Post by Andy F² on Jan 10, 2005 8:37:26 GMT -5
First Impressions: The box isn't actually that big, but it's nice and detailed and the animation pic on the back rocks BIG TIME! It may also be worth noting that an orange Hasbro Dimetra Ptera is shown on the side along with Seismo's other Fuzor partners.
In true Fuzors style, all of the red parts are moulded in metallic red plastic which looks incredible offest against the black and gunmetal. The custom stickers are also very nice; they're a face-on picture of a cobra and look almost Zenevas-y:
The instruction booklet is absolutely huge and has 62 pages in it. 'Ultimate mode' is detailed in full.
Stylu Armor
I'm not a fan of Blox. Not at all. And this guy isn't going to be changing my mind any time soon. I've nothing against the Zoid itself; the design is excellent and the colors are even better (the picture doesn't do them justice), it's just that Blox are too floppy for my tastes - for example, Stylu's legs seem to be overly loose and he kept falling over when I was trying to take the pic. The sprue with the frill and horns on is made of a rubbery plastic (the same as Seismo's guns) which is a bit of a downer.
However, if you're a fan of Stylu, the Ultimate version looks incredible on display (if you can keep him standing ) and will make a great addition to your collection.
Scissorstorm and Laserstorm
With the exception of the head weapons, Scissorstorm is no different to Laserstorm. Though this is a bonus for making the Ultimate mode look pretty symetrical, I can't help feeling a little ripped off at having two near identical Zoids. Still, the colours are (once again) superb and it doesn't really bother me having two similar Zoids on display when they are as good as this. One final minor gripe: would it have killed the engineers to put an extra peg on to hold the head weapons in place? The slightest knock seems to put them out of place.
Even so, the 'Storms remain some of my favourite Blox and these colours enhance them even more - if you don't have the money to get them in this set, I highly recommend you buy the cheaper individual Hasbro versions that are readily available in the Phillipines.
Seismosaurus
I can't fault this guy; I was always a fan of the original version and this one is even better! Some people moan that he's too small, but honestly, if Seismo was the same sort of build as Ultrasaurus where would you be able to display it? And I dread to think how much it would cost...
Ultimate Seismo
This is essentially what you are getting for your money, the Ultimate mode of Seismosaurus. Though the colours match nicely, the Blox just seem too flimsy and feel like some kind of afterthoughts that aren't meant to be there. Each of the 'Storms are held on by a single hardpoint and will wobble and pivot from side to side as Seismo walks forwards - the one at the back is especially bad because it isn't balanced very well and sags down pretty quickly. The weapons stuck on at the side are also pretty loose and will fall out of place after a while.
Seismo Armor
I regret calling the 'Storms an afterthought after building this awful mess. The back mounted weapon doesn't actually look too bad but the neck frill looks ridiculous and you're left with a huge pile of pieces once finished.
Conclusion
If you're a serious collector, a fan of Seismosaurus or if you don't have any of the Zoids included in this set, then Ultimate Seismo is an absolute must have. However, if you already have all four of the Zoids in your collection and you're not too big on any of them, you'll probably end up feeling a little disappointed.
Also, don't buy the set for the novelty of the Fuzions because quite frankly, they're rubbish. It's best to keep each Zoid separate. :-)