Brickset news archive: Set review
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Review: 5001121 BR Minfigure
Posted by Huw, 03 May 2013 14:47. Filed under Set review.
This might end up being the shortest review I've ever written; there's only so much that can be said about a 5-piece set!Nevertheless, given its quality, I felt it worthwhile posting a couple of photos and suggesting how you can get hold of one of these.
BR is a chain of toy stores with branches in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Germany. I believe this minifig with the store's logo (which can be seen on their website), has been produced to commemorate its 50th anniversary.
In many ways, it could be considered to be the 172nd [1] collectable minifig because it's very similar in terms of it being made in China, and having brand new -- and very high quality -- printing and hat, and comes with a CMF 4 x 3 plate to stand on.
It's a very desirable minifig and if you don't live in a country where BR has stores, I suggest you head to the forum marketplace topic and see if you can hook up with someone who has them to trade.
Thanks to Diggydoes in the forum who traded with me for this one!
[1] 160 series 1-10 + 1 Mr Gold + 1 Toy Soldier + 9 Team GB = 171
17 comments, latest one posted 9 days ago.2918 views
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Review: 10240 UCS X-Wing Starfighter
Posted by Huw, 01 May 2013 03:36. Filed under Set review.
In a few days time, the highly anticipated UCS X-wing will be available. LEGO has graciously provided us with a copy to review ahead of its release.This pictorial review will consider its design, construction, the completed model and will also compare it to the original 2000 UCS X-wing which I reviewed last month.
Since the start of the Star Wars licence in 1999, an X-wing has always been part of the product line-up and this is, I believe, the 9th version. We've had three mini versions, four minifig-sized ones and, with the release of this set, two UCS versions. You can view them all in the database.
48 comments, latest one posted 4 days ago.17359 views
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Review: 41021 Poodle's Little Palace
Posted by Huw, 30 Apr 2013 03:49. Filed under Set review.
41021 Poodle's Little Palace is the third of the series 2 Friends Animals sets that have just been released, so to fill time before we are able to bring you a review of a far more exciting set tomorrow, here's a quick look at it.It features a poodle, a 'palace', a grooming table with a brush, and a food bowl with a bone.
As you can see, there are plenty of pink and light blue parts in the set, so it's bound to appeal to young Friends fans.
5 comments, latest one posted 17 days ago.1739 views
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Review: 41022 Bunny's Hutch
Posted by Huw, 29 Apr 2013 14:07. Filed under Set review.
I've just time to post a quick review of the second of three Friends animals series 2 sets: 41022 Bunny's Hutch, although to be honest there isn't a lot to say about it.It consists of a bunny, a hutch (or rather, a fairly poor excuse for one), an exercise ramp and a carrot.
The hutch is a typical multi-coloured Friends affair, and pretty unremarkable. The exercise-ramp-thing is superfluous and probably just there to pad out the set a bit.
8 comments, latest one posted 18 days ago.2292 views
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Review: 41020 Hedgehog Hideaway
Posted by Huw, 29 Apr 2013 05:00. Filed under Set review.
Series 2 of the Friends collectable animals sets are appearing in shops across the world now. I picked up the three of them in my local Smyths yesterday.41020 Hedgehog Hideaway, as its name suggests, contains a hedgehog, its hideaway, some autumn leaves, a pitchfork and an apple.
Pitchforks first made an appearance in 1980s Castle sets and until their reintroduction in 2011 in an Alien Conquest set, they were rare and highly sought after. Its inclusion in the set is therefore welcome, although perhaps not by a sleepy hedgehog caught on the wrong end of one when hibernating in the leaves...
14 comments, latest one posted 11 days ago.4306 views
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Review: 4473 Police Helicopter
Posted by Huw, 21 Apr 2013 11:41. Filed under Set review.
This new airline-special set, which has been in the news a lot recently, is now available from the British Airways High Life shop for £16. Several other airlines are also selling this set.I received my copy this week, just days after placing the order. I thought it'd be worth doing a quick review so that those of you who may have more difficulty getting hold of one can judge whether it's worthwhile doing so.
Before taking a look at this set, it's worth remembering that the last police helicopter of this size, 7741, came out in 2008 and is still being sold from shop.LEGO.com, some 5 years after its introduction. Clearly there's demand for such a model. I wonder why then that LEGO made this one an airline-special and not part of the regular City line-up.
24 comments, latest one posted 9 days ago.4980 views
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Review: 40054 Summer Scene
Posted by Huw, 17 Apr 2013 07:54. Filed under Set review.
The second of this year's seasonal scene polybags isn't widely available yet but I managed to get one from one of the traders at the Brickish Association meeting at the weekend. I think it came from the Manchester Discovery Centre where, it's been said, they are for sale already. No doubt it will turn up in brand stores and at shop.LEGO.com when (or, in the UK's case, if...) summer arrives.
30 comments, latest one posted 26 days ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4523 views
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Review: 7191 UCS X-Wing
Posted by Huw, 10 Apr 2013 04:56. Filed under Set review.
Don't get too excited, this review isn't of the new one!I'm only 13 years late posting a review of 7191 UCS X-Wing, originally released in 2000, but I thought it might be worth taking a look at it ahead of the release of the new version (10240) next month for comparison purposes.
2000 was the second year of the Star Wars license, of course, and this set, together with 7181 TIE Intercepter, were the first Star Wars UCS models to be made.
15 comments, latest one posted 1 month ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)5483 views
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Review: 31004 Fierce Flyer
Posted by Huw, 05 Apr 2013 03:59. Filed under Set review.
2013 marks the 10th anniversary of the introduction of what are now called Creator sets. Originally called Designer sets, they were groundbreaking at the time because, until then, LEGO System sets for older children were all based around minifigs and to minifig scale.2003's line up of Designer sets included robots, wild animals, micro-scale aircraft and trucks, all without a minifig in sight. Their instruction books were very hefty, packed full with instructions and inspirational photos. My favourite from that first batch was 4101 Wild Collection, which contained instructions and photos for 63 models, surely some sort of record!
Since then I've always had a soft-spot for large Creator animal sets, be them dragons, dinosaurs or real-life animals. This year's Creator animal set is the subject of this review, 31004 Fierce Flyer, with which you can make a bald eagle, a scorpion or a beaver.
Unfortunately in about 2008 LEGO stopped providing inspiration for alternative models in the form of photographs and I heard that it was because customers were complaining that instructions for them were not provided, which is a great shame. So, we have to make do with '3-in-1' these days.
24 comments, latest one posted 1 month ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3904 views
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Review: 76001 The Bat vs. Bane: Tumbler Chase
Posted by kempo81, 25 Mar 2013 08:00. Filed under Set review.
Welcome to the first Brickset review with video! This is a first for me as well as the site and I look forward to contributing more in the future. I'm going to be taking a look at one of the early 2013 Super Heroes sets to hit the shelves and one of the most anticipated as it's the only set to tie-in with the Dark Knight Rises movie from last year.
So, please enjoy the review and let me know what you think of it in the comments.
Continue reading Review: 76001 The Bat vs. Bane: Tumbler Chase
18 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4983 views
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Review: 79108 Stagecoach Escape
Posted by DrDaveWatford, 25 Mar 2013 04:24. Filed under Set review.
It’s always exciting to get a sneak peek at a new set before it appears at retail, and I’m particularly pleased to bring you a review of Set 79108 Stagecoach Escape because out of all the Lone Ranger sets, it was probably the one that I was looking forward to the most, apart perhaps from the Constitution Train Chase set.
At 279-pieces, the Stagecoach Escape is one of the smaller Lone Ranger sets in terms of piece count, as it’s a sizeable jump to the next largest set in the theme, the Colby City Showdown set, which weighs in at 587-pieces.
32 comments, latest one posted 1 month ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)9889 views
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Review: 79109 Colby City Showdown
Posted by Huw, 21 Mar 2013 09:57. Filed under Set review.
Continuing on with our exclusive reviews of The Lone Ranger sets ahead of their April release, today I take a look at 79109 Colby City Showdown, which sits in the middle of the range in terms of size and price.It features a bank and sheriff's office/jail, five minifigs, and a whole host of interesting features and parts.
44 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)11289 views
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Review: 79110 Silver Mine Shootout, part 2
Posted by Huw, 20 Mar 2013 09:26. Filed under Set review.
What is it with mines? Not only has LEGO made dedicated mining themes Rock Raiders and Power Miners, and also mining City sets, but it seems that every licensed theme contains a mine or underground cavern of some sort, from 7199 Indiana Jones Temple of Doom to 9473 Lord of The Rings The Mines of Moria. We've also had 7036 Dwarves' Mine and in the original Western theme the bandits hid out in a gold mine in set 6761.So, Silver Mine Shootout joins a rapidly growing collection of such sets, and having built it, it's clear that it shares design similarities with many of its predecessors.
Before reading this, be sure to read part one of the review first, which covers the minifigs.
39 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)11137 views
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Review: 79110 Silver Mine Shootout, part 1
Posted by Huw, 20 Mar 2013 05:00. Filed under Set review.
79110 Silver Mine Shootout is the second largest Lone Ranger set which comes with 5 minifigs.I'll therefore review it in two parts.
Part 1 covers the minifigs, and part 2, which I'll write later on once I've built the set, will cover the rest.
11 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)9275 views
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The Empire Strikes Out DVD with exclusive Darth Vader minifig
Posted by Huw, 19 Mar 2013 11:16. Filed under Set review.
The Empire Strikes Out animated movie is out this week on DVD in the UK. If you're lucky you'll find it with limited edition Darth Vader with Medal minifig on the cover.I was waiting for a Blu-Ray release before ordering but it seems that there isn't going to be one, so I was then going to order the DVD from Amazon at the weekend. However although until yesterday the limited edition version with minifig could be ordered from there, there was a note on the page stating "The Limited Edition with Mini Figurine is no longer available from Amazon.co.uk", so I hot-footed it to Tesco earlier today and found one left on the shelf, priced £5.
The figure is, as could have been predicted, of Oriental origin. The Star Wars minifig completest will require it in their collection but otherwise it's nothing special. The head is the same as that used on other recent versions of Darth Vader.Those of you who collect minifigs attached to books and movies will be interested in a list published by FBTB that contains all those that have been, or will be, available.
I haven't watched the movie yet, I'll do so later!
22 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3521 views
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Review: 79107 Comanche Camp
Posted by Huw, 19 Mar 2013 09:11. Filed under Set review.
Hi ho Silver away
Ride into tomorrow today
But who was that masked man you say?
That was the Lone RangerSince building the cavalry set yesterday I can't get the camp and slightly cheesy pop song Quantum Jump, The Lone Ranger from the 1970s out of my head...
Anyway, on with todays's review of 79107, Comanche Camp, the second-smallest set of the theme which features, among other things, a teepee and three minifigs.
30 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)10853 views
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Hi-yo, Silver! We have some Lone Ranger sets to review!
Posted by Huw, 18 Mar 2013 09:48. Filed under Set review.
The LEGO CEE team has kindly sent us some Lone Ranger sets to review ahead of their release in April, so myself and others in the Brickset team will be bringing you reviews over the next week or so.Today I take a look at the smallest set, 79106: Cavalry Builder Set which consists of four minifigs including the Lone Ranger and Silver (pictured left), a cannon and a few other bits and bobs.
Continue reading Hi-yo, Silver! We have some Lone Ranger sets to review!
57 comments, latest one posted 20 days ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)26724 views
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Review: 2013 Star Wars polybags
Posted by Huw, 13 Mar 2013 06:14. Filed under Set review.
It's been a while since I posted any reviews, hasn't it. I've been busy with scanning my instructions, but now that's coming to and end I have time to crack open some sets and review them for you.From a polybag point of view, this year has been unusual in that nearly all those that were revealed earlier in the year by LEGO in their building instructions portal, are now available in one place or another. Normally, we have to wait months to get our hands on them, more often than not, for the first UK newspaper promotion (which may or may not be happening this year).
Thanks to Bricksetters in the USA, Canada and elsewhere, I now have the four Star Wars polybags 30240-30243, so I thought it might be worthwhile taking a look at them all together so you can decide which to buy. Of course if you're a polybag collector you'll want to get hold of them all, but if not you might want to just pick up those that are decent models with good parts, because polys can be comparatively expensive when sold in the likes of Target and even more so on the secondary market.
15 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)6144 views
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Review: 70700 Space Swarmer
Posted by Huw, 12 Feb 2013 04:10. Filed under Set review.
Galaxy Squad sets appeared in the shops in North America before Christmas but, as I discovered at the London toy fair, they are not going to be available in Europe until the summer, when all 10 boxed sets will be released.I am therefore very grateful to Jeff from BrickPicker.com, the LEGO price and investing guide, for bringing three of them over from the US for me when we met in London last week.
70700 is the smallest of the Galaxy Squad sets, containing 86 pieces, including two minifigs. It's $11.99 in the USA and I imagine it'll be £9.99 or so in the UK.
28 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)7655 views
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Mini-review: 40052 Springtime Scene
Posted by Huw, 07 Feb 2013 10:00. Filed under Set review.
Spring is in the air...Actually it's still freezing in the UK at the moment, but LEGO brand stores have put this set, 'Springtime scene', out on the shelves to remind us that, hopefully, warmer weather is just around the corner.
40052 is the latest in the 40000 series of sets that are normally exclusively sold in LEGO brand stores and shop.LEGO.com. They are usually seasonally themed, designed for specific shops (e.g. in New York), or for special in-store offers.
This one is unusual in that it's the first seasonal one to contain minifigs.
11 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4053 views
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Review: 79104 The Shellraiser Street Chase
Posted by atkinsar, 06 Feb 2013 15:53. Filed under Set review.
There’s not long to wait now until the UK launch of the TMNT theme, and of all the first wave of sets, this was the one I was most excited about, so I was understandably pleased to be offered the opportunity to review it here for Brickset.
Having now seen the first fourteen episodes of the 2012 TV series (and having thoroughly enjoyed them too), I can tell you that The Shellraiser is yet to make an appearance other than in the title sequence. I for one can’t wait to see this baby in action, so I’m kind of hoping it will make an entrance soon and kick some Kraang butt.
This is the largest set in the launch line-up, at least in piece count (620), and will set you back a cool US $59.99 / GBP £59.99.
Now I’ll lay it on the line, I’m pretty certain this is a new mode of transportation for the turtles that has been freshly created for the 2012 reboot. I’ll be honest though, I’m not familiar with any source material save for the original cartoon and the latest incarnation, so all I can say for sure, is that it doesn’t appear in the original cartoon series, in which of course, the preferred mode of transport was The Party Wagon.
Well, The Party Wagon has some pretty large boots to fill, so let’s see what The Shellraiser has to offer.
Update: TLG have made some alternate build instructions available to the fan community (source: Brick Fanactics) so I thought I'd have a go at making the Hot Rod, which I think is pretty cool. Skip to the end of the review to see some pictures.
27 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)7905 views
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Review: 70503 The Golden Dragon
Posted by DrDaveWatford, 01 Feb 2013 03:04. Filed under Set review.
Honestly, if you’d told me when the first wave of Ninjago sets appeared in 2011 that I’d be looking forward to building and reviewing two Ninjago sets in the space of just over a week then I’d have laughed in your face. It took me a while to warm to the Ninjago theme, but I’m now well and truly on board, with a growing pile of Ninjago sets to prove it….My first encounter with the 2013 Ninjago line-up was extremely positive, as you can read for yourself in my review of Set 70500 Kai’s Fire Mech. The question was whether Set 70503 The Golden Dragon would impress me as much…
12 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)8922 views
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Review: 31008 Thunder Wings
Posted by atkinsar, 30 Jan 2013 13:26. Filed under Set review.
There’s fifteen or so Creator sets released or due to be released in 2013, and with this year’s modular, the magnificent Palace Cinema and train offering, the Horizon Express now included in this theme (albeit badged as Creator – Expert sets), there is some serious competition to stand out amongst the crowd.
LEGO and jets, what’s not to love? This is the third jet (not including polybags) to be released in the Creator theme: in 2007 we had 4953: Fast Flyers and in 2010 LEGO gave us the slightly larger and excellent 5892: Sonic Boom.
Seems like LEGO doesn’t want us to go more than three years without a jet fix, because in 2013 we have 31008: Thunder Wings, a Creator 3 in 1 set and one of the medium sized offerings from the 2013 Creator line-up, weighing in at 235 pieces and costing £14.99/$19.99.
I have a feeling that these sort of vehicle-based Creator sets often get overlooked in favour of the flashier Creator houses, certainly something I’ve been guilty of in the past, so it’s great to get to spend some quality time exploring this one in more detail.
17 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)5259 views
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Review: 42007 Motorcross bike
Posted by Huw, 29 Jan 2013 09:11. Filed under Set review.
We don't seem to give Technic much love here at Brickset but, as I say every time we do, I'm a long-time fan of it, so I'll try and redress the balance by reviewing one of the better sets that has been released in the first half of 2013: 42007 Motocross bike.There was a time when I bought every Technic set released, but nowadays I'm a bit more selective, one reason being that I don't have room to store them all (I tend to keep them made-up due to the time it takes to make them) but also because, increasingly, there is a lot of repetition of un-interesting vehicles. Racing cars, go-karts, buggies and that sort of thing are not that interesting to play with or to look at, so I tend to give them a miss.
However there are some things that you can never have too many of: mobile cranes, helicopters and motorbikes.
That brings me neatly onto 42007, the latest in a long line of Technic motorcycles that started in 1979. This is the third off-road bike to be made. The first was 8838 Shock Cycle from 1991, which was one of the first Technic sets I bought after emerging from my dark ages. We then had a long wait for the next one, 8291 Dirt Bike from 2008.
After building this latest one I thought it would be fun to dig out the old models to compare them with it, and whilst doing so, appreciate how far Technic has come in 22 years.
25 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)6642 views
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Review: 75011 Tantive IV and Alderaan
Posted by Huw, 28 Jan 2013 05:14. Filed under Set review.
75011 Tantive IV and Alderaan is another Series 4 Star Wars Planet Set that is available in Spain and a few other European countries, but nowhere else much yet.I had mine shipped over from Amazon.es
so I could review it for you early.
The two Series 4 sets I've reviewed so far (B-Wing and Snowspeeder) have been something of a mixed bag: The B-Wing is terrible but the Snowspeeder is one of the best Planet Sets to have been released.
So, how does this one fare. Read on to find out...
22 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)6388 views
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Review: 75009 Snowspeeder and Hoth
Posted by Huw, 25 Jan 2013 08:55. Filed under Set review.
You may recall us mentioning that, for some reason, series 4 of the Star Wars Planet sets have made an appearance in shops in some mainland European countries already. They are not due in the UK until August, apparently, and I don't think they are in North America yet, either (correct me if I'm mistaken).Thankfully being in the EU enables us in the UK to bypass anomalies such as this, especially so when the European Amazons stock them. So, I ordered the two I didn't already have from Amazon.es and they arrived today.
You may also recall that when I reviewed 75010, the B-Wing from series 4 that was kindly sent to me by Ahrien a few weeks ago, I thought it was the worst Planet set ever. Surely this one was going to be better that that...
17 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)7263 views
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Review : Set 70500 Kai's Fire Mech
Posted by DrDaveWatford, 25 Jan 2013 03:30. Filed under Set review.
I’m a big fan of LEGO mechs, so I was pleased to get the chance to review the latest effort from LEGO – Set 70500 Kai’s Fire Mech.The Ninjago theme has already provided us with a couple of great mechs, both of which were part of the 2012 Ninjago line up - Set 9448 Samurai Mech and Set 9455 Fangpyre Mech.
My enthusiasm for a third Ninjago mech was however somewhat tempered by the realisation that Kai’s Fire Mech is by far the smallest set in the 2013 Ninjago line-up, and I was curious whether at only 102 pieces it would be able to live up to previous efforts.
So how did it turn out ?
35 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)11121 views
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Review: 41007 Heartlake Pet Salon
Posted by LostInTranslation, 23 Jan 2013 07:40. Filed under Set review.
One year on from the initial launch of the Friends range and my own favourable opinion of City Park Cafe 3061, Heartlake has now expanded to include various buildings such as a marina, vet’s office, large stables, among others. After a summer focusing heavily on equestrian activities, the third wave of sets, featuring a broader range of themes, was released on 26 December.I’ve kindly been asked to write another review for Brickset; this time of 41007, Heartlake Pet Salon, which is a mid-sized set priced at £29.99/$29.99 and has 242 pieces and two ‘mini-dolls’.
12 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3343 views
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Review: 79100 Kraang Lab Escape
Posted by atkinsar, 21 Jan 2013 08:11. Filed under Set review.
When LEGO finally announced they had secured the licence to produce sets based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it certainly seemed to fire people up, with seemingly equal volumes of excitement and disappointment.
Now that the sets have been released in some countries (though not in the UK at present), it’s time to take a look at the smallest of the six strong launch line-up: 79100 : Kraang Lab Escape.
As most of you will already be aware, this theme is based on the cartoon currently airing on Nickelodeon and not the original 80’s cartoon show. It contains 90 pieces and retails for US $12.99 / GBP £9.99.
21 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)9498 views
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Review: 60018 Cement Mixer
Posted by Huw, 19 Jan 2013 09:54. Filed under Set review.
When news first broke that we'd be getting some decent City sets in 2013, and not just more fire and police, a lot of people, myself included, could not wait to get our hands on them.60018 Cement Mixer is one of three new 6-wide trucks that LEGO now refers to as 'Great Vehicles'.
The 'Great Vehicles' range was introduced in 2007, with a recycling truck (7991) and a cement mixer (7990). Before them, Town and City vehicles were largely 4 wide and/or juniorised. We can consider 2007, then, as the year that LEGO started making decent City sets, after more than 10 years of mediocre offerings.
Since then, LEGO has made some excellent vehicles, and it looks as if the three 2013 sets will continue to live up to the high standard we've come to enjoy.
27 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)11573 views
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Review: 75008 TIE Bomber and Asteroid Field
Posted by Huw, 16 Jan 2013 03:59. Filed under Set review.
This is the last of my quick reviews of the Series 3 Star Wars Planet sets.75008 TIE Bomber and Asteroid Field is a little different from all the other Planet sets in that an asteroid field isn't really a planet, is it?
Nevertheless it is one of the better looking 'planets' to be featured in these sets.
Continue reading Review: 75008 TIE Bomber and Asteroid Field
13 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)6691 views
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Review: 75007 Republic Attack Ship and Coruscant
Posted by Huw, 15 Jan 2013 08:12. Filed under Set review.
This the second of three short and sweet reviews of the new Star Wars Planet Series 3 sets.This one, 75007 Republic Attack Ship and Coruscant, like all Planet sets consists of a Planet, a spacecraft, a minifig and a display stand.
According to Wookiepedia...
Coruscant was, during most of galactic history, the most politically important world in the galaxy. Its hyperspace coordinates were (0,0,0) which effectively made it the centre of the galaxy.
The entire surface of Coruscant was covered by sprawling kilometers-high ecumenopolis (single worldwide city), and boasted a population of over a hundred billion to several trillion, depending on the era.
Anyway, on with the review...
Continue reading Review: 75007 Republic Attack Ship and Coruscant
16 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)5917 views
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Review: 75006 Jedi Starfighter and Kamino
Posted by Huw, 14 Jan 2013 05:02. Filed under Set review.
Wasn't it a quiet weekend for news? Two days without finding anything to post about is unusual. So, let's kick-start the week with short and sweet reviews of all three of the Series 3 Star Wars Planet sets.First up, I'll take a look at 75006 Jedi Starfighter and Kamino, which I'm hoping is going to be better than the disappointment that was B-Wing and Endor from Series 4.
Kamino is "the watery world where the Clone Army for the Galactic Republic was created, as well as the Kamino Home Fleet. It was inhabited by a race of tall, elegant beings called the Kaminoans, who kept to themselves and were known for their cloning technology. Kamino was located just south of the Rishi Maze, and was governed by the Ruling Council, headed by the Prime Minister. "
Source Wookiepedia
16 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)6326 views
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Review: 75010 B-Wing and Endor
Posted by Huw, 07 Jan 2013 10:02. Filed under Set review.
In most markets, Series 4 of the Star Wars Planet sets are not due in the shops for some months, but for some strange reason, as we reported last week, this one is available in TRU in Spain already.Avid Brickset reader Ahrien picked one up for me in Barcelona and I received it today. So, I'm pleased to be able to being you this exclusive review way ahead of official release. (Many thanks Ahrien!)
The B-Wing is an interesting craft and one which LEGO has made several times in the past, including most recently at UCS scale. This however, is the first micro-scale version and one I was particularly looking forward to because I made my own version back in 2009, so I wanted to see how well it compared.
35 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)14721 views
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Review: 10937 Arkham Asylum Breakout
Posted by DrDaveWatford, 04 Jan 2013 04:53. Filed under Set review.
2013 promises to be another excellent year for LEGO fans, and I’m already looking forward to getting my hands on a number of the recently released and upcoming sets. Of all those sets, however, I reckon the one that I was most looking forward to was Set 10937 Batman : Arkham Asylum Breakout, particularly as I missed out on the original Arkham Asylum set in 2006.
I’m therefore delighted to report that I’ve already got my hands on a copy of the new version, and I’m pleased to bring you a review of it right here on Brickset. So buckle up for the ride, and don't forget to click on the images if you want to look at bigger versions...
38 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)17393 views
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Review: 70000 Razcal's Glider
Posted by Huw, 02 Jan 2013 06:14. Filed under Set review.
70000 Razcal's Glider is the smallest of the Legends Of Chima construction sets, weighing in at 109 pieces, £7.99 / US$11.99.It contains one minifig, the Razcal of the set's title, and like all other LoC construction sets we've reviewed so far, is made to look like the species that flies it, in this case the ravens who, in the Chima universe, are allies of the crocodiles and wolves and thus are 'baddies'.
19 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)5539 views
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Review: 70001 Crawley's Claw Ripper
Posted by Huw, 31 Dec 2012 06:22. Filed under Set review.
Continuing with our reviews of sets from the highly-anticipated Legends Of Chima theme that's just hit the stores, today I'm going to take a look at one of the smaller sets in the theme, 70001, Crawley's Claw Ripper, which weighs in at £12.99, US$14.99, for 139 pieces and two minifigs.Like the Eagle Interceptor I reviewed a couple of days ago, this one also takes design cues from the species that drives it, in this case crocodiles.
14 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4834 views
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Review: 70003 Eris' Eagle Interceptor
Posted by Huw, 29 Dec 2012 11:26. Filed under Set review.
When pictures of Legends of Chima sets first emerged a few months ago, it was difficult to know what to make of them from the small images. Many appeared to be a bit strange, but 70003 Eris' Eagle Interceptor stood out as looking like the best of the bunch.I was therefore very pleased when it was included in the bunch of LoC sets Kim from LEGO sent us to review just before Christmas.
From the initial pictures we saw, some remarked that the legs were a bit fat and un-eagle-like. Read on to find out why they are, and whether I agree.
37 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)8334 views
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Review: 70102 CHI Waterfall
Posted by DrDaveWatford, 28 Dec 2012 05:01. Filed under Set review.
OK - here we go with the next in our series of Brickset Legends of Chima reviews...When Huw sent a message to the Brickset staff informing us that LEGO were sending some Legend of Chima sets for us to review I figured it’d be pretty straightforward, so I offered to help. And then Legends of Chima Set 70102 CHI Waterfall arrived in the post and I started to wonder what I’d let myself in for...
11 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)11340 views
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Review: 70004 Wakz' Pack Tracker
Posted by atkinsar, 26 Dec 2012 00:00. Filed under Set review.
This is the first of a series of reviews we'll be publishing at Brickset to mark the official launch of the next big thing in the LEGO world: Legends of Chima.The first set we are going to be looking at is one of the 'construction' sets of the theme, 70004: Wakz’ Pack Tracker
Legends of Chima was originally planned as the natural successor to the popular Ninjago theme, although recently TLG have stated that Ninjago will continue into 2014 so these themes will be sitting on the shelves competing for your attention and cash.
Just like Ninjago, Legends of Chima is going to be backed up by a cartoon show to be aired on The Cartoon Network starting in 2013. This is a wise move I think, given how the Ninjago cartoon drove the sales of the sets, at least in the US (it was not aired in the UK due to strict toy advertising laws).
The world of Chima is said to consist of six tribes, three good: Eagles, Lions and Gorillas and three bad: Wolves, Ravens and Crocs. There’s no sign of any sets containing Gorillas in this wave, I’m assuming they will appear in a later wave, but all the other tribes make an appearance in the first wave.
In Wakz’ Pack Tracker we have a medium sized set containing 297 pieces, 3 minifigures. It costs US 29.99 and is suitable for ages 8-14.
29 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)9538 views
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Mini-review 41019 Turtle's Little Oasis
Posted by Huw, 21 Dec 2012 08:48. Filed under Set review.
This is the third of the Friends collectable animals polybags, 41019 Turtle's Little Oasis.The oasis is actually a very cool beach hut which I'm sure the turtle will be very comfortable in.
I thought the white clam shell was new but it's actually the more common colour according to BrickLink. Nevertheless, it's the first one I have.
Like the squirrel and cat, the turtle is impossibly cute, and also like the others, looks silly with a bow, and as it obscures much of its face, I've removed it for this photo.Now I've built all three, I'll give you my marks out of 10:
Squirrel -- 9, the best parts pack and most interesting structure.
Cat -- 7, cute kitty but light on parts.
Turtle -- 8, cool model, nice parts.They are all very good and a welcome addition to the Friends range.
10 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2561 views
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Mini review: 41018 Cat's Playground
Posted by Huw, 21 Dec 2012 08:14. Filed under Set review.
By popular demand, here are some photos of the second of the series one Friends collectable polybag sets, 41018 Cat's Playground.This one consists of a cat, an 'activity centre' that'll be immediately recognisable to anyone who's had a cat (the likes of which you can see here), a scratching post and a fish supper.
Here's the kitty: isn't she adorable? :-) Actually she's not unlike one of my own cats, Tammy, but with a bit more white on her face. I think Tammy would run a mile if I tried to tie a ribbon on her head though!There are ten less pieces in this set than in the squirrel house, and overall it seems a lot less substantial, so is not such good value from that point of view. Both sets contained more spare parts than you'd normally see; this one has two extra ribbons and a tan 2 x 2 dish.
The instructions quote the URL http://www.lego.com/friends/animals/ that isn't live yet but will apparently have instructions for combination models using parts from all three sets as well as instructions for alternative models for each set.
Turtle's Oasis coming up next...
6 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3104 views
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Mini review: 41017 Squirrel's Tree House
Posted by Huw, 21 Dec 2012 05:37. Filed under Set review.
2013 sets are appearing in many places now, and I thank everyone who emailed while I was away to report their sightings. They are still thin on the ground in the UK, although my local Smyths (which you recall only opened a month ago) had most of the January Legends of Chima and Friends sets when I looked this morning, including the three polybag sets, which I bought.They are perhaps the most anticipated of the new Friends line-up because of their interesting pieces and lack of a mini-doll, which has enabled a low price point (£2.99 in the UK).
They are packaged like the Ninjago booster packs, in a heavyweight plastic bag. Inside, the parts are in a regular bag along with the instructions.
41017-1 Squirrel's Tree House consists, as its name suggests, of a squirrel and a tree house :-)It's an elaborate, sturdy structure, built onto a useful array of brown slopes. A brown arched window frame in the centre of the house keeps the roof square.
Doesn't the squirrel look cute with a bow in his tail? Actually I think he'd probably look better without, to be honest. Can you imagine trying to put a ribbon on a real squirrel's tail? You'd probably end up with less fingers than you started with!This is a nice set that will be a big hit with Friends fans. It fills a gap in the market for pocket money priced sets that girls will want to buy and collect. Furthermore, it contains a useful selection of parts that AFOLs will find useful, at a price point that will encourage duplicate purchases.
Would you like me to photograph the other two sets? Let me know in the comments.
17 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2722 views
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Mini review: 30212 Mirkwood Elf Guard
Posted by Huw, 03 Dec 2012 09:48. Filed under Set review.
While you're waiting for me to review the last boxed Hobbit set, Attack of the Wargs, I thought I'd take a quick look at 30212 Mirkwood Elf Guard, which I now have in my possession thanks to DaveBey.It's one of the better polybags to have been released recently, for two reasons. Firstly, the minifig is excellent. It's generic which means you can never have enough of them, and it features a piece in a new colour: the dark green cloak hood. It would have been better had it come with a dark green cloak as well, but I guess that would have increased the price too much for a polybag.
Secondly, the parts that make up the tree are all good and useful. Polybags with vehicles in them are all wheels, axles and tyres and not much else, but this one is full of useful slopes, arches, a plant limb and a mushroom top, as you can see from the parts list.
If you're in the US, and you haven't done so already, get on over to TRU and snap some up while you can.
32 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4492 views
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Mini review: 79003 An Unexpected Gathering
Posted by Huw, 29 Nov 2012 08:21. Filed under Set review.
79003 An Unexpected Gathering is, without doubt, the best Hobbit set. It's also the best set of 2012. In fact, I think I agree with Andrew over at Brothers-Brick who said in his review that it could just be the best set of all time.That is a very bold statement to make but it really does tick all the boxes.
Read on to find out why you have to buy this set...
45 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)8338 views
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Mini review: 79001 Escape from Mirkwood Spiders
Posted by Huw, 28 Nov 2012 05:53. Filed under Set review.
As you've probably noticed from the section above, the Hobbit sets are now listed at shop.LEGO.com, and they'll be back in the UK shops -- officially this time -- on December 1st, so I had better get my mini-reviews finished...79001 Escape from Mirkwood Spiders is the second smallest set but it carries a hefty price tag in the UK (£25) and a not-quite-so-hefty one in the USA ($30).
It features 4 minifigs, two giant spiders and two tree-like structures. As you can see from this picture, at last LEGO has started making autumn-colour foliage, but there are only two pieces in the set so to make a decent sized tree you'll need a lot of sets! Other interesting pieces include tan 2x2 dishes printed with a mushroom pattern. There are two in the set, and for some reason a third, spare one, was in mine, presumably it's in them all.
Continue reading Mini review: 79001 Escape from Mirkwood Spiders
35 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4988 views
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Mini review: 79004 Barrel Escape
Posted by Huw, 26 Nov 2012 06:04. Filed under Set review.
79004 Barrel Escape is what LEGO call a 'market driven' release which I think means that, other than direct from LEGO, it's only available in a given country when a specific retailer wants it as an exclusive. In the UK it's Toys R Us; I'm not sure about the USA.Not having seen the movie yet, I can only guess that it's some sort of tavern with a prison cell in or next to it, and going only by the action scene on the box (and the name of the set), it appears that Bilbo releases the dwarves, who presumably are being held captive by the elves, from the cell, and they escape in beer barrels.
The main structure, consisting of a barrel ramp, a bar and the cell, is hinged in two places. The set also contains a weapons rack, table and chairs and a free-standing barrel stand. There are three of those nice gold elven-swords that Elrond brandishes in 5000202, and two spare One Rings. If you have all the LotR sets you'll have quite a collection of spares by now!
The set comes with 5 minifigs, from L to R: Mirkwood Elf Chief, Mirkwood Elf Guard, Bilbo Baggins, Gloin the Dwarf, and Oin the Dwarf.Bilbo is the same as that in 79000, reviewed last week but the others are unique to this set.
They all have double-sided heads and printed backs. I'm not sure if the Elf chief looks happy or scared!
There isn't a lot of 'action' in the set. The cell doors can be opened and the barrel ramp can be raised so that the barrels, with dwarves inside, roll down thus making their escape. The only other action involves sitting the figs in the bar and drinking which, while fun for many of us, probably isn't too exciting for kids :-)This is not a terribly exciting set to play with, then, but it's well designed and full of useful pieces. Although I've only built three of the Hobbit sets so far, I suspect this may be the weakest of them. Nevertheless, the Hobbit completest will need to buy it for the 4 unique minifigs.
15 comments, latest one posted 6 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4177 views
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Mini review: 79000 Riddles for the Ring
Posted by Huw, 23 Nov 2012 05:08. Filed under Set review.
As reported yesterday, TRU in the UK were [1] stocking The Hobbit sets early. I picked up a couple, including this smallest one, 79000, Riddles for the Ring.It features Gollum and Bilbo Baggins, a small boat covered with bones and a 'cave'. Both of the minifigs are unique to this set. Gollum has a different face print to that in 9490, with 'narrow eyes'.
The box helpfully reminds us that the 'Boat does not float'.
It's not immediately obvious when you see pictures of the set that the 'cave' is actually quite elaborate. The two front 'rocks' are on hinges that open to reveal the ring, which can be rotated from horizontal to vertical by means of the Technic axle on the side.Like the Goblin King Battle that I reviewed in depth a couple of weeks ago a lot of effort and pieces have gone into making it irregular in apperance. Consequently, there are a lot of dark grey slopes which you're bound to have use for in your own constructions.
Bilbo sports a fantastically detailed torso print and has a double-sided 'normal/scared' head.There's not much else to say about this set other than it's a great little impulse purchase and a good introduction to The Hobbit theme.
Jason over at The Brick Show has posted video reviews of all The Hobbit sets on YouTube, which brings me on to a question I have:
We get quite a few people emailing us about video reviews or other LEGO related video content that they've posted on YouTube. Personally, I can't stand the forced adverts and can't really be bothered to sit down and watch them for 5-10 minutes so I don't know if they are any good or not, or whether video reviews are worthwhile.
What do you think? Do you like video reviews? Are they the future, or do you, like me, prefer a few high quality photos and a couple of paragraphs that you can digest in seconds?
Footnote: [1] It seems that TRU pulled them from the shelves yesterday afternoon, which I can only imagine is a direct result of publicity here and at other LEGO fan sites about their early availability. The 'Brickset effect' strikes again :-)
55 comments, latest one posted 6 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4039 views
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2012 Christmas Set review
Posted by Huw, 18 Nov 2012 15:16. Filed under Set review.
I hope you all took advantage of the VIP offers yesterday either online or at a brand store.If you made it to a brand store you've probably already got hold of this year's Christmas giveaway set, 3300014, but if, like me, you're waiting for it to arrive in the post you might be interested to read Rich from Brick Fanatics review which you can read either here or over at Brick Fanatics, and also see it in all its glory on flickr.
I'm looking forward to it arriving, and displaying it with my Christmas set collection which, like yours I suspect, is getting rather large now!
10 comments, latest one posted 6 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3554 views
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Exclusive: Horizon Express review
Posted by Huw, 12 Nov 2012 10:13. Filed under Set review.
We're pleased to bring you another exclusive review of a highly-anticipated set!10233 Horizon Express won't be available until January, but LEGO has kindly provided us with one to review and Bluemoose has done the honours this time. Read his in-depth pictorial review to find out what he thought of it, and whether you'll need to save some of your Christmas money back for it.
As usual, when you've done so, let us know what you think of it in the comments.
29 comments, latest one posted 6 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)6536 views
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Exclusive: The Goblin King Battle review
Posted by Huw, 09 Nov 2012 10:24. Filed under Set review.
We have the largest of the yet-to-be-released The Hobbit sets, 79010 The Goblin King Battle to hand and we're pleased to bring you an exclusive review of it!Read our in-depth pictorial review to find out if the set is as ugly as the Goblin King, pictured, or whether you need to spend yet more money on LEGO this year.
When you've done so, let us know what you think about it in the comments.
34 comments, latest one posted 6 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)7265 views
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Free LEGO!
Posted by Huw, 07 Sep 2012 06:00. Filed under Set review.
Here's the set that's available when you place an order at shop.LEGO.com. I received mine today, along with the three advent calendars (so it'll be a busy month at Brickset in December!)It's not too shabby, is it? It looks great from the front, although the back is a bit sparse.
It also contains a glow-in-the-dark spider, not shown.
There seems to be no shortage of work for zombie drivers. This particular one appears in three Monster Fighter sets, although this is my first one: I'm trying to avoid buying MF sets (at full price, anyway :-) )If you fancy owning this set yourself, click on the banner above and spend over $75 / £50 and you'll get it for free, and of course help Brickset stay online in the process.
16 comments, latest one posted 8 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)5343 views
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Palpatine's Arrest review, part 2
Posted by Huw, 22 Aug 2012 07:49. Filed under Set review.
In part 1 we covered the box contents and the minifigs. Today CapnRex101 and I complete our review with a look at the build and the completed model.
15 comments, latest one posted 9 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)5581 views
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Palpatine's Arrest review, part 1
Posted by Huw, 16 Aug 2012 08:53. Filed under Set review.
This set has been out for a few weeks on both sides of the Atlantic but given the interest in it, both before and after release, I think it's still worthy of a Brickset review.So, I've teamed up with CapnRex101 again to bring you one.
Part 1 deals with the box, contents and minifigs.
31 comments, latest one posted 9 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)8576 views
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SDCC mini Sith Infiltrator
Posted by Huw, 15 Aug 2012 06:04. Filed under Set review.
Today I am reviewing a set that I don't own, that I never will and that you won't be able to buy without remortgaging your house.You may recall that last week I encouraged you to download the instructions for the SDCC mini Sith Infiltrator and build it yourself.
Being a SW mini fan, I did just that. I had to order a few of the new brackets and a couple of other parts from BrickLink to be able to do so.
It's not a bad looking model but unlike the other minis which are built to some microscale, this one is something of a hybrid: it's microscale but it has room for a Darth Maul minifig to stand on the back!The best way I can think of to describe it is this: I'm sure you've seen 'sit on' spaceships outside supermarkets or in shopping malls for kids to ride on once you've fed it with a few coins. This is a model of one of those: A miniature version of the Infiltrator for Darth Maul to play on :-)
Consequently, in my opinion, it's a bit daft. It probably wouldn't take much to convert the back into something more realistic, though.
So, if you haven't already gathered the parts together, I wouldn't bother, and I certainly wouldn't recommend paying the $100 being asked for it at BrickLink at the moment...
Here's Darth Maul having a ride on his new toy space-ship!Actually, having thought about it more, I guess it's no worse than, say, 10188 Death Star which is also a less-than-minifig-scale set populated by minifigs.
10 comments, latest one posted 9 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3092 views
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10227 UCS B-Wing review
Posted by Huw, 14 Aug 2012 06:54. Filed under Set review.
Brickset member cavegod has his hands on the forthcoming UCS B-Wing and has written a brief review, including photos of the parts, the build and the finished model.For expedience I've published it as a PDF. You can also view the images in his flickr stream.
Take a look then tell us what you think. Worth £180 or would you, like cavegod, expect more for your money?
19 comments, latest one posted 9 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)7564 views
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9497 Republic Striker-class Starfighter review
Posted by Huw, 02 Jul 2012 09:28. Filed under Set review.
9497 Republic Striker-class Starfighter is the second model based on The Old Republic to be released this year.CapnRex101 is on vacation now so you'll have to make do with just me reviewing it, I'm afraid.
Being unfamiliar withThe Old Republic, I thought I'd try and find out about the ship before reviewing it, but I've failed to find any mention of it anywhere. A Google image search just returns pictures of the LEGO model!
The closest match at Wookiepedia that I found is the Talon-class Republic Starfighter which shares some design similarities with this model, and the page does state that 'The title of this article is conjectural.' so maybe they are one in the same.
Anyway, on to the review...
Continue reading 9497 Republic Striker-class Starfighter review
28 comments, latest one posted 10 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3367 views
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9498 Saesee Tiin's Jedi Starfighter review
Posted by Huw, 01 Jul 2012 13:45. Filed under Set review.
It's about time we finished off our reviews of the summer Star Wars sets...Today, CapnRex101 and I turn our attention to 9498 Saesee Tiin's Jedi Starfighter.
It's not the best of the summer sets but it does have its good points. Read on to find out more...
21 comments, latest one posted 10 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2849 views
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8909 Team GB minifig review
Posted by Huw, 27 Jun 2012 14:33. Filed under Set review.
They hit the shops, a couple of weeks before they were supposed to, late last week. Many branches of John Lewis broke the 'embargo' on selling before July 1st but my branch refused to sell them to me. However, thanks to Brickset member richo I now have a set.It must be incredibly frustrating if you're not in the UK and you want to get hold of them, and I sympathise with you. Unfortunately my mini-review won't make you want them any less because, frankly, they are excellent.
I'm not going to write huge descriptions because the photos below will show you all you need to know. Instead I'll just point out a few things that aren't obvious from looking at them:
- The horse rider's helmet is the only new piece. It's slightly rubbery. The rider has a ponytail, of course :).
- Some pieces appear in new colours, like the weights and the tennis racquet
- Only the judo fighter has a printed back: the Team GB logo in black and a continuation of her black belt
- The relay runner's competitor number is 1948, the year that the Olympics were last held in London
I've photographed them without their medals so you can see the full detail of the torso printing, which is superb.
LEGO has done a magnificent job with these, they are miniature works of art, almost. If you are outside the UK and you want to get hold of a set, you have two choices: you can resort to eBay or BrickLink and pay a bit of a premium for them, or you could post a message in the marketplace topic of the forum, hook up with someone in the UK and sort out a trade. There are, after all, plenty of sets around that are not available in the UK to barter with.
26 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1931 views
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9500 Sith Fury-class Interceptor review, part 2
Posted by Huw, 22 Jun 2012 03:48. Filed under Set review.
In part two of the review we look at construction of the model, and discuss the swooshability of the completed ship.Read on to find out why this is one of the best Star Wars ships LEGO has made...
Continue reading 9500 Sith Fury-class Interceptor review, part 2
26 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3915 views
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9500 Sith Fury-class Interceptor review, part 1
Posted by Huw, 21 Jun 2012 08:46. Filed under Set review.
Here is, then, Darth Malgus, said by many to be the best Star Wars minifig ever.Now I've seen him for myself I have to agree that he is very cool, and his armour is superbly detailed and painted, but the best ever? Probably not. The main problem is, er, who the heck is he? I'd never heard of him before now, so I don't have any connection with the character, unlike Queen Amidala or Boba Fett.
Anyway, I've teamed up with CapnRex101 again for a review of the set he comes in, and in part one we look at the packaging, parts and minifigs.
Continue reading 9500 Sith Fury-class Interceptor review, part 1
38 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3859 views
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9516 Jabba's Palace review, part 3
Posted by Huw, 19 Jun 2012 06:09. Filed under Set review.
In the final part of the review, we look at the build and the completed model. Words by CapnRex101, pictures by me...
The build takes about two hours and is quite an enjoyable build. Although not many construction techniques of interest are used, most of the build uses traditional bricks and there is very little Technic involved. The way in which the difficult curved outer surface of the throne room has been formed is quite nice as is the large domed roof which looks superb when completed. No SNOT or other techniques really feature in the construction, but it is a fun and traditional build nevertheless and one which would be ideal for younger Lego fans as it is quite easy to put together due to the numbered bags.When the model is all finished, it looks exquisite. Both the guard tower and the throne room are just about perfect for display and there are a huge number of excellent features to keep younger buyers interested.
31 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3486 views
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9516 Jabba's Palace review part 2: the minifigs
Posted by Huw, 18 Jun 2012 04:59. Filed under Set review.
In this second of three parts to our review of 9516 Jabba'a Palace we take a look at the minifigs. Words by CapnRex101, pictures by me...
There are ten fantastic minifigs, almost all of which are brand new! I will start with heroes.
The least interesting minifig of the entire set in my opinion is Chewbacca, he has been seen plenty of times before but is nevertheless a great addition to the set. His sandwich board style head and torso piece is exactly the same as previous versions, it is cast in reddish brown and has a bit of printing on it, his nose is printed in black and the bandoleer he has slung across his chest is printed in silver on both the front and back which is accurate to the film. His torso is plain reddish brown as are his arms and hands. His legs too are just plain brown with no printing at all. In this set Chewbacca comes with light grey handcuffs as he has been captured and is being ransomed to Jabba at this point.
The next minifig is Han Solo. The figure is very nicely detailed indeed. He is quite similar to the Han Solo minifig included in set 8097, Slave I, but on this occasion his head printing is totally different. The hair is just the standard male minifig hair in brown, it suits the figure and I am very satisfied with this hair piece overall. His head is printed on both sides and I think it is great. On one side he has a concerned expression with brown eyebrows and a chin dimple. The other side has the same eyebrows and dimple, but his eyes are closed as he is in a state of hibernation trapped inside the Carbonite and, following his release, for a while he is blind due to hibernation sickness which is demonstrated very well by this lovely expression. His mouth is slightly open on this face which looks excellent.
His torso is printed with the creased shirt which Han was wearing when he was encased in Carbonite. It has a lot of detail including plenty of creases in the fabric and his open collar which leaves a bit of flesh visible. There is sadly no back printing, but this is forgivable. His arms are plain white and his hands are the standard flesh colour. Finally, his legs are plain reddish brown just like they are in this scene during Return of the Jedi.Continue reading 9516 Jabba's Palace review part 2: the minifigs
44 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3058 views
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9516 Jabba's Palace mega-review, part 1
Posted by Huw, 17 Jun 2012 05:38. Filed under Set review.
This is such a highly anticipated and sought-after set so it's important that we review it fully. I've therefore enlisted the help of gold-rated reviewer CapnRex101 to help. He has provided the text and I've taken the pictures. The review will probably be in three parts. Today we will look at the box, the contents, and Jabba the Hutt. Then, we'll cover the minifigs, and finally we'll take a look at the palace itself.
So, here we go...
This set is based on one of the most famous scenes from the entire Star Wars saga and is an ideal representation of the legendary lair of Jabba the Hutt in my opinion. It is the set I was most excited for of all of this summer’s sets and I am far from disappointed. In fact I am delighted with this wonderful model! The set is a huge step up from the previous incarnation of Jabba's Palace, set 4480, Jabba's Palace which was released in 2003. The model of the building is utterly fantastic, but the Minifigures are even better than that, all ten of the minifigures (I am considering Salacious B. Crumb, the carbonite piece and B'omarr Monk minifigures) are superb, especially the excellent new Jabba the Hutt figure and the brand new Boushh which were both highly anticipated.
39 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2874 views
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9679 AT-ST and Endor
Posted by Huw, 16 Jun 2012 06:41. Filed under Set review.
After the disappointment of the X-wing, is this one any better? Read on to find out...This set comprises an AT-ST, an AT-ST driver and the forest moon of Endor. It has 65 pieces and like the others costs £9.99 or US$9.99, so it's very expensive for what you get.
The AT-ST driver is new. It is similar to the only other one that's been made, in 7657 from 2007, but does have a new torso print, and a new reversible head print, too.
The other side of the head is, I believe, the same as the other version's.
23 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1805 views
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9677 X-wing Starfighter and Yavin 4
Posted by Huw, 15 Jun 2012 15:21. Filed under Set review.
Yawn... there's an England football match on the TV, my wife is glued to it, so I have a bit of time to post another Planet set review...This, then, is 9677 X-wing Starfighter and Yavin 4. On first glance it's not as interesting as the cloud car one, and on closer inspection it's even less interesting. Read on to find out why...
Two bags of bits, 77 of them, stuffed into the planet.
The minifig is a generic X-wing pilot. BrickLink claims it's a new figure, but everything but the helmet is the same as Dutch Vander in last year's Y-Wing set. The helmet has appeared many times before, I believe. So, all in all, pretty boring.
30 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2129 views
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9678 Twin-pod Cloud Car & Bespin
Posted by Huw, 15 Jun 2012 09:28. Filed under Set review.
9678 Twin-pod Cloud Car & Bespin is a series two planet set and is the same as the series one ones in that it consists of a hollow planet, a minifig, a mini-model and a base to display them on. In the UK it costs £9.99 and in the USA it will be US$9.99.The box can just about be flexed enough to remove the planet without tearing it. There's nothing in the box except the planet containing the parts, and the instructions booklet.
The 78 parts are contained in two bags, a lot of which are orange.
This is the first flesh-coloured version of Lobot: his first and only appearance until now was in the original Cloud Car set from 2002. He has some great printing on the back of his head.
17 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1876 views
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9499 Gungan Sub, part 2
Posted by Huw, 14 Jun 2012 04:41. Filed under Set review.
Bag 2 contains the base of the cockpit and the three remaining minifigs.This is a quick build. The anchor is the new type introduced last year in the PotC sets, but this is its first apperance in blue.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are new. Obi-Wan has a new torso and head. Qui-Gon looks the same as the one in 7961 Sith Infiltrator...
...until you turn their heads round to reveal their underwater rebreathers.
32 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1865 views
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9499 Gungan Sub, part 1
Posted by Huw, 13 Jun 2012 15:35. Filed under Set review.
This morning's Desert Skiff review was a bit brief, for which I apologise. It had slipped my mind that the summer SW sets are not yet out in the US, so many of you are eager to know more about them before their release so you can make informed purchasing decisions. So I'll take my time with them\ reviews from now on...Next up then, is 9499-1 Gungan Sub. This is one of the more iconic vehicles in Episode 1, and this has obviously been released to coincide with the 3D version of the movie hitting the theatres this year.
The set also contains one of the most iconic characters from Episode 1: Queen Amidala. A minifig version of her in full ceremonial regalia has been anticipated since the original release of the Episode 1 sets in 1999.
It's likely then, that you'll want to buy this set...
This is the second Gungan Sub to be made, the first one being 7161 from 1999. It looks very crude in comparison to the new version. One definite improvement you can see straight away, is that the three minfigs all fit in the cockpit, which wasn't the case for the old one.Here's the back of the box showing the craft and the minifigures.
20 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1583 views
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9496 Desert Skiff
Posted by Huw, 13 Jun 2012 06:26. Filed under Set review.
Being from the original Star Wars trilogy, this was one of the most anticipated of the summer Star Wars sets. A reworking of a Desert Skiff was long overdue: the last one (7104) was released in 2000 and is very crude compared to this version which does now look something like the prototype.The set also comes with Sarlacc which is quite cool: you can fit a minifig inside the jaws, which snap shut.
It comes with 4 minifigs, Boba Fett, as discussed below, Lando in disguise, Luke Skywalker and Kithaba, all of whom are new, according to the box.Lando is much better than the last 'in disguise' version of him in Jabba's Sail Barge: the helmet looks to be the same design but has been painted this time.
We haven't had a Kithaba minifig before so he's all new. As someone has mentioned in the flickr comments to this picture, his red trousers stand out a bit much, don't they. Dark red would have been preferable. I think Luke is just sporting a new torso print.
One thing I noticed with this set is that the instructions are printed in a much higher quality paper than other 2012 sets: it's thicker and shinier so is less prone to creasing as you flick through it. It's no doubt more expensive, too.
Overall, a nice set, if a tad expensive, but then which Star Wars set isn't these days...
That's all I have time to write at the moment but for an excellent in-depth review, check out the one written by CapnRex101.
25 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2297 views
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21102 Minecraft Micro World: the Brickset review
Posted by Huw, 01 Jun 2012 11:08. Filed under Set review.
The first set to come out of LEGO's global Cuusoo initiative, Minecraft Micro World, is now available!I was sent a copy of it by the Cuusoo team last week and I've had the opportunity to build, photograph and play with it.
Read my thorough pictorial review to find out if you need to buy it!
When you've decided that you do, you can order it from shop.LEGO.com, for immediate shipping:
- UK (£34.99)
- USA ($34.99)
- Canada ($39.99)Let me know what you think of the set, and my review, in the comments...
52 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2732 views
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9473 The Mines of Moria
Posted by Huw, 29 May 2012 08:22. Filed under Set review.
9473 The Mines of Moria is the second largest LotR set, weighing in at US$80 for 776 pieces.It features six minifigs, a cave troll and various structures to enable re-enactment of the scene from The Fellowship of the Ring.
Of the six minifigs, five are unique to this set: Pippin, Boromir, Legolas and Moria Orc, of which there are two. The sixth is Gimli who also comes in The Battle of Helm's Deep.
The pillar-and-wall and door structures are frangible and have levers at the back to enable them to be broken easily in response to the troll wielding his club around the room. The two smaller structures are the well that Pippin manages to push the skeleton into, and thereby awaken the Orcs (and worse!), and the Tomb of Balin, which gets smashed half-way through the battle.
The cave troll is very well made and looks suitably vicious. My only complaint is that he topples over when holding his club unless it is positioned right behind his head, as shown in the photo on the right.
The Orcs are different to the Mordor Orcs in the Orc Forge set in that they have olive green heads and arms, rather than dark tan.This is a well made set containing many useful pieces and a great selection of minifigs. Given that it uniquely contains 1/3rd of the nine members of the Fellowship, including the ever-popular Legolas, it will be an essential purchase. You can find more pictures on flickr.
This then completes my quick photo reviews of the LotR sets. I have been very impressed with them all: not only are the minifigs excellent, which I could have guessed they would be, but the sets themselves are great too: no juniorisation, a useful selection of pieces in them all and once built look they impressive and have a lot of playability.
I could complain about certain key characters not making it into any of the sets (e.g. Saruman, Eowyn, Arwen, Bilbo) but we can hope that with interest in LotR likely to remain high for at least a couple of years, what with two Hobbit movie releases, we will see another range of sets that will address the shortfall.
To summarise, all I have to say is 'Well done LEGO!' :-)
Thanks again to Darren and Tim for loaning me the LotR sets months before they are available in Europe. Tim is offering Brickset users a 5% discount in his BrickLink store Brick Buy Brick, and will also do so in his new web toy shop, ToyAddict, when it launches in June. Darren is also offering 5% discount on orders under £50 and 10% on orders over £50 from his BrickLink store Gizmocom, until the official release day of the LotR sets. Just mention Brickset in the notes when you check out!
Expect to see a LotR minifig gallery in the next few days...
30 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1888 views
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9470 Gandalf Arrives
Posted by Huw, 18 May 2012 09:50. Filed under Set review.
Here's a quick look at the smallest LotR set, Gandalf Arrives. It might be the smallest but it's actually one of the best. Not only does it feature two of the movie's main protagonists, Gandalf and Frodo, it also comes with a new articulated-back-leg horse and a very nice cart which is stuffed full of fireworks of various shapes, colours and sizes.Both minifigs are unique to this set, although Frodo pops up in a couple of others, but with a different torso and face.
There isn't really much more to say about it: it's small, cute and if you buy only one LotR set, make it this one. It costs $12.99 in the USA and will be £11.99 in the UK when it's released later in the summer.
Thanks again to Darren and Tim for loaning me the LotR sets months before they are available in Europe. Tim is offering Brickset users a 5% discount in his BrickLink store Brick Buy Brick, and will also do so in his new web toy shop, ToyAddict, when it launches in June. Darren is also offering 5% discount on orders under £50 and 10% on orders over £50 from his BrickLink store Gizmocom, until the official release day of the LotR sets. Just mention Brickset in the notes when you check out!
23 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1319 views
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9474 The Battle Of Helm's Deep
Posted by Huw, 17 May 2012 06:50. Filed under Set review.
This is the biggest of the LotR sets, weighing in at 1368 pieces and $130. In fact it's so big, I had trouble photographing it satisfactorily...
Its size is actually most impressive, it certainly looks as if you get your money's worth. It's around 50cm long, and the tower is about 25cm high.It comes with eight minifigs: King Theoden, Haldir (both unique to this set), Aragorn, Gimli and four assorted Uruk-hai, including a berserker, which only appears in this set.
The King has a articulated-back-leg horse to ride and has been suggested in comments to previous reviews, if you put two plates on his feet, you can achieve a more realistic pose as you can see from the picture.
The castle itself is modular, constructed from six sections that are held together with Technic pins. Like the other LotR sets, they are constructed from a lot of bricks, plates and slopes and while there are some large castle-wall pieces, you don't get the impression that the castle has been designed around them, I guess partly because it's based on a 'real' castle rather than one that LEGO has designed. The use of the new 1x2 brick piece, 1x1 slopes and sand green parts give the exterior walls a nice-uniform appearance.
The aerial view below clearly shows the size of the set, which is most impressive. If you want it even bigger, you can extend the walls using the 9471 Uruk-hai Army set.
It's an expensive set but I'd say it's worth every penny: excellent figs, well designed castle and, once you've done with it, a thousand useful parts for your own castle constructions.
Thanks again to Darren and Tim for loaning me these. Tim is offering Brickset users a 5% discount in his BrickLink store Brick Buy Brick, and will also do so in his new web toy shop, ToyAddict, when it launches in June. Darren is also offering 5% discount on orders under £50 and 10% on orders over £50 from his BrickLink store Gizmocom, until the official release day of the LotR sets. Just mention Brickset in the notes when you check out!
40 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3664 views
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3300003 LEGO Brand Retail Store
Posted by Huw, 16 May 2012 06:13. Filed under Set review.
You may remember that LEGO announced that this set is going to be available to a 'select number of customers' at the opening events of brand stores in the USA during 2012 (see the list here).I've been sent one by the LEGO community team for review purposes, so to make a change from Lord Of The Rings set review this week, here goes...
It contains 280 pieces and comes in a surprisingly large box (26 x 14 x 6 cm)
However, there is a lot in it, basic bricks and plates and other useful pieces.
The 16x16 (2 8x16 dark grey playes) base is fully tiled inside and out of the shop
The interior of the shop, before the shelving has been added. Note the till, displays and of course the pick-a-brick wall at the back.
The shelving fitted, and display models at the front of the shop. Note the 'brand ribbon' at the second level of the shelves.
The completed model, minus the roof. The LEGO sign is a sticker, and the door features two 1x1 trans-clear headlight bricks, which are rare. The doors don't open.
The roof even has a 'yellow brick light fitting', which is typical of most brand stores I believe.
The finished model. There's a few more photos on flickr.LEGO brand stores are often made by AFOLs (even I've made one) and there's several currently on Cuusoo (here and here), so it's interesting to see this official version.
This is an excellent set and there's nothing not to like about it. If it's going to be free, that makes it even better! If you have the opportunity to get to one of the new brand store opening events in the USA, I strongly recommend that you do.
(Special thanks to the LEGO community team for making this review possible!)
34 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3032 views
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9476 The Orc Forge
Posted by Huw, 14 May 2012 04:12. Filed under Set review.
My second LotR pictorial review, courtesy of Gizmocom and ToyAddict, is of 9476 The Orc Forge. I believe it is a Target exclusive in the USA.The main part of the set is some sort of primitive machinery for hoisting metal chunks (silver 1x1 round tiles) and tipping them into the black crucible. At the front there's a fire for heating the chunks, which is illuminated with a light brick. The base it stands on looks great and the slopes that go to make it, which includes 18 1x1 cheese slopes in olive green, account for a large percentage of the parts in the set.
The black thing at the front of the picture, which has trans-orange plates inside, is probably supposed to be for annealing the swords.
The set comes with four minifigs: Lurtz, two Mordor Orcs and a Uruk-hai. Unlike the Urak-hai armour in the army set reviewed below, the armour in this set has hand prints printed on it, which look great. As you can see, the ears on the Orc are a slightly different shape to those on the collectable minifig Elf. They are all highly detailed with printed backs and either double sided heads (Lurtz and Uruk-Hai) or back-of-head printing (Orcs).
This is a fun playset that probably won't appeal to everyone due to there being no 'conflict' in it. In the US it costs $40 and it will be £40 when available in the UK later in the summer.
Here are a couple more photos on flickr:
27 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2372 views
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9471 Urak-Hai Army
Posted by Huw, 13 May 2012 04:19. Filed under Set review.
As mentioned below, I've been loaned the LotR sets for photography purposes by the good people at Gizmocom and ToyAddict, which is just as well because it's going to be a couple of months until they are available to buy in Europe. I understand several shops in the USA (including TRU) are selling at least some of them now: I guess it's only fair that you get something early given Europe had Star Wars and Marvel a few weeks before you earlier in the year :-)Anyway, I'll be creating a full minifig gallery in due course but for now I'm going to post photos of the sets, which were sent to me assembled, so I won't be able to tell you what the build is like.
First up, then, is 9471 Urak-Hai Army. This costs $35 in the USA and consists of a section of wall, 6 minifigs and a siege machine. The great thing about this is that not only is it a great 'army builder' it's also designed to be a 'castle extender': the wall section can be connected to 9474, The Batle of Helm's Deep, and I guess you could buy as many of these as you liked to build a massive castle wall. The back of the box shows how they can be combined.
The six minifigs are Eomer, a Rohan soldier and four Urak-hai. The latter all have the same legs, torso and head printing, but the addidion of helmets and armour to some of them has created three variations.
This is the only set that Eomer comes in, and one criticism is that, given the set is likely to be bought in multiples by those that want to stage large battles, it would perhaps have been better to have another generic Rohan soldier instead: after all, you only need one Eomer, right?
The horse is of the new articulated-back-legs type so it's possible to pose it in new ways. Unfortunately, however, the saddle prevents the minifig from bending forwards to be upright, which I'm sure he'd try and do in order to stay on the horse :-)
The seige machine is perhaps a little disappointing in that it looks big, heavy and fearsome, but it fires only small projectiles that don't look as if they'd have much of an impact on the castle walls. They do, however, launch at quite a speed.So to conclude then, it's a neat set and one that will be worth picking up multiples of. $35 doesn't seem too bad for it, although it'll probably be £35 in the UK which will make it a bit on the expensive side.
Next up, probably tomorrow: 9476 The Orc Forge.
38 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1960 views
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5000063 TC-14
Posted by Huw, 06 May 2012 08:10. Filed under Set review.
I hope everyone that wanted to managed to secure a 5000063 TC-14 minifig either in their local brand store or by ordering from shop.LEGO.com. I bought a UCS R2-D2 at AFOLCON so received mine with it there.It's a nice figure. The chrome plating is very good although as you can see the hands are light grey, which is a shame. I guess it's impractical or too expensive to plate them. It's certainly better that the gold-painted C-3PO, which is very unevenly coated.
Although it's made in China the properties of the different ABS that's used there are not evident because of course the parts are plated. However, as you can see in the picture, the torso is covered in micro-scratches. I've noticed this on collectable minifigs too. You never find them on figs made in other factories. They are only really visible when you hold it to the light, so not really much to worry about, and they don't detract from the desirability of the figure which is sure to rocket in value in the coming months; well, at least until it's offered as part of the next promotion, whatever that might be...
30 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1858 views
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The Complete LEGO Figure Catalog
Posted by Huw, 24 Apr 2012 10:37. Filed under Set review.
Christoph Bartneck has been busy of late. Hot on the heels of the three minifig books he published earlier in the month is this new title, The Complete LEGO Figure Catalog, that deals with 'non-standard' figures.
Its just-over-100 pages covers LEGO 'people' (for want of a better term) that are not minifigs, which includes 4 Juniors, Belville, Bionicle, Duplo, Primo, Scala, Technic and, probably of most interest to us here, Fabuland.As with his other books, each figure has been given a number in his nomenclature system, which you can read more about in my review of the first minifig book. This, and the BrickLink number, is given underneath each image, along with a price guide in US$ for new and used figures.
This is the first page of the Scala section. I felt a bit 'dirty' after looking at pictures of the dolls with no clothes on :-)This is a unique reference work and if you're a collector of even just one of the themes covered, it is worth getting hold of a copy.
Paper copies of all of Christoph's books can ordered from Amazon:
There's more information about them, including links to order electronic copies, at the official website, minifigure.org.
6 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2287 views
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6868 Hulk's Helicarrier Breakout
Posted by Huw, 10 Apr 2012 10:25. Filed under Set review.
To conclude my mini-reviews of the Marvel sets, here's a quick look at 6868 Hulk's Helicarrier Breakout.This is the second largest of the Marvel sets. It consists of four minifigs, a SHEILD jet plane and some sort of laboratory. The laboratory no doubt adds some play interest to the set but I have no idea what it's supposed to be or what happens in it. Maybe that will become apparent in the movie.
For me however, the minifigs and jet plane are far more interesting although it's perhaps disappointing that the only unique one in it is Hulk.
The minifigs are Loki (his 3rd appearance, presumably he's the baddie in the movie?), Thor, Hawkeye and Hulk. To call Hulk a minifig is a bit misleading though, as he's double the height of regular figs. He's made in China (the polythene packaging gives that away) and consists of 5 parts: his legs/torso/head are one part, his arms and hands make up the other four. As with the vast majority of Chinese parts such as these, the quality is top-notch.
The jet plane is very reminscent of the Agents sets, in particular the dark blue and yellow colour scheme. It's actually a very nice model in its own right, and certainly very swooshable. It has a mechanism built in to jettison the cockpit: maybe to re-enact a scene in the movie? I haven't photographed the lab. as my setup can't handle large models such as that, so you'll have to look at the official pictures instead.
So to summarise, this is a nice set but the duplication of minifigs with other sets is a little disappointing.
And to summarise the reviews of the Marvel sets, which one do I think is best, having built them all? I'd say 6866 Wolverine's Chopper Showdown because it's only £20/$20, the three minifigs are all very cool and unique to the set, the helicopter is great and, well, it has the best minifig in it: Wolverine...
23 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1772 views
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6869 Quinjet Aerial Battle - - the minifigs
Posted by Huw, 08 Apr 2012 06:30. Filed under Set review.
6869 Quinjet Aerial Battle is the largest of the Marvel sets and comes with five minifigs: Loki, who's the same as in 6867, an alien foot soldier, the same as the one in 6865, Thor, and two unique to this set: Iron Man with a different torso to that in 6867-1, and Black Widow.Thor is certainly very colourful, what with his blonde hair, red cape and dark blue clothes.
Black Widow pilots the Quinjet, apparently, and she appears to be kitted out in a flying jumpsuit.
This Iron Man has different torso and leg printing to the one in 6867, which you can see below (or here)
In addition to the 5 figs, the set consists of the Quinjet and this contraption which looks like some sort of flying chariot with Loki on the back.Update: I was going to post some pictures of the Quinjet but 18000pieces has done such a good job in his pictorial review at Eurobricks that I won't bother, I'll direct you to his review instead.
28 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1867 views
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6865 Captain America!
Posted by Huw, 07 Apr 2012 05:15. Filed under Set review.
My wife is at football again (Southampton vs. Pompey away) so I should have time to crack open a few more Marvel sets today.6865 Captain America's Avenging Cycle is the smallest and cheapest (£12) of the Marvel sets. It comes with three figures, an 'avenging cycle', and some weaponry and contraptions for the baddies. The box doesn't give them a name so I have no idea who they are!
As you can see, the standard City police motorcycle is used in the set and when stood next to a minifig it becomes apparent just how ridiculously over-sized it is, what with the handlebars level with his head! Nevertheless, once CA is on it, it doesn't look too bad.
LEGO is to be commended for making the two baddies totally different: different colour bodies, different torso and leg printing, and different heads, which are printed on front and back.
The weapons and flying contraption round off the set, and are pretty good being made from gold, tan and dark tan pieces.It's expensive at £12, but being the only set with Captain America in it, this is a must-have.
15 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1508 views
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The other Iron Man
Posted by Huw, 07 Apr 2012 04:15. Filed under Set review.
I'm not a big fan of these Hero-Factory style figures but I thought I'd buy one to see if they were any good.
I don't have any recent Hero Factory models so I don't know how these compare with them, although I suspect many of the parts are the same. However I do have one of the Ben 10 maxi-figs and I can say that this is far, far better than those, both in terms of parts quality and quantity, and the actual build.I think this is a pretty good representation of Iron Man, given the parts available. The big, bad, kick-ass weapon on his shoulder is pretty good, too.
I'm not sure I'll go so far as recommending this set, but if you're a fan of these big figures you will like this one.
29 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1603 views
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6867 Loki's Cosmic Cube Escape
Posted by Huw, 06 Apr 2012 14:47. Filed under Set review.
While I had my camera set up to photograph Iron Man I thought I might as well shoot the rest of the set.The main reason for buying this set, and I suspect most of the Marvel sets, will be for the minifigs, as it certainly doesn't disappoint in the minifig department. As well as Iron Man we get Loki and Hawkeye, too. Loki's helmet is excellent and Hawkeye has what I believe is a new hair piece and a new style of bow.
The set is bulked up with some sort of armoured jeep, which actually is pretty good, although I am not familiar with the Avengers to know whether it looks like what it's supposed to. 
The body is almost all built from dark blue, in fact there are around 50 dark blue parts in the set, so if you don't like the vehicle the set makes a good 'parts pack'.I'll conclude this short review by saying the set has surpassed my expectations and I look forward to building the rest of the Marvel sets, which the postman kindly delivered this morning, on Good Friday of all days. Stay posted over Easter for more mini-reviews and photos!
22 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1652 views
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9493 X-Wing
Posted by Huw, 14 Jan 2012 09:52. Filed under Set review.
It's been a few weeks since I reviewed the minifigs in this set, so this concluding look at the X-Wing itself is a bit overdue.I wasn't able to photograph it satisfactorarily in my 50cm light tent so I ordered up an 80cm one from eBay (for about £15/$20). It's certainly big enough now but it's huge and a bit unwieldy to use in my LEGO room. The photos here and on flickr are the first I've taken in it and, while they are not bad, I'm sure they'll get better as I refine the lighting setup.
Anyway, on to the model itself. This is the fourth minifig scale X-Wing to be made (7140, 1999; 4502, 2004; 6212, 2006) so if you have any of the others you'll want to know whether this set is any better and whether to buy it. The simple answer is yes, this is the best X-Wing yet. However I think there's room for improvement...
The first thing you notice when comparing this to previous versions is that the wings on the other three were all 'studs-up' whereas on this one, the lower wings are 'studs-down'. It seems such an obvious way to build it to ensure symmetry that you have to wonder why LEGO hasn't made them like this in the past. It makes such a huge difference to the final appearance that if this was the only change made it would be worth 'upgrading' to this model for this reason alone.
The use of SNOT doesn't end there though. Clever use of upside-down sections round the wings has further ensured the symmetry between top and bottom: the 65 degree 2x2x2 slopes at the bottom of the back are, of course, upside down because LEGO doesn't make an inverted slope at that angle.Other differences between this and the last X-Wing were neatly summarised by Kulturkampf in a comment to the last news article, so I will copy those here:
- The laser cannons are at a more correct length.
- The engines are now placed correctly off center.
- The nose is now 3 studs wide instead of 2 before it hits the 6x4 slope, giving a much better ease into the nose.
- The pieces on the side of the cockpit are the new, longer slopes, making it sleeker.
- The fuselage is now correctly hexagonal.
- There are now slopes at the side of the engines down to the wings, like there's supposed to be.
- There are now markings inside the engines (even though they are stickers.... :/)
- This one has proton torpedos.
- The best one - on the old X-Wing, it took ages to open the wings. On this one, they snap open with only half a turn.
So, what can be improved? Well I'm not totally sold on the colour scheme. Apart from the first 1999 version of the craft, all others, at all scales, have been predominantly white with splashes of red and grey. Correct me if I'm wrong but don't the pictures at Wookiepeida show that they should be red and grey without any white at all? Why then do LEGO insist on making them white? It would be a useful and interesting exercise to convert this one to grey to see the result.
An excellent rendition of the most iconic Star Wars vehicle and some superb minifigs to boot: the set deserves a place in everyone's collection!
You can order from shop.LEGO.com: UK | USA | Canada.
More pictures on flickr. Which do you prefer -- a black or white background?
47 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2061 views
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9494 Anakin's Jedi Interceptor, part 2
Posted by Huw, 08 Jan 2012 05:56. Filed under Set review.
To conclude my review of 9494 Anakin's Jedi Interceptor, today I take a look at the ship itself and the duelling platforms that are also included in the set.The ship is very similar in design to the two previous Jedi Starfighters (Anakin's yellow one in 7256 from 2005 and Obi-Wan's 7661 from 2007) so I'm not sure why its name has been changed to Interceptor this time.
As is usual though, new parts and building techniques have been used to improve it and one definite improvement is that R2-D2 fits in the wing in his entirety rather than having just his head plokned on top.Someone asked in the comments to part one whether the set contained many useful dark green parts. So, discounting the wedge plates, it has just 16: 8 2x4 plates and 4 each of 1x4 and 2x2 tiles.
The duelling platforms are an interesting build. I can't remember the scene in episode 3 to know what they they are supposed to look like, but one seems to resemble some sort of robot. (I must watch the Hexalogy (right word this time!) on Blu-Ray my daughters bought me for Christmas ASAP!). They certainly add some playability to the set, though.
To summarise then, this is a great set. The craft is very swooshable, the minifigs are excellent and the extras in the form of the platforms add an additional dimension to the playability. Of course you know there's a 'but' coming... The price, at £35, is as usual, probably higher than it should be, particularly when you consider that the price of 2005's 7256 was just £15!
More pictures on flickr:
41 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1588 views
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9494 Anakin's Jedi Interceptor, part 1
Posted by Huw, 07 Jan 2012 14:50. Filed under Set review.
Today I'm taking a quick look at 9494, Anakin's Jedi Interceptor, in particular the minifigs. I'll finish building the ship and photograph it tomorrow.This set is the most elusive of the new Star Wars sets in the UK at the moment. I believe it, and the Y-Wing, are not part of the normal retail assortment offered to most shops, so Argos is not stocking them. The Brighton shop was also out of it when I went in just before New Year's day, so I had ro resort to good old shop.LEGO.com...
Once again LEGO has stuffed it chock-a-block with minifigs, most of them superfluous to the model, in order to increase its appeal to collectors. It comes with five: Anakin, with new head, Obi_Wan with new head (which is less cartoonish than the other Clone Wars one) and torso, a dark red battle droid, R2-D2, and leaving the best until last a brand new Nute Gunray, the ever popular Neimoidian from The Phantom Menace.
He now sports a 'skirt slope', a new dark red hat and most significantly, olive green head and hands. Compare him to the one in the advent calendar and you'll agree this one is far superior. However quite why he's been included in this set (other than for the reason stated above) is anyone's guess.
Once again, LEGO is pulling out all the stops with the Star Wars minifigs this year: they are improved in every way and it seems certain that minifig collectors will feel obliged to continue buying every set, which is of course what LEGO wants...
37 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1533 views
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9493 X-Wing
Posted by Huw, 03 Jan 2012 17:16. Filed under Set review.
I haven't quite finished building the new 9493 X-Wing, so until I have, please make do with pictures of the minifigs.The set comes with four, two of which are new.
The first new one is Jek Porkins, left, who was pilot of 'Red Six' X-Wing. He was killed in the Battle of Yavin. You may recall his cockpit filling with smoke when his X-Wing was hit by enemy fire. His helmet and head are unique, and LEGO has done a good job on the markings on the helmet, which look close to those shown in the image.
The second new one is Jek's astromech droid R5-D8. This uses the new conical dome part for its head.On first glance you could question why LEGO has included two pilots and two mechs. It becomes clear when you view the instructions: you can build either Luke's or Jek's X-Wing: there's an extra set of tiles and stickers in the box to mark up the wings with a 6th red stripe to indicate Jek's machine.
If I can get the X-Wing in my light tent I'll photograph it tomorrow...
41 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1610 views
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Friends: a male AFOL's view
Posted by Huw, 02 Jan 2012 15:23. Filed under Set review.
My wife's been at a football match today (soccer I think most of you call it) so I found myself with time on my hands for a quick trip to Argos. My youngest daughter is a keen piano player so I thought I pick up 3932 Andrea's Stage for her. Unfortunately, being 17, she showed no interest in it whatsoever so I had to build it :-)However, I do know that if these sets had come out 10 years ago she would have loved them. When my daughters were younger they had both Scala and Belville and enjoyed them both. However, I think they failed as LEGO sets because of the scale of the dolls. Because they were much larger than minifigs, the sets were full of large, specialised, and probably expensive parts which meant the sets themselves had few parts in them and scope for reuse was limited.
Friends, however, are pretty much minifig-scale and the sets and accessories can be used interchangeably with regular 'system' sets. I'm prepared to believe that little girls don't like minifigs and will find these mini-dolls far more appealing, remembering what I do about my two when they were young.
So, what about this set? Well, it consists of a 'stage' with a neat curtain-effect, a piano and another piece of stage with lights and mic. stand. All three parts are well designed but it's a shame they don't all go together with the piano on the stage and the fancy purple stage bit integrated into the main one. Still, I don't suppose it will be too much work to do just that with parts in your collection.The magenta and medium lavender parts in this set are absolutely gorgeous and the tiles are printed which is always better than stickers, so there's nothing not to like about this set.
I'm going to end this by repeating what Lucy said below because I agree entirely: "I certainly will be buying more of the Friends range, partly for the new parts and colours which I know MOCers are drooling over, but also on the basis of their own merits." If you want to see what skilled MOCers are doing with the parts, check out this spacecraft at Brothers-Brick.
39 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1222 views
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Friends: a female AFOL's view
Posted by Huw, 02 Jan 2012 09:04. Filed under Set review.
You've probably had enough of reviews of drab Star Wars sets, so I thought I'd bring you some colour in the form of a review of 3061 City Park Cafe by female AFOL Lucy, aka LostInTranslation:As a girl who has loved Lego since birth (thanks to a 9-years-older brother), when I first heard that LEGO was bringing out a new range of sets specifically for girls – and without standard minifigures! – I received the announcement with a healthy degree of scepticism. Why can’t TLG just produce more female minifigs in girl-friendly settings within City (like Paradisa)? And what’s wrong with girls playing with adventure themes and Star Wars anyway (like I did – ok, still do!)?
But as more information emerged regarding the reasoning behind the decision and the extensive market research that had been undertaken with the aim of getting Friends right, the more intrigued I became, and by the time final images of the 14 sets became available, I was convinced enough to at least give Friends a chance.
One of the Friends sets I’ve purchased is 3061 City Park Cafe, and I’ve got to say, overall I’m impressed. The build is not overly complex in structure and maybe you could expect more parts for your money, but where the design really comes into its own is in the details, including cute little cupcake moulds, a multitude of kitchen utensils and a brick-built burger, while the gumball machine standing outside is also a nice touch.
The colours of the cafe (pink yes, but also red and white and some nice light-blue plates) are not so overwhelmingly girly as to prohibit their inclusion in any City layout, and with a little modification and expansion this set could easily be converted into a 50s-style diner, as the half-dozen or so stickers have a very retro feel to them. I’ve also bought 3183 and my nephew fell in love with the predominantly purple car, so I would also encourage the parents of future MAFOLS to consider buying some of these sets, despite the advertising focus on girls.
But what about the mini-dolls, I hear you cry? Well, I have to say that although I can see that they will appeal to their target audience due to their similarity with toys such as Polly Pockets, I personally will be populating the sets with standard minifigs. I’ve experimented with putting mini-doll hairpieces on minifigures and have yet to find a combination that I like (aside from C3PO à la Brian May), but I hope to eventually find at least one!
I certainly will be buying more of the Friends range, partly for the new parts and colours which I know MOCers are drooling over, but also on the basis of their own merits.
They’re good sets; tell your Friends!
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I had fun taking these photos, they certainly look a bit brighter than your average Star Wars set!
38 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1745 views
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9489 Endor Battle Pack
Posted by Huw, 01 Jan 2012 11:40. Filed under Set review.
Continuing with my mini-reviews of the new Star Wars sets, it's time now to look at the least exciting of them, the Endor battle pack.The set consists of two rebel troopers, one of whom has a new torso print, two imperial troopers (which you'll recall have the new printed heads), a bit of tree and a speeder bike.
I say it's the least exciting because the tree is unremarkable and the speeder is virtually identical to that in last year's 7956 Ewok Attack.
The minifigs are OK but not a patch on the elite clone troopers in the other battle pack. However there is good variety, each one being different, and if you can afford 10 or so of these packs you'll be able to put together a pretty good Endor battle scene.This is not an essential purchase like many of the other new SW sets and given it's currently priced at £13 (it'll probably be $13 in the USA), this is definitely one to wait for until it plummets in price at Amazon or can be had in a 3-for-2 offer somewhere.
More photos on flickr:
11 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1195 views
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9492 TIE Fighter: the best yet!
Posted by Huw, 01 Jan 2012 05:51. Filed under Set review.
Those of you still waiting for this year's Star Wars to be available will have to make do with my mini-reviews for now...The TIE Fighter is second only to the X-Wing in terms of its iconic stature in the Star Wars universe but all LEGO's previous attempts at TIE-craft have been pretty poor. Not only were the blue highlights totally inappropriate, but they never managed to capture the shape and distinctive structure of the radiator panels effectively.
Not only is this new version correctly coloured black and grey, it also has a grey band round the edge of the panels which makes it look excellent and pretty much spot on when compared to the prototype. My only criticism, comparing it to the prototype, is that they have used the same huge great 6x6 sloped-bit to attach the panels which is far too bulky. I suspect it will be easy enough to modify it, though.
Previous incarnations of TIE-craft have mostly just come with a pilot, but as has become common in recent Star Wars sets, this one comes packed with minifigs, no doubt in an attempt to make it more appealing to collectors. Not only do you get a TIE pilot, but also a Death Star Trooper who's wearing a new helmet, an imperial officer and R5-J2, who we have discussed before.I highly recommend this set. It's the best TIE Fighter yet and the minifigs are great. As usual though, it is expensive (£50 in the UK, probably $50-$60 in the USA) so you may want to wait for it to be on offer.
More photos are available in my flickr stream. Due to the size of the model they are not quite up to my usual standard: I probably need a larger light tent...
21 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1919 views
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9491 Geonosian Cannon
Posted by Huw, 29 Dec 2011 09:09. Filed under Set review.
My wife is out shopping in the sales today so I've time to get in another mini-review of a new Star Wars set.9491 Geonosian Cannon is, like Droid Escape, another minfig-heavy mid-priced set, weighing in at £19.99 in the UK. However this one comes with four unique minifigs, a Geonosian zombie and warrior, Clone Commander Gree and a slighly different version of Barriss Offee, who's sporting one of the new shorter-length capes which can also be found being worn by Lloyd Garmadon in the new Ninjago sets.
Again like Droid Escape, this is a reworking of an old model: a Geonosian cannon appeared in 4478 Geonosian Fighter released in 2003, and this version is much improved on the original. It's much bigger and beefier and looks like it could inflict some serious damage to low-flying craft. Comparing it with reference images at Wookiepedia, the designers have done a good job.
However, the minifigs are the stars of the set. The Geonosians are excellent: they have wings similar to the original Geonosian (sw078) but with the improved head of the one that came in 7959 last year. They carry weapons based on the ray-gun from the collectable minifigs, but they have a large appendage on the front that makes them too heavy for the minifig to hold without toppling over (which is why they are not holding them in the photo above!)Commander Gree is sporting a standard clone army uniform and helmet but with unique colouring in dark green.
In summary, this is a nice set, but the price will probably put off anyone other than the hard-core Star Wars minifig collector, who will be delighted with the 4 new figures, which I guess will help justify having to spend £20 on it.
Check out the other pictures in my flickr gallery:
16 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1295 views
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9490 Droid Escape
Posted by Huw, 29 Dec 2011 06:11. Filed under Set review.
Seeing as the new Star Wars sets seem to be only available in Argos and the LEGO brand stores in the UK at the moment, I suspect many of you in the USA want to know more about them before their release in the US, which I am told will be the end of January, with shop.LEGO.com accepting pre-orders from Jan 1st.So, I thought I'd do a mini-review of 9490 Droid Escape which costs £19.99 in the UK. It consists of four minifigs, three of which are new, an escape pod, and a small speeder bike, which I think is a new design
It's a reworking of 7106 which was released in 2001, so you could say it's long overdue.
The pod itself is a good rendition of a class 6 escape pod, and certainly much better than the one in 7106. This one has somewhere for the two droids to sit confortably and a control panel, so it's much more realistic. The speeder bike is also an interesting design. It's a shame there aren't two of them, though.I suspect the main reason many of us will buy it is for the minifigs. As you can see above C-3PO gets a new torso that looks great, showing as it does his innards.
Like some of the Toy Story figs, the sand troopers are 'weathered', and covered in random dirt -- sand -- marks. They are identical apart from the colour of their pauldron, though, so the dirt marks are the same on both. They have printed legs and backs, although you can't see much of their backs due to the back-packs they are carrying.
This is certainly a set that minifig collectors will want to get hold of (but then, I think all Star Wars sets fall into this category these days, don't they?), although as with all SW sets it carries a hefty price tag so you may want to wait until it's on offer at Amazon, or 3-for-2 or something.
Here are some more pictures from my flickr gallery:
27 comments, latest one posted 17 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1284 views
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Display your minifigs in style
Posted by Huw, 22 Mar 2011 15:56. Filed under Set review.
So, you've acquired all 64 collectable figs and you want to have them on display, but you hate your LEGO getting dusty... well now there's a solution in the form of these minifig display cases which are sold exclusively in Europe by Simply Bricks. Emma of Simply Bricks has sent me a sample for review, so here goes...
The first thing that strikes you when see and handle these is the quality. They are not made by LEGO but the dimensional accuracy and quality of the plastic is such that you'd think they were. They are very clear and virtually scratch-less, thanks partly to the way they've been packaged. They are supplied with a 4x4 plate upon which the case fits very snugly. For the picture on the left I've added two 1x2 jumpers so that the figure is positioned in the centre of the box. They are 6 bricks high which should be tall enough for even the largest of hats, like the witches'. There are studs on top (minus the LEGO writing, of course) to enable them to be stacked and built into larger models and I would think a 'wall' of these would look very cool indeed.
There isn't anything to dislike about them: they fill a definite need that every minfig collector has, very elegantly. There are other storage solutions, of course, but none that look as good, that are infinitely expandable and most importantly, affordable. I'd like to see a 4x6 version in addition to this 4x4 one to accomodate minifigs with capes and accessories: caped figs will fit in these but it's a bit tight. Who knows, if these are popular, maybe one will be forthcoming in the future.
They are available from Simply Bricks at BrickLink, priced £1.35, which is about €1.50. They can be shipped to most European countries.
Update (just an hour after posting the above...): It seems the 'Brickset Effect' has struck again -- it looks as if Emma has sold out! Hopefully the stock will be replenished soon.
29 comments, latest one posted 26 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2426 views
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