22 replies to this topic

[Aikola]

Well I am not very good at writing reviews but wanted to give this toyline a go.

I saw Dragons Universe in my local supermarket about a month or so ago and it caught my eye, not enough to make me want to buy it there and then but enough to make me look at it every time I walk past, but why did it not grab me first time? well the main reason was because it was made by Mega Bloks and ive always thought of Mega Bloks as being a cheaper/crapier version of Lego.

I finally caved in and bought my first Dragon with the weekly shopping, they come in different styles; small dragons and eggs, small pods and vehicles, larger dragons and eggs and finally huge space ships, My first purchase was a small vehicle.
 dragonseagle.jpg   104.9K   44 downloads  dragons3.jpg   108.57K   41 downloads

I got it home and made it up, it only took me about 5 minutes because it only had 32 pieces but it looked quite good and the plastic is of slightly better quality than I remember (however still doesnt seem as strong as Lego) Lets just say that it wasnt long before I was back down that aisle choosing what figure to buy next which was a Dragon in the end, I was quite impressed with his articulation all four legs and his head are on ball joints and move around quite freely however his weapon only moved side to side but overall a good figure.
 dragons2.jpg   105.68K   38 downloads

My most recent purchase however I was less happy with, I decided to go for one of the larger Dragon eggs and upon getting it home I ripped it out of its package and to my disappointment it didnt have alot more buildability to it with only about 30 pieces and what made it even worse was the larger dragons dont have ball joints in the legs so the only pose is a standing one.
 dragonsblackheart.jpg   106.41K   35 downloads
Overall I like this toyline and a few tweeks here and there could have made it better, just have to wait and see what the larger vehicles are like now.

 Dragons1.jpg   434.13K   37 downloads
In The Picture:
3 Vehicles (Eagle, Stallion and Falcon)
2 Small Dragons (Ironclaw and Skullcrush)
1 Large Dragon (Blackheart)

Please leave comments -Mark

Edited by Aikola, 16 August 2010 - 04:58 PM.

[Ericnilla]

i got the little red bike guy and really like him. Using him for a base on some figures im designing..

Edited by Ericnilla, 16 August 2010 - 05:11 PM.

[bronchuseven]

These look pretty fun - coincidentally I just saw some on the shelf for the first time yesterday and didn't know anything about them. Might have to grab a set or two now.. thanks for the review!

[BrockenmanJr]

Oh, I remember these! I had no idea they were still making them! I collected an older series, I think it was called Crystal Wars or Something, and I probably still have the figures somewhere... They look like they have changed quite a lot, especially the figures. What are the figures articulation like? I can remember the original figures having very Lego like articulation, and being quite stiff. Anyway, great review, and I will have to keep an eye out for some...

[sherrie]

Personally, I like Mega Bloks better than Legos, probably because they are a little better. I have the Mega Bloks POTC Black Pearl ship set and would love to get the Dragon Ship sets. I know Jon has a couple of them and I just loved them when I saw them. I am a ship freak anyway.....

[BaltanII]

Personally, I like Mega Bloks better than Legos, probably because they are a little better.

What.

There are a couple of advantages that Mega has over LEGO, particularly the Halo license for sheer cool factor... but seriously. What.

Edited by Boaconda, 17 August 2010 - 11:27 AM.

[phantomeye]

I'd have to agree with Sherrie on this one. If you're into blockiness, go Lego. I'm not. So I gravitate to the more stylized, sculpted figures of Mega Bloks. I particularly enjoy their Pirates and Knights/Orcs lines.
Thanks for reviewing this Boa. I wasn't aware of this particular line. I'll have to check m out sometime. Good review BTW.

[Aikola]

Oh, I remember these! I had no idea they were still making them! I collected an older series, I think it was called Crystal Wars or Something, and I probably still have the figures somewhere... They look like they have changed quite a lot, especially the figures. What are the figures articulation like? I can remember the original figures having very Lego like articulation, and being quite stiff. Anyway, great review, and I will have to keep an eye out for some...

They are still a little stiff but the ball joints of the smaller figures are slightly better, Price wise Tesco has them for £6.50 for the large eggs and £3.99 for the smaller eggs and considering the size its not too bad.

I'd have to agree with Sherrie on this one. If you're into blockiness, go Lego. I'm not. So I gravitate to the more stylized, sculpted figures of Mega Bloks. I particularly enjoy their Pirates and Knights/Orcs lines.
Thanks for reviewing this Boa. I wasn't aware of this particular line. I'll have to check m out sometime. Good review BTW.

Im not Boa.

[bronchuseven]

You have to admit your avatars are similar now! I got so used to your old animated avatar I didn't recognise you at first either

[BaltanII]

Kamen Rider Accel Trial is damn cool, but it'd be hard-pressed to compare with Guyver.

As far as Mega vs. LEGO, I wasn't even considering the minifigures. I find Mega Bloks minifigs to be a bit light and cheap-feeling, but still quality pieces and nicely detailed. LEGO is so much more simplified but more iconic and often more creative. My real issue is with the sets themselves. Mega will never usurp LEGO in quality or superior design. Both companies fall back on fully sculpted bits more recently, but LEGO always feels like the superior build.

[BrockenmanJr]

Thanks for the info! I would try my local Tesco, but they don't sell toys anymore...

[koppenschevelle]

I have picking up these for a few weeks. I really like them. I think they are really a step in the right direction since their previous "Dragon" series. I always liked the plasma dragons quite a bit, but I didn't really ever care for the larger dragons or the human/orc figures that were also in the lines. They just felt cheap. I picked up the Falcon Speeder first because the armored soldier reminded me quite a bit of the Halo mega bloks, which I also really like. Then I ended up picking up some of the dragons one by one. While I really liked the Plasma dragons, I really like these dragons better. I like the futuristic feel of these dragons, which is something nice and different. And the wings are properly proportioned. That was my problem with the plasma dragons was that their wings were always sooo tiny and bent that it looked like they had little chicken wings.

I also just recently picked up one of the larger sets, the Rapid Fire Dragon Fighter. Its a pretty good set. The plane is significantly more challenging to put together than any of the dragons or the smaller sets. All the pieces fit well together, and when it's all together, I don't have any pieces fitting loosely or falling off, which was always a problem with any previous mega bloks building sets. The dragon that comes with it, Bladewing, is a really nice color scheme, with good paint apps on the wings.

Of the larger dragons, I have 3; Clawripper, Blackheart and Torchwing. According to the pictures, Clawripper is brown, but he's actually much more of a crimson/dark red color. Torchwing is an interesting color scheme. He's an semi-transparent red with swirls of orange running throughout the figure to give the effect that the dragon is actually on fire. It looks pretty impressive and reminds me in some ways of something theGodbeast might do as a custom. My favorite so far of the larger figures is Blackheart. The black body paired with the bright red and white details really stands out quite a bit, and overall he has a very sleak look to them. Somehow, even though they all use the same body, the different large dragons feel like they are different sizes. Torchwing feels very large, bulky and muscular while Blackheart is sleak and agile looking, and Clawripper is somewhere inbetween.

I'll try and take a couple pictures of all the dragons I have, but here's what I have managed to get so far:

Rapid Fire Dragon Fighter with Bladewing
Clawripper
Torchwing
Blackheart
Falcon Speeder
Eagle Speeder
Fleshtear
Skullcrush

Eric

[BaltanII]

Okay, so these are in the US too. Not here though! Maybe Kmart will have them once they finish their toy mod, since they always seemed willing to devote shelf space to the Plasma lines and some of the King Arthur stuff.

[phantomeye]

They are still a little stiff but the ball joints of the smaller figures are slightly better, Price wise Tesco has them for £6.50 for the large eggs and £3.99 for the smaller eggs and considering the size its not too bad.



Im not Boa.

Sorry about that. But your avatar looks very similar to Boaconda's. At any rate, you did an exceptional review.
Credit is now placed where credit is due.

[Aikola]

I'll try and take a couple pictures of all the dragons I have, but here's what I have managed to get so far:

Rapid Fire Dragon Fighter with Bladewing
Clawripper
Torchwing
Blackheart
Falcon Speeder
Eagle Speeder
Fleshtear
Skullcrush

Eric

I have now managed to pick up all 3 speeders, all 3 small dragons and the 4 large dragons, what size is Bladewing? I cant wait till I see a large vehicle in a store near me.

Sorry about that. But your avatar looks very similar to Boaconda's. At any rate, you did an exceptional review.
Credit is now placed where credit is due.

Many thanks, this is my first toyline I liked the look of that isnt 2" tall, dunno where im gonna store it all.

[sherrie]

What.

There are a couple of advantages that Mega has over LEGO, particularly the Halo license for sheer cool factor... but seriously. What.

Sorry, I meant BIGGER, not BETTER. But to me they are basically the same. I also like the mega figures better than lego figures. I love the knights/dragons/ships. Only things I like...

[koppenschevelle]

I have now managed to pick up all 3 speeders, all 3 small dragons and the 4 large dragons, what size is Bladewing? I cant wait till I see a large vehicle in a store near me.



Many thanks, this is my first toyline I liked the look of that isnt 2" tall, dunno where im gonna store it all.

All of the dragons that come with the larger sets/planes are the small dragons.

[BrockenmanJr]

Today I purchased the Falcon vehicle. It didn't have many pieces, but overall I thought the Figure was cool, and had very good articulation compared to the older Dragons series. I have also purchased a Dragon, but it was for a younger friend's birthday, so I will have to find out what it is like when he has built it. I also saw 2 of the larger vehicles, and I may try to pick one up next time I am shopping...

[BrockenmanJr]

I think they are really a step in the right direction since their previous "Dragon" series. I always liked the plasma dragons quite a bit, but I didn't really ever care for the larger dragons or the human/orc figures that were also in the lines.

I personally didn't like the Plasma Dragons, there was just something about there design that put me off. I personally thought the original 'Crystal Wars' sets were the best set and storyline wise, and I feel that some later series have progressively got worse, especially some of the film sets, but the Universe series has really got me interested again.

[AFCMan]

I spotted these a few weeks ago (I happen to work in Tesco, lol) and picked up all the smaller dragon figure eggs.

Very good, except I'm disappointed with the plaibility of the Dragons' Wings.
They are made from a semi-hard plastic, but it's extremely bendable and won't straighten out very well.
Mine came out of the eggs at all sorts of odd angles and ruin the look of the overall figure.

Any tips on how to straighten them and make them stay straight would be much appreciated.

[bronchuseven]

edit: gave some so-so advice, found better info online -

reshaping bent plastic

Edited by bronchuseven, 06 September 2010 - 06:57 AM.

[AFCMan]

edit: gave some so-so advice, found better info online -

reshaping bent plastic

Looks good
Will give that a go. Thanks for the find


EDIT: Worked a treat, many thanks

Have been buying these up like billy-o.
Every so often I get the urge to build something, and the bigger Alliance Ships are just the thing to while away an hour and look impressive when finished

So far, I've got the Rapid-Fire Dragon Fighter and the Deluxe Dual-Blast Dragon Hunter, all the smaller dragons and Alliance ships and three of the larger Dragons.

I'm sorely tempted to get the Ultimate Action Dragon Destroyer, which looks Fantastic, but even the Mega-Bloks website says the "Product is Currently Unavailable".
I presume because it hasn't been released yet or they're saving it for Xmas.

Still, It looks brilliant

Edited by AFCMan, 14 September 2010 - 12:11 PM.

[AFCMan]

Speaking of Mega-Bloks,,

Does anyone remember a line they produced about 4 or 5 years ago that were very similar to MechWarrior/BattleTech Machines?
I have 2 of them and wondered if they made any more.