Set Review - #40421-1: Belle Bottom, Kevin and Bob - Brickheadz - Minions

I recently reviewed #40420-1: Stuart, Gru, and Otto. This one is the second of two Minions related Brickheadz for 2021. It’s #40421-1: Belle Bottom, Kevin, and Bob. This set was released on 26 April 2021 in the US for $19.99. It contains 309 pieces which works out to $0.065 per piece. This is slightly better than the other set which only has 244 pieces, but is sold for the same amount. Like #40420-1, this set contains a standard size Brickheadz figure and two Minions. I have not seen the movie this is from so I do not know who Belle Bottom is or why the Minions are in orange, but at some point I’m sure my kids will push to see this movie.

The box shows the three figures on the front and which number they are in the Brickheadz series. The larger person figure is in the center, but out of numerical order in the series. Why they didn’t just change the numbering, I don’t know. The back shows that the Brickheadz go on a stand and then advertises for #40420-1 in case you weren’t aware of it yet.

The set contains three parts bags. Two are numbered one and then a number two bag. It also has two instruction booklets to go along with each numbered set of bags.

The first set of bags builds Belle Bottom. Her hairdo is done quite well and I like how the designers used levels of plates and studs to achieve the effect. They also used the LEGO gold ring as earrings which is the first time I’ve seen this done. I like the parts usage. Other than that, it’s your standard Brickheadz build of a character that is only in one of the Minions movies.

Next up in bag two is Kevin. He’s a very simple build with not much detail. He is slightly taller than most Minions, but not as tall as Belle Bottom. Kevin is holding a nunchuck for a reason that I am sure is apparent in the movie. His front has a printed orange tile and then along his arms are printed stripes. That’s about it for him.

Last up is Bob. He’s Kevin, only shorter, no hair, and no nunchucks.

So there you go… If you are a Brickheadz fan or Minions fan, scoop up this set. If not, it’s not really worth it in my opinion. The price per piece is slightly better than #40421-1, but we haven’t seen it go on sale. Maybe it will for Black Friday?

Happy Building!

Set Review - #75551-1 Brick-Built Minions and Their Lair - Minions: The Rise of Gru

We had the original “Despicable Me” movie, then the sequels, then spin offs, and now that we have brick built Minions, we’re all set, right? Released on 27 April 2020 in the US, this set contains 876 pieces and 3 minifigures. It retails for $49.99 in the US which works out to $0.057 per piece. I found it for 20% off on Amazon.com so $10 off which helped although five cents a piece is pretty good.

This set contains minifigures for the three main Minions who are Kevin, Stuart, and Bob. Then you can build larger versions of all three. Unfortunately you can’t build all three at once. You can build Stuart and then Kevin or Bob. You need another version of the set or some of your own bricks to have all three at once. Is it worth it? Onto the review…

Here is the front and then the back of the box. The front shows the larger Stuart and Kevin with all three minifigures. It also shows how the larger Minions open up in the back to show their lairs. The back shows the internals of all three, it shows you how the eyes spin, and then shows that you can switch Kevin to be Bob.

The set contains five parts bags. Two are labeled with a 1 and three are labeled with a 2. One of the first bags contains a piece separator. There is a sticker sheet with a bunch of stickers and then two instruction booklets. The first booklet builds Stuart and the second builds Kevin and Bob.

The first two bags build Stuart. He is distinguishable by his sole eye. The outer body is a similar build for all three minions except for some minor differences (height, eye color, hair, and the mouth piece. The eye and mouth are all printed pieces so if you just wanted the Minions without all of the internals, you could get away with out using any of the stickers.

One thing that doesn’t quite work with this build is the torso and head of the Minion is not even with the top part of the head. There is a slight break where the curves are not quite even. Considering it’s built with LEGO bricks, we can’t complain, but it does make me wonder if there’s another way to make the head seem a bit more smooth.

Stuart has a cool pad to hang out in with a sound system, dart board, boomerang, and a fold down bed. Above his bed and connected to his eye is a 2x2 round brick to spin his eye around

The second set of bag builds Kevin (listed first in the instructions). Kevin is built similar to Stuart only he is a few studs taller. Additionally, he has two eyes versus the one. There are gears in place so both eyes can spin. He has a small smile compared to Stuart’s open mouth. Additionally, he has a small sprig of hair versus Stuart’s hair.

Inside Kevin has his command center with various screens and dials. He also has his fire extinguisher and some tools along with a banana to snack on. Lots of stickers, but not too bad to assemble. The minifigure is pretty similar only smaller.

The second set of instructions starts from scratch again. It doesn’t give any guidance as to whether you should disassemble all of the parts of Kevin or certain parts. I kept the bottom intact and then parts of the top, but the internals are all swapped out so you are forced to make take apart most of the pieces.

The assembly of Bob is similar to that of Kevin only he is shorter. Inside he has some weapons and a few posters. Also one of his eyes is green versus two brown like Kevin.

Overall it’s a good build. The three Minions are built mostly the same, but they have enough differences to make it interesting. You get some decent pieces as well. The larger Minions have some good play features and while you can have all three assembled at once, you can easily switch them out. The minifigures are pretty good too and you get some hats to put on them as well. With a 20% discount, I couldn’t complain with the price. Definitely a must buy for any brick and Minion fans.

What are your thoughts on this one? We saw a larger character with #75979-1: Hedwig. We also have the larger sized Minions. Will there be more? Should they have put all three larger Minions into the set? Will it force people to buy two sets so they can get all three?

Happy building!