Review: 70325 Infernox Captures the Queen
Posted by CapnRex101,
The Nexo Knights range has divided opinion since the very first images were revealed but the quality of the sets based on the villains seems to be a point of agreement for most. 70325 Infernox Captures the Queen is a perfect example of this as Infernox himself is nicely detailed and has plenty of articulation Furthermore, this set includes a Hover Horse which is one of my favourite vehicles belonging to the knights.
For these reasons, 70325 was the first Nexo Knights set I purchased and it does not disappoint. In fact, it has spurred me on to take a closer look at some of the others.
Minifigures
Queen Halbert proved to be a capable warrior during the opening episodes of the Nexo Knights animated series so it is a bit of a shame that she appears unarmed here and takes on the role of the damsel in distress on the packaging. Nevertheless, this is an excellent figure and one which only appears in this set.
The double-sided head looks great, with angry and smiling expressions, while the dark brown hair piece looks suitably regal. The Queen's attire is similarly impressive with a combination of blue, dark blue and gold designs while the 2x2x2 slope forming her dress is decorated with a light blue sash, cleverly shaped like a sword.
We see in the television show that the cape has a white fur lining along its edge and it would have been nice if such a design had been printed on here, but I think dark blue looks satisfactory and compliments the other colours beautifully. It also looks great beside King Halbert who appears in 70327 The King's Mech.
All five Nexo Knights are very impressive minifigures in my opinion but Aaron Fox is one of my favourites as I like the colours used on his armour. The headgear consists of two new elements, a nicely textured helmet which is considerably bulkier than the traditional crash helmet and a pearl silver visor. These do not fit together particularly well as a tiny gap is left between the visor and the chin strap which is a little disappinting, although this is not visible from most angles.
The head is printed on both sides with a smirk and an enormous grin while the torso and legs are also printed with a huge amount of detail. Metallic silver is used alongside dark bluish grey and lime green highlights. As one might expect Aaron's heraldic symbol is a fox. This is visible through a gap in the chest armour which fits around the neck and features some trans-neon orange areas around the shoulders.
Aaron is armed with a Nexo shield which comes with two powers as well as a crossbow which launches a new missile element. I am sure this will prove to be a versatile piece as the ball end can fit into a small ball joint socket while the bar slots into a minifigure hand.
The Completed Model
Many of the Nexo Knights' vehicles leave something to be desired in my opinion but the Hover Horses are an exception. These appear in Beast Master's Chaos Chariot, Jestro's Evil Mobile and this set, with different colour schemes on each occasion to match the associated knights. This green one belongs to Aaron and looks fantastic, due in part to the ingenious use of a motorcycle fairing which is reversed to form the seat and engine cowling. A darker shade of green might have better suited Aaron's armour but I like the lime green too.
The general form of a horse has been captured splendidly. I love the shaping of the head and the chest is also rendered nicely using a pair of 2x2 angled slopes. The neck can be adjusted to create a sense of speed as the horse charges into battle or raised to give the impression of a static pose.
Clips are located on either side of the vehicle which can be used to store Aaron's shield and bow while he holds onto the handlebars, although the size of the bow leaves it looking somewhat awkward in my opinion. Dark blue 4x4 wedges are fixed to the sides and these look marvellous on the model while also being very useful for your own creations.
Infernox is the largest member of the Lava Monster army and occupies the majority of the pieces in this set. His trans-orange, dark brown and black colour scheme runs throughout the villainous monsters, creating the appearance of molten rock which is solidifying to form his skin while the lava continues to bubble beneath. Infernox's enormous mouth covers almost his entire torso and can be opened using three separate hinges. The upper jaw raises while the lower divides into two halves which open sideways. This allows you to easily place a minifigure inside as though they have been gobbled up. Unfortunately the 2x2 space on which you put the minifigure does not have any studs so it is difficult to stand anyone other than Queen Halbert there.
In addition to the moveable jaws you can also articulate the figure at the shoulders, elbows, fingers, hips, knees and ankles. This allows you to display Infernox in a variety of dynamic poses and he also balances very well due to the low centre of gravity so you can stand him on one leg!
My favourite section of the model is definitely the eyes and forehead. This is assembled at an angle using hinge plates and looks superb, creating an unusual shape which really marks Infernox out from similar large monsters which have gone before such as 8962 Crystal King. There are sharp angles throughout the model and these are very effective in giving the creature a rocky appearance.
The back view is the least appealing in my opinion. The exposed Technic beam which strengthens the model is a bit of an eyesore and there are also some visible red studs too. These could easily have been covered using a pair of 1x2 tiles or the brackets could have been darker in colour which would better match the rest of the figure. I am not keen on the tail either as it seems rather ungainly for this kind of character, although it is helpful when posing the model.
It is worth noting that Infernox can be hitched to 70316 Jestro's Evil Mobile if you remove his tail and attach him using the exposed click hinge. Unfortunately the chains in that set are not long enough to attach to his arms or back, so they too must be linked to the click hinge.
The beast is armed with a stone mace which can be fitted firmly in the hand using a Technic pin. Some spikes are placed on either side of a disc launcher which fires printed Globlin tiles. This is a bit strange but does not interfere with the appearance of the weapon too much and offers some extra play value.
Overall
I think this is one of the best Nexo Knights sets of the entire first wave. Despite the inclusion of only two minifigures there is a huge amount of potential for play and both models look superb. The Hover Horse is brilliantly designed while Infernox himself is suitably imposing to strike fear into the hearts of even the bravest knights.
The set is priced at £19.99 or $24.99 and is only available from LEGO Stores and branches of Toys 'R' Us. I think it is worth purchasing whether you are an established Nexo Knights fan or are interested to try the theme. It certainly tempted me to purchase some others and I expect it will do the same for you!
JANGBRiCKS' Video Review
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33 comments on this article
I really dislike the lime green, and the fact that the queen doesnt have a white fur (like the king from series 14 and queen from series 15 minifigures). Other than that, it seems like a great set! Both Infernox and the robohorse look awesome.
I did some modifying to my hover horse to neutral color it and put some Royal Knights on it. Also decided to make a fleet of them. Really love that little model.
This set and the King's Mech are must-grabs, possibly even at full price (it's rare for me to get sets at RRP). As Megalodon86 remarked, the lime green is rather disconcerting on the horse, so I'm inclined to BrickLink replacement parts in the proper colour.
I completely agree with the comments above and the review, amazing set! Thanks for another excellent review CapnRex.
My 7 year old was allowed to pick one set during our recent Lego Store visit. He chose this one and loves it. Looked like a fun build and he's enjoying the playability. At first look, I thought the Rock Monster might be Hero Factory type build but its not. Recommended for KFOL.
To be honest the lava monster could make a good Kaiju attack for a LEGO City! Think about if the firemen took on this thing in an epic showdown with fire hoses and magma flying everywhere!
Love this set, thanks for the great review! Anyone else an old-school Jack Kirby fan? I can't help but wonder if the designer of the Robo Horses was influenced by the Knights of Wundagore's Atomic Steeds.
Even after this review, I still don't understand all the buzz about Nexo Knights. To be fair though, I think this series is aimed specifically at kids so it's not a surprise to see such mixed reactions all around.
When the preview pics started leaking out, it was this set (plus the King's Mech) that immediately grabbed my attention. I'm gonna pass on the rest of the Nexo Knights, but these two sets are definitely unskippable for me. I really loved the Crystal King, and I really love the look of this fellow as well (but I bet he looks even better slugging it out with the King's Mech).
The minifigs also continue to be a highlight (which they usually are, even in themes I'm not fond of). I love Aaron's big cheesy grin, that's a great design.
Wait, this is $25?! That's a bargain, too bad I can't get this except for at LEGO Shop (which is approximately as functional as a power drill sculpted out of mica) and Toys R US (which puts an insane markup on everything because they can) so I'll pass.
IMO, Beast Master's Chaos Chariot looks better. Also Macy's hover horse, which has the best color scheme to me.
@kakyoin01: I don't think this theme is any more "aimed specifically at kids" than the majority of other series. It's not like adults are being excluded somehow, and in fact I've seen a LOT of excited comments from adults about this theme around the Internet. But LEGO is first and foremost a kids' toy. Aside from big exclusive sets, big Technic sets, Mindstorms sets, and LEGO Ideas sets (all of which are aimed more at teens and adults), that tends to hold true for most themes.
Believe it or not, themes like Nexo Knights, Ninjago, and Legends of Chima actually tend to be aimed at an OLDER audience than similarly-priced sets from less story-driven themes like City, Castle, and Pirates. Just compare Nexo Knights sets to similarly-priced Kingdoms sets from 2010–2011. $10 Kingdoms sets were aimed at ages 5–12, $10 Nexo Knights sets are aimed at ages 7–14. $20–60 Kingdoms sets were aimed at ages 5–12 or 6–12, $20–60 Nexo Knights sets are aimed at ages 8–14. The $100 Kingdoms King's Castle was aimed at ages 7–14, the $100 Nexo Knights Fortrex is aimed at ages 9–14.
Truth is, a lot of AFOL communities tend to have a knee-jerk reaction to any theme that's particularly weird or unfamiliar before gradually, sometimes begrudgingly, warming up to it. It happened with Bionicle, it happened with Ninjago, it happened with Mixels, and now it's happening with Nexo Knights.
Anyway, great review! I agree that the hover-horses look great! They don't have as much playability as a lot of the other Nexo Knights vehicles (besides "swooshability"), but they are creatively engineered and really do feel "horselike" yet futuristic. The lime green is very bright, but it does match Aaron's torso and leg printing, if not his helmet or "Ultimate" version.
I've noticed that pretty much all the Nexo Knights vehicles, not just the hover-horses, have accent colors corresponding to their pilots. Clay's Rumble Blade has Dark Azur accents, Macy's hover-horse has red accents, Lance's Mecha Horse and hover-horse have white accents, and the King's Mech has gold accents. If Axl gets a vehicle in the future it will probably have Bright Yellow or Flame Yellowish Orange accents. It's a nice, creative way of keeping a unified color palette while still alluding to the vehicles' ownership in a subtler way than, say, the brightly colored Ninjago vehicles.
Infernox is a bit of a mixed bag. I love how its head/torso is built, as well as its arms and lower legs. But the upper legs bother me. I feel like a 5M Hero Factory beam with shell, maybe even the Dark Brown 3M shell we saw on Rey's left arm, would look better than this blockier build. I know Infernox is probably supposed to look unnatural, but I just can't bring myself to like that upper leg shape. The back also could probably use a less mechanical-looking design, although I understand that the Technic beams are there for stability reasons.
It's frustrating that Queen Halbert has only appeared as a damsel in distress, which belies her role as an accomplished fighter in the TV series. I hope she appears in a more active role in a future set. However, I do see how her tendency to rush to the king's defense could put her in a dangerous situation that could lead to her capture, so this set's play scenario doesn't feel unrealistic. It just fails to fully acknowledge the extent of Queen Halbert's abilities.
Overall, the set offers a great value IMO. There are times when store exclusive sets for a theme feel a bit superfluous compared to the regular retail sets, but this isn't one of those times. 70325 is definitely on my family's wish list!
@Aanchir, agree to disagree then. :) It sounds like a matter of opinion. I think this is a very sloppy, rushed theme overall but I find Ninjago to be much more appealing! I guess growing up with classic Castle/Knights Legos has made too much of a mark.
My four year old daughter loves the Nexo Knights, the phone game and scanning all the shields into the game. I was initially relieved that this theme was one of the few I wouldn't have to purchase, but it's increasingly looking like we're going to end up with most of the sets - plus they're really growing on me too. LOVE the new crossbow and shooter elements as they're way more powerful than the stud shooters. We've come a long way since the flick fires.
While its a great set for the theme, I'll be buying it so I can use the pieces to make a Balrog, because LEGO never got around to doing it
@kakyoin01
It does sound like a matter of opinion, and it also sounds like nobody asked for yours.
@LanceBricks: This is a comments section for a review. People don't need an invitation or permission to share their opinions on the theme being reviewed. Even if I disagree with @Kakyoin01, he stated his opinion respectfully and should be shown the same respect in turn.
I don't think any of the knights could win a fight with Infernox one on one so her capture during this encounter seems suitable
@LanceBricks: I would hope that people here have the decency to respect a difference in opinion, and to not let said difference make a huge negative dent in their own beliefs. I applaud people's love of Nexo Knights, but I also feel that there are a fair number of people that don't adore it so much and should feel comfortable presenting a different opinion. What I said has nothing to do with the (high) quality of this review, and everything to do with the theme itself, although I probably could state specific reasons why I dislike a NK set if/when I choose to say so via a comment.
That said, I do agree with most other reviewers so far that sets that can "combine" with other sets are pretty nifty. And the color scheme isn't so bad on this NK set, actually. Who knows, maybe I'll eventually end up loving Nexo Knights myself!
As a long time fan of classic space and castle sets, I dislike this theme mainly due to it supplanting any chance of normal castle or space sets for the next few years. Some great new parts though, and I may get this version of Queen Halbert, great for my black falcons.
To echo what others have said, I grew up when the Castle theme was exciting and marketable just for what it was: an amazing theme with knights, swords, castles, catapults, and adventure. To me that was all that was needed to entice me to spend my hard saved money as a kid. I purchased many Castle and Knights sets through the years, and enjoyed them all. I definitely had reservations about this theme when I first saw it, due to the seemingly hodgepodge feel it seems to have, at least to me. I, like others have stated, wish for a classic castle theme. However, realizing that times have changed, I have decided to try to be more open minded, and reading this review sure has helped. This actually looks like an interesting set, with some neat features. I'm not sure how much I will invest in this theme, but this set and review have at least made me interested to take a second look. I'm sure my 6 year old would be interested to try it out, if I can get his attention away from Star Wars :-)
I bought this set on launch and built it last night. Fantastic little set. I do think it should be more like the £17.99 price mark rather than £19.99. Not a massive difference, but us brits getting skanked again.
@ Rocky1317Tom: Right on, exactly what I was thinking when I saw this set....finally, I can build my Balrog!!!!
I like it and as others have said this can be MOCed into a Balrog.
Nice review on a set I was already interested in. I'll likely get it if I have the money too. Although kings mech will probably come first.
This and Macy's set is all we need
I picked up this and the King's Mech together and they certainly compliment each other nicely. These sets have managed to soften my reluctance to investing in the Nexo Knight theme. I may continue to pick up the other sets if funds prove available.
I also love the design of the robo horse. It is a funny twist that the designers took one of the most un-LEGO pieces, the bike faring without any studs (this is an opinion/complaint I've read from more than a few people) and managed to find a way to incorporate it into a non traditional build. The lime green doesn't bother me as much, as I find it a nice compliment to what might otherwise be a very heavy color scheme if a darker shade had been used (I might consider subing bright green just to see the results).
Another great review CapnRex.
This series deffinately has the most versatility when it comes to where you can fit them. The Nexo Knights can fit into a space theme very easily even with their melee weapons (Star Wars with their lightsabers for example). The villains can fit into any pre-existing castle theme and are by far the highlight of this series.
the missiles for Aaron are re-moulded microphone pieces in orange.
@dylzone - They are similar elements but they are not the same mould.
Am I the only one who thinks King Halbert should be advertising for Burger King
Trying so hard to like Nexo, but just can't. I think some of the parts are interesting, and some of the minis are decent -- but as an old school castle and space fan, the mixture just isn't working for me. As others said though, I don't think AFOLs are the target audience.
^Hah! No, they're not. The target audience is pretty much the same as Ninjago's. Zany vehicles, candy-colored heroes, animated TV series starting with a two-part special... Granted, as I understand it, Ninjago has quite a lot of adult fans, but these take the wackiness and color schemes up to 11.
Wow, the resemblance is uncanny when I put like that.
@Morpeth @PicnicBasketSam: Yeah, you could say "I don't think AFOLs are the target audience" about 90% of all LEGO themes and still be correct. I'm not sure why people make it sound so unusual or surprising when talking about themes like Ninjago or Nexo Knights. All the classics like City, Castle, Pirates, and Space are first and foremost aimed at kids. For that matter, even most licensed themes like LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Super Heroes tend to be aimed at kids first, adults second. Only a handful of themes (like Creator Expert, Ideas, Architecture, and Mindstorms) are designed primarily for teens and adults across all price points.
We're the periphery demographic for LEGO in general. That doesn't mean the designers of all these kid-oriented themes are going to go out of their way to alienate us, especially since several of them are AFOLs themselves! But if it comes down to a choice between something kids will like and something adults will like, kids are going to take priority.