Meet the Mixels, part 3
Posted by Huw,The last three Mixels to review were the first to be revealed back in July last year, so I'm guessing that LEGO thought that they were the best ones.
Let's take a look then, at Flain, Seismo and Volectro and see if they are indeed the best of the bunch...
41500 Flain is rare among Mixels in that he has no teeth. However he does have a new tooth/claw part for his feet, a 1x2 plate with 1 short and 1 long tooth sticking up from the top, rather than the side. I think it's the third new tooth piece to be introduced this year, along with the 1x2 plate with 3 teeth, as used in most of the Mixels, and the Plade 1X1 M. 1 Lod. Tand (SIC) as seen in some of the Legend Beasts' mouths.
His head, with four flames at the back, is fantastic, looking like both hair and fire. The leg joint further illustrates the versatility of the new ball/socket joints.
41504 Seismo is certainly the weirdest looking Mixel in this first batch: a lanky, one-eyed, horned beast, who is also toothless.
It's been constructed entirely with studs not on top so from that point of view it's an interesting model.
41508 Volectro is the only one so far to use the printed 1x1 tiles for eyes.
The use of a bush for his electrostatically charged hair is a stroke of genius and having that part in yellow is reason enough to buy multiples of the set.
So, that's all nine built. It's impressive that they are all significantly different and thus project their own unique personalities. Some are better than others, for sure, and I suspect we'll each have our own favourites. Did I think these were the best from each tribe? Let's see...
My scores are:
- 41500 Flain - 5 - the best of them all, and it's easy to see why he's the one that's getting most of the promotional limelight, as it were.
- 41508 Volectro - 5 - inventive use of parts.
- 41504 Seismo - 2 - a bit too weird and lanky for my liking.
So for red and yellow, yes these are, IMO, the best, but I preferred the short and stubby rock monster from yesterday's review to today's tall and lanky one.
My overall scores per tribe are as follows: red: 13, yellow: 13, grey: 7.5. I like the rock tribe least of all, maybe partly because they are not as colourful as the others.
In summary, I'll just repeat what I said at the start of the first review: Mixels capture the very essence of everything that's good about LEGO in a small and perfectly formed package. Buy them all, see which you like best, then break them apart and come up with your own little monsters. That's what I'm planning to do...
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26 comments on this article
The bottom part of Flain's mouth is upside down, just to let you know!
These are the three I had purchased yesterday. Not disappointed at all. They open up a ton of fun and possibilities, and after the later two series are released, I hope this theme can be expanded into 2015 and beyond. Definitely going to try to collect them all.
I agree on what you said about breaking the sets down and making your own little monsters out of them. That is entirely the point of this theme: to give us awesome new combiner models at an affordable price! They are called Mixels, after all. I don't think The Man Upstairs would like this theme very much.
Great work you did on this review!
It is, you're right, but I think I prefer it my way round, he looks less dopey...
They ran out of the store.
My kids think these sets are great. Are Series 2 and 3 following these to market in 3-month intervals?
I had to run out and by a Volectro to use the yellow grass in the flower here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bisonfuehrer/12614755835/
^^ yes, I believe so.
Aww, I like really Seismo. He's definitely my favourite of the Cragsters. Zorch and Zaptor are my other tribe favourites.
I can't wait to get some of these guys.
Well my favorite ones are deffinetly flain then all three of the yellow lightning ones
Volectro is my personal favorite, he has so much personality!
No more Nixels in this third review?
Volectro definitely has to be the best one, in my opinion.
^^There's only 1 Nixel per tribe, so all 3 have already been covered.
Huw, Volectro seems to be having trouble with hairs. Don't worry I have the same problem. :(
I think that Flain doesn't have teeth because he's supposed to be a bird, and his "mouth" is a beak. Of course, his lack of wings does nothing to support this theory.
The bush is bright light orange/flame yellowish orange, isn't it? (i.e., not "yellow")
yes it is "chima" yellow , not normal yellow.
I remember that I first started getting those bush pieces back in the days of Aquazone, when they were used for aquatic vegetation. I wonder how well this color would work for that purpose...
Hard to say which of these three is my favorite. I'm kind of indifferent to Seismo (his single angry eye and bovine muzzle and horns give him a lot of personality, but his proportions are kind of clunky). On the other hand, Flain and Volectro are both awesome. Volectro's face, "mad scientist" hair, and flexible fingers just give off an air of playfulness (I can totally picture him wiggling his fingers mischievously), but Flain's face when properly built gives him such an adorable underbite/pout. I also love Flain's giant head and tiny feet. Flain and the other Infernites are also my favorites in their cartoon portrayal.
Does anyone know if the Mixels are coming to Sweden at some point? They're so cute! Somehow Seismo reminds me of a Goomba.
lol! i think i'll get them for the parts. ^^
Volectro is so adorable. :P
Very disappointed to see that LEGO still can't make consistently coloured yellow bricks. Compare the 1x2 plate on the back of Volectro's head with the 2x2 round plates above it.
I managed to get mine. Most of the new Lego sets (all themes) on Lego.com are already sold out in Canada. I imagine they will be getting more; have seen little available in stores (at least in Ottawa).
I wasn't planning to buy these, until I read the reviews. I now have the first 9 on their way to me. Thanks @huw!
Are we going to get a review on the combined Mixel thingies? I thought was part of the point of collecting a whole "tribe."
I enjoyed these a lot! £3 seems to be a perfect price for these, being quite a lot bigger than a minifigure and being mostly made of new and new-coloured pieces. When I got one at Argos I had to use the code for all of them and then choose the one I wanted from their box. Seismo is still my favourite, and also happens to have the most of those lovely new joint parts!
Picked up 4 yesterday, What a great way to get parts for mech projects, but I'm already getting attached to these. Made my first animation this afternoon. These are going to be fun. I'll be back for more this week to give the Max version a go.