RavenProject
03/07/2003, 00:20
Benjamin J. Grimm (http://www.hcrealms.com/cgi-bin/get_unit.cgi?num=ct116)
Clobberin' Time #116
Based on: Thing
Type: V-
Current eBay Value: $34.50 (06 March @ 11:00 PM)
A while back, as we geared up for the Marquee, stats came to light for the two LE5s. People immediately declared that they would rather have the Ben Grimm LE over Johnny Storm.
I said then, and I say now: *Why???*
I'll give WizKids this... their concept for the three Fantastic Four LE's was clever. Granting them a "human" click before they get hit by gamma rays and turned into the FF was a fun little nod to the comics history. Problem is, it was implemented unevenly across the sets. Johnny Storm was an amped-up Rookie, Sue Storm is a little more Experienced, and Ben... oh, Ben, if your Aunt Petunia could see you now...
See, if you take a look at all the Clix LE's, almost all of them represent an upgrade from an REV form. But Ben Grimm is the game's first *downgraded* LE, being demoted from his Veteran form.
(By the way, for those looking to help those LE's make more sense in continuity... consider Sue Storm's base click to be her before turning invisible, and Ben Grimm's human form is from the period after the Secret Wars where he could change back and forth.)
Let's look at the stats, shall we? Numbers-wise, Ben Grimm is identical to the Veteran form with the addition of that human click. And my word, is that human click a wuss. Ben Grimm, former football star and military veteran, only has a 7 attack and one damage?
Not that it matters, because you're going to get off that click as quickly as possible. If you're fortunate, you do it to yourself by pushing or Pulse Wave. With Benjy, this does give you an small trick to try. Run him toward combat, then push and put him in the line of fire. That second click features a significant 17 Defense and Invulnerabilty, so it's going to take a little doing to hurt him while he clears and gars up for a charging strike next turn. Stop him in the right place, and you wreck your opponent's line-of-sight and/or ability to move.
The downside of that "human click" is that it's painting a huge target on the figure. With a fourteen defense, it's going to be real easy to get a hit on him and do full damage. Now, I'll concede that anything less than five clicks will still leave him on Invulnerability. But it's still a painful loss that early in the game. The other downside, as we've discussed quite often, is that you normally can't use him until the fourth round. Move. Push. Clear. Now you're cooking. Pulse Wave can cut that time down, but that's spending another passel of points and an action.
Once you get off that click, there's another notable difference between Benjamin Grimm and V Thing: What happened to his Charge??? While V Thing maintains the power for a powerhouse four clicks, Ben Grimm only holds it for two. Since the massive amount of Charge is the best thing about V Thing, this is a major downgrade.
And ultimately, this is why I've been so baffled by those who insist that Ben Grimm was so much better than Johnny Storm. Johnny's got the R+ LE, with a small but impactful upgrade over his other version. Grimm has had stuff taken *away,* and you only save a single point in exchange. If you're building a team, what reason could you have for not spending that point to ditch the activation click and gain two more Charge? I suppose it is possible you just can't get your team under 301 without replacing V Thing with LE Grimm, but highly unlikely.
Now I'll give you this... in terms of which of the two Marquee prizes is more playable in the game, Ben does win. But in terms of which provides something new and different for your Clix arsenal, Bashful Benjy's a real disappointment.
For those who simply must have every figure, this review isn't for you anyway. By rarity, I'd say the value is acceptable. But that's purely as a collector's piece. For those looking to add playable pieces to their army, take your $35 and buy a complete set of DC LE3s. There's no way this piece will ever justify what you pay for it.
*** *** *** ***
Again, I'm sorry about the delay on this review. The bad news is, I've been working tons of overtime lately. Good news is, I've definitely got my case of XPlosion paid for!
We'll be back on our regular schedule next week with a more positive review of a Marvel "name" LE. I'm always up for requests, though, so post them to this thread or PM me!
Thanks for listening!
-J
Clobberin' Time #116
Based on: Thing
Type: V-
Current eBay Value: $34.50 (06 March @ 11:00 PM)
A while back, as we geared up for the Marquee, stats came to light for the two LE5s. People immediately declared that they would rather have the Ben Grimm LE over Johnny Storm.
I said then, and I say now: *Why???*
I'll give WizKids this... their concept for the three Fantastic Four LE's was clever. Granting them a "human" click before they get hit by gamma rays and turned into the FF was a fun little nod to the comics history. Problem is, it was implemented unevenly across the sets. Johnny Storm was an amped-up Rookie, Sue Storm is a little more Experienced, and Ben... oh, Ben, if your Aunt Petunia could see you now...
See, if you take a look at all the Clix LE's, almost all of them represent an upgrade from an REV form. But Ben Grimm is the game's first *downgraded* LE, being demoted from his Veteran form.
(By the way, for those looking to help those LE's make more sense in continuity... consider Sue Storm's base click to be her before turning invisible, and Ben Grimm's human form is from the period after the Secret Wars where he could change back and forth.)
Let's look at the stats, shall we? Numbers-wise, Ben Grimm is identical to the Veteran form with the addition of that human click. And my word, is that human click a wuss. Ben Grimm, former football star and military veteran, only has a 7 attack and one damage?
Not that it matters, because you're going to get off that click as quickly as possible. If you're fortunate, you do it to yourself by pushing or Pulse Wave. With Benjy, this does give you an small trick to try. Run him toward combat, then push and put him in the line of fire. That second click features a significant 17 Defense and Invulnerabilty, so it's going to take a little doing to hurt him while he clears and gars up for a charging strike next turn. Stop him in the right place, and you wreck your opponent's line-of-sight and/or ability to move.
The downside of that "human click" is that it's painting a huge target on the figure. With a fourteen defense, it's going to be real easy to get a hit on him and do full damage. Now, I'll concede that anything less than five clicks will still leave him on Invulnerability. But it's still a painful loss that early in the game. The other downside, as we've discussed quite often, is that you normally can't use him until the fourth round. Move. Push. Clear. Now you're cooking. Pulse Wave can cut that time down, but that's spending another passel of points and an action.
Once you get off that click, there's another notable difference between Benjamin Grimm and V Thing: What happened to his Charge??? While V Thing maintains the power for a powerhouse four clicks, Ben Grimm only holds it for two. Since the massive amount of Charge is the best thing about V Thing, this is a major downgrade.
And ultimately, this is why I've been so baffled by those who insist that Ben Grimm was so much better than Johnny Storm. Johnny's got the R+ LE, with a small but impactful upgrade over his other version. Grimm has had stuff taken *away,* and you only save a single point in exchange. If you're building a team, what reason could you have for not spending that point to ditch the activation click and gain two more Charge? I suppose it is possible you just can't get your team under 301 without replacing V Thing with LE Grimm, but highly unlikely.
Now I'll give you this... in terms of which of the two Marquee prizes is more playable in the game, Ben does win. But in terms of which provides something new and different for your Clix arsenal, Bashful Benjy's a real disappointment.
For those who simply must have every figure, this review isn't for you anyway. By rarity, I'd say the value is acceptable. But that's purely as a collector's piece. For those looking to add playable pieces to their army, take your $35 and buy a complete set of DC LE3s. There's no way this piece will ever justify what you pay for it.
*** *** *** ***
Again, I'm sorry about the delay on this review. The bad news is, I've been working tons of overtime lately. Good news is, I've definitely got my case of XPlosion paid for!
We'll be back on our regular schedule next week with a more positive review of a Marvel "name" LE. I'm always up for requests, though, so post them to this thread or PM me!
Thanks for listening!
-J