Snap Ships – Build to Battle Review
Humanity is under attack from an alien threat… Do you have what it takes to “Build to Battle”?
Snap Ships Review
Snap Ships – Build to Battle is a clever modular building toy from Play Monster, who is also known for toys like Automoblox and Marbleocity and board games like Island of El Dorado, Farkle, Set, and the classic Stratego.
The most beloved and famous modular building system in the world has to be is LEGO building blocks. I have loved LEGO most of my life and to this day still spend time with my kids playing and building with them. I love how you can make anything your imagination can come up with and with the different types of blocks available, you can!
Snap Ships are similar to LEGO but with beautifully sculpted spacecraft parts. At the core there are square blocks that snap together making up the base structure, you then add the different parts to create the perfect ship. From cockpits to laser cannons to fuel tanks there are all the different components you would expect.
Each model comes with two to three different building instructions, but with your imagination, there’s no limit to the number of different designs you can come up with. Add that to the fact you can mix and match sets and you can keep busy for quite some time.
My kids have made tons of different designs with the two sets we got – the Sabre XF-Interceptor and the Scarab K.L.A.W. Interceptor. We later added the Locust K.L.A.W. Stealth Craft as a birthday gift for my six year-old, who loves these toys.
There are two different factions, The Forge and the Komplex and each comes with six different ships:
The Forge:
- Lance SV-51 Scout
- Scythe AV-19 Tank
- Sabre XF-Interceptor
- Trident ST-33 Gunship
- Gladius AC-75 Drop Ship
The Komplex:
- Locust K.L.A.W. Stealth Craft
- Sawfly K.L.A.W. Minelayer
- Scarab K.L.A.W. Interceptor
- Scorpion K.L.A.W. Troop Dropper
- There is also a special pack that comes with the Wasp K.L.A.W. Heavy Fighter and Flax SC-41 Escort.
In addition to the physical toy, Snap Ships also has a youtube series that chronicles the battle between the Forge and the Komplex. You can find it at Dawn of Battle Youtube series – https://www.snapships.com/#video. There is also an interactive App at https://www.snapships.com/#our_app. From there you can watch the series, play the game, and find building instructions.
Quality
Overall the quality is very good. Some of the connections can get a little loose, but that’s the exception, not the rule. My single complaint is the UJU technology (guns you can add on that actually fire) which comes with each set. Both of ours broke after the first couple of times shooting them.
The packaging is really cool, the tops can be used as base plates so you can have a nice showpiece for your desk. When you first get the sets they come in really nice poly shrink inserts. However, after one play it’s tough getting all the parts back in like they came out. I ended up tossing mine and using a resealable bag to store them in.
Each set also comes with a cool micro figure that can fit in the cockpit of the ship, however they are very small so keep an eye on them so they don’t get lost.
Can the whole family enjoy Snap Ships?
For me, Snap Ships is a hit!
It nails all the major toy needs including building, imagination, and replayability. The quality is decent and there is a lot of extra material that goes along with them. My kids also really love them.
My thirteen year-old thinks they’re a smart idea. The system works well and the tool, that comes with the sets, is very handy. He also loves all the different building options and how cool they look once made.
My 11 year-old loves the endless possibilities on what you can make. He also likes the custom pieces that make the ship parts. He loves the core system of shaping the ships with linking blocks and is also a collector of things and loves that there are so many sets he can get.
My 8 year-old really enjoyed the endless building possibilities as well. He came up with dozens of designs which you can see in the images below. He found the instructions very easy to follow and can put together the sets in minutes.
My 6 year-old loves to build and go on adventures with them! He isn’t much on words. 😀
All-in-all a great fit for the whole family and I would recommend you pick these up if you have building toy, space fans in the house.
About the Author
Dane is an Advertising Manager for a national magazine by day and a husband, father of four, and board gamer by night (and mornings). He has a passion for board games and believes board games help bring families closer together while providing kids a unique way to learn many diverse skills. And he thinks they are downright fun!!! He also loves playing with toys.
