Set Review - #75252-1: Imperial Star Destroyer - UCS - Star Wars

Just in time for the next giant Star Wars UCS set to be announced, I’m releasing my set review of the previous one. #75252-1: Imperial Star Destroyer was released back on 1 October 2019 in the US. It retails for $699.99 and contains 4,784 pieces. This makes it $0.146 per piece this is quite high in my opinion. Usually, with such a large set containing so many pieces, they can get it lower, but part of it has to do with the number of large plates in this set. There’s a lot of plastic in there despite the smaller piece count as compared to #75192-1: Millennium Falcon.

I’m finally getting to the review on this one. I actually purchased it back in April 2021. Then I moved and it moved with me still in the box. I finally opened it in late September 2021 and finally got to finish building it during the beginning of November 2021. Most of the time I spent building it was bringing the instructions and a small table outside to watch my kiddos play with their neighbor friends. Lots of questions about what I was building and if they could help. “No thanks. I got it!”

Onto the review…

So it comes in a sturdy box made great to fit the next box. The box with the set box inside is similar to other large sets I have purchased in the past with the LEGO branding. The set box is well protected inside which is as it should be considering the price of this set. From the label, my set was made in Mexico in April 2021. Not bad considering I also purchased it in April.

Here’s the set box with some of the art work. It has some great artwork of the set with different backgrounds. You can see just about every side of the set and the minifigures. You also get a computer generated outline of the ship (on one of the box flaps) which shows the dimensions of the set (43 inches long, 17 inches tall, 26 inches wide). You also get them in metric for those of you not familiar with inches.

Inside the box are four parts boxes and a box with the instructions. Each box has some artwork of the set. I like how the instructions come in a box versus a bag. I didn’t like that the boxes weren’t numbered. You have to sort through the boxes to put the parts bags in order and then if you don’t have the space like me, you have to sort them back into boxes. There are 19 numbered parts bags and then a few bags with larger plates. There are also a few plates not in any bags. Sorry, I didn’t count the total number of bags. You’ll have to zoom in on my picture to try and count them all.

The instructions come in a large, heavy book bound with wire. Inside are some details on the set, designers, and LEGO Star Wars.

Only one sticker on this set. It’s the large label for the description plate. I don’t like these large stickers, but I can’t complain since it is the only one.

The build for this set starts off with a pretty sturdy Technic structure. If you’re not a Technic fan, then this part will not be enjoyable, but I’m always amazed how people can use Technic pieces to put things together and then how they can connect them to System parts.

You’ll also notice the stand below the structure, the description plate, and the two minifigures. Building the stand first definitely helps make the build go easier as you have something to hold it up as you go versus building it later.

As for the minifigures, there were a lot of complaints when this set came out about just having two and how they were just crew members and nothing special. I don’t buy giant sets like this to get minifigures. I do it because I want to assemble a large set. So no real complaints here.

The second set of bags continues the internal structure and you can see the form of the ship start to take place.

The third set of bags builds the side of the ship in the form of a long running plate with a lot of greebling on it. Each side is mostly the same, but just flipped upside down. It clips on pretty easily to the substructure.

The bags labeled four and five build the underside skin in the back on the left and right. Lots of stacking plates together. This is where the build can get somewhat uninteresting as you are just connecting lots of plates together. Then you duplicate it only in a mirror image on the other side. The good part is on the inside of the ship, there are some different colors to mix things up a big.

The sixth bag adds some of the various bays underneath the ship and then a… um… I’m not an expert so I’m not sure what my last picture is… The middle one contains a small Tie Fighter. It also has a hook up where you can connect the Tantive IV as was done in “A New Hope.”

The seventh set of bags starts to build the back of the ship where the engines are located. This part was a bit more exciting to build as it wasn’t just stacking plates on top of each other.

Side note… this build is so big that I couldn’t use my normal low-grade picture taking method of just using the box as a background on a flat surface. So I found a low-tech program to crop out some of the background. It’s not the greatest, but it gets rid of a lot of the clutter in my building area that distracts from the set itself.

The eighth set of bags finishes up the back with the engines and adds a small amount of color in. If I wanted to dump more money in, I could get LED lights to light them up which I think would look cool. For now, I’ll stick with it as is.

Bags nine and ten finish up the front of the ship on the bottom. You build both sides. It is more stacking plates next to each other.

Then when you are done with that, you can move onto bags 11 and 12 with the top front.

Bags 13 and 14 build the left and right sides of the back of the shop on the top. This part was a little more involved as there is some minor greebling and there are some of the gun ports. Each gun is on a swivel and you can angle the turrets on each one. This is a nice touch to a ship devoid of many play type features.

Bag 15 builds the sub structure of what will become the bridge. You get to build with some color other than gray which is nice and it is more than just stacking plates.

Bag 16 finishes up the bridge portion. I failed to take a picture of it alone, but you can see part of it in these pictures and then more in the final versions. I like the large balls on either side which I assume are some sort of radar or sensor. There is some good detailing in my opinion as compared to the ships you see in the movie.

Bags 17 and 18 build up the layer on the top of the ship and surrounding the bridge area. I’m sure someone can tell me what they are meant for, but this section was a change of pace. There were some plates to connect, but a lot of details, some use of SNOT techniques, and lots of greebling to add in detail. Each one just snaps/slides into place like much of the rest of the build for easy assembly/disassembly.

Bag 19 wraps everything up with two attachments that clip onto the previous build to wrap up the top of the ship. The attachments are with Technic pins so you can easily unclip to get to the substructure inside the ship. The nice part about this build is that you can move the set by holding onto the structure inside. It makes it easier to move as compared to the Falcon. I assembled it in one place and then moved it to take pictures and then moved it to a shelf for display. I was a little nervous it would break, but it held up okay.

So here’s the final build from a few angles. Sorry for my crappy graphics editing program to cut out some of the clutter in the background. Maybe I just need to stick to reviews of smaller sets to avoid this problem in the future.

Bag 19 also builds a small version of the Tantive IV so you can re-create the scene from “A New Hope.” The small model is pretty accurate considering the scale and you can attach it with either the clear pole and clip as shown or it also clips into the bay on the bottom of the Star Destroyer. This is a cool feature in my opinion.

Overall, I thought the build was okay. The use of the Technic core was great, but there’s only so much excitement you can get from connecting plates into bigger plates. I think the end set captures the ship quite accurately and I like the shear size of this monster. There were some complaints about the line up the center between the two sides of the ship. I can see why people would complain, but I understand it is LEGO and there is only so much you can do.

The price is pretty steep considering the number of pieces, but you do get a pretty large beast of a set. If I can remember back that far, I think I purchased it during a double VIP point period. Hopefully you can find a deal or some way to cut back on the price to swallow the cost. Has anyone been able to get it at a discount?

Lastly, here’s where I’m displaying it for now. My NLS got some shelves and let me put sets on the tops. I’ve got #75308-1: R2-D2 and then #75192-1: Millennium Falcon. The two big builds look good together I think. Not sure if I will add an AT-AT in there or not. We’ll have to see.

Happy building!

Set Review - #71031 - Marvel Studios - Collectible Minifigres

There was a lot of excitement in the LEGO fan media for this release, but as a non-Marvel fan, I’m not super excited. I just happen to be sucked into collecting each Collectible Minifigure series. Thanks a lot LEGO! #71031: Marvel Studios was released on 1 September 2021 in the US and should be done in at the end of December. LEGO Shop @ Home shows out of stock, but you can still find them at other retailers like Walmart and Target. The price is $4.99 per bag and there are 12 minifigures total if you get a chance to do the feel test. My local Walmart never seemed to have them so I purchased them online. It stinks not being able to do the feel test and having to buy more, but thankfully, I can put extras in my store. Also, Walmart had them listed for $4.97 so you save two pennies on each.

My review won’t be super detailed as I don’t really know the characters, but I will assess them from a LEGO fan standpoint. Some overall comments, they all come with a jumper plate and the new-ish poseable piece (if that’s what you call it). They all mostly have pretty detailed parts with printed legs, torsos, and most have dual printed faces.

Overall, don’t get these unless you are a Marvel Studios fan or you are addicted to collecting minifigures. Otherwise, I still think $4.99 is too much for what you get and you probably won’t appreciate all of the details from the various movies/comics.

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The Scarlet Witch has a lot of details and comes with a cape. There are also two of the flickable fireball things. I’ve never tried to send them for distance, but the instructions have a warning not to hit people in the face with them.

The Vision comes with a supped up laptop with a clear-blue screen. He also has a white cape which I don’t think we have seen often.

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Monica Rambeau has a cool hairpiece. I’m not sure if we’ve seen it before or not, but I like it. There is also a small unmanned aerial system type build to go along with her.

Winter Soldier comes with a shield and knife/sword. The set actually has two of these blades together so you get an extra. He doesn’t have enough facial hair to warrant a beard piece, but just enough for printing of some scruff on his face.

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Captain America has an interesting glider get up along with a 2x2 tile triangle (probably not the official name). This one was one of the easier ones to feel in the package before taking it out.

Loki has a coffee mug with a logo printed on it and the same logo is on his belt (again, not a Marvel fan, sorry). The little green guy he comes with is fun and he sits on a stud which works out well.

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Sylvie has a mini alligator. which I think is cool. The minifigure comes with two manchettes. I posed her with both, but the instructions only show one..

Zombie Hunter Spidey might be the first I’ve seen that comes with two heads. I like that you can have the Spidey face or the non-masked face. As a bonus, you get a “string of web”

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Zombie Captain America was the one I got the most of when opening up these packs. I’m not sure why as I wouldn’t think it would be the most popular, but apparently LEGO thought so.

Captain Carter was the hardest to find for me. LEGO limited orders to 16 (total) and Walmart let you place multiple orders, but only of 12 at a time. With my multiple orders, this minifigure only showed up once.

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T’Challa Star-Lord comes with a hairpiece, mask, and two weapons. I like the purple shirt/jacket.

Gamora with Blade of Thanos. The green face is cool and the black hair with purple streak is interesting. The blade is pretty giant.

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 - #10280-1: Flower Bouquet - Botanical Collection - 18+

Set #10280-1: Flower Bouquet is the first in the Botanical Collection from the 18+ line. It’s been a hit since it was released in the US on 2 January 2021 and was out of stock for quite a while. If you aren’t familiar with this set, you should start with the designer video here. The set contains 756 pieces and retails in the US for $49.99. That works out to $0.066 per piece which isn’t too bad. Recently Amazon.com and Walmart had the set on sale for 20% off so I reached in and bought one on sale.

Onto the review… The box is a reasonable size, but isn’t super huge like a Modular Building. It is black and has sand green branding for 18+. The front shows the full set while the back breaks out the set a bit so you can see the details. It also shows the height of the flowers and what it looks like in a vase. Note that the set does not come with a buildable vase so you either need to provide your own or build one.

The set contains six parts bags and an instruction booklet which is sealed in a bag. Five of the bags are numbered with one through three. One is made up of some of the stems and larger leaves.

The instruction booklet does have some information on the set designers as well as details throughout about parts used and other details. Most of these details weren’t useful to me as a regular builder, but I could see them being fun for new builders.

The first two bags labeled number one build two daisies and three roses. The daisies are the smallest of the flowers in the build, but they still get a point across that they are daisies. Besides the stem, they are probably the easiest to duplicate and get pieces for.

The roses are some of my favorites in this set. There are three and I like the color. I’m glad they didn’t just go with a standard red rose. The roses can also be posed so that they are either more or less open as the petals are on hinges. One of the roses is straight up while two are built with an angled stem at the top. Each rose has a leaf which looks like it was a wing from a dinosaur on one of the Jurassic Park sets.

The second set of bags builds three more flowers and some greenery. First up is a California Poppy. The orange color on this one really pops out which is cool. Other than the stem, the flower parts are fairly common so you could probably build this one in other colors as it is a pretty simple build.

Next up are two green plants. I don’t know my way around a florist other than I have frequented numerous florists to purchase the real things for my NLS. And no, those purchases weren’t meant to appease any of my LEGO purchases. This one is pretty simple to put together and it uses two green bush like pieces that I haven’t seen since… maybe a Pirates set back in the day? It’s been a while, but cool to see them back in use. The green plants help to mix up the bouquet so it’s not just flowers.

Lastly, you build two snap dragon flowers. These are cool in real life and I enjoyed the brick built versions. One is pointed straight up and the other has an angle at the top of the stem. Both of these have two leaves which also appear to be from some dinosaur part (maybe). The color choice on the snap dragons is great and I like how the top is pink and then it gets darker at the bottom.

Bag three finishes up the set with lavender, three pieces of greenery, and an aster flower. The lavender is built first. I’ve had a lavender plant in the past at a house I once lived at and I’m not sure this flower matches the plant I had. Maybe it’s a different kind? The one we had didn’t have the brown on the flowers. It was mostly green with the small purple flowers. Not a big deal… I like the use of the crown and a golden leaf by each flower. I’m sure they’ll be used in future MOCs coming soon by various builders.

Next up are three more types of greenery. These are just giant leaves which have a pivot point so you can bend them as desired. The very tip is a sand green surf board which is a pretty cool piece. Not much to these when you build them, but it helps to mix up the bouquet.

Last is the aster flower. The color on this one is great, but the build was a bit of a challenge. It was hard to tell which way you attached the clips and how you lined them all up. In the end, I don’t think it matters too much and our aster flower looks great.

Here’s the final set. No, it does not come with a vase. My NLS went through multiple vases before picking the one we did. Then we had to adjust them so they were just so. Thankfully, you can adjust the height of each plant by adding or removing Technic pieces. This allows you to position the flowers so they meet your own intent which is a cool feature.

My NLS thought this set was great. Not only did she help build it, but it now has a prominent place in our house unlike the rest of the sets I build that are either tucked away (or displayed too high up for her to reach). I’ll take it as a win! She’s excited that she doesn’t have to water them and won’t kill them. Just need to get some canned air to dust them off every now and then.

Overall, I really liked this one. It was good to see LEGO break away from some of the traditional builds and do something like flowers. Haven’t decided whether we’ll get into any of the other plants or not. The price on this one is decent and the 20% off sale definitely helped entice me to purchase. Well done LEGO!

Happy building!

Set Review - #76393-1: Harry Potter™ and Hermione Granger™ - Harry Potter

Continuing on with the 2021 Harry Potter line… Set #76393-1: Harry Potter™ and Hermione Granger™ was released 18 April 2021 in the US. It contains 1,673 pieces and retails at $119.99 in the US. That works out to $0.072 per piece.

This is something new for LEGO and the Harry Potter line and it’s been cool to see LEGO branch out a bit in this line. In 2020, we had #75979-1: Hedwig which was a larger scale model of Hedwig the owl with a crank to move his wings. This was repeated in 2021 with #76394-1: Fawkes, Dumbledore’s Phoenix. Now we also have some larger scale minifigures.

Looking at the box, the front shows our to large scale minifigures with Harry and Hermione. You can see on the front that their parts move similar to a normal scaled minifigure. Looking at the back, it demonstrates that the legs and arms can be moved and they can “sit.” Both figures come with a wand that can be removed. The dimensions are also listed on the back with Harry being 10.4 inches tall and 6.8 inches wide.

The contents are 12 parts bags numbered one through eight. There is a package with the two instruction booklets and then a package with Harry’s cape. For some reason Hermione doesn’t have a cape. I’m not sure why they did for Harry, but not for Hermione.

Of note, this build is a good family build or one to do with a friend. The Harry figure uses instruction booklet one with the bags numbered one through four. The Hermione figure has a separate booklet and uses the bags numbered five through eight. My family split it up. I built Harry while my kiddos found me the pieces. My NLS built Hermione.

The first bags build Harry’s torso. The outer picture doesn’t really capture the build as the inside has a lot of Technic pieces to achieve the angles of the body and to allow for the arms and legs to attach and pivot. It’s not super hard, but I can see why it is labeled as 10+ as you have to pay attention to where everything goes.

The second bags build both of his legs, his arms and hands, and his wand. The legs are mostly stacking bricks until you get to the attachment to the hips. The bottom is hollow, but you can still attach them to normal studs. The legs are built similar only opposite so you can get left and right. The arms are built in a similar fashion as well, but also in an opposite way. The arms pivot around and the hands spin like a minifigure too. The hands are built with a skin toned color that I can’t say I have seen often in sets.

The wand isn’t too sturdy if you handle it a lot, but it holds up as a display model. For fans, there is a small rod piece inside to be the wand’s “core.” This is a nice detail I think to make the Harry Potter fan base happy.

Bags three and four build Harry’s cranium. I opened them both up at the same time which probably wasn’t smart, but I managed. The head was a pretty challenging build with a lot of SNOT connections and slopes and curves to make his hair. As my NLS said, “does it matter if you don’t follow the directions and his hair is slightly off?” Well no, but you definitely have to pay attention to make sure everything connects. Harry’s face is printed along with his scar that is also printed on a curved piece. I went a little fast through the build and missed a key step that held together the main substructure of the cranium. I caught my mistake and it went better after that.

Harry has a round brick on the top of his torso. The head fits on top. You have to make sure it lines up just so, but after that it works okay and you can spin Harry’s head all the way around.

The fifth bag starts the build for Hermione. Her torso is very similar to build as Harry only a few of the colors inside are different.

Like the second set of bags, the sixth set of bags builds Hermione’s legs, arms, and her wand. The legs are also built the same way only she has some grey socks on her legs. The arms are also gray as she is not wearing the cape that Harry has. The arms and hands pivot the same way as Harry’s. The wand is built the same way as well and also has an inner core. It is just made of a different color than Harry’s wand.

Bags seven and eight build Hermione’s head and hair. The face piece is printed, but that’s it on the printed pieces. Still no stickers. YES! Here hair is pretty challenging if you follow the instructions to the letter as you need to make sure each curved tile, slope piece, and curved piece are placed the right way. While her head is also on a pivot, you can’t spin her head because her hair blocks her head from turning. Unlike a normal minifigure where you can pop off the hair piece, it isn’t as easy here. I don’t think this is a downside to the set, just merely pointing that out.

Here are the two characters sitting and then standing. Maybe navy blue wasn’t a good background for this photo. Sorry.

As my kiddo asked, where’s Ron? How come LEGO only built two of the three main characters? Will we see Ron in the future? Is this another ploy for LEGO to say “now you can build Ron on your own?” I don’t know. I’m sure the set would have been much more expensive with a third figure. Although sourcing all of the parts on your own probably isn’t cheap.

Back to the review, overall I thought this was a fun set. It worked out great to build as a family and it has some challenging parts for adults and easy parts for kids. My 7-year old built the wand and was able to help with parts of the torso and legs. Price-wise it’s not bad on a price per piece standpoint, but $120 might be out of reach for some. As a new concept, I like the idea of buildable minifigures. We’ll have to see if LEGO expands this to other themes like Star Wars, Ninjago, Marvel, or DC.

What were your thoughts on this one?

Happy building!

Set Review - #40420-1: Stuart, Gru, and Otto - Brickheadz - Minions

I think this is the most Brickheadz sets I’ve built in a year ever! #40420-1: Stuart, Gru, and Otto was released on 26 April 2021 in the US. It contains 244 pieces and retails for $19.99 in the US. This works out to 0.082 per piece. This set contains multiple Brickheadz figures like the last two Harry Potter Brickheadz sets I reviewed (#40495-1 and #40496-1). Like those two, there are varying sized figures versus them all being the same size.

The front of the box shows the three figures. Gru is #104, Stuart is #105, and Otto is #106. I’m not sure how they develop the numbering, but Gru is in the middle in the pictures while the two Minions are on the side. Not a big deal. Just looks odd to have the numbers out of order. The back shows the Brickheadz being attached to the base that you build. Then it shows set #40421-1: Belle Bottom, Kevin, and Bob. This is also the case on the back of one of the instruction booklets. Might as well use your products to advertise your products.

The set contains two parts bags and two instruction booklets.

The first bag builds Gru. It’s the younger Gru so not as tall and the nose isn’t as pointy. I think they captured his likeness well in Brickheadz form. He has on the jacket with scarf. Like each Brickheadz, there’s a printed tile on the front. His hair is mostly smooth with only a few studs showing on his left side. They also captured the tuft of hair sticking up on the back of his head. He sadly is not holding one of his clever weapons, but you could always build one of your own.

Next is Otto. I’m not familiar with this Minion. He’s either new to this movie or played smaller roles in the other movies and I didn’t pay attention. Otto is a pretty simple build. Not a lot of detail there except for the printed eyes , a printed tile for the pocket to his overalls, and some hands. He is holding a gold coin (must be tied to the movie somehow). His hair is just a 1x1 plate.

Stuart is built last. It’s a very similar build to Otto only slightly thinner. His hair is a printed 1x3 tile and he has the same printed pocket. Only one eye and he’s not holding anything.

Here are the three characters. I only recommend buying this one if you are a collector of Brickheadz or you like the Minions movies. Otherwise, not a lot of excitement in this set. The build was just your standard Brickheadz build and there aren’t a lot of exciting pieces. It’s about average in terms of price, but with any luck, you’ll sere this one on sale in the future.

Happy building!

Set Review - #76386-1: Hogwarts™: Polyjuice Potion Mistake - Harry Potter

I picked up another one of the 2021 Harry Potter themed sets. This one is the first I received of the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter LEGO sets. This one is #76386-1: Hogwarts™: Polyjuice Potion Mistake. It was released on 5 June 2021 in the US and retails for $19.99. With 217 pieces, it works out to $0.092 per piece so not too bad. This one comes with three minifigures plus a collectible gold minifigure plus two mystery printed tiles.

The front of the box shows the set built with the main characters making the potion. It also highlights the anniversary and shows the minifigures. The back shows some play features like usual and shows how the minifigures can be changed into the post potion drinking versions. It also highlights the mystery tiles.

This box has the perforated section on the back where you stick your finger through to open the box versus cutting the tape seals. The production of this box didn’t go well as there was no perforation. I had to find a sharp blade to make my own perforations. It was a bit of a struggle to get the box open, but I succeeded in the end.

The set comes with two parts bags, an instruction booklet, and some stickers.. My camera with the lighting doesn’t do real well, but the stickers are the mirrors for the bathroom. There are thankfully only three stickers and they weren’t too bad to put on other than the standard issues of trying to center them on a piece and making sure they are not crooked.

The first bag starts to assemble the bathroom. You get the back wall and then a stall with a toilet. Nothing too out of the ordinary here which is to be expected for a smaller set. My only complaint here is the door is too big to open and close all the way.. It hits one of the support columns if you try and swing it open/closed. I have it fully opened in the picture, but if you were to close it, it would only open up to the column. Not really a big issue, but hopefully there are other stalls the students can use.

Bag two goes pretty quickly. The build isn’t too challenging other than trying to get the silver mirror stickers centered on the two brick high 1x2s. The set is definitely made so that you can connect it to other/future sets so it is good to see the designers thought about that functionality. You also have a good start if you wanted to expand the bathroom out as there are a number of scenes from the books/movies that take place here.

Running through the minifigures you get the main three (Harry, Hermione, and Ron). They all come with wands and Hermione has her potion cup. Both have two faces, but Hermione’s only goes with her face. Harry and Ron have other faces that go with their transformed characters.

First picture is the three characters transformed. Crabbe and Goyle are the two characters that Harry and Ron transform to. Spoiler alert if you haven’t seen the movies… Hermione accidently gets cat hair and becomes a cat. You get different hair pieces for the two male characters and then a cat head for Hermione which is fun.

This set comes with the gold Harry figure. It’s a gimmick, but all the Potter fans will be all over it. This is the cheapest set in the line so I’m guessing it will be the most prevalent one to have. Then you get two printed 2x2 tiles. The back of the instructions lists the 16 that are out there. I apparently got Nicholas Flamel and Olympe Maxime. Oh boy! Or not… I don’t think I’ll be rushing to find all 16, but maybe others will.

Overall, not bad for a $20 set. Three minifigures that “transform” and then a bonus gold minifigure. Plus you get the play feature of being able to attach this set to others. I like what LEGO has done here with the ability to incorporate it into others. It’s a must buy if you’re a Potter fan and maybe later in the year, it will go on discount. For others who aren’t into the Potter line, I wouldn’t jump in, but that’s just me.

Happy building!

Set Review - #75308-1: R2-D2 - Star Wars

I’m not a huge Star Wars fan, but there are a few sets that come out every so often that I think are worth buying/building. I saw #75308-1: R2-D2 and decided to take the plunge. It retails for $199.99 in the US and with 2,314 pieces, it works out to be $0.086 per piece. This isn’t too bad considering it is a licensed product and usually the Star Wars sets are on the higher end of the price range. This one was released on 29 July 2021 in the US and went out of stock rather quickly. Since the initial surge of purchases on Shop @ Home, it seems to have been it stock regularly.

Onto the review… The box is very long which is somewhat deceiving as it makes you think R2-D2 is going to be larger when you are done building. To be fair, they do give the dimensions on the back. It’s 12.5 inches tall and 7.5 inches wide. The front of the set has a picture of the finished model. The top has the set name and some Star Wars branding (can’t forget the DIsney logo) along with a small picture of R2-D2 and C-3PO. The bottom of the set has the 18+ LEGO branding.

The back shows some of the play features of the set which there are actually quite a few considering it is a build meant for adults. The bottom of the back has a few screen shots of R2-D2 in the movies. I’m not smart enough to pick them all out. I think it’s #1, #4, and… I’m not sure…

The box contains nine parts bags and another box of parts bags. In total, there are 16 parts bags. They are numbered one through 13. There are also two larger Technic pieces, a sticker, and the instruction book..

The instructions are wrapped up nicely to protect them and not shoved into the box which is great. Thankfully there is only one sticker. It is the large sticker label for the set similar to many of the UCS type sets.

The instructions have a few pages of information about R2-D2, his roles in the movie, and some fun pictures of the movie models. It seems like a lot of material until you realize it is in English, Spanish, and French.

The build starts off with a mostly Technic internal structure. Bags one and two assemble the center leg portion. It is mostly Technic until you get to the actual “foot” if that’s what it’s called. If you aren’t a fan of Technic or into building with Technic, I could see where this part would turn off System builders. It is a challenging build and you have to really pat attention to what pin goes into what hole.

If you’re not a Technic fan, bag three doesn’t make your life any better. However, bag four builds the sides by his outer legs.

Bag five adds on the start to both of this side legs. It is mostly a System build, but there are some Technic elements to connect them to the Technic internal structure. At this point, R2-D2 is starting to look more like what you expect him to look like. As a note, the designers used different colored Technic pieces for a reason. Pay attention to the lime green and red as it helps you to figure out where things connect and what items goes on what side.

The sixth bag finishes off the System portions of both the outer legs. While the movie R2-D2 rolls around, this model does not have wheels incorporated. Just some rounded 2x2s to help you push it along a surface. I’m sure someone smart could modify it with wheels so he could roll better.

Bag seven adds more details to the outer legs. Bag eight starts to build his front paneling. You build his first functional pieces that move so he can help fix ships or do whatever he needs to do.

The ninth bag finishes up the front paneling. I think they did a great job re-creating his front side. The designers also used some interesting and different techniques to create the detail. I’m a fan.

Bag 10 builds his back side. Not a whole lot of detail there, but that’s okay. You can see the two white 1x1 small nose cones. These are attached to rods which push out some of R2-D2’s tool functions on the other side.

Bags 11 and 12 start on the rounded, rotating top of R2-D2. It’s a challenge to build something rounded out of squared parts, but I think the designers did a good job of capturing his likeness. They also captured his various lights and sensors and even have his periscope function and the place where Luke’s light sabre is stored.

Bag 13 wraps up the build and the top of R2-D2. I took the pictures showing the periscope type function and then the open slot where the light sabre goes. The functionality isn’t exactly how the movie version works, but I can understand the limitations. Not sure on the scaling either, but it gets the point across. I found it a bit of a challenge to hook the top onto there rest of the droid build. It’s hard to see where the hook on goes so I did my best to line it up through trial and error and eventually it snapped on.

Here are some pictures of the final build. I think the designers did a great job capturing the likeness of R2-D2. I never built the older version of the set so I can’t compare the two builds. The top part swivels around rather easily. I found the functionality for the center leg to be a bit clunky. I’m not sure if I built something wrong or if that’s just how it works. It doesn’t exactly swing out and It’s not quite level with a flat surface when it’s in tripod mode. Again, that could be user error.

No major complaints though. It was a challenging build at the beginning with the Technic parts connected to the System parts. You get a decent selection of parts for the MOC builders out there. In terms of size, it seems to be built about right. It’s big, but not overly gigantic where it is hard to find display space for it.

Here are a few pictures of the side and back so you can see from those angles.

Last up is the display sign, an R2-D2 minifigure, and a Lucas Films 50th Anniversary printed brick. I think I did okay putting the sticker on. It’s always a challenge for me to apply the larger stickers, to line them up straight, and to make sure there are no bubbles or folds in the process. The minifigure is a nice addition and the brick doesn’t do much for me, but I’m sure there are some big Star Wars fans out there who think it’s a great collector’s item.

Overall, I enjoyed the build and I like the final product. It’s a cool display piece with some functionality tied in. The $200 price point is not my ideal point, but I understand LEGO is trying to make a profit and suckers like me are willing to pay. I recommend waiting for a good gift with purchase deal or double VIP points to make the purchase a bit easier. I can see this one going out of stock in the lead up to Christmas so get it now or wait until they have the stock back next year.

Happy building!

Set Review - #40496-1: Voldemort, Nagini & Bellatrix - Brickheadz - Harry Potter

Onto the second of the two 2021 Harry Potter themed Brickheadz…

This one is #40496-1: Voldemort, Nagini, and Bellatrix. It was released on 5 June 2021 in the US and retails for $24.99. It contains 344 pieces and works out to $0.073 per piece. It must not be selling well because the rumor mill is saying the set will be retiring in December 2021. That’s a pretty short shelf life for a set. Interestingly, #40495-1 has about 120 more parts for the same price.

The box looks pretty similar to #40495-1. The front shows the three characters and highlights that Lord Voldemort is #143, Nagini is #144, and Bellatrix Lestrange is #145. The back shows the three characters again and then on the right shows that you can place each one on an included plate.

The set contains four parts bags with three instruction booklets. Bag 1 is Voldemort with the first booklet. Bag 2 is Nagini with the second booklet. Bags 3 and 4 are Bellatrix with the last booklet.

The first bag is Voldemort. Not a whole lot to this build since he’s bald and has few features on his head. There’s a small print for a his nose, he gets the two Brickheadz eyes and that’s about it. His shirt has a print like most other Brickheadz and he comes with a white wand.. While there isn’t much to the build, you do get a decent number of the dark green/forest green colored bricks considering the size of the set.

The second build is Nagini the snake. He doesn’t look as mean in Brickheadz form. The build is the smallest of the three, but I think they did a good job representing a snake considering the medium. The curled up bottom and then the head sticking up are very evident. Plus you get some dark green and sand green pieces.

Bellatrix is the last build and initially I wasn’t impressed. There didn’t seem to be much to her other than stacking bricks on top of each other. Then you get to her hair. If you watch the movies she is in, you’ll see that she has a pretty big, wild stash of hair. The use of 2x2 round plates does a good job emulating her mop and I like how they have it draped to the side, partially covering her face. She also has a printed front and a minifigure scale wand.

Here are the final builds of all three. Overall, nothing too special about this set. Definitely pick it up if you collect Brickheadz or if you’re a Potter fan. Otherwise, the fan base must not be as interested in the bad guys from the books/movies and they are going to retire it quickly. I’d rate this one middle of the road. No major complaints, but nothing to be overly excited about.

What are your thoughts?

Happy building!

Set Review - #76394-1: Fawkes, Dumbledore's Phoenix - Harry Potter

Another set from the world of Harry Potter… This one is #76394-1: Fawkes, Dumbledore’s Phoenix. It is built in the same fashion as #75979-1: Hedwig from last year. Only, Hedwig wasn’t listed as “Harry’s Owl.” Maybe Fawkes is not as familiar of a character? Regardless this one was released on 18 April 2021 in the US. It contains 597 pieces and retails for $39.99 in the US. That works out to $0.067/piece which isn’t too bad.

Onto the review…

The front shows the full constructed set along with the minifigure Dumbledore and Fawkes on the bottom left. The bottom right has the three movie characters for branding. The back of the box highlights the functionality of the set. The top shows that the head turns and the dimensions of the set in inches and centimeters. Below that is a larger picture of Fawkes highlighting that you can turn a crank and the wings flap. Meanwhile, the minifigure scale Dumbledore and Fawkes can hang out underneath, feel the breeze and enjoy the shade.

The set contains four parts bags and an instruction booklet. To me, it almost felt a bit small for what it is, but at 33 pieces less than the Hedwig set, it’s about the same.

The build starts with the minifigure Dumbledore and Fawkes on a small base. Dumbledore comes with legs versus the robe he is often depicted with in other LEGO sets.

You then construct the base that Fawkes is connected to. It is a fairly simple build, but uses some SNOT techniques. I like how the 2x2 textured round bricks are positioned to look like a small pole for him to perch on. This build gives you a number of the gold colored bricks which is useful to those MOC builders out there looking to use the color. Also, similar to the Hedwig set, you get a 2x4 printed tile with “Fawkes” on it to put on the base. No stickers! YAY!

The second bag gives the Phoenix some basic structure. You build the main structure for the body of the bird, the start of the wing mechanisms, and then the attachment for the head. The build wasn’t too challenging for me as someone who builds sets regularly, but could be a challenge for kids with the Technic pieces mixed in. I thought the instructions described the process well to get me through it.

The third bag adds detailing to the left wing and some details to the right side. While I’m sure you could add to the details on your own, I think the designers came up with a good balance of detail while achieving the desired functionality. The red, orange, and darker orange/brownish color give Fawkes a good look.

The fourth bag wraps up the build. The right wing is built to mirror the left one. Then you add the tail and some additional details on the top of Fawkes. The next addition is his head. I thought this part of the build was very clever with the parts usage to achieve the design. The eyes are printed and the rest is just various pieces. Well done! The last part to mention is his feet and claws. They are a simple build, but you can almost wrap them around the pole so it looks like he is perching on the round 2x2 bricks.

Lastly, a picture with the wings up. I’m sure you can find a review video online somewhere if you want to see the full wing action.

Overall, I like the set. It has some useful pieces for MOC builders and should not disappoint Harry Potter fans with a minifigure, a small Fawkes, and then the larger build itself. The price point isn’t too bad although I’d always prefer to find it on sale. I have yet to see Hedwig on sale in the US, so I don’t expect this set to be on sale anytime soon. There may be some opportunities in the run up to Christmas time though so be on the lookout.

Happy building!