Review of 4077: Blizzard Blaster

4770 Town / Alpha Team / Artic Blizzard Blaster Le Brise-Tempête Ages 7+, 303 Pcs. (C)2005. 39 page manual: 5 model, 117 steps (for main models). Building time about 35 minutes. Price Range: $30 (USD) RATINGS: Set: Very-Good Models: Fair Playability: Very Good

DECALS? Yes. One sheet with two ‘racing stripe and tubing’ pattern that go on the ‘Wedge 12 x 3 x 1 Double’ Left and Right cockpit pieces.

SET DESCRIPTION
The Alpha Team has been fighting the evil Ogel and his minions for years, and Ogel’s latest campaign is a plan to freeze the planet! The Alpha Team has adapted to the new menace and last year changed their color scheme from blacks, greens and yellows to Navy and Sand blues. The large two legged ‘mecha’ with trans-orange lasers and a large white cannon on top can transform into the ‘Ice Shark’ to fly across the frozen lands in pursuit of Ogel’s Ice Drone on a miniature red and black scorpion walker.

SPECIAL ELEMENTS
This set is quite outside my usual purchasing grounds, and therefore contains a multitude of parts in colors I’m not used to seeing. After checking out the set at Peeron, I see this is a great place to go for Sand and Navy Blue pieces, as it is the first source for hinges, beams, slopes, Jet Engines, etc. Need a white spring loaded cannon for some reason? This is the only place to get it.

IMPRESSION
I picked this set up for $10 at KB-Toys a couple of months back. Even though it isn’t the type of set I normally buy, I couldn’t pass up getting one for that price. My one line summary? There are lots of unique parts to add to my collection!

I’ll start with the bigger part of the set, the Blizzard Blaster itself. For the huge number of hinges in the set (10 technic click-hinges alone), the model has very little articulation. Yes, I am an articulation snob. In ‘mecha’ form, the model isn’t very intimidating; it could never chase anyone down, though it has plenty of guns to shoot poor little Ice Drones with. The two lasers mounted on the cockpit are hinged in such a way that they can’t actually change their aim at all… The two side-mounted lasers are much more flexible, with two axes of freedom giving them a good range of poseability. The top mounted spring cannon only swivels up and down, but has good range (firing a good five feet from standing position). The model looks slightly better in ‘Ice Shark’ mode, if only because it loses the clumsiness the mecha has.

The poor Ice Drone is riding on a tiny six legged, tailless scorpion thing. There are no controls to drive it, there is no articulation to help fight back, and it is just tiny. This is one spot the set loses some playability. The bad guy is clearly the underdog in this set, and some may find themselves rooting for Ogel’s minion! His best defense is that the Blizzard Blaster may have trouble aiming at him!

Likes/Dislikes
Like: Hinges Galore!
Like: Tons of New Blue
Dislike: Model

CONCLUSION
In all honesty, I’d like more disposable income to get a couple more of these. This is a parts set through and through. Great for the new(ish) Technic socket joints, and great for blue. I would NOT recommend it for a child though. Most of the play value for a child who doesn’t build their own models would probably come from the cannon, and that would seem like a waste of money.