Review: 70429 El Fuego's Stunt Plane
Posted by CapnRex101,
Hidden Side featured numerous enjoyable sets during 2019 and I anticipate that high standard will continue across the latest collection. 70429 El Fuego's Stunt Plane looks excellent in official images, faithfully recreating the distinct design of historic barnstorming aircraft.
Moreover, the colour combination of dark blue and flame yellowish orange is attractive and various functions have been incorporated. The minifigure selection is appealing too and I think the price of £24.99 or $29.99 seems entirely reasonable. This should therefore become another lovely addition to the Hidden Side range.
Minifigures
Two different versions of Jack Davids were produced for the original Hidden Side range and another example appears here. His torso and legs remain unchanged, featuring a metallic silver bone-shaped tag and red streaks which look superb. However, this minifigure includes a folded hood component that was created for Wyldstyle from The LEGO Movie but has not been available in white before.
Jack's red cap is accordingly exposed and this element is dual-moulded with dark brown hair, creating an interesting effect. The texture looks marvellous and the double-sided head displays two nice expressions, appearing cheerful on one side and determined on the other. The same designs have been available previously though and alternatives would be welcome in the future.
El Fuego has evidently suffered a dreadful misfortune following his earlier appearances, becoming a skeleton! This update is entertaining and the character remains immediately recognisable because his printed helmet and red cape are both unchanged. Moreover, the distinctive plaster on El Fuego's cheek is also printed on his skull here, along with a surprisingly cheerful facial expression.
Otherwise, the skeleton comprises standard pieces and the boots enable El Fuego to sit comfortably inside his stunt plane. No accessories are provided with this figure but Jack carries his printed mobile phone for viewing ghosts through the Hidden Side app. New printing would have been welcome but the blue phantom displayed here looks good.
Hidden Side sets containing Jack generally feature Spencer too and 70429 El Fuego's Stunt Plane continues that trend. This adorable ghost dog is formed using a dual-moulded component that looks perfect, combining trans-clear and white plastic to create a delightful ethereal appearance. I love the black nose and eyes which adorn this spectral canine as well.
Mary Breaksom wears an unusual jetpack so presumably accompanies El Fuego during his flying performances. I like her teal helmet which has not been available in this colour before and beautifully complements Mary's colourful uniform. The purple highlights are similarly appealing and some metallic gold decoration is also included to great effect.
This double-sided head is unique, featuring confident and concerned expressions. The metallic gold goggles look brilliant too. Furthermore, the black harness which secures the jetpack incorporates nice moulded detail. The same component appeared in the Sky Police subtheme and looks wonderful here, providing ample support to the powerful jetpack that includes multiple thrusters.
Of course, ghostly possession forms an integral aspect of the Hidden Side theme and Mary may be transformed into their latest victim. The trans-neon green head is lovely but I am even more satisfied with the new accessory pack which contains claws and other slimy components! The texturing seems suitably intricate and I appreciate the variety of parts.
The Completed Model
Propeller aeroplanes are relatively common across the LEGO product range, although this example appears larger than many of its predecessors. The model measures 22cm in length and its fuselage is exceptionally broad, reminding me of the famous Gee Bee Model R. That shape seems appropriate for a stunt aircraft and has enabled the designer to include some fascinating details.
The radial engine appears particularly impressive. I appreciate how the angular cylinders have been arranged and using 1x2 grille slopes is effective, creating excellent mechanical detail. The propeller looks good too, although I think an alternative piece with two blades would probably be more authentic for planes from this period. Of course, El Fuego may simply have replaced the original propeller so this issue is easily excused.
While the angled cylinders and propeller are both attractive, my favourite construction technique is found behind the engine. A pearl silver wheel rim forms an ideal transition between the radial engine and the main fuselage, returning from the NINJAGO theme where it appeared in pearl gold. I also like the stickers and flaming exhausts which are fixed on both sides, further befitting a performance aircraft.
Hidden Side sets almost always include colour wheels and I was initially unsure where that would be integrated here. Positioning this wheel between the radial engine and the cockpit was ingenious as it blends with the surrounding bodywork when the dark blue 2x2 curved brick is visible. Rotating the engine will cause other colours to emerge, although you can still spin the propeller without affecting the colour wheel.
Additional colour panels are hidden under the tiny windscreen and along either side of the fuselage, allowing interaction with the Hidden Side app. Once again, these bright components are wonderfully concealed and maintain the high standard established with the first wave of these sets. There is room for two minifigures to sit inside the cockpit, although the space is extremely tight which is disappointing.
Fortunately, one minifigure can instead control the twin stud shooters on the starboard wing. The seat seems incredibly exposed but I believe that works on El Fuego's stunt plane, recalling the courageous wing walkers who appear on similar aircraft in reality! Another device for capturing ghosts is positioned between the port wings while a third defensive stud shooter points towards the rear.
This weapon can rotate to avoid shooting the vertical stabiliser and launches trans-purple 1x1 round plates. The stabiliser is perfectly shaped and features red target stickers on either side, reflecting the design on El Fuego's helmet. Two more stickers form green lightning bolts across the tailplane and the same decoration appears on each dorsal wingtip.
Viewing the model from underneath reveals three landing wheels. These are neatly positioned but I think the Technic structure supporting the forward wheels looks slightly awkward. That does provide absolutely stability though and these parts are concealed below the wings. Moreover, two light bluish grey shields are situated on the underside of each wing, allowing minifigures to cling on which is great for display!
Overall
Despite its comparatively modest size, 70429 El Fuego's Stunt Plane is among my favourite Hidden Side sets. This aeroplane looks absolutely fantastic, featuring copious authentic details and unusual aesthetic features that vary from other LEGO aircraft. The colour combination is very successful and I am delighted with the rotund fuselage, alongside the detailed radial engine structure.
That broad fuselage also supplies remarkable strength to this vehicle. The model can be gripped with remarkable ease and feels completely rigid so offers brilliant swooshability! In addition, these updated versions of Jack Davids and El Fuego are excellent and I also like Mary Breaksom, albeit not quite as much as certain other ghosts from the Hidden Side range. Nevertheless, this is undoubtedly a worthy addition to the collection.
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your opinion of the set in the comments below.
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35 comments on this article
I'm still kind of lukewarm about this theme, but everything looks really good here. Might consider picking it up.
Is no one else horrified by the fact that the El Fuego character seemingly DIED?! LEGO is going all in on this one.
Love the parts used for the wings, both useful and look good.
The Mary figure is very nice as well.
I can't friking believe Mr El Fuego is dead
I was hoping that wheel rim would be LBG, not metallic. Oh well!
That hood piece is perfect for Princess Leia!
Hidden side is a weird theme but i love every set in the line. I like how every set is pretty easily modded to if you just want them to be standard city type elements. Very cool set.
This is probably one of my favorite sets in the new Hidden Side range, in part because I had tried to MOC a similar stunt plane for El Fuego and this is so much better than what I came up with! I love the curvature that the use of those vehicle roofs adds to the wings, as well as the curviness and overall bulk of the cockpit.
One of my favorite little touches is that the handles on the underside and the seat on the wing would allow this set to be displayed with all four of the main Hidden Side heroes, even though Parker and J.B. don't appear in this set. I love when sets factor in those sorts of considerations.
The concealment of the color wheel is ingenious, and notable because very few of the new sets have it concealed at all—it seems that in the second year they're emphasizing that these color wheels are J.B.'s tech by only integrating them directly into the ghost-hunting vehicles, and instead attaching similar-looking devices to the bases of the haunted location-based sets. The more consistent worldbuilding is sort of smart but it does mean that few of the new sets have the color wheel as inconspicuous as it is on this set, or as unique in its construction as on sets like the graveyard and stunt truck. On the plus side, despite the increased visibility of the color wheel on those other sets the way it tends to be attached to the side of their bases means that for people who want to use those locations in a more ordinary display, it should be easy enough to remove.
Finally, Mary Breaksom is a great fig and I like that her "possessed" face includes her goggles. The new ghost energy pre-packs do great to help make the possessed figs for this wave that much more dramatic than last year's (in addition to other new parts used in the other sets that allow for ghosts with two heads or tilted, extended torsos).
@Golem25: He actually became a skeleton in the most recent webisode, and while the way it happened could be considered "sacrificing himself" (by blocking the spell Lady E was using to try to return to Newbury), it was still remarkably PG (much like how Cole became a ghost in Ninjago's fifth season as the result of a curse rather than any sort of grisly death).
I didn't get the 3-in-1 Creator 2019 Racing Plane set despite 3-in-1 being one of my favorite themes, but this being in a similar price point, might just be a great alternative instead.
@Golem25 said:
"Is no one else horrified by the fact that the El Fuego character seemingly DIED?! LEGO is going all in on this one."
I saw an episode on Lego YouTube channel that explains this but yes, the range is dark.
I'm getting this for the plane (probably no stickers) and for the dog.
@Lordmoral said:
" @Golem25 said:
"Is no one else horrified by the fact that the El Fuego character seemingly DIED?! LEGO is going all in on this one."
I saw an episode on Lego YouTube channel that explains this but yes, the range is dark."
How’d he die?
Great review, pretty great plane. I'll be ordering some of those dark blue wing pieces of BnP!
I am so horrified, because El Fuego died! So horrible. Horrible... Let's petition, that Lego doesn't make any skeletons at all! And what about those ghosts in general? And those Hermine Potter witches?! So horrible... not.
@Vladtheb said:
" @Lordmoral said:
" @Golem25 said:
"Is no one else horrified by the fact that the El Fuego character seemingly DIED?! LEGO is going all in on this one."
I saw an episode on Lego YouTube channel that explains this but yes, the range is dark."
How’d he die?"
He didn't die per se but maybe you should check the episode that follows this one: https://youtu.be/O6SVU0PSNW8
Point of order: that’s not a rotary engine but a radial engine.
I like the coloring, though I think some of LEGO’s smaller, simpler biplanes are better.
EF didn't die, he just joined the skeleton war.
So how many Lego sets have had dead versions of previous character's before? I know Lego's IP's have killed off characters before, but its not like we ever had the "Matoro's Corpse Playset" or anything like that.
@xboxtravis7992 said:
"So how many Lego sets have had dead versions of previous characters before? I know Lego's IPs have killed off characters before, but it's not like we ever had the "Matoro's Corpse Playset" or anything like that. "
"Black Monarch's Ghost" comes immediately to mind.
In the Hidden Side show on Lego's YouTube channel El Fuego tries to save Newbury by jumping into a haunted painting causing him to go into the hidden side but come back as a skeleton
@peterlmorris - I think it could probably be either 'rotary' or 'radial' because the cylinders can rotate around their core or remain stationary as the propeller turns. I have updated the article for clarity though.
@xboxtravis7992 said:
"So how many Lego sets have had dead versions of previous character's before? I know Lego's IP's have killed off characters before, but its not like we ever had the "Matoro's Corpse Playset" or anything like that. "
LEGO Nexo Knight Wizard Merlok 2.0 was digitalized into a software/hologram after exploding.
The minifigure "human" version was included in a book.
I wasn’t bothered with Hidden Side to start with, but sets like this are really growing on me.
I love the quirkiness of these Hidden Side sets but the absolute worst aspect about them is the box art. It’s over-ambitious in its artistic presentation and totally confusing to the consumer. I have to pick it up and look at the back of the box to figure out what it is I’m actually buying! Hmm, maybe that’s the idea, makes you pick up the box...
Great model - son loves it having picked it up with xmas money. These sets are always one above the franchised themes and it shows with the VFM - worth the purchase if you're considering.
"I love the quirkiness of these Hidden Side sets but the absolute worst aspect about them is the box art."
Totally agree - I can see what LEGO is trying to do with respect to the packaging but the end result is awful. Such a shame as the sets themselves are great.
@xboxtravis7992 said:
"So how many Lego sets have had dead versions of previous character's before? I know Lego's IP's have killed off characters before, but its not like we ever had the "Matoro's Corpse Playset" or anything like that. "
Ninjago does this from time to time, most notably with Cole as a ghost for a few waves
The Mary figure design instantly reminded me of the series 7 cmf Daredevil. https://brickset.com/sets/8831-7/Daredevil
I love it when lego designers do stuff like that.
El Fuego is a stand out character. Kids can imagine him having some jack sparrow skeletal curse, or maybe we are all to believe he died since wave 1! I do not prioritize this set, nor his truck, and the school is a big deal, so the El Fuego collection is not an easy one to acquire.
Am I the only one amazed by that dual-molded Jack Davids hairpiece with his cap on backwards?!?
@CapnRex101 , we expect crash tests ever since the Monster Truck review.
Not too sure how well this set would perform in a crash test, but we expect one all the same.
Meet Douglas, aka El Fuego
Douglas once dreamed of becoming a stuntman, a race driver, a wrestler, a pilot and many other things. After many failed attempts (and broken limbs) he ended up as the groundskeeper of Newbury Middle and High School. Now his mechanical skills and fearless approach to danger make him a valuable asset to the team and their efforts to rid Newbury of its hauntings.
The retail boxes do such a poor job of showing what's in the Hidden Side sets that I really rely on these reviews. I didn't even want this set until this review.
If I was going to be a death defying daredevil, I'd probably paint up to look like a skeleton from the stands as well. Not only is it a good shtick, but it also helps protect your privacy. It's hard to buy groceries or socks (much less beer or prophylactics) when you're famous. (And if something does go wrong, well, you replacement can paint up just like you.) Or he's dead- D E D, dead. Either way, it makes me grin.
The plane looks amazing, and it is finally a Hidden Side set that I actually want to buy other than to get Spencer- the ghost dog is cool. But like Rimefang, I need these reviews to see what is in the box. Shame of TLG for trying to hard with the art on this line.
This Hidden Side theme keeps getting better. I so love it when non licensed themes produce such gems.