Review: 71479 Zoey's Cat Motorcycle
Posted by benbacardi,
LEGO's continuing its latest in-house IP with the DREAMZzz theme, releasing 14 more sets this year that tie in with the TV show's second series.
71479 Zoey's Cat Motorcycle is one of the smaller sets available, featuring a returning character previously available in the first wave last year, a new antagonist, and a rather unusual-looking cat. Or motorcycle. Or turbo-powered flying feline? I let my six-year-old build the set for me, and then borrowed it to take some photos and see what I thought of what is, at first glance, a bit confusing!
Summary
71479 Zoey's Cat Motorcycle, 226 pieces.
£17.99 / $19.99 / €19.99 | 8.0p/8.8c/8.8c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
An unusual and quirky set with a couple of great minifigures, let down slightly by its awkward-looking main build.
- Excellent minifigures
- Fun and unique motorcycle
- Awkward cat
- Not the most stable of builds
- Changing configurations not trivial
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
Two minifigures are included in the set; Zoey, one of the Dream Chasers (the "good guys"), and Dooper, a Nightmare Creature (one of the "bad guys", apparently an antagonistic doppleganger of another Dream Chaser, Cooper, created by the Never Witch).
Both minifigures are new to sets this year, and both outfits fully printed with excellent detail. Zoey's comprises dark blue trousers and a jacket with azure and coral highlights and belt, a couple of zipped pockets, and the Dream Chasers' emblem on the chest. Dooper's black and grey tunic with vibrant yellow and pink detailing contrasts excellently, and I love the matching pink hands and hairpiece. The spiked shoulder pads complete the look, giving a definite "good versus evil" vibe to both figures.
Both characters have dual-printed heads. Zoey has a broad lopsided smile on one side, and a confident smirk on the other, with bright azure face paint streaked across the eyes, matching the rest of her outfit perfectly. Dooper's unhinged grin showing yellow teeth can be swapped for a concerned frown on the rear, and his unhealthy pale skin is dotted with grey flecks around the eyes, one of which is yellow and the other blue.
As adversaries, both minifigures are equipped with a weapon. Zoey's bow is recoloured in turquoise this year, and comes with two trans-blue arrows that can be clicked in and fired by flicking the end that protrudes out the rear. In contrast, Dooper wields a heavy-duty hammer in his signature colours of black and bright pink. I would have preferred the green 1x1 that forms part of the handle to match the yellow of his outfiit, though.
The key plot of the story revolves around one a "memory" being stolen by the Never Witch's raven. The raven returns from previous sets, and looks fantastic in black and trans-pink, using the dual-moulding technique that is common for animal pieces such as these. Its trophy, the memory, is represented by a printed 1x2 tile enclosed in a clear dome that can be attached beneath the raven as it flies off. The tile depicts a game console, controller, and "START!" button, and is included in three of the DREAMZzz sets released this year.
This is my first DREAMZzz set, and I was interested to see the instructions have been given more design treatment than many other sets. A number of full-page illustrations that look hand-drawn help bring the characters to life as you progress through the build.
The main model can be built into two alternative designs, both of which are included in the instruction booklet. Each section of the book is given its own colour used as the page background as well as various accents throughout the build process. This particularly helps to distinguish the different builds as you flick through, and I always love to see LEGO experimenting with instruction design.
Is it a cat?
The main build of the set is Zoey's cat, a large brick-built poseable cat with partly articulated limbs and a long tail. The four limbs are made of chunky macaroni pieces, and use large click joints at the hips and shoulders. The rear half of the cat is medium azure (a colour I am a big fan of), and the front half is dark blue. The shoulders are covered by large panels that are attached a little flimsily—they kept coming off during play. The detail on the cat's front paws are provided by a sticker, but the large curved panel representing the face is printed (and, not surprisingly, unique to this set).
There's space on the back for Zoey to stand, and a pair of handlebars for her to hold onto, though I wasn't able to position them in such a way that she actually held on—I don't think many children would worry about such a thing, though. Personally, I think the cat looks very awkward. The fixed curve of each leg makes it very difficult to pose in a natural position, and the exposed Technic axle holes at each ankle joint look out of place and don't allow the front paws to sit flat on the ground. As a cat, it's far from the most inspiring model…
Is it a motorcycle?
…but as the name of the set implies, there's more to this feline than meets the eye! Somehow, it's able to transform into … a motorcycle! (I guess this is the Dream World after all. Anything's possible.) A pair of large black wheels with azure tyres (single pieces, first introduced for SPIKE Prime and Mindstorms in 2020) are fitted between each pair of paws using the previously unsightly Technic axle joints. Additionally, a pair of silver exhaust pipes are connected to the cat's midriff, both emitting large blue flames. With the legs angled in a particular position, the effect is that of a rather unique motorcycle that actually looks pretty good!
The legs can, however, be moved to other positions, making for a very silly looking vehicle. Funnily enough, this isn't mentioned in the instructions.
Is it a… plane?
Alternatively, instructions are provided to build a turbo-powered flying cat instead of a motorcycle. The wheels are used as large jet engine fans either side of the cat's torso. In the photo below you can clearly see the remaining two stickers in the set applied to discs in the centre of the wheels, looking rather like vinyl records with concentric circles and music notation.
The flames previously used for the exhaust of the motorcycle now emit from the rear of the turbo engines instead, and both the fans and flames spin freely about their axis. In all configurations of the cat, the seat on the back remains for Zoey to pilot from.
Conclusion
At first, I wasn't convinced about this set. The cat is pretty awkward-looking, and the build isn't the most stable. However, while writing this review, I've come to appreciate the unique quirkiness of the motorcycle, and the minifigures really are excellent. I've also been watching my children play with the set during the time it's taken me to write this, and they've enjoyed it much more than I expect.
The box artwork asks "which one will you build?", and my two definitely prefer the motorcycle. Changing configurations isn't trivial, either, as you have to entirely disassemble the add-ons for one to build them up for the other. They also don't both use all the same parts, requiring you to keep some loose pieces to one side should you wish to change it up again.
That said, it's a relatively inexpensive set for an unusual motorcycle, a couple of great minifigures, and an opportunity to play along with the TV show. I'm glad LEGO is trying something different with DREAMZzzz, and weird as they may seem, you can't deny they have some appeal.
71479 Zoey's Cat Motorcycle is available at LEGO.com for £17.99 / $19.99 / €19.99.
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31 comments on this article
I hope that Raven gets recolored to 'normal' colors someday...
I never get a comment in early on a review!
I have no interest in Dreamzzz, but I quite like the re-colour of Jay's hair piece.
Zoey evidently has a soft spot for felines, given the bigger set where she has another gigantic cat that turns into either a peacock or an owl. I have the cat-owl sitting beside me on my desk as I type this, and I have to admit that I think it's the better set, slightly more expensive, but the cat is generally a better design.
I still don't get this whole theme.....granted, I haven't seen any of the TV show, but that didn't stop me from appreciating other TV show based Lego themes before. But this....it all just seems so completely random and nonsensical.
(I did like the Turtle Van though...that was just cute)
^ completely with you. Loved Monkie Kid before even seeing a single ep, but I just don't get this theme. More detail might help, this particular model feels a bit over-simplified. The theme reminds me of older themes that I didn't quite get either like Time Cruisers, Nexo Knights. I think it's all a bit too random for me.
Thanks for the review. 6-yr-olds are great. When my kid was that age, I was the 'parts monkey.' That is, I was responsible for searching for pieces and getting them ready for each step. Good times.
The cycle looks good. The rest, not so much. Decent little set especially considering Dreamzzz sales.
It's cute that Lego thinks it can reuse Ninjago Movie hairpieces for new characters. Especially bold to use Jay's, which was the redesign that radically changed his hair and face. He even has those freckles! Stop joking that it's this "Dooper" fellow, that's Jokerfied Maelstrom Movie Jay. His friends call him JMMJ.
I'm just happy to see Bohrok eyes continue to be used 23 years later.
You might have to be a kid to enjoy these sets. Crazy, huh?
There e are certainly better sets in Dreamzzz theme. I have to disagree on the minifigures though. Other sets have better figures I think. The gold one in 71475 for example, awesome. Other than that, the face print on the cat looks nice.
Looks like Lego's next big flop to me
This is a great set, it's very easy to go from "normal cat" to "motor cat" which invites a lot of "morphing time" play. A big hit in our house, and good value, we like it a lot (7yo boy).
Surprised to see so many people down on this theme. For me, it exudes the same wacky inventiveness we saw in the Lego Movie sets. And in the flesh, some of these look really good. My kid has the nightmare shark ship and it’s totally bonkers in a good way. (Her review: “It’s EPIC.”) The turtle van and big black horse also look fab.
@craiggrannell said:
"Surprised to see so many people down on this theme. For me, it exudes the same wacky inventiveness we saw in the Lego Movie sets. And in the flesh, some of these look really good. My kid has the nightmare shark ship and it’s totally bonkers in a good way. (Her review: “It’s EPIC.”) The turtle van and big black horse also look fab. "
For me it's the prices. They're on the level of licensed themes despite this being an original one. Yes, there are 2- or 3-in-1 features, new moulds and prints, and everything is pretty, but it's just too expensive.
@ChrisBricks81 said:
"Looks like Lego's next big flop to me"
Well, it's doing well so far...
@Ridgeheart said:
"Man, I love this theme. It's not as pulpy as the stuff I normally go for, but it's a breath of fresh air compared to SW's "needs more grey", DC's "needs more black", Ninjago's "needs more dragon" and Marvel's "needs more Hulkbuster".
That's not to say those themes are bad, but they are predictable. DREAMZzz is not that. I appreciate that a lot."
Well said.
I like Dreamzzz. A lot, actually. This set is in my price range and I will get this eventually, but for now the nightmare creatures set strikes my fancy a bit more. I just love this set too, you know. It's cute, it's quirky, imaginative and colorful. Not to mention that it probably goes well with the Z-Blob robot and Bunchu bunny, being at the same scale.
Fun stuff!
Now that Season 2 Part 2 of Dreamzzz is out, there's actually some more info on the motorcycle's lore. Apparently, it's the Dream World version of Zoey's pet cat named... Pyewhacket.
I'm not kidding. That is literally what Zoey named her cat. Seriously, what kind of name is Pyewhacket? Does the cat knock over pastries for some reason?
Buy the sets, skip the show. That should be everyone's mantra for Big Bang Themes by now.
@WolfpackBricksOfficial said:
"Now that Season 2 Part 2 of Dreamzzz is out, there's actually some more info on the motorcycle's lore. Apparently, it's the Dream World version of Zoey's pet cat named... Pyewhacket.
I'm not kidding. That is literally what Zoey named her cat. Seriously, what kind of name is Pyewhacket? Does the cat knock over pastries for some reason?
Buy the sets, skip the show. That should be everyone's mantra for Big Bang Themes by now."
Is this cause and effect? Are you saying to skip the show because you don't know why a cat would be named Pyewacket?
(It's probably a reference to either the 1967 children's novel of the same name or the 1958 film Bell, Book, and Candle, or both. Zoey strikes me as both the literary reference type and the witch fiction type.)
@WolfpackBricksOfficial said:
"Now that Season 2 Part 2 of Dreamzzz is out, there's actually some more info on the motorcycle's lore. Apparently, it's the Dream World version of Zoey's pet cat named... Pyewhacket.
I'm not kidding. That is literally what Zoey named her cat. Seriously, what kind of name is Pyewhacket? Does the cat knock over pastries for some reason?
Buy the sets, skip the show. That should be everyone's mantra for Big Bang Themes by now."
EDIT: Apparently a Pyewacket (without an H) was a cat spirit in some 1950s horror film.
Yeah... I don't think LEGO should just assume that their target demographic will get such an obscure reference like that.
@WolfpackBricksOfficial said:
" @WolfpackBricksOfficial said:
"Now that Season 2 Part 2 of Dreamzzz is out, there's actually some more info on the motorcycle's lore. Apparently, it's the Dream World version of Zoey's pet cat named... Pyewhacket.
I'm not kidding. That is literally what Zoey named her cat. Seriously, what kind of name is Pyewhacket? Does the cat knock over pastries for some reason?
Buy the sets, skip the show. That should be everyone's mantra for Big Bang Themes by now."
EDIT: Apparently a Pyewacket (without an H) was a cat spirit in some 1950s horror film.
Yeah... I don't think LEGO should just assume that their target demographic will get such an obscure reference like that."
But that makes it more fun for the few who do get the reference. And it's still a fun name for those who don't.
@WizardOfOss said:
"I still don't get this whole theme... it all just seems so completely random and nonsensical."
It's a theme about building your dreams. Nonsensical is the whole point, and I'm all for it!
Dreamzzz is one of the themes that pulled me out of my Dark Age, and my favorite orginal themes since Legends of Chima, so I hope it stays around for a good, long while.
This theme isn't for me, but it's nice to see on original IP seemingly succeed!
I love the theme, especially the smaller sets. Don't care for the series. But what adult watches a Lego series anyway?
@Alia_of_AGL said:
"It's cute that Lego thinks it can reuse Ninjago Movie hairpieces for new characters. Especially bold to use Jay's, which was the redesign that radically changed his hair and face. He even has those freckles! Stop joking that it's this "Dooper" fellow, that's Jokerfied Maelstrom Movie Jay. His friends call him JMMJ.
I'm just happy to see Bohrok eyes continue to be used 23 years later."
Jokerfied Maelstrom? I get the first reference, but what about the other one?
Something about this set makes me Scratchy.
@WolfpackBricksOfficial said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
"I still don't get this whole theme... it all just seems so completely random and nonsensical."
It's a theme about building your dreams. Nonsensical is the whole point, and I'm all for it!
Dreamzzz is one of the themes that pulled me out of my Dark Age, and my favorite orginal themes since Legends of Chima, so I hope it stays around for a good, long while."
I generally agree but also many of the set contexts are also less purely nonsensical when you connect them with the characters they're associated with—for instance, Mr. Oz dreams about space, Cooper dreams about high-performance vehicles and machines, Izzie dreams about cute cartoon/plush animals, and Mateo dreams about slime, comic art, and his original character Z-Blob.
Zoey (featured in this set) has less of an obvious through-line thematically than some of the other characters, possibly because in the story she's not a dreamcrafter herself so is not creating her own vehicles/creatures the way some of the others are. But you can still see hints of her interest in music in this set's decorations.
@SearchlightRG said:
" @Alia_of_AGL said:
"It's cute that Lego thinks it can reuse Ninjago Movie hairpieces for new characters. Especially bold to use Jay's, which was the redesign that radically changed his hair and face. He even has those freckles! Stop joking that it's this "Dooper" fellow, that's Jokerfied Maelstrom Movie Jay. His friends call him JMMJ.
I'm just happy to see Bohrok eyes continue to be used 23 years later."
Jokerfied Maelstrom? I get the first reference, but what about the other one?"
The Maelstrom, the black and purple evil nightmare stuff that was infecting the world of Lego Universe, made from a corrupted source of Imagination.
If you look up what the enemies in Lego Universe looked like, it definitely feels like Dreamzzz is cribbing from its playbook.
@Ridgeheart said:
" @Alia_of_AGL said:
" @SearchlightRG said:
" @Alia_of_AGL said:
"It's cute that Lego thinks it can reuse Ninjago Movie hairpieces for new characters. Especially bold to use Jay's, which was the redesign that radically changed his hair and face. He even has those freckles! Stop joking that it's this "Dooper" fellow, that's Jokerfied Maelstrom Movie Jay. His friends call him JMMJ.
I'm just happy to see Bohrok eyes continue to be used 23 years later."
Jokerfied Maelstrom? I get the first reference, but what about the other one?"
The Maelstrom, the black and purple evil nightmare stuff that was infecting the world of Lego Universe, made from a corrupted source of Imagination.
If you look up what the enemies in Lego Universe looked like, it definitely feels like Dreamzzz is cribbing from its playbook."
Yes, how dare Lego try and make something new with the parts it has at its disposal. This is so atypical of them.
It's what they do. It's what you can do with the parts you have, as well. And you can even reuse hairstyles, I know, it's crazy! Very few people literally own their hairstyles. Offhand I can only think of Rachel from Friends, and Lemmy from Motörhead. Even Kim Jung-Un's signature hairstyle belonged to his dad before him, and before that, it belonged to Guile from Street Fighter and Doug E. Fresh from the Loverboy Crew first.
Relax. Everything is awesome."
The Original Human Beatbox.
"To the tick tock ya don't stop
To the tick tick ya don't quit."
I cannot take a villain named "Dooper" seriously. Like, what's he gonna do, make me laugh to death at his ridiculous name?
Those huge macaroni pieces are such bad pieces. They are only good for building trees.
@craiggrannell said:
"Surprised to see so many people down on this theme. For me, it exudes the same wacky inventiveness we saw in the Lego Movie sets. And in the flesh, some of these look really good. My kid has the nightmare shark ship and it’s totally bonkers in a good way. (Her review: “It’s EPIC.”) The turtle van and big black horse also look fab. "
Sadly the set designs are mostly really weak besides the look. Almost all sets from first wave have stability/fragility problems.
THis wave is much better but most sets once again look GREAT on pics, but fail as toys- they hardly have any cool functions, and most of rebuilding gimmicks are quite awkward...
But on other hand, the Nightmare Creatures are one of best sets ever in terms of pieces/ value (even if the builds itself also have fragility problems)