Review: Snap & Switch 64186 Stray The Guardian

I was in one of my local Five Below stores the other day and they had some new sets on the shelves.  I bought a few but this is the one that caught my eye because it has several Ball Joint pieces in colors you don't find in Lego.  I've seen other sets from this IP but I have no idea what it is.  Also, "Snap & Switch" seems to be another sub-line of Well Played.

Box.  MSRP is $6.00 for a $0.05 Price per Piece.

Instructions & Stickers.

Parts 1.  Dish, Plates, Plates w/Cutout, Wedge

Plate, Brick, and Bricks w/Studs on Side.

Parts 2.  Wedge Plates, Tiles, Plates, 8L Bars w/Stop Rings & Pin,

Studless Slopes, Bricks, Brackets, Round Brick, Bricks w/Studs

on Side, Bricks w/Pinhole, Inverted Slopes, and Ball Joint Plates.

Parts 3.  Round Tiles, Tiles, Bar Plates, Ball Joint Plates, Plates, Large

Cheese Slopes, Brackets, 1.5L Bar, 1x1x2/3 Double Anti-Stud Bricks, Bar

Studs, Padlocks, Half Pins, Round Plates w/Ball Joint, and Bar Clips.

Build.  Frame (2W), Station,

and Micro-Frame (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+). Ball Joint Plates in non-standard colors, Technic Ski Poles, and plenty of Bar Clips make this interesting.  I'm going to need another one just to have matching numbers of parts in certain colors though.

Terrain Workshop: Lesser Pirate Palm

Wanting to use the Triple Pin/Axle Connector in a more "normal" build, I came up with the following idea.  This doesn't have much in common with the original Pirate Palm beyond the 6x5 Swordleaf w/Clip piece.

Inserted into the ends of the Triple Axle/Pin Connector are three

2L Bars w/Stop Ring, attached to those are three 6x5 Swordleaves w/Clip.

That assembly is placed onto a 1L Axle/2L Pin w/Friction Ridges

which is plugged into a Smooth 2L Axle Connector which is attached

to another Smooth 2L Axle Connector by a Notched Axle.  The stack

is topped off with a 1x1 Round Brick.  This is a total of twelve pieces

which is 2 Hits.  It's 26 feet tall and 16 feet wide in 6P Scale.

I'm calling it a "Lesser Pirate Palm" because it only uses three Swordleaf pieces as opposed to the four of the original.  The trunk is also shorter in this design.  When I first built this I had the leaves pointing at the ground.  But I discovered that it looked so much better the other way around.  I hope this gives people ideas or techniques to use in their terrain builds.  Flickr page.

Terrain Workshop: (Clone) Trees 31

So this build is a one-off.  A look at what it's possible to create when you don't care about availability or cost effectiveness.  I have two of the Brickcraft Axle Connector w/5 Leaves pieces from recent reviews.   There's only one in each set so that basically makes them $4.97 each if you buy the set just to get them.

Working down from the Axle Connectors w/Leaves we have 2L Axles going into a Dark Brown Triple Axle/Pin Connector linked by a Friction Axle/Pin to a Reddish Brown 2L Pin Connector w/Slot.  Then there are two 1x1 Round Bricks with a 1x1 Round Plate between them, and it ends in a Smooth 2L Axle Connector attached to the stack with a Friction Axle/Pin.  This is a total of twelve pieces which is 2 Hits.  It's 32 feet tall and 19 feet wide in 6P Scale.  As you can see from the size comparison picture it is fairly large.

I chose to end it in the Smooth 2L Axle Connector so I didn't have to use a Large Jumper (of either the Square or Round variety) to secure it to the Plate.  The Friction Axle/Pin between that and the 1x1 Round Brick is slightly exposed but I can live with that.

In terms of price the 2L Axles are $0.01 each, Triple Axle/Pin Connector is $0.03, Friction Axle/Pins are $0.01 each, the 2L Pin Connector w/Slot is $0.02, 1x1 Round Bricks are $0.01 each, the 1x1 Round Plate is $0.01, and the Smooth 2L Axle Connector is $0.01 for a total of $10.07 for the entire tree.  I hope this gives people ideas or techniques to use in their terrain builds.

Flickr page.

Terrain Workshop: Solar Panels

Recently SkullHPT posted an image of a Solar Panel Station on the Discord.  This made me look for an image of my solar panel design used in my Roadway Rumble table-setting, and I didn't have any.  So that became an excuse for this Terrain Workshop.

This is a pretty simple build, the majority of the parts are four Printed 1x4 Tiles.  These are placed on a 4x4 Plate which is attached to a Hinge Brick Base and 2x2 Top Plate combo.  This is a total of six pieces which is 1

Hit.  It's 11 feet tall (depending on the angle) and 10 feet wide in 6P Scale.

I generally mount them on a 2x2 Turntable to give them a "play function".

As you can see, up against the usual suspects, it's a decent size.  I hope

this gives people ideas or techniques to use in their terrain builds.

Flickr page.

Review: 30723 Ninjago Cole's Car Polybag

The new for 2026 polybags are starting to arrive. It looks like paper packaging has finally made its way to the United States. I found this one at Target.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.99 for a $0.13 Price per Piece.  

Instructions.

Minifig.

Parts.  Plates, Tires, Rims, Wedge Plates, Axle

Plates, Curved Slope w/Studs, Slope, Spoiler

w/Bar, Clip Plates, Jumper, Cheese Graters,

Log Brick, Minifig Handlebar, Flexible

Spikes, Bar Bar Holders, and Clip Tile.

Build.  Battlecart Swarmer (2Rh+d8 [blades] 1B [armor panel] 1Gd8

[no ranged weapons] 1Y [katana antenna] 2W).  Systems are Gold.

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-). I like it.  I generally like Ninjago vehicle sets.  But, 39 pieces with no spares?  I'm sure that's great for Lego's bottom line.  I don't see how it's good for their customers though.

Review: 30720 Ariel & Flounder's Birthday Music Fun Polybag

The new for 2026 polybags are starting to arrive. It looks like paper packaging has finally made its way to the United States. I found this one at Target.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.99 for a $0.13 Price per Piece.  

Instructions.

Minidoll.

Parts.  Half Oval Plate, Plates, Rounded Plates,

Round Bricks, Curved Corner Bricks, Cones,

Minifig Forks, Studless Slopes, Clip Plates,

Printed Tiles,  Flowers w/Bar, Tulips w/Bar, and 

Translucent Round Plates w/Curved Upright Leaf.

  

Build.  Station 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?  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+). I like the colors and there are useful parts but that PpP is awful.

Review: 30721 Friends Flower Stand with Roses Polybag

The new for 2026 polybags are starting to arrive. It looks like paper packaging has finally made its way to the United States. I found this one at Target.

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

Instructions.

Minidoll.

Parts.  Half Circle Plate, Plates, Arch, Round Brick w/Diagonal Bars,

Panels, Inverted Domes, Headlight Bricks, Transparent Panels, Clip

Bricks, Brick w/Stud on Side, Ice Cream Cones, Plate w/Bar Up,

Triangle Tiles, Sunflower, Studless Slopes, Clip Plates, Apollo Studs,

Round Plates w/3 Leaves, Flower Stems, Peony Roses, Round Plates

w/Flower Edge, Taps, Minifig Scissors, and Translucent Round Brick.

Build.  Station 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+). Nice colors, useful parts, still needs a little something to be awesome.