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    Discuss This Story ReviewSunday, April 17th, 2011 at 8:21pm by Andrew, BZPower News Manager
    [Source: DeeVee]

    Today we wrap up our Hero 2.0 reviews - it took us long enough, I know. Blog Leader DeeVee takes a look at Stormer 2.0, a fearless hero leader. But is his set worth your hard-earned allowance? Read on to find out!

    2063 Stormer 2.0 00

    Presentation
    From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.

    Preston comes in the same orange-topped canister as the rest of the wave 2.0. As this is the last review of the 2.0 sets, I suspect you know that by now, so we won't linger on the canister longer than this.

    2063 Stormer 2.0 01 2063 Stormer 2.0 02

    So instead, we'll spend a few minutes writing an ode to legal disclaimers. For they are beautiful, they are amazing, and they are truly the apple of my eye (well, besides Maddison). When I see the legal disclaimers on the back of the canister, I get this rush, this flutter, and I know, deep in my very being, that we were meant to be together. That everything in the world will be okay, and that TLG is not liable for ways I misuse the contents of this canister.

    Building
    Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?

    The 2.0 sets revolutionized the buildable action figure theme. The armour is based on ball and socket connections, with armour cladding simply clicked into place. This is still, six hero sets in, crazy cool. While I do wish more than just the weapons connected via traditional technic, er, techniques, I cannot deny the wild idea this new technique has brought upon us.

    2063 Stormer 2.0 04 2063 Stormer 2.0 05 2063 Stormer 2.0 06 2063 Stormer 2.0 07 2063 Stormer 2.0 08 2063 Stormer 2.0 09 2063 Stormer 2.0 10

    He comes together quite easily, and that is the new building technique's major drawback.

    Set Design
    Now that the set is complete, we can critique how it looks from every angle. New or interesting pieces can also be examined here.

    Like those he commands, Preston comes with a veritable wellspring of new and amazing pieces.

    2063 Stormer 2.0 03

    (Please ignore how awful that photo is)

    Preston has lots of new pieces. You can see them in the photo!

    Unlike a lot of the other heroes, all of Preston's limb cladding is the same colour, which is slightly frustrating to me. If there was even just another variation offered here in white, I would be thrilled for the new parts. As is, building with the new hero parts in white will be less versatile than I'd like.

    Of note in his new pieces, the traditional LEGO spear is unique, in that it is moulded in a rubbery plastic instead of the traditional hard plastic the pieces is normally found moulded in system sets. I've been told this is for safety, since the buildable sets sell to younger kiddos than traditional system sets, but that seems a little unnecessary. But I guess those legal disclaimers that I look so fondly upon are there for a reason.

    Moving on to his actual design as a completed servant of help, we see that Preston is a little different from most of his contemporaries.

    2063 Stormer 2.0 11 2063 Stormer 2.0 12 2063 Stormer 2.0 13 2063 Stormer 2.0 14

    Preston is weirdly proportional for a buildable action figure produced by TLG. I'd gotten so used to ranting against the awkward and ridiculous proportions found in the BIONICLE sets that the near-accurate rendition found here kind of blew my mind. The narrower torso and smaller lower arms really work well for his proportionality. I don't think that's a word, but by making on up I'm just joining in the long and storied American tradition of making up words to describe things. [Editor's note: it is indeed a word.

    That said, I don't like the lower arm piece, and the transition from the bulky upper arm on the weaponless arm to the lower arm is jarring.

    The cladding on Preston's lower legs is put on the sides, emulating an almost baggy pants or bell-bottoms look, and I find this to be a nice stylistic callback to the bell-bottomed armour he had in his first incarnation.

    Indeed, more than the rest, Preston seems to be an homage to his original, now nostalgic self. Indeed, even his helmet accessory mimics the strong jawline of his original. Though this one makes him look less like the brutish oaf the original possessed.

    I love the tube. I've always loved the co-injection Mahri tubes, and I'm glad we now have two inner colours to choose from, for those of us who purchased Vastus or Vastus' tube on the world wide web.

    Playability
    The other half of the fun is in playing with the set. How well does the set function and is it enjoyable to play with?

    Poses are what your hero does best. That is what he was made for. Well, that and fighting crime.

    (And probably saving robocats (ROBCAT?) from technorganic trees on post-formatting Cybertron.)

    2063 Stormer 2.0 15 2063 Stormer 2.0 16 2063 Stormer 2.0 17

    Oh yeah, look at him go. He is going to get you, evildoers and gravity that terrifies the poor kitty in the tree!

    Final Thoughts
    Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?

    Pros
    What's to like?

    • New building system is still neat
    • New moulds are plentiful
    • Is genuinely fun to play with
    • Calls back to the original well
    • DOESN'T HAVE ARMS LONGER THAN HIS LEGS, BIONICLE

    Cons
    What's not to like?

    • Empty back
    • Poor arm flow
    • 2.0 sets get kind of repetitive
    • Doesn't let Furno do what Furno wants to do

    You should buy at least one of the new Heroes. I have been adamant about that in all of my reviews thus far, and I'm not going to stop now. You might be holding off for the awesome animal themed 3.0 wave (and who can blame you!), but if you get impatient, Stormer, or really any of the 2.0 wave are well worth your time and money. The untapped potential of these pieces, especially in conjunction with Technic, BIONICLE, and even system pieces is worth the investment. And, then you should build something for BZP's Hero Factory contest. I know I will!

    And that wraps up our hero reviews until the 3.0 wave comes out this summer. Luckily though, that's right around the corner! Be sure to thank DeeVee for this review and leave any questions or comments you may have in the Talkback. Thanks for reading, and be sure to keep checking back for more LEGO, Bionicle, and Hero Factory news!

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