Review: Star Wars 75448 Clone Shock Trooper Mech

This is a new for 2026 set.  I haven't reviewed many of the Star Wars/Super Hero mech sets recently.  Mainly because the pricing on them was crappy.  I have a bunch in my "To Do" pile but as the pricing was pretty good for this one I figured I'd take a shot.

Box.  MSRP is $14.99, for a $0.10 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minifig.

Parts 1.  4x7x1 Triple Inverted Slope, Bracket Brick, Chest

Armor, Printed Tile, Plate, Inverted Tile, Tiles w/Studs on

Ends, Double Studless Slope, Corner Plates, Large

Jumper, Grille Tile, Brackets, Ball Joint Plates, Cheese

Graters, Clip Plates, Bricks, Panel, Slopes w/Cutout, Round

Plates, Minifig Candle, Cheese Slopes, and Bar Claw.

Parts 2.  2x6x2/3 Bent Plates, Wedge Plates, Tile w/Studs on Edge,

Plates, Technic Plates, Studless Slopes, Bar Plates, Ball Joint Plates,

Corner Curved Slopes, Rounded Plates, Round Plates, Plate w/Pinhole,

Inverted Studless Slopes, Slopes w/Cutout, Studless Slopes w/Cutout,

Cheese Slopes, Bracket, Transparent Round Tiles, 1L Liftarms, Pin

w/Axleholder, Clip Bar Holders, Axle, Triggers, and Stud Shooter.

Parts 3.  2x6x2/3 Bent Plates, Brackets, Plates, 2x2x2/3 Plates w/2 Studs

on Side, Studless Slopes, Curved Slopes w/Studs, Double Curved

Wedges, Truncated Cones, Ball Joint Plates, Grille Tiles, Cheese

Slopes, Round Plates, Pin/Axles, and Studless Slopes w/Cutout.

Build.  Frame (2Rh+d8/2Rd/1Y/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?  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).  Plenty of good parts and a decent price for once.

Review: 76320 Iron Man & War Machine vs. Hammer Drones

This was released at the start of the third quarter of 2025.  I figured it would be a good starting point for MFZ:RA builds since it features two mechs as part of the set.

Box.  MSRP is $19.99, for a $0.10 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minifigs.

Parts 1.  Plates, Large Jumper, Dish, Brackets, Rounded Plates,

Ball Joint Plate, Clip Plate, Padlocks, Ingots, Printed Tile,

Translucent Round Plates, Jumper, Tiles, Cheese Slopes,

Round Plate w/Bar, Wedge Studless Slopes, Slopes w/Cutout,

Translucent Round Bricks, Travis Brick, Stud Shooter Triggers,

Transparent Minifig Neck Bracket, and Stud Shooter.

Parts 2. Plates, Large Jumpeer, Inverted Studless Slope, Dish, Rounded

Plates, Ingots, Jumper, Clip Plate, Ball Joint Plate, Large Cheese Slope,

Printed Tiles, Wedge Studless Slopes, Tiles, Cheese Slopes, Translucent

Round Plates, Padlocks, Round Plates w/Bar, Translucent Bars, Brackets,

Travis Brick, Translucent Round Bricks, and Stud w/Angled Bar.

Parts 3.  Translucent Projectiles, Hinge Plates, Ball Joint Plates, Bar Plate, Plates, Round Plates, Tiles, Clip Plates, Translucent Round Plates, Ingots, Studless Slopes, Cheese Slopes, Brackets, and Projectile Launcher.

Parts 4.  Plates, Ingots, Ball Joint Plates, Apollo Studs, Translucent Round Plates, Round Plates, Clip Plates, Tiles, Cheese Slopes, Studless Slopes, Brackets, Bricks w/Pinhole, Flick Missiles, Barraki Eyes, and Hinge Plates.

Build.  Two Frames (2Rd/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?  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). Two Frames out of the box with plenty of leftover bits. Not to mention plenty of Sand Blue, Sand Green, and Dark Blue pieces if you're just looking for parts. The score gets dinged a bit by the price but this is a solid set.

Design Challenge: Support Frames

We're going to be running a Design Challenge on the Hangar for the month of August.  Rook, creator of the Rook Maneuver, came up with the idea.

The Design Challenge is as follows: create a Frame that provides a support role to another Frame, e.g.; co-gunner for a squad support weapon; spotter for a sniper; loader for an artillery frame, etc.  The reasoning behind this is -- if you think about the 1:6 rule of Frames*, any role that typically has support can only work as 1:3 by providing its own.  Or less if it's also doing other jobs.

How it works: you build a Frame -- either physically or digitally -- that fits the parameters of the Challenge and post it to the Hangar in a special topic that will be created for the Challenge.

Duration: This Challenge opens Saturday, August 1st and ends Monday, August 31st.

Entry Criteria: 1) All submissions should fit inside "The Box".  ("The Box" is an area 10 Studs long by 10 Studs wide by 10 Bricks tall.)  2) The design must cover a non-combat role of your choosing.  It can have weapons, but combat MUST NOT be its primary function. We're looking for spotters, ammo carriers, fuel tankers, medical units, etc.  3) Your design can either be completely new and original or it can be based on an existing template. The choice is entirely yours.

Judges: The judges will be myself, Rook, and a third judge yet to be named.

Judging Criteria: 1) Checking to see if the creation fits Entry Criteria One and Two.  2) We're looking for creations that wouldn't be out of place in a game of Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack.

Prize: Bragging rights to say you've won a Design Challenge in the MFZ community.

* The in-universe fiction for having Frames, instead of any other mechanical construct, is that they can do the work of six humans.  Which is expressed as the shorthand ratio 1:6.

Review: CaDA C56044W SLS Artemis Rocket

The CaDA brand of building blocks has started making its way to the United States.  I found this set, along with a few others, at Barnes & Noble.  I recently saw some different sets on display at Wegman's.  I know the typeface makes it look like it should be "CaDFI" but it's actually spelled CaDA.

Box.  MSRP is $22.99, for a $0.12 Price per Piece.  I bought

this at Barnes & Noble for 14.99, for a $0.08 Price per Piece.

Instructions & Stickers.

Parts 1.  8x12 Plate, 6x8 Plates, Arches, Panels, 1x2x5 Bricks, 2x6 Bricks,

1x10 Bricks, 1x12 Bricks, 1x6 Plate, 1x2x4 Bricks, 1x1x6 Bricks, 1x6 Bricks,

1x4 Bricks, 1x8 Tile, Curved Slopes, 2x6 Tiles, Slopes, and 1x8 Plates.

Parts 2.  Slopes, Bricks, Round Bricks, Translucent Cone, Round

Bricks w/Pinholes, Lattice Fences, Studless Slopes, Translucent

Round Brick, Truncated Cone, Corrugated Bricks, 1x2 Brick

 w/Pinhole, Bricks w/Stud on Side, 1x1 Brick w/Pinhole,

Travis Bricks, Curved Slopes, and Round Bricks w/Fins. 

Parts 3.  Printed Tile, Round Plates, Round Tiles, Inverted Round

Tile, Round Large Jumper, Corner Tiles, Plates, Tiles, Double

Jumper, Jumpers, Angled Brackets, Plates w/Pinhole, and a Dish.

Parts 4.  Pin Connectors, Friction Pins, Pin Connectors w/Pins, 3L

Pins, Bar, Half Pins, Bars w/Bent Stud, Double Curved Slopes,

Cheese Slopes, Round Plates, Tiles, Round Tiles, Tiles, Plates, Cones,

Translucent Cones, Round Bricks, Pneuma-Ts, and Minifig Harpoons.

Build.  Frame (2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W).  [Systems

are Light Bley], and two 1 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?  Over.  (-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+).  It has some useful pieces, and plenty for terrain, but not enough of the really useful bits we all want.  The score for the price I paid is +20 (A+).

Review: Sembo 730012 Famous Car Formula 1 Racer

I went to the opening of a new Teso Life store in Boston a while back in hopes that they would have a selection of clone brick sets from different manufacturers.  And did they!

Box.  MSRP is $2.99, for a $0.03 Price per Piece.

Instructions & Stickers.

Parts 1. Plates, Mudguard Plates, Axle Plates, Inverted Tiles, Studless Slope,

Corner Tiles w/Stud, Corner Plates, Pentagonal Tile, Tile, Long Cheese

Slopes, Large Cheese Slopes, Extra Long Cheese Slopes w/Cutout, Double

Studless Slope, Brackets, Bar Plate, Clip Plate, Double Wedge Studless

Slope, Plate w/Studs on Side, Tires, Rims, and Translucent Wedge w/Cutout.

Parts 2.  Plates, Tile, Wedge Tiles, Door Rail Plates,

Corner Cheese Slopes, Cheese Slopes, 1x1x1.5 Bricks,

Quarter Circle Tiles, Corner Panels, and Brackets.

Build.  IO Cruiser and HVA.

 

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 bought this mainly for the Olive Green but there are some neat new parts in the set.

Review: Make-It Blocks Train

This is the last set for Make-It Blocks review week and the last set of the new release.

Box.  MSRP is $1.75, for a $0.03 Price per Piece.

Instructions & Parts List.

Parts.  Plates, Round Tiles, Corner Plates, Corner Tiles, Axle Plates,

Jumpers, Cheese Graters, Tile w/Studs on Ends, Cheese Slopes, Double

Studless Slopes, Brackets, Bricks, Round Brick, Tires, and Rims.

Build.  IO Frigate (1B {ram prow} 2W).  [System is Yellow.]
   

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+).  There are some decent parts but I feel like this is the weakest of the new sets.

Review: Make-It Blocks Garbage Truck

We're at the mid-week point on the reviews for the final sets from the new release.

Box.  MSRP is $1.75, for a $0.03 Price per Piece.

Instructions & Parts List.

Parts.  Tiles, Curved Slope w/Cutout, Mudguards, Plates, Axle Plates,

Bricks, Headlight Bricks, Bricks w/Stud on Side, Studless Slopes w/Cutout,

Grille Tiles, Double Curved Slopes, Corner Plates, Tires, and Rims.

Build.  Frame (2Rd+d8 {gun pods}).  [Systems are Light Bley.]

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+).  Plenty of SNOT bricks and, as before, I like the Bright Green.