| Minotaur |
| Comments |
Hexbug continues to demonstrate
high quality BattleBots toys as Minotaur is perfectly replicated here,
complete with the blue LED light seen on the real robot. Plus the drum
seems faster than the other two RC toys they released. Speaking of the
drum, it seems thinner than it should be, which limits its range of
attack. The magnets seem to be stronger than the ones on Tombstone's
back panels, which should allow them to stay on with normal attacks. The
lid on the other hand isn't held with magnets and may come off easily.
Heck, I was able to dislodge it with Beta's hammer. Still, even with the
minor issues, I feel this'll be another good one to play with. |
| Beta |
| Comments |
The toy line's first hammerbot
release and a good one to choose as Beta was quite successful after
years of failure, both back in the Comedy Central days and the 1st
season of the ABC reboot where American Airlines lost a bag of parts.
The panels are held on strongly too and the way they got the hammer to
fire with a spring is certainly interesting. It's unfortunate that the
control board for the toy is at the back, which means there's no armor
on that side but the hammer at least doesn't have to be fired
continuously and can let the toy self-right if the toy is ever flipped
while the hammer is in the fired position. Being a hammerbot, it is
difficult to time hits but I confirmed that the hammer has enough power
to knock panels off. Plus it seems the front panel is difficult to take
off, making it ideal for when you want more control. One other
side-effect for the location of the control board is the hammer's
inability to be flat on the floor like it is in the fired position. In
fact, its somewhere around 45 degrees, which I suppose can help with the
timing. Of course, with the hammer hitting the floor, it may be best to
battle with it on a rug but overall, it's going to be just as fun as
Minotaur. |
| Tombstone |
| Comments |
Having just gotten these for
Christmas, I'm excited to finally have them in my hands after seeing
them in action from various YouTube reviews and Toy Fair 2016 videos.
Tombstone's RC replica is a great representation of the real robot down
to the last detail and I can forgive the fact that the iconic blade is
red instead of silver considering this is meant to be a kids toy. The
weapon is also surprisingly fast and not connected to the drive wheels
too, though I don't recommend putting your fingers too closely as it
does hurt. Perhaps the only negative thing I can say is that the back
panels aren't held in place that well and can come off from an impact
that isn't on them directly. While the remote is small, it's still
pretty easy to use, especially for turning. |
| Witch Doctor |
| Comments |
Perhaps just a bit better
designed compared to Tombstone as it doesn't have the same problem with
the panels, which are instead either slid into place at the front or
held with weak magnets on top. Though I haven't tested either toy in a
real battle yet, Witch Doctor already has somewhat of an advantage with
the front scoop, though isn't going to be able to throw its opponents
several feet into the air. The lack of four wheel drive isn't that big a
deal since it does make for easier control. Both toys don't have a way
of being knocked out like the old toys though so you kinda have to make
your own rules. If we get a flipper though as was planned with Bronco
but has yet to pan out, then Witch Doctor can be knocked out. Still, I
look forward to any others that come up as time passes. |