Random set of the day: Grand Championship Cup
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 3425 Grand Championship Cup , released during 2002. It's one of 43 Sports sets produced that year. It contains 570 pieces and 22 minifigs.
It's owned by 264 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
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38 comments on this article
The sport's called Soccer.
Deal with it. XD
I recently got into this theme this year! I got this one along with other ones! This theme is not as bad as everyone says it is.
*Molotov cocktails not included
I don't know man, that field looks hard to drink out of
Not sure why the article says “22 minifigs” when the box clearly specifies that 11+11 minifigures are included. Disappointed in Brickset’s editorial team on this front.
I wasn't a sports fan, as a teenager, but honestly? Lego City finally getting its own soccer field was just the neatest thing, it really was.
This was so fun to actually play with and the system they divided worked well.
I know I say it every then one a Sports theme set comes up on RSOTD, but I’d love a return to this theme soon.
@Mr__Thrawn said:
"Not sure why the article says “22 minifigs” when the box clearly specifies that 11+11 minifigures are included. Disappointed in Brickset’s editorial team on this front."
Guess you didn't learn to add 2-digit numbers (lol jk)
Though it is still the 22nd for me, and first evening of fall as well.
I think I knew someone whose older brother had one of these stadium sets. It's quite a fun set, even though I've always had little interest in sports.
Grand Championship or not, it’s called a jockstrap.
These sets were odd, but I'd take this over a dang LEGO replica of a shoe any day. Especially since the same license brought us both. I had the Team Bus from this era, and the coach figure had an Adidas jersey.
You have a shoe, vs. something that gives foosball a run for its money.
It was interesting to see these releases were in time for the World Cup. The sports theme tried to add a play element that I thought was neat, especially with football/soccer.
In 2009, I sent a letter asking to bring the theme back for the 2010 World Cup. I got a response saying how the ‘Sports’ theme was the longest lasting theme and they had to try other themes. I still have that response letter somewhere.
Woah, the only other sets with this many minifigures contain battle droids!
Wow! I have never seen this specific set before. Was it a regional exclusive?
@LegoSonicBoy said:
"Wow! I have never seen this specific set before. Was it a regional exclusive?"
There was a regional exclusive version in the US where 10 minifigures were all plain white and the US soccer emblem was a sticker for the front of the players! It’s 3425-1 while this set is 3425-2.
This set was sold in Europe, at least in Germany for sure, and should have been available everywhere.
They made at least 3 different field variants (the other two are 3409 which was a more basic version of this one without the slotted field pieces, and 3569 which had a rigid frame) but this one has so far eluded me. This one also has the fanciest emblem on the ball as well.
Speaking of that, of the 43 Sports sets from this year, the 4470 is (in my opinion) by far the best.
@Collector_Nonas:
Interestingly, by Brickset standards, there are four other sets with 22 minifigs, six with 24 minifigs, one each with 25/27/28/30, two with 31, and the list tops out with 36. Not one of those sets includes a Battle Droid. The only two SW sets on the list are the Death Star playsets. Battle droids just missed the mark with 7662 and 21 minifigs.
This is the non-US version. The US version (3425-1, which I have) has USMNT stickers.
@phi13:
Under Seven Mutant Ninja Turtles? Or is it Under Six? Does this mean there are Preteen Mutant Ninja Turtles as well?
Why are the corner flags outside the advertising boards? How do they take corners?
Forget typos on SW stickers, these are the hard hitting questions that need answers.
I never got this set but I did get the slightly smaller 3420…
…and more recently got a load of the Japan exclusive Coca -Cola players, to go with it.
A great little sub theme.
As the ball is unable to leave the pitch there is no need for corner flags, more like a futsal field. Also the 11 a side looks a bit crowded, whereas the futsal 5 a side would look more sensible, although the minifigs don't look like they are going to be doing much running.
@PurpleDave said:
"Grand Championship or not, it’s called a jockstrap."
Uhh... A jockstrap and a cup are two different things.
@560heliport:
The cup is part of the jockstrap, and not much use on its own.
At the time, I didn't like the Sports theme. It just felt like one of the many weird themes Lego had in their catalogue. And I didn't understand what the appeal was of enacting sport of all things instead of just playing outside. It didn't help that I was and still am not into sports at all.
Btw, it got REALLY weird with the figures from the Ice Hockey subtheme https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Sports/subtheme-Hockey
I now think I understand the theme. Children like to re-enact the things they find interesting. There are many sports fans in the world, and having that combined with lego is already a big plus for them. Combine that with Lego's attempt to actually make these fun to play with. All sports sets at the very least have built-in functions to make them interactive and make setting up games alone or with friends a possibility.
In hindsight it was that extra bit of creativity that defined the theme. Sure it was licensed. But at least they didn't just make you build a model of a stadium or shoe and leave it at that. Because for kids that would take away the opportunity to play with the toys. They did that in the 1998 soccer stadium (promotional?) sets, and the field was realistic, but not very easy to play with. Now we have those scale recreation models for adults.
Speed Champions does something similar. The cars are basically bigger, buildable Hot Wheels. You can at least play with them as a kid.
That said, the Racers theme (especially Drome Racers) tried to add a lot more with pull-back motors, slammer mechanisms, track pieces, ramps, combination models, remote control sets etc. They did their best to innovate.
I think Speed Champions plays it a bit safe, but at least they aren't 100% static due to the wheels (doors would be nice though...)
And that very innovation from the early 2000s almost brought Lego to bankruptcy anyway.
43 Sports theme sets that year?! Wow! ...and then you look and realize like half are just minifigures and there's a lot of crap like 4463, 4464, and my personal favorite worst set of all time 4466.
@notasaint said:
" @LegoSonicBoy said:
"Wow! I have never seen this specific set before. Was it a regional exclusive?"
There was a regional exclusive version in the US where 10 minifigures were all plain white and the US soccer emblem was a sticker for the front of the players! It’s 3425-1 while this set is 3425-2.
This set was sold in Europe, at least in Germany for sure, and should have been available everywhere.
"
I must've forgotten about this, then. The only ones fresh in my mind still are 3409 and 3420.
@PDelahanty said:
"43 Sports theme sets that year?! Wow! ...and then you look and realize like half are just minifigures and there's a lot of crap like 4463, 4464, and my personal favorite worst set of all time 4466."
To be fair, the images for those sets are pretty poor quality and I’m sure they look better in real life ;-)
@MCLegoboy said:
"The sport's called Soccer.
Deal with it. XD"
No it’s not.
Accept it ??
8-16? That's not a score you see often in football....
@WizardOfOss said:
"8-16? That's not a score you see often in football...."
Well, for one that is the age range (would likely be a 7+ set today).
@PDelahanty said:
"43 Sports theme sets that year?! Wow! ...and then you look and realize like half are just minifigures and there's a lot of crap like 4463, 4464, and my personal favorite worst set of all time 4466."
Hey… don’t knock set 4464 - it’s the only set that ever had the 4x3 create in RED
@PDelahanty:
Those three sets were all Japanese Coca-Cola promo sets, so you got them free with qualifying purchase of soft drinks.
@ASLego:
It never ceases to surprise me that it’s always a Brit who protests the use of the _BRITISH_ term “soccer”, derived from “aSOCCiated football” and the British penchant for slapping “-er” on the end of every word.
@Minifig_Jez:
Is it? I guess the Coke 6-pack that I bought (4071) uses a red 2x3 brick instead. Good thing I only bought it for the still-exclusive trans-clear 1x1 cones!
@Isabella_and_Lego_Liker said:
"Well, for one that is the age range (would likely be a 7+ set today)."
Obvious joke should have been obvious ;-)
To be fair, with a more typical football score it could have only been a Duplo set. And "today" Lego would more probably label this 18+....
@Kynareth said:
" @PDelahanty said:
"43 Sports theme sets that year?! Wow! ...and then you look and realize like half are just minifigures and there's a lot of crap like 4463, 4464, and my personal favorite worst set of all time 4466."
To be fair, the images for those sets are pretty poor quality and I’m sure they look better in real life ;-)
"
4466 is literally 3 pieces. (Brickset says "4".) A white windscreen and two 1x3 plates. That's it.
@PDelahanty:
Brickset says _3_. Bricklink says 4 because it includes the sticker sheet that’s not evident in the package photo.
@PDelahanty said:
"43 Sports theme sets that year?! Wow! ...and then you look and realize like half are just minifigures and there's a lot of crap like 4463, 4464, and my personal favorite worst set of all time 4466."
Take the negativity somewhere else.
@PDelahanty said:
"43 Sports theme sets that year?! Wow! ...and then you look and realize like half are just minifigures and there's a lot of crap like 4463, 4464, and my personal favorite worst set of all time 4466."
Hey, 4466 is highly regarded as a set containing just black and white, therefore making it a very useful Blacktron set.