[Guest Post] Purity: Sluban M38-B0597A Sports Car Review

Back in March, Francisco Duarte sent me a bunch of reviews to use as guest posts.  I used the majority of them for a guest post week and kept this one in my back pocket for later use.

A review by Francisco Duarte.  In case you don't know, he has his own blog too.

The final element of my post-Christmas sale. This yellow car gave me 58 parts per 1.50€, so around, so 0,02€per part - an amazing deal, in my opinion. I’ve found that this set is not as flexible as the three others, though.  In general, I’m happy with this bunch. I’ve got a load of parts for quite the low price, and I’ve surely put most of them to use.

Box.

Instructions.

Parts 1. Mudguards, cheese slopes, studless slopes and a bracket.

Parts 2. Plates, wheels, wheel plates, clip plate, bar plate, grille tiles.

Build.  This time I went for an IO frigate.

Not sure what systems it does use, though.

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? No. (-5)
Score: +10 (A-). I wasn’t has happy with this set as I was with the others. I couldn’t build something I would be happy with. However, many parts ended up being used for other builds I had on my table, so there’s that. In general, it was still a great deal for the amount of parts acquired for the price given.

[Guest Post] Purity: Sluban M38-B0593B Helicopter Review

A review by Francisco Duarte.  Another part of the post-Christmas sale, this helicopter seems to be part of the same collection as the firetruck. The box cost me just 1.04€, so 31 parts at 0.03€per part!

Box.

Instructions.

Parts 1. Skid tiles, rotor blades, clip plate, headlight

bricks, crooked cones, and a hose.

Parts 2. Transparent cockpit, 2x2 plate, 2x3 plates,

2x4 plate, 1x8 plate, 1x2 tile, 1x1 brick.

It was a little difficult to pull it off, but I made myself a close-combat frame. It sports a rotating sword, an energy shield and a quad frame (RhBG).

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? A few, but not too many, honestly. (+0)
Score: +15 (A). Yet another great buy!

[Guest Post] Purity: Sluban M38-B0593A Fire Truck Review

A review by Francisco Duarte.  This set came from the post-Christmas sale I found some time ago. The box cost me just 1.04€, which is a bargain. It got me 43 parts at 0.02€per part - pretty good! It was meant to make a firetruck. I proceeded to do something slightly different, evidently.

Box.

Instructions.

Parts 1. Wheel parts, grille tiles, hinge plates, technic bricks with axle hole.

Parts 2. A 2x4 transparent brick, 2x4 mudguards,

tiles with studs and studless tiles of different

sizes, 1x1 studless slopes, headlights and a cone.

Built a laser half-track.  Equips a piece of laser artillery,

defensive machinegun and two side armor skirts (RaRdBB).

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+). Doubtful I would have got such a great price if not for the sale, but, still, Sluban sets have consistently great and cheap. The only thing going against them is that they are hard to find and the plastic is a bit too hard, and can break more easily than Lego.

[Guest Post] Purity: Sluban M38-B0597D Builder F1 Racer Review

It has been over a year since I've hosted a guest post and Francisco Duarte has graciously sent me several reviews to post on my blog.  So I'm going to sit back for the week and let Mr. Duarte share his thoughts.

A review by Francisco Duarte. This is the first box of a bunch of Sluban sets I acquired during a post-Christmas sale in the town where I live (in Portugal). Sluban sets are relatively easy to find and always sport a good price per part. Because this was a sale, the price was exceptionally good. The total price was slightly above 5€. Being one of the most expensive sets, this one cost me 1.5€, so, a total of 0.03€ per each of 48 parts!

It was meant to make a race car. Evidently, I did something different.

Box.

Instructions.

Parts 1. Plates, mostly 4x2, and wheel parts.

Parts 2. More wheel parts, lights, 1x1 slopes and an engine cowl.

Parts 3. More slopes and wings.

Build.  Made a small frame, with a mortar,

a shield and a quad-leg system (RaBG).

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 is a great set, pretty much what Sluban has us used to.

[Guest Post] Purity: Sluban B0595A M38 Police Review

Yet another guest post by Francisco Duarte.

Hi, there, once more! This set was actually a Christmas gift, and it took me forever to get around to review it, due to several reasons.

Sluban actually seems to have some good sets floating around in Europe, and the previous two that I reviewed seemed quite solid and with a good price per part. I cannot state the price of this one, given that it was a gift, but judging from the previous sets, this ought to be around 0.03 to 0.06 Euros per part. This set contained 35 parts.

Box.

The instructions are on the back of the box, interestingly

enough.  Not that I mind, given that it allows the buyer

to assess which parts will be found therein.

Parts. Canopy, helicopter rotor, tiles, mod. bricks, bricks
with pinhole, cones, slopes, and two half skid parts.

Made a quad frame, steampunk-themed. It is equipped

with a steam engine, two searchlights and a dual mortar

launch system (G/2Y/Ra). I also made a windmill station.

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 company seems to produce really good sets, although the plastic is kind of soft and thin at times. I also didn’t find any defective part on these smaller sets, but that may be luck on my part.

[Guest Post] Purity: Sluban B0566A M38 Army Review

Another guest post by Francisco Duarte

This was the other set I got last Christmas. This one was supposed to form a generic modern
fighter jet.

Again, because this was a gift, I cannot precisely state the price, but previous
sets achieved 0.03 to 0.06 Euros per part. This set contained 42 parts.

The instructions are on the back of the box.

This is similar to the previous black helicopter

set and it is a nice way to know what is inside.

Parts. Wings, 3x2 plates, 1 stud wide plates,
grille tiles, cones, 1x1 bricks with pinhole,
modified round bricks and round plates.

Made a battlecruiser, with a sensor dome in the

front, two assault range guns, and a defensive

point defense gun I the back (Y2Ra+d8Rp).

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' 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+).  Another good set – I need to find a few more from this brand.

[Guest Post] Purity: Sluban B0633E M38 Car Club Review

Here's another guest post by Francisco Duarte.  In fact, this is the start of a guest week by Francisco.

This is the second set I got at a sale in a local store (Minipreço, one of the largest chains in Portugal). It is part of the same collection as the white car from my previous review. Both were made by Sluban, a Chinese company. Together they cost me around 5€ at a discount of 50%, placing each part just under 0.02 Euros. At full price this could go up to 0.03 or 0.04 Euros per part, which is still very good.

The blue car box contains 164 parts. These are mostly

blue and red, with some black and white thrown in.

Instructions.

Stickers.

A minifig.

Plates of several sizes, wings, and
more of the short 1x1 bricks.

L-plates, small plates, and tiles.

Axles, 1x1 bricks with pin, modified bricks, claw tiles, some modified plates and a 10 stud long modified plate.

Wheels, tires, windshield, seat and steering wheel parts.

Mudguards, slopes, and some transparent slopes.

Decided to try to do a few frames this time. There is a skirmisher quad frame, with a direct fire turret, an ECM pod and a set of four legs (WW2RdBG). The second frame is a support unit with a long-range railgun, a shield and four legs (WW2RaBG). I also bricked a baserunner with a radar dish, several antennas and hardened armor (WWYYB+d8G). With the remaining parts I did a live-fire training wall as a single piece of cover.

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 set is really solid, and you can build a small Frame company at a very low price. The parts do fit together tightly, but one should be warned that there can be at least one defective part per box.

[Guest Post] Purity: Sluban B0633C M38 Car Club Review

Here's another guest post from Francisco Duarte.

I must thank Mantis King for allowing me to another of these. These reviews are really fun to do and I hope they can help people sort out sets available in Europe.

While searching for new parts I stumbled upon a toy sale at a local Minipreço store (they are common in Portugal, where I live). I found a couple of boxed sets made in China by Sluban at a discount of 50%, so I got them for around 5€ - 316 parts in total. This would put each part at around 0.02 Euros or less - a true bargain. Were they at full price they would still be at 0.03 or 0.04 Euros per part, which is nothing to sneeze at.


The first of these sets is a white car, with 152 parts inside the
box. These are mostly white, with some red and black.

It comes neatly packaged.

There is a set of instructions.

Stickers.

A minifig.  (Editor comment: That neck post is so weird!)

Plates, bricks and wedge plates.

Mudguards, 1x12 plates, wings, a 4x4
plate and a 10 stud long mod. plate.

Another brick, two odd short 1x1

bricks, 1x1 bricks w/pin, cylinders,

two 1x2 Technic-like bricks, axles,

wheels, tires, a windshield, transparent

slopes and tiles, a seat, steering wheel

parts, and binoculars.

Slopes and tiles of several shapes and sizes. This
set is really diverse regarding the parts it offers.

I’ve built two IO ships. One frigate

with two support weapons systems

and a sensor array in the front, and

one carrier with two underslung

catapults, a radar and a point

defense system.

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 set is really solid, and you can get two ships or a small Frame company at a very low price. The parts do fit together tightly, but one should be warned that there can be at least one defective part per box.