This is an interesting question, honestly. I’m going to have to go through them all…
Bamboo Disks; Mctoran Arms
A pretty decent gimmick, similar to the Throwbot arms but with actually a bit more power and range to it. The disks themselves are fine, decent little collectibles with a nice printing of the OG masks, but they’re not really something to write home about.
One mold. 1/3
Six prints, pretty nice looking. 2/3
No in-universe powers, but still helpful in a pinch. 0.5/3
Arm is small, but has only one connection point and a weird shape. 1/3
Surprisingly forceful and reliable, projectile only falls out at weird angles. 2.5/3
Overall: 7/15
Krana; Krana Holder (Yes I’m counting these, shush)
Pretty great from a collecting standpoint, with a gazillion different colors and eight different molds. Unless you have a thick wallet and unhealthy obsession you’re never going to be able to collect all (or even most) of them, but it does mean that the ones you do get will all be fairly distinct and unique. As for the launcher, it’s alright; its design means that it’s down to the surrounding build to decide whether the krana falls out easily or how much power launching it has.
Eight molds. 3/3
Eighteen colors. 3/3
Interesting in-universe powers. 3/3
Holder is small, alright shape, but only one connection point. 2/3
Force, reliability, looseness reliant on surrounding build. 1/3
Overall: 12/15
Metru Disks; Disk Launchers/Vahki
The disks here are a lot more engaging than the ones from 01; while it’s still just the same six prints for the most part, (albeit really beautifully-designed prints with a great art-deco aesthetic) the number code system gives it some extra variability. The launchers themselves are a bit bigger but still can be integrated into builds relatively easily; though the squeezing function (as opposed to the old flinging) can be a bit weaksauce at times.
One mold. 1/3
Six beautiful prints + codes. 3/3
Interesting in-universe powers. 3/3
Launchers medium size, somewhat weird shape, multiple connection points. 2/3
Not loose, but unreliable and weak launching. 1/3
Overall: 10/15
Rhotuka Spinners; Rhotuka Launchers
I have mixed feelings on these. In theory they’re pretty great, but in execution… They could be better. Probably my biggest gripe is that there was nothing inherent to indicate the powers each had; it was entirely reliant on who was firing it.
One mold. 1/3
A few colors, but mostly just silver. 2/3
In-universe powers don’t correlate to color or shaping. 2/3
Small launcher, lots of connections, but ripcord is obtrusive. 2/3
Looseness depends on build. Launching force extremely variable. 2/3
Overall: 9/15
Zamor Spheres; Zamor Shooters
These honestly aren’t all that bad, but I’ll admit that my general anti-'06 bias does lead me to skip these over a lot of the time when MoCing. Still, I’ll try to give them a fair shake.
One mold. 1/3
A few colors, but mostly just green. 2/3
In-universe powers are limited. 2/3
Medium launcher, lots of connections, but weird shape. 2/3
Extremely loose, but powerful and reliably so. 2/3
Overall: 9/15
Squids; Squid Launchers
Honestly not the worst thing ever… but still pretty terrible.
One mold. 1/3
A couple colors, but mostly just orange. 2/3
In-universe power is meh. 1/3
Medium launcher, weird floppy shape, only one connection. 1/3
Floppy and loose, no power, reliably sucks. 0/3
Overall: 5/15
Cordak Missiles; Cordak Blasters
I have really mixed feelings on these too. Excellent in theory, but in practice these have issues.
One mold. 1/3
Only color is red. 1/3
It… explodes. Whoo. 1/3
Super bulky launcher, two connections, alright shape. 1/3
Stays snug, but fires unreliably with variable power. 2/3
Overall: 6/15
Shadow Leeches; Tridax Pod
These are alright, but I still wish the shadow leeches had been Kratta instead.
One mold. 1/3
One color for each involved piece, but it’s at least colorful? 2/3
Decent in-universe powers. 1.5/3
Bulky torso dropper with weird shape, but lotsa connections. 1/3
Snug fit, splits reliably, powered by gravity. 2.5/3
Overall: 8/15
Midak Skyblasters
They’re at least kind of a step up in some ways, but their bulk and weight is just ridiculous.
One mold. 1/3
It’s all silver. 1/3
Single power, but awesome power. 1.5/3
Bulky AF, but good shape to build around with decent connections. 1.5/3
Snug fit, reliable and extremely forceful fire. 3/3
Overall: 8/15
Nynrah Ghost Blasters
These ones I like because they were actually buildable, and unlike the tridax pods weren’t stuck being part of a torso, but they still felt kinda underwhelming. I feel like a redesign with more unique projectiles could do them good.
Do I even need to say it? 1/3
Monochromatic pieces, but a colorful assembly. 2/3
Powers once again purely based on who’s firing. 2/3
Medium launcher, alright shape, good connections. 2/3
Snug fit, but unreliable and weak. 1/3
Overall: 7/15
Thornax Launchers
I like how Hero Factory created some variants on this idea for a bit more customization, but they could have gone further. The backwards compatibility with the Zamor spheres was also nice.
Non-canon alternate molds. 2/3
Monochrome again. 1/3
It… explodes. Wh- Wait, it’s a fruit? 2/3 (for silliness)
Small launcher, good shape, meh connections. 2.5/3
Snug fit, reliable, but not amazing. 2.5/3
Overall: 11/15
Protector Miniguns
This one’s a bit weird since the launcher is the main feature; the projectiles we got were underwhelming, but the system compatibility kinda-sorta opens the door for custom ammo, dependent mainly on space and weight constraints. There’s a lot to like, here.
One mold, but potential custom ammo. 1.5/3
Launcher comes in three colors, but projectiles could be anything! 2.5/3
It… explodes. Whoo. 1/3
Small launcher, good shape, decent connections. 2.5/3
Snug but can pop, reliable and powerful. 2.5/3
Overall: 10/15
Honestly none of them are perfect, but for me the Krana and Protector launchers come out on top; the former for their sheer collectability and solid story backing; for the latter for their compact but versatile design and reliable shooting.
One interesting thing is how the focus slowly shifted away from the projectiles and more toward the launcher, culminating with just normal studs at the end. Whereas with the early years shaping/printing and color told you what sort of in-universe power you’d be getting, that end of things got flattened out more and more and the projectiles themselves became more uniform, ammunition rather than collectibles. As far as building goes, it kinda wavered, but there was definitely a ■■■■■toward bigger and bigger, culminating with the Phantoka stuff, before gradually downsizing again. Play-wise, '07 was kind of the nadir for actual functionality, but that got followed up with some of the most reliable and strong launchers in the whole lineup.
Now I just wish they could make something as compact, customizable, and reliable as the miniguns, but create interesting and unique collectables for it to fire, with equally versatile in-universe powers.
…
I spent way too much time and effort on this, whoops.