Review: 30658 Mobile Music Trailer Polybag

This was apparently supposed to be a giveaway for a Lego event that never came to pass.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.99, for a $0.09 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minidoll.

Parts.  Half Oval Plates, Plates, Bar Plate, Axle Plate, Round Tiles w/Pinhole,

Bricks w/Studs on Side, Clip Plates, Studless Slope, Padlock, Clip Tile,

Stadium Tiles, Transparent Round Tiles, Inkwells, Flowers w/Small Pin,

Minifig Hair Brush, Grille Panels, Printed Tile, Round Plate w/3 Leaves, Bike

 Wheels, Transparent Round Brick, Bike Frame, Rims, and Skeleton Arms.

   

Build.  Station or 2 Hit piece of Cover.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
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: +20 (A+).  This has a nice selection of parts but I think you'd need at least two of them to build anything really interesting.

Review: Gundam Converge STTS-808 Immortal Justice Gundam (286)

One more Gundam to add to the collection.  This set is from the 24th wave of sets which was released in February of 2024.

Box.  I paid $10.99 at Newbury Comics for this.

Parts.

Disassembled.  The head vanes could be Spotting. The head

could be Defense, or Spotting. The lift pack could be Defense, or 

Movement.  The rifle could be Direct Fire, or Spotting. The shield

could be Defense.  The arms could be removed for White Die damage.

The little translucent piece is a clip so it can attach to the baseplate.

Assembled.

 

Size Comparison.

The Questions:

Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame?  Above.  (-10)

Is it a good size to use in a game?  Yes.  In between a Chub and a Classic.  (+5)

How many parts does it have to represent systems?  Five.  (+5)

Does it have enough parts you can remove to represent White Dice damage?  Yes.  (+5)

Score: +5 (B+).  This is a ready to go Soldier archetype right out of the box.  The only thing that would make it better is a cheaper price.

Review: Surprise Blocks K29-6 Dinosaur 1

A friend of mine gave this to me recently.  I'm not sure where he got it but similar sets seem to be available on Amazon, Ali Express, and other sites along those lines.  As the name implies, these are blind pick sets although there is a number on the bottom that might correspond to the contents.

Box.  Average price is roughly $1.60, for a $0.05 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts.  Plates, Curved Slopes w/Cutout, Inverted Slope w/Cutout,

Bar Plates, Hinge Plate, Lampholder, Tooth Plates, Clip Plates,

Jumpers, Studless Slope, Cheese Slopes, and Translucent Round Plate.

Build.  Frame [2Rh (tail spikes) 1B (back spikes) 2W]

 

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
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: +20 (A+).  Not a bad little set.  You might need two of them for something a little more substantial though.

Review: Block Tech US24-2433 Mount Up! Swift-Sting Scorpion 2

This is part of the third or fourth release in Block Tech's "Mount Up!" line.  The older sets are sitting in my backlog pile and I will review them at some point.  Honest.  The main reason I jumped this one to the front of the line is that is has parts I can use in my Amalgamate frame design.  Guess I'm going to have to go back and look at all the other sets again to see if they have any useful parts I overlooked.

Box.  MSRP is $5.00 for a $0.03 Price per Piece.  

Instructions.

Minifig.

Parts 1.  Minifig Weapons Sprue.  This was in a bag all by itself.  Why?!

They could have just left it loose or packaged it with other parts.

Parts 2.  Tiles, Inverted Tiles, Plates, Inverted Studless Slopes, Clip

Plates, Clip Bar Holders, Barbs, Apollo Studs, and Translucent Bar.

Parts 3.  Plates, Slopes, Wedge Bricks, Tiles, Ball Joint

Plates, Studless Slopes, Axle Plate, and Tail End/Horn.

Parts 4.  Inverted Tiles, Wedge Plates, Ball Joint Plates, Large

Cheese Slopes, Bracket, Padlocks, and Exo-Force Arms.

Build.  Two Frames and a Station.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
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: +20 (A+).  Two Frames and a Station, with leftover parts, for $5?  That's a deal. Although given the size of the set, if you couldn't make at least two Frames that would be a serious black mark against it.

Review: 42601 Friends Hamster Playground

So this is outside my usual parts limit and Price-per-Piece range but I think it's currently the smallest set available with the new leaf pieces.  It also has a couple of those new-ish tube pieces and if you're old enough to remember Habitrail then I think you understand why I wanted to take a crack at reviewing this. 

Box.  MSRP is $19.99, for a $0.20 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minidolls.

Parts 1.  Loose in box.  "Stadium" Plates.

Parts 2.  Half Circle Plate, Round Plate, Curved Cutout Plates, Plates, Half

Oval Plates, Minidoll Hamster, Bricks, Round Bricks, Macaroni Tiles,

Slopes, Macaroni Bricks, Log Bricks, 4x4 Flower Petals, and Minifig Dish.

Parts 3.  Turntable Base, Turntable Top, Tiles, Round Plates

w/3 Leaves, Rounded Plates, Slopes w/Cutout, Plate w/Arm

Up, Printed Tiles, Round Flower Plates, and Round Plates.

Parts 4.  Large Round Jumpers, Round tiles w/Pinhole, Turntable Top, Turntable

Base, Round Plates w/3 Leaves, Clip Plate, Plates, Rounded Plate, Jumper,

Ingots, Translucent Tiles, Studless Slopes, Inkwells, Round Plates, Hinge

Plate, Macaroni Tiles, Minifig Hairbrush, Half Pins, Pins, Bar w/Angled

Hollow Stud, Minifig Telescope, Twigs, Plant Stems, and Minidoll Hamsters.

Parts 5.  45 Deg. Tubes, Straight Tube, Plate, Round Bricks, Round

Plates, Curved Top Panels, Tile, Convex Panels, Rounded Plates w/

Layered Leaves, Grille Bars, Arches, Minifig Apple, Plate w/Rounded End,

Bricks, Translucent Hemispheres w/Cutout, Bracket, Ball Joint Plate, Hinge

Plate, Translucent Round Bricks, Clip Brick, and Round Brick w/Pinholes. 

Build.  Two 1 Hit pieces of Cover, Station,

and two 2 Hit pieces of Cover.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Above.  (-10)  (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: +5 (B+).  This is definitely a terrain set, and that price per piece isn't great, but I like it for the contents anyway.  Try to get it on sale if you really want it and are feeling price conscious.

Review: Zuru Max 83158 Raptor Force

Zuru Max is back with a very interesting -- to me -- new line of "Dino Adventure" sets.

Box.  I paid $6.98 at Walmart for this which is a $0.03 Price per Piece.  

Egg unwrapped.

Instructions.

Dinosaur.

  

Parts 1.  Double Triple Curved Wedge, Plates, Rims, Inverted Slopes,

Bar Tiles, Triple Curve Wedge, Corner Double Curve Wedge, Bricks

w/Pinhole, Panels, Bricks, Ladder, Panels w/Window, Brackets, Bar

Plates, Door, Tiles, Grille Tiles, Jumpers, and Double Studless Slope.

Parts 2.  Triple Curved Wedge, Tile w/Studs on Side, Plates, Tires,

Windscreen Frame, Bull Bar, Tiles, Studless Slopes, Bricks,

 Mudguards, Brackets, Clip Plates, Bar Plates, Modified Tiles w/Slope,

 Spoiler, Bricks w/Stud on Side, Whip Antenna, and Bars w/Stop,

  

Parts 3.  Corner Plate/Tiles, Minifig Steering Wheel Base, Flick Missiles, Clip Plates,

Plates, Tiles, Rounded Clip Plates, 3L Pins, Grille Tiles, Translucent Tiles, Bricks,

Rounded Clip Bricks, Door, Cheese Slopes, Translucent Stadium Tiles, Clip Tiles,

Corner Double Curve Wedge, Minifig Steering Wheel, Tap, Cones, and Round Brick.

Parts 4.  Plates, Bricks, Tiles, Bar Plates, Brackets, Lampholder, Round Brick, Rounded Clip

Plate, Studless Slope, Flick Missile, Translucent Round Tiles, and Translucent Panels.

Build.  Two Roller-Bot Frames (1Y [antenna] 2W+SSR), one Station, and a 1 Hit piece of Cover.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
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: +20 (A+).  So three of these gets you a squad with a few pieces of Cover.  You'd need to figure out some other Systems but there's plenty of extra pieces.  Or you could go with pieces in a different color -- Dark Bley or White, for example -- that isn't in this set.  All told, I feel this is a pretty good set.

Terrain Workshop: Trees 23

These are actually some of the earliest trees I made.  (The first version is just over eight years old.)  But since the core part, the Technic Rotor Plate, is now available in Dark Brown as of 2021 -- and I've been looking at these again because of Dinosaur Planet playtesting -- I'm going to make a few more revisions that will hopefully make these look better.  These changes will also, finally, remove all of the Light Bley parts that just looked so weird in the initial designs.

Large Triple Tree
30176 Plant Brick, Round 1x1 w/3 Bamboo Leaves (x3)
2423 Plant Leaves 4x3 (x3)
6148 Plant, Tree Palm Leaf Small 8x3 (x3)
32125 Technic, Plate Rotor 3 Blade w/Smooth Ends & 6 Studs (Propeller) (x2)

31183 Carrot Top/Twig (x1)
4286 Slope 33 3x1 (x3)
2339 Brick, Arch 1x5x4 - Continuous Bow (x3)
3005 Brick 1x1 (x6)

3023 Plate 1x2 (x6)

This is 6 Hits and is 16 feet tall and covers a circle 60 feet across in 6P scale.  If you want this design to be a little more frangible you can remove the 4x3 Plant Leaves and the Bamboo Leaves which brings it down to 5 Hits.

Small Triple Tree
30239 Plant Leaves 6x5 Swordleaf w/Clip (x3)
32125 Technic, Plate Rotor 3 Blade w/Smooth Ends & 6 Studs (Propeller) (x2)

24855 Plant Flower Stem w/Bar Holder, Bar, and 3 Stems (x1)
3040 Slope 45 2x1 (x3)
13965 Brick, Arch 1x3x3 (x3)
3005 Brick 1x1 (x6)

This is 3 Hits and is 11 feet tall and covers a circle 40 feet across in 6P scale.  Here's the usual suspects for a size comparison.

Some of the things I like about these designs is that they cover a fair amount of real estate, they're pretty sturdy, and they provide cover from multiple directions.  So along with being attractive they're useful as well.  I hope I've given people ideas or techniques to use in their terrain builds.  Flickr Page.

Terrain Workshop: Trees 22

These aren't really trees.  Well maybe they are.  Technically Giant Bamboo is a member of the grass family and can reach heights of 140 feet.

This build is fairly simple.  Three of Plant Stem/Stalk w/Bar, Bar Holder, & Hollow Stud and three of Plant Stem w/Bar, 3 Leaves, & Small Pin Hole mounted on an Inkwell.  Here's the usual suspects for a size comparison.

Each stalk is 1 Hit and is 14 feet tall and 9 feet across in 6P scale.  This design is fairly versatile, kind of like bamboo itself.  You can space them out in a row to form a simple wall.  You can angle that wall across a few plates.  Both wall versions aren't that tough to get through.  You can also pack them tightly together to make a clump which will take several Hits to destroy.  I hope I've given people ideas or techniques to use in their terrain builds.  Flickr Page.

Terrain Workshop: Trees 21

After close to 30 reviews, let's get back to building terrain.  I was inspired to build these after I saw a new part in the Super Mario/Donkey Kong sets.  Working downwards we have two 6x5 Plant Leaves attached to a Brick w/Studs on 2 Opposite Sides on top of a Friction Pin that connects to two Long Arms w/Technic Pin & Pin Hole.  This is six pieces which is 1 Hit and it is 20 feet tall in 6P scale -- measured from where it connects to the base -- and is roughly 27.5 feet across from branch-tip to branch-tip.

The base is a Brick w/Pin Hole, 2x2 Brick, 2x2 Inverted Slope, 1x4 Brick, and two Curved Slopes 2x1x2/3.  this is also 1 Hit but it doesn't make the Height Minimum for Cover.  Here's the usual suspects for a size comparison.

There are only five of the Long Arm w/Technic Pin & Pin Hole parts, over two sets, available in Reddish-Brown right now so this will probably be a limited and expensive build for the time being.  It does have a fair amount of posability, which might make it worth it.  I hope I've given people ideas or techniques to use in their terrain builds.  Flickr Page.

Review: 30679 Venom Street Bike Polybag

I found a few more polybags at a local Target.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.99, for a $0.09 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minifig.

Parts.  Double Inverted Slope w/Cutout, Plates, Tires, Wheel

Forks, Curved Slope w/Studs & Wing End, Brackets, Rims, Stud

Shooters, Smooth Slopes w/Cutout, Hinge Brick Top, Tooth Plate,

Curved Slope, Rounded Plates, Bar Plate, Studless Slopes, Lamp-

holders, Bar Studs, Cheese Slopes, Round Plates, Cheese Graters, Stud

Shooter Triggers, Hinge Brick Base, 3L Pins w/Stop, and Flame/Waves.

 

 

Build.  Battlebike (2Rd+d8 [guns] 2Rh+d8 [blades] 2W).

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
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: +20 (A+).  A plentiful amount of useful parts and a fun build.