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Minimates M.A.X. New Series Review


Lurch77

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M.A.X.

Mobile Action Xtreme


The Minimates M.A.X. (Mobile Action Xtreme) brand is new to DST and will feature an assortment of vehicles and figures designed entirely by Art Asylum. We’ve seen the pilot figure previously as giveaways at this year’s SDCC and the Stealth Jet is out now. Coming soon exclusively to Toys R Us stores will be the first series of Elite Heroes (edit: so soon they should be out now). The line up includes Special Ops, Law Enforcement, Fire Fighters & Smoke Jumpers. Included in the assortment are Fire Chief sets for both the Fire Fighters and Smoke Jumpers. I can see where this line serves several purposes for DST. First off as collectors we have been asking for generic figures and accessories since the start of the minimates. For those new to minimates, especially younger kids that haven’t had exposure to the other lines in LCS/online/etc, this could be an entry point and introduction to minimates.

I’ve been around since the early days of minimates so would consider myself more of a collector. I also asked some of the neighborhood kids (age range 8 – 11) to take a look at the sets and give me their thoughts. I figured this would give a good newbie perspective, especially since the current big “toy thing” with them is LEGO sets (especially the LEGO Star Wars sets); so they all know block figures and were very eager to check out a new line. Well, all the boys were interested, not really the girls; save for my 6yr old daughter (which to her credit I’ve found several of my minimates hiding with her Polly Pockets, so she’s already on her way to collector status).


M.A.X. – Tech, Stealth Jet
First up we got the M.A.X. Tech Stealth Jet. The packaging is similar to the Battlestar Galactica miniflyers released last year with the large blister card. The figure and jet are easy to see and held in place by the usual plastic tray with twist ties. The back of the packaging does a good job of showing the multiple configurations especially with multiple sets and a little write up of what the Stealth Jet’s all about. I skipped right over this but the kids were quite intrigued by the story and first comment was how it would be cool to have the multiple jets put together like shown.

The set includes the black jet base, two wings, a jet pack, two MAX-trix connectors and the pilot figure along with instructions and decal stickers. The fun part is using the wings, jet pack and connectors you can come up with lots of different configurations. It’s not quite the satisfaction of putting together a block set like the C3 days, but on the other hand these stand up much better to regular play. No worries about having to rebuild everything, just pop a wing back in or a quick change and you got a jet pack for the pilot to fly around on; all real simple and quite sturdy. Good sculpt detail and paint job on the jet, the stickers are decent too (kids always love putting on stickers).

The pilot figure has a removable helmet with moving visor along with breathing tube attached to the torso piece. We’ve seen this before with the Pilot Batman figure but it’s still an impressive piece, love the visor. There’s not a lot of paint detail on the helmet & torso piece as it’s mostly the silver/grey color (with small logo showing), same with gloves, belt, leg pouches and feet. More detail is present under the torso piece with good chest detail along with detail on the face too. It’s not a bad thing with the lack of paint detail, the silver color works very well and having the decal stickers you can add the M.A.X. logo wherever you wish.

The cockpit of the jet seats two so you can position your Pilot front or back. However with the gloves he doesn’t fit very well especially facing back, all of us had a hard time getting him in there. Best we found was to take off the gloves, put the arms straight down, and then he’ll slip right in. A set of regular hands included would have helped for this too. The jet pack is fun too, the figures fits underneath with a notch that fits between the torso and waist. The kids found this to be the coolest setup and liked zooming him around. If you can pin the figure on the notch just right he hangs there very well (even upside down), but I could see after a while of play or if you have a loose waist peg he’ll start falling off pretty easy.

Overall this is a good set. It’s very sturdy, holds up well to play, displays well too. The customization and ability to link with multiple sets just adds to the fun. I’m looking forward to finding one of the red jets so I can mix and match the wings. It’s a great start to the M.A.X. Tech line.
Pilot 4 out of 5
Stealth Jet 4 ½ out of 5
Overall 4 ½ out of 5



Next up we have the Elite Heroes packs, all part of the M.A.X. (Mobile Action Xtreme) minimates. These are the first series of the Toys R Us exclusive sets; each set has two figures with tons of accessories and gear.

Elite Heroes: Special Ops
The packaging is the blister card pack with figures showcasing the accessories and gear (GEAR UP). This is a good draw and very unique for minimate packaging. Major kudos for this design, you got to love seeing what all you get. Not to mention this should get good store display mileage and draw people in. The back shows stages of gearing up along with the other figures available in the series.

The Special Ops pack comes with two figures, both with full gear (torso jacket, knee pads), one helmet with open face another with night-vision goggles, four handheld guns, two large guns, one large shotgun, jaws of life and two hair pieces (red & brown). They both have the same facial detail and expression. Would have been nice to have one with a more animated facial expression. Only one figure has shirt detail on the front, the other is blank green, I find this a bit odd as to why both wouldn’t have the same shirt detail. The sculpt of the torso jacket is outstanding, very detailed with good paint apps too. There’s even holders on the front for the handheld guns, a com device on the shoulder that connects to the back. Good job on the helmets too, lines up well with the face and fits snug (heads have the usual peg hole). Some of the larger guns are more difficult for the figures to hold, the kids had a difficult time getting them in the hands. But to have such a large assortment is very nice. And the Jaws of Life, oh my goodness is that thing cool, either holding it with two hands or going for the one hand claw look. So many different ways to display (gear up) and a bevy of accessories, what’s not to love! This was the kids favorite set, with the Law Enforcement a close second.
4 out of 5 (kids give 5 out of 5)


Elite Heroes: Law Enforcement
The Law Enforcement pack has the same packaging setup. Comes with two figures with full gear for each (police vest, boots, pads, arms and gloves), two helmets, one gas mask, two officer hats (blonde and brown), extra pair of regular arms and feet, four small guns, shotgun, large gun, riot smoke gun and cell phone, one of the figures has a belt with holster. Yes an insane amount of accessories, accessories to the MAX  And if you check the pictures you’ll see what looks like a clear blank (torso, waist and legs) used to hold the extra arms, vest and boots. If you got a spare head lying around, then this is like getting three figures in this set. Same facial expression on both figures, and again one with front uniform shirt detail, the other is blank. The helmets have a visor but not so easy to flip up like the pilot helmet, it’s easier to just leave off if you want to. The gas mask is one we’ve seen before in T2 line with a nice repaint and the office hats are good too. The police vests have gun holders for the pistols with a lot of sculpt details. The one large gun has a peg, but I can’t find a corresponding peghole in the vest to hold it. The large black boots and pads stand out well again the officer blue color of the figures. Another really good set!
4 ½ out of 5


Elite Heroes: Fire Fighters
There’s two fire fighter sets, this one is the regular set. Ladder 77 (yes, I love that!) helmets that are black with red circle number and both jackets are closed. Two figures with full gear (helmet, jacket, arms and feet), two axes, spear, red fire extinguisher, helmet with smoke mask, search light with strap, oxygen tank and the jaws of life. There is an extra clear blank torso piece that holds the extra jacket & arms. Same facial expression for both figures and they both have the chest shirt detail with suspenders (nice touch). The black and yellow jackets stand out very well and are good sculpted pieces. The oxygen tank can fit over the jacket too to give the full geared up appearance. The helmets are really really cool, especially the one with the attached gas mask. A nice grouping of accessories too, the always fun jaws of life and the minimate sized fire extinguisher are standouts of the group. Overall I really love these fire fighter sets, they really nailed the look and great gear.
4 ½ out of 5


Elite Heroes: Fire Fighters, Fire Chief
This set is the same as the other fire fighter set with just a few differences. Same accessories and figures. These have two red helmets (one regular red helmet, one gas mask red helmet) and one black regular helmet. Also one of the jackets is open in the front. Guess the chief gets to wear red and open his jacket ;)
4 ½ out of 5


Elite Heroes: Smoke Jumpers
The last sets we have are the Smoke Jumpers, similar to the fire fighters but they’re out there battling forest fires. Two figures with full gear (helmet, jacket, arms and feet), two axes, spear, chainsaw, helmet with smoke mask, search light with strap, oxygen tank and circular saw. There is an extra clear blank torso piece that holds the extra jacket & arms. Same facial expression for both figures and they both have the chest shirt detail with suspenders. The jackets and legs are brown and yellow and they have yellow helmets with the regular ones with visors. The oxygen tank can fit over the jacket too to give the full geared up appearance. Other accessories in these sets are the circular saw and a chainsaw (repaint of the one seen in Charm City Cakes set). Same as the fire fighters they really nailed the look and power tools to boot!
4 ½ out of 5


Elite Heroes: Smoke Jumpers, Fire Chief
This set is the same as the other smoke jumpers set with just a few differences. Same accessories and figures. These have two white helmets (one regular white helmet, one gas mask white helmet) and one yellow regular helmet. Also one of the jackets is open in the front. The chief gets to wear white and open his jacket ;)
4 ½ out of 5


Wrap up
My favorite was the Fire Fighters and Smoke Jumpers, just spot on for what you expect them to look like. The kids liked the Special Ops and Law Enforcement. However we all agreed that having the entire set was best because we had the most fun playing and swapping uniforms/accessories between figures. It’s like having a whole rescue team at your command.
The vehicle set and figures stand up very well to play and to the constant removing of limbs/heads/etc. A good job was done on paint detail and sculpting of all accessories and gear with a lot of new items to add to the minimate arsenal.
This is a great start to the M.A.X. line. DST/AA have gone beyond what we could hope for with generics/civilians minimates and they’re a great entry point for newbies. The draw of mixing/matching/changing/creating is outstanding. There are so many possibilities with these figures, not to mention the tons of accessories!


Review by Bryan M.
The figures were provided by DST. All opinions are 100% mine.

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OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!! These look AWESOME DST! THANK YOU!!!

Wow. i am in total shock here. I was expecting 1 or 2 figs max. not an entire wave. I AM SO EXCITED!!!

I have to get these. Somehow. Some way. Oh man I am so friggin dead. Maybe we need a contest. yeah, DST needs to run a contest with a full wave. or... something.

SO psyced!

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The more I look at the firefighters, the more I dig them. I'll probably buy all the sets, because they are cool and to support this line.

I'll check the TRU computer tonight to see what the price point on these are going to be. For some reason I remember them being pretty cheap.

Edited by SouthFLGuy
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Colour me in awe. Those are brilliant!

I love them the figures are cool but its the amount of accessories that just blows me away. They are perfect for using with any of the Marvel/DC figures..and um I'm speechless just completely flabbergasted by them.

I hope these sell well I really do as they could appeal to a wide range. I can imagine a kid enjoying these as action figures and then finding out they do superheroes in the same style, that would be a mind blower.

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I can imagine a kid enjoying these as action figures and then finding out they do superheroes in the same style, that would be a mind blower.

You should have seen the reaction of the kids that looked at these sets with me when I showed them my Marvel & DC minimates; instant top of their Christmas Wish Lists.

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WOWZERS! These look spectacular! I can't wait for these to hit stores!

I only have one complaint... do they all have to be white guys? How about a female cop? Or some ethnic diversity?

We'll end up with the 90's Diversity Team , 1 white douche guy, one black guy, one asian female, and one dude in a wheelchair.

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WOWZERS! These look spectacular! I can't wait for these to hit stores!

I only have one complaint... do they all have to be white guys? How about a female cop? Or some ethnic diversity?

We'll end up with the 90's Diversity Team , 1 white douche guy, one black guy, one asian female, and one dude in a wheelchair.

Well, for me it's about kids who pick these up seeing themselves reflected in their real world heroes. I think that's really powerful for kids. Plus, I want my son to know that there are women who are firefighters and cops who are Asian, etc. etc.

On another note, I think if there was some gender diversity it would garner some positive press and parents might buy these for their daughters and they'd sell to a wider audience which is good for the brand.

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WOWZERS! These look spectacular! I can't wait for these to hit stores!

I only have one complaint... do they all have to be white guys? How about a female cop? Or some ethnic diversity?

We'll end up with the 90's Diversity Team , 1 white douche guy, one black guy, one asian female, and one dude in a wheelchair.

Well, for me it's about kids who pick these up seeing themselves reflected in their real world heroes. I think that's really powerful for kids. Plus, I want my son to know that there are women who are firefighters and cops who are Asian, etc. etc.

On another note, I think if there was some gender diversity it would garner some positive press and parents might buy these for their daughters and they'd sell to a wider audience which is good for the brand.

I wouldn't know. I played with Legos and Transformers as a kid. Yellow people and giant robots.

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I could easy go for some different skin tones. If these sell well It could easy happen in later packs. There has to be more specialist fire teams or equipment, Cops etc and there are lots of variations for army troops. So female or Skin colours are easy to slot in if sales go well.

Plus wasn't there a fire engine? so vehicles could a way of addressing this.

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