Set Review: 8719 Zamor Spheres
Wednesday, August 2nd, 2006 at 3:24pm by Andrew, BZPower News Manager [Source: InnerRayg]
Ha! I bet you didn't see this one coming. Yes, when I said we were going to review all the sets this year I meant all of them. This means even the Zamor Spheres get their own writeup, thanks to Forum Assistant InnerRayg. Read on to learn why you may want to buy this set and how it could have been improved.
THE BOX
The the most superficial part of any LEGO product, but the one that often determines whether or not the set is a success or failure.
The Zamor box is a classic example of you get what you see. It is like the Matoran boxes in that it sports a white motif with a golden top, but since it is so much smaller you don't get the same sense of blank space. Instead, it actually feels a bit busy, with all the items crammed onto the front. You can see a bit of Vezok in the background, which isn't much now, but was quite exciting when the Spheres first came out, during the time when Piraka were scarce.
The back of the box is much cleaner, with a simple picture of several different Zamor grouped together, and an easy demonstration showing how they work.The CGed Zamor are shiny, and are more then enough to catch the eye. It is only a shame they didn't have more color variety, to spruce up the box more.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
So you've bought it and taken it home (or at least made it to the car), punched the perforated tabs and dump out the contents. What do you get for your money?
Well, not much. You get a plastic baggie, with, surprisingly enough, 10 Zamor spheres. No other instructions or promotional material is included, but besides the Kraata tubs, I do not believe any other collectible has had this sort of thing either.
THE BRICKS
Here's where we start to cut to the heart of the matter. You didn't buy this box for all the glossy booklets & creative artwork. You want to know about the LEGO bricks & bits that are included, and what (if any) new & interesting parts you'll find inside. Here's also where I'll talk about any new and/or interesting pieces that you will encounter.
Well...you get what you paid for. 10 Zamor spheres, and that's about it. These are solid pieces of plastic, with a small hole that ends shortly on the top. Each Zamor is metallic, with a swirled pattern seen on it that is not found in the green Zamors the Piraka come with.
The Gold sphere. Not really as shiny as the box portrayed, but not dull.
The Silver sphere. It is a bit darker then the silver used in the rest of the 2006 sets, more like the original protodermic silver of yester-year.
The Ebon sphere. Again, a slightly different shade then the color used on the Piraka's armor.
BUILDING EXPERIENCE
What can you expect while putting this model together?
There is nothing here. It would have been nice if the package had included a Zamor Launcher as well, but no such luck. You just get an assortment of Gold, Silver, and Black spheres. There is three of each, with a random fourth sphere added in.
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
So you've got the model together, but is it more like playing with a block of wood or an interactive toy?
This depends on if you know how to play Marbles or not. Frankly, the Zamor spheres are boring unless you have an accompanying Piraka to launch them with. I again think it would have been nice to include a launcher. Sacrificing Four Zamor in exchange for a way to play with them would have been no problem for me.
OVERALL
Here's where it all boils down to whether the model is worth your money and time or not.
Well, seeing as these things are cheap, it's probably worth it to just get one pack, to make sure you never run out. However, there is absolutely no collectibility when it comes to these things, with the simple run of three colors consistently available in each pack. I would definitely not suggest buying them unless you have something to launch them with, either your Piraka or something else. They also look good if you decide the Green spheres do not compliment your sets well, exchanging them for the appropriately colored Metallic armor.
And here we are, one set closer to our ultimate goal. Make sure you thanks InnerRayg for writing this review and keep checking back for more 2006 set reviews!
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