Mega Bloks Covenant Watchtower

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 3 minute to sort, 30 minutes to build (Your time will vary. I take photos along the way which make my build times a little longer)
Set Piece Count: 239
Minifigures: UNSC Spartan Soldier (Speckeld White); Covenant Elite Commander (Brown)
Weapons: Hydra, Fuel Rod Gun; Buildable Covenant Plasma Turret
Accessories: Covenant Drop Shield
Special Features: N/A
Cost: $20-25 depending on where you buy it from

And on with the pics! (Click pics to make BIGGER)

Forgive the sticker on the front of this as this set was an internet order. It’s not normally there.

Let’s first talk about something I feel is a tad misleading. The gravity lift in the center of the tower. On the front it’s well lit up and appears to be making the set hover. On the back we see what there really is. Instead of a cool tube (as in previous towers), we get 4 rather puny and potentially unstable trans-blue rods. This was one of the things that turned me off with this set. I really would have rather had the blue tubes from the past. I suppose this was done however to make this a completely new design.
Also note that on the front of the box, the drop shield looks like it’s crackling with energy. On the back…dull. The previous drop shields used to have that crackling energy printed on them. I’d have liked to have seen this here too.
I want to stress that you must be extra careful when placing figures on the top portion of the tower, if you have it all built. While mine hasn’t broken, I think with too much play, there is a potential for this. I suggest removing the top part from the rods, place your figure(s), then put it back in place.

This is what you get in the box. As always, I’m happy with the newish Indigo color that Mega has chosen to represent the Covenant.
The pieces sorted out. Lots of curved pieces, yea! Okay, let’s get into the build.
Above you start buy building a sort of box with side pegs. Gone are the cylindrical pieces from past towers. That’s both good and bad. I’ll explain this in just a second.
So as we continue with the build, you can see how the ramps and other parts have been added. I think this was a STELLAR design choice for the bottom portion of the tower. Only exception so far are those blue rods as mentioned about earlier.
Next we start to build the upper portion of the tower. Here I found the design to not be as optimal. First we are missing the hole in the middle. That’s integral to Covie towers. Next, it’s not quite cylindrical. With a few inserted pieces between the curved corners, it’s close but not a perfect circle. That’s not the design choice I would have gone with, however it does add a little bit more space to put figures on.
We get two weapons with this. A new Fuel Rod Gun design, minus the green rods. Dang it… Also we get a Hydra, one of the new weapons from Halo 5. Cool.
Above is the speckled White Spartan Soldier. I REALLY like this choice. Mostly due to the speckling. It makes the figure seem like it’s seen battle. Kudos there!
This is a Covenant Commander Elite. A new armor design for Halo 5. This was the first time we got this figure, though it’s been released in another set as well. I’m not a big fan of brown on Covie armor. The armor itself is great though! So a little mixed here.
Gah…my files for the complete finished set were corrupted, so this is the only one I have of it at present. (I’ll try to get a replacement pic in, but the set is packed away for now.)
As you can see we do get a buildable plasma turret. Always a nice addition.

Summary: There is very little build time. A potential design flaw might see this set break, so be careful. New weapons and Elite armor.

Overall Rating: I give this set 8.5 out for 10 medals.

Why did I give it a 8.5 out of 10?
• It’s not game accurate, so if that matters to you (it does to me for the most part), then you won’t be particularly happy with this set. Half a point off here.
• No hole in the upper tower part makes this feel like the set is lacking. Half a point off here.
• The choice to go with blue rods instead of a much more durable and stable blue tube was a mistake, IMO. Half a point off here.

Value: The two figures account for about $7 of the set (U.S.). This leaves you with between $13-18 for the tower, turret and drop shield. That remaining at $13 is reasonable. Any higher and not so much. So try to get this one at the $20 (U.S.) price point if you can.

Do I recommend it?  I’m mixed on this. The Spartan is great. The color of the Eltie, no, but the armor yes. The bottom design of the tower is by far better than previous towers, while the upper portion is a departure, in the wrong way, I feel. Normally I give a Yes or No response here. As I’m mixed on elements of this set, I’ll just have to leave it up to you to decide for yourself. Though, please do consider my points about the set if you plan on purchasing it.

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