Review: Mixels Series 5 Lixers
Posted by TheBrickPal,
It's time to delve back into Series 5 Mixels reviews! You've met the Frosticon cousins, but what new tribes could possibly be debuting alongside them?
The next and final review of mine (Klinkers), coming up after this one, is for a group of sets based on steampunk; a favorite aesthetic of many LEGO builders. And this review? Yes, dear readers; the other new tribe in this series is based on none other than the theme of... tongues. Glorious tongues. As if we couldn't have had a weirder type of tribe than what the Flexers (stretchy/sea creature hybrid) delivered back in Series 2.
But do the rainforest-inhabiting Lixers (lick + mixers) impress? Click below to find out!
41542 Spugg
The first and definitely most normal-looking of the three Lixers is Spugg, the playful member who is based on a dog. This makes him the third dog Mixel after Jawg and Glurt, but the first to be based on a specific breed; a Chow Chow.
Spugg, and this is definitely a matter of opinion, sure ranks as one of the most adorable Mixels, next to the beloved Scorpi of the Series 3 Spikels tribe. And speaking of Scorpi... Spugg's head rests on an axle just like his. This means you can spin it around to your heart's content! And Spugg may have the shortest tongue of his tribe, but that doesn't make him any less important.
Due to sheer cuteness, Spugg is placed as number two favorite of the Lixers for me. The only nitpick I have with him is that his little tail is non-poseable. What may make up for it, however, is that he does have quadruped legs all on ball joints! The detailing on his back is very nice, too. Overall, I recommend him.
41543 Turg
Turg is described as an "experiment gone very, very wrong". This is probably accurate, as I really cannot pinpoint exactly what he is based on at all. His description does call him a cross between a frog and a chicken, but he honestly doesn't share the qualities of either to me. What do you think?
Because of his subtle weirdness and extra-long, articulated tongue, I do like Turg the most out of all three Lixers. Plus, he reuses Series 4's Nurp-Naut half-closed printed eye tile, and who wouldn't want more of those to add to their collection? Turg's hinged tentacle arms that go all the way down to the ground are very poseable and look great, but his stubby feet leave something to be desired.
One other odd thing about Turg, but not necessarily a con, is his color scheme. It is a mess. Both "Keetorange" and yellow are very disorganized throughout his body. But at a distance, it isn't too noticeable, and it doesn't subtract much from the figure. Plus, given that Turg is supposed to be an incredibly ridiculous character, the color placement is appropriate if anything.
Finally, Turg is the Mixel of his tribe to come with a villainous Nixel, which is my favorite of the three 2015 designs given it's the most similar to the original variations from last year, which I loved. The cat ears are awesome and so are the articulated arms.
When it all comes down to it though, I really like Turg and his bonus adversary, and I bet you will too.
41544 Tungster
The last of the three, Tungster (apparently based on the mythical valkyrie I have no knowledge about, so look it up), is too crazy. I can't even fathom what designers were thinking when they first imagined his character. I'll flat-out say right now that he is all over the place in terms of appearance and he's my least favorite Lixer.
The redeeming factor of Tungster is that he is a massive parts gold mine for MOCists; including Legends of Chima Legend Beast teeth and Phoenix Tribe wings, as well as many red and yellow slopes.
The random placement of "graceful" wings and messy arrangement of teeth both look horrendous in my opinion. I do love my weird Mixels, as demonstrated above, but nothing like this. His large tongue IS pretty cool... but other than that, Tungster is a pass unless you set out to own every single Mixel in the whole entire theme, or at least in one tribe.
Verdict
The Lixers are a mixed (get it?) bag. On one hand, they've got some pretty creative things going on, and those who enjoy quirkiness will definitely adore them. People who like to use interesting pieces are very much in for a treat. On the other hand, they may be too outrageous for their own good. But of course, collectors of Mixels will still buy them no matter what, I'm sure!
Join me again next time as I analyse the very best of Series 5: the Steam Age of the Klinkers tribe!
Thanks to Huw for the photos.
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17 comments on this article
I assume, TheBrickPal, that your line about not knowing what a valkyrie is and for us to look it up instead is supposed to be a joke. However, I find it a bit troubling that you couldn't be bothered to look it up yourself (not to mention surprised that you don't know what a valkyrie is, but that's not as big a deal). I've come to expect high quality reviews on Brickset, and that particular line stood out to me as something that lessens the overall impact of this review.
Again, it was probably just a throwaway line meant to be funny, and I'm probably looking more into it than I should, but for some reason it really irks me.
It's not important for the readers to get an explanation, since they can look it up themselves. I think Tungster's wings and claws point to his inspiration actually being a chicken, anyway.
Anyhow, I agree. Tungster is an awful mess, and Turg is great. Looking forward to the review of the steampunk/junkyard Klinkers review.
One of the worst Mixels lines. Only good for yellow parts...
@Dare_Wreck Yes, it was meant to be a little joke regarding that fact that I honestly have no idea what the heck Tungster could possibly be based on. However, I do apologize if it came off as a little rude. I will try to supply more information when necessary in the future.
Turg is a must-have . On the night table for a fun wake-up :)
Meh. Mixels aren't remotely novel anymore, change these guys from yellow to any other color and they'd fit right in with whichever tribe.
Great review, though I found Tungster to be a really fun build myself.
^ Oh, Tungster's a satisfying build; I just don't love his final product.
Why do you say that the dog is based on a chow chow? I would tend to guess, given the flat face and the name "Spugg" that this mixel takes more inspiration from a pug dog.
I thought he looked more like a lion!
@mooslug He was actually called a chow on the LEGO Store description. I would have gone with a pug or even a foo dog to describe him myself, though.
@zootycutie Thanks! I'd agree on the foo dog / lion comparison too :)
Turg looks stoned...
please a photo of the Nixel
so...will the brickset team be bringing reviews of series 6 mixes?
Tungster reminds me Hermes!
Order from favourite to least favourite - Spugg, Tungster, Turg.