Mega Bloks Forerunner Weapons Pack: Set #97166

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 2 minutes
Set Piece Count: 20
Minifig: Watcher
Weapons: Scattershot, Suppresor
Accessories: Hardlight Shield w/stand.
Special Features: Watcher has 7 points of articulation
Price: $6-7 depending on where you buy it from.

And on with the pics!

This set comes in the new clean white packaging. The added window accentuates the minifig and weapons nicely.

The back of the box shows not only the contents inside, but shots of the other two weapons sets as well. There is an option to rebuild all three into a larger set if you so choose. The directions for this set have the set directions on one side, and 1/3 of the directions for the larger combined build on the other side.

Here we see the contents. As always, I’m a HUGE fan of translucent toys. This set comes with several pieces to that end, that make this set that much more fun. While the Watcher minifig is very well done, for me, the draw to this set is the Hardlight Shield. Mega Bloks did a fantastic job of getting the shape down right, with that slight curvature, and yet being able to add in connecting elements such as the side handles and the middle stud to attach to a stand. KUDOS Mega Bloks, this piece is fantastic! This is the first Mega Bloks set to give us a Suppressor.

The weapons crate has that Forerunner feel to it, even for being small. The greys and translucent orange pieces just make this simple weapons crate ‘POP.’

Finally the Watcher with the Hardlight shield and stand. The only ever so minor issue I have is that the tall clear pole was slightly curved with my set and it doesn’t quite attach to the base perfectly. It kept popping off at the slightest touch. Again though, this is very minor to me as it only takes a second to fix.

Summary: A very nice set with a first time weapon in the Suppressor. It’s a quick build and comes with the highly articulated Watcher.

Overall Rating: I give this set 8 out for 10 medals. The reason it didn’t score higher is that I do not feel the Watcher is a full minifigure. While I wouldn’t expect a Knight with this set, a crawler would have been an excellent addition to the watcher. Given that standard Mega Bloks Halo minifigs have typically 12 points of articulation and are bigger than the Watcher, which has seven points of articulation, adding in a Crawler, which has 5 points of articulation would have made up the difference nicely.  That being said, the Hardlight shield helps to make up for this somewhat.

-Sal