Review: 70331 Ultimate Macy
Posted by CapnRex101,
The first wave of Nexo Knights sets includes six 'Ultimate' sets which consist of a minifigure, three Nexo Powers and a small stand for the figure and their accessories. My favourite of the six is 70331 Ultimate Macy, mainly due to the fantastic array of parts and the presence of Macy, who seems like one of the more interesting Nexo Knights characters in the animated series.
Each set is priced at £6.99 in the UK and $9.99 in the US so offers excellent value for money in my opinion, particularly given the integration of each set with the Nexo Knights app. Additionally, the minifigures are exclusive to the Ultimate sets which only furthers their appeal.
Box and Contents
The set is packaged in a tall cardboard sleeve which opens at the base and can be folded flat for storage. It looks great on the shelf, showing Macy in action and the three Nexo Power tiles which are included alongside advertisements for the app on the front and back.
Inside are two bags of pieces and a folded instruction manual which features numerous advertisements. Thankfully the Nexo Powers on each shield are printed in every Nexo Knights set as anticipated so no stickers are included.
Minifigure
The major difference between the Ultimate version of each knight and their counterparts in the standard sets is the colour of their armour. Many of the elements which make up each character are brand new, the most significant of which is the trans-red cuirass. This extends over the front and back of the torso as well as covering the shoulders, although the heraldic symbol printed on her chest is visible through a pentagonal hole in the front of the armour.
There are four studs on the back for mounting weapons and the helmet has a visor which can flip up and down to cover the face. A new rubber plume element is installed on top of the helmet and the face is printed on two sides with a smile and a frown.
The torso and legs are printed with a great deal of detail. I love the combination of dark red, red and orange plating and the golden dragon on Macy's emblem is very striking. When the figure is assembled with the accessories it looks rather bulky but I think that suits the appearance of a knight.
The Completed Model
A pair of A-frames are used as the base for the stand used to show off the Nexo Powers and these form a nice shape. Plenty of accessories are included and many of these feature some rare elements, but none more so than the pearl silver 1x1 pyramids, six of which can be found in this set. The new shield is also an excellent piece. I love the texture running along the edges and the many attachment points make this a fairly versatile piece.
Three Nexo Powers are included, Mace Rain, Phoenix Blaze and Jungle Dragon. Each one can be fixed to the shield and Macy can then be armed with the appropriate accessories to match the power. A pair of dark green vines are included for the Jungle Dragon and a flaming axe is used for the Phoenix Blade power.
A six stud shooter can be placed on Macy's back but can also occupy her spot on the stand when not in use. Twelve trans-red studs are included along with twelve in trans-green, the latter of which are stored in a treasure chest which has a pearl silver lower half and a trans-neon orange lid. Both of these parts are currently exclusive to the Nexo Knights theme in these colours while the new 4x4 wedge only appears in a few sets in pearl silver.
Overall
I expect the Ultimate sets will prove very popular. All six minifigures look great and there are plenty of brilliant accessories included in each one as well. However, 70331 Ultimate Macy is the best in my opinion and I think the character will draw many fans to purchase this set over most of the others.
I have not yet tested the app but might discuss it in a future Nexo Knights review. More reviews are on the way!
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22 comments on this article
i dont think this will be the most popular, i think robin and lavaria will be, since they are only available in the ultimate sets.
Good review. My brother and I also picked this set up (along with Ultimate Clay) at Barnes & Noble the other day. I really love the new parts like the pyramid slope and 4x4 wedge. A minor correction—I'm pretty sure the "plume" is actually meant to represent Macy's ponytail, threaded through her helmet. It also will appear in black as the ponytail for the evil Djinn Nadakhan in this year's Ninjago sets.
One change I made to the set which I feel makes it look better is adding one of the extra Trans. Red 1x1 round plates under the top spike of the mace. I don't know why they didn't actually do this in the set, since it's a simple fix that makes it look much better. Another neat mod is to rotate all five spikes on the mace 45 degrees, but it's not necessary—it looks just as good either way, in my opinion.
I too have yet to try the app, but I have heard good things about it, including that the actual voice actors from the show reprise their roles for the app.
I'd love to hear how it interacts with the app on the phone.
After just finishing Halo 5, I think Macy's body design will pass as Spartan Vale from Halo... Looks like good parts in this set for Sci-Fi MOCs.
Thanks for the review! Will you be reviewing the other Ultimate sets?
I have picked up the Lavaria so far and I have to say she is also a very solid set. Between the main quad leg build (with an alternate set of regular minifigurer legs included) and being the only female villain/monster in the Nexo Knight line currently available, I think she will be a big draw...at least for some of the older collectors and some of the younger girls who get into the NK line. She has some great printing on her head, torso, and (regular) legs. Plus her Nexo power, Beetle Bomb, is a pretty good one to have in the game.
I'm planning on picking up all the Ultimates, if for at the very least the piece selection and the transparent elements.
@pagani88 - Possibly. I have plenty for review and will probably move on to a NINJAGO or City set next but might cover some more Ultimate packs at some point.
@CapnRex101: Sounds good!
Looks great, may need to see them if something looks useful for a MOC. Before I finish, when are the SW Galactic Empire and Rebel Alliance BP being released.
I always love a figure whose design is just brimming with energy, and the new "Ultimate" knights definitely fit that description (much like many of last year's LEGO Bionicle figures, or the NRG and Airjitzu minifigures from LEGO Ninjago). The Nexo Powers and colorful outfits with glowing energy lines give me a bit of a MegaMan Battle Network vibe, which I like, having been a fan of those games (and the MegaMan NT Warrior cartoon). Cyber-knights are a cool concept in general and I feel like LEGO pulled it off really well.
The app was fun when I tried it out, though it's not optimized for my phone (iPhone 4S). It crashed partway through the first level and I haven't played it since. I'm planning to upgrade my phone soon anyway, so hopefully I'll soon be able to really enjoy the app.
The packaging of these sets is quite nice. It's a sturdier cardboard than last year's Bionicle packages, and I believe the Bionicle sets for this year are now using this cardboard also. It's nice and sturdy, and my instructions in 70330 Ultimate Clay were un-crumpled to boot! I also love any box that can be pressed flat, especially if it can then still be reused!
Macy has a great design that really shows what a rough-and-tumble character she is. I love the little gap in her teeth and the scuff marks on her frowning face. Her hefty, not at all dainty equipment also shows she's a real powerhouse. Not that there's anything wrong with female characters who have a more graceful or elegant fighting style (like Pearl from Steven Universe), but a female bruiser like Macy is considerably rarer in most of the cartoons, shows, and movies I've watched.
Day one for me! I was always sucker for stron female characters and dragons, and this set x 6 will make a great army.
At 12.99 in Canada, these seem too expensive. Lots of unique or new pieces, but when you could buy two of these, or one much more substantial set, it seems like a no brainer.
But that's just me.
I really like how it's a figure with an accessory pack, these are the sorts of things I loved when I was little and I would really like to see more accessory packs in the future, especially from themes that aren't character based or "big bang" themes. A Pirates or Castle or Space accessory pack would be great.
The price bugs me a little, though. at 101 pieces it's almost exactly at the 10 cent ppp sweet spot, but the whole of the pack feels a little insubstantial, especially considering about 24 of those pieces are studs. $7.99 would have felt better for me.
Nice packs in the right direction, I just hope they don't stop here.
I'm holding out for Ultimate Axl!
Love these Ultimate sets! I couldn't resist any of them myself.
Great review! And excellent pictures too!
Btw that isn't a "plume" it's her ponytail! I believe it's the same piece as Aurra Sings' from the clone wars set (7930) if my memory serves me.
I certainly agree with the review as Macy being one of the characters to get! She's definitely one I will be looking at picking up.
I can't help but feel that the Ultimate series in general is underwhelming, mostly due to the uninteresting accessories (the figures with accessories on look quite cluttered; I don't want to even imagine how unstable they are...).
Ah and you missed one thing! There are FOUR Nexo powers to scan!
The one is on the packaging!
I picked up two ultimates (Clay and Aaron) at 15% off, haven't received them yet. I hope to get all the knights ultimates at around that price point, 8.50€ is great value imo.
Hope to swing by the local LEGO store and pick a few up on the way to the LUG meeting today. App is fun you scan the shields to unlock special attacks. It is a lite RPG with EXP points and equipment to buy. Combats are 3 rounds with 2-3 waves per round. Load times are a bit long and it is a memory hog but I have a low end LG phone.
Glad to hear the shields are printed. In the photos we'd seen so far, they always looked like stickers, which kinda annoyed me.
@EstragonHelmer: In the official photos they ARE stickers, the reason being to remove the scannable border pattern so people don't just "cheat" in the Merlok 2.0 app by just scanning official pictures from the box or LEGO.com. Compare the shield patterns in these two photos:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1525/23478528904_5b44388b6a_o.jpg (review photo)
http://images.brickset.com/sets/large/70331-1.jpg (official photo)
Of course, you can still scan the shields in review photos or other photos owners of the set have taken. So you don't HAVE to own the set in order to scan the shields. But no point in LEGO making it easy to skip buying the set.