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Theme: Prince of Persia - The Sands of Time
Set: 7572 Quest Against Time
Pieces: 506
Price: $US49.99; $CAD69.99
Resources: Shop @ Home, Bricklink, Brickset
Introduction
The second largest set in the Prince of Persia theme doesn't seem to be looked on with much enthusiasm by AFOLs, perhaps because it doesn't have the eye-catching design of the Battle of Alamut or any of the unique animals in the smaller sets. However with 500 pieces in very useful basic bricks, this is a great value set with some fun play features. Join with me into a dark and mysterious journey into danger as explore the very lair of the Sands of Time...
** All pics link to high-res flickr versions for detail fans **
Box, Parts & Instructions
The front of the box. 506 parts is pretty good for a $US49.99 Licensed set, and it's 99% bricky goodness - only a very few Technic pieces - just one of the reasons I am loving the Prince of Persia line so much.
The side of the box again shows character names. The Hassansin leader is called 'Zolm', which sounds like the noise a brass gong makes when hit. Maybe that's why he's hiding out in a desert cave with snake friends who can't call out his name mockingly.'ZOOOOOOOOLMMMM!'
The back of the box shows all the traps and tribulations Dastan will face whilst Princess Tamina stands at the entrance looking impatient! (And beautiful.)
Two instruction books, with the usual US-printed colour issues. In Book 1, dark bley looks black and in Book 2, it looks light bley!
Some poster art from the back of the book. Oddly this echoes the actual promo pic from the Jan Aus/ NZ catalogue, except that was built with real bricks. Maybe they render and CGI-fiddled with it afterwards. This is a nice call-back to the Indy line which had similar stylised art.
Random instruction page showing the front section. The shape of the lovely gate is actually obscured by all the rocky stuff and traps which is added later, but it's a nicely executed and very architecturally-different little mini-model in itself.
People interested in the parts inventory look here - Page 1 Page 2
There are 5 polybags, no loose parts.
This is the first LEGO set I've ever seen where *just* the minifigs get a whole bag unto themselves. I wonder why this is?
All 500+ lovely parts spilled out seductively. The primary accents are dark bley, dark tan, and medium nougat, with smatterings of trans-yellow and tan. (There are also lots of the new 1x1 brick with stud on 1 side in black, but I didn't notice these until I was building
)
Lots of trans-yellow parts with some plates and 1 round brick. Glowy!
More dark brown spears, carrot torch, and some nice gold pieces. We also get an extra Dagger in this set.
In medium nougat, we receive 6 arches, some bricks, and 2 exclusive Lion head pieces.
Lots of dark tan 8x8 plates and some tiles.
Minifigs!
Dastan and Tamina - we've seen these 2 already.
Zolm the snake-wielding Hassansin Leader has milky, blinded eyes. Spooky-do! This set would have been more appealing to collectors if they didn't dump him in a magnet set too.
The head in full and the torso print. No rear printing on the head or torso.
The Nizam has golden-embroided long robe with rear printing on the back of his torso. Beautiful print! Dastan does look like a scruffy scrubber next tio the sharp-featured Nizam, I'd probably give him the Dagger of Time too!
The Build - Part 1 - Gate section
The first section to be completed is this spiky-edged gate with accents of gold and medium nougat - a visually impressive treat in itself - I would quite like to see a whole set done in this harder, more menacing architectural style than what we see in the Battle of Alamut set.
The wooden spikes don't do anything apart from turn - maybe this is in the movie since they don't act as a trap here.
As you pass through the gate, beware a swinging scimitar which scythes southwards! The Technic pins connect this section of the build to the rear module.
There are two traps on either side of the front of this playset. Both are activated by pushing the curved submodel on the right of this picture into the model. It only moves forward one stud but they do work very smoothly. The dark tan 2 x2 tiles with 1 stud are there for 'parkour' play and are actually pretty good for holding your fig in position just strongly enough to be knocked over or beheaded!
When you push the bley section as marked by the red arrow, two swords swing down and shred the foolish victim. GAME OVER!
The bloody blade! Again, pushing the area marked by the red arrow flips the blade solidly down into the middle of the main model.
GAME OVER, Dastan! Mwahaahah!
Build Part 2 - Rear section
The second part of the build constructs the rear section of the set. There are only 2 of those rocky mini-BURPs in this set
The trap here is a 4x4 plate which sits on only a few studs and which can easily be flipped up by pressing a 2x4 bley tile downwards. 
GAME OVER , Tamina!
The finished penultimate submodel. A random skele head and torch add some detail. I do really like all the rocky detail included in this set. Look at all those dark bley slopes and cheese! The similarly-themed subterranean 7199 Temple of Doom minecar chase set suffered from having too many colours and no real consistency in design - this set looks a lot more naturalistic and useful for MOCers. Pirates and Castle fans will love it as a source of basic dark bley for mountainous landscapes
Nizam helpfully indicates where the final submodel will sit, surrounded by modified plates for easy removal.
And here we go. The final submodel contains the Power Function brick and lots of yellow, representing the Sands of Time (I'm guessing)! There are splashes of medium nougat too.
The Sands of Time a-glow! This is a great feature for a $US50 Licensed set and I bet kids will love it. When the Dagger of Time is pushed into a 1x1 Technic brick, the Power Function brick lights up in this beautiful display. The light stays on when you leave the Dagger in, too, unlike other models where you personally have to depress the light brick to keep it going.
A darker and more sinister view. The yellow glow represents the swirling miasma of the mysterious Sands of Time!
The finished model
(I recommend clicking for larger versions of these pics; they look much better this way
)The finished model is one continuous cave, unlike the box art, which has broken it up to show more detail. It is a lot less random-looking and probably more appealing arranged this way, I have to say.
Looking up from ground level at the entrance to the cave shows just how far Dastan has to travel to reach the Nizam.
The size of the model is pretty good in my opinion - not too long (like the Temple of Doom mine car set which is difficult to display) and with the right amount of detail for its size. The play features are all pretty good, work well and are easily re-setted for repeat enjoyment. GAME ON!
Rear view. There is some empty storage space below the Sands of Time model, but there are a few rocks here too, which is a nice touch. Maybe the Nizam has a chillout lounge down here.
Side view!
Finally, extra parts. I missed a few spots where the dark bley was meant to go, and added them after taking this pic
Conclusion
Minifigs - 8/10 - the only unique minifig here is Zolm the Hassansin Leader, and he's available in a magnet set. This is the only other set to feature Tamina and I don't mind having an extra Nizam with his gold disco duds.
Parts: 9/10 - A MOCer's delight! A treasure trove of dark bley slopes and cheese, with generous helpings of other colours too. The medium nougat lion heads are exclusive to this set. Maybe a bit dull if you already have lots of rocky parts, but I imagine Pirates and Castles fans will enjoy this set!
Build: The traps are all well executed (haha!) and there are some fun techniques which you could replicated in your own creations. The light-up feature is a big bonus and the dark tan 2x2 tiles with 1 stud really do help minifig poseability for parkour play!
Overall Rating: 8.5/10. Like a lot of others, I found this the most visually unappealing of all the sets, but what it lacks in unique design or animals, it more than makes up for in parts and playability. I couldn't imagine getting all the other sets and not this - it really does add a different locale to the Prince of Persia LEGO universe of desert traps, mad markets, and the Alamut fortress
) but also you MOC´ers 
