Set Review - #71019 - The LEGO Ninjago Movie Collectible Minifigures

The LEGO Ninjago Movie comes out on 22 September 2017.  Numerous set announcements have come out with sets based on the movie and you can see the trailer here.  With this movie as like the LEGO Batman and The LEGO Movie, there is another set of Collectible Minifigures.  Released on 1 August 2017, the Ninjago Movie has 20 unique minifigures.  They are $3.99 at retail price and you can order up to 40 from LEGO Shop @ Home.  Since the movie isn't out, I can't comment on any of the characters in terms of their roles in the movie, but here is what I think of the minifigures.  

Zane - First up on the left is Zane.  In that sweater, he looks like he could win an ugly sweater contest.  

Lloyd Garmadon is next in the middle. I like the bowl and spoon although the spoon is pretty big compared to the bowl.

GPL Tech -  This character is great!  The huge glasses and lab coat, laptop, and coffee mug.  Nice!

Jay Walker - The selfie stick is a nice touch.

Misako - Has there been a character with that color orange hair yet?

Shark Army General #1 - I'm curious to see the movie to find out what this character is about. 

Gong & Guitar Rocker - Is LEGO running out of ideas.  How many rockers have we had in the past?  Let's see, we've got the Rock Star from Series 12, the Monster Rocker from Series 14, and Glam Metal Batman from The LEGO Batman Movie.  I think they need to start coming up with some other ideas.

N-POP Girl - The Uni-Kitty shirt is nice.  I almost missed it at first.  Her hair, while a different color, is the same as Nurse Harley Quinn from The LEGO Batman Movie.  Her skirt/tutu looks familiar too.  

Cole - I don't remember the last time I saw an old school stereo like that.

Master Wu - This is a great character.  I like the hat and the box of corn flakes.  

Sushi Chef - Now I'm going to have to make a sushi restaurant.  The little rolls are a nice addition to the figure.

Lloyd - This series comes with 2 Lloyds.  This figure has a hair piece and then a mask piece.

Garmadon, Flashback Garmadon, Volcano Garmadon: The 2 torsos are a first for any of the collectible minifigure series releases as far as I know.  I like the taller figure design.  I wonder if we'll see this method more often in the future?

Shark Army Great White, Shark Army Angler, and Shark Army Octopus are some different characters for sure.  The octopus is the first time I've seen one of the LEGO guns that shoots a 1x1 round tile piece.

Spinjitzu Training Nya and Kai Kendo are the last 2 to make 20.  We've had one similar which is back in series 15, the Kendo Fighter.  

Overall, should you buy this series.  To be fair, LEGO has me addicted and I have this strong urge to collect all if the figures in every set they release.  Also to be fair, I run a store and sell the extras so if I get a figure I don't want, I put it up on Bricklink.  If you are addicted like me, run out and grab them.  If not, there are a few figures that are fun, but to me nothing over the top.  Maybe my mind will change once I see the movie.

Site update - 5 Aug 2017

Sorry it's been a while since an update.  Between changes at work and home along with filling BrickLink orders, I haven't had a chance to post anything in a while.  

I have received set 21309, the LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V, and plan to do a review.  I will post it soon.  

As for progress towards supporting Brick Dreams, we're at just under $70.  Thank you all for your support of this great cause.

I've received a bunch of Batman Movie and Series 17 Collectible Minifigures that I'll be adding to the store soon.  I haven't ordered any of the Ninjago movie minifigs yet, but intend to soon.  

Thanks for following and happy building!

Set Review - #75168 - Yoda's Jedi Starfighter - Star Wars

Continuing on reviews of the 2017 Star Wars sets, here is another set, #75168, Yoda's Jedi Starfighter.  It is from the Clone Wars cartoon so not from any of the movies and it looks somewhat similar to #75038 Jedi Interceptor and #75135 Obi-Wan's Jedi Interceptor.  Back to this set... This one was released on 17 February 2017 in the US and retails for $24.99.  I picked it up from Amazon.com for $19.99.  At 262 pieces retail is $0.095 per piece.  For the sale price it works out to $0.076 per piece.  Either way, not too bad for a licensed Star Wars set.  

The box is fairly small and has the standard displays on the front and back.  I enjoy the "Master your Force" slogan on the back in English, French, and Spanish.  

Contents are 3 parts bags, a small sticker sheet, and the instructions.  For this review, I didn't apply the stickers.

The first bag contains Yoda and a green light saber.  This is the same Yoda figure as found in #75142 Homing Spider Droid.  The build involves a lot of Technic pieces which makes it slightly more challenging then the standard Star Wars set build.  I am also a fan of the use of all of the dark green parts.  

Bag 2 contains a R2-D2 figure which is the same as the one found in #75136 Droid Escape Pod.  The difference from others being that he has a lavender colored light on his top versus a red colored one on some of the previous figure version.  This bag completes the cockpit with the opening and closing hatch as shown in the picture.  It also uses more great dark green pieces.

The last bag completes the set.  As per most Star Wars ships, there is a spot for the droid.  Also it is shown with Yoda in place.  No place to store his light saber (I guess he would have it off inside) and no controls to maneuver the ship.  The wingtips use some more Technic pieces to attach the wings  

Overall, I'll be honest, I started off thinking it would be terrible.  $20 down the drain..  Actually not so much.  It was a fun build mixing the standard building technics and use of Technic pieces.  I was quite impressed actually.  It was a fun build that pushed over the edge slightly, but nothing I couldn't handle.  The minifigures are great too so no complaints here.  Pick it up and maybe even on sale at Amazon.com or elsewhere.

Set Review - #75171 - Battle on Scarif - Star Wars

It's time to look at another one of the Rogue One Star Wars sets.  I realize this one has been out since 7 February 2017, but I waited to pick it up from Amazon.com for 20% off.  Why pay full price right?

So it's time to look at the Battle of Takodana... I mean the Battle of Scarif (#75171).  Given the new Disney movie trend, it will be interesting to see if the Last Jedi movie has another battle scene set when it comes out too.  To me, it seems like these sets are very similar.  They both include doorways with moving parts, some hidden things, a few plants, and a few minifigures.  Okay, rant over.  Let's get into the review.

#75171 includes 419 pieces and 4 minifigures.  Retail price in the US is $49.99 or $0.119 per piece which is somewhat standard for the Star Wars theme.  I picked it up on Amazon.com for 20% off ($39.99 or $0.095 per piece).  It will be interesting to see what this set does in terms of price after a while as the Battle of Takodana set made it to around 40% off on Amazon.com and at Walmart during it's span on the retail shelves.

Here is the box.  Standard presentation on the front and back.  

Contents are three numbered parts bags, an instruction booklet (badly folded), and a folded sticker sheet.  Included with the parts is a brick separator in bag #1.

Bag 1 contains Cassian Andor and starts the main door at the landing pad on Scarif.  For this review, I decided not to use the stickers in the event I choose to use the pieces for something else later on.  As for the build itself, there are a number of play features included.  The door can be moved to be opened or closed and that is the main part of this bag and can be seen in the pictures below.  The build techniques are pretty simple so far and the pieces are pretty standard.

Bag 2 includes Jyn with hair and then her helmet so she can go into the Imperial facilities disguised as a member of the Imperial Ground Crew.  Some play features on this one include two 2x2 stud boxes where you can press down some Technic pieces and it pops out the 4x6 light grey plate nearby (as seen on the box).  Also, it has a slide out part where 2 additional blasters are stored as you can see in the second picture.

The third and final bag finishes up the build.  It also includes 2 identical Scarif Storm Troopers. Before I move on, I think the marketing scheme Disney is using is to create new facilities for each movie so there can be a new set of Storm Troopers for them to market.  Really?  Why can't there just be one Storm Trooper everywhere.  Why do they need a tan outfit for Scarif and then the greenish outfit for Endor, and it's okay to go to Tatooine in what I would refer to the standard Storm Trooper garb?  So if you collect Storm Troopers, the Scarif version is only in this set so far so go out and buy it today!  

As for the final build, besides expanding on the battle area, it also includes some foliage another orange storage container (as found in #75152 Imperial Assault Hovertank) with some Imperial binoculars (again, I'm sure there is a technical name that I am not aware of), and the large palm like tree and antenna topple over.  Oh boy!  Or maybe "Oh boy?"

Okay, bottom line, the set seems too much like #75139 (in my opinion).  While there are some decent parts that you can use elsewhere, I'm not sure it is worth the price of the set to get these parts.  The real reason to get this set are the minifigures (like most Star Wars sets).  All 4 of these minifigs can only be found in this set.  My advice is to grab it for 20% off on Amazon.com now or to wait until closer to Christmas time where Amazon may decide to increase the savings.  

That was my unimpressed review, what are your thoughts.  Let me know in the comments or you can email me.

Set Review - #75169 - Star Wars - Duel on Naboo

Continuing on my Star Wars set reviews, here is another set from the winter 2017 release line.  The Duel on Naboo (#75169) was released in the US on 17 February 2017.  The cost is $24.99 in the US for 208 pieces.  This works out to $0.12 per piece.  I waited for the set to go on sale at Amazon.com for $19.99 so I got it at $0.096 per piece.  The set contains 3 minifigures.  Since it is based on Episode 1, it includes Darth Maul, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Qui-Gon Jinn.  Onto the build...  First up the obligatory pictures of the box to include the front and back.

The contents are 3 numbered bags, the instruction booklet, a sticker sheet with one sticker, and 2 larger plates not in bags.

Bag 1 contains Qui-Gon Jinn with a green light saber.  It starts the base that includes the giant shaft that Darth Maul falls down after he is killed.

Bag 2 includes Obi-Wan with a blue light saber, continues with the shaft build, and starts on the walkway.  It also starts with a simple Technic mechanism to work the force field that opens and closes during the fight scene.

Bag 3 finishes it up and includes Darth Maul with his dual sided light saber.  I didn't throw the sticker on in the event I wanted to use the pieces for something else.  You can see how pulling the Technic piece out closes the field and then pushing it back in opens it again.  Other than that, it is a pretty simple set.  The building techniques aren't really out of the ordinary and the pieces aren't really that exciting.  Overall, buy this set is you want the minifigures.  Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn last appeared in the Sith Infiltrator #75096 in 2015.  The younger Obi-Wan was in Obi-Wan's Jedi Interceptor (75135) from 2016 so it was very recent.  Definitely wait for the set to be on sale.  As of the writing of this post (22 June 2017), it is 16% off on Amazon.com.  

Is this the Best Brick Mosaic(k) Software Yet?

If you've looked around at the LEGO fan sites and some of the photo streams, you're bound to have seen some mosaic MOCs.  If you haven't seen any of them, you can see a few of the record holding mosaic creations at this site.  I fully admit that I am not artistic enough to build one on my own, but I have looked into some of the free software options online.  If you do a search for 'LEGO Mosaic Software' there are a few sites that will let you submit a picture, tweak it, and then will spit out instructions and a piece count.  From my limited experience, most of them need specific types of pictures and have a hard time turning pictures with details or certain color schemes into LEGO brick mosaics.  

Well Bricklink just recently released their version of brick building mosaic software called Mosaick (and since I'm promoting them, here is a promotion for the Bricks for Bricks Bricklink Store).  Why are they doing this?  Well Bricklink is a great place to get bricks and you can find about all of the bricks ever made out there.  So why not build a software that encourages people to buy bricks.  Then of course when you buy bricks from someone who sells on Bricklink, they get to charge their fee and make money.  How does this version stack up?  Here is a quick example of how Mosaick worked using a pretty detailed picture.  

I am into aviation (despite not doing a lot of builds related to that area) and specifically fighter jets.  So here is picture of a formation of F-35s.

Picture from http://www.af.mil

To use Mosaick, you don't have to download anything.  All you do is drag and drop the picture file that you want to use onto the website.  Easy!  I took the F-35 picture and dropped it in.  

The first task is to figure out how you want to set up your mosaic.  My options for this picture were square, 4x3, 3x2, and 5x3.  Having messed with the software some, different pictures give you other options and some will let you customize it.  Square lets you move a square around the picture to select what you want to do.  For this case, I picked the 5x3 aspect ratio just to see what it would come out like.  The first was 25x15 inches or 80x48 studs (or 2.5x1.5 standard sized LEGO base plates assuming a standard sized base plate is 32x32 studs) in color using plates.

It's not super detailed, but you can tell what the picture is for the most part.  And for a little over $1,800 you can buy all the parts to make this through Bricklink (yikes!).  

Okay, so money is no issue for you.  You just want a super cool mosaic built from LEGO plates.  How about 75x45 inches or 240x144 studs(7.5x4.5 standard baseplates).  In my opinion, this looks awesome!  Wow!  Considering how detailed the original picture is, this definitely captures it... granted it is huge, but that's another story.  And for over $16,000, you can buy the parts right away!

Just for fun, you can also grey scale the picture.  Same size as the previous one, but obviously less colors.  As you can see the one aircraft on the bottom left is hard to see, but the details are mostly there.  Given that the parts are mostly dark and light grey with some black and white, the price comes down substantially to ~$1,500.

If you've looked at the pictures I've posted or into Mosaick itself, you've seen that you can choose plates, tiles, or bricks.  This obviously will adjust the price based on what parts are available and the colors of those parts.  So again the same picture with the same dimensions, but back in color, this time in tiles.  The picture looks almost the same and the cost goes down from ~$16,000 to ~$7,500.  To me it looks like the detail is still there.  

Same picture again, but with bricks.  This one brings the price to just under $4,000.  Again, it still looks just as detailed to me.  

Also, I took the picture down a size so now it is 50x30 inches or 160x96 studs (5x3 standard baseplates).  This brings down the cost to ~$1,800 with bricks.  The detail isn't as good, but I still think it looks pretty sharp.  

So failure on my part... I didn't capture any of the piece counts or numbers of separate colors.  I did however save a version of the instructions.  You have the option to print, but I think using a computer would probably be easier when it comes time to build.  Tracking where you're at would be a challenge for a mosaic this big though.  I'm sure you could come up with a good method though.  

Whew!  If you've made it down this far, I'm curious to know what you think.  Have you messed with Mosaick at all?  Has anyone actually built anything?  I think that the key is to try the different methods out to see how you can keep the detail in your picture while keeping the parts cost lower. Overall, I think Mosaick is the best LEGO brick mosaic software I have ever seen.  It's only in beta version so hopefully the Bricklink team will continue to make it better.  I'm excited to see what happens with this tool and I look forward to someday having the time a bricks to build a giant mosaic for my wall.

Set Review - #75152 - Star Wars - Imperial Assault Hovertank

It's been a bit since I've reviewed a Star Wars set so time to get back in the game.  This one is not a new one.  The Imperial Assault Hovertank is from "Rogue One" and has been out since 1 Oct 2016.  At $29.99 (in the US) for 385 pieces it works out to $0.078 per piece.  I picked it up for 20% off on Amazon.com for $23.97 which works out to $0.062 per piece.  As of 14 June, the set is still 20% off on Amazon.com although if history is worth anything, the discount may increase as the Christmas shopping season approaches.  Either way for less than $0.10 per piece for a licensed set, this one appears to be on the cheap side.  

Here is the box.  Standard front and back for a Star Wars set.  

The contents include 4 numbered parts bags labeled 1 through 4 and an instruction booklet.  Thankfully, there are no stickers.

Bag 1 includes Chirrut Îmwe with 2 weapons and a clip on the back to store 1 of them.  It also starts off the troop compartment of the hovertank.  Basic building techniques here and nothing outside the ordinary.

The second bag builds the left side of the hovertank.  It clips on with 2 Technic pins and has 2 Technic wheels on it that are clear so when it is complete you can move it around (it would have been much cooler if they actually made it hover, but I probably couldn't have afforded it then).  

The next bag has the 2 hovertank troopers and it completes the right side so you now can move the vehicle around on the wheels.  You will also notice that the excess parts pile is growing.

The fourth bag finishes up the set.  It includes the back cargo area, the orange cargo case, a rifle mounted on top, and it installs the 2 plastic spring mounted shooters (what is the technical name of those?).  The shooters are activated by a Technic pin and gear attached to the outside of the hovertank on either side (which I learned on accident during assembly).

My thoughts?  It reminds me too much of 75100 First Order Snowspeeder from "The Force Awakens."  Another "troop transporter" that "hovers" and has Technic wheels.  In terms of minifigures, you get two "storm troopers" and then it is the only set (so far) with Chirrut Îmwe.  Not super impressive, but if you want the minifigs and can pick the set up at a discount, you get them with a decent amount of parts considering the price.  My overall opinion is not to buy it.  It is really not an impressive set.  What are your thoughts?

Set Review - #70903 - The Riddler Riddle Racer - The LEGO Batman Movie

According to Google, The LEGO Batman Movie was released on 10 February 2017 (in the USA).  The sets came out on 2 January 2017 in the USA. I'm finally getting around to reviewing one of them.  I recently picked up the Riddler Riddle Racer at Amazon.com for 20% off. It is regularly $29.99 and I got it for $23.99 (as of today 10 June 2017, it is still 20% off there).  The set contains 254 pieces and 5 minifigures.  The regular price makes it $0.118 per piece.  The 20% off price is $0.094.  I realize it is a licensed set, but seems rather high to me even at the 20% off price.  

Here is the box.  The front has the movie logo, a picture of the set, the minifigures, and then the minifigures listed on the bottom.  The back shows the set again and then some of the play features to include the spring loaded "shooter" part.

The contents are very simple for this set.  There are 2 parts bags, an instruction booklet (crammed into the box), a small sticker sheet with 2 stickers, and a 6x16 black plate which is the base of the vehicle.

The build is rather simple.  The first bag starts with Calendar Man, Kite Man, and Batman.  Kite Man comes with an extra visor.  Batman comes with 3 batarangs and an extra belt.  Then it goes to the start of the vehicle.  For this review, I decided against putting the stickers on.  It didn't take much away from the model in my opinion.  

The second bag has the Riddler and Magpie.  Magpie comes with 2 dynamite stick packs.  It also completes the build.

The vehicle uses a number of great green and dark green pieces that could be used elsewhere.  The green window frames with the yellow glass for headlights is awesome too and could come in handy for a MOCs.

The build itself is simple.  It is mostly studs on top, but that gets the details across.  The part used for the mirrors is the first time I have seen it that way.  In the past I think I've only seen this part as a minifigure accessory to go down a zip line.    

The engine compartment tilts up so you can shoot the translucent green poles out of the spring brick (I'm sure there is a technical term for all of these, but you get what I'm talking about... someone please correct me).  

Overall... I think this set is a minfig pack.  You get 5 minifigures from the movie in one.  The car and the parts are okay, but nothing super amazing or out of the ordinary.  My recommendation is to not buy unless you really want the minifigures.  If you want to get it, definitely look for it at a discount on amazon.com or Walmart.  My guess is around Christmas time these sets will be discounted even more so if you can wait, definitely do it.

Campaign to Support Brick Dreams - 1 June to 31 December 2017

If you've never heard of Bricks for Bricks before (we're small... it's okay if you haven't), we are a for-profit business focused on giving back a portion of our profits to those in need.  We focus our efforts on education and/or children whenever possible.  You can see some of our past campaigns here.  Now that we just finished our move from Florida to Alabama, it's time to kick off another campaign to help those in need.  

From 1 June 2017 to 31 December 2017, 15% of our profits will go to Brick Dreams.  Brick Dreams was started in 2012 by a high school student in California.  The goal is to give Lego bricks to kids who are victims of domestic violence.  The group gives these kids tennis ball cans full of bricks.  Knowing that these kids often have to move around a lot, the container holds a lot of bricks and has a top so it is easy to move around with it.  The founder is off in college now, but he's handed it off to 2 boys who are both 12.  You can check out their site to see some of the things they've done and what they are up to now.

Bricks for Bricks will use 15% of our profits to send some bricks to Brick Dreams.  Thanks for your support!

Bricks for Bricks BrickLink is back OPEN!!!

Thanks for your patience while Bricks for Bricks went through a move.  The BrickLInk store is back open!  The only changes right now are orders within Alabama are subject to an 8.5% sales tax.  It's good to be back.

Happy building!