Review: 30553 Frozen Elsa's Winter Throne Polybag

This is one of three new polybags that can be found at Target in the Seasonal section.  I also found this one at Walmart.

Bag.  $3.99 for a $0.10 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minidoll.

Parts.  Brick 1x2x5, Plates, Mod. Brick w/Scroll, Minifig Dish,
 Inverted Slopes, Large Round Jumper, Corrugated Round
Brick, Rounded Plates, Jumper, Printed Tile, Cheese Slopes,
 Pyramids, Heart Jewel, Tooth Plates, Cherries, Goblet, Minifig Telescope, Nipples, and Minifig Crowns.

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?  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-).  Some fun parts but, too many single count pieces to be really good.

Sales Alert

Target is running a 20% off five Lego sets sale this week.

21153 Minecraft: Wool Farm -- $0.06 per Piece.
21141 Minecraft: Zombie Cave -- $0.07 per Piece.
60222 Snow Groomer -- $0.08 per Piece.
75259 Star Wars 20th Anniv. Snowspeeder -- $0.08 per Piece.
41374 Friends: Andrea's Pool Party -- $0.09 per Piece.

Good hunting.

Review: 30362 Sky Police Jetpack Polybag Review

This is the third of three new polybags that can be found at Walmart.  At least, I think it is.  The tag for a Spider-man polybag has been up on the shelf for months and I have yet to see any in stock.

Bag.  $3.97 for a $0.12 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minifigs.

Parts.   Wedge Plates, Plates, Propellers,
Axle Plates, Plates w/Arm Up, Bar Plate,
Slope, Clip Plates, Printed Tile, Lightsaber
Hilts, Levers & Bases, Minifig Radio, Minifig Handcuffs, and Minifig Neck Bracket.

Build.  Drone.

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-).  A few good parts but, not that great of a set.

The Road to PAX Unplugged 2019

In two weeks I'll be in Philadelphia at PAX Unplugged helping to demonstrate Mobile Frame Zero for the Indie Bazaar.  I will also be selling Rulers and Starter sets again, along with expansion kits for the first time.  We'll be at Booth 3722 on the sales floor and a table somewhere in Tabletop Freeplay.  There's a topic on the Hangar discussing the convention.  :-)  I'll be arriving Thursday evening so if anyone wants to meet me for dinner that'd be cool.

Review: 30361 Fire ATV Polybag

This is a new polybag that can be found at Target in the checkout aisles.

Bag.  $3.99 for a $0.10 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minifig.  Check out the two tone axe.

Parts.  Rims, Wheelguard Plates, Plates, Tires,
 Axle Plates, Bullbar, Jumper, Clip Plates, Bracket, Slopes, Bar 1x4x2, Minifig Handlebar, Round
Bricks, Taps, Round Tiles, and Clip Tiles.

Build.  It's been a while since I've built a ram cart.

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+).  A good set, just a little lacking in useful parts.

Review: 40434 Reindeer Polybag

This is a "Free with Purchase" giveaway at the Lego store.  It's also a re-release of an older polybag.

Bag.  $3.95 for a $0.05 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts.  Two Gold Fezes! Plenty of Plates, Cheese Slopes, Clip
Plates, Bar Plates, Slopes, and Tiles. Some Jumper Plates, Bricks,
Brackets, new Headlight Bricks, Clip Tiles, and Robot Arms.

Build.  Two Frames this time.

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 lot of good pieces, I just feel it could be better.

Purity: Mega Bloks GCM70 Pokeball Aron Review

Another Series 8 review to end out the week.

Box.  MSRP is $6.99 for a $0.32 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts.  Those oval printed pieces are cool.  As are the double-sided
half-oval Ball joint bricks.  And the double-sided single-stud slope
pieces.  the Light Grey Cheese Slopes are pretty close to Lego ones.

Build.  I may have screwed
it up slightly.

Size Comparison. Yeah,
it's kinda small.

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 really like this one too.

Purity: Mega Bloks GCM68 Pokeball Sandshrew Review

Another Series 8 review for the week.

Box.  MSRP is $6.99 for a $0.32 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Pokeball.

Parts.  Look at those widdle feet.  

The leg pieces are interesting too.  As

are the printed Semi-circle Bricks.

Build.  More stable than Monday's.

Size Comparison.

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 really like this one..

Purity: Mega Bloks GCM71 Pokeball Sableye Review

A Series 8 Pokeball review to start out the week.

Box.  MSRP is $6.99 for a $0.29 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Pokeball.

Parts 1.  I like the faceted eyes and the  insert for the ears. 

Parts 2.  The Double Ended 1x1 Round Bricks are really interesting.

Build.

Size Comparison.

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 color but, it's not too stable standing by itself.

Build Journal: Standing Stones

I had an idea descend on me a few weeks ago after discovering an interesting technique in a set review.  You'll have to wait to see the culmination of that idea but, in the meantime, here's a part of it.

I've come up with a fairly simple technique for making Standing Stones out of Lego.  These Neolithic creations can be found all over the world but they are generally associated with "Ye Olde England".  As part of my effort to keep things simple, I'm using a limited number of pieces.  Essentially it's a C6 for terrain.  I'm going to build them in Dark Bley to make them look like chunks of granite.  You could use Light Bley too, but I'm saving that for something else.  Other possible colors are Black pieces for basalt, Dark Tan for sandstone, or Dark Red for fancy marble.  It all depends on what kind of look you're going for.

Parts List

2x3 Brick.

2x4 Brick.

2x6 Brick.

2x3 Slope.

2x2x2 Slope.

2x2 Inverted Slope.

And depending on what you use for bases, if any, you can arrange them in shapes or rows to simulate walls.  At the moment I'm partial to Round Corner Plates.  If you put the Standing Stone on the plates in the same orientation, all you have to do is change the direction of the plates to make a pattern.

This basic parts list can be expanded upon if you want to make it look like
there are small sections of stone that have been chipped off or worn away.

2x2 Double Concave Slope.
2x2 Facet Brick.
2x3 Curved Top Brick.



If you want to make the stones a little tougher but still retain the same size you can use two bricks in place of one.  For example, replace a 2x4 Brick with two 1x4 Bricks.  My favorite trick for this is replacing a 2x3 Brick with two 2x2 Corner Bricks.

NaMoFraFArMo

Joshua is starting a new meme? event? happening? for the month of November.  Post your creations with the hashtag #NaMoFraFarMo and get in on the fun!

As a note, you should still use the #MobileFrameZero hashtag along with it so whatever post you make can still be located, long term.

Sales Alert

Target is running a 30% off select Lego sets sale this week.

Good hunting.

Terrain & Scenery 15

Time again for another look at random Lego bricks arranged in a visually pleasant manner.  :-)

Cabo Agave DA2 Space Program by Pico van Grootveld.  A little
on the small side but this would make for an awesome battlefield.

Scout by Karf Oolhu.  This

is a fantastic little build.

Mercedes Actros Flatbed Hauler by Robiwan_Kenobi.
Two designs in one picture!

Rover Iterations by Si-Mocs.  Multiple variations on a theme.

PLS: Palletized Load System by Lego Junkie.  Looks
like it may be a variation on a Zizy creation.

Purity: Make-It Blocks Robot Review

I found this in the Dollar Tree store while searching for more of the Landmark sets I was using to build Frames.  I only found the one box even after visiting multiple stores.

Box.  MSRP is $1.00 for a $0.03 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts.  Wedge Plate, Axle Plates, Bar Plates, Slopes, Mod. Brick, New Headlight Bricks, Clip Plates, Wheels, Grille Tile, Plates, Jumper, Antenna, Round Plates, Brackets, Cone, and Clip Tiles.

Build.  I built the set.  2Rh/1B.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Frame.  (+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-).  A Frame in a box.