Review: 31101 Creator Monster Truck
Posted by Viperius,
31101 Monster Truck is another one of the Creator 3-in-1 series which I simply love because of the playability and storytelling possibilities for younger makers. The box is slightly larger than that for 31100 Sports Car, which I reviewed recently, which is exciting because there must be more in it!
Let's find out...
First impressions are that this is very much a set aimed at those who like their motorsport and I could see this set being used to create extreme sports MOCs. Initially I was not that excited looking at the box as this is not really my thing.
On opening the box, we have, as expected 3 sets of instructions, 3 bags and some fairly chunky tyres.
On closer inspection of the bags I notice a few Technic parts. This may not turn out to be as underwhelming as I thought. There are some rubber pieces, pins, axles and some parts that turn out to be one of the key components of a suspension system.
My interest is piqued and am wondering how all of this Technic goodness will fit into what has to be a fairly small model.
Monster Truck is the main feature model and as soon as you start building it, it's looking very interesting. The Technic pieces actually go to make up a suspension system that works really well. That was a bit of a pleasant surprise. I am really impressed by the simplicity of this and how effective it actually is as we will see later in my crashability test.
The rest of the truck went together easily with a total build time of about 15 minutes. Oh, did I mention that you get a bonus vehicle for the monster truck to drive over? No, well you do!
It's very simple but is a great addition to aid with storytelling and play. I know as I was taking the pictures, I was making up a story in my head.
Construction complete. Time for the all-important crash test. The thing that you know is going to happen, Model, floor, height, rebuild. I dropped the Monster Truck from table height and the suspension simply absorbed the fall and it bounced and sat there looking at me saying “Is that the best you've got?” I tried driving it off the table and again it bounced and carried on across the carpet. All in all I'm very impressed with it.
The dragster presented no challenges and had a build time of around 8 minutes. The wheels and tyres stayed intact which is good for smaller makers who won’t have to struggle with getting the wheels out of the tyres. No Technic pieces used on this build apart from the rear axle. In the crash test, as might be expected, the rear wing came off, but apart from that the dragster came off well.
The last model in the set is a Race Car with a Start/Finish line gantry. No major challenges and a build time of 10 mins. I am afraid this model left me totally cold. The race car was a simple build and at the end of it you have a square car. Saying that, it did do well in the crash test and you can drop this one off the table as many times as you like.
The gantry on the other hand could be used as part of a racetrack and could be combined with some of the other parts bits to make some nice scenic elements for your builds. Not surprisingly this did not survive the crash test well and did need some reconstruction.
Summary
I was not that excited about this set looking at the box, but the engineering in the Monster truck saved the day. Simple, elegant, and could be adapted and used in other models.
The set is still good value as you get the opportunity to build and rebuild and for the younger makers there is plenty of scope for play. However for most I suspect the monster truck and crush the car will be the main story played out here.
The set is now available from LEGO.com for £12.99 / $14.99.
Thanks to LEGO for providing this set for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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19 comments on this article
For a non-figure set those small 4 wide cars are pretty sweet, almost Town-scale of the old days with those parts used.
Of course the Truck and Dragster and the overall color scheme still are nice as well for a small set like this.
Decent set, not really interested in purchasing it, though.
Since when is the C-model so lacking in piece count?
Anyways, good review!
huuuuuge fan
It's a good no-risk impulse gift for a kid.
I want drop tests to be mandatory in all reviews from now on.
@Kynareth said:
"I want drop tests to be mandatory in all reviews from now on."
I agree. Suggest the UCS Imperial Star Destroyer as the first test subject.
;-)
@AustinPowers said:
" @Kynareth said:
"I want drop tests to be mandatory in all reviews from now on."
I agree. Suggest the UCS Imperial Star Destroyer as the first test subject.
;-) "
You monster! XD
Another excellent review Viperius! I really appreciate your contribution to Brickset's review lineup!
Love some of the Creator sets coming out this year.
@Kynareth said: "I want drop tests to be mandatory in all reviews from now on."
Me too! I do these frequently with MOCs I build (though not always, there are some that I know would not survive it).
@Kynareth said:
"I want drop tests to be mandatory in all reviews from now on."
Yess!!! How bout the Modular Bookstore?
In time can these white rubber bands tear oneself away?
We've had the Monster Truck selling burgers, and now the Creator Monster Truck. There's still the small set City monster truck, the police set with someone robbing a bank using a monster truck, and Jack's beach buggy (which, given the wheels, has Monster Truck proportions).
Someone in Denmark was really obsessed with monster trucks, this last year.
@TheRightP_art said:
" @Kynareth said:
"I want drop tests to be mandatory in all reviews from now on."
Yess!!! How bout the Modular Bookstore?"
Nah, that doesn't need a drop test. It needs to be a monster truck.
Ahahah I'm so glad you did drop tests on this one!
I guess it payed off all the time I did drop tests while designing it and making it a stronger model along the way.
Another fun test you could do is the staircase test! A few elements do come off with that one but still, I think kids will have fun while playing with it, without having to worry about it breaking much.
Hope everyone enjoys the decent amount of teal elements!
This set reminds me of LEGO Racers, mostly for Tiny Turbos.
Great review Viperius. I love the no-nonsense prose in your writing. I can't wait for your reviews of larger sets.
Also, the third build reminds me of the "tough truck" competitions here in the U.S. Add a large Dark Tan mound with that start line/gantry thing on top of it, and you've got the concept.
All-in-all neat little set.
The style is strong eith this one.
@TheRightP_art said:
" @Kynareth said:
"I want drop tests to be mandatory in all reviews from now on."
Yess!!! How bout the Modular Bookstore?"
I'm imagining the reviews already:
Did crash test off tabletop. Broke into a million pieces. Do not buy this product. Zero stars.