The second in an on-going Halo Mega Bloks series, Thrill Squad, was posted today. I found it to be a LOT of fun to watch. Action, great stop motion, good effects with some humor added in.

In case you missed part one, here it is:

So do you like these vids? Yes, they promote the toys. Of course they should. Other than that though, do you like the story, action, humor?

As a fan of Halo Mega Bloks, you know I do!

-Sal

Okay, this set isn’t new per say, as it’s been out at retail for some time. However, it is the first time I’ve purchased the set, so it’s new to me from that perspective.

Mega Bloks Brute Prowler Attack: Set #97004

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 20 minutes including sorting time.
Set Piece Count: 205
Minifigs: 3X Brutes (Brick Red), Spartan Mk V (Black/Grey), 2X Marine – full mask, (Black/Grey)
Weapons: Assault Rifle, Battle Rifle, 2 Magnums, Plasma Rifle (Brute Red), Brute Mauler, Brute Spiker, Frag Grenade
Accessories: 2x Grey Backpacks
Price: $33-36 Wal*Mart Exclusive
Special Features: Rotating Gunner pod

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

Again, this is an older set, that I hadn’t yet picked up. That’s why it has the older packaging look to it. Still, it’s very nice. The box window shows the figures off very nicely, as does the back of the box.

Above shows the contents of the box.

Here are the pieces sorted out.

Now we’ll move on to the build of the Prowler. The body in it’s initial first 10 or so steps. I like those translucent purple pieces. Then again, you folks already know I probably would.

From there the body’s shell is added. Already it’s looking like a Prowler.

Here we see both skids. To the left in their first few steps and to the right they are completed. I actually built these at the same time. Knowing the skids were mirror images of one another, it was very easy to assemble from the directions, but in mirrored fashion for the second one.

The skids are added to the body. Far right shows the addition of the plasma turret and drivers seat. Of note, that drivers seats is easily removable as it plugs in via a cylinder on the seat that is inserted to a hole at the back of the body. At this point the ship is done.

Let’s take a look at the minifies that come with the set.Here we see the three UNSC minifigs. The Black Mark V spartan is flanked by two Black/Grey Marines. I REALLY like this color scheme. The marines look like ONI troopers and Spartans in the black armor color just look totally cool!

Hi, I’m Larry, this is my brother Daryl and my other brother Daryl… It’s okay if you don’t get that reference. It was from a comedy show on TV some years ago. Anyway… Here are the three brutes that also come with the set. They’re all the same, so this makes for some great army building!

A look at the three different figure styles in orthogonal views. (Click pic to make bigger)

This set come with a nice assortment of weapons and a couple of accessories. It’s nice to see that MEGA paid attention to detail here and gave us a Brute version of the Plasma Rifle, as indicated by it’s color.

There are plenty of pieces left over. 

So of course I made a mini prowler out of them. Well, as close as I could come to one with the left over pieces provided.

One last shot of the whole set. Will those Marines get shot down and/or splattered? By the looks of the Spartan aggressively boarding the Prowler, I think the Marines will be quite fine, but those Brutes though….LOL

Summary: This is a quick build. I think it’s the same build as the previous Prowler set that came out before it. Though I could be wrong. The brick red highlights while not accurate for the multiplayer version of the Prowler are actually a nice accent to the ship. It makes it pop out more due to the added color.

Overall Rating: I give this set 9.5 out for 10 medals. The ever slow slight .5 taken off is only because I would have preferred one of the brutes to be different. That’s not a knock on the set though, just my personal preference.

I definitely recommend the set. Since this is an older set and a Wal*Mart exclusive as well, if you want to get one, I’d suggest checking them out soon as they are out of production. In stores these cost about $36, while on Wal*Mart’s website they cost $33. I got mine in store and had them price match the website. Normally they don’t do that, but made an exception in my case.

[Addendum] I meant to break down the price during this review. While $36 might seems big for a set that consists of 205 pieces, consider that it has 6 mini figures. When you take into account each mini figure being about $3 each, that’s $18 of the price there. That means the vehicle is between $15-18. That’s pretty reasonable, IMO. [/Addendum]

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of the review. If you have this set yourself, please give me your thoughts on it too!

-Sal

Mega Bloks UNSC Infinity Armor Bay: set #97262

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 20-30 minutes including sorting time.
Set Piece Count: 189
Minifigs: Spartan Scout Red with custom grey “skin” markings, UNSC Technician White/Blue
Weapons: SMG, SAW, AR, Shotgun, DMR
Accessories: N/A
Price: $22
Special Features: Rotating Gantry, two multi-poseable armor assembly arms.

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

The box shows the Armor Bay quite well. Nothing is wholly obstructed from view.

Here are the contents of the box. Lots of small pieces, so be careful when you’re opening the bags, so as to not lose parts

The pieces sorted out.

The base of the armor bay takes shape.

Now at first glance you might think this is the same pic but at a slightly different angle. Turn your attention to the large yellow guard rails to the left of each pic. The left side shows how the directions say to place them, while the right pic shows how it’s placed on the packaging art. Personally, I prefer the placement in the right pic. Makes more sense to me.

A ramp is added, then the “gantry” starts to take shape.

Here’s the set complete with figures in place as well as the weapons locker attached. I’m not sure what those blue double pegs are on the locker. Doesn’t matter though. They don’t take away from the set.

Orthogonal vies of the set. I made a mistake when building this. Note the bottom right corner, that piece is floating off the building table. I realized my mistake at the end when I had a piece that perfectly fit into place.

Here, circled, is that piece put into place. Now that part of the stand is flush with the table. Heh, yes, I can make mistakes when building and am not afraid to admit it…

Here were the pieces left over, again, the 2×3 plate was the part that I skipped by accident. So it’s really not leftover. 

A really good sampling of the weapons that come in this set. I much prefer solid black to any other solid color UNSC weapons (except the Spartan Laser). Pictured above from top to bottom left column, then right: DMR, SAW, Shotgun ; AR, SMG

Here’s the technician figure. I’m glad we’re getting more tech figs. Though it’s not accurate to the game, it’s still nice to have another one.

Here’s the Spartan with the special grey markings. The markings do not exactly follow any of the specific skins in Halo 4. However, I totally dig that MEGA added the secondary SKIN color to the fig. It stands out. That said, this would have been a great opportunity for MEGA to have included the base spartan model as seen in the campaign. That one is Recruit armor with dark grey as the primary and orange as the secondary. Since many of those are seen in the campaign, it would have made that an army building figure. Doing that would have also made this set a multi-purchase for more people who like to army build.

On that note, While the design of the armor bay is nice, it’s not conducive to having many of them as it takes up a bit of room. So….I made a custom version of the armor bay with just the pieces from this set that much more closely resembles the in-game version.

Here are some comparisons shots from Halo 4 as well as my custom build:

The first thing that stands out is that the gantry arms are not attached to the ring, but rather to the top of the structure. As well, the whole thing is flush with the floor, not stepped as Mega’s design is.

So here is my alternative. Again, this is made from just the parts from this set, so you can easily make this version.

Master Chief looks on at other Spartans getting the armor treatment before having his own removed.

Here are some alternate views. The left top side shows the tech station to one side, while the left bottom shows that it’s modular and can be repositioned. You can put it on either side of the bay. The right side top shows the distance between the gantry and the back wall, while the right bottom shows that the gantry indeed does clear the wall and can spin 360° without hitting it.

In Spartan Ops,the Armor Bay is more clearly defined and better lit. Here you can definitely see the placement and positions of the assembly arms.

So, I used the armor locker piece along with the three 2×3 plates to attach to the top of the roof. That locker piece has some nice holes on the side that you can add the armor assembly arms.

What I like about my redesign is that it’s smaller, modular and you can place many of them next to each other with the tech stations in between, thus making a long armor bay, with more spartans getting their armor put on or taken off. Yet, it won’t take up a ton of room. 

Here’s the video review:

Summary: This is a quick build. It’s a bit grandiose in the design. That’s not a detractor mind you. Just that it takes up more space than it needs to. The articulation on the gantry as well as it’s ability to spin 360° are some very cool features!

Overall Rating: I give this set 9 out for 10 medals. While I like the special skinned Spartan, I’d have preferred the generic Halo 4 campaign version as it would have meant multiple purchases for me. I will still likely get a few more of this set if I can afford it. I’ll just have to trade that Spartan out. The large area it takes up is what drops this down a point. Normally I love large sets. This is one time where smaller is better.

This all said, I still HIGHLY recommend it!

You can see this set and more at Mega Bloks Halo product page HERE.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of the review. If you have this set yourself, please give me your thoughts on it too!

-Sal

Wow, this is a MAJOR business deal for Mega. Mattel now owning it means even MORE exposure for the brand. It makes sense now as Mega had picked up the licenses for Barbie and Hot Wheels, both Mattel toy lines.

Hopefully this won’t mean a change or an end to the Halo line. I have a feeling it won’t as the Halo Mega Bloks line continues to be a huge seller for Mega.

The following is a reblog from the New York Times:

Mattel Agrees to Buy Maker of Mega Bloks, a Lego Rival

SOURCE LINK

HFFL: VERY interesting indeed!

Mega Bloks Micro Fleet Hornet: Set #97224

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 5 minutes
Set Piece Count: 79
Minifigs: Spartan Mark VI Red (Halo 4 style)
Weapons: SAW
Accessories: Micro Covenant Sniper Tower
Price: $14-16
Special Features: N/A

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

As with the other Micro Fleet sets, the package shows off the collectible helmet and graphics for what the set includes, nicely.

Here’s the side of the box, just to show how far out the helmet juts from the package.

When you open up the box, this is what you see. The parts included are to the right (as viewed from the back) as opposed to being inside of the helmet.

When you remove the cardboard backing you find this. The helmet is attached via two strings. One at the top and one at the bottom. The one at the top can be a little tricky, so kids, get your parents to cut/remove that one for you.

This set of pics shows how the backplate is removable by pushing down on a tab.

And here is the helmet with the back baseplate removed. It can be a good place to store the set or other parts/pieces.

So here are the contents. An instruction sheet and one bag of parts.

And the parts all sorted out.

The landing skid in just a couple steps.

The body of the Hornet takes shape…

Put the two sections together and BAM, Hornet!

Orthogonal views of the Hornet.

A comparison shot of the recently released Electronic Hornet with the Micro Fleet version. I think Mega did an EXCELLENT job of design here. Plenty enough detail in the micro version!

The Covenant sniper tower per instructions, built on the baseplate.

Here it is finished. Note the 2X1 grey plate that the closets ramp is connected to. There’s another one on the other side. These will be used for my custom redesign of the sniper tower.

A SAW is included with the set.

Each of the Micro sets thus far have included a Mark VI (Halo 4 style) in the same color of the collectible helmet.

Here’s the finished set. The pic to the right has the bottom transparent piece rotated 90° to allow the Hornet to bear down on the sniper tower more.

So I mentioned making a redesign of the tower. This is what the tower looks like when taken off the baseplate. As you can see many of the parts are free floating from each other. This won’t work as well if you’re trying to make a diorama and have to watch out for loose piece.

Here is my solution. I took the two 2×2 grey plates that were in the middle, along with those two 2×1 plates I mentioned earlier to make the base of the redesigned tower. Added the side curved pieces…

Then simply put the top portion of the tower on it. Now this does leave you with the three bottom ramps that are free floating. Still, that’s much better than the whole base of the tower being free floating pieces. The last pic above shows how I temporarily store those ramp pieces when the tower is not in use.

Here’s the video review:

Summary: This is a quick to build set and is remarkable in it’s detail for being so small.

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

You can see this set and more at Mega Bloks Halo product page HERE.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of the review. If you have this set yourself, please give me your thoughts on it too!

-Sal

Mega Bloks Spartan IV Battle Pack: #97208

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 1 minute
Set Piece Count: 33
Minifigs: Spartan Recon Red, Storm Jackal, Imperial Grunt (Green), Translucent Blue Spartan Recon
Weapons: SAW, Plasma Pistol, Needler, Shotgun (trans-blue)
Accessories: 3×3 Tile with “HALO” printed on it
Price: $12
Special Features: N/A

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

This is a standard sized 4-figure multipack. It’s well designed and shows off the figures and weapons nicely.

Here are the contents. As you can see it’s the figures, weapons and the parts for the display stand.

The display stand built per instructions. Personally, I use these pieces for custom builds. However, I like that Mega includes them!

The weapons included. I like the wine colored Needler. The plasma Pistol is purple. And of course, you long time readers know I LOVE that translucent blue Shotgun!

The four figures in orthogonal views. The Jackal can stand taller. I had it hunched over a bit.

Do the Covies have the drop on the Red Spartan? I don’t think so! The Recruit Spartan sneaks up and starts to come out of active camouflage while pointing his shotgun at the unaware Grunt!

Hello there!

Here’s the video review:

Summary: This multi pack is a nice mix. A Spartan, two covies and a translucent figure. Weapons selection is spot on. I would have bought extras of this set if it included a Marine instead of the Red Scout Spartan. That’s not a complaint mind you.

Overall Rating: I give this set 9 out for 10 medals. Nothing wrong with the set. I would have just preferred a different fig instead of the Scout.

You can see this set and more at Mega Bloks Halo product page HERE.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of the review. If you have this set yourself, please give me your thoughts on it too!

-Sal

I’ll have three Mega Bloks toy reviews coming one each today, tomorrow and Friday. Thank goodness for tax refunds!

The sets to be reviewed are:
• Spartan IV Battle Pack – Includes Red Scout, Jackal, Green Imperial Grunt, Blue-Translucent Recruit.
• Micro Fleet Hornet
• UNSC Infinity Armor Bay

So please stay tuned to the blog for those reviews with pics as always and video!

Oh, on that note, please view those vids folks and let others know about them too. I’m trying to build up my Youtube page as well and your support by watching the vids would be greatly appreciated.

-Sal

Mega Bloks UNSC Quad Walker: #97263

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: 1 hour 20 minutes. This includes sorting time as well.
Set Piece Count: 335
Minifigs: Spartan Recon Dark Blue w/Red visor; Storm Elite Gold
Weapons: Incineration Cannon, Storm Rifle
Accessories: Covenant Shade Turret
Price: $32
Special Features: Quad Walker: cockpit opens and closes, double pivot points with cannons as well as slight rotation, highly articulated legs. The Quad Walker has a Walking mode and a Drop Pod mode. See video below for example. Shade Turret: Features 360° rotation as well as a pivoting gun.

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

The box front shows the Quad Walker in an action sequence, while the back shows articulation as well as the two different modes of the walker. At bottom right of the back, it also shows the other two REAP-X sets from Mega Bloks.

The contents when you open the box. Note that one bag is labeled “1” and another “3”. There was none labeled “2”. Don’t let that throw you off though as all pieces were included with this set. 

Here’s the REAP-X orthogonal view card that comes with the set. Each REAP-X set has one specific to the vehicle inside.

The above pic shows the pieces neatly sorted out. Note towards the top right, the large piece. That’s the same piece that makes up the lower body portion of the Mantis. It has a seat molded in it.

This shows the progression of the build for the body of the Quad Walker. I should make mention that the color of the majority of the Quad Walker’s pieces are of a light blueish grey that has a pearlescent sheen to it. It’s quite striking.

The cockpit cover is added as well as the legs assembled and attached. The legs feature a lot of articulation. There are two joints per leg that utilize the same joint system the Mantis uses. When you move them, they make a very satisfying clicking sound. As well the “toes” of the legs are slightly articulation to allow for better stability.

Here the cannons are added. Each one features two pivot joints and can also slightly turn left and right. See video below for a demonstration of this.

Above shows the finished Quad Walker in orthogonal views.

Next we move on to the Shade turret.

This is a very quick build. The base with the 360° swivel, then the base fortified. Follow that with the upper body, then the side “wings”.

Attach the upper portion with the bottom, add the gun and the turret is done!

Let’s take a look at the mini figures:

This is a Storm Elite from Halo 4, done with a gold finish. On mine, the head and shoulder armor color is more of a mustard color than the rest. Not a detractor, just slightly different in color/shade/

Following the theme of the Spartans in the other REAP-X sets, this Recon Spartan has the deep blue colored armor with a red visor. I love the design of the figure and hope to see more of it in future sets, especially as the covert ops color. I that color, we’d finally have Spartan Madsen from Fireteam Majestic, from Spartan Ops of Halo 4.

Above shows the lone left per piece. Off to the spare parts drawer it goes.

The set comes with a Storm rifle in purple and an Incineration Cannon in grey. This is only the second set to date to have the Incineration Cannon with it. So if you’re looking to collect at least one of every weapon, this set’s a good choice to add the “Incin” to your collection.

The Quad Walker has landed and is ready to either STOMP on the shade turret or blast it into bits!

But, the characters decide to become friends instead and the Quad Walker folds back up to it’s Drop Pod mode.

Here’s the video review:

Summary: This is a pretty quick build. I had no issues with the instructions, nor any difficulty with the parts fitting together properly. This version of the Shade turret is a welcome addition to my collection as are the mini figures. The Quad Walker is something different for Halo. I like that the UNSC has a walker of its own to do battle against the Covenant’s Locust. The fact that it can transform into Drop Pod mode adds some cool playability to the vehicle.

Overall Rating: I give this set 9 out for 10 medals. The only thing I didn’t like was the cockpit piece. It seemed just a little out of place with the rest of the walker. Everything else works for the set and I’m happy to have it.

I should mention that this set was sent to me by Mega Brands, so a very respectful Thank You to the fine folks at Mega!

You can see this set and more at Mega Bloks Halo product page HERE.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of the review. If you have this set yourself, please give me your thoughts on it too!

-Sal

Before I get into the review I need to thank my friend, fellow gamer and subscriber to the blog “PensHalo.” Through his generous donation at Christmas I was able to get this set. Without it, I likely would still not have this set. So MANY MANY THANKS to you Pens! This review is dedicated to you man!

Mega Bloks UNSC Hornet versus Covenant Vampire: #97123

Technical Specifications:
Build Time: I have to go by an approximation this time folks as I didn’t keep track of my build time. Considering the piece count plus sorting, I estimate the time to be about 2-2 1/2 hours total.
Set Piece Count: 684
Minifigs: Spartans: Red Recruit, Green C.I.O., Green Warrior; Covenant: Copper Storm Grunt, Copper Storm Elite, Silver Elite Zealot (Halo 4 style)
Weapons: DMR, SAW, Sticky Detonator, Needler, Beam Rifle, Energy Sword, Storm Rifle
Accessories: N/A
Price: $55-83 (Target and Wal*Mart are the low end while Toys R Us is at the high end, so shop around for the best price)
Special Features: The Vampire’s cockpit can open and close. The side prongs can turn in all directions. The Hornet’s cockpit slides back and forth. It has electron lights and sounds that are motion activated. The ends of the wings can swivel 360, while the engine turbines within can pivot left and right.

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

The packaging shows off the vehicles nicely and the minifies can be seen through a transparent window. There is also a “Try Me” button just above the figures.

The back of the box shows the pivot points of both ships as well as the figures included. Along with that there are several text blocks that describe various aspects of the set.

Speaking of, here are two such text blocks:

Above shows the contents of the box. The set comes with two instruction manuals. One for the Hornet, the other for the Vampire.

This pic shows the blok piece that houses the electronics.
1. This is how it is in the plastic bubble. Do not try to force this out as you make damage the piece. Instead take some scissor and CAREFULLY cut away the bubble plastic.
2. This shows the connection between the temporary “Try Me” button and the electronic piece.
3. Here you see that the “Try Me” wires are easily removable.
4. This shows the activation button for the electronics.

Here are all of the pieces sorted out. I had just enough room for all of them on my build table. If you plan on building this all in one night, you may need a large table. Kids get permission from your parents to use the dining table. Guys, get permission from your wives or girlfriends to do the same…LOL. Ladies, you do not need permission.

Now we start off with the build of the Hornet.These first few steps show the progression of the skids.

Here the main part of the body takes shape.

More of the body along with the tail of the Hornet.

Here is the build for the revamped turbines. It’s a fantastic upgrade from it’s predecessor. Not only do the wings turn 360°, but the turbines within pivot left and right as well. Really great redesign!

This pic shows the articulation of the wings. Pretty cool, huh?

In this pic we assemble the skids to the body. At the top right, you see how you will need to slide the skid part over the small pin. This helps to lock it in place. On the bottom right, I suggest you assemble that particular piece as shown. Snap in 1, then pivot the piece in place to point 2. This can be a little tricky, so kids, get your parents to help.

Here is the Hornet in orthogonal views. I am really REALLY happy the Mega decided to come out with a new Hornet!

Now let’s move on to the Vampire build.

The series of pics above show the progression of the lower portion of the body of the Vampire.

In this series we see more of the top being built, while on the bottom, landing skids are put into place. Those skids make it seem like the Vampire is hovering low from where ever you have it displayed. 

This shot shows the finished Vampire (sans stickers) with it’s cockpit closed then opened.

Orthogonal views of the Vampire. As you can see it has a thin profile top to bottom.

Next let’s look at the mini figures included.This is the plastic tray that the figures come in. I’ve cut away some of the tray to make it easier to get it all in one picture.

Here are the Covenant minifies. From left to right in each pic are: Storm Elite, Elite Zealot (Halo 4 style), Storm Grunt. The pieces I have them standing on are part of the left over pieces that I’ll get to momentarily.

Here we have the Spartans included. They are from left to right: Warrior, Recruit, C.I.O. I happen to be a fan of the recruit style armor as it’s a great transition between the ODST armor and spartan armor. 

As mentioned, here are the leftover pieces. That’s a good bit of pieces. One thing I am VERY happy with is that Mega has given us tan camp pieces that are used to prop up the ships during the build. Afterwards, they make for great pieces to add to dioramas to blend in with the ground baseplates. THANKS Mega!

As always, I try to make something out of the leftovers. Above left is a mini-vampire, above right is a mobile plasma refueling station and at bottom a rock wall with green foliage. Okay, use your imagination on that last one, LOL.

This shows the mobile plasma refueling at use.

For comparison here is a shot of the previous build (photo from SpartanBloks), as well as two graphics from the in-game Halo Wars ship.

Here is a pic of the previous Mega Bloks Vampire. That set number is 96853:

As you can see the older version’s wings aren’t as curved and the prongs on top of the cockpit are translucent blue, not pink.

As you can see the top one has blue prongs while the bottom has pink. So neither is incorrect.

Here’s the video review:

Summary: You can build this set in one sitting. Though if you’re a little pressed for time, might I suggest building one of the ships one day, then the other another day. It makes it feel like you have two sets that way and can be even more satisfying. The Vampire’s redesign makes it look a lot more slick than the previous build. While the same can be said about the Hornet, it’s redesign is even better! The electronics are pretty neat. For me, it’s the new turbine design that really notches this vehicle up there.

As I mentioned above, check around for the best price as Target and Wal*Mart are much lower than Toys R Us for this set.

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

With 6 figures in this set and two ships, you’re really getting a great set that’s ready for battle in the air as well as on the ground. I thoroughly enjoyed building this and it will be displayed proudly with my other Mega Bloks sets.

You can see this set and more at Mega Bloks Halo product page HERE.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of the review. If you have this set yourself, please give me your thoughts on it too!

-Sal