Review: Make-It Blocks Ice Cream Truck

Make-It Blocks has another release for 2023 besides the buildings that I reviewed a couple of months ago.

Box.  MSRP is $1.25, for a $0.02 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts 1.  Tiles, Axle Plates, Brackets, Mudguard Plates, Plates, Corner Plates, Grille Tile, Translucent Plates, Wedge Studless Slopes, Translucent Tiles, Translucent Round Tiles, Quarter Circle Tiles, Bricks, Translucent Brick, Wheels, and Hubcaps.

Parts 2.  The Windscreen was in a smaller bag inside the main bag for some reason. 
 

Build.  Battlecart.

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 like the color and part selection in this set.  I feel like I should run out and buy a bunch before they disappear.

Review: Hot Wheels Brick Rides 2

Shades Corvid brought these to my attention over on Discord.  The number in the title refers to the first of the numbers in the (#) of (#) on the side of the package rather than the iteration of the review.  This is not the first time Hot Wheels has crossed over with Mega Bloks.  They are owned by the same company after all.  One good thing about this release is it seems that each one has two different color palettes, which is bad for collectors but good for army builders.  Anyway.  I'll be doing these out of order as I track them down.  I'll also be using the non-building block rating system for these as I feel like that's the best fit.

Package. I paid $1.50 at Stop & Shop for these.

Disassembled.  Body, Windscreen, and Engine.  The Windscreen

piece could represent Defense or Spotting. The Engine

piece could represent Artillery, Movement or Spotting.

Assembled.  These models don't have an attachment point on the front.

Size Comparison.  These seem to have a similar volume to a Chub.

The Questions:
Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame? Below. (+5)
Is it a good size to use in a game? Yes. About the same size as a Chub. (+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? No. (-5)
Score: +5 (B+).  All the things I've said about the other models holds true here.  I think this model is a little less useful than the others but it makes up for that by having six variations that I've seen online.

Review: Hot Wheels Brick Rides 5

Shades Corvid brought these to my attention over on Discord.  The number in the title refers to the first of the numbers in the (#) of (#) on the side of the package rather than the iteration of the review.  This is not the first time Hot Wheels has crossed over with Mega Bloks.  They are owned by the same company after all.  One good thing about this release is it seems that each one has two different color palettes, which is bad for collectors but good for army builders.  Anyway.  I'll be doing these out of order as I track them down.  I'll also be using the non-building block rating system for these as I feel like that's the best fit.

Package. I paid $1.19 at Target for these.  As you can see there are older

versions from 2022 that have either a different base color or secondary 

markings that make them slightly different from the ones from this year.

Which would allow you to assemble a squad of four of these models

with the same base and put them on the table at the same time.

Disassembled 1.  Body, Tail, and Engine.  The Tail piece could

represent Melee, Defense, or Movement.  The Engine piece

could represent Direct Fire, Artillery, Movement or Spotting.

These are also the first attachments to feature plain Studs.

 

Disassembled 2. Body, Tail, and Engine. The Tail piece could

represent Melee, Defense, or Movement. The Engine piece

could represent Direct Fire, Artillery, Movement or Spotting.

Assembled 1.  As you can see the Tail piece fits on both ends of the Body.

Assembled 2.  2Rh/1G (left), 1B/1Y (right).

Size Comparison.  These seem to have a similar volume to a Chub.
 

The Questions:
Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame? Below. (+5)
Is it a good size to use in a game? Yes. About the same size as a Chub. (+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? No. (-5)
Score: +5 (B+).  These are inexpensive and can be found in multiple retail outlets.  They're only a small handful of pieces but should an easy access point for people new to the game or with limited resources.  You'll need some polybags -- or Bricklink/PaB orders -- to make Systems and depending on where you get these that might be an easy additional purchase.  I guess what I'm trying to say is the score doesn't really represent the potential utility of these items.

Review: Hot Wheels Brick Rides 4

Shades Corvid brought these to my attention over on Discord.  The number in the title refers to the first of the numbers in the (#) of (#) on the side of the package rather than the iteration of the review.  This is not the first time Hot Wheels has crossed over with Mega Bloks.  They are owned by the same company after all.  One good thing about this release is it seems that each one has two different color palettes, which is bad for collectors but good for army builders.  Anyway.  I'll be doing these out of order as I track them down.  I'll also be using the non-building block rating system for these as I feel like that's the best fit.

Package. I paid $1.18 at Walmart for these.

Disassembled.  Body, Engines, and Skull Tile.  The

Engines could represent Direct Fire, Artillery, Movement

or Spotting.  The Skull Tile could represent Defense.

Assembled.  There are attachment points

on three of the four sides of the body.

Size Comparison.  These seem to
have a similar volume to a Chub.

The Questions:
Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame? Below. (+5)
Is it a good size to use in a game? Yes. About the same size as a Chub. (+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? No. (-5)
Score: +5 (B+).  These are inexpensive and can be found in multiple retail outlets.  They're only a small handful of pieces but should an easy access point for people new to the game or with limited resources.  You'll need some polybags -- or Bricklink/PaB orders -- to make Systems and depending on where you get these that might be an easy additional purchase.  I guess what I'm trying to say is the score doesn't really represent the potential utility of these items.

Sales Alert

 Target is running a "20% off Select Lego Sets" sale this week.  They're also running a "20% off Select Mega Construx Pokemon Sets" sale as well.

Good hunting.

Review: Hot Wheels Brick Rides 3

Shades Corvid brought these to my attention over on Discord.  The number in the title refers to the first of the numbers in the (#) of (#) on the side of the package rather than the iteration of the review.  This is not the first time Hot Wheels has crossed over with Mega Bloks.  They are owned by the same company after all.  One good thing about this release is it seems that each one has two different color palettes, which is bad for collectors but good for army builders.  Anyway.  I'll be doing these out of order as I track them down.  I'll also be using the non-building block rating system for these as I feel like that's the best fit.

Package. I paid $1.25 at Dollar Tree for these.

Disassembled.  Wind Screen, Box, and Base.  The Box could represent

 Defense or Movement.  The Windscreen could represent Defense or

 Spotting.  Or, you could use these pieces to represent White Dice.

Assembled.  There are attachment points on three of the four sides of the base.  You can see this in the next picture.  This is something I find odd.

Size Comparison.  These seem to

have a similar volume to a Chub.

The Questions:

Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame? Below. (+5)
Is it a good size to use in a game? Yes. About the same size as a Chub. (+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? No. (-5)
Score: +5 (B+).  These are inexpensive and can be found in multiple retail outlets.  They're only a small handful of pieces but should an easy access point for people new to the game or with limited resources.  You'll need some polybags -- or Bricklink/PaB orders -- to make Systems and depending on where you get these that might be an easy additional purchase.  I guess what I'm trying to say is the score doesn't really represent the potential utility of these items.

Non-Human 38

How about a week of pretty pictures as I'm not sure I can put together a coherent blog post at the moment.

"Raven" FRU by -SuspendedAnimation-.  It's not often we see wheeled Frames built specifically for MFZ, so this is pretty cool.  Damn, I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings.  It looks like Suspended Animation has deleted his Flickr account.  I don't know what happened but it's a shame to see him leave the community, and I hope everything is okay.

Starship Troopers by BrickiboT.  That is a really neat design for the alien.

Hādosheru-3.5 // Tank Killer variant by PineConeEagleMan.

A tiny bit greebley for my tastes but it has a great vibe.

Crab Mech by cixpack.  This has some fun techniques.

Spider Crab by Kark Oohlu.  Fantastic use of Bionicle pieces.

Random Mechs 32

How about a week of pretty pictures as I'm not sure I can put together a coherent blog post at the moment.

BZ42x-D by pixelogre.  This is a little large, and the joints look

a sort of fragile but, I like the color usage and appearance.

Exo-Suit 11 by Moko.  I really like the gun.  This

reminds me of some old Cole Blaq builds.

Mini Snowspeeder Transformer by Chris Roach.  This is pretty damn cool.

Lego Battletech Roughneck Mech MOC Sketch by Tyutyu the A-10 guy.  A

little fiddly in places but, I'm going to steal that waist and those fingers soon.

Pride Mech by Albert Lee.  It looks a little big

but that toe design and color use is awesome.

Terrain & Scenery 25

How about a week of pretty pictures as I'm not sure I can put together a coherent blog post at the moment.

"Beginner's Guide to Space Adventuring - Not everything is as it seems" by Bart De Dobbelaer.  I have no idea where those eye parts come from but this is chock'a'block full of inspiration.

Micro Cyberpunk Bikes by Karf Oohlu.  These

look neat and might look good as terrain.

Coco has disappeared... finding him is going to be tricky! by Jérôme Barchietto.  This might

make for a fun Station.  I like the tree in the background too.  Disabled downloading though.

Small 1986 Fleetwood Bounder (Lego Toy) by František Hajdekr.

I feel like we don't see 4P scale very often so this is a

treat.  Of course František's work is stellar as usual.

Exploration by Bart De Dobbelaer.  Ooohh.

There are so many ideas here to steal!

Review: Lazer Blocks 24-2309 Punching Robot

After getting notice that 5Below was carrying their version of the Botanical sets -- second edition -- I went looking at my local stores to see what else they had in stock.  Along with some other sets they had a few more of this sub-line.  Since I've done a few of these before, I figured I'd review this as well.

Box.  MSRP is $4.99 for a $0.05 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

 Parts 1.  Horns, Arms, Brackets, Legs, Round Light Brick, Fists, Hip

 Joint, Slope w/Cutout, Horn Crest, Studless Slope, Feet, Mask, Leg

 Panels, Curved Slope w/Studs, Perpendicular Pin/Axle Connectors, 

 Double/Inverted Slopes, Axles, Axle w/Trigger, Head, and Thin Liftarms.

Parts 2.  Large Cheese Slopes, Studless Slopes, Wedges, Plates, Tooth 

Plates, Pins, Grille Tiles, Double Slopes, Clip Tiles, Bushings, Bars 

w/Bar, 3/4 Pins, Axle Holders w/Pin, Apollo Studs, and Brackets. 

  

 Build.  Walking gun, Station, and Tank.

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+).  Roughly 1/4 of the parts are pretty bulky and won't be appealing to most builders.  The Bar w/Bar seem to be built to the Mega Bloks specs as there wasn't much friction between them and the Axle Holder pieces.  Other than that, there are a ton of useful parts in translucent colors to enhance any other builds you might have.  This looks to be a recolor of this set.

Review: 30633 Friends Skate Ramp Polybag

I found this one in Joann Fabrics & Crafts thanks to a tip about a different polybag from Ed Miles on the MFZ Facebook group.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.99 for a $0.11 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minidoll & Gecko.

Parts.  Plates, Tiles, Inverted Arches, Skateboard Wheels, Minifig 

Skateboard, 2x4x1.3 Tapered Double Slope, 1x4x2 Bar, Macaroni 

Tubes, Round Plates w/3 Leaves, Taps, Translucent Round Bricks, 

Round Brick, Bricks, Bricks w/Clips, Technic Axle, Printed Round 

Tiles, Apollo Studs, Flower Plates, and Minifig Paint Brushes. 

  

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 this set better than the one from Wednesday's review, but if it had just two more pieces -- listed, not spare -- the score would have flipped from negative to positive.  As always, good colors from the Friends line.

Review: 30639 Dog Park & Scooter Polybag

I found this one in Joann Fabrics & Crafts thanks to a tip about a different polybag from Ed Miles on the MFZ Facebook group.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.99 for a $0.21 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minifig.

Parts.  Half Circle Plate, Minifig Scooter Body, 6x5 Leaves, Doggo(!), Large

Round Jumper, Round Plates w/3 Leaves, Minifig Handlebar, Round Bricks,

 Butterfly, Pulley Wheels, Robot Arms, Flower Plates, and Printed Round Tiles.

  

Build.  1 Hit tree.

Size Comparison.  If you wanted to

add a Direwolf pack to one of

your table-settings, this set will

help you to get a start on that.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Terrain.  (0)
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: -10 (C+).  It's pretty bad when even City polybags have a horrible Price/Parts ratio.