You’d be forgiven for thinking that Fortnite is merely a colourful shooter, in which the entire cast of the MCU can dance with humanoid food and other wacky characters. But it actually has a story, which is often the focus of huge in-game events. During Fortnite’s ninth Season, a monster called The Devourer emerges from the island and starts chomping down iconic locations. To ward off this new evil, a huge mech called Mecha Team Leader was constructed. The mech fought the monster and helped save Fortnite’s Battle Royale island. The mech is also the inspiration for the latest 18+ LEGO® Fortnite set. Here’s a closer look at the largest LEGO Fortnite set yet.
Product Details
Set Name: Mecha Team Leader | Set Number: 77078 | Pieces: 2503 | Theme: Fortnite
Number of Bags: Bags x 19 | Stickers: sheet x 2 | Characters: Mecha Team Leader
RRP: £209.99/$249.99/229.99€/349.99AUD/299.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online and LEGO Retailers from August 1st
The Mecha Team Leader mech’s appearance was inspired by several popular elements from the world of Fortnite. Parts of the mech are themed around Durr Burger, Tomatohead, Cuddle Team Leader and the Rex outfit. This results in a sort of Fortnite-themed version of the Power Rangers Megazoid. Although this one can’t be split up. One thing it does well is scale. It’s a hefty set, and in order to carry the build’s weight, the new jumbo joints first used in the Jurassic World T. rex Fossil set make a return. These unique joints are made up of three pieces and offer a substantial joint, which can be manipulated to position both the legs and arms. The new joints are so strong, it’s an effort to rotate them. At several points when taking photos of the sets, I found various sections of the mech becoming dislodged. It definitely a set better suited for display than play.
Within the chest of the mech is a small cockpit area, in which the Mecha Team Leader minifigure can be placed. The panel here includes a nod to the mech’s in-game Season 9 battle. You can also choose to display the minifigure on the included display plate. This is a similar style to other display-focused sets and includes a printed plate and an area to fix the minifigure.
As mentioned, different parts of the mech are themed around things from the older Fortnite universe. This is similar to the mech’s creator, Singularity, who could gain different outfits inspired by various Fortnite styles. So the right leg is inspired by the pizza mascot, Tomatohead. The left leg continues the food theme with a Durr Burger style. The right arm is inspired by the Rex outfit and the left by Drift. Finally, the upper parts of the mech take inspiration from Cuddle Team Leader. The wildly different colours provide an interesting visual mash-up.
To help vanquish the Devourer, the Mecha Team Leader wields the Sword of Singularity. This is pulled from the ground, there the Statue of Singularity stood. Which explains why its handle has a light grey minifigure head on it. The large sword can be fixed into either hand if the mech, via a pair of Technic axles. It’s not too heavy, so it can be held aloft and in other positions without affecting the stability of the mech too much.
One thing the Peely Bone model lacked was an accompanying minifigure. Due to the nature of this set being a mech, it makes sense for it to include a minifigure pilot. This is inspired by the in-game outfit players could first don when the Season 9 event took place. It has since returned to the Fortnite item shop on several occasions. The print detail does a great job of matching the different styles found in each of the limbs.
With the release of the second wave of LEGO Fortnite sets, each one included unlockable in-game characters. This set gives you two character skins and their LEGO Styles, plus an emote and back bling. To access the content, scan the instruction booklet QR code using the LEGO Builder app. This will then give you the choice to register the set for Insiders points or claim the Fortnite codes. You’ll then be given two unique codes. One for the Mecha Team Leader pack and the other for the Mecha Team Shadow pack. You can then redeem both codes on the Epic website.
It’s an impressive set and a mostly sturdy build. It’s definitely better suited for display, as too much handling can result in sections becoming disconnected. One major gripe for me was the stickers used in the Tomatohead-themed leg. Despite countless repositionings, I could not get the stickers used for the eyes to sit flush against the elements they are applied. The curved plates they sit on aren’t ideal for the receiving stickers. The new joints are certainly strong and give the set some stability, but they are a little tricky to rotate. The LEGO Fortnite Mecha Team Leader set will be available from tomorrow.
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This set was provided to BricksFanz.com by the LEGO Group for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Epic Games. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
