Set Review: 70210 CHI Vardy
Tuesday, June 17th, 2014 at 9:56pm by Andrew, BZPower News Manager [Source: Sisen]
Today we bring you our review of the last of the 2014 LEGO Legends of Chima constraction sets. BZPower Forum Assistant Sisen takes a look at 70210 CHI Vardy, a voracious-looking vulture. Will this fearsome flyer flaps his way into your shopping cart, or will he be left freezing the pegs with his chilling gaze. More importantly, will you be winning a free copy of this set? You'll have to read on and watch the video to find out!
Presentation
From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
The bag for 70210 CHI Vardy contains the normal information such as set number, age range, etc. The bright blue and contrasting dark blue makes the bag stand out, especially with all of the lightning going on in the background. Everything comes together to make one very imposing scene.
On the front Vardy is an imposing foe with a little bit of Skeksis style. The back showcases Vardy looking down some distant enemy, but shows off the head piece to scale and Chi ball mechanism. There is also a combiner model for CHI Vardy and CHI Sir Fangar which looks pretty cool.
Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
Building Vardy was not a complex process and took a few minutes to complete. While the build was lackluster, there is a great assortment of pieces within.
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.
Overall the parts of Vardy do outweigh the combined effect. Personally, I think a better Vardy could be constructed by using two of the same set. The old style Piraka feet do well to fit into the theme, and every piece does serve a purpose. The wings are an interesting design, but are more of just an aesthetic in terms of functionality. They do move and are adjustable, but only in their fixed position.
The new stylized pieces such as the wings and sword look amazing. Follow that up with the new transparent pieces and there is some excitement to be had. While there are only two mocha colored armor pieces, they are a nice standout for the set. The printed armor plate is the real gem in the set, and it is a shame only one is included. The head design of Vardy is exceptional. Just imagine facing down a two headed version - a scary thought indeed.
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?
My only gripe with playability is the black claw is very easily knocked loose. It does make the weapon complete when held in both hands, but something else could have been implemented. The buzzsaw offers some playability. Technically it is not a set you would play alone with, so you need another for it to go up against. The new style of armor does provide a neat interactivity to the set, and can lead to some intense battles.
Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
Pros
What's to like?
- Awesome new pieces
- Detail on new pieces
- Transparent pieces!
- Character design
- Weapon pieces
Cons
What's not to like?
- Limited wing movement
- Annoying black fang constantly falls out of hand
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If I were to pick up this set, I would probably purchase two just to get more of the pieces and to attempt building a better version of Vardy. Otherwise, I would say definitely pick it up if you want to build the combiner model. Overall the sum of the parts do appear to outweigh the set itself.
Please join me in thanking Sisen for putting together this review - hopefully you enjoyed it. And of course thanks to LEGO for donating this set, along with a second one for us to give away! Any questions or comments you have can go in the Talkback topic, as per usual. And don't forget to keep checking back on BZPower for more set reviews and all the latest Legends of Chima and LEGO news!
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