on for the moment. It will save you a little frustration.
Here the wing sections are built. They are the same, just inverted, so I only showed one of them in this pic.
Those wings are added on as are mid-ship guns. At top left you see where clear hinge pins are locked into the body from the wings. Bottom left shows one clear tube that goes over a pin on the body. And the completed ship at bottom right.
This photo shows both hatches in the open position. As you can see, you can store a figure into each area. The forward hatch isn’t actually game accurate, but it’s nice that it’s there. The rear hatch (I have the figure backwards…) is where a Pilot goes. This could have bene built a little more snug for the figure to fit in. You will find that a fig may move around a little if you are ‘whooshing’ it about, LOL. (Not that I do that…and not that there is anything wrong with that….HA HA!)
Here are the pieces left over.
Thankfully, those 4 clear ‘L’ shape pieces work perfectly in helping to stabilize the stands. Now, I’m not sure if those will be included in each set, so YMMV.
A WAY to close up of the other left over pieces.
Here is the Promethean Soldier. As there are two of the same in this set, I’m only showing one of them. This is a FANTASTIC figure. The sculpt is GREAT! The only small drawback is that there is no hip articulation. It’s not a detractor for me. Though, I do hope that’s NOT a precursor of things to come with future Halo Mega Bloks figures.
The Orbital Spartan is an odd choice for me. It’s not a character in the game. But I suppose a generic spartan is fine. I DO like that it’s the green color. That’s my preferred choice for generic spartan figures.
The weapons included are the new Halo 5 one-tube rocket launcher, a Binary Rifle and a Boltshot.
Here’s the Phaeton from the front, slight top. It’s a good looking model. The front hatch could have bee slightly better here, as you can see there is a gap.
The Spartan is being attacked by both Promethean Soldiers! Who will prevail?!?
Summary: The build time is reasonable and can be done in one sitting. Figure choice is good, especially that we get TWO of the Promethean soldiers. The price of $45 (US) is spot on for the unofficial 10 cents per piece rule. The model itself looks pretty good. Just a couple of in-game inaccuracies. But again, those are deal breakers.
Overall Rating: I give this set 9 out for 10 medals. The little inaccuracies to the in-game model take half a point off, as does the stands for the ship. Otherwise, this set is STELLAR!
Why did I give it a 9 out of 10?
• Just slightly inaccurate to the in-game model. Not much, but I’m a being a bit nit-picky here.
• Those flimsy stands are the only real drawback. I’d have much preferred clear bloks than the thin pieces we got.
Do I recommend it? Absolutely! As the only Forerunner ship to date as well as the first set to give us Promethean Soldiers and two of them at that, it’s a great set to add to your collection!
If you have any questions about this set that I didn’t cover in the review, please do not hesitate to ask me. Either reply below or e-mail me at [email protected]
Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of the review. If you get this set yourself, please let me know your thoughts on it too!
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-Sal