>>> Like many a MoFØ, I was keen to get my hands on some of the Mixels sets. On the face of it, they're loaded with MFZ friendly parts, and the new ball joints look like a good way to add articulation; all this at a Golden Ratio friendly price if you live anywhere BUT Australia... which is why I bulk ordered the entire Series 1 collection from a UK seller (along with some Star Wars split sets) with cheap shipping.
Over the weekend, I sat down with all nine Series 1 sets and made frames out of them. Some are much more convincing than others - I repeatedly ran into my own "SSC curse": you can generally have articulation, or weapons, but rarely both. I actually put the Infernites together last, and was a little burned out by the process by then! That said, they're still not the weakest of the three sets & I was mostly happy with how my frames turned out.
The latest Big W catalogue has the Mixels listed at AUD $5.75 (down from $7 or so) - I'm not sure if they have the whole range, but this is about as cheap as they come. I'm going to review these as an absolute best-case scenario for Australian MFZ fans - these scores will therefore be more in line with reviewers in countries with cheaper Lego. Needless to say, paying retail prices will mean that all the Mixels sets are above the Golden Ratio.
Here's the breakdown per set, assuming the sale price of AUD $5.75:
INFERNITES
41500: Flain
58 pcs = 10c / piece
41501: Vulk
69 pcs = 8c / piece
41502: Zorch
45 pcs = 13c / piece
Interestingly enough, if you buy all three, they just barely eke out a Golden Ratio score!
Total: 172
Average: 57.3 pcs = 10c / piece
>>> 41500: Flain
Can you build a frame, or frames, right away? Yes = +5
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio? At = 0
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away? Yes = +5
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts? Yes = +5
Total = 15 pts, "A" rating
Here's the frame I made from this set - it stands about the same height as a Chub. Not a bad start - the torso and legs are certainly quite "framey", even if the weapons systems are a little lacking. The 'Ball with Cross Axle' (2736) joint works quite nicely as a hip here.
Load-out:
Flamethrower: 1Rd/1Rh
Missile Pod: 1Rd/1Ra
Reinforced Legs: 1G
Armour Plating: 1B
>>> 41501: Vulk
Can you build a frame, or frames, right away? Yes = +5
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio? Below = +5
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away? Yes = +5
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts? Yes = +5
Total = 20 pts, "A+" rating
This frame is an example of nice okay idea, poor execution (this was the last frame I put together and I was definitely suffering from creative block!). The 2x2 ball joints are probably just too bulky for the majority of MFZ scale usage. That said, they do make excellent mounts for missile pods and the like.
Load-out:
2x AF-Cannons: 2Rd + d8
Shield Generators: 1B
Sensor Dome: 1Y
Addendum: Urgh, I'm going to re-build this one later - after a few days away from it, I can't bear to look at it!
Here we go, starting with the exact same pieces (I used less) but THIS time without my mecha-fatigue:
Load-out:
AF-Cannons: 2Rd
Sensor Cluster: 1Y
Shield Generators: 1B
Booster: 1G
>>> 41502: Zorch
Can you build a frame, or frames, right away? Yes = +5
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio? Above = -10
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away? Yes = +5
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts? Yes = +5
Total = 5 pts, "B+" rating
I quite like this little guy - despite having the least parts of any of the sets, it still has a certain je ne sais quoi, non?
Load-out:
Missile Launcher w. Targeting Package: 2Ra+d8
Armoured Legs: 1B
Sensor Cluster: 1Y
Finally, let's have a group shot:
I think the best approach with the Mixels sets vis a vis MFZ is to get all three, pool the parts and take it from there. You'll end up with three visually cohesive frames for well under $20. If that's not a great way to get a beginner into the game, I don't know what is.
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