Mega Bloks Strike Cyclops

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: less than 45 minutes (sorting and building)
Set Piece Count: 162
Minifigures: UNSC Marine (Halo Wars style, with Black Helmet.
Weapons: Shotgun
Accessories: Buildable Gun for Cyclops
Special Features: Multiple points of articulation. See pics for specific details.
Cost: $17-20 Depending on where you buy it from. I got mine from Amazon.com

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

YES! Finally I get the new Cyclops. I’ve been wanting and waiting for this set for awhile.

The box art is great! The shape of the box is a little odd, but that helps to make it stand out. On the back of the box you see how the figure fits into the cyclops. As well, a peek at the Incinerator Cyclops also available.

This set comes with a Halo 5 REQ pack.

Here are the contents of the box.

And all the pieces sorted out. There are some VERY note-worthy pieces here. The main chase for the mech (seen top middle) is the base of which all the limbs are attached. Just left of that is a one-piece cockpit hatch. I’d have liked for this to have had a transparent windshield, but the gold paint does look great! Also near top, there are several sets of pieces that act as various limb armor pieces. I think those will be hard to use in other sets, so it’s VERY likely we’re going to see a bunch of Cyclops from these new parts. I’m COOL with that!

Okay, let’s get into the build!

First we start off with the ankle and leg assemblies. This Cyclops brings with it a NEW type of hinge system. The two pieces are a “C” shaped clip and a “D” shaped bar. Each has a pin that protrudes from the other end of the respective piece. The pin fits into another new piece that has studs on two opposite sides. Those allow for building armor on top of them. These new hinge pieces act much like ball sockets without the ball though. They are sturdy and I think a welcomed new hinge system for smaller Mega Bloks sets.

The body is comprised of three main sections. The chest, chassis, and cockpit. You build the chest, slightly build the chassis and the cockpit is one piece. The back of the body as a few parts added to it as well.

Before I go further, I do want to let you know that the armor bits have a tendency to pop off when you’re connecting the limbs to the body and sometimes when you’re trying to position the mech in different poses.

Okay, so we’ve got the body and legs attached.

Ugh…my pics of the arm assembly were fuzzy and I didn’t check them before I moved on. So no pics of that part of the build. Sorry. Suffice to say though that it’s similarly built as the legs are. Those fingers are FANTASTIC! Finally a Cyclops that can not only HOLD things, but point, and open up! I LOVE that feature!!

Curiously, I got these extra parts leftover, They weren’t even listed in the parts manual. I’m thinking this was either a mistake or by design as I happened to find GREAT use for them. (Oh and fast forward for a second, these same parts were also extra in the Incinerator Cyclops set, so that tells me it wasn’t a mistake they were included, just that they were not put on to the parts list.)

So let’s start with the “T” transfer plate. Placing it on top of the front of the foot adds stability. You do give up a slight bit of forward ankle articulation, but it’s very small, so IMO, the added stability is much more worth it!

Next that half-rounded blok fits in between the chest plates quite well and doesn’t look out of place.

Here we see how the figure fits into the cockpit. Take note that the 1X1 pin plates I had left over were put on the inside of the chest. Those now act as handles for the figure to drive the mech by. (As seen by the two red circles at bottom right of the composite pic below.)

Views from all sides of the mech. This is really a good looking model!!

And the figure. It’s a standard UNSC Marine. However, the black parts are usually a different color, so this specific marine stands out among his compatriots.

And finally, the pic below shows all the articulation that the Cyclops has. It’s AMAZING! This version of the Cyclops is SOOOO much better than the first generation one. It really puts the Gen1 to shame…

Summary: This is a the Gen 2 version of the Cyclops. A much better looking build than Gen 1. Articulation is fantastic and allows for MANY poses. Slight issues with armor assemblies popping off, but they are easy to put back on. Just be careful.

Overall Rating: I give this set 9 out for 10 medals.

Why did I give it a 9 out of 10?
• The only reason it didn’t get a 10 from me was due to the issue of the armor parts popping off. If those would have been more stable and didn’t pop off, this would have easily been a 10 for me. Still, it’s a great set!

Value: The price of $17-20 is fair for this set. First there are the number of unique new pieces. Not to mention, in comparison to the Gen1 Cyclops, this has MORE pieces and a TON more articulation. At only $1-3 more than the Gen1 Cyclops, the Gen2 is SOO much better and worth the added cost!!

Do I recommend it?  Yes! Absolutely! I had a LOT of fun building this set and will continue to have more fun as I repose it over and over. A must own set, IMO!!

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!

If this review gives you an informed decision on whether to purchase the set or not, please consider a small donation (50 cents) maybe. It’s much appreciated and helps ensure that HFFL stays active on the internet. Thank You.

-Sal