97076 Covenant Weapons Pack

Review by Phantom Terror

Photo

Review

The Covenant Weapons Pack is a small Mega Bloks Halo set that was sold in 2013 as a "booster pack" or "expansion pack" for your Halo universe. Today, I will be analyzing it and comparing its part quality and versatility to similar LEGO pieces.

The Box

The box isn't really anything special. It showcases the set on the front and back with the standard legal info on the bottom, back, and sides, with the Halo and Mega Bloks logos scattered around the box. A "Build and Combine" feature is also advertised on the front and back of the box. Something interesting about this type of set is that there is a window where you can see the figure, the weapons, and part of the terrain plate, so you can see if any of the important pieces are broken, malformed, or simply sub-par.

The Contents

When you open the outer shell, you get an instruction booklet and a tray of pieces. The terrain plate, figure, and weapons are all held in like a standard action figure. The little bits and bobs you use to build the weapon rack come in a small baggie. The instructions aren't anything special; they show you the set, how to build it, and begins to show you how to build the combo model. The building pieces contained are lovely, the dominant colors being metallic purple and translucent blue. A lot of these pieces are very similar to LEGO pieces, and I'll go into detail about each one.

Curved 1x4 Slope

This piece is similar to LEGO's in shape and size, but it only has connection points for one elevation as opposed to LEGO's two, making LEGO's design more versatile*.

2x2 Slope

This piece is identical to LEGO's in every aspect except for the stud shape.

1x4 and 1x2 Plate, and 1x4 Tile

Again, identical pieces.

Modified 1x1 Brick with Stud on one side

This piece is similar to two of LEGO's pieces, one with the recessed stud, and the one without. The piece has space for a stud on the back, bottom, and front, with a hole in the front stud, and a cavity on the top stud, so you can attach a variety of pieces to them, making Mega Bloks' piece more versatile*.

1x2 Jumper Plate with One Stud

Similar to LEGO's design except for the fact that the stud has a hole instead of a stopper, and that there is no peg underneath like LEGO's. Despite the lack of peg, it still has as much clutch power as LEGO's design, but the hole in the stud makes Mega Bloks' design more versatile*.

Modified 1x1 Plate with Vertical "C" Joint

Similar to LEGO's design, but I think that Mega Bloks' design is more versatile* due to its round shape, which allows rotation.

3mm Clip

Not as similar as some of the other pieces, but the small clip design allows for more space to be used by other pieces, making Mega Bloks' design more versatile*.

The translucent blue that LEGO and Mega Bloks use are very similar, if not the same. If you looked at them from a distance, you wouldn't be able to tell which was which. Also, despite what many people say, the clutch power on the pieces is the same as LEGO's, as is the quality of the plastic, even in the translucent and transparent pieces. The parts are also compatible with LEGO bricks, with the exception of the 3mm pegs, which are a bit loose in the hands of LEGO minifigures, 3mm holes,and "C" joints.

*These are my opinions and observations, not fact, and you're free to openly disagree with them.

The Figure and Accessories

With this set you get a dark cyan Covenant Storm Elite, a very beautiful figure and my second favorite Elite type (to the Zealot). The detailing on the Elite is beautiful, the designers of this figure packed as much detail as they could into it. Some notable details include the mouth armor, eyes, and armor detailing. It does the game model justice. The Storm Elite comes with three weapons: a Storm Rifle in metallic purple and dark grey, a Plasma Repeater in metallic purple and dark grey, and a Needler in pink, metallic pink, and dark grey. All three weapons look fantastic, and are certainly worthy additions to your army. My only complaints about the weapons is that the storm rifle is weird when it's being held, and that's because the 3mm bar was placed lower than where the trigger is. I would've also liked to see an Energy Sword and/or a Plasma Cannon or some sort of mounted turret. The Elite feels kind of overwhelmed when compared to the Forerunner Weapons Pack and UNSC Weapons Pack which came out at the same time.

The Build

The build is very simple, but for a $6 set, it isn't that bad. It's recognizably a Covenant structure, utilizing the standard metallic purple and translucent blue to create a smooth-looking weapon rack. The weapon rack can hold all of the weapons included, so you don't have to worry about finding extra storage for the weapons that come in the set.

Rating

Design: 9 / 10

Quality: 8 / 10

Fun: 6 / 10

Price: 7 / 10

Final Verdict

While the Covenant Weapons Pack is great for army builders, it's not a good set for standalone play and instant fun. It's just one of those things that just sits there and doesn't really do anything. Sure you can imagine the Elite getting ready for combat and fighting off a battalion of UNSC Marines, but it's still not as fun as it would be if you had the Marines. The price point is a little bit steep for something this size, but it's not too unreasonable.

There are more pictures viewable in the Flickr Gallery. You can also view this set on Mega Bloks' website. Unfortunately, the set is no longer in production, but if you're into army building and find this set, I do recommend getting it.