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Svelte

Review - Agents 8635 Mobile Command Center

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Set: 8635 - Agents - Mobile Command Center

Pieces: 1154

Price: $US89.99

Those dedicated Agents. They've fought chainsaw-armed villains, battled radio-controlled cyborg crocs, chased pallets of badly-stored golden loot and wrestled killer sharks with vicious, toothy grins. Finally they've caught the notorious Dr Inferno and imprisoned him in their cavernous Mobile Command Center. But Dr Inferno won't go down without a fight! Can the Agents stop the evil Dr 'Disco' Inferno fleeing? Will Spy Clops laser gun burn through the door in time, or will Dr Inferno simply use the lovely Agent Trace's enormous ponytail as an escape ladder to freedom? More importantly, will there be a riot in the streets of Lego City as AFOLs go apopletic at the thought of a 12 wide truck roaring through their ordered town layouts? Stay tuned!

Part 1: The Box, Instructions, Parts

As the largest of the Agents sets (so far), the box is easily the biggest. Trainee agents, examine the following three pics and see if you notice anything odd.

Box front:

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Box back:

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Box middle:

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Spot it? That's right. The printed cardboard which has supposed to be the bottom half of the fold out middle section is on the back, slicing the ultra-large set image which would form the foldout in half :wacko:. The way the cardboard is printed as one piece before it's folded I think this would be very hard to do 'accidentally' so suspect a major stuff-up somewhere along the production line. I bought this set off bricklink so would be very interested if anyone in the States who has seen these boxes actually on the shelves can tell me if this is common or rare. Basically I want to know if I should be annoyed that the bricklink seller didn't list this in the set description, or are they all like this?

The instructions come in 4 booklets. The parts list comes in at 5 pages, which is a lot even at half-size pages :oh: ! Large images of the parts inventory are in this folder when moderated for anyone interested. Here's also some cute Agents-type artwork at the end of one of the books. Instructions show piece call-outs and are divided into sections according to numbered bags.

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As you'd expect for a set with 1100+ parts, this baby comes with a lot of bags. It's a treasure trove of dark blue. As well as the obvious large slopes and wall panels which make up the body and the roof, there is a wealth of smaller navy blue pieces as well - small 1x1 bricks, 2x2 bricks, 1x1 plates, 2x2 tiles, heaps of 2x plates, some slopes, 22x cheese pieces... basically anyone wanting a lot of dark blue should think about this set. The roof panels alone, for example, could provide a dark blue sea for a modernised Pirate MOC.

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2 DSSs (Dreaded Sticker Sheets).

Quelle surprise - stickers! The grey parts of the stickers here are metallic silver ink, which is a nice touch. Actually, as sticker sheets go, they're not too bad. Fairly subtle for the most part and the navy blue actually matches the bricks themselves.

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However, after looking at the sticker sheets I thought I was missing something. What about the pieces used for the projection screens showing Dr Inferno and the sharks - why weren't they on the sticker sheets? There must be another one! Frantically I checked and rechecked the box and flipped through all the instruction manuals to find the elusive 3rd sheet. Where was it? Ten minutes later I noticed something which had honestly never occured to me - THERE WERE ACTUAL PRINTED PIECES IN THIS SET! So obvious and yet so unthinkable. It's horrifying how years and years of Exoforce and Speed Racer set releases can mentally condition people's thought processes. Tut tut, Lego. What have you reduced us to? :cry_sad:

Here they are, folks - ACTUAL PRINTED PIECES. (Yes, I do believe this news deserves the caps.)

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I also noticed this nifty modification of the usual 2x3 cupboard - you can now fit drawers in it! Very clever. This may have been around in Belville sets for years for all I know, but it's new to me. The drawers slide in and out very well and the top one sits on slight indentations in the middle of the cupboard.

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Part 2: The figs!

Our trusty agents - Charge, Chase, Trace and Fuse. (High powered agents don't have time for names of more than one syllable - that's why the bad guys always lose :wink: ). Chase and Fuse have the Mutt hair in black and dark orange. The lovely Agent Trace has an exquisite new hairpiece in dark brown, perfect for 'Rapunzel' themed MOCs. As you can see, her ponytail is loooong. Makes it hard to sit down, the poor girl. I feel sorry for all these female figs with such intricate hairstyles that they can never relax in an ordinary Lego chair. However, at least she has two breasts unlike the recent Harley Quinn fig. Compensation indeed. Seriously though, it's great that there's a separate torso print for the female character and this attention to detail is typical of the set as a whole.

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Three of the agents have reversable heads - nice touch with the headsets and I like the ID cards on their pants. Obviously the agents security system is based on some kind of crotch measuring device. This would make sense considering the conspicuous bulges in the pants of Dr Inferno's men (see the other Agents set reviews.)

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The villains - Spy Clops, Dr Inferno, Gold Tooth.

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Dr Inferno's hair in all it's glory. This is a great piece, although the orange colouring is a little rough on the front. It's so 3D, it deserves a back and side view (and indeed EB thread) all of its own. As mentioned elsewhere, this is different plastic to the normal minifig hair, but it doesn't quite feel as soft as the Exo-force hair. It doesn't fall off as much, anyway.

drinferno.jpg

The figs get 10/10 from me. Awesome hairpieces in great colours for the Agents and a sleek navy blue/ neon green uniform. The villains' faces are great and they are all very distinctive. The attention to detail is outstanding and it's great to see a Lego in-house theme with characters as memorable and cool as figs from the licensed themes :thumbup: .

Part 3: The build

The build is divided into three stages - the small vehicles, the front of the truck, and the massive command center section.

(a) Small vehicles

First up, all the small vehicles. We have a small flyer, 2 buggies, jet ski, and a speed boat - all in glorious navy blue with little bits of silver detailing.

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Top view.

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These vehicles are all simple, small and well-designed. Probably the weakest is the flyer, only because the cockpit looks a little large. In fact, the small flyer is probably the weakest element of 8365 overall, which tells you how good the set itself is!

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In various threads here, this set has been heavily criticised for being way out of proportion. There's a reason for that, as we shall come to. However, the existence of these small sets should appease some people. With the new coast guard sets, for example, all of these save the flyer wouldn't look out of place on a City beach with a little modding. Here's an example - agents beach party! (Spongebob couldn't help but crash.)

8635cbeachparty.jpg

The villains only have one small vehicle, but they've been well-served in the smaller sets, and this one is a unique and clever design. I love the triangular shape and the simple but clever technique of making the arch slopes meet up around the propellers. It's sort of insectile in black and orange, and looks very different from the usual assortment of helicopters etc.

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(b) Truck front

This thing is a beast! Seriously, look at it. It's chunky and mean looking. You don't want to mess with this baby.

The build is really nice. Like a lot of Star Wars vehicles, it's all based on technic beams pinned together. Unlike a lot of Mars Mission sets, underneath isn't ALL technic beams with some plates slapped on like a facade. The majority is a lot of plates and bricks which all fit together solidly. You can see from the detailing of 'cheese grater' slopes and silver pieces on the front how effort has been made to give this vehicle a distinct feel different to other Lego sets. Sure, the silver slope mirrors might be a bit too much for some, but this baby is all about attitude. You can imagine it roaring down the road en route to Dr Inferno's diabolical lair! After all, these sets are 'Agents' sets - nobody said they were *secret* Agents :tongue:

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(c ) Command center - whole assembly

Here's a view of the whole thing assembled - inside and cool details to follow at the end. It's kind of hard to show here as it is extreeeeemely long. This is indeed a big set. The build for the trailer part of the command center is fun and very satisfying. Yes, there are large pieces but there is also a huge amount of detail. It is also solid as a rock. I remember being annoyed building the big Ferrari truck a few years ago - everytime you looked at it, an 8 x 16 plate fell off. The Mobile Command Center is solid - even with the hinged roof and special features, it is not delicate at all. Kudos to the designers, again as it is mainly a brick build rather than a technic one. I also like how the command center part connects to the cabin - it's not a special piece at all, just a technic axle going through two circle plates, but it works and it's solid. (Please note I've been selective about which stickers I've applied during the build.)

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Top view:

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The rear:

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Here's an example of why I like the build: (a) the designers have enough sense to put a ladder so a minifig can climb up to the interior when the command center is open (b) notice that although the ladder clips at the top, there is an *extra* clip there in the middle purely to hold it in place so it doesn't flap around and holds firm. I don't know if most designers would even think to put a ladder there let alone go the extra mile and put a mechanism to hold it in place. Pure class. Oh, and notice the greebly detail stuff to the right there too.

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The other side. This is probably the other weak part of the build - the bricky gaps at the top where the hinge to open the roof sits. It's a little gappy but the set is so big you don't really notice.

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(d) And now for the fun stuff - inside and neat details!

OK, so we've built the thing. It's big. It's blue. The top of the trailer itself would make a good warehouse MOC for a harbour layout. But what about inside? Is it any good? What about all those small vehicles from the start of the review? Where do they go?

Well, I'm glad you asked. Because the solution is superb.

The small flyer folds slightly and slides into place here:

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Lift off the roof and you're away!

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The large buggy and the speedboat go under here:

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The jetski slides out of the rear here, attached to its own little platform:

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And the small buggy goes inside the main cabin. There's even a crane so you can lift it down.

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So now we know why this set is so large! To fit everything in! It's amazing that this functionality doesn't affect the aesthetics of the set as a whole.

But we still haven't finished on the details. The front section has a very easy-to-swing-open roof section and missiles:

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There's also a command section underneath the bit where the flyer lifts out:

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And now for the interior. I have to say I really like this space. Not only is it packed with great stuff, there's also enough room for minifigs to move around. I hate bases where the figs only have about 2 studs to actually stand and walk. Aquabase Invasion is a nice set, for example, but the actual functional space inside the base is teensy. Claustrophobia! You know within a week they'd be fighting to toss each other out of the airlock. No such problems for these suave Agents, who have plenty of legroom *and* the ability to launch missiles from their ceiling.

The whole of the interior:

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Zooming in:

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Moving from left to right. First off, the medicine cabinet. Looks like someone's been leaving secret mission dossiers lying around.

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The projector area for mission briefings. Dr Inferno recently changed his hair colour from purple to orange, it seems. Why are all these minifigs so obsessed with their hair?

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The projector folds down when the trailer is open. Push the button and the light glows on. Now Dr Inferno's hair is orange again! This is one of my favourite parts of the set. It works a charm. The batteries for these lightbricks can also be replaced - instructions are in the manual.

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Agent Charge considers shark-fin soup for dinner.

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Did I mention these projection panels are printed? :wub::wub::wub: The detail is very fine too.

The tool section. Laptops sit in the middle compartment. You get some flippers, yellow scuba tank and various implements. I'm so impressed that the helmet is pearl silver with a different coloured visor too - there's so much variation in the parts in this set, you don't get the sense the designers are using the same thing over and over to save money. It all feels luxe and top-of-the-line, just like the Command Center itself.

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Two laptops - yay!

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The aforementioned rooftop missiles:

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The Dr Inferno cage. Nasty electric shocks! Bzzt! (You can see my reviewing skills are burning out now - sentences.... truncated...) Another example of detail - nowhere else in the set is a 1x1 transgreen tile used - they could have used a 1x1 trans green cheese wedge piece as there are others in the set, but they didn't.

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How does Dr I get out?

Flick that lever on the right hand exterior and the door pops open.

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Spy Clops the loyal minion awaits his master on the other side.

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And there we have it. Take a bow, guys!

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There's a lot of spare parts. A suspicious amount of dark blue small slopes but I checked the instructions and didn't see anything missing. I have to say, I do like the new policy (since Speed Racer I think) of including these small slopes as extras.

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Part 4: Overall Rating

If you've made it this far, you've got more stamina than Dr Inferno's army of cyborg animals themselves!

As I said earlier, this set has drawn criticism for the size of the truck. However, large vehicles do exist - I grew up in a wheat farming area and as a kid the size of the lorries that thundered past carrying grain was probably intimidating to me as this monstrous espionage machine is to the good citizens of Lego City! On top of that, it *does* contain a plethora of 4-wide vehicles inside :wink: ! Criticism of this set on the basis of size to me also seems misguided as this is basically a playset - and it is a very good one to boot.

As you can probably tell, I love it to pieces and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone, whether for parts or for play value. Check out the parts list in this folder when moderated and you can see just how many excellent pieces it contains. A light-up brick, a flood of navy blue, metallic silver bricks - we're spoiled. 8635 is also an enjoyable build, with fantastic figs and top-of-the-line detailing. In a year when I've found City a bit disappointing after the run of great sets in 2006-2007, the Agents line has been one of the surprise hits for me and I can't wait to see what the designers come up with next.

Edited by svelte_corps

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I see you've also learnt to call dibs. :laugh: Looking forward to seeing your review!!

EDIT: Oh, I see! I just arrived early. :wink: A truely fantastic review, you make me not want to pass this set up, even though I can't possibly afford it without leaving my beloved Castle collecting. :grin: It really looks like a fun set, so many neat vehicles, and two laptops, I can't wait to see what other sets we'll see them in. :sweet: Thanks again, great job!

~Peace

Edited by iamded

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I see you've also learnt to call dibs. :laugh: Looking forward to seeing your review!!

~Peace

Nooooo! I'm not calling dibs, it's all going up this afternoon. I just didn't want my browser to crash and lose it all :wink: .

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Yay! I was waiting for this to be reviewed! Can't wait to see how it is, I love the look of this set :wub:

EDIT: Wow! Fast going on the review there svelte-corps, I love the look of the instructions.

Batbrick Away! :devil:

Edited by Batbrick

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Man, tohse mini vehicles and minifigs are sexy as all heck! :cry_happy: I love Dr.Inferno and the female pattern for Agent trace (is it just me or she almost "busting out"? :tongue: ). I love the Dr. Inferno hair, and the reappearance of Spy-Clops and Gold Tooth is simply gold (yes yes, pun intended!) I have to say this is shaping up to be one of my favourite sets, well, ever!

Batbrick Away! :devil:

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You know I like many had doubt's about these sets when they were first mentioned, but I've decided I want the whole line now! :wub: This set is the créme de la créme. Just beautifully stunning! That is a great review svelte_corps, you have gone into fantastic detail and description of all the elements. Really it is this review that has persuaded me to buy this set. :grin: I blame you! :wink:

The minifigs are great, the vehicles are better, and the truck and interior is awesome! The few minor draw backs are far outweighed by the attention to detail and the many unique and cool elements used in this set. And printed pieces! :wub: That is even better! :sweet:

Great job, you have obviously put a tremendous effort in making this review, and I for one definitely appreciate it! :thumbup: I am looking forward to these sets being available in New Zealand!

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MUST. GET. TWO :tongue:

Thanks so much, this review has truly shown this set as a brilliant one. Even those who hate this theme must admit it is greatly designed. I love the way the mini vehicles fit. I love the light brick. I love the truck front. I love the trailer. I love the missions bay. I love holding cell. I love everything! :wub:

EDIT: And I second dragonator's response when I say thankyou svelte-corps for this grand review, you have convinced me utterly to get this!

Batbrick Away! :devil:

Edited by Batbrick

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Wow.

Like others have said i was unsure about these when i first heard about them but then looked at the first leaked pics and thought they actually look pretty neat. now i have seen all the reviews i have to have all these sets. at first i was thinking they would be great as parts packs but the more reviews i see the less i want to use them as part packs and just keep them as built (or buy 2 so i can do both !!)

Can't wait till they hit the shelves in the UK......

Thanks for the review

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That's an AWESOME review.

And a great set, it seems. With all of this year's Star Wars (I still haven't got Rogue Shadow) I can't afford Agents too, which is a shame looking at this.

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Wow! Great review of what seems to be a great set. :wub: I love that ponytail. This looks to be a must have set! (It probably won't stay together for long though...) Thanks very much. :sweet:

(I fixed the header for you; that's two you owe me. The other is for making me think that this set was in Australia... :cry_sad: )

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svelte_corps, a fanastic review of this biggest Agents' set. At first, I was not very keen to have this set. However, after reading your review, you have make me swing up and down. Its simply fabulous! Thanks for your hard work. I am sure it's not easy to do this review. :sweet:

I love that female mini-fig. She looks awfully sweet especially with her new hair.

Great job! :thumbup:

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OMG! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

You made my day!

So that means Dr. Inferno's hair isnt rubber!

:cry_happy::cry_happy::cry_happy::cry_happy:

But one question, is it like that weird funny soft plastic like the ants from Indy 4?

PLEASE ANSWER

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Thanks for another wonderful review, svelte_corps :wub:

A very fine set indeed, I absolutely love the way all of the vehicles fit into the command centre, very clever. The projector is really cool, it looks very nice. It's great to see these light and sound bricks in the Agents sets. All of the little nooks and crannies in the centre are great too, I really love the amount of detail featured, mixed with all of the playability of this set. The minifigs - as usual - are brilliant, the uniforms look fantastic. Dr Inferno looks especially great, I love his white suit with hints of orange, and who can forget his hair?

I'm really tempted to buy this beast now, though I'm not sure my wallet will forgive me for it. I suppose I'll have to cut back on Indy and Castle multiples for now...

Thanks for the truly great review, svelte_corps, nice work :sweet:

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Wow this set looks so amazing! Amazing! Genius! Da'vinci art I say!

You've done an excellent job reviewing, and really, this is the review I've been waiting for. So cool! So classy!

I love the mission briefing feature. To think that lego could go so high as to put something ingenious like that in there! Too bad Lego figures don't have fingers to make shadow shows, eh? Genius!

The Jet lauching feature is pretty slick, and they even put a control center in there too! That's beast. Loving that.

The bottom...I don't see how that big buggy can get out or in there, but, Awesome too! :tongue:

The back of the truck could use more detailing I think, but the jail pop-open feature is pretty cool, as is the speed boat storage rack.

Cabin; :wub: it's great! That roof opening feature is a great part of this set. Also I think you can have multiple figures up there...maybe you can mod it to put a bed in there! It certainly looks big enough! :laugh:

Inferno plane, wow that think is smooth, baby! I love how the wings contain rotors inside of them!!! :grin: That's awesome detail right there. That is a sweet ship thingy, so slick. :cry_happy:

The rest of the command center is pretty awesome too; we get a 4x4 wheeler and a crane, and lots of room! :tongue:

Wow! Just wow! Great review, great set! You are well worthy of your custom title! I'm gonna go buy this for only $90!!!! WOOT!

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Great Review, thanks! deino2.gif

That's one hell of a set. I think LEGO has reached a certain kind of peak with the design, cleverness, and fun of this one. I'm so relieved that Agents seems to be shaping up to be even better then I thought it was going to be...and I thought it was going to be cool to begin with.

Agent "Charge"? Not only does he look like Dash Justice, but he has the name of one of Dash's Alpha Team squadmates? I call shenanigans! :laugh:

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Woah, I got to have this set! I shall buy it ASAP! Thanks for the review! Expertly done.

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Splendid review! I love everything on this set. No question 'bout it. Somehow I knew I should have saved up and buy that when come to TRU...but the sight of Turbocar Chase and Jetpack Pursuit was to tempting to pass up. :tongue:

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Wonderful review - one of the best I've ever seen on this site. :thumbup::thumbup:

Man, we thought this might be the weakest set in the line, but it turns out it may be the strongest! Everything about this set - from the color scheme to all the details to the minifigures to the piece selection - is just wonderful! :wub:

I think this set has finally confirmed it: Agents is everything Alpha Team wasn't, and is how they should have done a spy theme from the start. Kudos to TLC for finally getting it right - and I sure hope there's a second year! :sweet:

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wow, excellent review, thanks.

That set sure looks fantastic. It's incredible how much features they've managed to pack in while keeping it roomy. I'm really impressed by the quality of the design.

TLC is sure getting back on track with great design.

ow... 2008 is going to be expensive... :cry_sad:

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Excellent review by an excellent reviewer on and excellent set.

This theme really does seem to be one of TLC's best.

Edited by Plural

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I first I thought the whole Agents line would not be very good. But boy have I changed my mind!

This set looks amazing, as do all of the other sets in the line. I really like how the small vehicles all fit into the truck. I don't like it when sets come with smaller vehicles and don't have anywhere to store them, so they just float on the side.

That light projector is fantastic! I can't believe they are actually printed!

This is definitly on my to-buy list! Thanks for the amazing review!

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