Review: 21342 The Insect Collection, part two
Posted by Huw,
Following yesterday's look at the butterfly, in this article I examine the second of the three bugs in 21342 The Insect Collection: the Chinese mantis.
The praying mantis is preying on ladybirds, who no doubt are praying that they can fly away to avoid becoming the giant carnivorous insect's prey.
Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis)
This species of praying mantis is native to Asia but can also be found in the northeast of the USA following its accidental introduction in the nineteenth century.
The creature is climbing a branch while eyeing up the tasty red ladybirds in the habitat below.
The branch and flower are fairly nondescript, and the instructions don't give any clues as to what they supposed to be, but I guess possibly an epiphytic orchid.
Three 1x1 ladybird tiles are provided and of course there's also a spare. The original Ideas submission contained a large version of the red spotted beetle, so their inclusion here is welcome.
The mantis is awesome, just like the real creature! Head-to-tail it measures about 18cm so, like the butterfly, the LEGO version is larger than the real one, which reach about 12cm in length.
Its limbs are almost infinitely poseable, thanks to the multitude of joints that can be turned and twisted in many directions. The neck is formed using an angled minifigure stand which needs to be removed and twisted if you want to have the head looking up instead of down.
A Ninjago weapon last seen several years ago is put to good use for its forelegs and its serrations make perfect spines for its tibia. Its wings are represented by a very apt piece, a 57906 FLAP 3X12X2/3 W. FORK, under which there is some nice detailing on the sides of its abdomen.
The googly eyes are printed 'voodoo balls' and make the head look wonderfully expressive. Gold crowbars are used for its antennae.
At first I wasn't sure about the gold pieces used for the joints, but now I quite like them. The real insects often have yellow-y patches of skin around those areas, so it mimics that to some extent, and also provides a welcome contrast of colour.
Overall, it's a wonderful model of a fascinating creature. Its habitat diorama is not as colourful and attractive as that of the butterfly, but perfectly suited and when you glance at it, it can be hard to tell what's plant and what's mantis, just like in nature.
As others have suggested, a number of them would make formidable opponents in a Starship Troopers-like sci-fi diorama!
Now I'll get on and build the beetle and conclude my review tomorrow.
213 likes
35 comments on this article
Lovely review. Nightmarish last photo. Cheers Huw!
Those revolvers at the end of the legs!! I love it !!
The last photo is the best of the review... ; - p
That's a cool Acklay!
I wasn't particularly interested in the set when it was revealed. These reviews have changed my mind! Thanks!
Thanks for giving ADU some love in this great review, Huw!
@bananaworld said:
"
Thanks for giving ADU some love in this great review, Huw!"
My favourite space minifigs, and perfect for the job of defending against these giant invaders! If I get time I'll build a better diorama.
That use of sand green pistols on the legs is very clever.
It came from China!
@Huw said:
" @bananaworld said:
"
Thanks for giving ADU some love in this great review, Huw!"
My favourite space minifigs, and perfect for the job of defending against these giant invaders! If I get time I'll build a better diorama."
Oh, don't get me started on the ADU!
One of my passion projects of the last year was collecting all of the alien sets/sub-sets from Galaxy Squad.
This set is awesome, but the real proto-Starship Trooper attack creature is 70703: Star Slicer. After all, it can capture an ADU member (whole or dismembered) and stick 'em in its trans-purple pod attached to the abdomen.
EDIT: The erudite Mr. Huw has clearly been perusing the comments on this set's disclosure in order to create a subplime play on prey-pray.
Seeing it next to figures is just making me want an Acklay, or even better, a full Geonosian arena.
That last picture is truly sublime. Thank you for the reviews and for that hearty laugh
After seeing that last picture, I want a Lego Brain Bug!
@bnic99 said:
"Seeing it next to figures is just making me want an Acklay, or even better, a full Geonosian arena.
"
I too have always wanted an Acklay beyond the magazine 911612 and seem to have found one.
Mentioning "clone brand" building bricks doesn't always go down well here, but if you're not fussy, search eBay for some words like: Acklay building
I'm going to take a punt on one!
Great review! Although we can visually see, you didn't mention the sand green revolvers in the review! Love the last photo!
Its a lovely build but misses VERY important detail. The "scisors" are still legs. And here they look like your typical cartoon mantis.
Add me to the list of people who want an Acklay, or all three Arena Beasts, While you're adding me to lists, put me on the one of people who are reconsidering this set. So, does the beetle also have a unique printed piece?
Might need this for the mantis alone. Mantises are, in my eyes, easily the best bug. They have such a gentlemanly demeanor, cute little dot eyes, they clearly know kung fu, and they're pious!
I still think the butterfly is a life-size representation of the larger Morpho peleides species.
@TheOtherMike:
I can't speak for the rhino beetle, but _this_ beetle does have a unique print. The ladybug tiles in this set are unique. They're also tiles, and that mantis has a clip for a mouth, so it's also possible to add the fourth "spare" tile to the model, mid-munch.
@sir_vasco:
Ooh, careful, there, or you'll be on the hook for building scaled-up representations of Po, Tigress, Monkey, Crane, and Viper. And Oogway, Shifu, Mr. Ping, and Tai Lung.
This will be a good Halloween stop-motion,I just need to get good at it.
The praying mantis has its prying eyes on it’s prey.
Thanks for the lavish use of prey/pray, Huw. You’re a pro :)
Looks superb
@Yardsale19X said:
"Lovely review. Nightmarish last photo. Cheers Huw! "
Would you say the image is... "bugging" you?
Ladybirds? Shouldn’t it be Ladybugs?
@kmvk83 said:
"Ladybirds? Shouldn’t it be Ladybugs?
"
Yes.
I wish @Huw had included a comparison picture in the review. You can see that it's different, but not just how different it is.
@kmvk83, @StyleCounselor: They're referred to as "ladybirds" in the UK. In the US, "Lady Bird" refers to a '60s First Lady.
We were *this close* to getting some Galaxy Squad representation on Brickset... oh well. The ADU's close enough I guess. Still, can't wait to see the last beetle in the lot, that one might actually be close to life-size.
@JMaster said:
"Still, can't wait to see the last beetle in the lot, that one might actually be close to life-size."
Again, the butterfly coloration looks closer to the Morpho peleides (the largest of seven distinct species that are each referred to as "blue morpho"), and the comparison picture on the LEGO.com product page appears to show that species as well. Their wing span can reach 6.5", which is right about the size of the model. There aren't any nameplates for this set, and they don't list scientific names for any of the insects on the product page. If there are any on the box, they're not easy to see, so the instructions might be the only possible source for the correct identity, and that's assuming the people involved got the name right.
I just checked the original Ideas submission, and the creator even states that he based his design on the Morpho peleides, and that both the butterfly and beetle are lifesize.
@TheOtherMike said:
"I wish @Huw had included a comparison picture in the review. You can see that it's different, but not just how different it is.
@kmvk83 , @StyleCounselor : They're referred to as "ladybirds" in the UK. In the US, "Lady Bird" refers to a '60s First Lady."
Didn't LBJ also refer to one o his hounds as 'Ladybird'? Or, perhaps I'm just mis-remembering some bit from a comedian?
@StyleCounselor: According to Wikipedia, he did have a dog he called Little Beagle Johnson, as part of sort of a running gag. (His daughters were named Lynda Bird and Luci Baines, so the whole family had the initials LBJ.) I was thinking he had dogs named Him and Her, but Wikipedia doesn't mention them, so it looks like you're not the only one with a faulty memory. Doing a word search for "dog" on Lady Bird Johnson's Wikipedia page doesn't com up with anything either.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @StyleCounselor: According to Wikipedia, he did have a dog he called Little Beagle Johnson, as part of sort of a running gag...I was thinking he had dogs named Him and Her, but Wikipedia doesn't mention them, so it looks like you're not the only one with a faulty memory."
A book I read recently about the various pets in the White House mentioned Him and Her, so perhaps it's Wikipedia that's having the memory problems.
How did we get here from praying mantises? Oh, yes. Ladybirds/ladybugs. The new printed tiles in this set really do a very good job of representing them, don't they!
@StyleCounselor said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
"I wish @Huw had included a comparison picture in the review. You can see that it's different, but not just how different it is.
@kmvk83 , @StyleCounselor : They're referred to as "ladybirds" in the UK. In the US, "Lady Bird" refers to a '60s First Lady."
Didn't LBJ also refer to one o his hounds as 'Ladybird'? Or, perhaps I'm just mis-remembering some bit from a comedian?"
You might be thinking of Hank Hill rather than LBJ….
@PurpleDave said:
"rhino beetle"
Hercules beetle.
I want to thank @Huw for creating that last picture. It gives me all the motivation I need to part out the mantis in another color as soon as I can. Not saying which color, because then everyone and their cousin will try to beat me to the punch!
@ForestMenOfEndor said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
"I wish @Huw had included a comparison picture in the review. You can see that it's different, but not just how different it is.
@kmvk83 , @StyleCounselor : They're referred to as "ladybirds" in the UK. In the US, "Lady Bird" refers to a '60s First Lady."
Didn't LBJ also refer to one o his hounds as 'Ladybird'? Or, perhaps I'm just mis-remembering some bit from a comedian?"
You might be thinking of Hank Hill rather than LBJ…."
Yes!
@bnic99 said:
"Seeing it next to figures is just making me want an Acklay, or even better, a full Geonosian arena.
"
No idea if you're still interested, or if you're a LEGO -purist, but I've just built the Acklay from eBay and it's AWESOME. Took a while to arrive from China (despite the listing claiming it shipped from the UK...) but for the money it was worth the wait.