Drop Ship

Parent Page: Technology

Drop Ship
Vehicle
User(s) Hero Factory Heroes Status In use

Drop Ships, or Hero Craft^{[Episode 1][SM1][SM2][SM3][SM4]} or Hero Ship,^{[Episode 6]} are used by the Hero Factory to transport Hero Pods and Heroes, and are also used to provide air support to Heroes on the ground. The ships are the Heroes' main modes of transport.^[FO:MSG]

History

Drop Ships were created by the Hero Factory to aid heroes. They are equipped with the ability to transition in hyperspace.

A Drop Ship was used by Thresher and Preston Stormer when they captured Voltix. Stormer and Jimi Stringer used a Drop Ship to go to a mining colony where they were found by XT4. XT4 then stole it and sent it to Asteroid J-54 where he was chased by Dunkan Bulk and Von Ness in another Drop Ship. Black Phantom used his scout ship to make Stormer and Stringer, who were piloting their own Drop Ship go to an ore space freighter with engines that were rigged to explode to try to destroy them, and he escaped with Speeda Demon and Splitface. Stormer and Stringer's Drop Ship was almost destroyed by the freighter when the freighter exploded. XT4 used his stolen Drop Ship again to escape with Voltix and Toxic Reapa, and Toxic Reapa made Bulk and Von Ness's Drop Ship unable to fly, so Bulk and Von Ness could not catch the villains, and were trapped on the asteroid. He and Stringer were saved by Thresher in his own Drop Ship, and then Thresher picked up Bulk and Von Ness.^[SM2]

Thresher, Stormer, and Von Ness took a Drop Ship on their mission to New Stellac City. However, Von Ness stole this ship and used it to flee the area when he grew too afraid of the impending threat, which was a giant, rampaging robot.^{[Episode 2][Episode 4][C4]}

Bulk used a Drop Ship to get to a planet in the Omega system, where Core Hunter robbed a piece of the Doom Box from a bank. Stormer used a Drop Ship to get to Geb's planet, where Stormer knew that Core Hunter was hiding. He used it again to ambush Core Hunter's duplicate in his room in his hideout. Stringer docked a Drop Ship with a freighter to face the real Core Hunter, who ended up stealing the ship. It was taken over remotely by Hero Factory and Core Hunter was piloted to Makuhero City, where he was apprehended.^[SM1]

Rise of the Rookies

The Alpha 1 Team frequently used the Drop Ships during their encounters with Von Nebula's gang. They chased down XPlode and Rotor in one, and launched a Hero Pod from it, tricking the villains into attacking that while the Heroes safely landed the ship.^{[C1][Episode 1]}

On a mission to stop Corroder, Natalie Breez used the Drop Ship to evacuate workers from the construction site, then returned, leading Corroder to believe another team was arriving to face him.^{[C2][Episode 2]}

William Furno piloted the ship, using the opportunity to dodge between asteroids. He was called to Mekron City for an emergency, but rushed it back to the Hero Factory after Meltdown infected Preston Stormer. The other Heroes of the Alpha Team used a ship to acquire a cure from the planetoid Lunar Tratix.^{[Episode 3][C3]}

It is implied that the veteran members of the Alpha 1 Team used their Drop Ship to get to New Stellac City, where they had to investigate a meteor crash. Then, after Von Nebula and four of his henchmen were defeated, the veteran Heroes, along witn their rookies, used the Drop Ship to go back to the Hero Factory right before the veteran Heroes were interviewed by Daniela Capricorn.^{[Episode 4]}

At one time, a Drop Ship, used by one of the designated Hero Factory pilots, was used against Vapor, providing cover for Bulk while Furno drove his Furno Bike to assist.^[S!] Vapor got arrested,^[FO:MSG] but it is unknown if Bulk, Furno, and the pilot were the ones who defeated and captured him.

Ordeal of Fire

Stormer, Breez, Furno, and Surge took a Drop Ship to a refueling station called Tanker Station 22 besieged by Fire Lord and his gang. They attempted to use the ship to evacuate the civilians, but were cornered by Fire Lord. Surge drew fire away, and the Heroes escaped with the station workers. After Stormer, Furno, and Breez got their upgrades, they used the Drop Ship to go back to the refueling station to fight the villains again and rescue Surge.^{[Episode 5]}

Savage Planet

Professor Aldous Witch once used a ship similar to a Drop Ship to fly to the planet Quatros as part of his plot to mine the Quaza stone from the planet's core, but the ship got damaged and became unable to fly again when he got to the planet. Daniel Rocka later flew a Drop Ship down to Quatros to investigate a distress call from the Professor. After reports of trouble on the jungle planet, a group of Alpha 1 members consisting of Stormer, Furno, Stringer, Bulk, and Julius Nex used a Drop Ship to assist the fallen Rocka.^{[C6][Episode 6]}

Breakout

After the breakout, Stormer, Furno, Surge, and Nathan Evo used a Drop Ship to carry their recaptured villains back to the Hero Factory building.^{[Episode 9]}

Later on, Drop Ships were used by the Alpha 1 Team to chase Core Hunter who was seeking to reassemble the Doom Box. Six of the Heroes used one of their Drop Ships to get to the location where the Doom Box was forged, and they brought Arctur with them. The Heroes later got in the ship with the deactivated Doom Box, although Arctur was a casualty.^[SM1]

Brain Attack

Stringer flew a Drop Ship to Tranquis VII, but the Brains destroyed it in their invasion of the planet.^[SM4]

After his decision to destroy the Valiant, which was hurtling toward Hero Factory, was made, Bulk sent a fleet of thirteen Drop Ships to destroy the ship, even though his teammates, Rocka, Breez, and Stormer, were in it. Evo, in one of the Drop Ships, commanded the fleet, but got new orders from Furno to use their tractor beams. Six of the Drop Ships' beams held the Valiant in place, but the Brain-infected commander of the ship, who possessed Kirch, began firing on the Drop Ships, destroying two of them. Bulk and Furno used their own Drop ship to get to the Valiant. The Drop Ships that survived were later brought back to Hero Factory.^[SM3]

A new kind of Drop Ship was created with camouflaging abilities and an electromagnetic pulse emitter. A prototype of the ship was used by Bulk and Furno to fly to Tranquis VII in pursuit of Stringer after he gave out a distress call. Disguised as a cargo ship, they were surrounded by three pirate vessels and then attacked by a gigantic pirate battle cruiser. Forced to flee, Bulk pulled the ship behind a moon and left, and landed on Tranquis VII, near its only city called Tranquis. A small group of Brain-possessed robots patrolled the ship after the Heroes left. Stringer, who got possessed by a Brain, noticed the ship's chameleon circuit during the time. On the next day, Stringer used the Drop Ship to contact the Hero Factory and deliver a false message to Stormer. Later on, Stormer remotely controlled the ship and created the illusion of a winged, six-headed solar steel dragon that can travel in other space, eats organic life, and shot lasers, scaring the Brain-possessed robots away. Stormer flew the ship to the city, to a communications tower where Furno and Stringer were in, and saved Stringer, who was attempting to jump out of a building while being controlled by a Brain. Stormer gave the ship back to Bulk and Karter, who used it to ram underground, damaging the ship, before the two went to stop Dumacc, who was possessed by a Brain, from activating Project Sunstorm.^[SM4]

Invasion From Below

A new Drop Ship in Invasion From Below

Before Mission: Invasion From Below happened, a new kind of Drop Ships was created. Evo used one of these Drop Ships to get to Antropolis City, carrying the Evo Walker with him. After he called the Alpha 1 Team for backup against the Jumpers in the city, Stormer, Furno, Rocka, Bulk, Surge, and Breez used another of the Drop Ships to get to the city, bringing in their Remote Builder. After Stormer and Furno were kidnapped by the Jumpers, Breez called for reinforcements, and the reinforcements used many Drop Ships to get to the city to fight the Jumpers. After Stormer and Furno were rescued and then the Heroes made the Jumpers disappear, they are using their Drop Ships to get back home, unaware that they are accidentally bringing a Jumper, which is sleeping in an unhatched cocoon in the Alpha 1 Team's Drop Ship for an unknown reason, with them.^{[Episode 11]}

Features

A one-manned Drop Ship

Drop Ships come in a variety of sizes, and they can carry anywhere from one to twelve Heroes. One of the types of Drop Ship is a single-manned vehicle, which carries a normal-sized Hero Pod in its rear compartment. Another is a larger vehicle that is also flown, and can hold up to twelve Heroes^[FO:MSG] and six normal-sized Hero Pods.^{[Episode 1]} The large Drop Ship is so large that it can be piloted by the Witch Doctor.^{[C6][Episode 6]} The ships can travel at light speed,(shown in the Drop Ship's LEGO.com description) and can maneuver well.^[SM1] They also have fins.(shown in the Drop Ship's LEGO.com description)

The small Drop Ships have tough armor, two soft exhaust hoses, and stealth wings that can flap.(shown in the Drop Ship's LEGO.com description) They also use a laser sighting system to find their targets.(Is this from a late 2010 Lego Magazine?)

The pilot is protected by a cockpit vario-field, and there is a holding bay underneath the ship to accommodate the Hero Pods, so that they can be transported and deployed for missions.^{[HFPM, p. 13][FO:MSG, p. 20]} The Drop Ships can activate energy shields around themselves.^[SM2] Each of the small Drop Ships has a clamping part of the holding bay that can grab onto a small Hero Pod, and the clamping part releases the Hero Pod to drop it. The larger Drop Ships have slots that fit small Hero Pods, and the Hero Pods can be launched from the Drop Ships before the Heroes inside can fly them.^{[C1][Episode 1]} Each of the Drop Ships has a system called the Life Support Beacon, which automatically keeps the Heroes from freezing up in outer space when the ship got destroyed in a certain way.^[SM2] It also has a homing beacon, so the Hero Factory can track the ship down. The Hero Factory can remotely control the Drop Ships from afar by touching an auto-control button.^[SM1][SM4] The vehicles come with a hyperdrive system that allows for fast inter-galactic travel.^{[Episode 6]} A Hero can send a signal that can unlock a docked Drop Ship's hatch and power up the ship.^[SM1]

A Drop Ship pilot

Each Drop Ship is equipped with a cannon called an H-Force Launcher.^{[HFPM, p. 13][FO:MSG, p. 20]} The large Drop Ships are also fully armed.^[SM3][SM4]

The Drop Ships can create a tractor beam, which can hold targets in place or pull them to themselves, but when the target was larger, the beam would not be powerful enough to hold it. The beams can be reversed, so they can push the targets. Many Drop Ships can combine their tractor beams into one to grab a larger target. Six Drop Ships can use the tractor beams together to hold onto a space ship as large as the Valiant.^[SM3][SM4]

There are old models of the Drop Ships. One was used by Stringer when he was after Core Hunter in the freighter while Core Hunter hid a piece of the Doom Box in the freighter. The Hero Factory can control this kind of Drop Ship remotely by touching the auto-control button.^[SM1]

There are recent Drop Ships where each has a chameleon circuit, which allows the ship to be disguided either in flight or upon landing. It also has an electromagnetic pulse emitter, which can shut down anything mechanical that gets in the ship' way. The ship also has a chameleon screen in a small compartment its main consoles, which can be flipped opened. The screen can be used to activate the ship's chameleon function. Bulk and Furno used a prototype of such a Drop Ship during Mission: Robot Rampage. This ship later got damaged during the mission.^{[SM4][FO:MSG]}

There is a newer kind of Drop Ships, which have a slightly different design from the large Drop Ships, and orange highlights. These ships do not carry Hero Pods or have weapons attached to them. Each of the ships can contain a Battle Machine as small as the Evo Walker. These ships are used during Mission: Invasion From Below.^{[Episode 11]}

The Drop Ships have numbers that distinguish them from others (for examples, "HF-1" or "Hero Craft 1").^{[C1][C6][SM1][SM2][SM4][Episode 11]} They also have the acronym "HFAC" on their wings.

Pilots who pilot the small Drop Ships are Heroes with unique armor.

Set Information

Set 7160 Drop Ship was released in mid-2010. The set represents a one-manned Drop Ship. It consists 390 pieces, including 13 pieces for building an unnamed pilot and four silver spheres, which can be loaded into the set's launcher, the H-Force Launcher (also called the H4-Force Ball Shooter in the set's LEGO.com description) to serve as ammunition (the same launcher as Bionicle's Midak Skyblasters). Additionally, the set includes a sticker sheet for decorating some of the pieces. The launcher could be fired by spinning a wheel on the top. Additionally, on the underside the set had a handle, a trigger, and two grasping arms which can be used to carry a canister from any Hero set (representing a Hero Pod). The canister can be grasped by pulling the trigger, and dropped by releasing it. The wings move down when the arms are opened, and move back up when the arms are closed. It is possible to apply the function to Bionicle's Stars set canisters in 2010 and the Hero set canisters in 2011 (both early and late 2011 set canisters) due to their same shape.

Trivia

• The one-manned Drop Ship and its pilot from the Drop Ship set never appeared in the Television Episodes for some reason.
• Hero Factory employees have ships similar to the standard large kind of Drop Ship. These ships are owned by Hero Factory as well.^{[C6][Episode 6]}
• In Comic 4: Von Nebula Rising, Furno, Breez, and Surge used a Drop Ship to get to New Stellac City, but in Episode 4: Von Nebula, they used three Hero Pods. The information in Episode 4 is canon.
• The Legion of Darkness had two scout ships that are somewhat similar to the standard large kind of Drop Ship. The scout ships could shoot energy bolts and rockets. Each of them could drop a missile. It had the ability to split apart its small cockpit from its wings and tail, and the cockpit would then speed away.^[SM2]

Appearances

• Secret Mission 2: Legion of Darkness (In a Flashback)
• Comic 1: Trials of Furno (First Appearance)
• Episode 1: Trials of Furno
• Comic 2: Core Crisis
• Episode 2: Core Crisis
• Comic 3: The Enemy Within
• Episode 3: The Enemy Within
• Comic 4: Von Nebula Rising
• Episode 4: Von Nebula
• Hero Factory Promotional Magazine
• Hero Factory FM (Mentioned Only)
• Showdown!
• Comic 5: Ordeal of Fire (Non-canonical Appearance)
• Episode 5: Ordeal of Fire
• Comic 6: Savage Planet
• Episode 6: Savage Planet Part 1
• Comic 7: Savage Planet 2
• Episode 7: Savage Planet Part 2
• Episode 9: Breakout Part 2
• Secret Mission 1: The Doom Box
• Secret Mission 3: Collision Course
• Secret Mission 4: Robot Rampage
• Face Off: Makuro's Secret Guidebook
• Episode 11: Invasion From Below

See also

• Hero Pod
• Gallery:Vehicles - Drop Ship

External links

• 7160 Drop Ship Building Instructions on LEGO.com (Book 1)
• 7160 Drop Ship Building Instructions on LEGO.com (Book 2)