NEXO Knights: 70317 Fortrex!

The Fortrex is a rolling headquarters for the NEXO Knights formerly King Halbert’s "Ye Old Royal RV" which was commissioned to the team. It is the essential vehicle turned battle station of the heroes who are after Jestro. LEGO® produced an entire new line for the NEXO Knights a combination of technology and magic, which by some says it was inspired from a classic 1980s cartoon like Visionaries and some sci-fi and fantasy elements. The Fortrex however is entirely a concept that mashes up LEGO® discontinued LEGO® series and you’ve got NEXO Knights. I wasn’t that excited when LEGO® came out with the NEXO Knights Theme. For one, I felt that it was a lame attempt to cross-breed the Kingdoms/Castle and Space themes. Also, the feel is reminiscent of the late 80s cartoon Visionaries, with the hologram staves and chest sigils replaced with the NEXO Powers in the NEXO shields.

Nevertheless, I always believed that LEGO® sets should always be experienced before being judged. So here goes my review of the biggest NEXO Knights set, the Fortrex.

I chose the Fortrex because (1) it was a mobile castle/fortress, and how cool is that, and (2) it was the set with the most number of NEXO minifigures. I started LEGO® with minifigures and up to now, I consider them the heart of my collection. With the Fortrex, you immediately get 8 figures, including one Merlok 2.0 hologram which isn’t strictly a minifigure.

In the animated series NEXO Knights the Fortrex plays a vital role that would change the course of the battle with Jestro and the Book of Monsters. The Fortrex first appeared in the third episode “The Power of Merlok”, where is revealed as a rundown "Ye Old Royal RV" owned by King Halbert that was given to the team.





Inside The Fortrex

The box is huge at 8.9 x 14.9 x 3.7 inches. A huge box oftentimes means more parts and yes, this set has 972 parts especially dark blue and trans-orange elements.

NEXO Knights included in the set are: Axl who is the biggest among them and of melee type, and as the name suggests, Axl’s weapon of choice is a big axe. There is Aaron who is a range type knight and weapon of choice are Arrows; and Clay who has a sword/claymore as weapon. I think that the Knight’s name and weapon similarity is a good way to be accustomed to each of the knight’s attributes.

NEXO Knights accessories are intricate and a bit overkill. Here is that of Axl. Due to the accessories (weapons, armors and shield) I have difficulty making the figs stand on their own without plates. Nevertheless, I love the details. I remember when I was young, I would draw soldiers and knights with a lot of weapons and my first GI Joe figure was Fast Draw because he was one of those with the most number of accessories.



The Enemy figs are likewise very interesting. Included in the set are the Ash attacker and 2 minions called Scurriers. There is something fondly interesting with these scurriers.

The NEXO Powers are supposed to boost NEXO Knight Powers. These are special printed tiles exclusive to NEXO and should be part of any Tile Collector’s collection. The NEXO Powers included in the Fortrex are: Hawk Holler, Super Human Speed, Ground Pound, Chicken Power and Charging Attack.

I felt like building another Wall-E when I was installing the tracks to the Fortrex. Adding a motor to it might be a next project.





Pros VS Cons:

Value for Money: A bit expensive but worth every penny with the number of figs included as well as parts.

Playability:

Very high playability. The castle has a number of weapons. There is the studs-blasting cannon on each side and round tiles spitting xx as well. A ballista gets activated when you open the Fortrex castle door. You get to open the castle like a modular and cook, do some jousting and check your armory. There are two mini-vehicles included. What can you ask for?





Build Difficulty: Medium. It was fun throughout anyways.

I can say that I have become a Nexo fan because of the Fortrex. I never thought that the crossover between Kingdoms and Space will be this fun.