61 replies to this topic

[MatthewUSA]

Thank you very much for that great and informative review   !!  After reviewing your pics, I am definitely looking forward to purchasing this set.  The TLG designers did an excellent job at the detail and realism in this set.  I love how the functions of this set reflect an actual carousel.  This would make a great addition to any City layout.

Model On!!

[der seb]

Hi

thanks for the review  

I built it virtually a week ago



complete gallery

[gladiator]

Thanks for this excellent review, Svelte.

I really love this set, and read your review make me happy.
Because I already bought this set- but still on the way..
I am totally agree with you - how bored the minifigs, but it was not important.

[BigOnBricks]

Great review!  I'm ordering one this week.  Amazing set.

[JimButcher]

Woowee, what a review. Thank you so much for making it, Schmelt, I can only imagine how tiring building this monster and reviewing it as you went along must have been. Very hilarious, too.  

As for the set, I think it is wonderful in design and functionality, but as much as I like it, the price is too much for me. The colors and rare parts may as well be worth it, though.

Svelte said:

Is there any purer joy in life than slicing open a freshly sealed Lego box and gently easing the contents onto a flat surface? The crinkle of polybags! The tang of newly minted cardboard! The scent of fresh Billund air!

I know exactly what you mean! People think I'm nuts when I start sniffing the inside of the box or stroking the brand new pieces.

Is that you in the bottom right of this pic?:

Svelte said:

Notice how the 1x8 dark blue Technic bricks (recycled from Agents Turbocar Chase) have been used to ensure the whole of that section is colour consistent - lovely attention to detail:

Actually, I think they were in sets way before the Turbo car chase. I have a few from one of those System-mini-Bionicle sets.

Svelte said:

I neglected to take pics, but if you had some snacks or sushi, you could totally use this as a motorised lazy Susan!

Sushi on my Lego! How great would that be?

I wonder what those cherries are for, right below the horse's groin?


Overall, I rate above average. That song is just irresistible.

Dah Da Dah! DidleDideeoo! Dah Da Dah! DidleDideeoo! Dah Da Dah Didledideeumdeedleidleidleoo!

[Fumoffu]

Thanks for the excellent review.  Sounds like this will be a big big build.  Sounds like Lego went off the boil when it came to designing minfigures for this set.  Will it be too hard/expensive to put stickers sheet into plastic bags to protect them?

It reminds me of the Carousel I saw at Darling Harbour in Sydney (not that I seen that many of these things).  Bit pricey for me at the moment but maybe one day I'll be able to afford it.

[wednesdayware]

Wow, looks great. I was put off by the size and price of this set, and the "where the heck does this fit into my layout" aspect. But, it looks great, and the fact that it looks so good spinning around are making me rethink this...

[kaka1987]

nice & detail review  
I am impressed by the machanism of the carousel....it just amazing....


but please considered not be stereotyping and blame the peel off of the sticker sheet is because of "MADE IN CHINA"

that is quite offending as there are people from different country.

[Tinn-man]

I saw this set at the lego store last week, but got medieval market village instead.  I might buy it eventually, but the price and size (because I have no more room) keeps me from pulling the trigger.  Oh, and one of your horses is broken in the last video .

[Svelte]

LegoLyons, on Jul 11 2009, 08:25 PM, said:

How long did it take to build?  I would love one of these sets.  Great review, pictures and videos. T hanks.

I don't know exactly; a while! I built it over 5 nights. The first night I just unpacked everything and sorted it into bags. I worked on it a few hours each night after that. I don't like to build if I'm tired or not enjoying it, so it was done at a fairly relaxed pace.

Alywin, on Jul 11 2009, 08:29 PM, said:

The thing moves much faster than I expect!  Is it possible to adjust its speed?

Your new toy has spun so fast that one of the horses has broken its neck...      

No, it's either on or off. It does move along! That poor horsey... the connections are kind of flimsy due to some of the stud's clutching power not being too strong with 1x1 plates or cylinders, so you do have to keep an eye out for breakages. I missed that one when photographing the set! By this stage I was probably exhausted enough not to notice until it all the photography was done!

WhiteFang, on Jul 11 2009, 08:40 PM, said:

Judging from your building process, there are lots of repeated steps, and I am sure you get quite bored and kind of tedious to continue doing it.

I didn't find it too bad at all. Unlike the Taj or Eiffel Tower, you don't need to build this in a linear fashion for the most part, so you can skip back and forth - do a few jester details here, do the roof sections, and so on. Also the sections are small, so they are not too time-consuming. Not as enjoyable as the Death Star build, but definitely more fun than the Taj or Eiffel Tower.

Oky Wan Kenobi, on Jul 11 2009, 09:19 PM, said:

And you are right, I too can see different theme variations made out of this. Perhaps if I get bored sometime, I'll make an Adventures themed one with the printed tan 1x2x5 hieroglyph bricks instead of the mirrored ones and little jeeps and Anubis statues instead of the sleds and horses.

Thanks Oky Wan! I think the AFOL community will make a lot of different themed Carousels. It wouldn't be too hard to do some parts substitutions. I wouldn't mind modding one, but I think I will recover from this review first!

CP5670, on Jul 12 2009, 07:05 AM, said:

The minifigs are odd. I think the strangest one is the girl who looks pissed off. Maybe she doesn't like carousels?

Any thoughts on color quality in this set? I would especially be interested to hear anything about white and red.

I was going to include a separate subsection on parts quality, but I ran out of energy!   I am glad you asked, I may go back and add it in. Issues I noticed:
- white shows some variance - plates especially seem more creamy. The myriad of 1x1 Technic bricks with holes seemed slightly transparent, probably as the plastic at the sides of the circular hole
- both shades of bley showed slight variations between plates and bricks
- red seemed OK, the tiles show slight transparency but really there's not that much in the set
- the dark red 1x2 Technic bricks seem to have reverted to the style with the acle hole off centre (ie above the middle of the brick). I thought these had gone?
- clutching power of the 1x1 cylinders and some of the 1x1 plates a bit weak, which is unfortunate as they're used structurally for horse heads etc
- all in all, parts quality seemed quite good. No really major colour differences, which is refreshing

JimButcher, on Jul 12 2009, 11:39 AM, said:

Is that you in the bottom right of this pic?:

I don't see anything! You're hallucinating Jimbee!   Probably took a bump on the head during that whitewater expedition, maybe?

kaka1987, on Jul 12 2009, 01:51 PM, said:

but please considered not be stereotyping and blame the peel off of the sticker sheet is because of "MADE IN CHINA"

that is quite offending as there are people from different country.

Actually, I was praising the parts made in China as they come well-packed and neatly bagged. I don't think the stickers are made there, that's the problem

[def]

I'd really like this.  It looks really mature for a Lego set.  Thanks for the fantastically deep review  

[pedro]

Perfect review Svelte. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and found myslelf whistling the lullaby by the end! Thanks a lot for putting so much time and effort into it, it's much appreciated.

I think this is an absolutely charming set, it looks beautiful and full of fun. I agree with you opinions about the minifig choice, LEGO could have been a bit more creative, especially with all the new headprints and hair moulds there are now. Saying that, anyone who's serious enough about LEGO to buy this is bound to have a fair colletion of cool minifigs that can take a ride on the carousel... even taun-tauns can have a go!

If I had a lot more cash I might consider buying this. In fact, my birthday is coming up and I've suggested a cheeky few LEGO items; this isn't one of them however... it's pretty expensive.... and I think I'll just appreciate it as much as I can from your picturs and videos, Svetle!

Edited by pedro, 12 July 2009 - 03:34 PM.

[CP5670]

Quote

I was going to include a separate subsection on parts quality, but I ran out of energy!   I am glad you asked, I may go back and add it in. Issues I noticed:
- white shows some variance - plates especially seem more creamy. The myriad of 1x1 Technic bricks with holes seemed slightly transparent, probably as the plastic at the sides of the circular hole
- both shades of bley showed slight variations between plates and bricks
- red seemed OK, the tiles show slight transparency but really there's not that much in the set
- the dark red 1x2 Technic bricks seem to have reverted to the style with the acle hole off centre (ie above the middle of the brick). I thought these had gone?
- clutching power of the 1x1 cylinders and some of the 1x1 plates a bit weak, which is unfortunate as they're used structurally for horse heads etc
- all in all, parts quality seemed quite good. No really major colour differences, which is refreshing

Thanks, I'll update the other thread with some of this. It sounds like white still has some issues, contrary to what I thought earlier.

The axle holes on Technic bricks are always off-center. That piece wouldn't really work properly otherwise. Have you actually seen centered ones?

[Cavannus]

Awesome review with great text and a lot of detailed photos!
I didn't vote because I won't buy this set -- and maybe I'll regret it later ;)

[dunamis]

Wow, what an amazing review, one of the best I have ever read!

I was kind of partly cloudy on this set but might be temped to pick it up now.  I agree with your assessment on the minifigs, what a poor assortment!

Thanks again for taking the time to write such an interesting and enjoyable review!

[Raven Brickroft]

Interesting build and parts (for me anyways). Love the music. Haha.

Poor minifig selection. Just how many flannel shirt guys can we take?

I noticed one of the horse's head was decapitated in one of the vids.  

[Svelte]

Raven Brickroft, on Jul 13 2009, 09:37 AM, said:

I noticed one of the horse's head was decapitated in one of the vids.  

That poor decapitated horsey! I'll never live it down.

If I get a chance in the next day or two I will retake the video.

[Tom Bricks]

Great review, you could advertise anything with one of these reviews and make me want to buy it. The minifig selection is the only negative but the colors in this set are brilliant.  

[OnHiatus]

Svelte, you have gone above and beyond with this review. I felt like I was building the set myself as I read the review. I was surprised at the lack of technic used in this set (a good thing to me). Now I can spend the day regretting not purchasing this when it was at the cheaper price. I guess I can wait 12 months for it to make it as an exclusive somewhere.

Anyway, a huge thanks for your time and effort with this review!

[Strandee]

Svelte,

Your review was excellent!   I just finished building this in one sitting yesterday and I noticed someone asking about how long it takes to build.   So, as a single data point it took me somewhere around 8-9 hours with little to no breaks.  Similar to the review - I was a little dismayed when I opened the box and didn't find numbered parts bags but I didn't spend any sorting time at the beginning.  The technique that works best for me is to dump the bags in little piles and then as the build goes along I easily remember where certain parts are.  This requires a large table, though...

I built this set for someone else, and I plan on buying one myself so I guess you could say I love it!  

Eric

[Princess Muttonchops]

Did you have to do such a brilliant review Svelte?  I wanted this set badly enough before, but now it's like "we've got to get this set man I mean walrus!"  The stickers for the horses' eyes are a bit weird...I guess they offer a range of personalities, though they all seem to be verging on some form of insanity.  The sound and motion is spectacular, watching the clip gave me flashbacks!

[Svelte]

Walrus Keeper, on Jul 13 2009, 06:40 PM, said:

Did you have to do such a brilliant review Svelte?  I wanted this set badly enough before, but now it's like "we've got to get this set man I mean walrus!"  The stickers for the horses' eyes are a bit weird...I guess they offer a range of personalities, though they all seem to be verging on some form of insanity.  The sound and motion is spectacular, watching the clip gave me flashbacks!

It's definitely a family-friendly set!

The Walrus has intimated its on his wishlist, so hopefully it will be in Myer or another retailer on sale for Xmas

[Sinner]

Thanks for another great review! When I saw how this was put together I expected the rotation to be a lot rougher, but the turntable design seems quite smooth. If I don't end up with this I'll have to make some of it so I can at least see that part.   You'd think they'd be some horrid part wear...

I loved the Gladiatorial Games!  

Walrus Keeper, on Jul 13 2009, 05:40 PM, said:

Did you have to do such a brilliant review Svelte?  I wanted this set badly enough before, but now it's like "we've got to get this set man I mean walrus!"  The stickers for the horses' eyes are a bit weird...I guess they offer a range of personalities, though they all seem to be verging on some form of insanity.  The sound and motion is spectacular, watching the clip gave me flashbacks!

**Mental note; increase hinting level from 4 to 5.**

[Svelte]

Siegfried, on Jul 13 2009, 09:29 PM, said:

Thanks for another great review! When I saw how this was put together I expected the rotation to be a lot rougher, but the turntable design seems quite smooth. If I don't end up with this I'll have to make some of it so I can at least see that part.   You'd think they'd be some horrid part wear...

I think most of the wear would be on the wheels... it will be interesting to see how they hold up in the new cheaper plastic. I guess that issue is true of all sets with the new tyres.

It's a simple but clever mechanism.

[Sinner]

Svelte, on Jul 13 2009, 08:48 PM, said:

I think most of the wear would be on the wheels...

I was more concerned about here...



Doesn't the 4x1 and 2x1s rub on the outer ring? If I'm wrong I really should be building the base...



It looks like they touch to me...