Review: 70322 Axl's Tower Carrier
Posted by DrDaveWatford,
I was quietly impressed by 70327 The King’s Mech when I reviewed it for Brickset earlier this year, so when the chance arose to run the rule over a larger Nexo Knights offering I was happy to oblige. After all, as a longstanding fan of LEGO mechs, I guess it was always pretty likely that I would enjoy building and messing about with a Nexo Knights-inspired mech, but would I be quite as enthusiastic about a larger non-mech Nexo Knights release? Read on to find out….
Box & Contents
I have to admit that I am not a big fan of the artwork on the front of the box (above). It’s presumably designed to appeal to the target audience of 8 to 14-year-olds, but it’s too fussy and chaotic for my liking and tries to cram too much into the available space. Still, at least the back of the box (below) does a good job of highlighting a selection of the Tower Carrier’s many play features as well as advertising a free Nexo Knights app.
The box contains five bags of elements, four of which are sequentially numbered. The fifth bag, which contains some hard plastic wheels and a few dark bluish grey plates, is not printed. The set’s single 148-page instruction booklet (below) comes sealed inside a clear polybag alongside a single sticker sheet.
The Minifigures
The set contains four minifigures. Hungry giant Axl (below) has standard minifigure legs but features an oversized printed torso with impressive flat silver and trans-neon orange detachable arms which click into the torso via a Technic pin-type attachment. This version of Axl can be found in a total of three sets. His printed legs, torso, arms and flat silver visor are currently unique to this minifigure, while his head and bright light orange helmet have only ever appeared in one other set, 70336 Ultimate Axl.
Axl has a grumpy alternate head print which you can see below with the helmet removed. The back of his armoured flat silver torso features a quartet of studs which are crying out for something to be attached to them, perhaps a printed 2 x 2 tile, but nothing is provided for this purpose in the set.
Axl is served by a pair of Axl Bots which you can see below. Each Axl Bot has a body made up of a torso element which is unique to the Nexo Knights theme, and the same is true for the flat silver skeleton legs with pearl dark grey feet and the rubbery bright light orange shoulders. The printed 1 x 1 tile attached to the front of the torso is unique to this set. Both Axl Bots have identical flat silver minifigure heads, and I’ve removed one of the helmets so that you can see the head print. The helmet has only previously appeared in one other set in this colour, 70333 Ultimate Robin.
Below you can see a rear view of the Axl Bots with their helmets removed. The Axl Bot heads feature an alternate head print on the reverse, and you can see both the standard and alternate head prints side by side below. There’s quite marked variability in the quality of the printing, with the print on the left looking like it’s literally been drawn on with a black felt-tip pen.
The final minifigure is an Ash Attacker (below) which according to the Nexo Knights micro site is a lava soldier made up of volcanic ash. This minifigure is included in a handful of Nexo Knights sets in addition to this one, for instance 70317 The Fortrex. The torso and legs are decorated with a detailed silver and dark red armour print, and neither are exclusive to this minifigure. The head print, which is largely obscured by the helmet in the picture below, can be seen more clearly here; this head print has featured in three different minifigures to date, while the black spiked helmet is appearing for just the second time as are the black spiked shoulder pads.
As is the case for all the other minifigures in this set, the Ash Attacker has an alternate head print which you can see in the rear view below, along with the detailed torso back print.
The Build
Stage 1 of the build commences with assembly of the Axl minifigure, after which it’s time to construct Burnzie, the set’s brick-built baddie. Burnzie incorporates a whole host of new and/or hard-to-find parts including a large, printed body element which is unique to the set. His shoulder pads consist of trans-orange fractured 4 x 4 wedges which are new this year in this colour and are currently exclusive to the Nexo Knights theme, while the black modified 1 x 2 tiles with two vertical teeth on Burnzie’s shoulders and feet are appearing in a set for only the second time ever. The splendid printed element making up Burnzie’s head is predictably new and exclusive to the set, while his horns are actually dark bluish grey bananas which are appearing in a set for only the third time.
Burnzie’s arms, legs and feet articulate via a number of the small ball and socket joints commonly found in the Mixels sets; these joints confer a reasonable range of movement and allow the monster to be posed with a fair degree of freedom. Burnzie’s left hand is actually a disc shooter which incorporates a rare dark brown 4 x 4 pointed wedge and fires two different kinds of printed red 2 x 2 round tiles also found in a trio of Nexo Knights sets, while his right hand clutches a huge hammer. Overall, Burnzie makes for a pretty fearsome and cool-looking adversary.
Next to be built is the eponymous Tower Carrier which is made up of two sections. Stage 2 of the build is concerned with the assembly of the smaller detachable rear section. This consists of a wheeled platform upon which a tower is constructed. A rudimentary gearbox sits within the base of the tower. This is driven by a knob protruding from the rear of the vehicle which when rotated spins the tower through 360 degrees. Blue 2 x 2 facet bricks, which have only previously appeared in three sets in this colour, enclose the gearbox and form the lower part of the tower. The mid-section of the tower consists in part of a number of stickered dark blue 3 x 4 x 3 opaque windscreens which are unique to the set, while decoration is provided by a few trans-neon orange 1 x 1 x 2/3 pyramids which are new this year and have only appeared in Nexo Knights sets to date. A trans-neon orange 6 x 6 inverted dish with handle attaches to the top of the tower via a hinge and serves as a canopy; this element is another which is appearing for the first time in this set.
The tower is flanked by a pair of side-mounted weapons. One of these is a disc shooter which fires printed 2 x 2 round tiles, while the other bears a pair of spring-loaded shooters which fire trans-neon orange spring shooter arrows. Both the arrows and printed discs are uncommon, appearing here for only the fourth time ever, while the upper surface of both weapons comprises a stickered dark blue 4 x 4 x 2/3 triple curved wedge which can only be found in three sets in this colour. During construction of the tower a rectangular slot is created at the back, and a treasure chest slides into this. The chest is made up of a flat silver lower section, which is appearing in a set for only the fifth time, and an even rarer trans-neon orange lid. Four small pearl dark grey hard plastic wheels are last to be attached; these have only previously appeared in 4 sets.
Stages 3 and 4 of the build involve construction of the larger front section of the Tower Carrier, which commences after the remaining minifigures – the Ash Attacker and Axl Bots – have been assembled. This section of the vehicle effectively consists of a Technic-based exoskeleton which encloses an interior constructed on a 6 x 16 plate. The interior incorporates a black 45 degree 2 x 2 slope printed with a control panel design which has only previously featured in seven sets, while a pair of blue 1 x 2 locking hinge bricks at the front and a pair of blue Technic wing bricks at the back have previously only appeared in one set each in this colour. A catapult is constructed and occupies the space at the back of this section of the vehicle; the lava-flinging catapult bucket is made up of a dark blue Technic side intake which has only previously appeared in a single set in this colour. The catapult can be retracted into the body of the vehicle when not in use.
Construction continues with the placement of a dark blue castle turret top, which is appearing in a set for only the second time, at the front, after which the exterior of the vehicle is fleshed out with a number of uncommon elements including blue 4 x 4 triple wedges and dark blue 2 x 16 triple wedges, the latter having only previously appeared in two sets in this colour. A pair of blue 4 x 4 hinge plates, previously only found in three sets, are then attached at the top of the vehicle; these fold down to hide the retracted catapult. The cockpit canopy is constructed next. This consists of a frame, over which is placed a trans-neon orange hexagonal 5 x 6 flag that is currently unique to the set in this colour; both the frame and flag are hinged independently and they can therefore be lifted up to provide ready access to the cockpit. The vehicle has an attachment at the front reminiscent of a bulldozer blade; this can be raised and lowered, and is decorated with more trans-neon orange 1 x 1 x 2/3 pyramids. The final step is to attach the six pearl dark grey large hard plastic wheels which have only previously appeared in two sets. The wheels are embellished with decidedly bling hubcaps consisting of a trans-neon orange 2 x 2 inverted dish with a flat silver 1 x 1 x 2/3 pyramid in the middle.
You can see the completed front section of the Tower Carrier above with the cockpit canopy and frame partially raised and the catapult exposed and ready for action, while in the image below the canopy is closed and the catapult is retracted and neatly hidden away beneath the hinged roof panels thus providing a more streamlined appearance.
Looking from behind (below) you can see a small Technic mechanism incorporating a couple of thin yellow liftarms attached to a pair of tan crankshafts. As we’ll see in a moment, with the catapault retracted the detachable tower section constructed earlier fits in the gap at the rear of the front section where it’s held in place by a ball and socket joint; pulling the yellow liftarms forwards uncouples the tower section, thus acting as a quick-release mechanism.
All that’s left to do now is to click the two sections of the Tower Carrier together and we’re done; you can see the completed Tower Carrier below with the detachable tower section locked into position.
The Verdict
I wasn’t especially excited about this set when I first spied the box, but having now built it and had an opportunity to play around with it a bit I have to admit that it’s better than I’d expected. Although there’s no getting away from the fact that sticking a castle turret on the back of an otherwise decent-looking, chunky six-wheeler has made it look decidedly odd, the Tower Carrier is bristling with cool play features such as the ability to detach the tower section and deploy a functional catapault in its place, and it’s predominantly the play features which won me over. I’m also a fan of Burnzie, who’s woefully outgunned in this set but still looks cool.... All things considered, it’s probably not a set I’d buy, but I can see the target audience of 8 to 14-year-olds absolutely loving it.
Set 70322 Axl’s Tower Carrier contains 670 elements and is available now at an RRP of £59.99 / US$69.99 / €79.99.
Many thanks to Norton and Co. for providing Brickset with a copy of the set. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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20 comments on this article
This is one of the top3 sets imo, together with the Fortrex and Jestro's Vulcano Lair!
"Although there’s no getting away from the fact that sticking a castle turret on the back of an otherwise decent-looking, chunky six-wheeler has made it look decidedly odd".
Isn't it fantastic what you can create with LEGO! The odder the better.
Ice Planet 2002's take on the Mega Core Magnetizer with a bit of extra armor and a too small windshield, isn't it?
^ Bang on!
Excellent review! I believe Axl also appeared in 70317 The Fortrex, and not just this set and Ultimate Axl...
^ Thanks!
As stated in the review "This version of Axl can be found in a total of three sets."
Very nice review! I'm a big fan of this set—not only is it an incredibly solid design with great features, but it also parallels 70321 General Magmar's Siege Machine quite well. Both sets share pretty much the same proportions (when the Siege Machine is in its lowered configuration, of course), and that kind of consistency helps to establish a distinct visual character for the Nexo Knights theme (as if large six-wheeled tanks are a common class of vehicle in the land of Knighton).
Burnzie is also great. He and Sparkks are both neat figures, but Burnzie's launcher arm and unique head mold remind me not unflatteringly of the Piraka from the original Bionicle theme.
Thank you for this great review, I would have liked to see what tile is inside the new book :)
Guys guys guys.
I love this site and everything, but Mega-core Magnetizer meets Ice Planet?
This is quite clearly the All-Terrain Vehicle from the early days of Classic Space, embiggened.
And it looks awesome!
My favorite little feature ate rhe flaps on the side!
Burnzie looks neat and I like the look of it without the tower. Who knows probably a miss unless there's a price drop :-)
X2 on the comment "Ice Planet 2002".
Today's adult LEGO designers all played with 6989 (and 6927) as kids...and it shows!
The six wheeler truck looks awesome, if I end up buying the set I will make it my mission to make something else other than that tower (maybe an anti aircraft turret for the Rebel Alliance).
Great review, thanks. My immediate thought on seeing this was 6927 (All-Terrain Vehicle). It was not only a fabulous vehicle but also a great parts set. I wonder if this one will prove to be both use and ornament.
I don't really own any Nexo Knights but the theme is a ton of fun! Now if they make more black / grey and a little less blue would be perfect. Fun looking set here.
I really want this set. Let's face it, I'm never going to get the Mega Core Magnetiser (sob), but this looks really fun, fits the Nexo Knights series well, and also gives me lots of nostalgic feelings about the Thundertank from Thundercats... having said that, it's an expensive beast, so I'm going to have to wait for a substantial discount.
Great review!
One question though; is there a second cockpit/command center hidden in the middle under those flaps? That would be the kind of feature I love to see in big vehicles
@Binnekamp: There is when the tower is detached and the catapult is moved into launching position. But when everything is closed up, the catapult occupies most of the usable space back there. It's one of my only real criticisms of the set—when everything is packed up and connected together there's really only room inside for one of the two squirebots.
Cool set. Burnzie's head just screams "SKAKDI" for me.