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Drop what you're doing and go buy this $20 set.
It includes 412 pieces (a shade less than a nickel per piece) mostly in dark
grey and black, with a number of silver-grey and trans-orange, too. Also
included is a pilot, two new gatling-style machine gun bricks, a
three-missile launcher, two camo paint pens, and a decal sheet. I haven't
put together a specific inventory, but I'll post it when I have it.
The instructions are pretty clear, but the MegaBloks method of "ghosting"
elements from prior steps becomes a little confusing when dealing with
black, dk grey, and silver grey. The instructions are generally organized
by limb subsection, similar to the method used in Blok-Bot instructions.
What I don't like: The right arm of the mech has limited range of motion
and can't cross the body's vertical axis. The three-missile launcher makes
up the entire left arm, which is okay, but it attaches on a single axle pin
and isn't too sturdy that way. The set includes bricks for building three
"recon drones," but these are kind of lame. Further, I'll never like
MegaBloks minifigs. I'm not a brick painter, so the camo pens are useless
to me.
What I do like: Everything else. The piece:price ratio is great, and the
color scheme is attactive as well. The mech isn't huge, but it gives a real
sense of solidity--probably because of the massive cockpit, which is better
designed than the cockpit of any other recent construction toy vehicle. The
two gatling guns are semi-juniorized, but they have an attractive design, so
I'm not complaining. The three-missile launcher is great; the missiles have
soft rubber tips and shoot with considerable force. The instructions even
have a graphic indicating that the missiles shouldn't be shot at pets or
people! The kit uses the click joints first seen in Blok-Bots. These
afford a good deal of stability when the mech is standing and allow the
limbs to be posed within the aforementioned limited range of motion.
Further, this is the first set not to use the Blok-Bots foot brick; the feet
are built of bricks around the standard 2x2x2 Blok-Bots click socket.
I'm not a particularly rabid mecha fan, but I love this kit. Compare the
LOM sets
http://guide.lugnet.com/set/7313
and
http://guide.lugnet.com/set/7314
both of which are $20 with fewer than 200 parts. Granted, the U-240 isn't
on par with the more sophisticated mecha MOC's featured on LUGNET, but for
the price, the design and value are certainly equal to or better than any
other $20 set on the market. I care nothing at all for K'Nex, so I'm glad
that a brick-based construction toy has produced good and interesting mech kits.
Buy it buy it buy it!
Dave!
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Review of the U-240
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| Dave! Thanks for the excellent review--I've been seeking these things out. The packaging and layout look really very good, better than MB has put out to date--though I wonder if they still have that odd feel to them. It is, however, the guaranteed (...) (23 years ago, 9-Dec-01, to lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | Re: Review of the U-240
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| thanks for the info, dave! i'll be looking forward to seeing these models hit utah. in the meantime your information and pics for the sets should hold me over until i can actually get one in my hands. (missiles that actually shoot....COOL!) ..joseph (...) (23 years ago, 10-Dec-01, to lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
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