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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

LEGO Hero Factory "4.0" pictures have been released...

The preliminary photos of the upcoming 4th series of Hero Factory heroes (they're not called 4.0!) and villains have been illegally leaked and are spreading around the blogosphere and YouTube like wildfire, with copyright & intellectual property enforcement staff at TLG rightfully following closely and taking down the stolen content wherever they can.  I use strong words like "illegally" and "stolen" to underscore the fact that whoever is leaking these photos is committing a crime and also doing LEGO itself a great disservice by giving competitors previews of products that won't be released for months.  This is bad, very bad, and that's why you won't see me posting the pics nor linking to them.

However, thanks to the many folks who simultaneously linked me to various sources today, I've seen 'em, and I can't unsee 'em, so I'll go ahead and give a very casual written overview of what I saw.  I will not cover every detail as I'm sure everyone reading this either has seen or will see the illegal photos somewhere...

The theme is a jailbreak. Instead of going out & catching criminals & villains this time, our LEGO Hero Factory heroes will be re-capturing at least one main dude and his henchmen.  There was clearly a mandate & memo at TLG to reduce complexity of the Hero Factory series this time around and reuse more molds.  One especially notable exception is a new armor piece that is very round and uses the two-peg attachment system to add on to other armor, creating large knee or shoulder guards.

Heroes
  • There are only five heroes in this series, Breez, Furno, Rocka, Surge, and Evo, the latter two having fewer parts and coming in a smaller canister.
  • All heroes now use white hero cores, with yet another new mold (and possible 2-peg attachment?).
  • Body armor has been reduced to one single piece with abdominal muscle detail and a rounded upper section with a unique print for each hero.  The mold is the same one being used for the Super Heroes line.
  • All heroes now finally have handcuffs (I've been waiting for these!).
  • Each hero has a sphere launcher consisting of one half of an old thornax launcher plus one new piece that looks somewhat like a thinned down version of the large top plate from Mistika Toa Onua's weapon.
  • Breez, Furno, and Surge all use their original 1.0 helmets, which means...
  • Return of Agori/Glatorian heads!  At last, the circle is complete.
  • Rocka remains the front-runner of the series.  His helmet looked like a Star Wars Imperial Darktrooper (SW Galaxy edition) but with an eyepiece.  He bites off Furno 3.0's style with a bow weapon.  He has extra arrows on an ammo belt sort of thing -- same piece that's hooked up to Super Heroes Iron Man's gun.
  • Evo's helmet integrates his 2.0 visor side pieces into a single mold that made him look like a high-ranking samurai commander.  He looked to be the least intricate of the two smaller characters.
  • Surge looked like he gets his 1.0 weapon back and some Breez Green versions of his 2.0 forearms.
  • Furno had all sorts of stuff going on.  Big turbines coming off his shoulders, two large hoses wrapping vertically around him from mid-torso up to the level of his head, spike weapon on his launcher.  Kinda looked like he had some combiner style going on.
  • Breez is back, with 1.0 feet!  I think she actually had three of 'em -- one used on her back, I just saw a hint.  She had ironically bulky shoulders, a nice tall double-bladed weapon and a small flat shield made of random hex shapes.  Oh, and rockets.  On her lower legs.  Tiny ones.
Villains
  • Five Hero Factory heroes now match up against five villains.  Lego has evened the odds, sort of? Kind of?  Heheh.
  • Black Phantom is the new leader.  He is essentially Fire Lord (twin horns & all, though corrupted Quaza spikes this time) with even less armor.  Yes, less, or so it appeared to my eyes. Chew on that, with molar grinds of anger and disappointment.
  • Thornraxx didn't look like a Thornax at all. Heh. His face looked like Stringer 1.0's helmet merged with a Toa Inika foot. With a sphere launcher sticking out. He has a pair of Gorast wings.  Coolest thing about this guy?  He had some turquoise ball & socket pieces!  Also, like Waspix, there are lots of Thornraxxes.  Thornraxxi?
  • Splitface is the new Thunder.  'Nuff said, I think.  He's just gunmetal on one side, red on the other.  Could be inspired by an old Nigerian folk tale about a Loki-like "trickster" deity.
  • Jawblade is JawS inspired, name-wise at least.  He's a shark, with a tail, and a Skirmix-style lower jaw, and a frickin' laser beam on his... back.  Well maybe it's not a laser, but some sort of red (spike) shooter thingy.  Oh, and though he's a shark, he has human-style arms & hands, and uses Furno 1.0 weapons.  So weird.
  • Toxic Reapa looked like a neon green & black merger between Toa Mata Kopaka and Corroder.  I think that pretty much covers it.  He got I think four 3L translucent neon green armor pieces and a pair of green & yellow flame accessories that attach with the 2-peg system.
That's it for the series 4 LEGO Hero Factory dudes.

PS:  Furno (jet turbines work underwater?) vs. Jawblade, Breez vs. Thornraxx, Evo vs. Splitface, Surge vs. Toxic Reapa, Rocka vs. Black Phantom?  Did I get that right?

PPS:  And I cannot and will not publish any links to any copies of the illegal, stolen photos as they are illegal and stolen and LEGO will rightfully take legal action.

47 comments:

  1. I'm not sure how to feel about the return to old head styles, those allow for more mixing with older sets, but don't work with the 2.0/3.0 sets as well.

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  2. sweet....i think..they sound kinda all over the place in build ...like 1.0 heads and stuff...

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  3. One pieced torsos with prints on them sounds like a horrible idea! Has hero factory already peaked?

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  4. en que pagina lo viste

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  5. awsome i wana get rocka 4.0

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  6. I feel very conflicted about 4.0
    - I like the theme, handcuffs, and the even sides.

    - I don't like the buff Breez and Furno, thi skimpy Surge, Evo, and Black Phantom, and the lack of Nex.

    I might buy some, but probably just Evo(for the cuffs) and SplitFace( I still don't have a villain and I have 2 almost 3 heroes.

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  7. This is the same thing as 3.0! I look one time then i think to myself : ''F*** that's horrible!'' then i look a second time ''Meh not bad..'' Is Hero Factory already freefalling? Or is this an intermission between 3.0 and 4.0? Rocka, Evo, Jawblade, Thornaxx, Splitface and Toxic Reapa aren't so horrible to me.

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  8. Could the 1.0 heads be re-molds that connect to 2.0/3.0 heads?
    Like instead of a cross-axle, it would be 2 pins.

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  9. are you sure they might be tricking you?

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  10. Still no purple armor? That makes me glad i spray painted some yesterday. :P

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  11. I kind of hope that the new HF/SuperHero Torsos have two pegs, so if one wanted to add the standard HF chest armor, they could. I actually think that reusing the old chest armor would be a good idea. Put the 'flesh' on, then the armor on top, then the insignia (the core really).

    These guys look awesome, save a few of the villains, esp. that Phantom dude. Too skinny. Give him some of Breez's bulk and I'll be happy.

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  12. Chronos, Lord of TimeSeptember 15, 2011 at 3:32 AM

    @XTN Yeah, I thought so to, but after taking a closer look, I'm not so sure.

    Anyone who is asking, yeah, these are real. Otherwise Lego wouldn't have taken down the pictures.

    I actually am starting to think that Splitface's head is just a recolor of Thunder's head mold.

    I I think that next wave we will be getting Nex, Stormer, Bulk, and Stringer, along with a new (purple?) hero, all built in this same style.

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  13. @Chronos Lord of Time

    Lego would probably never do a series without furno... then again i thought that they would never do one without stormer 2...

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  14. It's actually Evo vs. Toxic Reapa and Surge vs. Splitface. Just pointing that out.

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  15. I wonder if Breez, Furno and Surge's mask will be a remould to fit the new head like they did for Toa Tahu stars.

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  16. I think the reason Jawblade has arms is because the theme is to re-capture the villains with hand-cuffs and you can't do that without hands lol

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  17. @Milolz I already asked that question, and the answer is maybe.

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  18. I have mixed feeling, mainly positive towards the heroes...

    HEROES:

    -Yay, Agori style heads again!(plus NEW helmets)

    -The heroes finally get some cool extra accessories (i.e, the cuffs, turbines, shoulder pads, etc) I think the problem with the past HF sets was lack of interesting armor extras.

    -Interesting chest plates. I believe the same piece is used for the Hulk in 2012 Superheroes.

    -Finally a break from the 6 mold. But I wish there was another girl character...

    VILLAINS:

    -Ugly.

    -Jawblade looks dumb, and so does Thornraxx. At least Thornraxx is interesting, if weird.

    -Splitface looks the most completed, like he actually is finished. But then again, he is a Thunder copy.

    -Toxic Reapa is my favorite villain of this series. He reminds me of Corroder, but he looks very completed and well made.

    -Black Phantom at first reminded me of Von Nebula, but now I see that he is nothing like old Von. He is extremely skinny, unarmored, and stupid looking. At least Fire Lord looked tough, if not incomplete.

    FINAL THOUGHTS:

    I like it. Except for inconsistent and weird looking villains, I like it. Really. The 3.0 was nice, but lacked. I think Lego is finally getting a grip on this, and its a time to get genuinely excited.

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  19. I think that breeze is real weird with all her bulk. Furno is really cool, evo looks alright rocka is alright and surge is a joke!!!!
    All the villains are pretty cool, but I can't get past black phantoms scrawny legs!

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  20. ... I WANTS DEM. I WANTS DEM NOW!

    -Lord Darkon

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  21. Chronos, Lord of TimeSeptember 15, 2011 at 3:20 PM

    I predict to see alot of hero MOCs using Agori and Glatorian helmets. I know that there will be plenty possibiltities for such MOCs. In fact I have some ideas for some now... Dang it, I really wish these were out! Just gotta wait until January... I think I plan to buy Breez, Evo, and Rocka, as well as Thornraxx and Toxic Reapa. The others just don't interest me as much.

    @Anonymous (well, the one who replied to my comment)- I think that they might do that next wave just to get the other four (and possibly a new one) in this form. Hmm... I can actually picture the other heroes built in this style.

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  22. WTF!? Toxic reppa is almost exactly the same as meltdown!

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  23. *sigh* These really disappointed me. I don't like the use of the old masks and I hate that they didn't bring in a new hero. (Still waiting for purple armor.) Overall the theme doesn't interest me nearly as much as the jungle theme. Come to think of it, if it's a breakout, haven't they already fought these villains before in 1.0 form? It should be a piece of cake now that they're upgraded! The only thing that I like is that some of the villains are in canisters. I also like Splitface and Toxic Reapas' designs. It also worries me with the bringing back of the old headgear, the lack of a rookie, and the major upgrade of the larger heroes, that this could be the last line. It would be a disappointing line to go out on.

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  24. Chronos, Lord of TimeSeptember 16, 2011 at 6:39 PM

    Since Black Phantom is terrible, I wanted to share what I was expecting to see. This is just a general outline of an idea. I would MOC this but for extreme lack of parts.
    A black Witch Doctor recolor for the general design- same armor placement, etc. However, so that he didn't look exactly like Witch Doctor, I thought that in place of the MTIS pieces used as armor, Black Phantom could use some other similar piece, like an Inika foot or something. Of course there would be different spikes and other aesthetic thingies on the back and the arms would be hopefully slightly larger than WD's. Now after seeing the actual (preliminary) Black Phantom set, I decided that the chest plate, shoulder armor, head, and mace could also be used for the same purposes on a Phantom of Witch size. (Some purple would be nice too... but then it would be Purple Phantom. Which sounds about as intimidating as Violet Ghost. :P)
    Just sharin' my idea... This would also work for a few other villains; a Fire Lord rework in Witch size would look great, I think.
    Anyway, I just hope that Black Phantom improves over his prelim version.

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  25. Toxic Reapa looks like mutant cross between Meltdown and Corroder...but totally awesome!!

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  26. It would be a little nicer if Black Phanton had a little more bulk. What would be awesome, if he was WAY more bulkier.

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  27. Has nobody thought that Black Phantom's scrawniness could be intended to make him look kinda skeletal? I can't find any photos, so I don't know.

    HF needs more female characters. There can be no argument.

    Would YOU bring a rookie on a jailbreak-themed mission? These villains are dangerous enough to break out of a prison, and be a threat FOR THE SECOND TIME. Leave it to the pros, kids.

    I hope this isn't the last HF line. The Super Heroes aren't nearly as original. Jeez LEGO, make your own heroes, you're supposed to be all about creativity and imagination.

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  28. Jawblade doesn't have a weapon on its back, it's just another side fin.

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  29. I doubt that the current helmets of Furno/Breez/Splitface/Surge are going to be used and that the old system of Glatorian heads are going to be used as well. I don't believe they would go back and use that again, we never had that before except for the Bionicle starts which were a kind of exception.
    Relying on the fact that the same type of screenshots given for the Glatorian sets had many different things as well I doubt these pictures are complete and finished. Black phantom even uses that weird plastic mold on the photo which shown on comic cons and is a kind of pre-production part.

    Other than that they look very awesome pieces way, just because I'm a moccer and I don't care about how sets look, I only care about the pieces... xD

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  30. please do a split face or toxic reapa

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  31. I think they should make a female villian in the 5.0. That would be cool.

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  32. If there is 5.0 comment above me...

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  33. @Anonymous (34th comment)- Um... yeah, there kind of is.

    BTW it won't be called 5.0, if it was, the upcoming sets would be called 4.0, which they aren't. But I think that a female villain would be great! /goes off to MOC femvil/

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  34. whats the link for the pics?

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  35. Chronos, Lord of TimeSeptember 23, 2011 at 2:08 PM

    Can't give a link. TLC deleted the most of the pages, and like JANG said, it would not be right to spread the link.

    Oh; and I haven't yet MOCed a female villain, but I'm working on it.

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  36. i saw the pictures i like evo and you made a really good evo moc

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  37. Chronos, Lord of Time, I was the one who posted the 33rd comment, and I might make a female villian MOC to. My Lego Username is "yomayos6" and I will post it in the hero factory gallery sometime this month. I haven't made it yet, so it will probobly take time. I was also the one who had the conversation with you about the Stringer and Bulk 3.0 problem in the Xephyr page. I will make it a grey/silver colour. The Moc's name will be Hydrame. Look out for it in the gallery now and then.

    PS: Do you have a Lego account? Chronos, Lord of Time?

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  38. Rocka has grey lower limbs. BP has less armor so one hero can fight him.

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  39. Or was it upper legs?(I'm the last person that commented)

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  40. Am I the only on who actually think the Heroes look bajumbled and ugly?

    Anyway, I think I'll pick up Thornraxx and Toxic Reaper(I refuse to call him "Reapa"). Everyone else looks pretty dull, ugly, or just plain bad(or all three in Black Phantom's case).

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  41. Ahh the gallery won't work so I can't post the female MOC!

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  42. This does't look good, but I think it'll look good for Rocka, Surge, and Black Phantom. TAKE LEGAL ACTION, LEGO!!!


    -Keplers

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  43. Toxic Reapa's black shoulder plates look like Makuta Teridax's mask turned around like you can do with the set. Am I the only one that noticed that?!

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  44. i dont like thornaxx and rackos helm looks wierd but i like the old helmit thing with surge breez and furno

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  45. actually, lego has posted a video showing stormer 4.0, so there's still 6

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