Set Review - Disney Minifigures - #71012

Update - 19 May - The first of a few Disney Minifigures have been added to the store.  I don't have the full range for sale yet, but more will be added soon.  You can find them all here.

They have been out since 1 May so I'm a little late to the review, but it took a while for my orders to arrive.  The price in the US has remained the same at $3.99 per minifigures, but there have been a few changes.  For starters the set now includes 18 versus the standard 16 minifigures per set.  While it's great to have more figures out there, it means you need to spend more of your money if you want to complete the whole set ($71.82 vs $63.84 before taxes).  Another change, if you buy your figures from LEGO Shop at Home, they now only let you buy up to 18 versus the 32 that you used to be able to buy.  What does that mean?  You can't just order collectible minifigures and get the free shipping over $75.  Now you have to buy another set to go with them to get free shipping.  

Another area which I'm sure has been debated elsewhere is the use of Licensed material versus original LEGO designed content.  It seems that LEGO is producing more and more licensed products.  Is that a bad thing?  I'm sure people are buying them so they keep making them, but having the imaginative sets is also good too.  Does LEGO have the right mix of both between themes like CITY and NEXO KNIGHTS and others versus STAR WARS and THE SIMPSONS and others?  I'm not sure I know the answer there either.

So onto the figures...

First off we have Stitch from "Lilo & Stitch."  I think they did a good job with this figure.  It's pretty accurate and using the shorter minifig legs helps.  Next is Peter Pan.  The face and printed torso and legs do a good job at capturing him, but I wonder if they should have used the shorter legs as well since Peter is a kid.  Finally Alice from Alice in Wonderland.  I like the plastic dress much better than some of the cloth dresses that have been used on past figures.  It limits the movement of the arms, but that's okay by me.

I'm not sure how they decided which figures to do, but it's good that they did Peter Pan and Captain Hook.  Hook is pretty tall, but I think they did a good job capturing his look.  The hat is a nice touch.  Maleficient is next.  I'll be honest and say that I had no idea who that was until I got this minifigure.  Based on a Google search, I think this one was done pretty accurately.  The final one in this row is Ursula from "The Little Mermaid."  I think they did a good job capturing her look and the tentacles were done well.

Syndrome is from Disney Pixar's "The Incredibles."  It's an interesting selection as they chose him and Mr. Incredible.  Why not Mrs. Incredible?  Minnie Mouse is next.  It looks like Minnie, but it's pretty big in terms of height.  I guess it's tough if you want to get the head to look right, you have to get the rest of the body to match the size.  Next up, the Genie from "Aladdin."  I don't have much to say about this one other than I think it matches well with the character from the movie.

I think it's interesting to see Toy Story minifigures again.  They just did a line of Toy Story sets with minifigures so why do more?  The Pizza Planet Alien looks the same although it has some slight color changes from the last minifigures released.  Next up is Buzz Lightyear and This one looks almost exactly the same except for one major change... instead of the actual shaped head, it's a minifigure head.  I'm not sure why they chose a minifigure head versus the shape.  There are some slight color variations too.  You can see the original figure here.  Last in this row is Ariel... "The Little Mermaid."  While I think it's a good figure, LEGO definitely modeled it off of Marsha Queen of the Mermaids from "the LEGO Movie.."  They even matched the shell and jewel.  

Donald and Daisy look okay and the heads were done well.  I do think they are a little tall though.  Aladdin matches well although I'm not sure why they give Aladdin and the Genie a lamp.  Where's Abu?

Last up is Mickey.  He looks good to me!

As mentioned there are 18 figures total.  I'm missing the Cheshire Cat and Mr. Incredible.  I will add them to this post once I get them.  

Should you run out and pick some of these up?  That's your call.  Are you a big Disney fan?  I think some of the newer characters are nice to see like Captain Hook, Stitch, Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, and Donald.  I'm not sure why they re-did Toy Story again... the character selection could have been a little better.  I also find it interesting that there are 2 Ariel figures with one in the Disney Princess type and the other more like a standard minifigure.   Either way, I'm sure we can expect more Disney minifigures to come.

Set Review - Homing Spider Droid - #75142 - Star Wars

Another Star Wars set review I must do.  And I'll stop writing like Yoda now.  This is the Homing Spider Droid, #75142.  It comes from episode III in the second released trilogy.  This set is $29.99 in the US and contains 310 pieces.  That's $0.097 per piece which isn't too bad considering it's a Star Wars set.  This set was released on 1 March 2016 in the US and is still available now.  I got mine from LEGO Shop at home for double VIP points so I can't complain.  So should you get it too?

So let's get started.  The box front is pretty standard in the same theme that most of the other recent Star Wars sets I have reviewed have followed.   

The back also follows the same pattern.  It shows all the play features and the "weapons" included in the set.

The box contents are 3 bags of bricks, an instruction booklet that is shoved into the box and has a permanent crease, and the round Technic piece that serves as the main piece of the larger homing spider droid.

Bag 1 has 2 of the Battle Droids, completes the smaller homing spider droid, and starts the larger droid.  The Battle Droids are the same as previous sets.  The smaller homing spider droid is a simple build.  Nothing too special about it to talk about.

Battle Droids

The start of the larger homing spider droid.

Smaller Battle Droid with extra pieces.

41st Kashyyk Clone Trooper

Bag 2 continues with the larger homing spider droid.  In my opinion there are some good pieces included that could be useful in some MOCs or other builds.  It also includes a 41st Kashyyk Clone Trooper.  Last year LEGO released a minifigure pack of Kashyyk Clone Troopers.  This one is slightly different.  Last years are here and here.  The uniform is slightly different and they have the LEGO "shooting" blaster that flicks a 1x1 round plate.  This set has the standard LEGO Star Wars blaster.

Larger Homing Spider Droid build at the end of bag 2.

The final bag includes Yoda with a green light saber and adds the legs to the homing spider droid along with the weapon on the bottom.  The droid is a little flimsy and I think there was definitely a balance the designers took between making a larger, more expensive droid and a smaller, more affordable droid meant for kids aged 7 to 12 to play with.  As mentioned, there are some good pieces to used for MOCs too so if you don't like the droids, use the pieces elsewhere.

Yoda with light saber.

The final set with minifigures.

Overall, it's not a bad set.  The homing spider droid isn't a super exciting build, but if you're looking to recreate a Star Wars battle scene, this might be a good set to get.  The minifigures are good.  Yoda is always popular and you can't ever have too many clone troopers right?  Well maybe you can.  The battle droids aren't really exciting and tend to be in a lot of sets so nothing too special there.  I rate this set as middle of the road.  It's not bad, but there really isn't anything too special about it.  What are your thoughts?

Set Review - Burj Khalifa - #21031

The LEGO Architecture Theme is one that I don't deal with much.  I have a few of the sets, but I don't often purchase many.  With that being said, they are actually pretty impressive small scale representations of actual buildings.  I recently purchased  the LEGO version of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world located in Dubai, UAE.  This set is numbered 21031.  This is actually the second version.  The first version (21008) was released in mid-2011 and was around until the end of 2013.  The current version (21031) was released on 2 January 2016 and is still available at the time of this blog post.  It is priced at $39.99 (in the US) and with 333 pieces that puts it at $0.12 per piece.  This is a bit pricey in my opinion.  Thankfully, I got mine at a discount from Amazon for $35.90 or $0.108 per piece.  Not exactly a super deal, but I'll take it.

Here is the box front.  Like most Architecture sets it shows the completed version with the name of the building and where it is located.  

The back shows the LEGO model next to a picture of the actual building.  It also gives dimensions of the model and a quick description of the building.

Here are the contents.  The box contains two bags of bricks, a card asking the builder to take a survey and the instruction booklet.  The instruction booklet contains a few pages of details about the building (in numerous languages) along with the building instructions (and is quite thick).

As you can expect, the build uses some SNOT (Studs Not On Top) techniques.  The age listed on the box is 12+ so while younger kids can build it, they may need the help of an adult depending on their experience with LEGO builds.  Here is the first picture I took during the build.  Like most Architecture builds, the base contains a plate with the name of the building printed on it.  The instruction booklet is so thick that I had to use the scissors to prop it open for the picture.  It wouldn't stay open on it's own.  This isn't a complaint, just an observation.

Here is the next build picture.  Did I mention this set comes with a brick separator?  At this point you can see how the structure is built and where the external decorative pieces go.  

Here is the final build.  At 15 inches tall, it was hard to get a good picture with my iPhone.

Here is the set laying down.  I'm not sure this is a better view.

Here is a close up of the base.  I like this version much better than the older one from 2001.  The detail is much better and I think it looks closer to what the actual building looks like.

I thought this build was sleek and a great detailed build.  I realize many like minifigs and some of the themes that have more "playability," but the Architecture theme really stands out as a way to show how LEGO bricks can be used to re-create just about anything.  If you are interested in these sets, I only have one in my store.  It's the Leaning Tower of Pisa and can be found here.  To view the current LEGO offerings direct from LEGO you can see them here.  As always, check Walmart, Target, and Amazon online to see what discounts they are offering.  Right now, Amazon has a few Architecture sets lists at 24% off in the US.  

Do you like the Architecture theme?  Let me know what you think in the comments.

Set Review - Droid Escape Pod - #75136

Are these the droids you're looking for?  As mentioned previously, I purchased a few Star Wars sets during the LEGO Shop at Home double VIP point sale and one of them was the Droid Escape Pod #75136.  This set is a recreation of R2-D2's and C-3PO's escape from the rebel ship and landing on Tatooine from Episode IV.  This set is $24.99 in the US with 197 pieces or $0.127 per piece.  This is quite high compared to the average of about $0.10 per piece, but as it's Star Wars, LEGO tends to set higher prices (and we keep buying them).  This set contains 4 minifigures, R2-D2, C-3PO, and 2 Jawas.  Should you get this set too?  Let's find out.

Here is the box front.  It's your standard container with a picture of the set, the minifigures listed on the bottom right, and then like the last few I've reviewed it has Kylo Ren in the upper right even though he wasn't in the original trilogy.

Here is the back.  Again, it's pretty standard.  It shows some of the features of the set and the Jawa's "weapons," 

Here are the contents.  There are 2 bags of bricks, a sticker book, and instructions.  As per usual, the instructions and the stickers were jammed into the box.

The first bag starts the pod structure.  There isn't too much special about this build.  Not a lot of interesting techniques and not a lot of interesting pieces.  The large stickers that go on the outside of the pod are not easy to put on.  It says for ages 7 to 12 on the front, but I doubt I would have been able to get the stickers on right at age 7.  Well, they would have gone on... just crooked.

So the final build.  Here's the pod itself all closed up.  I haven't seen episode IV in a while so I couldn't tell you how accurate this is compared to the actual.  With that being said, this set isn't designed for accuracy, it's designed for play... remember the front says ages 7 to 12.  

The pod opens up and you can put the 2 droids in.  It's designed to have C-3PO in front and R2-D2 in the back.  Now shown are the hidden "Death Star" plans that C-3PO can hold.  Other than that, not much else to this build.

Here's the final set with all the figures to include the 2 Jawas.

In my personal opinion, the selling point for this set is the minifigures.  C-3PO, R2-D2, and the Jawas are the ones offered in this set.  C-3PO has only been in some of the more expensive sets recently (like the $299.99 #75059 Sandcrawler or the $249.99 #10236 Ewok Village) so this is your chance to get him without paying a fortune.  Same for the Jawas.  C-3PO is shown with the Death Star plans.

So what are my parting thoughts?  For an adult fan of LEGO (AFOL) or a Star Wars fan, this set is about the minifigures.  This is not the set for someone looking for a good, fun build with lots of great parts that can be used elsewhere.  As I've said in the past, it could be a good set if you are a landscape/scene builder.  Although the desert of Tatooine doesn't sound like a very exciting build (do you have lots of tan plates/bricks?).  Have you purchased this set already?  What do you think?

If you're looking for Star Wars minifigures, you can find them here:
Clone Wars Minifigs
Episodes I-III Minifigs
Episodes IV-VI Minifigs (to include the minifigs from this set!)
The Force Awakens Minifigs

Click here for Star Wars Sets

Set Review - Star Wars Carbon Freezing Chamber - #75137

I opened up another one of the Star Wars sets that I purchased.  This one is the Carbon Freezing Chamber from episode V, the Empire Strikes Back.  Released in the US on 1 March 2016, this set is currently selling for $24.99 and has 231 pieces putting it at $0.108 per piece.  This isn't too bad for a licensed Star Wars set, but not the greatest if you consider it among the rest of the LEGO universe.  It includes 3 minifigures, but I'll get into that later.  

So let's get into it...  Here is the box.  Still not sure why Kylo Ren is on the box when it's a set from the original trilogy, but whatever.

Like most sets, the back of this box shows what you can do with this set.  It shows how you can "freeze" Han Solo, the spot where Han was tortured, an elevator, and of course the weapons in the set (Boba Fett's blaster).

There isn't much special about the box contents.  There are 2 bags and instructions that once again are shoved into the box.  No stickers in this set so that's a good thing.

The first bag comes with the Ugnaught (yes, I had to look that up) and starts the construction of the chamber.  Nothing too out of the ordinary with the build other than the use of Technic pieces to build the carbon freezing mechanism.  Here's what bag 1 gives you.

Bag 2 contains Boba Fett, Han Solo, Han Solo frozen in carbonite, and the remainder of the set.  Not a lot special here with the build.  I think it would have been nice to have the top to the chamber as well, but that would drive up the cost.  I guess someone can build that scene on their own, right?  The first picture shows Han before being frozen.

You can spin it around and see Han frozen.

Next up, the minifigures.  You've got the Ugnaught, Boba Fett, Han Solo, and then the frozen Han Solo (not sure if it counts as a minifigure or not, but I think so).

Should you buy this set?  If you're a hardcore Star Wars fan or if you want some of the minifigures, definitely get it.  If you're looking for a fun build, then not so much here.  Some of the pieces in the set are pretty good and can be used in MOCs, but not a lot of exciting parts that are out of the ordinary.  Let me know what you think of the set in the comments.

If you're looking for Star Wars minifigures, you can find them here:
Clone Wars Minifigs
Episodes I-III Minifigs
Episodes IV-VI Minifigs
The Force Awakens Minifigs

Click here for Star Wars Sets

Set Review - Star Wars Hoth Attack - #75138

With the double VIP points being offered from LEGO Shop at Home, I took advantage and bought a few sets.  Once again I have a backlog of sets to build and review, but that's a good thing.  Anyways, one of them included the Star Wars Hoth Attack - #75138.  It is from episode V, The Empire Strikes back.  With 233 pieces and priced at $24.99 it's $0.107 per piece which actually isn't too bad for a Star Wars set.  It has 3 minifigures and an Imperial Probe Droid (not sure if you can count that as a minifigure or not).  

Here is the box.  The front shows the final set in action with the 3 minifigures on the bottom right.  I'm not sure why a picture of Kylo Ren appears in the upper right, but whatever.

The back shows some of the play options and by favorite, the weapons included in the box.  I don't recall Han Solo throwing snow at the Imperial Trooper with a shovel, but it has been a while since I've seen the movie. 

Next up is the contents.  Nothing special here, just 2 brick bags labeled #1 and #2, a small sticker page (thankfully), and an instruction booklet that was crammed into the box so it is nice and creased when you go to open it (Come on LEGO!  You can fix this!).

Bag one contains the Han Solo minifigure and then some of the build.  The build isn't too out of the ordinary although for the play factor the option to have a smaller base as shown or a line as shown on the back of the set box isn't a bad idea.  If you're someone who likes to recreate scenes on your own, this might not be a bad set to get you started and then you can expand.  Here's the end of bag #1's build.

Bag 2 finishes up the set and has the remaining minifigures.  It includes an Imperial Snow Trooper and a Rebel Trooper.  It also has a Imperial Probe Droid and a weapon that can be set up and a large rifle for the Snowtrooper to fire.  For those who want to play with the set, you can put a minifigure into the cannon, it has the spring loaded shooter device, and the cannon rotates as you turn the rounded brick on the bottom.

Here are the minifigures.  They are Han Solo (I'm not really sure how you can tell it is Han Solo or not), a Rebel Trooper with a rifle, back pack, and a helmet with goggles that can be on the helmet or across the eyes, and then a Snowtrooper with a blaster as well.

Here is the final set with minifigures.

Overall what did I think of this set?  For those who want to play, it's not bad.  There are a number of features that make it good for kids (to include us older kids) to recreate a scene from the Empire Strikes Back.  In terms of the build, there isn't anything special about it.  No really challenging techniques, but a few good pieces that could be used elsewhere.  I think it's a good set for those who want to add their own pieces to expand it.  I often build a set and then add my own pieces.  Usually this is with LEGO City sets where you only get the front of a building and I'd like the back of the building to be included too.  If all else fails, the minifigures in this set are worth it for your collection.  As mentioned, it's hard to tell that the Han Solo figure is really Han Solo, but the Rebel Trooper and Snowtrooper are pretty good.  Since the set is just out, I haven't seen any discounts yet, but the double VIP points sale at LEGO Shop at Home might make this a good time to buy (sale ends 22 March).  Have you bought this yet?  Leave your thoughts in the comments if you have.

If you're looking for more LEGO minifigures, you can check out my store here:
-Episodes I-III minifigures
-Episodes IV-VI minifigures
-Clone Wars minifigures
-The Force Awakens minifigures

Set Review - Battle of Takodana - #75139 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I'm a LEGO fan, I've talked about LEGO Force Awakens sets on this blog, I sell Star Wars minifigs and sets... and I have not seen the movie yet.  In some circles this probably makes me a bad person, so please forgive me for reviewing a Star Wars LEGO set and for not seeing the latest Star Wars movie yet.  

Today's set is the Battle of Takodana (#75139).  It retails from LEGO for $59.99 in the US.  It has 409 pieces ($0.146 per piece).  This is rather high, but it's a licensed set and it's Star Wars and... it has 5 minifigures.  There are 2 First Order Stormtroopers, Finn, Maz Kanata, and Kylo Ren.  As the only other set with Kylo Ren in it is Kylo Ren's Command Shuttle retailing at $119, I'm sure the LEGO Star Wars fans are excited to pay half as much to get a Kylo Ren minifig.  This set was released on 2 January 2016 and is still available from LEGO Shop at Home.  

The box is pretty standard.  

The front shows the set with all of the minifigures on the bottom right.  As an aside, I'm still not used to seeing the Disney logo tied to Star Wars.

The back shows some of the play features, weapons, and another view of the set.

Nothing too special about the contents.  There's an instruction booklet that as per usual was shoved into the box and was folded with a crease (come on LEGO, you can fix this!), 3 bags, and a sticker sheet (with only 2 stickers!).  

Bag one included the First Order Stormtroopers, a brick separator, and some pieces.  The build is fairly easy and straightforward.  Nothing too out of the ordinary.

Completed Bag 1

Bag 2 added in some more details to include movable doors.  It also included Finn and Kylo Ren with hair and his mask.

Bag 2 build complete.

The final bag added Maz Kanata and the rest of the structure.  There are a number of Technic elements used to create some play-ability.  The tree falls over, a hidden container pops out, and some pieces of the wall fall off.

Final set with all the minifigs.

The final verdict... in my opinion, it's all about the minifigs for this set.  The rest of the set doesn't do much for me.  Would it be different if I had seen the movie?  Maybe.  If you're looking to get Kylo Ren or Finn and to not pay over $100 or buy the minifigs on the secondary market, then this might be the way to go for you.  For those of you that build MOCs, this isn't a bad set in terms of pieces.  I enjoy the textured 1x2 bricks that have the brick texture on them.  There are 28 in this set which is great for those of you like me who enjoy adding buildings to their town/train scenes.  The textured 2x4 round bricks in brown are good and the 2 foliage pieces are as well.

I'm curious to hear your opinions.  Leave them in the comments.

Set Review - Series 15 Collectible Minifigures - #71011

I originally thought the LEGO collectible minifigures were just a rip off.  You have to hope that you can collect all 16 and you don't know what is int he bags... or maybe you're good at feeling through the packaging to figure out which minifig it is.  I avoided them and then one day while walking through a Walmart I decided to pick up a few just for fun.  From there it was all downhill.  I was hooked.  I had to get all 16 of each release... and the rest is history.

These minifigs were released in January 2016 and LEGO typically keeps them out for 3-4 months (although it usually depends on order and stock levels).  The cost is $3.99 each so buying large amount and hoping to get them all can get expensive.  So what are they?

While I'm not an expert on collectible minifigures, there aren't too many that come with animals.  There are a few the come with cats or dogs, but I think this is the first one with a pig.

As a kid I was a huge fan of all the space sets.  I miss the regular stream of creative space items being pumped out.  Thankfully, the LEGO company has released a few cool sets like the Exo Suit that come close.  This minifig sporting the classic space flag is awesome.

There is a knight in this set to add to your castle collection or maybe to terrorize your city.

Clumsy Guy is a first as far as I know.  I don't ever recall there being a set of LEGO crutches out there.  The banana peel on the shirt is new and different too.

There have been a few Native American minifigs in the collectible minifig sets to include this one.  This one is a first because the minifig has a baby that is wrapped up that she can either wear on her back in a pack or hold in her hand.

I'm not sure where this one was designed from, but it's interesting looking.

In my second order from LEGO, I received the faun.  It definitely looks like he fits into a famous CS Lewis book.

Series 9 Collectible Minifigs came with a plumber.  This one comes with a janitor.  I don't think I have seen this mop design before in another set.

If the pig wasn't good enough, having a skunk in the same series is awesome too.

The ballerina!

This is not the first mech to show up in the collectible minifigure world.  There is the Battle Mech from Series 9 and then the Evil Mech from Series 11.

I think the swords that come with the Kendo Fighter are new.  Has anyone see these before?

When the first pictures were released by LEGO, everyone knew that shark guy would be popular.  This shark looks very similar to the dancer made famous during the 2015 Super Bowl half time show with Katy Perry.

The Wrestling Champion looks pretty tough... except for the sky blue eye paint.

Keep your jewels safe from this minifig!

The queen goes along with the Classic King from series 13.  I haven't seen a dress like this before on a minifig so I think this is a new piece.

Set Review - Creator Expert - Brick Bank - #10251 - Part 2

In case you missed part 1 of the review, it's here.

With 2380 pieces and 20 bags of LEGOs, this set takes a while to build.  After a few days, I was finally able to put it together.  Here goes...

There are the contents.  A pretty thick instruction booklet that comes in a wrapped package for protection, a tan base plate, and 4 sets of bags (20 total).  This set also comes with a brick separator which comes in handy given the number of pieces.

The first set of bags is the tiles for the sidewalk and floors along with the start to the first floor.

The designs for the floors inside the cleaner and bank are awesome.  Some new pieces were used to make the design inside of the bank part.  You can also see the start to the vault to include a vault that opens and closes with a dial.  The vault has a stack of cash... all $100s of course.  The first set of bags comes with one minifigure who is shown working as a bank teller.

The Brick Bank is a corner building.  The bank side is shown here with the second set of bags complete.  It comes with 2 minifigures, a girl and a woman.  The box shows the woman taking a picture of the girl receiving a check for 500 studs.  You can also see some of the great design features used to make this set stand out.  You'll also notice that there is a decal on the windows.  If you were paying attention, I didn't mention a sticker sheet.  YES!!!  No stickers in this set, everything is already printed on.

Here is the other side of the bank and "Soap 'n' Suds" the laundromat.  The advertising on the laundromat is fun with a pair of pants and a washing machine.

Here is a top view of the set with the second set of bags completed.  The vault is complete although you'll notice there is a way for a potential thief to sneak into the vault through a shaft above.  Also, the laundromat has 4 machines to include one for "laundering" your money.  

The third set of bags complete here with the second floor done.  The second floor has 2 office spaces to include a private office.  The chimney continues to allow a thief down to the vault.  2 more minifigures come with this set of bags.  They are both male figures.  One is shown in the office stamping and another is shown just outside the office at another desk.

Here is the other side of the building.  You can see the clock attached to the building and the design of the front of the building to include the textured pillars and the window designs.

Here is the final set .  The top has a large sky light.  Also the picture doesn't show it, but there is a cool looking chandelier that lights the building.  You can also see included is a ladder, broom, and bucket so someone can clean the windows.  

Here is the front of the building from a corner view.  You can see the tree, bench, and lamp post outside.  Also, there is a pulley that the box shows as a way for them to install the laundry machine on the signage.  It could also be used for a thief trying to climb up.  I don't have it shown, but the set include a LEGO string, black hat, and scarf for one of the characters to put on and sneak into the vault through the chimney.

I have other modulars, but many are boxed up as I don't have space to have them displayed all the time.  Here is the Detective's Office from last year attached to the Brick Bank.  Both fantastic sets with some creative building techniques.  The Brick Bank does not disappoint.  While you have to shell out some extra cash to get it, it's well worth it.  It's a challenging build with some interesting building techniques.  For those people that like to build MOCs, there are some great pieces in here for building future designs.  

Well done LEGO on another great modular building!

Set Review - Creator Expert - Brick Bank - #10251 - Part 1

(CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 OF THE REVIEW.)

The LEGO modular building line was started in 2007 and I am a huge fan!  Each set typically has more than 1,000 pieces and many have over 2,000 pieces.  As they have continued to be released, the details have become even more impressive. You don't buy these sets for the minifigures (they exist, but have the standard yellow face), you buy them for the build.  

This year's set is the Brick Bank.  It contains 2,380 pieces and costs $169.99 in the US. This works out to $0.07 per piece (it's actually .07142 and so on, but I figured you all weren't too concerned about that).  Not a bad price at all in terms of price per piece.  It was released on 2 January 2016 and LEGO keeps them out for a few years (some have been on sale for 4 years, others less).  Often times it's best to wait for Double VIP point promotions or other details, but in this case I was given some LEGO gift cards as Christmas gifts so I decided to order it sooner rather than wait for Double VIP points.  

I haven't had a chance to open it yet.  I'll release details on set contents and the build in a future post.  For now, here is the box.

As you can see from the front, it contains 5 minifigures and the build is split into 2 floors and a roof.  The front of the building is the bank and then along the back, it's a laundromat.  It's a corner building similar to the Cafe Corner, Grand Emporium, and Palace Cinema.  If you're not familiar with the modular buildings, along the bottom of the building are Technic pins that can be attached to other modular buildings (or you can build your own).  

The back of the box shows some details of the set, the different floors, and what the set looks like next to previous years modular buildings.  This box shows the Detective's Office (and here) as well as the Parisian Restaurant.  I'll go into some of the fun details of the build once I build it.

Has anyone else purchased or built it yet?  Let me know in the comments.

CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 OF THE REVIEW.