Review: 70167 Invizable Gold Getaway
Posted by CapnRex101,
Rarely has a set surpassed my expectations like this one. Ultra Agents is arguably among the best original themes produced in recent years and it appears to have been very popular. Unfortunately it is faced with the significant disadvantage of being compared to the 2008 Agents theme, which is widely considered one of the best unlicensed themes ever created!
I generally overlooked Ultra Agents in 2014 as the colour scheme and design of many sets did not appeal to me, but 70167 Invizable Gold Getaway caught my attention on the shelf. Priced at £17.99 or $19.99 and containing 236-pieces this set offers enormous playability, a couple of lovely display models and a brilliant parts selection. In fact, I can honestly tell you that this counts among my favourite sets of this size ever released.
Box and Contents
It was the box artwork that caught my eye and resulted in me purchasing the set. The speed of the scene is evident and the bright orange behind the two vehicles really stands out among the black and dark blue of other Ultra Agents packaging. The 'App Brick' is advertised on the front and back, where one also finds an image showing the bike transforming into a VTOL vehicle not unlike the convertible car in 70162 Infearno Interception.
Inside is a single instruction manual and a small sticker sheet. Strangely there is an advertisement for the 2015 Technic sets at the back of the booklet as well as the new Ultra Agents models. I suppose LEGO must believe that Technic sets might appeal to fans of Ultra Agents, although I don't see much evidence of this personally.
Minifigures
Two minifigures are included, one agent and one villain. The brilliantly named Steve Zeal is a new addition to the Ultra Agents roster this year and is incredibly well detailed. The spiked hair piece looks suitably dynamic and his head is printed nicely on both sides with some technologically advanced sunglasses and two expressions, one determined and the other cheerful. The torso and legs are brilliantly detailed with black and grey armour and I like the little Ultra Agents logo on his chest. A pair of white stud-shooters are included which can be clipped to the motorcycle or held in Steve's hands when he is not driving.
The villain of the set is Invizable, who seems to borrow design elements from all over the place, but most notably the Invisible Man from H.G. Wells' novella of the same name. The glasses and fedora hat in particular are clearly based on that character. The golden shades are printed on a trans-clear head piece which looks superb and I like the dark red suit printed on the torso along with a golden medallion. The golden glasses and medallion give Invizable an interesting style which nicely differentiates him from the rest of Antimatter's posse. Invizable is armed with a standard dark bluish grey laser gun first seen in 2011.
The Completed Model
It is the convertible bike that really stands out to me in this set, but I will focus on Invizable's little hover bike to begin with, which is also a lovely model.
The combination of white, gold and trans-clear looks excellent and the speeder matches its rider very well. Invizable can stand behind the handlebars and there are clips for his gun and another accessory on either side. The purple vortex symbol on the front of the vehicle gives away its affiliation with the nefarious Antimatter, although exactly how the two villains are linked has not yet been revealed as far as I am aware. The thruster is located beneath the vehicle and a chain can be hooked to the back for towing away the proceeds of his various crimes.
A safe filled with gold bars is also included, which has the usual futuristic twist seen in many Ultra Agents sets. The door can hinge open to reveal the three metallic gold 1x2 tiles and the other end of the chain can be attached to the exposed studs on top.
The bike is my favourite of all the Ultra Agents vehicles so far. It looks incredibly sleek from all sides and rolls nicely along the ground, far better than I had expected given how smooth the wheels are. The cockpit has room for one minifigure with a printed control panel and the trans-light blue windscreen can be folded up and down to to whatever position you think looks best. Stud shooters are mounted on either side of the driver's seat and there are also some headlights which look very futuristic. At the back is a spoiler which can be adjusted in two places on hinges so you can once again position it was you wish.
As is the case with several Ultra Agents vehicles this one can convert to a VTOL aircraft. The transformation is simple but dramatically changes the silhouette of the vehicle which is exactly what I like to see in this kind of set. The wheels each divide into two halves and are then twisted to face upwards, with the parabolic reflectors giving the impression of turbines. This looks as good as the bike mode in my opinion and obviously yields plenty more play scenarios as the Ultra Agents shake off the shackles of heavy traffic in their pursuit of Invizable.
Overall
I bought this set on a whim but it has really impressed me! There are lots of features and the models look fantastic thanks to coherent colour schemes and elegant lines. The Ultra Agents' motorbike is the highlight for me simply because it is a thing of real beauty.
Ultra Agents sets may not be popular with everybody, particularly when compared with the Agents theme from a few years ago, but this set is well worth anybody's consideration in my opinion.
All the App Bricks advertised on the packaging for each set will be discussed in a future Ultra Agents review.
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19 comments on this article
>All the App Bricks advertised on the packaging for each set will be discussed in a future Ultra Agents review.
Good. I am interested to know what they are all about. The App Brick itself is made of a new material for LEGO pieces: a conductive plastic which of course it needs to be if it's to work with touchscreens.
I still think the Infearno Interception looks better
@CCC: It does, actually.
@JKLU17legodude: This and Infearno Interception are evenly matched, in my opinion.
Nice review, Capn, and like, Huw, I am intrigued about these App Bricks. Never got UA last year. :-|
"the 2008 Agents theme, which is widely considered one of the best unlicensed themes ever created!"
Uh, really? By who? I thought it was pretty naff. Ultra agents has more style to it. No boring blue and grey here!
I'm generally a fan of any non-licensed sci-fi theme, but both Ultra Agents and Alien Conquest surprised me in how much I've enjoyed them. I've collected the entire series of both so far, and I can't wait to get my hands on the new 2015 sets! (they haven't been released here in Canada yet)
Really like this set, especially the tron,ish look of the bike. Will try pick it up to accompany the interceptor model I got at christmas.
On my rating scale, I'm afraid it loses points for having no female characters.
The Ultra Agents Ultracopter has a female character.
Whoa, I thought the new UA stuff wasn't coming out until March!
Loving the two "homage" sets from Ultra Agents so far. This Tron-inspired one, and the Blade Runner inspired vehicle from the Infearno set from last year. Wonder if they'll find any other scifi classics to do their own take on?
What are the app bricks?
Good review, but you forgot to show Steve Zeal's second face. Also, Invizable's craft is supposed to be a hover flyer and a small watercraft, according to the set description.
@woodwardiocom: This set may have no females, but Toxikita appears in two sets, and Agent Caila Phoenix appears in three, and Professor Christina Hydron appears in a set with Caila. There are five sets in this theme with female characters.
@Dedgecko UK got Ninjago and UA this January, whereas we have to wait until February or March... There's quite some discussion about when they will be released over at Eurobricks.
Alright! That torso is great on that cop dude. Honestly getting tron vibes from this from not just the car , but the figure (the one that isn't invisible).
Speaking of him , I see gentleman ghost being made using that head and Indiana's torso from the shanghai surprise set.
Look forward to using these to get the upcoming winter soldier figure.
Also , is anyone else getting Lego universe from the corner of the box art? Looks like nexus trooper and a maelstrom horseman to me.
Are these available in the US yet (haven't really noticed)?
Not yet, they are estimated for a February or March release. But the Lego.com site has updated for the US, so it's likely to be sooner than later.
It does remind me very much of Infearno... which might be a very good thing, because I absolutely love that set! I wasn't a fan of the wheels flipping up from the initial pictures because of the ugly bottoms; even the interesting silhouette doesn't make up for that particular aspect. If I get the set, I'll definitely mod the front wheels so they flip down. (The back ones, brilliantly being on ratchet joints, need no modifications.) I love the idea of the Invizable being a gangster, and I'm getting a very 2008 vibe from Agent Zeal's armor. AWESOME. I'd give this a 4/5, only docking a point for the front wheels.
First we get Brick Daddy in 5984 Lunar Limo, and now we have Invizable. Someone at Lego must be watching 1970's cop movies. As all you have to do is change their head, and maybe their hands, and you could have a couple of Lego pimps.
If I remember correctly there has been some insight on how the villains associate with Antimatter, all of them are normal citizens he turned into super villains to act as his pawns. The stuff they're stealing are components of his greater scheme.