I received some of the new Collectible Minifigure Series packages for the LEGO Batman Movie. I will have a set review up soon and some of them posted in my BrickLink store so stay tuned. It looks like the movie will be released on 10 February 2017 so get ready!
I will have another campaign up soon as well. Any orders that I have received in-between campaigns will be added to the next one. If you have any suggestions on who the next campaign should be for, please send me a note.
The first set review of 2017 is not a 2017 set. Sorry. It instead is a Marvel Super Heroes set featuring Spider-Man. Specifically it is #76057, Spider-Man: Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge Battle. Released on 1 August 2016 in the US, it has 1092 pieces and at a retail price of $99.99 that works out to be $0.092 per piece. Not too bad considering it comes with 7 minifigures. I scored the set for $58.99 on Amazon.com during the weeks leading up to Christmas and will gladly take the ~40% off deal that I got (that's $0.054 per piece). Besides the great deal I got, I also was intrigued by the bridge as I don't recall any other sets that come with a larger sized bridge. Onto the review...
Similar box design to other Super Heroes sets. The back shows the play features and all of the different moving parts.
Set contents are 8 parts bags, 2 large 8x16 tiles, and a package with the instruction book, stickers, and a comic book. As a note, I will not be putting the stickers on this set after I build it. The plan is to build it, do the review, sell the minifigs, and keep the parts (in my opinion, there are some good ones).
Bag one contains Spider-Man, the Green Goblin, the Green Goblin's Glider, and one of the bridge piers with some webs containing Spider-Man's camera. It also contains a piece separator which are becoming very standard with the larger sets.
The next build is the second pier. It is the lair of Kraven the Hunter and includes his minifigure. It also includes Aunt May and a small 4-wheeler type police vehicle. I'm not sure what the purpose is as it doesn't include a police minifigure.
The 2 bags that make up the third part of the build start the span of the bridge. It also includes Spider-Girl. Not much detail in the build yet, but you can see the start of where the bridge breaks apart.
Bag 4 adds more detail to the bridge and adds the 2 piers.
Bag 5 adds the Scorpion, starts adding to the tower, and adds a taxi. The taxi has a number of stickers that I didn't apply, but the outside doesn't look too bad. The inside leaves a bit to be desired as it only fits one minifigure... which isn't included.
Bag 6 includes Scarlet Spider and finishes the majority of the tower.
Bag 7 wraps up the build with the final part of the bridge (signs fall apart and flames), the rest of the tower (the wall pieces can fall out), and the suspension cables.
I'm not going to lie, I purchased the set because it was 40% off and as a City fan, I was interested in the bridge. So my take on the bridge... the piers leave a bit to be desired. I realized they were developed for play and not for design, but I think they could easily be modified to make them more realistic looking. The bridge span, despite the play features, is built pretty good. The edges of the bridge have some detail and then the bridge surface itself is done well. The only thing I would have done differently would be to expand the width of the bridge. Right now, you can fit only two, 4-stud wide vehicles on the bridge at a time. I would increase it or perhaps add a second span similar to the Brooklyn Bridge in NY. The tower has some good detail as well and could be changed to get rid of some of the play features. I would be interested in trying to modify the bridge so a train could fit on it.
The set itself... for a kid it isn't too bad... 7 minifigures and a bunch of play features. The build isn't too challenging although I didn't apply the stickers. It's retail price isn't too bad, but if you can catch it on sale again, then go for it. For the adult fan, my opinion is to only go for it if they are big into Spider-Man or you get a great price. I'm happy to have reviewed it and then to take it apart and use the pieces for other builds as there are some great pieces. I really like the 1x2 bricks with the layered brick tile. There are a number of other great parts too.
What are your thoughts?
Happy Building!
I am not a car buff by any means, but or some reason some of the recent LEGO car sets have called to me. You can see my reviews of #10248 Ferrari F40 and #42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS for some of the other car sets.
Onto this set. To be honest, I've never heard of Caterham until the LEGO set came out and I had to look it up. There are some cool videos on You Tube about them if you are like me and want to check them out. This set is Ideas set number 14 and was released on 1 October 2016. It retails for $79.99 and has 771 pieces or $0.104/piece which is right around average.
Here is the box. The box is similar to other LEGO Ideas sets in terms of how it opens and it shows a bunch of views of the model.
The set contents are 6 bags which are numbers 1 through 3 with 2 bags for each number. There is also an instruction booklet with the instructions and info on the builders. Wait, what was that? Did you catch that? No stickers!!! Woo-hoo!!! How awesome is that? There are a number of pieces with printed on logos and designs, but no stickers to fight with. YES!!!
The first 2 bags are the main part of the body and then the start of the rear suspension. Not a ton of detail yet.
The next 2 bags have both of the axles in the car and a good portion of the body. You can see the disc rotors for the wheels that are printed on and some pieces that have printed logos.
The final 2 bags finish up the model. You can see the pieces that can be used to put the vehicle up to display it or to show it off a bit. The details on the hood include some pieces that have printed on colors. The black with the yellow has a sharp contrast that helps to make it stand out. Some have complained about the color choices, but I think the black and yellow are a good choice.
Here are 2 looks of the vehicle... one of the front and one of the back. I didn't take pictures of the removable parts, but the hood comes off and you can take the trunk off to put the vehicle jacks into the trunk. There are some good uses of different building techniques to make the curves so it's not just a model where you stack bricks one on top of the other. The only complaint with the build I have is of the driver and passenger side mirrors and the rear view mirror. Either I put it on wrong or it just doesn't stay well.
Overall what do I think? It's a good model, fairly quick build, but quite detailed. There are some newer piece types and the lack of stickers is awesome. Price is slightly high, but on average with the price per piece. I think it will be a good addition to my other cars in the collection and I'd love to get a ride in one some day. If you have the chance to get the model, go for it. If you can get it during double VIP points or some other promotion, then even better!
See my reviews of other LEGO Ideas sets:
For Sale:
Back to the Future - Delorean Time Machine - #21103
$90 (w/ free shipping
For Sale:
Research Institute - #21110 - Brick Classifieds
$45 (w/ free shipping)
We ended our campaign and it resulted in $62.81 being collected. For a 4 month period, I can't complain, but I would have liked it to be higher. Thank you to all who supported your hobby and gave back to the Children's Hospital in Pensacola, FL. We shipped the items pictured here on 20 December and they should make it in time for Christmas. They were worth a bit more than what was collected, but we don't mind throwing in some extra stuff. We hope it makes someone's day! Happy building!
"In the town where I was born lived a man who sailed to sea..." Okay so I was not around when this song was released by the Beatles in the 1960s. I also never saw the movie... although I have seen "Help" and "A Hard Day's Night." I was intrigued to see this set released as the 15th Ideas set and as a fan of the Beatles, I decided to pick up a set. So if you're interested in the set, but not so sure if you should get one or not, here's a review that will hopefully help.
The set was released in the US on 1 November 2016. The price is $59.99 in the US for 550 pieces ($0.109 per piece... just about average). Here is the box:
It is very colorful like the cartoon that was Yellow Submarine. The front is the standard display of the set and it has the Ideas logo with the #15. The back shows the functions of the set. The box itself is re-closable (is that a word?) like the other Ideas sets.
The contents are 5 numbered bags and an instruction booklet. The instruction booklet includes a page about the fan designer and the LEGO designer.
Bag 1 starts off with the bottom of the submarine. Nothing too special about that part of the build. As you can see it also comes with a brick separator. Finally, there's a stand for the minifigures. The stand has 3x4 plates similar to the ones that come with collectible minifigure sets, but these are light gray. This bag contains the John Lennon minifigure.
Bag 2 includes Paul McCartney and some additional parts to the submarine. There are some new designs on 1x1 tile circles that haven't appeared before. Other than that, nothing new yet.
Bag 3 adds George Harrison and more to the submarine to include the front.
Bag 4 adds in Ringo Starr. It also adds the rudder and twin screws (propellers). The top of the craft starts too and adds some new pieces to include 1x1 tile quarter circles. I have never seen them before, but I could have missed them previously. Definitely a cool piece that I could see used elsewhere like trying to build signs or letters.
Here is the final build. I like the use of the hot dog pieces to make the railing on the top of the sub. The periscopes are fun too. The build includes a stand for the submarine as well for display purposes. Finally it adds (and I had to look this up) Jeremy Hillary Boob Ph.D.
Here is a closer look at the minifigs. All of the minifigures have 2 faces. Most of them look similar... mouth open or closed, but the eyes are mostly the same. I'm not sure if the hair matches them perfectly, but close enough. I had to look up what they are holding. Here's what I found: John - telescope, Paul - 1x2 ‘love’ tile, Ringo - round 2x2 ‘half a hole’ tile, George - submarine motor and Jeremy - Apple
Overall... I'm not sure it was worth the purchase. I enjoy listening to the Beatles and their music, but I don't know if this set was worth it or if I'm a big enough fan to want to show this off. The good news is that the pieces are pretty good so you can always build something else or add to a MOC. If you're on the fence on whether to purchase this set, wait to see if you can get a discount on Amazon.com or at Walmart. Or maybe wait for a double VIP point month.
Christmas is a little less than a month away and LEGO sales and deals have hit the markets. One of the ways the LEGO Company increases sales is by offering exclusive Christmas themed sets. See my review of last year's sets here. This year one of those sets is the Snowglobe (#40223). It was available to VIP members in the US about a week prior to the Brick Friday sales for orders over $99 and then it was open to all for orders over $99 on the Brick Friday weekend. It contains 215 pieces and like most years the price on the secondary markets goes up pretty quickly. I ordered a few things in the week prior to Brick Friday and received a set so here is my review.
The container is similar to previous years. The front has a limited edition stamp in the upper right corner. The back just shows that it has a drawer you can open. Magically, the round 1x1 tile pieces are floating in the air.
Set contents are 3 bags of bricks and an instruction booklet.
Onto the build... it starts off with the drawer portion of the set. The 1x2 bricks with the brick-like tile design on the side in the brick red color are new (to me). I think it's a great color and I hope to see it more often in more sets. Has it appeared elsewhere?
The next picture adds the Santa figure. I haven't compared him to the Santa figures of the past, but I think it's pretty good. The hat design seems new, but the beard is the same as previous Santas.
Here's the final set with the globe portion complete. The Christmas tree inside fits nicely. It doesn't have a lot of detail, but looks decent considering the space available. The greenery on the top doesn't do much for me, but they had to do something on the top. The picture on the right shows the drawer open. I don't know what you'd want to put in there, but it's a nice part of the design.
Normally now is the time that I either recommend or tell you to avoid buying a set. I can't do that this time because the set isn't available anymore. If you want to buy it, you have to check out the secondary market. I haven't looked to see what the prices are, but my guess is around $30. While I'm no expert, my recommendation would be to wait for Christmas to be over and to look to buy this set in the summer when there probably isn't a lot of interest. Usually the prices go back up and they start to move faster before Christmas so pick one up before next Christmas if you're interested in one.
Happy Building!
I know some people are anti-Walmart, but I fully admit that I shop there occasionally. I typically do not purchase LEGO® products there as I can often get them cheaper on Amazon.com. That was until I went to Walmart.com this past weekend. With the buildup to the Christmas shopping season the sales online have been getting better. It always makes me mad when I see the discounts get larger. "Why did I buy that set a few months ago when I could have waited and saved sometimes $10 or $15 more?"
Anyways, Walmart shelves typically don't have lots of great sales, but the web site had some great sales that Amazon.com had yet to match at the time (Amazon.com did a few days later). I found the following sets (before tax):
-#75149 - Star Wars Resistance X-Wing Fighter - $57.59 (retail price = $79.99 --- 28% off)
-#31052 - Creator Vacation Getaways - $41.59 (retail price = $69.99 --- 41% off)
-#75148 - Star Wars Encounter on Jakku - $38.39 (retail price = $59.99 --- 36% off)
-#75138 - Star Wars Hoth Attack - $15.99 (retail price $24.99 ---36% off)
Besides the fact that I think I should never buy a set at retail price ever again, I was very pleased with these prices. Unlike Amazon.com, Walmart would not ship to my doorstep. I had to go to the store. Thankfully the store is only a few miles away and there were some other items I needed to pick up anyways (more revenue for Walmart... what they want, right?). Anyways I got a text and email when the order was ready for pickup. All I had to do was bring my phone to a pickup area at the store with an ID. They scanned a bar code in the email on my phone, checked my ID, and handed me the sets. Odds are a worker had picked them the previous evening off the shelves and they were probably at the retail prices set by the LEGO company. It was quick and easy and I got a great deal. I can't complain about the experience considering the great deals I got.
So if you're in Walmart and you think you see a great deal on the shelf or there's a set that you really want, check their web site first. You could save yourself a bunch!
LEGO CITY has some recurring themes that can get old after a while and obviously are meant for younger LEGO fans. The Fire and Police themes within CITY quickly come to mind as it seems like they have a new run each year. The Airport theme is one of those that doesn't quite occur every year. The last airport set was released in 2010 and was set #3182. This year (2016) another airport was released. #60104, Airport Passenger Terminal, was released on 1 August 2016 in the US. It costs $99.99 in the US and contains 694 pieces or $0.144 per piece. I picked the set up from Amazon at 20% off or $80 ($0.115 per piece). Yay sales! Onto the review...
HEY! Here is what the box looks like. It's the standard LEGO CITY box with the whole set on the front and then some details on the back with a minifigure saying "hey!"
Set contents were 8 numbered bags, a bag of BURP pieces, a bag of random parts (not sure why they weren't in the numbered bags), and an instruction package with 4 booklets and stickers.
Here are the instruction booklets. #1 is for the workers, baggage cart, fuel cart, and stairs. #2 and #3 is for the passenger jet. #4 is for the terminal. Not a ton of stickers, but a bunch nonetheless.
Onto the build... Bags 1 and 2 are the workers and the tractor to pull the baggage cart, fuel cart, and stairs. Bag 1 also includes a brick separator.
Bag 3 starts the aircraft and includes 3 minifigures (2 passengers and a pilot) The aircraft has the standard wings and fuselage sections. I am not a fan of the giant wing piece as it limits the number of seats. It does however help to make the aircraft more realistic. Given the size of the aircraft, there are only 5 seats for passengers which is rather disappointing.
Bag 4 finishes the fuselage and all that is left are the engines and tail section. You'll notice that this aircraft has a bathroom on board as well as some storage for a non-existent flight attendant. I think this is the first time that LEGO has put some additional details into aircraft besides just seats. Also there is only one pilot for a 2 seat cockpit in the set.
Bag 5 has the landing gear, tail, winglets, and engines. This is the first larger aircraft where the engines are built up versus just a big piece to strap on. It's not really streamlined, but I like the design and how it is built.
Bag 6 starts the airport terminal. Like most CITY builds, they are meant for play so it's really only half a building. It includes one minifigure and the revolving door entrance. While the entrance is cool looking, it's about twice the height of a minifigure and there isn't enough physical space for one actually to fit through the door. I'm not a fan of the design.
Bag 7 finished off the front facade adds in a metal detector and the baggage check-in station. I guess you enter from the right and then maybe the revolving doors are where you can walk out to the plane. I'm not really sure anymore. The conveyor belt is a nice addition to the set for playability and is set up so you can pull the baggage cart right next to it.
Bag 8 is the final bag with the roof being completed and then the control tower. The control tower is unmanned... or maybe the one worker does everything? I'm also not sure how a worker would actually get up to the tower.
So that's it... It's the first passenger airport set released in 6 years. It comes with a jet, 6 minifigures, a terminal, and some equipment for servicing the aircraft. Should you get it? After getting it, I'm glad I got it on sale, but I'm still not sure it was worth what I paid. I think it needs at least another terminal worker and then a pilot and flight attendant. Also you're paying for a lot of BURPs to help smooth the aircraft out. The age range listed is 6-12 years old so clearly it is not meant for old farts like me looking for a good building experience. However, if you're a LEGO CITY fan and you build your own MOCs to go with your city, it has some good additions. If you're looking to build an airport terminal of your own, you'll find some useful parts to make it realistic. We'll see if it takes another 6 years for an upgrade.
We have over a month to go and with the addition of inventory of BrickLink, we are on our way to another great campaign. As of 8 November 2016, we are at $54.41 that we'll use to purchase sets to give to kids at the hospital. Thank you all for your orders and for supporting this campaign!
I've been busy with the BrickLink store with orders and adding inventory, but I still have a set review to do. I've also been busy with the sales going on at Amazon, Walmart, and Target. I've gotten some awesome deals that I hope to add to the storefronts soon. So stay tuned and happy building!
Bricks for Bricks is now on BrickLink. You can visit the store by clicking here. Right now, the collectible minifigures are listed, but I'm in the process of adding more inventory everyday. So check out the store there if you're a BrickLink user.