Set: 70204 CHI Worriz
RRP: $22.99
Pieces: 55
Build Time: around 15 min
Package photo courtesy of Brickipedia
The Background
I haven’t been particularly interested in the Legends of Chima theme so far. Debuted
earlier this year, the storyline centres around several groups of
anthropomorphic animals battling one another for control of “Chi”, a mystical
energy source that borrows a little (but not too much, from what I can tell)
from its martial arts namesake.
Package photo courtesy of Brickipedia (http://lego.wikia.com)
It’s not a bad premise, but the creatures look a little too
cartoony for my tastes, and it annoys me that the Wolves are one of villainous
factions (though I do like that the Lions are good guys). Also, I wasn’t really
sold on the ripcord racer gimmick.
Nonetheless, some of the sets have been quite impressive,
particularly after the first wave. The Lion CHI Temple (70010) is exceptionally
striking. Still, it wasn’t until I saw that a series of Ultrabuild figures had
been released, that I got interested. A giant wolfman? It would be pretty difficult
for this to go wrong.
Friends who know me will attest to my obsessive love of
wolves and wolf-related merchandise – in fact, I’d say at least 90% of the
appeal of this set lies in the fact that he looks much like a gigantic werewolf
warrior.
The Werewolf Warrior strikes a majestic pose atop the iPad
Naturally, werewolves are my favourite monster from
folklore. Traditionally they tend to be depicted as evil, though I tend to
think of them in a different fashion, typically as good guys, rather than
villains of the night. Zombies and skeletons, though? Generally, not so much…
Officially, this guy’s name is “Worriz”, but I don’t much
care for it. He looks too tough to have a name that rhymes with “Morris.”
Nonetheless, I don’t think I’ll call him “Grimripper” or anything else that
sounds like it could have come out of a 90s Image Comic (as entertaining as
some of them were). Though it’s not particularly creative, I think “Werewolf”
will do sufficiently well for the time.
The Build
I haven’t previously owned any Ultrabuild figurines. I
remember the original Bionicle series impressing me all the way back in 2001 on
first release, but of course I was in high school then and owning something
like that would have been ridiculously “uncool.” More than a decade later, I
don’t feel the same kind of concern. As C.S. Lewis once said, “When I became a
man, I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the
desire to be very grown up.” Whether the creator of Narnia and famous Christian
apologist would have approved of adult collections of Lego is of course open
for debate.
I digress. I was pleased at how quickly I built him,
considering I hadn’t built one of these before, but also a little disappointed
that it was as easy as it was. Nonetheless, I like the concept of a DIY action
figure, which is essentially what these Ultrabuild figures are.
Werewolf’s articulation is pretty good; the balljoints at
each point of articulation allow a good range of motion, and it’s pretty easy
to get him into some cool poses. However, I did find that his shoulder spikes
do interfere a little with certain arm movements, as do the size of his paws. While these might be more serious issues for
those looking to play with their figures, if you’re looking at him as more of a
display piece, it’s usually pretty easy to find a workaround.
Werewolf and Nightfighter Robocop duel! (later becoming friends, of course)
In terms of accessories, Werewolf is armed with a two-bladed
sword and defends himself with a shield in the shape of a buzzsaw blade. The
build does a nice job of making it look like his gigantic paw is holding the
sword, but it’s actually connected by balljoint. The shield can also be mounted
on his back, via a hole.
The balljoint holding the sword.
The shield, mounted on Werewolf's back
My only real complaint is that it would be nice if Werewolf
came with an alternate head, too. His angry face is great, but it would be nice
to have something a little more neutral too. Still, on the whole there’s a lot
more to like than there is to dislike.
Big Werewolf meets minifig Werewolf
Overall
Although I don’t think I’ll pick up any of the regular Legends of Chima sets, I’m very
impressed with the Ultrabuild figures. I could see myself picking up a couple
more of these guys, particularly the Raven and Crocodile. Alternatively, I
could also see myself getting a Hero
Factory mech or two and staging Pacific Rim-style battles in the
loungeroom. There could be some good photo ops in that.
But for the time being, Werewolf is something of an anomaly
in my collection – though as you’ll see below, he does look good attacking the
treehouse.
Attack taking place in kid's imagination only, of course. The mess this would leave in real life would be difficult to explain to the kid's parents
Overall, I’m giving Werewolf an 8/10.
The set in its entirety
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