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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Very small LEGO City update



I haven't really shared anything on video regarding the state of the city in a couple of weeks, so I figured it was time to put up a little update even though the most recent changes are mostly significant to me & me alone.  Hooray for trains, and hooray for efficient use of space!

Custom LEGO Octan Factory MOC update 2



The extreme number of reviews I've already done this release season has understandably hindered MOC work, but as I work my way down to smaller sets I've managed to start stealing a couple hours here & there for the more fun stuff.
I've been forced to take a fresh reality check, though, and realize that I simply cannot continue incorporate so much interior detail into the first pass of my structure builds and populate my city at anything resembling a reasonable pace.  Thus, for a little while I am going to dramatically accelerate things by postponing interior development to a later date.

LEGO Star Wars Y-Wing Microfighter review! 75162


Noice!  Now this is how Microfighters should be done.  Super-deformed, yet recognizable, with playability, recognizable detail, and a very nice figure to boot.

Connecting multiple LEGO NEXO Knights Knighton Riders (30376)


A number of viewers of my review of the polybag suggested putting multiple together.  I'd love to create a row of at least several more, but only one of the set was offered with each direct purchase from LEGO that included a NEXO Knights item.

LEGO Batman Movie mini-set combination: 70910 + 70901 + 70900


I decided from the start to cover this combination thoroughly once rather than annoyingly thrice.  I think it looks good and I appreciate the effort.  Looks like I'll be doing an update after the next small wave of sets comes out, too.

LEGO NEXO Knights Battle Suit Macy review! 70363


I think this Battle Suit series provides solidly good, playable, displayable toys across the line, but Macy's specific one has no stand-out feature.

LEGO Iconic Chess set review! 40174


And now for something, completely different!  This one sort of snuck out to brand stores & Shop at Home with zero fanfare.  Though visually it is somewhat simplistic and traditional, it corrects the many issues of the last minifig-based chess set and offers an unbelievably low price/part ratio.

LEGO Architecture Sydney skyline review! 21032


With this, LEGO has now depicted the Sydney Opera House in three different scales, from nano to, well, quite very large, matching their coverage of Elizabeth Tower.

LEGO Batman Movie Joker Balloon Escape review - 70900


More LBM, you want to see?  Why certainly, I'd be happy to oblige...

LEGO Batman Movie Catwoman Catcycle Chase review! 70902


I now feel bad for pushing this set a little further down in the queue, as it has possibly the coolest new printed piece since the sushi roll and I want a ton of them.

LEGO Star Wars mini U-Wings: Polybag & Microfighters versions


Wrapping up the last of the Rogue One sets so far I had two more U-Wings left to review, one really small and other really, really small.

Videos:


LEGO Batman vs Killer Moth Mighty Micros review! 76069


Just one more Mighty Micros set to go to after this to finish up the latest collection!

Thursday, January 26, 2017

LEGO Star Wars UCS TIE Interceptor 7181 reviewed


Happy Throwback Thursday!  My last time trawling Bricklink for needed parts I came upon this all-original relic at a very reasonable price and had to pull the trigger on it.

Now for the big question:  Will I keep it, or will my anti-hording instinct kick in like it usually does?

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

LEGO Technic RC Tracked Racer review! 42065


This is a fully functioning, wireless remotely controlled tank that comes with all needed Power Functions electronic items.  Just assemble & add batteries.  Let's see how it actually performs, though.

LEGO City ATV Arrest review - 60135


Most of you needn't watch this video.  Why?  Because you can see 90+ percent of the entirety of the set and its features in the image above!  In case you're a rebel, though...

LEGO NEXO Knights Knighton Rider polybag review - 30376


I wanted to write "almost the last new NEXO set," but then I looked at the stack of unbuilt sets and realized, there are still a decent handful to go.  LEGO really invests in their original themes! Whelp, I guess I'd better keep chugging along to keep up...

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

LEGO Super Heroes Iron Man: Detroit Steel Strikes review! 76077


This is one of the sets that came out in Europe and I believe Asia this season, but won't make it to the Americas until March.  It has a few quirks, but as a group of toys I think it's quite a solid design.

Bricks4Chris Sig Tower apartment MOC!


I think it was at the end of 2015 when fellow YouTuber Bricks4Chris reached out with an offer to put a LEGO version of me and my (imaginary) living space into his huge Sig Tower build.  I was quite overwhelmed with work at the time, but in the Spring of 2016 I finished this made-up apartment and sent it off his way.  Things then got extra busy for him, and the project was put on the back burner.

Well, finally things are a little more sane for the both of us (at least for this brief moment), and at last we can share something with the public.

Many thanks to Chris for the invitation and be sure to follow his channel if you want to see how other YouTubers' apartments get integrated into building over time.

Videos: 

PS:  As clearly noted in my video, this creation takes only minor inspirations from reality and does not at all represent the layout of my actual house.  Also, I will not do a real house or studio tour, nor any LEGO-made replicas thereof.  Thank you for understanding and respecting my right to some basic privacy.

LEGO Star Wars Microfighters TIE Striker review! 75161


I've made it clear in the past that I love the Microfighters concept, but this one, I don't know, isn't one of the stronger offerings.  I feel like from most angles it doesn't convey the key shapes of the source material well enough.  It needs more wing, less fuselage.

Mega Construx Call of Duty Night Ops Blackout Squad review


Most of these figure/troop builder packs from mega to date have been good, but I feel this one is a cut above and will probably sell extraordinarily well.  The terrain/background build is forgettable, but the figures and their new accessories are pretty sweet.

LEGO Batman Movie Scarecrow Special Delivery review - 70910


I think this is pretty cool how LEGO has made a few really small sets for the Batman movie that give you a range of play possibilities with multiple figures plus static and moving elements.

Friday, January 20, 2017

LEGO Star Wars R3-M2 promotional polybag review! 40268


What exactly is this thing?  As of this writing, nobody seems to know.  It exists, though, so I review it!

New 4-wide LEGO car MOCs for New Jang City


It always feels great to eliminate some official LEGO builds from my layout & replace them with custom work.  It just takes so long to build the smallest thing!  I know official LEGO designers spend a lot of time perfecting their projects, but for some reason I'm unable to give any leniency & reasonable patience to myself.  I'm always unhappy with how long it takes to design the smallest thing.

Videos: 


LEGO Creator Seaplane Adventures 3-in-1 review - 31064


Well, this is the last of the medium sized Creator sets for now; just the minis remain.  I can't say I've saved the best for last, but this set does have some nice features with a solid basis for story-building.

Mega Construx Call of Duty Arctic Troopers set review


I am finally starting to get used to the name Mega Construx, and I'll tell you what else, I really like the branding & package design work.  These sets look so much more serious and respectable than before, the consistency is a breath of fresh air for me (as a user experience professional who specialized in standards!), and the slash of orange draws well-deserved attention on store shelves.

A look through a LEGO Idea Book from 1987


This was posted to YouTube for Throwback Thursday, but here I suppose it becomes a Flashback Friday evening tribute :)  Quite a range of brick-built scenic goodness in this one, and another great sticker sheet.

LEGO Star Wars Microfighters Krennic's Shuttle review! 75163


I really appreciate the very existence of these mini-set lines like Microfighters & Mighty Micros because they're priced low enough to allow many more kids to get them than get access to the ever more complex & expensive medium to large sets.  Yet, each of these sets does stand out on its own as a very playable item.  I might not love every single individual set, but the whole series absolutely should be continued.

LEGO Marvel Mighty Micros Wolverine vs. Magneto review! 76073


Sorry!  Sorry.  I fell behind on the blog by a day again, and one day can mean a bunch of videos! Time to get caught up again right quick.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

LEGO NEXO Knights Battle Suit Aaron review - 70364


I'm telling you, my skepticism was high when I saw official pictures of these sets last year, but as toys the really work well.

LEGO Technic Stunt Bike review - 42058


Another of the small Technic sets that made it to the Americas this season.  Again, none of the larger/good ones will be available here until March.

LEGO Ninjago Cole Box (stone armor) unboxed


I picked this up practically sight unseen during one of the major shopping cart-filling trips to TRU late last month and now finally got a chance to see what's inside.

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Monday, January 16, 2017

LEGO Star Wars Duel on Naboo review! 75169


Quick! Load up your favorite music player and start Duel of the Fates!  It's time to relive the best part of The Phantom Menace, or to have too much fun failing to do so.

LEGO City Money Transporter review - 60142


Many of you found the police paint scheme of the auto transporter to be a strange choice.  How about a police-themed armored car?

Big LEGO City changes & updates!


Well, now!  It has been awhile since I had anything major to show in the overworld of my city, I think since unveiling of the first skyscraper.  Here, though, I have probably 10 solid hours of planning followed by hands-on execution in the books to make a pretty substantial alteration to fundamental infrastructure of the layout.  It felt like I was taking a lot of risk, but man, am I glad I went for it.  I now have a lot less awkward space and a lot more straightforward, usable real estate within the constraints of my already maximized table arrangement.

LEGO NEXO Knights Ruina's Lock n' Roller review! 70349


I still have a bunch of Nexo Knights sets yet to be reviewed; LEGO definitely kept their committed to the series up for the start of year 2.

LEGO Star Wars Rebels: The Phantom (II) review! 75170


Finally got my hands on one of these hard-to-get sets that keeps selling out everywhere because of the Thrawn figure.  Is the rest of the set worth the price though?

Friday, January 13, 2017

LEGO Creator Assembly Square review is up!


Between the build, filming, editing, about 15 hours of work went into the 20-minute review video alone.  Capturing all of the desired angles with the desired clarity even strained the capabilities of my recently overhauled & reworked lighting & filming setup.  I really went all-in, and I think the subject matter deserved the effort.  Assembly Square is a wonderful tribute to 10 years of much-loved LEGO modular buildings, and yet it has its own fresh & unique feeling and employs some brand new techniques and a bunch of new parts.

Videos: 

Now that the videos are done, I need to figure out what to actually do with the set!

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Custom 4-wide LEGO (bodied) RC drift car


The world of radio-controlled cars was another fun thing that piqued my interest in the latter half of my childhood, though I only ever owned one cheap one.  Fast forward to the year 2000 and I had dove head-first into both LEGO and RC for the first time as an adult, overwhelming my limited free time and forcing the decision to put one of them back on the shelf.  Over the course of the next decade I would purchase & operate over 450 RC cars, trucks, helis, quadcopters, planes, boats, and hybrid oddities.  Circumstances beyond my control eventually pushed me out of my deep involvement in that hobby and back to LEGO (yay!), but I'll never, ever stop liking remotely-controlled... stuff!

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

LEGO 2017 Romantic Valentine Picnic set review


Looks like we've gone back to minifig-scaled seasonal sets for awhile, and thankfully so.

LEGO Star Wars 2017 Desert Skiff Escape review


Another day, another skiff, it seems.  This actually has a very smart, displayable & playable main build, more accurate than earlier attempts and yet very playable.  The Sarlacc, though... hmm...

LEGO Technic Ultralight Helicopter 2-in-1 review


North America has to wait a few extra months to get all of the nice medium-sized Technic sets for the season, but here's another of the wee ones that did make it to these shores.

Monday, January 9, 2017

LEGO City 2017 High Speed Chase review - 60138


Early posting of a new review here as a "thank you" for following the blog!

LEGO City update - Water, dinos, trees & more


First New Jang City update of 2017 here!  This will show you where some of the pieces from recent Bricklink hauls went, in addition to revealing the temporary fate of more 2017 sets than you can see in the preview image above :)

LEGO NEXO Knights The Three Brothers review! 70350


At first glance this was another visually boring blob of gray & purple, but the vehicle actually has some very redeeming qualities.  Oddly in spite of the name, though, only two "brother" minifigs are included.