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Number – 3269 Name – Barney Bear (Bruno Bear) Theme – FABULAND Year – 1981 Minifigs – 1 Pieces – 16 Price – Price paid unknown; original MSRP unknown. Currently £9.23-£10.26/ $14.00-$15.72/ €10.71-€12.02 for used sets on Bricklink or £39.49-£64.78/ $59.91-$98.26/ €45.81-€75.14 for MISB sets on Bricklink. Links: Brickset, Bricklink, Peeron. The Box The characteristic FABULAND background provides the setting to display Barney Bear and his car. There aren't that many green pieces in FABULAND, mostly keeping to red, yellow, blue, black and white, and as a result these colours stand out vibrantly against the light green FABULAND background. The back of the box has the characteristic 'catalogue' pose for Barney, as he clutches his wrench to advertise supplies for serial killers everywhere. And he looks so innocent! The other pictures show him zooming off into the distance, and pretending to have a flat tyre to lay in wait for another innocent victim, still clutching his weapon of choice. Noticeably absent, however, are any pictures of alternative builds. None. Nada. Not one. The sides of the box have identical pictures of Barney fixing an engine the only sensible way; by hitting it with a wrench. One side has unfortunately suffered a little damage from a long lost shop sticker, and the box is a little battered and bruised from the passage of time, but nothing too terrible. Even here on the bottom of the box, the last side to have pictures on it, there are no pictures of alternative builds. Instead we have a candid shot of Barney taking a comfort break and clearing up the age-old question of what bears do in the woods. Oh, and there's a nice picture of the car, too. The Box Contents The Instructions As always with a FABULAND set, the instruction booklet is a small piece of folded paper, with a charming hand drawn picture of the set and its figure on the front. FABULAND can be seen sitting on a hilltop in the distance. Barney looks innocent and adorable clutching his trusty wrench and positioned next to his getaway car. Another lovely feature is that the instructions for these early sets are given as a cartoon, showing Barney building his own car. Admittedly this is easy to do in a set with only a few parts, but it's such a lovely way to illustrate (quite literally) how to build the set. Another regular feature is the multilingual introduction to the main character of the set. This gives the Fabufig some personality and gives you an idea of how he or she fits in in the town. As ever here's a mish-mash translation of what's said: "This is Bruno bear. He is always friendly, helpful and reliable. Or genuine and sincere and always ready to give help." There is usually a hand drawn picture of FABULAND too, and this is actually different from the one seen in 329 Bernard Bear and his Lorry from just 2 years previously. For a start there are far more Fabulanders around, most notably a panda careering across the hilltop with a crazy monkey clinging onto the attached ladder. In addition to the instruction leaflet, there's a little advertising pamphlet too, again a usual thing in these sets. Like the other pictures, this front picture is also new, and shows much less odd behaviour than that seen in 329 Bernard Bear and his Lorry, except Bonnie Bunny looks like she's been caught in some bad act, though. And I have to wonder what the cat and the lamb are doing on the top of the hospital.. Inside this pamphlet there's another, different view of FABULAND displayed in sets, plus small pictures of the sets themselves, as no potential for advertising should be wasted (which is fair enough, really). If you looks carefully at the larger picture, you can see that many eyes are drawn by Chester Chimp's antics on top of the ladder. Those crazy chimps. On the other side of the pamphlet, in amongst all the other pictures of sets, is yet another sweet picture of a little boy and a little girl building FABULAND together. And they seem to be having fun together. Equally. The last little bit of this pamphlet is a small cartoon. For 329 Bernard Bear and his Lorry we had Charlie Crow in the rain, but here we can see Perry Panda getting annoyed with his lazy companion Chester Chimp, who's content to lounge on the job. I adore these little cartoons, although it's a little weird that the cartoons themselves don't relate to the actual set. The Parts There are only 16 parts here, so not much to choose from, really. The wrench is available in loads of sets (200 or so) and mostly it's basic bricks, however, if you want the printed FABULAND brick, then this is the only set you can find it in. Additionally the curved roof is only available once each in red, blue and yellow, and obviously therefore this is the only set containing this part in this colour. Furthermore, the yellow window frame is only available in this colour at all, and only in three sets; the same other sets as before, namely 3635 Bonnie Bunny's Camper, and 3634 Charlie Crow's Carry-All. So, out of 16 pieces, 3 of them are quite rare. Not bad, really. Minifigure Hello Barney Bear, who may be a psycho killer who draws innocent Fabulanders into the countryside with his fancy car and clubs them to death with his wrench. He looks so adorable and innocent, but we know what dangers lurk beneath. Barney Bear has conveniently found himself an alibi, by appearing also in 3670 Service Station. Clever, very clever. The Build I've recreated the building steps shown in the instructions (well, as best I can with real LEGO, the instructions were drawn and subject to artistic license). Barney carefully places his precious printed grille piece at the front of the chassis, with a couple of 2x4 bricks forming the bonnet and engine. Barney next places the FABULAND vehicle door pieces on either side, otherwise he won't be able to get in and out of his car. Time to build up the back of the car; the boot or trunk depending on where you live. It's easily comprised of 2x3 and 2x4 bricks. Next thing to do is to hoist the windscreen into position. It's a heavy part for a little bear, but Barney's been working out. Then all Barney has to to is pop the curved roof piece into place, grab his trusty wrench and he's good to go! Doesn't he look adorable? From the back you can see that the rear of the car is also decorated with a yellow 1x2 brick, which makes it look like Barney has packages stacked at the back of his car. That little yellow brick makes a lot of sense there, from a design perspective; it's clear that something is needed in that spot. Having recently reviewed 329 Bernard Bear and his Lorry, I thought it would be interesting to compare the two. In only a couple of years the boxy feel of 329 has evolved into a smoother and more rounded vehicle in this set. The main differences between the two are afforded by the addition of the curved (and printed) FABULAND grille piece, and the curved roof piece. You could argue that the moulded roof removed some building steps, but really it's just replacing putting together three 1x4 bricks and a 4x6 plate. So here's Barney with his pride and joy, posed as he is on the box front. It's a cute little car, brimming with the FABULAND aesthetic, which often seems to me to be based on vehicles from the 1920's. The set number, and the reappearance of the bear, suggest that this was a sort of update of 329, and although 329 is a fun model, when it comes down to it the shape of this vehicle appeals more. Conclusion Design: 9/10 As I've mentioned, this car is classic FABULAND style, and some people really love that, and some don't. It is a personal thing, but I am a fan of FABULAND, and this car is a beautiful representation of this style. The curved FABULAND pieces - the chassis, doors, grille and roof, form the entire design here really, but I like the 1920's aesthetic, playfully recreated with bright colours. Parts: 9/10 There aren't many pieces at all, so to find two specific FABULAND pieces only found in this set, is really quite remarkable. I'm surprised, given how early this was in FABULAND's overall release, that neither of these pieces were reused at any point. Aside from the FABULAND specific parts, the others are really just basic bricks in basic colours. Minifigs: 8/10 Barney's another bear, and he's cute; there's absolutely no denying that. He has the adorable first-generation eyes and brown bears are pretty limited in FABULAND. Although the mould itself is used often, Barney appears only here and in 3670 Service Station (with Peter Panda Bear, who looks more like a black bear than a panda). Barney's brown bear brother is Bernard bear who appears in 329 Bernard Bear and his Lorry (seen above, and he's not necessarily Barney's brother). Build: 8/10 There aren't many parts, and they don't take long to put together, but it's still fun, not least because the instructions themselves are adorably displayed. By adding character to the instructions, character is added to the build. There is also something exciting about building a 30 year old LEGO set for the first time, too. Playability: 8/10 As a car, this model provides full zoomability function, and the model is sturdy enough to withstand the fiercest zooming. Having doors that open and providing Barney with an accessory allows for more scene-setting. He can fix his car, club unsuspecting victims over the head and drag them into the passenger seat and drive away. Endless fun! Price: 7/10 Really the prices currently on Bricklink are pretty high. As always, it will depend on how much you want the set itself ano/or its pieces. There are a few rare pieces and it is a cute model with a lesser seen Fabufig, so the lower end of the used prices isn't unreasonable. You may see this set going cheap on e-bay (or a local equivalent) in which case it may well be available for much less. Overall 82% This is a charming car which is beautifully representative of the FABULAND theme. It's fun, with a cute little bear who even has an accessory (in fact there were two wrenches in the box) and the model is nicely curved and smooth, but still with studs visible. It's an enjoyable build, and the presence of rare parts makes it more desirable. If you're a FABULAND enthusiast then you'll enjoy this set. Thank you for reading, comments are always very welcome. High-Res pictures can be found on my flickr account.
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Becka Bulldog is a brave firefighter in the Fabuland Fire Brigade. Along with Chief Brody Bulldog and fellow firefighter Buster Bulldog, she keeps Fabuland safe. Becka noticed there was an increase in calls for forest fires lately and she wondered if it was just a coincidence it all started when the mayor threatened the Fabuland Fire Brigade with budget cuts. Chief Brody sure seemed to enjoy his walks in the forest lately.
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Thanks to everyone who entered! There will be prizes for the 3 entries with the highest number of votes. Prize Pool 1st place 328 Roadster 2nd place 3625 Airplane 3rd place 3781 Maximillian Mouse Voting closes on Wednesday April 17th, 2013 at midnight GMT/UTC. Voting Rules - You have a total of 5 points to award - You may not give more than 3 points to a single entry - Post your votes in the voting format shown below (list entry number, builder, and number of points awarded) - You may not edit your post, edited votes will not be counted - Votes that do not comply with these (simple) rules will not be counted - You must have joined Eurobricks prior to the voting period starting, Tuesday April 8th, 2013 Examples of Correct Votes 7. Pandora - 2 19. Rick - 3 7. Pandora - 2 15. Ricecracker - 2 19. Rick - 1 7. Pandora - 1 15. Ricecracker - 1 19. Rick - 1 21. Hinckley - 1 22. Phred - 1 The Entries In no particular order. Click on an entry to see more pictures. 1. Greta's Hotrod - Peppermint_M 2. Ice Cream Trike - Ceclie 3. The Red Baroness - Quarryman 4. Seaplane - Oky 5. Faburod - Artanis I 6. Fabu De Ville - Purpearljellyblob 7. Becka Bulldog's Fire Truck - Rick 8. Shawna Sheepkorsky's Helicopter - jamesn 9. Flatbed Tow Truck - dr_spock 10. Lionel Lion's Limo - Ninja Nin 11. Ambulance - KartoffelViking
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Thanks to everyone who entered! Voting closes on Wednesday April 17th, 2013 at midnight GMT/UTC. Voting Rules - You have a total of 1 point to award - Post your votes in the voting format shown below (list entry number, builder, and number of points awarded) - You may not edit your post, edited votes will not be counted - Votes that do not comply with these (simple) rules will not be counted - You must have joined Eurobricks prior to the voting period starting, Tuesday April 8th, 2013 Examples of Correct Votes 7. Pandora - 1 The Entries In no particular order. 1. DarkDragon 2. Luke_likes_Lego 3. Shadows 4. LuxorV 5. ultron32 6. Ninja Nin 7. Cecilie 8. Oky 9. Plissken 10. The Penguin 11. Si-MOCs 12. dr_spock 13. insurrection 14. Yooha 15. toutouille 16. michaelozzie 17. Sorrow 18. Legonardo 19. Kristel 20. CM4S 21. brickboy12 22. L@go 23. Fugazi 24. AyliffeMakit 25. Quarryman 26. Ecclesiastes 27. Damaximus 28. burlogh 29. ArtanisI 30. Pilili Cuicui 31. KartoffelViking
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Thanks to everyone who entered! There will be prizes for the 2 entries with the highest number of votes. Prize Pool 1st place 3673 Steamboat 2nd place 3710 Peter Panda Takes a Bath Voting closes on Wednesday April 17th 2013 at midnight GMT/UTC. Voting Rules - You have a total of 5 points to award - You may not give more than 3 points to a single entry - Post your votes in the voting format shown below (list entry number, builder, and number of points awarded) - You may not edit your post, edited votes will not be counted - Votes that do not comply with these (simple) rules will not be counted - You must have joined Eurobricks prior to the voting period starting, Tuesday April 8th, 2013 Examples of Correct Votes 7. Pandora - 2 19. Rick - 3 7. Pandora - 2 15. Ricecracker - 2 19. Rick - 1 7. Pandora - 1 15. Ricecracker - 1 19. Rick - 1 21. Hinckley - 1 22. Phred - 1 The Entries In no particular order. Click on an entry to see more pictures. 1. Pedal Boat - Pilili Cuicui 2. The Fabusea Sailor - Damaximus 3. Bonnie Bunny's Speed Boat - dr_spock 4. Captain Crow's Yellow Submarine - Cecilie 5. Sailboat - Oky
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That's a big Chocolate, and needs a big loader to move it. And in a rare treat, my friend Siegfried and his spank'n new Loader will be helping me moving that delicious nugget. (yes I had to Sci-Fabu it up.)
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Thanks to everyone who entered! There will be prizes for the 3 entries with the highest number of votes. Prize Pool 1st place 134 Service Station 2nd place 132 Cottage 3rd place 3631 Orchestra Voting closes on Wednesday April 17th, 2013 at midnight GMT/UTC. Voting Rules - You have a total of 5 points to award - You may not give more than 3 points to a single entry - Post your votes in the voting format shown below (list entry number, builder, and number of points awarded) - You may not edit your post, edited votes will not be counted - Votes that do not comply with these (simple) rules will not be counted - You must have joined Eurobricks prior to the voting period starting, Tuesday April 8th, 2013 Examples of Correct Votes 7. Pandora - 2 19. Rick - 3 7. Pandora - 2 15. Ricecracker - 2 19. Rick - 1 7. Pandora - 1 15. Ricecracker - 1 19. Rick - 1 21. Hinckley - 1 22. Phred - 1 The Entries In no particular order. Click on an entry to see more pictures. 1. Fabuland Gaming House - Peppermint_M 2. Theatre - LuxorV 3. Barney's Garage - ThuakaFilms 4. Freddie Fox house in the tree - Pilili Cuicui 5. Villa Revenant - Cecilie 6. Sunnyside Manor - Emma 7. Gibson Goat's Toadstool Tavern - Rufus and Pandora 8. Florist - Kristel 9. Wedding Chapel - Purpearljellyblob
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Thanks to everyone who entered! There will be prizes for the 3 entries with the highest number of votes. Prize Pool 1st place 3670 Service Station 2nd place 121 Roadster 3rd place 3788 Paulette Poodle in her Living Room Voting closes on Wednesday April 17 2013 at midnight GMT/UTC. Voting Rules - You have a total of 5 points to award - You may not give more than 3 points to a single entry - Post your votes in the voting format shown below (list entry number, builder, and number of points awarded) - You may not edit your post, edited votes will not be counted - Votes that do not comply with these (simple) rules will not be counted - You must have joined Eurobricks prior to the voting period starting, Tuesday April 8th, 2013 Examples of Correct Votes 7. Pandora - 2 19. Rick - 3 7. Pandora - 2 15. Ricecracker - 2 19. Rick - 1 7. Pandora - 1 15. Ricecracker - 1 19. Rick - 1 21. Hinckley - 1 22. Phred - 1 The Entries In no particular order. Click on an entry to see more pictures. 1. Your Studios are over there! - jedi1984 2. Bay 12 - SiMOCs 3. Enter the FABU Monger - LuxorV 4. FABULApocalypse - burlogh 5. Fabuland Gulch - Quarryman 6. Japanese Tea House - Cecilie 7. Bull Dog Police Mech - dr_spock 8. Fabuland Truffle Miners Co. Pty. Ltd. Inc. - KartoffelViking 9. The Bat-Man! - Oky 10. Gold Diggers - Ecclesiastes
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Here is my entry for Fabuland Vehicle Contest! Hope you guys like it! Enjoy! THE ADVENTURES OF EDWARD ELEPHANT One fine sunny day, Edward Elephant decided to sight see around Fabuland! But Fabuland is such a big place to walk, what will Edward Elephant do? "Ah! I will travel around Fabuland with my new Fabu De Ville!", said Edward Elephant. "Woohoo! Now travelling around Fabuland is so much easier! Now I can take lots of pictures with my camera!" "I will be back by evening and I will show you all the pictures I took!" Zoom! Zoom! "Thank you for reading!"
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My little contribution to this Eurobricks FABULAND Month, and I tried to complete it before the first proposed deadline, since I will be away from my LEGO for a while afterwards. So here is the story: After the boat trip with Lionel Lion and Hannah Hippopotamus, Lionel, the rich teacher, invites Hannah to his new ride: the Fabulous Limousine And they continue their romantic dating inside. Hope you will like it and here is the full set of photos.
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Review Review: FABULAND 329 Bernard Bear and his Lorry
Pandora posted a topic in Special LEGO Themes
It's FABULAND season, so what better time to crack open a MISB set and have a look at it? None, that's what. Carefully stored away, awaiting release and review, is this little gem, one of the earliest FABULAND sets ever released. So, what could one find inside these green boxes of delight? Read on to find out... Number – 329 Name – Bernard Bear and his Delivery Lorry (Bernard Bear and Pickup Truck) Theme – FABULAND Year – 1979 Minifigs – 1 Pieces – 26 (although Brickset claims 109) Price – The purchase price for this set is lost in the mists of time, as is the original price this set would have been sold for by retailers. There are but three lots on Bricklink at the time of writing: two used from £4.99/ $7.56/ €5.78 and one MISB at £21.63/ $32.78/ €25.06. Links: Brickset, Bricklink, Peeron. The Box It is an old box, unsurprisingly really, given that this set is from 1979, and it is a little faded, especially on the front. It has survived the years in remarkably good condition, however, with only a few scuffs around the edges. The pictures on the front of FABULAND sets are always charmingly posed, and here it looks as though Bernard Bear is ready to be your new friend and play with you. You can see the whole truck, so you know exactly what you're getting. There are more charming pictures on the back. Bernard in his 'character' pose, waving to a friend just out of shot, and clearly wondering where to start with all these pieces in order to build his lorry. The main picture is of an alternative build, something very common in FABULAND sets, and we'll see more of these very soon. Both sides of the box are identical, except obviously one side is where you're supposed to open the set. Bernard can be seen loading items onto his lorry for delivery, and like all FABULAND pictures, it is charmingly posed. The bottom of the box shows Bernard again in a 'catalogue' pose, as if modelling a jumper, and next to him is yet another alternative build suggestion. There's a suggestion that this is for ages 3 to 7, but nowhere is there a dire warning about not trying to inhale the parts nor any pleas not to stick Bernard up your nostril. There are merely beautifully posed pictures of the LEGO with the verdant FABULAND background. For further confirmation of this, the top of the box merely has a small declaration that the set was made in Denmark, slightly hidden under the flap that the box would hang from in the shop. The whole box is simplistic, yet covered with delightful pictures of what we're actually interested in. The Box Contents The Instructions There are two little leaflets of the same size inside the box. One is the instructions and the other is a little pamphlet about other FABULAND sets. The front of the instruction leaflet has a lovely hand-drawn picture of Bernard driving his lorry through the hills and vales of FABULAND, and just reminds us of the set number. When you fold it out, the rest of that side of the leaflet is actually the building instructions, also hand drawn, and shown as an adorable series of cartoons. To have Bernard build his own lorry is just lovely, but this was the norm with FABULAND; the characters built the LEGO with you, and then used it in their everyday lives. On the back, one panel introduces us to Bernard. Through the power of Google, I will attempt to translate (and I've taken the best mix from all three translations, so it may not be a literal translation of one particular language): "This is Bernard, the bear, with his lorry. He runs the FABULAND removals company." Nice to meet you, Bernard. Next to Bernard's introduction we have another drawn picture of FABULAND, and it's a really bright and vibrant scene, but then FABULAND is meant to be colourful. Having a drawing rather than a posed picture brings even more life to the characters, and you can see how FABULAND shapes up as a whole at this stage of its release. Bernard Bear can be spotted in the bottom right, driving his lorry, and bottom left you can also make out a cheeky-looking Ricky Raccoon zooming about on his scooter. The front of the second pamphlet focuses more on displaying the FABULAND sets photographically. Here you can see that Hinckley wasn't the first Fabulander to hide in a dustbin, as Clara Cow demonstrates here, seemingly to Charlie Crow's annoyance. Inside the pamphlet there is a large photograph of many of the early FABULAND sets. The characters are all out and about, living their lives, being pushed around in wheelbarrows and hiding in bins. A gentle reminder of the set numbers is displayed discreetly to the side. As a little bonus there is a hand drawn comic with Charlie Crow, who has evidently managed to extricate Clara from the bin, and requires the bin lid to keep the rain off him. He could of course have just hidden in the bin himself. The rest of the pamphlet shows photographs of more FABULAND sets and their set numbers, but charmingly has a little boy and a little girl playing with FABULAND together. That picture in itself speaks volumes. The Parts So given that there are only 26 parts, here's all of them in one shot. The colour palette is limited to red, yellow and black, and most of the pieces are ordinary LEGO SYSTEM pieces. The specific FABULAND pieces are only the vehicle chassis, the windscreen and the car doors (and technically these are all SYSTEM too as they are compatible). These are all vehicle pieces, and FABULAND produced so many vehicles that none of these parts are particularly rare, really. Minifigure So this is how Bernard bear came out of his MISB box. The box was entirely untampered with; I had to perform careful surgery just to open it without damaging it, and I emptied the contents onto my white board ready for photographing, and there was no loose arm. I very much doubt that LEGO customer services, no matter how nice they may be, will be able to help me out here after 34 years. It's almost too much to... bear. (sorry) "Hmmm, the review can't continue with you in this state Bernard, we need you to demonstrate how to build the lorry. Take him away Rufus!" "Yaaays! I have a whole new (but subtly different) left arm!" "You may thank the wonders of modern science. And the passing walrus who so kindly donated to your arm transplant." Right, now that we're back on course, you can see that all the printing was saved for the Fabulanders' faces, and the torso and legs are fairly plain. I thought now would be a nice time to demonstrate how much TLG loved the bear mould. Not only did they get a couple of different bear colours out if it (and associated changes in their clothing) but also a few raccoons and a couple of pandas from the same mould (but obviously with different printing). And while it's undeniable that all Fabulanders are adorable, somewhere near the very top of the adorable scale has to be the bear mould and its extended family. Or maybe I'm horribly biased. No, I'm not, they're really adorable. The Build There was a walrus who gave his left arm to see Bernard build his own lorry, so we best not disappoint him. Step one; the placement of a few bricks at the front of the chassis allows the bonnet to take shape. The arm is working nicely and displaying no homicidal tendencies, it's all good. Time to build up the back of the lorry, and don't comment on how the bricks could be pushed down better; it's being built by a BEAR! A bear with a sore arm, no less. He's doing the best he can. Well now we have the palette on the back, we can add the doors, so that Bernard doesn't fall out while driving. That done, we add a bit more to the back, and position the windscreen just so. And Tah Daaah! with the addition of a roof and the loading of the furniture on the back, we have a completed removals lorry! The cab at the front is in a nice bright red, and at the back you can see somebody's table and chair that need to be moved somewhere. It's simplistic, but quite clearly a lorry. There's no steering wheel, but then none of the FABULAND vehicles were bogged down with needless ephemera such as steering wheels. The nice thing is that you can remove the table and chair and use them as furniture elsewhere in your FABULAND layout, whilst loading anything else you like into Bernard's lorry to deliver around town. Obviously this is made much easier by having an open back to the lorry, rather than having it built up as an enclosed lorry. Keeping it open improves the playability of the set. Bernard fits nicely in his cab, and has a good view out of his windscreen. The bonnet has remained simple, as has pretty much all of his lorry, but still very recognisable and functional. So there he is, ready to zoom around FABULAND picking up and dropping off furniture according to the whims of its residents. His lorry is sleek and very much of the FABULAND style, thanks to the chassis and wheels with running board, the bold colours, and simplistic build style. If you'd like to build something in the same style, but without the aid of instructions, than you could attempt one of the alternative builds as I have here. I always believe the charm of including pictures of alternative builds serves to demonstrate the endless possibilities with LEGO. Here Bernard's lorry has been changed into a hot-rod style car, still very FABULAND though. The colouring at the back is a little off, but it's been built with only parts from this set. The other alternative build is more of a racing car, judging by the overhang of the red 1x4 bricks at the front and the back. I'm not sure what the black and yellow affair is at the back, but maybe it's some sort of super-duper exhaust? Anyway, working out how to build this and the other alternative build from single faded pictures is considerably more challenging than the original build was. And quite a bit of fun too. Conclusion Design: 8/10 It's really very simple and basic, but to build a convincing lorry out of mostly just bricks and plates is to be admired. Having the back open does make it look slightly less like a lorry and more like a trailer, but having the back open improves the interaction. Parts: 7/10 These are mostly just basic bricks, with a few FABULAND vehicle parts added. At the time though, vehicle parts wouldn't have been anywhere near as common as they are in retrospect now, so at the time this may have been a much more appealing set. Minifigs: 9/10 This is the only set where you can find Bernard, and he's really quite adorable. You can find one other brown bear in only two other sets. He's got the cute eyes of a first generation figure, and the plain torsos that are particular to these early Fabufigures. It's a small set, so it'd be unusual to have more than one figure (although it has happened), and a mark is lost here for losing an arm (so careless). Build: 8/10 As seen, the build can be completed in a few easy steps (even by a bear with a sore arm) but it's still fun, especially if Bernard helps out. You don't have to add the wheels and their tyres separately, but with the chassis and other pieces you can build any vehicle you wish, as seen by the alternative builds. There's a lot of building joy here. Playability: 8/10 With full zoomability, thanks to the wheels, there's a lot of play to be had here. The open back allows loading and unloading as Bernard goes about his business, and gives him good reason to interact with other Fabulanders. Even if he is alone in FABULAND, he can still have fun driving over the hills and through the delightful countryside. Price: 6/10 The cost of this set MISB is really quite high, and probably the most valuable piece in it is Bernard, as one of the earliest Fabufigures. The other parts are not particularly sought after or rare. Rather than buy this set MISB, a purchaser might be better off buying Bernard as a single lot from Bricklink; indeed as can be seen here, you can't guarantee what condition a figure will be in when it falls out of a MISB box. Overall 77% This is one of the earliest FABULAND sets released, and Bernard is a charming introduction to this world. He's a cute and adorable bear, with a functional and fun lorry. He is, however, Schrödinger's bear, as he might well have existed with a full compliment of arms up to the point that I opened his box. I would say it is a nice set to have, but buying it MISB is probably unnecessary unless you're a collector, and there are easier ways of picking up the Fabufig, if Bernard's all you're after. Thank you for reading, comments are always very welcome. High-Res pictures can be found on my flickr account. -
Greta has a spiffy new ride to get around Fabuville, she'll be tearing up the tarmac in no time! If you had not already guessed, Greta is my FabiFig. This car was a fun little play around to build something that would work for both my Fabuland Figure and my Sigfig. I just had to go for a Hotrod because they are just so cool! More Photos here (when moderated)
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After some re-styling, the FABULAND Theatre is almost ready to open again. Come and see the new look of one of the most popular meeting places in FABULAND! The yellowed marble of the front has been sanded and now shines clean and polished. The addition of Greek and oriental elements, while criticised by some, adds to the appeal of the building, according to the majority. While the main hall still needs few finishing touches, the foyer is open and the bar can serve you delicious clam cream pies. Major Caroline Caw checks on the workers on the way home from the market. Not all of them are working as good and orderly as she could wish. Charlie Crocodile is testing the microphone and speakers, while Harry Horse gives the stage a final sweep. The soundproof panels on the wall grant perfect acoustics, and the emergency lights at the foot of the wall satisfy even Capt. Brandon Bulldog's strict safety standards. As you can see, the working crew did a very good job with the lighting plant, and they also mounted a mobile giant flat screen, which is used for adding sub-titles or display voting results during the many contests held in the theatre. I hope you like this building and will join us for the premiere in a few weeks! Few additional shots can be found in this BS folder (once moderated).
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When Obadiah Tusk unleashed his FABU Monger on FABULAND, billionaire Tony Seastark had to don his armour and become super hero Iron Beak to stop him. This is my first experiment with low light photography and alternate lighting sources, by the way. A better look at the FABU monger:
