Purity: Lazer Blocks Racecar Review

While the have "Lazer Blocks" at the top left of the box, there's a "Block Tech" logo at the bottom left.  So I guess Block Tech now has sub-brands.  I found these in the impulse buy section by the front doors in Target.

Box.  I paid $3.00, for a $0.08 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts.  Plates, Axle Plates, Mudguard Plate, Tiles, 2x2 Studless Slope, Boat Slider, Bar Plate, Rims, Cheese Graters, Tires, Bracket, 2x2 Mod. Tile w/Studs, Clip Plates, Padlocks, Round Plates, Large Cheese Slope, Round Lightbrick, Round Tile, and 1x1 Inverted Slopes w/Cutout.

Build.  Another IO Frigate,
 

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?  No.  (-5)
Score: +10 (A-).  Trans-Clear Padlocks.  I think those are worth it.

Purity: Lazer Blocks Helicopter Review

While the have "Lazer Blocks" at the top left of the box, there's a "Block Tech" logo at the bottom left.  So I guess Block Tech now has sub-brands.  I found these in the impulse buy section by the front doors in Target.

Box.  I paid $3.00, for a $0.08 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts.  Plates, 2x2 Studless Slopes, Plate w/Half Pin Up, 2x3 Plate w/Rounded End, Tile, Round Lightbrick, Male Ball Joint Plate, Wedge Plates, Round Plate, Large Cheese Slope, 1x1 Axle Plate, Round Tile, Propellor, Brick, Bricks w/Studs on Sides (Corner Brick), Inverted Slopes, Slope, Female Ball Joint Plate, and Bars 1x6 w/Hollow Studs.

Build.  An IO Cruiser.

 

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?  No.  (-5)

Score: +10 (A-).  Trans-Clear Ball Joint Plates.  That does it for me.

Purity: Lazer Blocks Spaceship Review

While the have "Lazer Blocks" at the top left of the box, there's a "Block Tech" logo at the bottom left.  So I guess Block Tech now has sub-brands.  I found these in the impulse buy section by the front doors in Target.

Box.  I paid $3.00, for a $0.12 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts.  Wedge Plate, Round Lightbrick, 2x2 Studless Slope, Tile, Dishes, Lampholders, Slopes, Round Bricks, Cones, Cheese Slopes, Plates, Bracket, and Lightsaber Blades.  The Round Lightbricks could potentially be useful as part of a Station, or maybe as an Attachment on a Frame.

Build.  I modified the set build slightly for an IO Frigate.

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-).  Beyond the Lampholders, and maybe the Round Lightbrick, not really worth it.  While this is the weakest of the three sets, it's the only one that is all transparent bricks.

Anatomy of a Demo Game 6

The title should really read "Anatomy of a Playtest".  I've had an idea for a table-setting involving dinosaurs banging around my head for years.  After I accumulated enough Lego dinosaurs, a few more ideas on rules to go along with them took shape.  I was originally going to start playtesting with my gaming group then Covid hit and we stopped playing.  Almost a year has passed since that point so I decided to attempt a playtest in a demo game format.

Me (2 Frames & 8 Systems) = (5 Points per Asset) * (2 assets) = 10 points.  (Trons)
   Tron Soldier Red -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.
   Tron Soldier Blue -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.

Meara (2 Frames & 8 Systems) = (5 Points per Asset) * (2 assets) = 10 points.  (Mearauders)
   Mearauder Soldier Red -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.
   Mearauder Soldier Blue -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.

This is what the table looked like at the start of the game.  My forces are on the bottom of the board in the first picture.

Events of Turn 1 (DDC@7): Meara's Frames move towards the station.  My Red frame moves out from behind the Large Triple Tree and hits the Velociraptor for 3 damage, killing it.  My Blue frame also moves out of cover and hits the Small Triple Tree in front of Meara's Blue frame for 3 damage, destroying the tree.  The Stygimoloch moves towards Meara's Red frame.

Meara: 10 points.

Me: 10 points.

Events of Turn 2 (DDC@5): Meara's Red frame moves to intercept my Blue frame.  My Blue frame captures the Station.  Meara's Blue frame hits my Blue frame for 1 damage.  My Red frame moves to get a better angle on both of the opposing Frames and hits Meara's Red frame for 1 damage.  The Stygimoloch moves to the Large Triple Tree where Meara's Frames started.

Me: 15 points.

Meara: 10 points.

Events of Turn 3 (DDC@3): Meara's Red frame hits my Blue frame for 1.  Meara's Blue frame hits my Blue frame for 1.  The Stygimoloch keeps moving along the same path.

Me: 15 points.

Meara: 10 points.

Events of Turn 4 (DDC@1):  My Blue frame hits Meara's Red frame for 1.  The Doomsday Clock is ticked to zero.

Me: 15 points.

Meara: 10 points.

Here are more final turn pictures.

Thoughts & Observations:

• We didn't use Single Shot Rockets.
• I created a new Station just for this game.
• This didn't work out like I expected it to.
• Maybe the dinosaurs need to go first in the round, before everyone else, instead of last.
• Only having two, one of which was killed in the first round, may have also been a bad decision.
• Also, a 1x1 game doesn't leave a lot of breathing room for other elements.  it's just a straight up slugfest and side issues get ignored in favor of dealing with the opponent.
• I think the main problem is I've been thinking of them as actual animals.  What they should really be is plot complications in an action adventure movie.
• Or maybe they need a player of their own, as suggested by Meara.

Terrain & Scenery 18

I'm worn out, so have a pretty picture post.

V-22 Osprey by Red Spacecat.  A fantastic

microscale build that includes instructions.

Megafauna by Grantmasters.  These are great.

Telescopic Handler by Frantisek Hajdekr.

I may actually build a copy of this.

Flatbed Truck by Galaktek.  I really like this.

USS Spirit (LPH) by Red Spacecat.  This

could be a great piece for a battlefield.

Review: 41916 Extra Dots - Series 2

This is a supplement for the second series of Dots line.

Bag.  I paid $3.99, for a $0.04 Price per Piece.

(Actually, this was a gift from a friend of mine.)

Parts.  First row is Coral 1x1 Round Tiles.  Second row is Blue

1x1 Round Tiles.  Third row is Opalescent 1x1 Round Tiles.

The rows after that are Quarter Circle Tiles in Light Azure,

and Bright Light Orange.  The bottom row is Printed 1x1

Tiles.  Looks like there were six extra pieces in the bag.

Build.  None, as these are all accent parts.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  No.  (-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: +10 (A-).  More useful accent pieces in interesting colors.

Build Journal: Supercar

Since cars are a part of modern life, trying to make cool looking ones from Lego is something I think we all try our hands at from time to time.  Back in 2019 I made a bunch of cars for a table-setting and blogged about it.  The idea for this pinged around my head earlier in the week.

I started this build with the 2x4 Mudguard Plate w/Overhang.  I wanted to use the 2x4 Mudguard Plate w/Studded Arch behind it but I don't have any in Lime Green.  I went with the 2x4 Mudguard Plate w/Flared Wings instead, facing it backwards to make it look like air vents when looking at it from the front.  A Large Cheese Slope was placed on to the front to look like a spoiler, to draw the eye downward and trick you into thinking it's smaller than it really is.

Taking a look at the bottom, we see the Friction Pin used to keep the

Travis Bricks from rotating too much.  You can also see the Tile W/Bar

piece I was going to use as a tail.  It looked really goofy on top so I

 switched it around to the back giving the car a longer, sleeker look.

As you can see, it looks pretty decent in comparison to a Chub or a Classic.

But it breaks down when next to a Microfig.  For something

meant to be low to the ground, sleek, and sporty, it's taller

than the piece meant to represent an average sized human.

Basic lesson?  Microscale building can be difficult when trying to create tiny details.

Flickr page.

Review: 30577 Super Muscle Car Polybag

This is one of the new polybags for 2021 and can be found in Target.

Bag.  MSRP is $3.99, for a $0.06 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts.  Plates, Tires, 3x4x2/3 Wedge w/Cutout, Studless Slopes, Mudguard Plates, Brackets, 2x2 Tile w/Studs, Rims, Axle Plates, Clip Plate, Bar Plate, Slope w/Cutout, Large Cheese Slopes, Panels, Grille Tiles, Printed Tile, Wedge Studless Slopes, Cheese Slopes, and Round Plates.

Build.  IO Frigate.  I had a lot of fun with this one.

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+).  Another good polybag for 2021.

Review: 30343 McLaren Elva Polybag

This is one of the new polybags for 2021 and can be found in Target.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.99, for a $0.06 Price per Piece.

Instructions & Stickers.

Parts 1.  Plates, Corner Plates, Brackets, Cross Plates, Wedge Plates, Studless Slopes, New Headlight Brick, Rims, Tires, Tile, Axle Plates, Large Cheese Slopes, Round Plates, Quarter Round Tiles, Cheese Slopes, and Wedge Studless Slopes.

Parts 2.   Tiles, Plates, Grille Tile, Stadium Tiles, Quarter

Round Tiles, Round Plates, Studless Slopes, Angled Corner

Tiles, Wedge Studless Slopes, and Headlight Bricks.

 

Build.  Intercept Orbit Frigate.

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+).  Not really surprising considering the parts count and content.

Review: 30556 Dots Mini Frame Polybag

This was found in Walmart in a midway display with other polybags and other impulse Christmas toy selections.  Thanks to Atavism for bringing it to my attention on the Discord server.  I'm not sure if there are any left due to the great Lego scouring of 2020.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.97, for a $0.06 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts 1.  Plates, Inverted Slopes, Rocker Plates (Star

Wars Shields), Bricks, and Quarter Round Tiles.

Parts 2.  Studless Slopes, Clip Plates, Round Tiles, and Quarter Round Tiles.  

Build.  A bare-bones mech.  I may have

to explore this design a bit more.

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+).  Wow!  I never would have expected a score like this from a set like this.