I got this set all the way back in 1997 as a Christmas present. I was not wholly new to building with full-on Legos, but the ones I played with were my father's (though he has long since let them pass to my siblings and I) and not my own - all I had to my name was Duplos (I had received a tub of Legos for my birthday once but it got left at my grandparents' during a move earlier in '97 and sadly most of it was donated to a thrift store). Besides which, my father's piece collection had some definite lacks as far as some honestly basic parts went.

I still have most of the pieces from this bucket (though some are in need of repair because I did not take good care of them), and they continue to serve me well as a builder.

Box/Instructions

The box is a handy red medium-size Lego storage bucket, with four studs on top. These studs are the same size as those on the Lego drink/storage cups you get at Lego Land parks and Lego Stores, so there's a bit of building fun to be had. There are some nice pictures of potential models on the side stickers, as well as a handy inventory sheet. These features are duplicated on the folded pamphlet included.

The instructions... are nonexistent. The theme is called FreeStyle for a reason. There is no set model the parts are supposed to build (Heh, they should've just thrown this theme at Business -it would've given him an anyeurism), so even if you're the type that prefers to keep at least some sets together, these are free for any use you can dream up.

Parts

There is a beautiful selection of pieces available in this set. There's your basic bricks and plates, as well as wheels and flagpoles and a variety of accessories (including a helmet with a visor - always fun to open and close the visor, it really is), windows with shutters and opening casements, hinges (including a 2x5 hinge plate), chairs, supports, a bush, various bits and bobs, and even a 16x16 baseplate.

Minifigures

Timmy and the professor from Time Cruisers are included in this set, though the prof has ditched his more professional duds for casual wear (including a FreeStyle shirt).

The build

The build consists of you putting the pieces to work however you see fit. There's so many ways to use them. The only limit is that you might not have enough parts for a particular ambition.

The completed model

Not really applicable for this theme. The completed model or models plural is entirely up to the builder.

Overall opinion

A set people only want to buy for parts has kinda failed as a set. This, however, is not a set - it's a bucket of parts that aims to broaden your building horizons and very much succeeds. With 320 pieces and of such variety, there is a good bit you can do. Very good value for a mere ten dollars, and almost perfect as a way to introduce a child to the full Lego building experience (I say almost because by itself it might run out of bricks if they want to build something like, say, a larger house - it'd be perfect if accompanied by a basic bricks bucket). If you can find one for a decent price, it would actually still be worth picking up today (though perhaps not with the bucket, if only for what it might do to the shipping cost).