Review: Miniso DS1014 Plante de la Vie

I was in my local Miniso store a month ago tracking down some Hot Wheels for a guy at work and I stumbled across a new line of their clone brick sets.  They're not listed on their website but it can be found on AliExpress.  There are more sets pictured on the back of the box but this is the only one that store had in stock.

Box.  MSRP is $5.99 for a $0.05 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

 Parts 1.  Flowers and Flower Stems.  (53 pieces)

Parts 2.  Cone, Plate, Panels, 1L Bar w/

Stop, Round Plate, Corner Plates, Studless

Slopes, Round Bricks, Clip Bar  Holders, Tiles,

Padlocks, and Apollo Studs.  (64 pieces) 

 

Build.  1 Hit piece of Cover and a Proto-Frame.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Terrain/Proto-Frame.  (0)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Below.  (+5)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: +15 (A).  So there's a bit to unpack about this set.  The main issue is the parts count.  I didn't see it listed on the front of the box when I bought it -- mainly because it's in White on a Light Blue background in small type -- so I started counting the number of parts in each bag.  The count is ten off from what is listed, 117 versus 127.  The strange thing is, I'm not sure if it's meant to have the higher count.  A rough estimate of the parts usage of the build pictured on the box comes out to what I counted in the set.  So what and where are the "missing" ten pieces supposed to be and go?  The second issue is what you actually get from the set.  I'm sure a better builder could coax something from this set but as it stands I feel it needs parts from another set to fill it out more.  The third issue is the Flower Stem pieces.  They don't stack.  The "Stud" in the center of the stems is bigger than a normal Stud so the only way they attach is the Anti-Stud on the bottom.  To be fair this set does have some colors you don't normally see like Nougat and Light Aqua, and has parts in colors Lego doesn't have yet -- the 1L Bars w/Stop and the Padlocks -- so it does have good points.

Terrain Workshop: A New Beginning (Part 1/X)

I started today's blog post because I figured that people might be interested in a look at the creative process involved in creating a table-setting as it was unfolding.  Inspired by some of the pieces in my 71779 Lloyd's Dragon Power Spin review I started working on assembling terrain last week.

Here's what I started with.  Once again, I'm doing

a riff on my Pumping Tubes from the Ice 9 table-setting.  The colors, this time around, have a

more ominous feeling than Ice 9 does though.

After strip mining the new Mateo and 

Z-Blob the Robot set it changed to this.

 Feeling like that was a really good start, I went out

 and bought some cloth to act as a table covering.

Color comparison. 

 Moving back to assembling pieces,

 I put together a tube section in the

 same way I have before.  Unfortunately

 there's a slight difference in height.

After some brainstorming -- A.K.A. sorting and fiddling with parts -- I come

up with a solution.  This also saves me a bunch of Technic Bricks w/Axle

Hole to use elsewhere.  I'll still need to tweak the parts count though.

I have a few more ideas but I'll save that for the next post.

Review: Make-It Blocks Pizza Restaurant

We've been talking about these for a while on the MFZ Discord, ever since I stumbled across them on the Dollar Tree website.  I'm not sure how I got the names screwed up with the last review.  :-(

Box. MSRP is $1.25, for a $0.02 Price per Piece.

Instructions & Stickers.

Parts 1.  Plates, Tiles, Round Plates, Friction Pin, Bricks, Window/

Door Panels, Glass Pieces, Macaroni Bricks, and Bricks w/Pinholes.

Parts 2.  Plates, Tiles, Bar, Padlock, Clip Plates, Round Plate, Transparent Round Plate, Flower Plates, Apollo Studs, Bricks, New Headlight Bricks, and Brick Bricks.

Build.  4 Hits for the top section, 3 Hits for the bottom section.

Build 2.  With Microfig and Nanofig.  Still open at the back.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Terrain.  (0)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Below.  (+5)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: +15 (A).  Another decent building.  Some nice Dark Red and Very Dark Brown pieces in this set increase the interest factor for me.

Review: Make-It Blocks Convenience Store

We've been talking about these for a while on the MFZ Discord, ever since I stumbled across them on the Dollar Tree website.

Box. MSRP is $1.25, for a $0.02 Price per Piece.

Instructions & Sticker.

 

 Parts 1.  Plates, Door Panels, Tiles, Bricks, Bricks w/Pinhole, New

 Headlight Bricks, Round Bricks, Friction Pin, and Glass Pieces.

Parts 2.  Plates, Corner Bricks, Tiles, Corner Tiles, Studless Slopes, New

 Headlight Bricks, Bricks, Round Tile, Apollo Stud, Transparent Panels.

Build.  5 Hits for the top level.  I left a lot of pieces out of this build but I

remembered to include the Microfig and Nanofig for scale!  The bottom

level should be 3 Hits if it needs to be destroyed for some reason.

Build 2.  Still open at the back.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Terrain.  (0)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Below.  (+5)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: +15 (A).  A different selection of parts this time around but still a decent set.

Review: Make-It Blocks Fried Chicken Restaurant

We've been talking about these for a while on the MFZ Discord, ever since I stumbled across them on the Dollar Tree website.

Box. MSRP is $1.25, for a $0.02 Price per Piece.

Instructions & Stickers.

Parts 1. Plates, Tiles, Cheese Slopes, Friction Pin, Macaroni Bricks, New Headlight Bricks, Bricks, Bricks w/Pinhole, Translucent Panel, Door Panel, and Glass Piece.

Parts 2. Plates, Tiles, Translucent Panels, Bracket, Plates

w/Door Rail, Clip Plate, Round Plates, Apollo Stud, Translucent

Round Plate, Bricks, New Headlight Bricks, and Bar

Build.  I left out parts and changed things around this time.  The top 

level is 4 Hits, the bottom level is 3 Hits if necessary.  I left out the

Microfig and Nanofig unfortunately.  Check out the technique with the

Cheese Slope and New Headlight Brick under the Macaroni Brick.

Build 2.  Once again, it's open at the back.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Terrain.  (0)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Below.  (+5)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: +15 (A).  Another decent terrain piece for your battlefield.

Review: Make-It Blocks Hamburger Restaurant

We've been talking about these for a while on the MFZ Discord, ever since I stumbled across them on the Dollar Tree website.

Box. MSRP is $1.25, for a $0.02 Price per Piece.

Instructions & Stickers.

 

Parts 1.  Plates, Glass Panels, Window & Door Frames, Brick Bricks, Bricks

w/Pinhole, Bricks, Tiles, Friction Pin, and Translucent 1x2x2 Panels.

Parts 2.  Plates, Tiles, Translucent Bricks, Brick, Round Flower

Plates, Tiles, Grille Tiles, Round Plate, Translucent Round Plate,

Apollo Stud, Bar, Clip Plate, Glass Panel, and Door Frame.

Build.  I put it together without a bunch of the parts, like the Glass Panels.  I included a Microfig and Nanofig so you could get an idea of size.  It's 4 Hits before it no longer counts as Cover.  If you can balance a Frame on top of the chimney it would count

as being Elevated -- If you overlook the need for it to be a 4 stud x 4 stud space.

Build 2.  As you can see the back is incomplete.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Terrain.  (0)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Below.  (+5)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  Yes.  (+5)

Score: +15 (A).  Good looking, straight-out-of-the-box terrain is pretty hard to come by, so I think this is definitely worth it.

Review: 71420 Super Mario Rambi the Rhino

This set is new for 2023 and I bought it for a number of reasons.  1.) It has a banana in it -- which I use for my Aphid frames -- 2.) the price point is reasonable, 3.) it looks like it has some useful parts and, 4.) I'm curious about those 3x3(?) Brick pieces.  So let's take a look.

Box. MSRP is $10.99, for a $0.10 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts 1.  Modified Cubes, Bricks w/Studs on Edges & Side, Rounded Plate

w/Legs, Plates, 2x2x2/3 Plate w/2 Studs on Side, 2x3 Rounded Plate w/Pinhole,

Inverted Slope, Plates w/Pinhole, Brackets, Wedge Plate, Bricks, Brick w/Studs

on Side, Log Brick, Hinge Plate, Studless Slopes, and Printed Studless Slope.

Parts 2.  Curved Slope w/Studs, Plates, Wedge Plate, Stickered Tile, Printed Studless

Slope, Studless Slopes, Brackets, Double Jumpers, Jumper, Large Cheese Slopes,

Tile, Half Round Tiles, Quarter Round Tiles, Stadium Tiles, Apollo Studs, Bar Studs,

Rounded Plates, Friction Pins, Round Tile, Hinge Plate, Large Claw, Minifig Banana,

Bricks w/Pinhole, Headlight Bricks, 2/3 Bricks w/Open Stud, Horns, and Clip Plates. 

Parts 3.  Here's a look at those Modified Cubes.

They are 3x3 and they have anti-studs inside.

Build.  A 1 Hit piece of Cover and a Frame.  I'm sure you can do

more with this set but I wasn't feeling very creative this morning.  

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  At.  (0)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: +15 (A).  It's a good set with interesting parts at a decent price point.

Paper Tokens

Over the weekend, a question was asked on the Discord about needing to use all the dice for Rapid Attack to play the game.  I commented; "If you make paper tokens for Defense and Spotting you can undercut most of the dice use in the game."  There used to be a file for those tokens on the Hangar but as that's gone I figured I'd take a crack at it.

Defense.  I've included a few "0" tokens because sometimes people choose not to have a Defense in certain situations so this allows you to show that choice.

Spotting.  There are more of the 2, 3, 4, and 5 tokens because I needed to fill out the grid.

I figure people can just print out this page and then cut out the tokens.  Hopefully people find these useful.

Sales Alert

Target has a "20% Off Select Lego Sets" sale running this week.  Ignore the "When Purchased Online", I can confirm this is In-Store too.

Good hunting.

Random Starships 9

It's been over a year since I've done a pretty starship picture post so let's see what's out there.

Republic TX-130 Sabre Tank by roguebantha.  Honestly, this could

be a Frigate for IO, or a hover tank for RA.  Still cool looking though.

Micro Tie Interceptor by Mapmatician.  C'mon,

who wouldn't want a flotilla of these on the table?

File Recovery Bus (Nebulon B) by Shannon Sproule.

Way too big for regular ships but inspirational and maybe

could be used for terrain in IO.  Very cool looking.

Punchdagger class TacSupport by Tenor Penny.  One stud longer

than the IO Cruiser limit, this design has a neat little secret.

Celestial Barracuda by toothdominoes.  This thing is

gigantic but it'd be awesome as terrain for an IO game.

Rule Mod: Capture the Flag Revision

After some feedback on the initial post, here are some updates and revisions to my "Capture the Flag" rules.

• If these rules are being used then each Player should have one Flag Station minimum.
• If the size of the game limits players to one station then it must be a Flag Station.
• Flag Stations can be captured like regular Stations (page 91, 92) if the capturing player doesn't want to pick up the Flag or doesn't have a White Die to spare.
• Otherwise it requires use of a White Die to pick up a Flag.  And by "use" I just mean set aside a White Die that hasn't been used to replace one of that Frame's other dice.
• The player that captures a Flag gains the points for that asset when it is captured.
• The player that controls a Flag at the end of the Game gains the points for that asset.
• Damage to a Frame carrying a Flag causes that Frame to drop the Flag.
• The Frame dropping the Flag decides where it gets dropped.
• The Frame carrying a Flag can choose to drop it intentionally.
• Flags can be recaptured by the dropping Frame if they have a free activation.
• Otherwise they can be captured by opponents.
• If the Flag is dropped in a crowd this may cause a Contested Station situation (page 130, 131).
• The Frame carrying a Flag can choose to drop it intentionally to avoid a point of Damage, A.K.A. the Station Dance.
• I you choose to do so the Flag must be dropped one Ruler unit away from the Frame that was carrying it.

We actually tried these out in our last game.  There was a comment made during the game that a carried Flag acts as an extra "hit point" and I'm okay with that.  It provides an extra incentive to pick up and run with a Flag.

JP_Nicht has also proposed a version where Flags are treated as Systems so that only Frames that aren't at max Systems can pick them up and Zombie Frames don't have to decide between picking up the Flag and staying alive.  I haven't had the chance but if someone wants to run this up the flagpole and see how it works that'd be cool.

Once again, I hope this is a fun option for people.