Snap Ships

[Unicron]

It was an experiment. Came out good I think. On a slightly more negative note, I did notice that the online prices for the sets on the Playmonster site have increased a bit, with no specific explanation. Here is the modified listing:

Gladius - $44 (from $39)
Scorpion - $24 (from $20)
Sabre/Scarab - $18 (from $15)
Lance/Scythe/Locust/Sawfly - $12 (from $10)
2 Pack (Falx/Wasp) - $35 (from $20)

It's not a huge increase, but I wish there was a post to explain the price change. Especially given that the series isn't at retail yet. It looks like they will launch around July 15 on Amazon and retail, though, at these newer prices.

 

[Markonian]

If it comes to Amazon, I could get my hands on them. Potentially.

 

[Unicron]

They will be on Amazon, and in fact should now be available for pre-orders.

 

[Unicron]

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[Markonian]

Good video! Didn't realise they come with pilot figurines.

 

[Unicron]

Yeah, they're pretty tiny with no real articulation (only sitting for the cockpits), but the level of detail isn't too bad.

 

[Unicron]

I now have almost a complete wave one, minus the Gladius. But I'm really pleased with the sets so far, and I definitely want to buy duplicate parts.

 

[fireproof78]

Hopefully they'll do parts grab bags.

I really like this concept. Kind of similar to the Fallout figures that were released in the past couple of years.

Can't wait to see the Gladius.

ETA: Anyone have an exact height on the figures?

 

[Unicron]

They're pretty small - you can see a good scale in the video review I posted above (which isn't mine, just one I came across). The Scorpion set includes six trooper figures for its drop pods, which is kind of nice. In addition to the pilot.

One thing I've come to like is that, while all of the sets share some basic universal parts, most of the parts for each design are unique. The designers clearly put a lot of thought into ways to make them distinct while also allowing for more build options, when they could have just opted for a simpler approach with generic parts for most things. I'm really glad they avoided that approach. The Wasp design has a cool hull part that looks like a rack of bombs or something similar, and I want to have more of those for experimentation.

Having a lot of variety is really good, especially with the degree of modularity. It's not often I find something where I want to spend extra money on it, even with Legos.

 

[publiusr]

I am surprised that it took this long to have such a toy line like this come to pass.

Now, whoever invented the pimple popper games needs pushed out an airlock

 

[Unicron]

I just saw a thing on the Snap Ships Facebook page about running a contest. People who already have some kits can post pics of their own creations on social media, which can then be entered for a chance to win some prizes. The grand prize (2 slots) will be a full fleet, one of each wave 1 set.

It also sounds as though the Trident will be a Target exclusive set, which is probably why it hasn't had much retail info yet.

 

[Unicron]

I actually found a pair of Tridents at my local Target, which are the only ones I've seen in the wild as yet. But they run for $19.99 like the Scorpion kit, so the price is good. I hope to do some pics soon and experiment with spare parts.

 

[Imaus]

I'm not getting the allure....

 

[Lexomatic]

I am surprised that it took this long to have such a toy line like this come to pass.

The topology (viz., generic cubes for the structural core / external decorative elements) resembles the "Zoids Z-Builders" mecha construction system sold by TOMY and Hasbro in 2003 and 2004. A significant difference is that the Z-Builders cubes were joined by separate straight or angled pegs, whereas these Snap Ships cubes each have (from what I can see in reviews) five sockets and one plug.

 

[publiusr]

The top of the packaging becomes a base.
That might be nice for a freighter.

My plans will probably involve sawing off the pegs to the intakes and other pods, and gluing them on other models.

A Menger sponge might be a good docking port for the pure cubes—mini borgs

 

[Unicron]

So it looks like Playmonster is adding some new drone/robot builds as small sets, though I'm not entirely clear as to their availability at present. They are available from the PM store on backorder ($6 each) and Amazon has the Komplex drones as a bundle, but with a long shipping time. I get the impression they're just getting around to announcing them, though. Each trio can combine into a larger build, as one option.

 

[Markonian]

Thanks for sharing! Those are neat. I don't care for the shooting action but they're nimble little craft and look like they can easily be cannibalized to build the "Magnum Opus" (Mad Max 2015 game reference) of a SnapShip.

I'm not anywhere close to having figured out a Colonial Viper, so instead I've just played switcheroo with parts on the three models I have so far. I can become quite addictive.

 

[Unicron]

The alternate missile pods look like they could have a variety of uses, as do some of the sensor "heads" and other new slot parts. I'm not sure if these will constitute an official wave 2 or their own "extra" addition to the wave 1 sets, but I'll have to keep an eye out for them.

As of this writing, nothing has been added to the app for the drones. That might be something else to watch for.

 

[publiusr]

Capital ship parts next, I hope

 

[Markonian]

When the MD-Switch (Earther combo drone) gets excited, it shoots its ventral load prematurely.