Review: 30434 Speed Champions Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro Polybag

I found this polybag recently while shopping in Walmart.  It was originally a "Free with Purchase" at the Lego store for June of this year.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.97, for a $0.05 Price per Piece.

Instructions & Stickers.

 Parts 1.  Plates, Tile, Cross Plates, Wedge Plates, Axle Plates,

 Studless Slopes, Apollo Studs, Wedge Studless Slopes, Quarter

 Circle Tiles, Brackets, Rims, Arch Brick w/Jumper, and Tires.

Parts 2.  Oar Head, Bar Stud, Tiles, Studless Slopes, 

Cheese Slopes, Transparent Plates, Plates, and Taps. 

 Build.  Two IO Frigates and a 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+).  There's a good cross section of parts in this set.  The Price per Piece is pretty phenomenal too.

Sales Alert

Target is running a "20% off Select Friends, Ninjago and Duplo" sale this week.  At first glance it appears to be online only, so this may require research.

Also, Walmart has been putting random Lego sets on Clearance for the last week or so.  You'll have to check your local to see what's available.

As always, good hunting.

Review: Miniso 1806-6 Construction 8 in 1 Bulldozer

I was planning on reviewing the other Marvel mecha but I stumbled into a new Asian product store called Miniso over the weekend.  I was initially intrigued by Peanuts licensed sets I saw but those will have to wait for another day.  Along with a bunch of junk food, I purchased this set instead.  I figured starting with something small and inexpensive would be better if the set wasn't great.

Box. I paid $2.95 for this which gives a $0.09 Price per Piece.

Instructions & Stickers.

The other side of the instruction booklet.  

Parts.  Brackets, Mudguard Plates, Plates, Tiles, Cone, Axle Plates, Studless

Slopes, Transparent Brick, Bar Plates (open ends), Clip Plates, Bar

Plate (closed ends), Grille Tile, Wheels, Panel, and Bar 1x4x2 w/Studs.

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?  No.  (-5)
Score: +10 (A-).  That's not a bad start.  Guess I'll have to go back and get more.  Just for research.  :-)

Battle Report: Asian Antenna Farm 2

After a four year break we made it back to the Connector Cafe.  (We keep this up and the next visit will be in either six or eight years.)  This is also our first full game in two months.  We had a couple of new players join us which turned this into a six player battle.

Me (4 Frames & 14 Systems) = (6 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 30 points. (Sprockets!)

   Red Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.

   Yellow Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.

   Blue Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.

   White Spotter -- 1Gd8/2Y/2W + SSR (x3).

Phungkyjams (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.
   ?? Hammer -- 2Rd+d8/1B/1Y/2W.

   ?? Anvil -- 2Rd/2B/1Y/2W + SSR.

   ?? Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.
   Shovelman Closer -- 2Rd/2Rh+d82W + SSR (x3).

Occam's Spork (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.
   Red Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.

   Green Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W + SSR.

   Orange Bodyguard -- 2Rd/2Rh/2B/2W + SSR.

   White Bodyguard -- 2Rd/2Rh/2B/2W + SSR.

Stevenik (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.
   Green Armored Spotter -- 2B/1Gd8/2Y/2W + SSR (x2).
   Orange Artillerist -- 2Ra+d8/2B/2W.
   Blue -- 2Rd+d8/2Ra+d8/2W.
   Beige Tank -- 2Rd+d8/2B/2W + SSR.

Greko (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.
   Drone Armored Fast Spotter -- 1B/1G+d8/2Y/2W.

   Black Bodyguard -- 2Rd/2Rh/2B/2W + SSR.

   Grey2 Tank -- 2Rd+d8/2B/2W + SSR.

   Grey1 Artillerist -- 2Ra+d8/2B/2W + SSR.

Rook (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.  (Antaeus)
   Pink Delegator -- 2Ra/1B/2Y/2W.
   Purple Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.
   Yellow Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.
   Blue Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.

This is what the table looked like at the start of the game.

Events of Round 1 (DDC @ 11): My Yellow frame captures Occam's Spork's Station and my White frame captures Rook's Station before the game starts. In the first action of the game Stevenik's Blue Frame steps forward and captures Greko's Station.  My White frame lays down a Spot then retreats into the antenna farm.  Rook's Blue frame moves towards the center of the battlefield and hits my Yellow frame for 1 which then retreats into the antenna farm after doing the Station Dance.  My Yellow frame hits Stevenik's Blue frame for 2, Station Dance.  Stevenik's Orange frame hits my White frame for 1.  Phungkyjams' RbF hits a Red antenna for 5, destroying it.  Greko's Grey1 frame hits the antenna in front of my White frame for 1 and my White frame for 1, then moves from a bamboo stand into the antenna farm.  Occam's Spork's Red frame hits the antenna in front of my Yellow frame for 1 and my Yellow frame for 1.  Rook's Yellow frame charges out of the antenna farm and captures Occam's Spork's Station then hits my Yellow frame for 2.  Rook's Purple frame hits Phungkyjams' Black frame for 3 then sidesteps towards Stevenik's Station.  Occam's Spork's White frame hits my Yellow frame for 2 and moves forward onto the road.  Stevenik's Green frame hits Phungkyjams' Grey frame for 2 with a SSR.  Occam's Spork's Orange frame moves forward onto the road and hits my Yellow frame for 4, destroying it.  My Red frame hits Rook's Yellow frame for 1, Station Dance, and moves forward to capture Greko's Station that was under Stevenik's control.

Me: 36 Points.

Phungkyjams: 20 points.

Stevenik: 20 points.

Rook: 20 points.

Occam's Spork: 16 points.
Greko: 16 points.

Events of Round 2 (DDC @ 8): Occam's Spork's Red frame moves towards the center of the battlefield and hits Rook's Yellow frame for 1.  Greko's Black frame hits Phungkyjams' Grey frame for 1.  Occam's Spork's Green frame moves closer to Phungkyjams' Station then hits Rook's Yellow frame for 4, Station Dance.  Phungkyjams' Shovelman frame chases after Occam's Spork's Red frame and hits it for 2 with a SSR.  Occam's Spork's Orange frame hits Rook's Blue frame for 2 then moves into the scrum in the center of the battlefield.  Rook's Blue frame steps, pivots, and hits Occam's Spork's White frame for 1 in retaliation.  Greko's Grey2 frame hits Rook's Blue frame for 1 and moves from the bamboo stand to the shrubbery.  Rook's Pink frame hits Occam's Spork's White frame for 1.  Stevenik's Beige frame moves out of the corner and captures Rook's Station that was under my control then hits my White frame for 3, destroying it.  Stevenik's Green frame hits Phungkyjams' Grey frame for 3 with a SSR, destroying it.  Phungkyjams' RbF hits Stevenik's Green frame for 1.  Stevenik's Orange frame hits Rook's Yellow frame for 1.  Greko's Grey1 frame hits Rook's Yellow frame for 2, destroying it, then moves laterally beside the remaining Red antenna.

Me: 24 Points.

Stevenik: 24 points.

Occam's Spork: 20 points.

Phungkyjams: 16 points.

Greko: 16 points.

Rook: 16 points.

Events of Round 3 (DDC @ 3): Occam's Spork's Red frame stomps over and kicks Phungkyjams' RbF frame for 1. Occam's Spork's Green frame hits Phungkyjams' RbF frame for 3 with a SSR, Station Dance. Occam's Spork's Green frame captures Phungkyjams' Station. Occam's Spork's Orange frame hits Rook's Blue frame for 1 with a SSR. Stevenik's Orange frame hits Occam's Spork's Orange frame for 2, Station Dance. My Red frame hits Stevenik's Blue frame for 1. Stevenik's Beige frame hits Occam's Spork's White frame for 1. Rook's Purple frame hits Stevenik's Green for 5, destroying it, then rushes over and captures Stevenik's Station. Greko's Black frame moves closer to the road and hits my Red frame for 2. Phungkyjams' Shovelman frame hits Occam's Spork's Green frame for 2 with a barrage of SSRs. The Doomsday Clock is ticked to zero.

Me: 24 Points.

Occam's Spork: 24 points.

Rook: 20 points.

Stevenik: 16 points.

Greko: 16 points.

Phungkyjams: 12 points.

Here are several aftermath pictures.

Thoughts & Observations:

• This was a Battle.
• We had one player show up at the last minute so we went from a five player game to a six.
• This was the first game for Greko, and the first multiplayer game for Phungkyjams.
• Greko used minifigs for Frames which is something Stevenik and I have been talking about for years.
• Greko also managed to avoid taking any damage for the entire game.
• We also had a successful implementation of the Rook Maneuver.
• I had originally planned to field five Frames and eighteen Systems in the hopes of claiming an Attacker position.
• With the addition of the sixth player I just dropped a Frame and hoped for the same thing.  Didn't happen.
• I finished my squad a few days before the game.  They're pretty posable but also kinda fiddly at the same time.
• They weren't that stable on the baseplates and I'm not sure if I'm going to modify them or just retire the squad.
• It's been about a year since we used this table-setting.
• It's also been about a year since Stevenik has played.

Micro Mecha 7

I'm feeling a little wiped out this morning so here's some pretty pictures to look at.

Fenrir Medium Assault Frame by MuttonchopMac.  I like the lines of the torso.

Tiny Bot by Dan Ko.  There's some neat parts use here.

OBAN Class Frame by Joe Murphy.  Joe has been knocking it out

of the park lately.  You should check out the rest of his work.

Cyclops Drone by Pasukaru76.  It looks a little

fragile but, otherwise it's pretty interesting.

Ajax Class Assault Frame by MuttonchopMac.  This is a really slick build.

Good Sets For Parts: Terrain 2

A short discussion on the Discord about good sets for terrain made me dig up this old post and update it.  It's been nine years since I've done one of these.  Every now and then Lego will have a batch of sets that make for a good starting point for building a battle field.  Looks like this is one of those times.  I'll warn you right up front that most of these are City sets and we know how horrible those price points are.

60307 Wildlife Rescue Camp.  $99.99 for 503 pieces, $0.20 per part.  Trees, rock outcroppings, megafauna, and a vehicle.  We've got a wilderness battlefield starter here.  Add in 60302 Wildlife Rescue Operation and 60301 Wildlife Rescue Off-Roader to expand it.

60336 Freight Train.  $199.99 for 1153 pieces, $0.17 per part.  A four car train and another vehicle along with a decent sized track oval.  Add in a bunch of my Medium Sized Building as a group of warehouses and that's the beginnings of a good business district battlefield.  Two of 60205 Tracks would build a bigger oval for cheaper if you had enough parts to build the train on your own but you'd be missing the switch and spur sections.

60351 Rocket Launch Center.  $159.99 for 1010 pieces, $0.16 per part.  Ever since G.I.Joe issue #8 -- and more recently, Gundam 0080 "War in the Pocket" episode 1 -- I've wanted to have a battle around a rocket launch site.  You could possibly expand it with 60350 Lunar Research Base.

60265 Ocean Exploration Base.  $79.99 for 497 pieces, $0.16 per part.  An undersea battlefield is another one of those "must build" ideas for me.

10303 Loop Coaster.  $499.99 for 3756 pieces, $0.13 per part.  All that Dark Blue and 29 Octagonal Bar Plates.  For someone that doesn't like trains, I weirdly have a thing for sets with track sections in them.  :-)

21058 Great Pyramid of Giza.  $129.99 for 1476 pieces, $0.09 per part.  Tons of bricks and no pesky minifigs taking up space.

41703 Friendship Tree House.  $79.99 for 1114 pieces, $0.07 per part.  I bought two of these so I could make a bunch of this and this type of tree.  There are also plenty of other foliage bits, bricks, and useful parts.

So, yes, the initial cost is high but, hopefully, these will be the start of an awesome battlefield for your group to destroy on a regular basis.

Review: 76202 Wolverine Mech Armor

We're now two-thirds of the way through the year so let's finally take a look at the first of the three new Marvel character mecha for 2022.

Box. I paid $9.99 for this which gives a $0.07 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minifig.

Parts 1.  Cockpit Shell, Technic Plates, Plates, Wedge Plates, Double Inverted

Slope w/Cutout, Studless Slopes, Pentagonal Tiles, Bracket,  Inverted Tiles,

Exo-Force Arms, Tile w/Studs, Ball Joint Plates, and Propeller Blades.

Parts 2.  Round Jumpers, Dishes, Boat Stud, Wedge Plates, Studless Slopes,

Corner Tiles, Clip Plate, Panel, Wedge Studless Slopes, Large Cheese Slopes,

Round Plates, Ball Joint Plates, Bar Plates (open ends), Plates, Quarter Circle

Tiles, Tiles, Clip Bar Holders, Brackets, and Bar Plates (closed ends).

Parts 3.  Printed Round Tile, Brackets, Ball Joint Plates, Ingots,

 Wedge Studless Slopes, Printed Tile, Plates, Inverted Studless

Slopes, Clip Tiles, Bar Ball Joint, and Slopes w/Cutout.

Build.  Two Frames (2Rd+d8/1B/1Y) 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+).  Like the other Marvel mech/mech armor sets this one is good for parts or as a starter kit.