Last week I reviewed the first set of the new Halo Mega Bloks ONI REAP-X sub-theme, the UNSC Siege Bike. I wasn’t expecting a lot from that vehicle, but I ended up thinking it was a worthy purchase. Today, I’ve got the second (and wackier) of the initial REAP-X sets: the ONI VTOL. I’ve heard a lot of harsh opinions on this set leading up to its release, but now that I have the set in-hand, has the Halo Mega Bloks UNSC Light Assault VTOL 97102 won me over?

The Right:

The first thing I want to talk about with this set isn’t the main attraction of the set–the 97102 Halo Mega Bloks UNSC Light Assault VTOL itself–but the pair of figures included with this set. One of the figures is an all-new (and all-awesome) mold, while the other is a repaint that still feels special and brings something new to the table.

First up is the Halo 4 Mega Bloks Covenant Storm Jackal. We might as well start calling 2013 “the year of the Mega Bloks Jackal”, as first we finally got blind bagged Jackals figures in the Mystery Packs, and now we’re getting a new mold for the Covenant Jackal Storm figures!

The Halo 4 Covenant Storm Jackal Mega Bloks figure is a fantastic sculpt that had ample paint apps on it, making it one of the best-painted Covenant figures ever. The sculpting itself is very detailed and makes the figure very distinct from the old-style Mega Bloks Halo Jackal figures.

This is the first Halo Mega Bloks figure to come with a yellow Energy Shield (and I believe the first Halo figure from any company ever to come with a yellow energy shield). In addition, this is the first time we’re getting the Halo 4 Beam Rifle in Mega Bloks form. The gun doesn’t have paint deco, but it’s only a matter of one until we get a painted Beam Rifle now.

The UNSC Spartan Mark VI figure included isn’t quite as exciting, as it’s just a repaint of last year’s Halo 4 Spartan mold, paired with an unpainted DMR.

That said, the paint on this figure actually does make it pretty special, as this is the first Halo Mega Bloks Spartan wearing a red visor! Plus, the navy blue paint deco on this Spartan looks far better than that of the CIO Spartan that came with the UNSC Siege Bike. This is one of the best-looking Spartans using this mold yet, and his red visor definitely sets him apart from his comrades.

Finally, the Halo Mega Bloks ONI REAP-X VTOL vehicle itself. I thought this looked a bit too crazy when we saw it for the first time, but I’ve softened on it having it in-hand. There’s still one design flaw that really bugs me about the vehicle (which I’ll talk about shortly), but in general I think the design of the UNSC Light Assault VTOL 97102 is acceptable.

I know it may looks a bit strange at first, but considering its been reverse-engineered from Covenant technology, the UNSC VTOL doesn’t seem all that far off from some of the other Covenant vehicles like the Covenant Ghost.

There are no stickers with this set, but it’s still well-decorated because of all the designs on the ONI REAP-X VTOL are printed right onto the blocks. Combined with the translucent red bricks included with the build, the VTOL really pops visually. While it may not be the best Halo vehicle design ever, the UNSC Light Assault VTOL is an interesting design that I wouldn’t really have a problem with including in my collection.

The Wrong:

The hugest and most glaring flaw in this set is the lack of a canopy on the ONI VTOL Mega Bloks vehicle itself. I mean, come on–taking on Jackals packing Beam Rifles in a vehicle with no canopy is just asking to be head-shot instantly.

Not having any canopy on the Halo Mega Bloks UNSC Light Assault VTOL is an especially weird choice since the back of the cockpit has two studs on it, seemingly to attach a canopy to. I’m not sure if there was originally going to be a glass (plastic) canopy on this set or not, but I think it should be easy enough to mod the set to have one.

Also, at 169 pieces, this feels more like a $19.99 set than a $21.99 one. The set is visually unique and interesting enough that I’m not going to begrudge it the extra two dollars, but it’d be nice for Storm Jackal figure army-building if the set was slightly lower-priced.

“Where Can I Buy It!?”

I got my Halo Mega Bloks ONI VTOL from BA Toys, one of the first retailers to have the set in stock. It should arrive in regular retail stores sometime in August 2013.

Overall: I wasn’t expecting to be recommending the Halo Mega Bloks UNSC Light Assault VTOL 97102, but now that I have the set in-hand and built, I definitely am. The Covenant Storm Jackal figure is a fantastic sculpt and one of the best Halo Mega Bloks figures this year, almost proving to be incentive enough to buy the set on its own. The navy Spartan Mark VI with red visor also looks great and I think collectors will really like him once they have him in-hand. As for the VTOL itself–it’s a surprisingly fun and unique build. To really maximize its aesthetic appeal you (and I) will need to add a canopy from another set, but the color scheme and overall style of the vehicle won me over. At least for these first two sets, I would say that the ONI REAP-X Halo Mega Bloks theme is a hit.

GRADE: B