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Set Review: 7169 Surge
 Saturday, January 1st, 2011 at 8:13pm by Andrew, BZPower News Manager[Source: Shannara] 2011 is here, but we still have one more 2010 set to review. Shannara has finally gotten around to taking a look at Mark Surge version 1.0 from the Hero Factory line. What is down low on this set, and should you grab this set before you get the 2.0 version? Read on to find out! Presentation
Well, as 2010 draws to a close and the tantalizing promise of 2011 looms ahead. But let's not forget this last member of Hero Factory 2010 team, especially with the multitude of holiday sales and the deals to come as we move into a new year. Let's take a look, now, at Mark Surge!
Much of this review will be, well, something of a review. We've seen the rest of the HF Hero crew for 2010, and many things will be much the same as they have been for the other heroes. That said, Mark Surge's canister is essentially the same as the the others. Action pose and various information on the front, image of our hero locked in battle with a villain (in this case Corroder), along with all of the usual information we're all accustomed to. I have to say that the bright yellow on the front grabs the eye very quickly, screaming "Buy me, I'm shiny!!" from the store shelves. Building
And so Mark Surge has captivated you and you have purchased him and brought him home. Now what?
A lovely little pile of parts. Nineteen of them, in fact. Let's see, now...
*click*snap*click*click* Tada! Surge goes together just like the other Heroes, very quickly and definitely without need of the instruction booklet if you've built any of the others. Not the most thrilling build of all time. Set Design
As a great deal of light has already been shed on the new pieces found in all of the good guy sets of this first wave of HF, I'll skim the parts that are common between the sets. Surge has the same new black torso piece and his own yellow Hero Core. In addition, the image above shows four of the molds that have been explored in depth over the past year, given their own unique re-colors of blue and silver for Mr. Surge.
Now, onto the parts that Surge has exclusively to himself. Our electrified Hero's helmet fits him very well. It is a slick looking piece of equipment, with a blocky chin and long, slanted eye holes surrounded by smooth curves and slopes. The crown of the helmet continued Surge's "shocking" motif, with two zigzagging stripes running backward from the forehead. Oh, and he's got a the camera and microphone bit too.
With that, we move onto Mark's... Electric... Weapon... Things... These are pretty cool pieces if I do say so myself, but I really have no idea what to describe them as. When TLG itself lists Surge as being "armed with a lightening bolt weapon and electrified shield" then I think it's fair to say that nobody really knows what to call them. (Especially when lightening does not equal lightning, as I believe they intended.) In either case, these pieces are pretty awesome. The bases remind me a bit of the handshields of the Bohrok, which is always a good thing. Plus, these pieces actually have two plus rod connections at different angles, meaning that good ol' Surge can hang on to his mysterious weapons in different ways. In fact, he can even hold them both in one hand, either pointing the same direction to make a super electrical attack, or opposite directions to form almost a staff... Kind of a nifty little trick if you ask me!
Overall, I'd say that Surge has a solid appearance. He looks well armored, and doesn't suffer from some of the awkward gaps we have seen in years past following Bionicle. Essentially he's built the same as all of the other Heroes, so if you have any of them assume that Surge will be the same. Playability
Surge's playability is decent. He can strike some pretty sweet poses, but he's severely limited by the lack of joints in his arms and legs. Every pose is in a slight crouch, with arms slightly tensed, which hampers his ability to hit more than just a few different actions. In addition, the lack of any kind of movement or even shooting function, combined with bulky weapons, doesn't really help his case any.
Of course you can always combine Surge and any of his fellow Heroes with some HF Villains to create some fun battle scenes. So that's always good. Final Thoughts
Will Hero Factory live up to its predecessors? Only time will tell. Based on all we've seen of the HF 2.0 sets that are starting to appear in stores, I'd say the future is hopeful. But where does Surge 1.0 fit into this whole scheme? Is he truly worth it?
Honestly, I'd say probably not. 2011 is bringing with it a plethora of new sets that look better and are better to play with. Frankly, the current sets pale in comparison to what is just around the corner. If you are a diehard collector and need to get all of the sets, I would at least caution you to wait until these sets start going on sale, as they will. For MOCists or more casual fans, I would say pass on this set. Frankly, based on what we have all seen on the BZP news page about HF 2.0, I would suggest that everybody hold off and have patience, either for the new sets or some good sales to make Surge a tad more worth it. That concludes our 2010 set reviews. Don't worry, we'll have plenty more in 2011. Be sure to leave your comments and thank Shannara in the Talkback topic. Keep checking back here on BZPower for more reviews and the latest Bionicle, Hero Factory and LEGO news.
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