Set Review: 44025 Bulk Drill Machine
Monday, June 30th, 2014 at 12:06am by Benjamin, BZPower Reporter
Living up to his namesake, Bulk's Drill Machine is bulky - and that is a good thing! The amount of armor and muscle portrayed in this set prove he is the right Hero for the job when drilling the terrain and searching for threats from below. Today we dive into a review of just how well Bulk does his job with the tools at his disposal, and what tools LEGO has given him. Will he fight off the invasion or cause a cave-in? Read, and watch, on to find out!
Before we start, a special thanks goes out to The LEGO Group for providing BZPower with these Hero Factory sets, signed by the set designers even! It is always a privilege to be able to review these, usually in advance, for the fans.
Presentation
From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
The bag is the standard configuration for sets as of late. While they sometimes have trouble staying upright on the store shelves, they do just fine holding their contents for our building pleasure. Of course all the usual stuff is there: theme, set name, set number, and a striking graphic of the Bulk Drill Machine in action! While this European packaging lacks the piece count, that number comes out to 113 pieces. The back of the package shows off how easy Bulk's machine snaps together through different sections. It also shows off the egg-pod the spiders are inhabiting that the Heroes have to defend themselves from.
Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
The vehicles of this series stand out for not having the basic Hero design. Sure, they use a Hero skeleton for the torso and some framing for the legs, but it doesn't look like a Hero once the weapons are added to the back and the Hero sits in the cockpit. It is a nice change that really works. That said, it is pretty basic as are most HF builds, but it is nice to see some Technic come into play for the drill.
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.
The new pieces that stand out the most are the petals of the egg-pod, this time in a light blue color as opposed to the red in the Breeze set I last reviewed, or any other colors they come in. In addition, the orange drill is nice and we also get another stud-firing gun first seen in The LEGO Movie sets. I also really like the bulky gunmetal armor, and Bulk himself looks cool in silver.
From every angle the Drill Machine looks sturdy and well-armored. This is especially good as the drill would need good footing when in use. The drill can also fold down into the base to make it more compact when not in use. The arm-computer is attached to the cockpit in this set, but that should not stop you from putting it on his arm to look really cool.
As for the figs and a few extra additions, they are sure to stand out. Bulk is ready to fight off the baddies, but the baddies are not going to back down when they have surprise egg-pods. These are rubbery which allows them to fold down in a blossom, exposing the spider-bug. This little guy is lime green with a blue shell, looking dangerous.
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.
The Bulk Drill Machine has two modes: Drill and laser blaster. The tool can spin around on its axis to switch between either tool depending on what Bulk needs. That is pretty impressive to me.
Speaking of impressive, I was quite enthused when the instructions talked about how various tools could be swapped out between some of the sets in this wave. Having just built Breeze, I was able to swap out her claw for Bulk's drill so each could use the other's power. It adds to the playability and the nature of Hero team-ups!
Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
Pros
What's to like?
- Swaps out parts with other sets
- Neat design, well armored
- Dual-mode tool
- Stud-firing gun
Cons
What's not to like?
This set really takes advantage of having the large tool attached to its back, and doubly so when it can even switch to something else halfway through a fight (or tunneling mission). It has the right mix of armor and bulk to look sturdy but not get in the way of looking functional, and does not look like a revamped Hero with a cockpit like the last wave of sets. Overall, I am really impressed, and Bulk looks great at the helm.
Need to help Kevin!
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