Review: Block Tech US24-2331 Succulents Cactus

5 Below had a new release of Botanical sets but, instead of flowers it's succulents.  The box coloring and packaging is similar to the first release of Block Botanical.  This was the first release, there are way more sets in the second.  You may still be able to find the first release in a few stores.

Box.  MSRP is $3.25, for a $0.05 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts 1.  Flowers, Bricks, Corner Bricks, Plate, Corner Bricks w/Cutout, Round

Brick, Tail/Trunk w/Bar End, Gear, Dome, Round Brick w/Pinholes, Half Oval

Plates, Octagonal Bar Plate, Corner Tiles w/Cutout, and Flower Stem.

Parts 2.  Round Large Jumper, Tiles, 1x3 Tooth w/Axle Hole, Padlocks,

Bar Studs, Apollo Studs, Round Plates w/Flower Petals, Clip Tile,

Bent Bar, Clip Bars, Minifig Skeleton Arm, and Clip Claws.

Build.  Frame (2Rh+d8/1Y[Systems in Yellow]) and 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+).  The Coral pieces seem slightly off from their Lego counterparts.  Other than that there's a decent selection of useful bits.

Review: Block Tech US24-2330 Succulents Buckhorn Cholla

5 Below had a new release of Botanical sets but, instead of flowers it's succulents.  The box coloring and packaging is similar to the first release of Block Botanical.  This was the first release, there are way more sets in the second.  You may still be able to find the first release in a few stores.

Box.  MSRP is $3.25, for a $0.05 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts 1.  Plates, Plant Stem w/Stud and 3 Large Leaves,

Seagrass/Seaweed, Round Brick w/3 Leaves, Panels,

Inverted Slopes, and Inverted Corner Slopes.

Parts 2.  Corrugated Round Bricks (note notches at bottom), Eggshell

Crown, Tooth Tile, Corner Panels, Apollo Studs, Round Plates w/Flower

Petals, Lever Base, Round Plates, Grass Stems, Barb, and Horns.

Build.  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+).  The Corrugated Round Bricks are intriguing and there are some nice colors but I'm not really thrilled by this set.

Review: 30665 Baby Gorilla Encounter Polybag

Found in Target in the Toy Section on a sidekick with other polybags.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.99, for a $0.15 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minifig.

Parts.  Quarter Circle Plates, Swordleaf, Bricks, Inverted Arches, Minifig

 Backpack, Corner Slope, Slopes, Bar Brick, Round Plate w/3

Leaves, Rounded Plates, Studless Slope, Round Plate w/Flower

 Petals, Twigs, Clip Plate, Inkwells, and Round Large Jumper.

Build.  Station, or if you remove the baby gorilla it's 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?  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?  No.  (-5)
Score: -5 (B-).  Hey, look at that, a City set being horribly priced despite being a "core" Lego line.  Okay, it's easy to dunk on City sets -- and we really should to keep the company honest -- but I do like the Dark Green and Sand Green bits.  I'm also a sucker for Swordleaves.  I like that Bar Brick too.

Review: 30678 Minions' Jetboard Polybag

Found in Target in the Toy Section on a sidekick with other polybags.  This was a "Free with Purchase" item at Lego stores back in July of this year.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.99, for a $0.10 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minifig.

Parts.  Plates, Rounded Plate w/Pinhole, Hinge Plate, Studless Slope, Axle Plates,

Translucent Dish, Wedge Plate w/Cutout, Cone, Rounded Plates, Inkwells, Translucent

Round Tiles, Double Jumpers, Translucent Round Plates, Tires, Rims, Lightning

Bolt, Minifig Wrench, Cylinder Hinge, Axle, Pins, Overwatch Gun, and Bar Tile.

Build.  IO Frigate (2Ras) or (1Y).

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?  No.  (-5)
Score: +5 (B+).  I think it's worth it just for the Minion Head piece alone.  The Overwatch gun is really useful too.

Review: 30671 Aurora's Forest Playground Polybag

Found in Walmart in the Toy Section in a bin with other polybags.  This is one of the polybags I expressed interest in back at the beginning of the year.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.97, for a $0.08 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minifig.

Parts.  Quarter Circle Plates, Rounded Plates w/Layered Leaves, Plates, Round Plates

w/Pinhole, Large Jumper, Round Large Jumper, Printed Round Tile, Inverted

Arches, Technic Disk, Round Bricks, Round Plates w/3 Leaves, Bricks w/Pinhole,

Bricks w/Scroll with Hollow Stud, Log Brick, Tile w/Bar, Rounded Plate w/Axle

Hole, Rounded Plate, Round Tiles, Axle w/Stud, Half Pins, 2L Bar w/Stop, Round

Plates w/Flower Petals, Round Plates, Flowers, Arch Frames, and Dome Top.

   

Build.  Station and 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+).  I like the parts, the price, and the terrain options this gives but, I want something "more" and I'm not exactly sure what that should be.

Battle Report: Roadway Rumble 3

This is our eighth game of Rapid Attack, as a group, this year.  It's been five years since this table-setting has seen use.  I finally tracked down more of the Xtra Road Playmats to replace the regular baseplates that I had been using and which had been siphoned off for use in other table-settings.

Occam's Spork (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (7 Points per Asset) * (7 assets) = 49 points.

   Blue Recon by Fire -- 2B/1Gd8/2Y/2W.

   Orange Shoot & Scoot -- 2Rd+d8/2G/2W.

   Brown -- 2Rh/2Rd/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.

   Grey -- 2Rh/2Rd/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.

   White -- 2Rh/2Rd/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.

Chuck (6 Frames & 20 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (8 assets) = 32 points.  (Old School)
   Purple Recon by Fire -- 2B/1Gd8/2Y/2W.

   Orange Assault Scout -- 2Rd+d8/1G/1Y/2W.

   White Fast Swarmer -- 2Rh+d8/1G+d8/1Y/2W.

   Green Warrior -- 2Rh/1B/1G+d8/1Y/2W.
   Brown Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.

   Yellow -- 1G+d8/1Y/2W + SSR (x2).

Me (6 Frames & 24 Systems) = (3 Points per Asset) * (8 assets) = 24 points.  (Hybrid Mk.2)
   Lavender Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W.   

   Dark Red Heavy Assault -- 2Rd+d8/1B/1G/2W + SSR.

   Orange Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.

   Red Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.

   Blue Delegator -- 2Ra/1B/2Y/2W.

   White Delegator -- 2Ra/1B/2Y/2W.

This is what the table looked like at the start of the game.

Events of Round 1 (DDC @ 11): Occam's Spork's Brown frame captures my Yellow station before the game starts.   Occam's Spork's Grey frame hits my Lavender frame for 3 then moves West towards his First Station.  My Orange frame takes a step Westward and hits Occam's Spork's Orange frame for 1.  Occam's Spork's White frame moves West off the hill and captures Chuck's Green station.  Chuck's Purple frame hits Occam's Spork's Blue frame for 1, Station Dance.  Chuck's Yellow frame hits Occam's Spork's White frame for 1, Station Dance, then Chuck's Yellow frame moves North and recaptures his Green Station.  My Blue frame hits Occam's Spork's Blue frame for 3 then moves Southwest to the small Dump Truck.  My Dark Red frame moves West across the creek and hits Occam's Spork's Brown frame for 1, Station Dance.  Occam's Spork's Brown frame hits my Dark Red frame for 1.  Chuck's Orange frame hits Occam's Spork's White frame for 1 then moves North into the road, just past the Large Tanker.  Chuck's White frame moves Northwest into the parking lot and clubs Occam's Spork's Orange frame for 3.

Occam's Spork: 56 points.

Chuck: 32 points.

Me: 21 points.

Events of Round 2 (DDC @ 8): My Lavender frame leaps West over the hill and punches Occam's Spork's Grey frame for 1.  Occam's Spork's Grey frame claws my Lavender frame for 1.  Occam's Spork's White frame moves behind my Lavender frame and claws it  for 1.  Occam's Spork's Blue frame hits my Dark Red frame for 3.  My Dark Red frame hits Occam's Spork's Brown frame for 1 then moves West towards my Yellow station.  My Blue frame hits Occam's Spork's Blue frame for 2, Station Dance.  My Lavender frame captures Occam's Spork's First station.  My Red frame moves West and hits Occam's Spork's Orange frame for 1.  My Orange frame hits the tipped-over Dump Truck for 1 then moves East behind the Pickup Truck.  Chuck's Orange frame hits Occam's Spork's White frame for 2, destroying it, then moves North along the road.  Chuck's Yellow frame hits my Lavender frame for 4, destroying it.  Chuck's Brown frame moves East beside the tipped-over Dump Truck and hits my Orange frame for 2.  Chuck's White frame sprints East and clubs my Blue frame for 4.

Occam's Spork: 42 points.

Chuck: 32 points.

Me: 21 points.

Events of Round 3 (DDC @ 5): Occam's Spork's Grey frame steps forward and recaptures his First station, then hits Chuck's Yellow frame for 2.  Chuck's Yellow frame hits Occam's Spork's Grey frame for 1 then takes one step North.  Occam's Spork's Brown frame claws my Dark Red frame for 2, destroying it.  Occam's Spork's Orange frame moves North along the creek and kicks my Red frame for 3.  My Red frame moves West and hits Occam's Spork's Grey frame for 3, Station Dance.  Chuck's Yellow frame captures Occam's Spork's First station.  Chuck's Green frame moves West across the hill and clubs Occam's Spork's Grey frame for 1, destroying it.  Chuck's Purple frame hits my Red frame for 2.  Chuck's Brown frame hits my Orange frame for 3.  My Orange frame hits Chuck's Purple frame for 1 then runs South just past Chuck's Orange station.  Chuck's White frame hits my Blue frame for 3, destroying it, then moves Northeasterly to capture my White Station.  My White frame hits Chuck's Purple frame for 6, it does a Station Dance but is destroyed anyway.  My Orange frame captures Chuck's Orange station.

Occam's Spork: 35 points.

Chuck: 32 points.

Me: 12 points.

Events of Round 4 (DDC @ 2): Chuck's Green frame moves North off the hill and clubs Occam's Spork's Brown frame for 3.  Chuck's Yellow frame moves North into the scrub and hits Occam's Spork's Brown frame for 4, destroying it.  Chuck's Green frame captures Occam's Spork's second station.  My Red frame angles Southwest and hits Chuck's Yellow frame for 2 with a SSR, destroying it.  My White frame hits Chuck's Green frame for 1.  Chuck's White frame hits my White frame for 1 and the tree in front of it for 1, destroying the tree.  The Doomsday Clock is ticked to zero.

Chuck: 32 points.

Occam's Spork: 21 points.

Me: 12 points.

Here's several during and aftermath pictures.

Round 1.

Round 1.

Round 2.

Round 2.

Round 3.

Round 3.

Round 3.

Round 4.

Round 4.

Round 4.

Round 4.

Round 4.

Round 4.

Round 4.

Thoughts & Observations:

• This was a Skirmish.
• We forgot to use the Neutral Station rule.
• We used the "New 1.3" player count formula from my "Player Count 6" blog post.
• Odd fact, Chuck's score fluctuated during the rounds but reads as stable as each round ends and begins.
• Nice to have this terrain set "fully assembled" and back on the table.
• Occam's Spork commented that this table-setting had just enough space for the the three of us.
• Chuck's account of the game: "I just sat back while you two got into a slap fight."
• Flickr page.