Review: 30371 Knight's Cycle
Posted by CapnRex101,
30371 Knight's Cycle is arguably the less exciting of the two Nexo Knights polybags which have been revealed so far. The basic structure of the bike has been used time and time again in sets such as 30166 Robin and Redbird Cycle, so has become a bit stale in some respects.
However, the introduction of some new or rare pieces to this polybag enormously increases its appeal to me and the play value is definitely considerable, although any opposition will have to be imagined until the sets are officially released in January.
Minifigure
While 30372 includes Robin, a named character, this set includes a generic Nexo Knight. I am not very keen on this minifigure as a whole, particularly with regard to the torso and leg printing which looks rather bland. The design is colourful but lacks intricate detail and the pearl silver arms do not match the light bluish grey armour which dominates the figure. The head is also pearl silver but you cannot see that beneath the helmet so the colour scheme seems muddled to me.
The orange skin tone is bizarre and I don't like it at all. I presume this is a result of the pearl silver base colour of the head which is bleeding through the printing, but I suppose it might be intentional. What little we know of Nexo Knights thus far has not revealed very much about these soldiers at all, so perhaps they have some kind of orange visor over their faces.
Similar or identical minifigures appear in almost every Nexo Knights set, including some of the least expensive ones such as 70310 Knighton Battle Blaster. Some fans might wish to build armies of these figures in which case their repeated appearances would be welcome, but I would have preferred one of the main characters.
The Completed Model
Once the model is assembled it is surprisingly stubby. It is six studs wide around the stud shooters and cannot therefore lean over very far when making turns, although it looks better than I had expected. The bright yellow and red Technic bushes look ridiculous but I like the balance of stud shooters at the front with thrusters at the rear.
I like the large wheels and the stud shooters look quite formidable, but I am not sure what the pearl dark grey shield element is supposed to accomplish. It might be some kind of mudguard in which case it does not reach far enough over the wheel or it could be armour plating. If so, it would benefit from being angled in my opinion in order to afford greater protection to the driver. Regardless of its purpose I am glad to see the shield appear in such a small set and imagine it will prove to be quite a versatile component for other models.
Despite the lack of shielding for the driver I think he looks good when standing in position with his lance at the ready. Presumably bikes like this one form the cavalry contingent of the Nexo Knights forces. Unfortunately there is no room for any controls but this does not bother me too much as I do not expect this to be a particularly manoeuvrable vehicle. In fact, I imagine the Knight's Cycle charges at the opponent and causes as much chaos as possible before coming to a halt behind enemy lines and turning around for another attack.
Overall
While 30372 Robin's Mini Fortrex represents many positive aspects of the Nexo Knights theme I think this set encompasses most of the negatives. The design of the bike is mediocre even for a polybag and the minifigure is disappointing in my view.
Thankfully there are some good things to say about the set. I am pleased to see the ice cream cones make their second appearance in flat silver while the brand new 2x3 shield element is excellent and will be useful for architectural details as well as plenty of other kinds of creation. In fact, this has already been proven as the piece is used as a floor tile in 10251 Brick Bank.
Plenty more 2016 set reviews are on the way!
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20 comments on this article
If I will decide to skip this theme, this polybag I might try to get to have at least some sample in my collection. I did the same with Chima and Ninjago.
This set reminds me somehow of the 90`s space sets, most probably because of the wheels.
I would get this set for the pieces, not the play value. However, for some purchasing multiple could prove to be a good army builder....
I don't think there's really any problem with using Silver Metallic arms with a Medium Stone Grey torso and legs. This year's first version of Zane (http://brickset.com/minifigs/njo111) used that color combination and it was barely noticeable. I will say, the King's Soldier minifigure in this set would probably be a lot better with the Dark Azur torso armor as featured in 70310 Knighton Battle Blaster and 70311 Chaos Catapult.
No pictures of the soldier's head without the helmet? I think it's probably safe to say that yes, the knights are wearing some type of visor, but it'd be nice if the printing made that more apparent.
The build of the bike looks really cute and reminds me of impulse sets I grew up with like 6115 Shark Scout. But it doesn't have the same "shaped like something medieval" charm as the hover-horses the main knights get in some of the larger sets. Nor does it have the same inherent cuteness and humor as 30372 Robin's Mini Fortrex. What it does have is a really unique build and a fairly interesting selection of parts, such as the Silver Metallic shield and ice cream cone pieces.
Overall, this one's not on my wishlist, though if I saw it for sale I might get it on impulse.
@Aanchir - What you can see of the head in the photos above is pretty much what you get. Only the section visible through the helmet is printed, the rest is plain pearl silver.
I like these microfighters much more than the full scale Nexo Knights sets
The colour scheme is not the only thing about Nexo Knights that's muddled.
Can't say that I like the helmet. It looks like the sort of thing you piece together out of cardboard and a kitchen bowl, when you are playing make believe as a kid.
@ModularRoger: Not sure what you mean? Other than the part that wraps around the chin and back of the head, it's basically just a kettle helmet, a popular style of helmet for medieval infantry. Unless you're talking about the color?
Originally I didn't really like this theme. But now I can't stop imagining the possibilities for combining these sets/pieces with Ice Planet, one of my favorite Space themes. The blue and translucent orange open up a lot of possibilities for Ice Planet stuff. Anyone else thinking along these lines?
Apart from two wheels, to me the bikes of 30371 and 30166 appear very different in almost any aspect.
And the colour scheme is just f****** awesome for this kind of theme.
@dnbiola
Some other people pointed to that direction in the comments already. By the way - looking at your picture, you certainly like those wheels! ;) Are they a come back or are they being used all the time in new sets I'm not aware of?
These sets look like treasure troves of parts!
The visor makes him look like he has a flesh head, so when I first saw it, I was like WHAT LEGO IS USING FLESH AND YELLOW Head together?
Trololl
@Aanchir: I guess that I am referring to the wraparound chin part. Full disclosure, I don't care for the look of kettle helmets in any case...this one just takes the idea and juvenilizes it a bit. And yes, I do realize that this is for kids; it just doesn't have the style that I think that this theme could benefit from.
This is actually one of my favourite Nexo sets, though I won't go out of my way to get one.
The helmet mould is not the problem, it is a standard medieval design and it has been in use for a while. if it was pearl grey it would be a useful new source, in blue, it has to be one of the least useful parts I've ever seen. Only the aftermarket chromers will value this. Is TLG trying to minimise the appeal to make sure only their target audience buys these?
Rex, throw up an image of the head, without the helmet on. P-p-p-p-lease!
I liked it until I saw the red and yellow technic pieces. I can't stand it when Lego does that. When such off-colored bits are hidden in a final model, that's one thing, but when they're right there loud and proud it makes me wonder if it's money, laziness or sloppy design that lets that get the pass - all of which are poor excuses in my opinion.
Why even have a color scheme if you do stuff like that?
This polybag is free with any Nexo Knight purchase above €10 in March in some European countries (requires calender voucher).