What are your thoughts on the 2014 Hero Factory sets? I know this isn't a terribly popular theme on Brickset, but that's part of why I'm curious what people think about the big changes that the theme is undergoing next year.
Next year's sets are going for a real Pacific Rim vibe, with the Heroes piloting mecha to battle giant monsters. This means that instead of the sets having large-scale hero and villain figures, the sets will be introducing minifigures of the robot heroes and using constraction and Technic parts to build the monsters and mecha. My favorite examples of each are #44018 Furno Jet Machine and #44021 Splitter Beast vs. Evo and Furno.
The hero minifigures use standard minifigure heads and minifigure skeleton bodies. Their helmets and armor are compatible with classic minifigures. Since the armor is what connects them to their mechs, this means that you could probably use the mechs for classic minifigure pilots if you were so inclined (though you'd probably have to modify the controls since their arms wouldn't be as long). You could even use the parts as a foundation for custom mechs.
Finalized pics of all eight sets can be seen here. If the 2013 lineup has been any indication then there should be seven or eight more sets in the summer, which will hopefully include the four other recurring hero characters (Mark Surge, Dunkan Bulk, Jimi Stringer, and Julius Nex).
Next year's sets are going for a real Pacific Rim vibe, with the Heroes piloting mecha to battle giant monsters. This means that instead of the sets having large-scale hero and villain figures, the sets will be introducing minifigures of the robot heroes and using constraction and Technic parts to build the monsters and mecha. My favorite examples of each are #44018 Furno Jet Machine and #44021 Splitter Beast vs. Evo and Furno.
The hero minifigures use standard minifigure heads and minifigure skeleton bodies. Their helmets and armor are compatible with classic minifigures. Since the armor is what connects them to their mechs, this means that you could probably use the mechs for classic minifigure pilots if you were so inclined (though you'd probably have to modify the controls since their arms wouldn't be as long). You could even use the parts as a foundation for custom mechs.
Finalized pics of all eight sets can be seen here. If the 2013 lineup has been any indication then there should be seven or eight more sets in the summer, which will hopefully include the four other recurring hero characters (Mark Surge, Dunkan Bulk, Jimi Stringer, and Julius Nex).