LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Specter 3.0

Specter, the LEGO Hero Factory's first and most popular unofficial official 2.0 series hero, has returned to the scene with new animal power adaptations...

• Role: [classified]
• Animal power: Dawnscythe Bat
• Weapon: Twin retracting uranimite spikes
• Special ability: Stealth

Never fully understood from the start, Specter has fallen deeper beneath a shroud of mystery with the recent and very rare removal of his official role and mission status from the public record.  It is not known what team he is associated with, nor what the chain of command above him looks like.  We'll have to dig deeper for answers.

• Video - LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Specter 3.0

Interesting tidbits:

• Rumors continue to circulate of Specter, Onyx, and several other heroes meeting secretly. Whispers are of a "loss of order" within the Hero Factory.
• Specter 2.0 earned over 100,000 YouTube video views (and counting) and was the most frequently replicated 2.0 MOC in the official Hero Factory gallery.
• Specter 3.0 was built in July.

LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Surge 3.0 version 1

I call this "version 1" of my LEGO Hero Factory Surge 3.0 MOC because I strongly suspect I'll do another version at some point in the future.  The reason?  I don't like this one.  I wouldn't go so far as to say I hate it, but I definitely don't like it.  It took longer to make than any of my previous hero MOCs due to many dozens of experiments with the head and weapon, and it still isn't right.  However, folks have been so persistent in asking for one, I had to do something to stop the demands.

• Role: Sniper


• Animal power: Rilovian Blue Fox


• Weapon: Ion rifle


• Special ability: Static blast

The spikes on Surge 3.0's back are charge collectors central to his static blast system.  The static blast emits in all directions like an expanding sphere and is effective between one and six meters from him.

• Video - LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Surge 3.0

Fun facts:

• Yes, I did try a Gavla mask instead.  While it's better-proportioned (the Vampruh one is obviously oversized), I couldn't get past the relatively blank expression.


• Did I mention I don't like this MOC?

LEGO Hero Factory 4.0 official set names

The Winter 2011/2012 LEGO Hero Factory "4.0" series sets have names! I'm evidently late to the game on this one, but thanks to Chronos, Lord of Time for the tip, and credit to Mesonak on Eurobricks.com for the finds.

 

Heroes:

• Breez 4.0


• Evo 4.0


• Surge 4.0


• Rocka 4.0


• Furno 4.0

Villains:

• Jawblade


• Splitface


• Thornraxx


• Black Phantom


• Toxic Reapa

These do appear to be legitimate, unlike the made-up "pirate" and "underwater" theme farces that circled the 'net many times.  I do expect to see one more hero show up.

Free Hero Factory canister codes

I cleaned up some of my LEGO Hero Factory canisters & extra parts today and have a handful of spare canister top codes I figured I'd share with y'all from duplicate sets.  I don't know if the codes are first-come first-serve, one-time-use-only, or if they're free-for-all, so maybe only one person will be able to use them, maybe multiple.  What's certain is that what's here is here and that's all that is here and all that I have to post, so please don't try to demand more!  Also, if you try one and it doesn't work, then it just doesn't work, and there's nothing I can do to change that.
From 2.0 heroes:

• 2141-2WR9Z-66


• 2141-662TA-07


• 2065-CZUEP-96


• 2063-3V66A-13


• 2067-2G2BU-29

From 3.0 heroes:

• 2145-FW3LF-58


• 2182-2NF8B-25


• 2144-F9F87-11


• 2183-FW6K7-47

LEGO Hero Factory MOCs: Breacher 3.0 & Makk 3.0

A full team of LEGO Hero Factory heroes was trapped in a mountain cave structure on a Savage Planet mission and all contact has been lost.  When there's something in the way of saving lives and it's really large and difficult to penetrate, the Recon Team duo of Breacher & Makk gets the call.  Read on!


Makk 3.0:

• Role: Demolition/extraction


• Animal power: Rhino


• Weapon: Dream Crusher


• Special ability: Terrain fracture

Makk may be one of the shortest heroes, but he makes up for his height with a hardened frame and optimized hydraulic musculature.  His special attack involves sinking the closed crusher tip-first into the ground at a 45 degree angle in front of him and then opening it at full power.  Unlike typical claw-like devices, the Makk's Dream Crusher is just as strong opening as it is closing.  It will rip the ground apart in front of him, generating a fault-like fracture that extends forward quite some distance.

Breacher 3.0:

• Role: Hard target specialist


• Animal power: Lynx


• Weapon: Focused tri-laser


• Special ability: Extended sprint

Breacher has always been a heavy weapons user, but he has chosen to take on a path of specialization involving breaching shielded & armored shells of structures & vehicles.  His focused tri-laser uses hypercapacitors and fires at a slow rate at full power.  However, it can also be turned down in power with the emmittance frequency increased, to use it as a cutting torch.  He has a shoulder-mounted targeting device to ensure precision for long-range, full-power shots.  Breacher doesn't like to admit it, but he's quite an accomplished sniper.

• Video - LEGO Hero Factory MOCs: Breacher 3.0 & Makk 3.0

Fun facts:

• Makk's primary weapon/tool is really just a modified "jaws of life" device, but Makk himself named it the Dream Crusher because, well, it crushes things, and it's the crusher he always dreamed of.


• Breacher likes to call his specialty "can opening."

LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Bahrzot 3.0

Alright, I'm just gonna say it.  "It's clobberin' time!"  This Hero Factory brute has a lot in common with Thing from the Fantastic Four.  Big fan of punching through walls and other solid objects.  Headstrong.  Just plain strong. 

• Role: Demolition


• Animal power: "Silverback" Gorilla


• Weapon: Hydraulic megafists


• Special ability: Concussion blast

Like a Strong Man champion, Bahrzot (first name Krubriq) is one tough son of a gun, and very few things you & I know of can stand in his way for long.  His only notable weakness is a lack of any true ranged attack, though there is a caveat to that -- read on...

• Video - LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Bahrzot 3.0

Fun facts:

• Bahrzot aims his megafist augments at each other and fires them simultaneously to generate his trademark spherical concussive blast.  This allows him to knock back enemy mobs.


• A relatively rarely-used attack option is for Bahrzot to take to one knee and activate his megafists towards the ground at a shallow angle.  This transmits a shockwave through the ground, with a damaging distance of up to 20 yards.  If he does this with his arms spread apart, he can vary the angle of the fists to create two separate shockwaves that cross at a specific point and cause focused damage.

Shameless photo & video thieves of the month

I've made a few posts in the past regarding the petty criminal act of plagiarism (taking other peoples' work and publishing it as your own), but the problem sadly persists.

Thankfully readers like you reported the following LEGO Hero Factory gallery users who had stolen photos of my MOCs of Specter 2.0, The Drone, Blanko 1.9, Ruze 2.0, Alba 2.0, QUADRO, Bulk 2.0, and Stringer 2.0:

• matthewtom01


• julianbw


• josephkeung994


• rexdraco99


• m1970arcelo


• patrirck0079

In addition, user vzrosiedeti on YouTube stole several of my 1.0-series Hero Factory set review videos and re-uploaded them to his own channel.

As of this moment, all of these copied materials have been deleted off the face of the planet by LEGO and YouTube!


As I've stated before, and as should be well-known by everyone, copying other peoples' work is immoral, unethical, and illegal.  It is bad.  Do not do it.  You will get caught.  You will be punished.  You will be shamed.

To everyone who reported these criminals, I thank you soundly, and encourage you to continue your vigilance!  When you see that someone has been wronged, you should say something about it to the people who are affected and/or those who can do something about it.  Together, we will at least keep the LEGO world clean and honest, so we can spend most of our time having fun with our sets and/or making MOCs!

Update:  Added one more to the list, patrirck0079!

PS:  I want to be clear that making a LEGO creation that looks like someone else's is not wrong or bad.  I welcome anyone at any time to duplicate any of my MOCs if you so please, without asking permission.  That's fair game, just don't try to take credit for creating the original design.  In other words, give credit where credit is due, just like you'd want me to do if I copied one of your MOCs.  It would be messed up if I copied your work and posted it like I came up with the idea, right?  What the folks listed above did wrong was to actually copy my own photographs that I took with my camera, and use them as their own, and in some cases they added insult to injury by even coming up with new names & backstories.

LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Avenn 3.0

The latest rockin' LEGO Hero Factory hero to join the Savage Planet missions is Avenn 3.0.

• Role: Frontline soldier


• Animal power: Golden Eagle


• Weapon: Minimine cannons


• Special ability: Flight

Avenn is bad to the bone with the personality of an untouchable superhero -- cocky, yet somehow cool at the same time.  His twin mini-mine cannons can be used for direct suppressive fire or to lay traps for moving enemies.  Avenn is not one to let a villain flee.  He'll take flight and lay a calculated, perilous path with his mines, corralling his enemy into a situation from which it cannot escape.  Avenn doesn't take prisoners, and he doesn't take "no" for an answer.

• Video - LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Avenn 3.0

Frequently asked questions:

• Q: Why is the head not just mounted in the normal spot place?


• A1:  Because I liked it like this :)


• A2:  I needed to move the head upward just slightly -- no more, no less.  In the standard position it's just too low and made it look like the neck was squished while limiting turning side to side.


• Q: Why is the helmet color not matched to the other gold parts?


• A1:  Because I liked it like this :)


• A2:  No, really, that's why.


• Q: Can Avenn shoot while flying?


• A: Very much so.  He has wrists, not to mention that while in flight he can still bend his arms however he likes for a couple seconds while in a glide.  Flap, flap, turn & look, shoot, extend, flap, flap...

LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Quaza Snake

The latest LEGO Hero Factory villain training module gives an overview of the Quaza Snake.  The curiously double-headed Quaza Snake has been encountered on the planet Quatros during the Savage Planet missions, but it is reported to have been spotted on other planets as well.

• Video - LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Quaza Snake

LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Breez 3.0

Many have us have wondered where Breez went after the 3.0 upgrade, but the fact is, she didn't go anywhere.  We just haven't seen her.  Or heard her.

• Role: Special Ops


• Animal power: Green Mamba


• Weapon: "Venom" EMP blaster


• Special ability: Silent movement

Recognized for extraordinary courage and cunning in battle, Breez has been put on "Special Ops" duty for the Savage Planet missions, taking direction straight from the upper echelon at the Hero Factory and engaging in dangerous secret missions.

• Video - LEGO Hero Factory MOC: Breez 3.0

Fun fact:

• Breez actually aborted her own first Savage Planet mission just seconds before landing on Quatros about a mile from the Alpha Team.  She immediately realized that to be an effective combattant, she needed a blade weapon to complement her assigned "Venom" blaster.  She returned with the large curved blade she now always deploys with.  It is used primarily for clearing thick foliage when she is escaping at the end of a mission, though she occasionally uses it for defensive purposes.