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Saturday, October 31, 2015

FAQ: Where do I get clear stands for LEGO models?


I've identified a recurring viewer question about the "clear stands not included" that I occasionally use when displaying sets in reviews.  For the most part I just use regular LEGO parts that are available in sets.  From Bricklink's color list you can filter by trans-clear, though decorated and old frosted parts also show up, so the real list of good potential candidates is much smaller.  I've put together a quick video showing the easy-to-obtain, regular parts that I use most frequently, including more than shown above.
Update: Link fixed.

Friday, October 30, 2015

Custom LEGO alien figure series (unnamed)


Since New JANG City was established, my fledgling Planetary Defense Force has been moving a bit slow, a bit down on motivation I think, because they've had no real enemy.  I recently got around to starting the process of fixing that problem, as some you have already seen on Instagram.  Here's a closer look at what I came up with for figures/units so far, with some explanations.

LEGO Star Wars Toys-R-Us Poe Dameron X-Wing mini-build


I saw a post on the LEGO Facebook page advertising this little Star Wars The Force Awakens mini-build coming up mid-November and thought I'd do a miniature preview-review of it because it looks kinda cool and is easy to make :)

Thursday, October 29, 2015

LEGO Aquanauts Neptune Discovery Lab from 1995! set 6195 review


When it comes to deep sea exploration with LEGO, this is one of the grandest of all time!

The more I look at this, even after the review, the more I like it.  I will integrate this into my underwater layout, but eventually I might have to take it and some other sets apart to make an even larger, custom deep sea base or scene!

LEGO 2015 Christmas Train promo set set 40138 review!


Happy Holidays for 2015!  It's not even November as of this writing, but the winter commerce season is in full swing, and LEGO is giving it a little push with a giveaway of this nice, decently sizable Christmas-themed giveaway.  In the US, this is being given away with orders over $99 for a limited time.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Long-rumored Mega Bloks Halo Last Man Standing II review


Well lookey here!  The myth has become reality after all; only a year late to the party and through secondary market channels, though.  The other two sets from this sub-sub-theme hit shelves in July 2014, but exclusive retailer Target never picked this one up.  There was a production run of the set, however, and thankfully they're finally starting to make their way onto the market.

Mega Bloks Call of Duty Desert Squad & Advanced Warfare Atlas Troopers reviews


I still haven't seen either of these in stores anywhere in my greater metropolitan area, but they're on Amazon and have long been spotted in the wild in patches elsewhere. Hopefully availability will ramp up soon, quite late though it already is.

Videos:

Edit: Clipped upload fixed for the Atlas Troopers video.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

LEGO Alpha Team Command Sub from 2002! set 4794 review


Here's another older yellow submarine from LEGO, but this time from the Mission Deep Sea sub-theme of Alpha Team.  The set far exceeds my expectations.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

LEGO Slizer / Throwbot Spark from 2000! rare set 8522 review


Here it is, the hardest Slizer/Throwbot to find, and the last one I needed to review!

I've put all of the sets of this theme into a single Slizer / Throwbots playlist that's now live for hopefully long-term safekeeping & organization.

LEGO Slizer / Throwbot Electro / Energy from 1999! set 8507 review


Purple!  Another one of the more unique Slizers/Throwbots in terms of overall design.  I need to find a custom use for that unprinted visor.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Mega Bloks Call of Duty Nuketown 2 review!


I got tired of searching for this set in my region while being pummeled by commenters chiding me for having no new MB:CoD reviews (because there are no new MB:CoD sets available to review!), and I bought this at the Amazon/eBay scalper price.  Funny thing is, on a per-part basis, said scalper price would be par for the course if it was a LEGO set.  Oh no, I went there! :)

I continue to constantly check online shops and numerous retailers within 30 miles of me for any new releases, as always.  Can't buy & review what's not available to buy in the first place :(  I can only do my best, nothing more!

LEGO UFO series V-Wing Fighter from 1997! set 6836 review


Only my second review from this oldish LEGO space series that was very retro even in its day.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Mega Bloks Halo NMPD Pelican Air Base review


At long last (though at roughly the normal time), the Signature Series set of the year in the Mega Bloks Halo lineup has reached store shelves.

There was already quite a bit of fan dissent when this was first announced, as it did not appear to belong in the high-tier lineup that previously featured the Forward Unto Dawn and Scarab.  This Pelican is larger than its predecessors, but only by a smidge.  The sent ends up using over 1,700+ parts and requiring a massive box because it also includes a very large, elevated landing pad for display, and a small, but useful 2-level (3 if you count the roof) slice of NMPD HQ.

Whatcha think?

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Cobi WWII British Cromwell Mk. VII A27M tank review!


My first Cobi Small Army series build & review was a pleasant surprise for me with good part quality and design.  Let's see if that was a fluke.

Monday, October 19, 2015

Introducing a new partnership with Brickset!


Happy news today! The following is a press release that just went live:
Brickset, the premier LEGO set database, and JANGBRiCKS, the leading producer of video reviews of LEGO products on YouTube, today announced a partnership that will introduce new audiences to both resources and benefit the entire LEGO community.
From now on Brickset will be embedding JANGBRiCKS video reviews into its set reviews, enabling readers to quickly and easily gain multiple perspectives on the set being reviewed. Meanwhile, JANGBRiCKS will be using Brickset as its primary source of set information, which will be displayed during video reviews. 
"Brickset is my favorite source for LEGO set info and news and the first place I go to research products for all of my LEGO reviews", said Bamidele 'JANG' Shangobunmi. "I also use Brickset's collection management features to track upcoming releases as well as the over 1,000 sets I've reviewed in the past. I'm more than happy to be able to use Brickset data directly in my videos and to help introduce this fantastic resource to my viewers. 
“JANGBRiCKS has a huge following on YouTube so I'm pleased that Brickset will feature prominently in his videos." said Huw Millington, Brickset.com’s operator, “Augmenting our written reviews with JANGBRiCKS’ videos will allow our viewers to experience the best of both worlds on a single website.”
I've mentioned my regular use of and respect for Brickset a number of times in the past, and being able to now cooperate directly with them like this both an honor and a pleasure.  Most importantly, the core goal of this partnership is to offer more content that viewers of both resources may find valuable.

The humble first fruits of this labor are already visible.  Check out the first installment of Brickset's summer Bionicle reviews with my video reviews embedded, and my just-uploaded Ninjago Kai Drifter polybag review with Brickset data embedded, including spots for always-asked-for set pricing information, though this particular set happened to be a free promotional giveaway :)

Sunday, October 18, 2015

JANGBRiCKS Bionicle Self-MOC update - Golden Lorne



Instagram followers have seen a few teasers over the past few days, now blog viewers get the full reveal the day before it goes public on YouTube :)  This is my latest update to my large action figure self-MOC series that started all the way back in 2010.  This is also a completely new build, and the first time I've deviated from the original color scheme, making it somewhat of a "special edition" version, you might say.

It ain't perfect, and this one is way down on articulation from the last couple due to the surprising use of a single prefab torso, but this has arguably more fine detailing than any of the previous incarnations.

Whatever the specifics, I enjoyed the build and am satisfied with the result for now, but I'll surely redo it all again in the future!

Friday, October 16, 2015

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

LEGO Mars Mission MT-61 Crystal Reaper from 2008! set 7645


Just when you thought I was done with Mars Mission, it's back!  I still have a bunch of these to review and they seem to make a lot of viewers happy :)

Another Bricklink haul with sets to review


I haven't posted my Bricklink hauls on the blog for awhile, because they usually come in waves, and the waves are sometimes pretty long, though not particularly exciting.  This is one of the somewhat bigger ones here, though, with a whole bunch of sets to review across a number of themes, plus a small number of interesting loose parts.

LEGO Slizer / Throwbot Scuba / Sub from 1999! set 8503


Here's another Slizer/Throwbot throwback, this one having a color scheme that I found quite unexpectedly pleasing.  Nice parts selection, even if the figure on the whole isn't a real standout in the line.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

How it Works: LEGO Dimensions minifigs, bases, & builds!


A lot of viewers have asked me a lot of good, fundamental questions about how LEGO Dimensions really operates such as whether you can remove the figures from their bases & still play the game, how upgrades work, and whether you can play with custom builds.  I've put together a video that tries to answer all of these in the most straightforward ways, with examples showing the toy pad in use and what happens in-game.  I hope this is helpful!

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Mega Bloks Halo series Charlie full case opening tally!


I've previously shared the live openings of a full sealed box of these figures in four parts, now here's the results show.

Remixed! LEGO Scooby-Doo Mystery Plane alt. build!


Another one!  No alien this time, though, and the thing actually has an okay color scheme, thanks to the selection of parts I had to work with.

Remixed! LEGO Scooby-Doo Haunted Lighthouse alt. build!


Another funky LEGO Scooby-Doo rebuild with an alien in it!

LEGO Slizer / Throwbot City / Turbo from 1999 - set 8502


Still more from the line that led to the line that led to Bionicle :)  Four more of these to go.

Remix! LEGO Scooby-Doo Mummy Museum Mystery alt. build


I found it somewhere between extremely difficult & completely impossible to build something nice & sensible looking out of the parts of this set without ending up with just a minor variation on the original design. So, I made this.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

LEGO vs. Hasbro! Star Wars Force Awakens Rey's Speeder comparison


Continuing the "LEGO vs."theme, here's the smallest set from the first wave of Star Wars: The Force Awakens sets contrasted against the rather larger Hasbro 3.75" scale version of the same.

After this there's only one more Star Wars: TFA comparo of this sort I'm planning, the big Millennium Falcon, and I believe Hasbro's one is due out in November.

I'm more looking forward to another non-brick-based toy manufacturer to put up against the big 'L' :)

Monday, October 5, 2015

LEGO 2015 Thanksgiving Feast vignette set review! 40123


Here's this year's Autumn seasonal set, purchasable from LEGO stores & online.

JANGBRiCKS Remix! LEGO Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine alternate build


When I got the big Mystery Builder box of LEGO Scooby-Doo sets I promised to do something fun with the bounty (since reviews would be done on sets I bought at full price as usual).  Here's the first bit of the result, something I've had hiding under my city for weeks now, waiting for the right time to unveil it :)

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Everything LEGO Mixels series 6 reviewed!


While I've been pumping out tons of LEGO Dimensions content since that's new & hot and there's so much of it to cover, I've continued releasing videos on other topics as well, including the latest series 6 Mixels featuring two new tribes and a revisit of another.