Set Review: 70209 CHI Mungus
Monday, May 26th, 2014 at 2:54pm by Benjamin, BZPower Reporter
Thawing from the Chima ice age comes Mungus, a mammoth/elephant Legends of Chima character! This tribe has emerged in some recent summer sets, and today the Chi-powered constraction set of Mungus is featured. Just how strong is he? Read, and watch, on to find out and to see how you can get your own copy of this set!
First off, a special thanks to The LEGO Group for sending BZPower some of these summer Chima constraction sets, especially since they are not available in North America. Luckily BZPower has some more to give away, so check out the video review to see how you win one!
Presentation
From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
The set continues the trend of shipping the constraction figures in bags. Luckily it seals shut at the top for future storage. Mungus is featured in an action pose in the front, and the back shows off some play features like his hammer and peril of losing his Chi. It also shows that if you buy Chi Fangar they can combine into a bigger figure. Cool stuff!
Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
Mungus has a few extra pieces to bulk him up than the standard Chima or Hero Factory constraction set. In parciular the shoulders are extended wide so to provide room for extra armor and give him a larger, imposing look. He also has some extra armor on his back. Overall, it is fun to see where everything goes, like the transparent limbs and attaching the head, but of course uses a basic constraction build underneath.
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.
Mungus is heavily armored arm to arm, but his legs are a little lacking. They just do not give that elephant stature he is going for. And while I suppose his Chi-powered limbs technically do not need extra armor, having some more in a collection would be nice.
That said, his hammer looks ready to connect with another Chima warrior, and nobody had better be in his way when that happens.
Let's start with the elephant in the room: that head is awesome. It has some battle scars and a bit of attitude in its eyes. Underneath it connects with a joint that will also become a part of its trunk. There are a bunch of other cool pieces here too, like the armor, transparent blue pieces, and some brown constraction pieces I don't recall ever seeing in sets before.
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.
Mungus will be a strong addition to a collection of constraction figures fighting for control of the Chi, but the set itself does not do much. Sure, his Chi can pop out during a brawl, but there are no further play features aside from those you make yourself. Though that hammer will help make sure Mungus wins any fight.
A good, old fashioned one-foot test
Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
Pros
What's to like?
- Elephant/Mammoth head
- Transparent blue pieces
- Cool-looking Chima constraction figure
- Lots of armor
Cons
What's not to like?
- Short legs
- Not available in North America
I am very impressed with this set. The elephant figure approach is a great addition to the world of Chima, and the necessity to use Chi to create limbs adds some backstory to Mungus. Getting a head like this provides many MOCing opportunities, or just makes the set great standing on your shelf. A nice addition to the Chima constraction sets.
Can Kevin withstand the power of the Chi-Hammer?
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