Dave's Lego Exo-Force Rantlet

     7711 Sentry

     See http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Lego/Exoforce77 for general line
comments.
     Updated 1/23/06 with Laser Sentry comments.
     Updated 1/24/06 with Sentry Scout pics.

CAPSULE

     Okay, it's missing many of the gimmicks of the larger Mechs, but is'a
rather clever design with a nifty minifig.  If you get no other Exo-Force
toys, pick this one up.  Strongly recommended.  $5 price point.

RANT

Main Model: Sentry
Secondary Mode: Laser Sentry
Pilot: Iron Drone
Pilot Color: Bronze
Main Mecha Colors: Tan, Black, Gray
Weapons: Not named (missiles, laser)
Armor: Not listed, presumably Tenatium armor, under 4".
Unit Designation: 7711
Unit Type: Ground
Nickname: None

     No Japanese on the decals.

     Build time for me was about 20 minutes, although distractions made up a
slightly larger proportion of the time this go-around.  :)

     Discounting the whip antenna on the right shoulder, it's 4.25" (11cm)
tall.  The antenna raises the total height to 7" (18cm).  The width is 4"
(10cm) at the shoulderpads.  Note, there's a spare control lever piece that
can be placed on the left shoulder as a secondary antenna.
     Totally open cockpit, the pilot just stands on a platform at the chest
level of the mecha and holds onto two control levers with its claws.  The
right arm ends in a pair of rockets, while the left terminates in a fairly
clever rifle.  The structure of the Mech is a mix of grays and black, with
tan armor slabs on the shoulders and shins.  The clear accent color is
yellow-green, which forms the rocket cones and the energy core of the rifle.  
     Being rather small by comparison to the $15 Mechs, it uses no Knights
Kingdom joints, instead relying on various Technic swivels and hinges, and
the smaller ratchets seen, for instance, in the AT-ST set.  The shoulders are
swivels, and the elbows are also swivels in permanently bent pose.  The
shoulders themselves are up on 3x1 Technic holed rods that can be posed, to
let the Mech shrug or squat.  The hip hinges are actually on the butt, with
swivels below them in a weird arrangement that lets the knees be under the
center of mass.  The knees are bent 90 degrees in normal mode, but can unbend
for action poses.  The ankles are also ratchet hinges.
     The pilot is an Iron Drone, made of bronze colored plastic with a red
2-long Technic rod for eyes.

     Laser Sentry: My first "sneak peek" Brickmaster set was indeed the
Sentry.  The online "instructions" are basically one picture that differs
from the one on the back of the box and two copies of the same picture as the
box.  Pretty lame.  It doesn't use all of the pieces, unsurprisingly, which
is a shame since it's not too hard to integrate a bunch of the leftovers into
the weapon.  
     Anyway, this is very unstable, using joints where solidity is required,
and it looks like a robo-duck.  Don't bother with this model.

     Sentry Scout: Being unimpressed by the Laser Sentry, I decided to make
my own alternate model, a hoverbike I call the Sentry Scout.  It has the main
gun of the Sentry, plus a secondary energy weapon on a swivel mount.  These
are hopefully enough pics for people to make their own.

     http://www.dvandom.com/images/sentryscout1.JPG
     http://www.dvandom.com/images/sentryscout2.JPG
     http://www.dvandom.com/images/sentryscout3.JPG
     http://www.dvandom.com/images/sentryscout4.JPG
     http://www.dvandom.com/images/sentryscout5.JPG
     http://www.dvandom.com/images/sentryscout6.JPG


     Dave Van Domelen, or maybe Laser Sentry is a giant chicken....