Oky Posted August 21, 2012 Hello, Eurobrickers! As you know, today is the 4th anniversary of the Reviewers Academy! That's a pretty good reason to celebrate right there, but as it so happens there is another important anniversary going on this month, the Lego Company's 80th anniversary! In celebration of this event, they were giving away this exclusive polybag set free with purchases over $50. And since it's such a fitting set to review for our own anniversary, I went and got it. So let's get this birthday party started! And if you stick around until the end of the review, you will get a FREE CAKE! Set Number: 40048 Name: Birthday Cake Theme: Seasonal Subtheme: Birthday Year of Release: 2012 Pieces: 24 Minifigs: 0 Price: Free (with purchases of $50 or more) Brickset Bricklink The Bag The polybag this set comes in is rather large for a 24-piece set. It's the same size as other seasonal polybag sets such as 40031 Bunny and Chick and has the same kind of design on it as well. The yellow and blue match the color scheme of the cake nicely. The back features the usual information and choking hazard warnings on one side, and the set name in six other languages on the other. Contents All the pieces are loose inside the bag and the instructions are printed on both sides of a folded piece of paper, as it is usual for a polybag set. There are two pieces in this set that only appear in one other set in this color, the round 8x8 tile in blue and the curved 4x1 slope in brown. The dark red 1x1 plate with tooth is also somewhat uncommon, but appears in five other sets. All the other pieces are very common. The instructions, much like the bag, have a light blue background with a yellow border. Again, this fits with the colors of the cake nicely. There are no part call-outs, and the ten building steps are of varying difficulty. Sometimes it has you adding just one or two pieces, and sometimes four. The Build The build of this set is quite simple and took me less than a minute to complete. For the most part, you're just stacking plates/bricks. There is only one instance where you're building SNOT. Here's a shot of it halfway through the build: The Completed Set Happy Birthday! Here's the finished cake. Doesn't it look delicious? It really looks like a border piece of one of those big, rectangular, icing-coated birthday cakes that you can buy at any grocery store here in America. I can just imagine it as a slice of a bigger cake. The dark red and brown pieces give it some nice detail, and the use of the SNOT technique makes this a very sturdy model. One thing I noticed, though, is that the instructions have you build the cake centered on the plate whereas the official picture has it offset from the center of the plate by one stud. It's an insignificant detail, but it but it always bugs me a little when the final product doesn't look like picture on the package. Here's a view from the other side. It's not as detailed on this side, but no less cakey. I think the only thing that would have made this set better would have been a candle on top of the cake. It could be easily done with a few 1x1 cylinders, but it's fine as it is. And... that's pretty much all there is to show about this set. It has no play features, although I can imagine kids using it as pretend-cake when playing house. And I'm sure there is some fun to be had with minifigs and an oversized cake like this. When no one was looking, Lex Luthor took a twenty-four-piece cake. He took 24 pieces. That’s as many as two dozen. And that’s terrible. Alright, let's move on to the ratings, and then you shall receive your free cake! Ratings Design: 5/5 - It's a great, sturdy, and fun-looking cake! Again, a candle would have helped to make it look even more like a birthday cake, but oh well. Build: 3/5 - It's a very basic and quick build, so it's not the most challenging building experience, but be honest, is there anything more satisfying than putting a few bricks together? Parts: 4/5 - Most of the parts are very common bricks and plates, but at least they are very versatile, and it comes with two rare pieces. Price: 5/5 - Well, although I had to spend fifty bucks to get it, it was free, and that's the best price there is! Playability: 1/5 - There's not much you can do with this set. It's mostly just for show, but that's okay. I mean, who would want flick-fire cake anyway. Overall: 4/5 - Even though it doesn't have much use, it's a pretty neat little set. But I don't like the set as much as the idea behind it. Giving each customer a piece of a larger imaginary birthday cake in celebration for the company's 80th birthday is brilliant in my opinion. It's good for display and makes for a nice conversation starter. Whenever someone comes into my room and sees it standing on my desk, they say: "Oh, is that a Lego cake? How cute!" So I tell them the story behind it. I wouldn't recommend buying this for an unreasonable price on the aftermarket, but if you were one of the lucky few to receive this set when it was being distributed, you have a little piece of Lego history in your possession. Well, that's it. I hope you enjoyed this little double-anniversary review. Oh, and remember I promised you a free cake at the end of this review? Well, I lied. Sorry. If it's any consolation, here is another play on a cake-related internet meme. Once again, happy birthday, and may there be many more years of Lego and the Reviewers Academy to come! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XimenaPaulina Posted August 23, 2012 Nice little review Oky, thanks for sharing! It's a nice freebie, and quite memorable too for TLG's 80th b-day and coinciding with RA's birthday. Good for those who can get these free, unlike us who rarely (or never) get these promo polybags in this part of the world. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Oky Posted August 23, 2012 Perfect reply! Thanks, and I'm sorry you never had the chance to get this neat little set. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Piranha Posted August 23, 2012 Nice review Oky! It is a very fitting review for the 4th RA Anniversary, and also in conjunction with the 80th of TLG. I mean everyone loves free cake right? Right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Masked Builder Posted August 24, 2012 It's a fun little set to be sure Oky, and I love the review. It's rather funny to see Doc staring at the cake! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greedo24 Posted August 24, 2012 (edited) When I read the review,you made a lex luther CAKE JOKE. a joke from the single pane punnies topic, That I laughed at MULTIPLE times. That is a terrible thing. Edited August 24, 2012 by Greedo24 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
friedchikenfairy Posted August 25, 2012 No cake Just kidding, nice review! I'm not a big fan of this set though. It doesn't look much like a cake. I couldn't tell what it was when I first saw it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ferrik Posted August 27, 2012 I thouht I read every single new RA 4th Anniversary review. It turns out I didn't read this one... Anyway this cake looks great but could have been designed a bit better maybe, after all it is Lego's 80th Birthday. But excellent review. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bobsy Posted August 27, 2012 (edited) When I read the review,you made a lex luther CAKE JOKE. a joke from the single pane punnies topic, That I laughed at MULTIPLE times. That is a terrible thing. Know your meme, son. Edited August 27, 2012 by Bobsy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteFang Posted August 31, 2012 Nice 'cake' indeed! Thank you Oky and this is a sweet polybag treat for those who will like a slice of cake on their table. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PsyKater Posted August 31, 2012 Nice review. Though I am disappointed, as I had planned to do my first RA review on this "set" :D :P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteFang Posted August 31, 2012 Nice review. Though I am disappointed, as I had planned to do my first RA review on this "set" :D :P There is no rules in-place, that one review equate to one reviewer only. So, in the RA program, you are definitely most welcomed to do this polybag as your first review. In addition to that, it will still take you quite awhile for you to finish before publishing. Details are inside the pinned topics for your reading. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
