Review: 70318 The Glob Lobber
Posted by CapnRex101,
I was not optimistic about Nexo Knights when we first began to receive information about the theme towards the end of last year but I was very pleased with the first wave of sets on the whole and have been looking forward to the second.
70318 The Glob Lobber is the smallest set of this wave, containing just 95 pieces and priced at £7.99 or $9.99. Similarly priced sets in the first wave were not particularly impressive in my opinion so hopefully this one will do better.
Minifigures
Royal Soldiers have been included in several small sets and polybags but this is only their second appearance wearing this type of helmet, the first being 853515 Knights Army - Building Set. I like the different shades of blue which are used for the armour and the bulky shoulder protection which is worn looks splendid but I am not keen on the pearl silver arms as they only match the colour of the head which is hardly visible when the helmet is being worn.
The soldier's torso and leg printing is fairly intricate and the double-sided head also includes some attractive detail, although I am still not keen on the orange tone used as it does not convey the robotic nature of these warriors very effectively. The villainous Flame Thrower, on the other hand, is totally organic and wears no armour on his chest or head, instead leaving red flesh exposed. The legs are printed with some metallic sliver plating which looks great against the black of his trousers and this corresponds nicely with his hair colour too.
The Flame Thrower is armed with a crossbow which fires 1x1 round tiles while the soldier carries a pearl silver spear. A pair of swords and some new spearheads are attached to the vehicle as decorative elements but these can also be used as handheld weapons if you wish.
The Completed Model
The Glob Lobber is very reminiscent of 70310 Knighton Battle Blaster from the first wave as it rests on two large wheels at the front while the rear is dragged behind. This weapons platform is styled like a ballista and looks quite menacing from the front as a selection of spiky pieces face the opponent along with two Globlins. I like the combination of red and black which is visible from this angle but the wheels look very plain despite the pyramids which are used as hubcaps.
The Globlin lobbing feature which gives the set its name is very simple, based on a pair of flick fire missiles which are activated by pushing on the plungers at the back. A minifigure can be seated at the very back of the vehicle behind a lever and a golden tile which is presumably intended to represent a button. The driver is totally exposed from the sides and looks rather silly sitting in this position, again reminding me of 70310 Knighton Battle Blaster.
By far the most appealing aspect of the model are the spikes on the front which are formed using two new spear tips as well as some teeth. A spare black spear tip is included which is useful and the pearl gold lightsaber hilts are also fairly uncommon so it is pleasing to see some appear in an inexpensive set. The Globlins will also be useful for those of you building Nexo Knights armies, although the fact that both are printed with the same expression slightly lessens the usability of this set in multiples.
Overall
The smaller Nexo Knights sets were among the weakest of the first wave and I think the same is true of this one unfortunately. Some excellent pieces are included and I like the minifigures but the Glob Lobber is a bit of a mess in places, especially at the back.
However, the play value is high in relation to the price point so I would recommend the set for younger fans or those who wish to bolster their armies. The larger Nexo Knights models offer more to an adult in my opinion and we will be reviewing some of those shortly.
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17 comments on this article
Good review. This set, like the other two $10 sets from earlier in the year, strikes me as a nonessential way to bolster the monster and knight factions with additional figs and weaponry. I think I'll probably opt for the Knights Army pack instead of any of these, since it includes both types of Royal Soldiers (including some with unique prints) as well as a Squirebot, while I'm not exactly lacking for generic monsters from other sets.
I L-O-V-E the bad guys in Nexo, but I can't stand the knights. I wish the Knights vehicles were different colors like the NinjaGo vehicles. The blue is just too much at times. Even The Black Knight mech is blue...
But thankfully this little bad guy set is evil and red. Very cool little set. I could see an army of them trying to take over a castle.
Glob lobber sounds like an impression of a British insult. LISTEN HERE YOU GOB LOBBER! MY TEA AND CRIMPETS ARE OVER DONE, WHAT WHAT!
I thought these weren't coming out until August? Is it actually sooner than that?
@CapnRex101
Are you still planning on reviewing 75134?
Great review! While all of the non-Ultimate $9.99 sets are kinda weak, Knighton Battle Blaster is still my favorite.
@Panda Hero: Made my day!
I like this set, and will get at least one. Thanks for the review!
I'll pass this one by, but it's ot bad as a kid's first Nexo Knights set, and possibly more appealing than the Knighton Battle Blaster.
Am I the only one who figured the Royal Soldiers in Nexo Knights had their heads designed that way on purpose? I always figured LEGO wanted the heads to be useable for something aside from a robot, such as possibly a helmet in a science fiction setting with a HUD similar to Samus Aran perhaps.
Speaking of the head designs, I'm a little frustrated that they have double sided printing because the two expressions are almost identical. What's the point? Now I can't use it on another figure, unless I find a helmet that covers up the back of the head. But I agree with The Green Brick Giant, I love the bad guys/lava monsters, but don't care much for the rest of good guys.
Love the bad guys/red monsters. Can't decide if I want to use them as aliens for a Star Wars Cantina, or LOTR Moc
@gmonkey76 Both!
Please review Jestro's Volcano Lair when it's out. Like many others, I think that blue knights are dull at best. The evil ones seem interesting though.
The armor in general is awful for both factions. The blues don't match of the knights, and the various black helmets and neck armor pieces ruin the organic ferociousness of the lava monsters. I've dug out some older chrome/silver stuff for the knights, and stripped most of the armor off of the bad guys.
I disagree about the wave 1 $10 sets. http://brickset.com/sets/70311-1/Chaos-Catapult is fantastic and has a phenomenal catapult-mechanism. I picked up some extras for a catapult mini-game MOC. Lots of fun all around in our family with these.
I'm not a Nexo Knights fan, however am tempted to pick this one up as a parts pack. I'm picturing the goblins as humorous Big Red Buttons 's 1 and 2 in my MOC of the Outrider. Also the new spear tips would be great on missiles. As a bonus the mohawk sporting tattooed red dude would be a nice extra in my Cantina:)
The orange faces on the Royal Soldiers make sense to me since orange is the color of computer screens and holograms in Nexo Knights sets like the Fortrex. Still, it would help them look more robotic if they had, say, squares for eyes instead of circles or something. It's cool having a new helmet for them so that they're not all identical, and the battle pack's alternate torsos, legs, and faces will help with that as well.
This set doesn't interest me as much as the other $10 sets, but it's nice to have another source for Globlins. I wonder how long before the Royal Soldiers, Flame Throwers, Crust Smashers, and Ash Attackers appear in the show. Probably in Season Two.
This may indeed be my first Nexo Knights purchase ever.