Random set of the day: CRYSTAL Beast vs. BULK
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 44026 CRYSTAL Beast vs. BULK, released during 2014. It's one of 17 HERO Factory sets produced that year. It contains 83 pieces and 1 minifig, and its retail price was US$14.99/£12.99.
It's owned by 853 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you should find it for sale at BrickLink, where new ones sell for around $49.90, or eBay.
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22 comments on this article
Why did my mind go to Ninjago when I first saw the set.
SNACK TIME!
Oh gosh, Hero Factory is old enough for RSOTD?
It's not just a crystal beast, it's a CRYSTAL beast
Love those plant pod pieces.
@Miyakan said:
"Love those plant pod pieces."
Wish I'd bought some when they were still affordable, but I looked them up maybe five years ago and realized any meaningful amount would cost more than I cared to sink into them.
Let's CAPITALIZE certain WORDS.
@PurpleDave said:
" @Miyakan said:
"Love those plant pod pieces."
Wish I'd bought some when they were still affordable, but I looked them up maybe five years ago and realized any meaningful amount would cost more than I cared to sink into them."
I only have a few of each colour. I try to pick them up if I ever find them for less than $1(NZD) but there aren't very many in the local market.
@Miyakan said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @Miyakan said:
"Love those plant pod pieces."
Wish I'd bought some when they were still affordable, but I looked them up maybe five years ago and realized any meaningful amount would cost more than I cared to sink into them."
I only have a few of each colour. I try to pick them up if I ever find them for less than $1(NZD) but there aren't very many in the local market."
There don't seem to be many available in the U.S., but they aren't super crazy expensive. I wouldn't mind having a few more. Would go great with monsters displays or Galaxy Squad.
BTW, I really have taken a liking to Hero Factory minifigs.
This was a surprise hit year for me from Hero Factory. Although nowhere near as stellar as 2013 was with Brain Attack (unprecedented that I have every set from a subtheme), Invasion from Below was fresh enough as a concept to engage audiences and introduce minifig-scale vehicles with CCBS parts. I found it ingenious. As a consequence, I also own most of 2014's HF sets.
@Norikins said:
"Let's CAPITALIZE certain WORDS."
It's like Star Wars opening crawls.
Bought this for my boy back then, one of around 30 Hero Factory sets in his collection.
I got this on sale some time ago. It's surprisingly good. The proportions work, it has a neck and tail, the claws are poseable and the staff makes for a great tactile play feaure. Paired with Bulk with rocket boots and the pod this makes for a great set.
And the colors are great!
I always saw this as an elite caste. The kaiju beasts seem to have a complex web of various methamorfosis forms based on their roles in the hive. (Compare 44018 Jaw Beast and 44021 Splitter beast's small half). And this seems to be the male form of a queen. Like ant males that have wings and can do more than regular drones, the crystal beasts seem to have developed a hive guard and cocoon tender sort of role (that's what the staff could be for). This indicates this species sends out the other variants as a front guard whilst crystal beasts (who tend the cocoons near the queen) and tunneler beasts (who expand the hive) stay behind as a last line of defense. Cool!
Man that is some weird looking fondue
I wish we got another theme like this.
Brickbuild monsters vs Minifigures!
Ah yes, the climactic 'let's make genocide fun!' wave of Hero Factory.
This should never have existed, and LEGO should wear the cone of shame forevermore for releasing it.
@Murdoch17 said:
"Ah yes, the climactic 'let's make genocide fun!' wave of Hero Factory.
This should never have existed, and LEGO should wear the cone of shame forevermore for releasing it."
Ugh that ending is one of biggest disappointments I had with LEGO. Like, seriously? So wrong on so many levels. That's the reason I focused on the sets and not the movie.
This was one of the cooler $15 late era Hero Factory sets; I really wanted it but never got one. All the trans light blue made it special at the time, but Bionicle G2 would come around immediately after and make transparent CCBS parts way more common, so its novelty is a bit lessened nowadays.
Loved the minifigures in these sets. They had proper arm and leg articulation (unlike earlier minifigures from the Bionicle playsets), masks that both resembled their characters' most iconic looks and were compatible with standard minifigures, and limbs that both resembled the mechanical aesthetic of the theme and had extra attachment points for accessories. I kind of wish the 2015/2016 Bionicle reboot had gotten a send-off like this, so that we could have minifigures of the original six Toa that were as good and versatile as these were.
The beasts and mechs themselves were okay as well—not the absolute most impressive Hero Factory sets, but not the worst either.
@StyleCounselor:
Remember, you need three petals just to make one plant, and you need, I don't know, at least 99 petals to really have fun with them.
@BabuBrick said:
" @Norikins said:
"Let's CAPITALIZE certain WORDS."
It's like Star Wars opening crawls."
Only starting with the first re-edited version. OG Star Wars Just Star Wars only capitalized the first letter of any word. It's actually pretty jarring to watch, after being so used to all the 1978+ crawls.
Never paid much attention to Hero Factory when it was on shelves but those head pieces look a lot like the newer Ninjago dragon heads!
The heck? RMotD posted, but doesn't have a comment box!