Review: 42088 Technic Cherry Picker

This is the current version of the small Technic Cherry Picker set. It was on sale and I like Orange pieces so I decided to purchase and review it. This also looks to be the first Technic set I've actually reviewed.

Box.  MSRP is $9.99 for this which gives us a $0.08 Price per Piece.

Instructions. 

Parts 1.  These were loose in the box.

Parts 2. Tires, Thin Lift Arms, Lift Arms, Rims, Gear, Elbow Lift Arm, Axle

w/Stop, Small Quarter Ellipse Lift Arm, and Large Quarter Ellipse Lift Arm

Parts 3.  Perpendicular Axle Connectors, Elbow Lift Arms, Double Pins, Pins w/Stop Bush, Perpendicular Double Connectors, Lift Arms, Perpendicular Connectors w/Double Pin Holes, Axles, Pin w/Center Pin Hole, # 1 Pin Connectors, Plate, Gear, Perpendicular Pin Connectors w/Center Hole, #5 Pin Connectors, Perpendicular Pin Connectors, Pin Connector, Worm Screw, Mod. Plates w/Bottom Pin Hole, and # 2 Pin Connector.

Parts 4.  3L Friction Pins, 3L Pins, Axle Connector, 3L Axle Pins, Friction Pins, Axles, Axle Pins, Half Pins, Studless Slopes, Connectors, Cheese Slopes, Round Plates, Large Cheese Slopes, Barraki Eyes, and Technic Bushings.

Build.  Frame 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?  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+).  Technic sets are really the Undiscovered Country when it comes to MFZ.

War College: Why Defender?

"Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles"

Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1

On the Facebook group, in response to my last blog post, Wm Bryon Duncan asked "Why would you ever take less than the allowed max Frames? The math has never worked out for me for taking less frames. Have I missed something?"

Looking at my data on the games my group has played, the Defender has only won 7 games out of 45.  Of those games the Defender has had the least amount of Frames four times and been tied for least amount three times.  So that means the Defender wins 16% of the time and 57% of that time they have had the least amount of Frames on the table.

I don't have blog posts for all of those games but here are links to those that I do have.

Roadway Rumble 2

Missile Base Omega

Paper Asylum

Teslaville

Twice As Much 1

September Showdown

The game I really want to look at is Sand & Trees because the Defender choice is interesting to me.  The game size was "Battle" and I played the absolute minimum amount of Frames possible.  I started in first place, dropped to third, then to fifth, and then rebounded to second to finish the game.  If I had targeted and destroyed Occam's Spork's Green zombie Frame in the third turn I possibly could have finished the game in first place.

I guess this is a really longwinded way of saying, yes, there is a reason to take the least amount of Frames.  I'd really love to see data from other groups and see how it has worked out for them.

Player Count

One thing that has sort of annoyed me since the publication of MFZ is the chart listing the number of Frames per player.  It doesn't flow right when I look at it and it bugs the crap out of me.  I'm sure there's a good reason behind it but it doesn't seem right to me.  So I decided to take a crack at changing it.  Here's a couple of alternatives along with the original for comparison.

Thoughts?

War College: Walking Target

Since Blogger is kind of broken at the moment when it comes to pictures, I'm going to take a moment to talk about some things that don't get discussed as much.  We spend a lot of time talking about how people actually build Frames -- way too much, sometimes* -- and what loadouts they should have but, we don't spend much time talking about how to play the actual game.

Something that was mentioned on the Discord server the other day was the idea of a "Walking Target" or  "Honey Trap", a  Frame that draws a heavy response from your opponent(s).  It does this because it looks big or vicious, or because it has a loadout that is perceived as dangerous (Double Direct/Double Artillery).

How you place this Frame on the battlefield during the Set Up phase is important.

If you're playing Defender, placing it on one side of your perimeter to draw your opponent(s) attention so you can move in the other direction is key.  Otherwise you're going to get boxed in and have nowhere to move.  Drawing your opponent(s) attention to one side of the battlefield and not the other is like the misdirection techniques of a good magician.

If you are playing Primary Attacker, having it away from your forces to draw attention and make an opening so you can drive towards the Defender's Stations is paramount.  Once again, misdirection is the key.

If you are playing Attacker, I wouldn't field a unit like this.  Being sandwiched between the Defender and Primary Attacker you don't want attention from either player.  You want both of them to look past you and at the other.  Fielding something that draws attention is contraindicated.

* I'm constantly guilty of this myself, so I'm not throwing stones at anyone here.

Build Journal: Minifig Heads & Helmets

One thing I've noticed lately is that I occasionally like to use minifig heads and helmets to give a frame a bit of personality.  Using them allows you to introduce small scale rounded lines into a build when in general Lego is all about the straight line.

This first started with the Cylon.

The next one along was

 the Gorilla Droid.

Following on from that
is the Stick Figure.

The next production model after 

that was the Samurai Mk.2.

The technique went into hibernation after that until the Taurus and Hellstrom

Generics. These are two of my favorite iterations of this technique.

Zizy's Books

 It's been a while since I've talked about Zizy's work.  Apparently he has a webstore where you can buy digital versions of some of his books.  All of the text looks to be in Japanese and there are other minor issues with purchasing them but, this is a way for people to finally get their hands on these publications.  So to speak.

Review: 30341 Monkie Kid's Delivery Bike Polybag

 This was a "Free With Purchase" gift that I received with my purchase Sunday after visiting the Flatiron Lego store in NYC.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.99, for a $0.23 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minifig.

Parts.   Motorcycle Fairing, Motorcycle Frame, Rims,

 Tires, Corrugated Round Brick, Large Round 

Jumper, Plate, Printed Clear Tile, Grille Tiles, 

Round Plates, Swirl Studs, and Minifig Handlebar.

Build.  I  got nothin'.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  No.  (-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: -15 (C).  Someone might be able to build a Station out of those parts but it won't be me.

Build Journal: Yeti

In my first Quadcast Build Journal I mentioned I was mulling over an idea for the new Ninjago Bar Block.  This is that idea finally taken form.

Version 1 was banged together out of
parts on hand and proved that it was
worth moving forwards with the idea.

Version 2 started using more of the parts
I had in mind in their proper colors. 

Version 3 shows the head taking shape and the start of Sentai Marking*.

Final Version.

Flickr page.

*Sentai Marking is the process of using specific colors to differentiate units on the battlefield.

Review: 30394 Minecraft Skeleton Defense Polybag

I found this Thursday night after looking for new and/or clearance sets at Walmart.

Bag.  I paid $4.97, for a $0.16 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minifig.  The Skeleton
pieces can be useful.

Parts.  Plates, Large Jumpers, Flower
Plates, Round Plates, Bricks,
Slope, Bricks w/Pinhole, Cone,
Plant Stems, and Flick Missile.

Build.  A one Hit wall and a 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?  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-).  Yeah.  Increased cost and reduced parts count leads to a poor score.

Review: 850049 Seasonal Pumpkin & Bat Duo

This is one of the new Seasonal sets for Fall.  It's not packed in what I would call a "standard" box.


Box.  I paid $9.99 for this which gives us a $0.08 Price per Piece.

Instructions & Stickers.

Parts 1.  These were loose in the box.

Parts 2.  New Technic Bricks, Studless
Slopes, Plates, 1x2 Brick w/Studs
on 1 Side, and Corner Bricks.  (I
mistakenly left out one 1x4 Plate.)

Parts 3.  Quarter Circle Tile, Plates, Wedge Plates, Round Plates, Clip
Plates, 2x2 Plate w/Studs on Side, Technic Connectors, Axles w/Stop,
Bricks w/Studs on Side, Boat Slides, Cheese Slopes, Bar Plates,
Studless Slopes, Tile, Jumper, and Large Cheese Slopes.

Build. Two Frames
and a 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+).  A decent selection of parts but lacking in the really useful stuff.

Review 2: 71361 Super Mario Character Pack

I used one of the parts from the last review in a build so I went looking for another one and this is what I ended up with.

Bag.  MSRP was $3.99 for a $0.13 Price per Piece.  (The bag lists 23 pieces but I count 31.)

Instructions.

Parts.  4x4x0.6 w/Reduced Knob Plate, Starfish Plate, New Flower Plates, Plates, Leaves, Round Bricks, Round Plates, Stickered Tile, 1x2x1.6 Brick w/Studs on Three Sides, Nipples, Stars, Printed Tile, Jumper, and Pyramids.

Build.  Frame.

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-).  Same as before, there are some neat pieces and prints but the Price per Piece is horrible.

Review: Gundam Converge EX06 Full Armor Knight Gundam

The Gundam Converge line has occasional special releases, this is one of those.  It dates back to 2015 and was released -- I believe -- to celebrate the 100th Gundam Converge figure being released.

Box.  MSRP was $23.99 at Magic Castle.

Parts.  Shiny!

Disassembled.  The head could be Defense or Spotting.  The wings could be Defense or Movement.  The sword can be Melee.  The lance could be Melee, Direct Fire, or Spotting.  The shield can be Defense.  The arms can be removed for White Dice damage.

Assembled.

Size Comparison.

The Questions:
Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame?  Above.  (-10)
Is it a good size to use in a game?  Yes.  In between a Chub and a Classic.  (+5)
How many parts does it have to represent systems?  Four.  (+5)
Does it have enough parts you can remove to represent White Dice damage?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: +5 (B+). A really nice looking figure with swapable Attachments.

Review: Gundam Converge MSM-03 Gogg (215)

I found this at the Magic Castle store within H Mart.

Box.  MSRP was $14.99 at Magic Castle.

Parts. It's been a while since I've
gotten candy in one of these. 

Disassembled.  The arms can be Melee.  The shoulders can represent White Dice.

Assembled.  Hey, the legs move!

Size Comparison.  About the size of a Classic.

The Questions:
Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame?  Above.  (-10)
Is it a good size to use in a game?  Yes.  In between a Chub and a Classic.  (+5)
How many parts does it have to represent systems?  Two.  (0)
Does it have enough parts you can remove to represent White Dice damage?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: 0 (B).  I'd pass on this one unless you're a completist or have a specific idea for a squad.

Sales Alert

Target is running a 20% off Disney Princess Lego sets sale this week.  Hopefully this brings the prices on these sets down to a more reasonable level.

Good hunting.