Mint in Box Preview: LEGO Legends of Chima
LEGO has had some smash-hits in the past year and not just from their licensed IP’s, their own original themes such as Monster Fighters, Friends and the hit Ninjago lines were all big hits with kids and adults alike and in 2013, that’s only going to get better with the upcoming Legends of Chima release. Taking cues from previous lines, LoC introduces us to an all new world of adventure with warring factions, amazing battles and some amazing looking sets; so here’s a preview of this new line!
The kingdom of Chima is a magical land in which very advanced species dominate. These creatures speak and act like people. They use vehicles and machines and live in amazing castles and fortresses. They have claws, teeth, tails, and some are equipped with wings. Now they are at war with each other…
Chima was once a pure, natural paradise, but heavily armed barbarian species have changed it and now best friends have become sworn enemies of each other. Ruthless weapons destroyed the once sacred temples. Blood-thirsty vehicles battle each other in fatal duels in the forest.
The creatures are fiercely fighting over a powerful natural resource called Chi. which is the source of life but also unimaginable destruction.
Only a few brave heroes in Chima understand the true nature of Chi, and that its misuse leads to the total destruction of Chima. The stories of these heroes and those who want to destroy them are known as ’The Legends of Chima’.
The backstory to this world kinda reminds me of Thundercats, Battle Beasts, and a couple other classic cartoons and toylines, which is no bad thing. It brings about a sense of nostalgia for me which is weird when considering the LEGO of the day was very basic. But enough about story, what we really want to see is some kick-ass LEGO sets, am I right? Let’s take a look at some then!
Crocodile Fun-Dee!
Cragger’s Command Ship (70006) is one of biggest sets in this theme, containing a ton of play features and minifigures. This is the flagship for the Crocodile tribe but contains a nice variety of minifigures including 3 Crocs, Rawzom the Raven and two Lion tribe members. This set is really cool, taking the whole crocodile theme and dialing it up to eleven. It’s a real gem of a boat and, depending on price point, should be well worth the money.
Hungry like the Wolf!
Wakz’ Pack Tracker (70004) is the highlight of the Wolf tribe’s vehicles, a ferocious hot rod with a wolf motif and nifty features. Using the suspension, it opens and closes it’s jaws, has a large cannon on top and fanged tow chain on the back. It comes with two Wolf figures and an Eagle, along with weapons. It looks pretty cool and has some great features so I recommend getting one.
You can be my wingman anytime!
Eris’ Eagle Interceptor (70003) is a little bland for my taste. It looks great but it reminds me of a few sets from other lines and even of an old MASK toy that I wasn’t particularly fond of. It’s an obvious eagle motif and the head detaches to become its own flying vehicle. The minifigures are an Eagle and two Ravens so this is the flyers set but when compared to the others, I’m just not feeling it but I’m sure it’ll float someone’s boat.
CARDGAMES AND MOTORCYCLES!
Like the Ninjago theme, Legends of Chima features smaller sets that have a competitive edge. While Ninjago had spinning tops, this appears to be some kind of ripcord-powered mono-wheel racers which is pretty interesting in concept. There’s a variety of packs, featuring arenas, single racer sets with obstacles and, given how Ninjago went, we’ll no doubt see battle packs. All these sets include cards, much like Ninjago, so there’ll be plenty of draw for kids who liked that.
The Legends of Chima theme is shaping up to be an amazing successor to the Ninjago line. The new look animal heads work surprisingly well on standard minifigure bodies and the vehicles look amazing. Legends of Chima have started to trickle out here and there but will see wider release in 2013 as well as a TV show so be sure to check them out.