Packaging & Parts: This is my clear favorite of the new Exo-Force sets so far. The smallest robot mech set in the new Deep Jungle line, it is a cool build and a great little set. I'm really glad they called it the Battle Arachnoid and not Arachnid as it's not an arachnid having only six legs...Here is a shot of the front of the box and the back of the box. The box contains an idea for combining two Exo-Force sets—here it's the 8116 Dark Panther, which combines to make a cool scorpion-type mech. Here is a shot of the sticker sheet. This set comes with two instruction manuals—the smallest set I've seen this done with. The set only comes with one mini-fig—a devastator robot—nothing new here...There are no new molds in this set. There are some cool pieces in cool colors but nothing particularly worth noting.

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The Build: This was a really quick and fun build. It start looking insectile right away with little buggy eyes and pinchers. There is only one way for this axle to fit correctly so be careful when putting it together. The instructions give some good hints. The mech is looking pretty cool with the first two sets of legs. I'm not a fan of decals, but this one is pretty clever with the set number—8112—hidden in the design. With all six legs attached, the mech is looking pretty intimidating. There are several different ways to orient the legs. And here is the completed mech with the Robot's cockpit attached. I almost like it better without it, although it does look like a black widow with the segmented thorax. The mini-robot is not that cool without the skull in it. I suppose the purpose of this particular weapon is to eat the head off humans—awesome! The cockpit is meant to function on it's own as a flying vessel for the Devestator. I don't like this on it's own as it doesn't seem to have it's own power source and the canopy closes until it is actually touching the robot. And finally here is the completed set with the mini-robot in place. Personally, I think it looks better without the mini-robot in place as it detracts from the cool look of the eyes and pincers. This particular mini-robot doesn't seem to function as a separate weapon, needing to detach itself from the mech to perform it's function of head devouring. As you can see in this pic, the cockpit carries a spare "belly" for the mini-robot. Overall, this is my favorite of the new Exo-Force Deep Jungle sets. It's a very unique and clever design making it very fun to build and pose. Overall Rating

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