LEGO Hero Factory 40117 promotional beast polybag reviewed!

I knew it!  I knew there would be another Hero Factory Invasion From Below set!  This one was just pointed out on Brickset yesterday and I immediately built it, but didn't get a chance to get it on video until this evening.

• Video: LEGO Hero Factory 40117 promotional beast polybag reviewed!

LEGO Hero Factory 44023 Rocka Crawler Invasion From Below build & review!

Here it is, the very last of the Hero Factory Invasion From Below Wave 2 sets!

Videos:

• BUILD: Hero Factory Rocka Crawler - set 44023
• REVIEW: Hero Factory Rocka Crawler - set 44023 Invasion From Below

LEGO Hero Factory Tunneler Beast vs Surge build & review videos!

One more Invasion From Below Wave 2 set down, one more to go!

Videos:

• BUILD: Hero Factory Tunneler Beast vs Surge - set 44024
• REVIEW: Hero Factory Tunneler Beast vs Surge - set 44024 Invasion From Below

LEGO Hero Factory Breez Flea Machine set 44027 build & review!

Here's another Invasion From Below wave 2 set, leaving me with just 2 more to go.  I remember being not much of a fan of this when I tried to make a custom version months ago.  Now that I've gotten the real deal, the mechanism on the back makes significantly more sense.  Unfortunately, it just doesn't work so well.

Videos:

• BUILD: Hero Factory Breez Flea Machine - set 44027
• REVIEW: Hero Factory Breez Flea Machine - set 44027 Invasion From Below

LEGO Hero Factory Bulk Drill Machine 44025 build & review videos!

Another Summer 2014 Hero Factory set for ya here, with still a few more to go.

Videos:

• BUILD: Hero Factory Bulk Drill Machine - set 44025
• REVIEW: Hero Factory Bulk Drill Machine! 44025 Invasion From Below

LEGO Hero Factory Crystal Beast vs Bulk set 44026 build & review videos!

That's a lot of trans light blue!  I like!

Videos:

• BUILD: Hero Factory Crystal Beast vs Bulk - set 44026
• REVIEW: Hero Factory Crystal Beast vs Bulk! Set 44026 Invasion From Below

Hero Factory Surge & Rocka Combat Machine build & review!

Here's another LEGO Hero Factory Invasion From Below Wave 2 set!  I've now covered the two big ones and will work on the smaller ones as soon as I can.

Videos:

• BUILD: Hero Factory Surge & Rocka Combat Machine - set 44028
• REVIEW: Hero Factory Surge & Rocka Combat Machine! 44028 Invasion From Below

Hero Factory Queen Beast vs. Furno, Evo & Stormer! 44029 build & review

It's Hero Factory: Invasion From Below Wave 2 season!  I chose to start from the top of the food chain with the Queen Beast combo set.

Videos:

• BUILD: Hero Factory Queen Beast vs. Evo, Furno, Stormer - set 44029
• REVIEW: Hero Factory Queen Beast vs. Furno, Evo & Stormer! 44029 Invasion from Below

LEGO Hero Factory 40116 Mini-Model polybag set

I saw this obscure Invasion from Below polybag on Brickset and realized that hmm, I can build that!

• Video: LEGO Hero Factory 40116 Mini-Model polybag set!

LEGO Hero Factory Invasion from Below Wave 2 is here!

Don't get too excited, these are all just MOCs!  However, thanks to the Invasion from Below game and the mini-movie therein I was able to make moderately accurate representations of the wave 2 machines & beasts that will actually be released in the Summer 2014 season!

• LEGO Hero Factory 44025 Bulk Drill Machine MOC
• LEGO Hero Factory 44023 Rocka Crawler MOC
• LEGO Hero Factory Evo Spider Machine MOC
• LEGO Hero Factory 44027 Breez Flea Machine MOC
• LEGO Hero Factory 44029 The QUEEN MOC
• LEGO Hero Factory 44024 Tunneler Beast MOC
• LEGO Hero Factory 44026 Crystal Beast MOC
• LEGO Hero Factory 44028 Surge + Rocka Combat Machine MOC

ALL LEGO Hero Factory 2014 Invasion From Below wave 1 sets & combinations reviewed!

It is done!  Every new Hero Factory set has been built, reviewed, taken apart, combined per official combination instructions, re-reviewed, taken apart again, and reviewed in parts!  See it all in this one unified playlist:

• LEGO Hero Factory Series 6: Invasion from Below

This was a monster of an undertaking to get all of these up at once!  Here are two separate videos that cover some details common to all or most of the sets, in order to dramatically reduce the length & repetitiveness of every review:

• LEGO Hero Factory Invasion From Below wave 1 ALL PIECES overview!
• LEGO Hero Factory Invasion From Below: The minifig-sized Heroes! 

Enjoy, and please spread the word!

LEGO Hero Factory 44016 JAW Beast vs Stormer (Invasion from Below) set review!

The Invasion continues!  I really didn't like the first Invasion from Below set I happened to review, but this one looks like it might be a good deal at a projected $10 USD price.

• LEGO Hero Factory 44016 JAW Beast vs Stormer (Invasion from Below) set review!

LEGO Hero Factory 44015 Evo Walker in-hand Invasion from Below set review!

Surprise!  I didn't receive just one LEGO haul today, I received three, sourced from two different continents (neither of them on my side of the planet), and in one of them was my first 2014 Hero Factory set!

• LEGO Hero Factory 44015 Evo Walker in-hand Invasion from Below set review!

Two more videos for the weekend!

This twofer features a review of a nice Star Wars set that's been out for a little while, and a Hero Factory MOC that I put together very quickly just purely for the fun of it.

• LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Rausch (a simple one)
• LEGO Star Wars 75003 A-Wing Starfighter (2013) set review!

LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Brotherhood of Light leader

Lecius has a successor!  This Hero Factory MOC was built many months ago, but I wanted to get the Or'Da story out in the open before showing it.

• Video: LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Brotherhood of Light leader

LEGO Hero Factory 2014: HF goes Minifig-scale!

I'm going to repeat the title of this post for effect.  LEGO Hero Factory 2014: HF goes Minifig-scale!

Breathe.

Direct link to the original information source:  http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=86926&st=175#entry1713856

This Eurobricks member claims to have seen pictures of the sets and if you follow the above thread after the linked post, you will read all sorts of informative descriptive tidbits.  There are no public photos yet, but the information does sound quite very believable.

The synopsis?  Hero Factory begins 2014 with a theme called Invasion From Below. Heroes are minifig-scale and have mostly headless mechs with torsos that the pilots stand in.  The mechs are said to use "HF" parts, though I would personally expect to see a bit of a System-Technic-ball & socket hybrid setup a little more like the Ninjago mechs.

What do you think?!  Share your comments below!  Personally, I think this is fantastic.  I'd love to be able to make all manner of Hero Factory vehicles & buildings with the countless System & Technic and ball & socket parts I have.  The current system is very simple and great for younger kids, but it can become painfully limiting once you start trying to go off-canon and do truly custom creations.  I almost always end up dipping into other bins to try to bring some originality to my HF MOCs.  With a move to minifig scale, or something very close, I could let Hero Factory elements touch down in my LEGO city layout from time to time!

Hero Factory / Or'Da MOCs revealed

Following up on this weekend's full reveal of the Or'Da, I've taken some short videos showing the stars of the "_____ addresses the Sempax" videos fully unobscured and in HD.  Once again blog visitors get to see the full set before anyone else!

• LEGO Hero Factory MOC:  Boravus of the Or'Da
• LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Onyx of the Or'Da
• LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Specter of the Or'Da
• LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Lorne with Or'Da Blade weapon
• LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Young Akiyama Makuro of the Or'Da

The Dark Order, explained at last

As early as July 2011 I dropped hints about a mysterious Hero Factory backstory I was cooking up involving The Dark Order, or, in their original tongue, the Or'Da.  In 2012 I drummed up renewed interest with a series of cryptic, low-resolution videos featuring various heroes addressing an unknown character known as "Sempax."  Then, in January, I released a series of stories of the Crystals of Zemai-4 as told by master chronicler Zeyek, giving full view to a slice of history involving the work of the Order and their arch enemies, the Brotherhood of Light.

Today I finish the puzzle at last. Get ready for a bit of a read...

About Hero Factory hero MOCs...

I know a lot of you have asked for me to do Brain Attack hero MOCs.  I hear you, but I just haven't been able to muster up the motivation or creativity to make it happen.  The biggest problem for me is that the Brain Attack heroes have that distinguishing visor feature.  With so few compatible head & visor options, there aren't many different "faces" I can create.  Given that a face really defines the look of a character, I fear I would settle into just doing upgraded or alternate versions of the core heroes LEGO already made. If I attempt to use other head builds that skip the official visor piece, I know from experience that viewers won't be at all happy.  So, I'm in a real bind.  I feel a need to break away from the official styles altogether and just do my own thing my own way.

I am absolutely committed to continuing the use of my very large collection of parts to make more Hero Factory MOCs going forward, but they will consistently receive less attention than the far more open & free brick-based creations that so many more people enjoy.

LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Specimen 5b

What do you get when you mix an alien bull-buffalo with a giant praying mantis?  Well, I don't know what you get, but this is what "the mad scientist" got on his second try!

• Video: LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Specimen 5b

As a bonus for today, here's a Bricklink haul for ya:

• Bricklink Haul 8/10/2013