Lore FortressThe Robots of Exo-Force: Iron Drones, Devastators and Battle Machines
The robot army of LEGO Exo-Force is built in layers, with Iron Drones as foot soldiers and Devastators as elite pilots under Meca One, flying battle machines copied from stolen human designs.
The enemy in LEGO Exo-Force isn't a horde of faceless monsters. It's a working army with ranks, factories and a clear doctrine, and it has one flaw that the humans keep exploiting: the robots are logical, and they can't create anything new. (LEGO Exo-Force online comics)
The ranks#
Iron Drones make up the bulk of the army. They're tough, obedient and produced in huge numbers. They don't think much, and in a straight fight they win by being more than the humans can shoot. (LEGO Exo-Force sets)
Devastators are the elite. They're smarter and faster, and they fly the best machines and give orders in the field. The story's most unusual moment belongs to one of them. Trapped underground with Ha-Ya-To and a creature that hunts machines, a Devastator accepts a truce, and at the end chooses to walk away rather than take the code, admitting its own choice was illogical and needs review. (LEGO Exo-Force online comics)
Battle machines#
The first wave of robot machines in 2006 were the Thunder Fury, the Fire Vulture and the Sonic Phantom, led by the giant Striking Venom. The Golden City wave added the Shadow Crawler, a three-legged stalker with cloaking that carried a human prisoner in a pod to deter return fire, along with the Iron Condor and the Mobile Devastator. The prisoner pods tell you how the robots think. They've calculated that the humans won't shoot at full power. (LEGO Exo-Force sets)
Why they can't win quickly#
Sensei Keiken spells out the problem for the humans. Courage doesn't change the numbers, and the robots can always build faster. But they can only build what they've seen. They scan prisoners, capture machines and modify human work. That's how a Fire Vulture ends up flying a human pilot's trademark manoeuvre, and it's why Ryo's virus, which wiped their stolen design data, hurt them more than any battle. (LEGO Exo-Force online comics)
Their logic can also be used against them. Hikaru beats a Sonic Phantom by flying directly at it, knowing a rational pilot will swerve, and a screeching commlink signal found by accident by Hitomi freezes the drones during a siege. (LEGO Exo-Force online comics)
Frequently asked questions
- What are the robot types in Exo-Force?
- Iron Drones are the mass-produced foot soldiers and Devastators are the smarter elite troops who pilot the best machines. Meca One commands them all.
- Can the Exo-Force robots invent things?
- No. The story's main weakness for them is that they can only copy. Their battle machines come from human designs they steal, which is why Ryo wiping their data hurts them so badly.
- What is the Striking Venom?
- The largest robot battle machine of 2006, a four-legged walker that Meca One pilots himself in the attack on Sentai Fortress.
Sources
- ComicLEGO Exo-Force online comics, The LEGO Group, 2005 to 2008
- BookLEGO Exo-Force chapter books, Greg Farshtey, Scholastic, 2006 to 2007
- WebLEGO Exo-Force sets, The LEGO Group, 2006 to 2008
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
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Hikaru is Exo-Force's cool-headed tactician and marksman, the pilot of the Stealth Hunter, who risked expulsion to fly into robot territory on a rescue nobody had attempted before.
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Mentioned in3 entries
Hikaru: the Exo-Force Pilot Who Broke Orders
Hikaru is Exo-Force's cool-headed tactician and marksman, the pilot of the Stealth Hunter, who risked expulsion to fly into robot territory on a rescue nobody had attempted before.
LEGO Exo-Force Story Explained: Sentai Mountain to the Golden City
The whole story of LEGO Exo-Force in order, from the robot rebellion that split Sentai Mountain in two to the hunt for the Golden City and the jungle arc that was never finished.
Meca One: the Golden Robot Behind the Exo-Force War
Meca One is the golden robot who turned the machines of Sentai Mountain against their makers. He leads the robot army of LEGO Exo-Force, and he was built by the man who now fights him.
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