Halo Toy Review: Mega Construx Banished Ghost Rush

Mega Bloks has changed it’s name to Mega Construx. For the sets I’m reviewing that still have the Mega Bloks logo, that will be present in them. The sets that are now Mega Construx will have that logo. With a possible one or two exceptions, starting in 2017, all Mega reviews will be Mega Construx instead of Mega Bloks.

mega-construx-logo

Mega Construx Banished Ghost Rush

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 5 minutes sorting 10-15 minuted building
Set Piece Count: 90
Minifigures: Banished Brute (Red markings)
Accessories: Bruteshot
Special Features: Hood assembly can open/close
Cost: $10 US (Mass Retail)

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

The box art shows a cool action on the front. No, the guns do not actually shoot plasma, LOL. On the back you see a couple other Halo Wars 2 related sets.
mb-banished-ghost-rush-box

This is what you get inside the box.mb-banished-ghost-rush-contents

The pieces sorted. The bag you see is the figure unassembled. That bag comes within one of the other bags above.mb-banished-ghost-rush-sorted

The figure now assembled, with the figure stand plate.mb-banished-ghost-rush-sorted2

Okay, let’s get into the build.

First, this ghost build is very different from any previous ghost before. So for those of you who already have previous ghosts, this will be a NEW build for you! Yea!!

So a couple of things here. At the front part of the ghost, we now have 2×1 slope bloks. That will be where we attach the rest of the wing assembly later. The middle section is quite a lot simpler to build. mb-banished-ghost-rush-steps-1

The Banished vehicles all have red markings on them. The ghost is no different. Here we see that the red is rather prominent on the wings. Also of note, there are blue translucent pieces built into the wings. (I like that!) Now as you can see below, instead of the wings attaching by a peg/hole solution, they now are connected via those 2×1 slope bloks I mentioned earlier. This makes them more susceptible to popping off. That could be a good thing if you’re playing with them and want to show damage. It also means that should you drop this in transport to wherever youre taking it, theywill likely pop off. So just take a little care there.mb-banished-ghost-rush-steps-2

The hood assembly attaches via a clip. Then you rotate it down into place. It fits snugly between the two wings.  I really like that the pieces have printed graphics on them instead of stickers!mb-banished-ghost-rush-steps-3

And the ghost is all built!mb-banished-ghost-rush-steps-4

Extra views of the Ghost. Note the rear has a printed piece too. NICE!mb-banished-ghost-rush-views

You get a Bruteshot with the set for the figure.mb-banished-ghost-rush-weapon

I had these two pieces left over. Your left over parts may vary.mb-banished-ghost-rush-leftovers

Views of the Banished Brute. LOTS of detail in the armor here. A really impressive sculpt given the small size of the figure.mb-banished-ghost-rush-fig-views

A closeup of the fig. Again, look at the detail!mb-banished-ghost-rush-fig-views-2

Here you see the brute’s head underneath the helmet. It’s very well sculpted.mb-banished-ghost-rush-fig-views-3

In this shot I wanted to show you that the slop piece in front of the steering is blank. I’d have liked to have seen something printed here as a display. It’s minor though.mb-banished-ghost-rush-detail

And finally, the ghost with brute. The figure fits in well once you clip it’s hands onto the steering pins.mb-banished-ghost-rush-fin-back

Summary: This set is an easy and quick build. The red color and printed pieces add a richness to the design. The Brute’s armor is very well sculpted.

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

Why did I give it a 10 out of 10?
• I wanted to take a 1/4 point off for no display printed piece, but just couldn’t bring myself to do it. It really is so minor that it would be me just nitpicking for the sake of it. The only other thing I considered taking points off for is that the ‘engine’ area is rather sparse as opposed to being fully built up. In previous ghost sets, this was pretty solid. With the hood being attached the way it is, the engine area can’t really be built like that. So again, I’d just be a little nitpicky there.

Let me break down my opinion of the value of this set. (In US dollars)
The figure with the stand and weapon accounts for $3.50 of the set.
The Ghost easily accounts for the remaining $6.50.
TOTAL: $10

In my estimatation, this set is right on par with the retail price. Though a few pieces short of the guideline of 10 cents per piece, in exchange, we do get some nicely printed pieces.

Do I recommend it?  YES This is an EXCELLENT set to buy if you’re just getting into Mega’s building sets. As well, it’s a good starting point for building up your Banished army!

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]

If this review gives you an informed decision on whether to purchase the toy or not, please consider a small donation (50 cents) to the blog.You can donate via PayPal to [email protected]. Or just click the paypal link at the right on the main page of the site.  It’s much appreciated and helps ensure that HFFL stays registered/active on the internet. Thank You.

-Sal

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About Sal

I’ve got tons of experience with Halo gaming and collecting. I feel I have something to offer to the greater Halo fan community. Posts along the way will be about tips and tricks in the games as well as collecting and many more Halo related things. I’ll also repost interesting articles from the official site, Halowaypoint.com, or from fellow Halo fan sites. As I continue this blog, I hope to help gamers who want advice on the games, as well as any collectors with regards to where to find collectibles as well as deals, coupons and so on. You can also follow me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/HaloFanForLife or Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/halofanforlife11. Welcome to my blog and I hope you’ll come back again and again. -Sal