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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bugs 'n' Ninjas, March 20, 2004
Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars Educational:2.0 out of 5 stars
Much like Hasbro's preceding Stikfas line, the Lego-like Xevoz toys are made of various separate ball-jointed components one assembles to create a five- to six-inch tall action figure. Unfortunately, the relatively large size of the Xevoz parts makes them incompatible with Stikfas. On the upside, Xevoz are just as limber and poseable as their predecessors, sport more highly detailed sculpting (though they still have a somewhat `rough-draft/generic' look), and possess a wider spectrum of colors. Also, their ball joints tend to be a little tighter-fitting, which helps the finished product better maintain the poses you put it in, and keeps parts from popping off too easily. Xevoz are also surprisingly stable, and will stay stood upright in most stances they're put in.This deluxe two-pack comes with parts to make one NeoSapiens Shadow Blade ninja, and one praying mantis-looking Sectoid Bone Cutter. While I feel the whole ninja deal's been done to death, the Shadow Blade looks reasonably cool (see it at http://images.hasbro.com/common/images/products/85516_imageMain400.jpg) with his two bright green long & short blade swords, nunchuks, and SCUBA accessories (flippers, air hose, & air supply back pack). The hip joints are a bit looser than I would prefer, but otherwise this stealthy night warrior's good to go. The main attraction of this set for me, however, is the Sectoid Bone Cutter. Her six-limbed design makes for some interesting standing and walking/running stances. And the fit between all of the joints is pretty tight all-around, which means she'll stay in whatever pose you put her in without too much trouble. The only real problem I've encountered when it comes to keeping this gal together is at the knees. The joints here are a bit deceptive-- just when you think you can bring the lower leg forward more, it pops right outta the socket! Other than this little quibble, however, I've encountered very few problems with this green winged freak... Although the usual image of the Sectoid figure (see pic at http://images.hasbro.com/common/images/products/85516_imagea400.jpg) show her sporting mantis-like scythe hands, she also comes with a pair of regular (sorta) hands that can hold onto her weaponry (she also comes with a couple extra head parts for even more play value). Thing is, the only melee weapon included with this killer bug is a dragonfly ax, accompanied by a beetle shield which can plug into either forearm. But despite this lack of weildable implements of destruction, the bone cutter does come with one of the weirdest extra accessories I've ever seen in this line: a transparent green lightbulb-shaped head, complete with socket threads at the neck! Also included are seven die sides and two endcaps for each figure (fourteen sides & four endcaps in all) that one can use to create a barrel-shaped `battle helix' die for fights against opposing Xevoz figures. Also included is a new addition to the game: the Battle Terrain board, which features two terrain scenarios: one favorable to the Neo Sapiens ninja, and the other favorable to the Sectoid creature. The board is meant to add a bit of complexity to the existing game, and comes with a Battle Terrain rules sheet. While the game is fairly fast-paced once one gets a hang of it, it lacks the visual impact of far more complex figurine-based RPG/battle games such as Warhammer. Basically, the loser of the round simply detaches a certain number of parts from his figure according to what the rolled die says. This goes on until one battler's toy is completely disassembled. Not exactly exciting stuff, but it's pretty fun to do when you and your fellow geekin' fanboy buddies ain't quite up to whippin' out the D&D... `Late
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