Review: 3542 Flip Shot

[Dunjohn]

Being on holidays in small beach towns can mean only one thing: Strange old sets in pokey little shops! This isn't particularly old, but it's certainly odd. I hope I'm putting this in the right forum. It certainly doesn't feel "Town" enough like the other Sports sets.

Set Name: Flip Shot

Set Number: 3542

Theme: Lego Sports - Ice Hockey

Year Released: 2003

Number of Pieces: 46

Price: €8.49 (probably less in other shops; this place's prices were nuts)

Apologies in advance for some of the photo quality. I didn't have a great setup in the holiday apartment.

BOX & BOOKS:

Flip Shot and friends came in Bionicle-style pods that could double as sports bottles, which is nifty, I suppose. There's a slightly sportier design moulded into the pod that's visible once you rip the paper off, but it still looks kinda cheap. I forgot to take a photo of it.

The back features instructions for the puck-hitting functionality, which TLG managed to squeeze into just three steps. And to make sure that no kid is too stupid to get maximum benefits from the product, there are even instructions for how to fill the pod with water and then drink the water, which TLG again manages to shave down to just three parts.

I'll be damned if that germ colony is ever getting near my mouth.

Inside is the instructions booklet and DSS. The booklet features that same irritating, grainy, multi-screen effect that blights the entire Sports line and obscures a fairly nicely-arranged action shot. I didn't apply the stickers.

The first couple of pages show off the unique features of each Hockeybot, and suggest some truly baffling game ideas. The four hockey players have different-shaped stick heads that affect the puck differently. Flip Shot specialises in chipping it into the air. Is that even legal in ice hockey? I know pretty much nothing about the sport (it's like water polo without the horses, right?)

There are a lot of ads towards the back for the other Sports sets.

For some reason, the final three pages are printed upside-down. That's a combination model in the top corner, that has pretty pretty much zero differences from the base model other than ridiculous layers of armour. The drinking instructions provide me with twenty-eight new ways to say "clean before use:" perfect for next year's holiday.

Moving on...

THE BUILD:

Here are all the parts. That square white thing at the bottom is a spring box that provides some snapback to the hockey stick.

That weird white thing in the middle isn't attached to anything; for the moment, it's just sitting there. To maneuvre it into place, the instructions told me to attach it to the black Technic axle, which is then removed, and used later as the hockey dude's spine. It's the first time I've ever seen a single part perform two roles in a set's instructions, and I thought it was pretty cool.

Then you take this other weird white thing...

...jam it in there...

...and twist it so it slots in beneath the first weird white thing, lifting it up and down.

Then you attach the spring box and hockey stick so that the "up" position is the default. The hockey dude's spine attaches to the first weird white thing, so slamming his head down will twist the second weird white thing out, swinging the stick.

Et voila. The big stupid eejit is finished and ready to hit the ice. I chose this face mask because it was already broken off the sprue when I opened the pod. That's right - the Parts Square photo above is a lie! FOOLS!

The spares. Well, I suppose the second puck isn't really spare, but my limited knowledge of the rules of ice hockey tell me that you're only supposed to have one on the ball court.

I think I like the top mask best. That's what Star Trek's Geordie LaForge would be like if he were a robotic ice hockey gorilla with no limbs. I want you all to take a good, long look at the bottom one. That's right. You can never unsee that now, can you?

IN CONCLUSION:

Hmm. There's just something conceptually wrong with this guy. He reminds me of those MOCs of mine that exploded in the hanger because the central inspiration for them simply demanded too much of the model to really be viable. The slammer mechanic requires him to be very stable, which means he's little more than a square box that doesn't do a whole lot. This guy has no limbs. Let's be clear on that. No arms, no legs, not much neck. He apparently holds his hockey stick using one of those groin attachments like Kryten has in Red Dwarf. He can't move. All this guy is, is a slammer toy. I'm kinda making a mockery of the term "Action Figure Forum" but there's nowhere else for him to go. And he's ugly.

Design: 3/10: Unfortunately, it's rather crippled by the slammer mechanic, resulting in something that's too ugly to display and to restrictive to be much fun. The faces are interesting but somewhat creepy. The slammer mechanic itself is okay, though the puck doesn't get much distance and I can't really imagine how you'd simulate a game of ice hockey with this guy. Definitely the oddballs of the Sports theme.

Parts: 7/10: A mix of basic Technic parts and Bionicle-style elements that aren't overly-specialised, meaning they're easy to reuse. Even the two weird white things could be used in other capacities. And getting three masks was nice.

Build: 7/10: The large blue torso part takes a lot of the workload, meaning that aside from the slammer assembly, you're mainly just adding detail. There were still a good few interesting things to be done during the process.

Playability: 4/10: You could probably entertain yourself for a few minutes after building it, maybe terrorise the cat a little, but after that? It's parts.

Price: N/A: I'm gonna skip this one because I know I got ripped off here; the store I got it in is known for being on the expensive side, so this was probably €6.99 at launch and should have come down a lot since. I was happy enough to satisfy my curiosity with holiday money that I didn't have much else to spend on.

OVERALL: 30%. I'd love to hear the opinions of anyone who did enjoy this line, because I'm sure it has its fans. I didn't get anything out of it, though. It's restrictive, clunky, harsh on the eye, and completely out of step with the other Sports lines like Basketball and Soccer.

Thanks for reading!

Fits back in the box, fully assembled

- Dunjohn

Edited September 3, 2010 by 3D Brickthing
Indexed!

[Phantoka_Chirox]

I had one of this when i was like 12 and I was stupid enough to use the canister as a sports bottle, and I got a fever/diarrhea :D

Edited August 30, 2010 by Phantoka_Chirox

[VBBN]

Thanks for the review! It's good to see some out-of-the-ordinary figures being reviewed,

I must say, while these figures were clever, they were really limited in terms of what you could do with the junorized parts, the torso block is especially annoying.

[Captain M]

I had one of this when i was like 12 and I was stupid enough to use the canister as a sports bottle, and I got a fever/diarrhea :D

Isn't that a health hazard? Shouldn't there be a caution image saying you should wash it before using it?

[Dunjohn]

Isn't that a health hazard? Shouldn't there be a caution image saying you should wash it before using it?

If only they'd printed it in 29 other languages instead of 28!

[Phantoka_Chirox]

Isn't that a health hazard? Shouldn't there be a caution image saying you should wash it before using it?

Well yeah I washed the canister, but still..

[Brickthing]

Thanks for this review! I had to add a new post to the index, but this is indeed the place for Hockey action figures slammers. I never got one of these sets new, even though were in stores for years and ended up being marked down to around 1/3 RRP, but I've got a few Hockey parts in second-hand deals over the years. It's nice to see how the obscure pieces actually fit together, and the tricks the instructions suggest you do.

The back features instructions for the puck-hitting functionality, which TLG managed to squeeze into just three steps. And to make sure that no kid is too stupid to get maximum benefits from the product, there are even instructions for how to fill the pod with water and then drink the water, which TLG again manages to shave down to just three parts.

There were probably complaints in the testing stages that kids burnt themselves drinking water hotter than 65 degrees C.

That's a combination model in the top corner, that has pretty pretty much zero differences from the base model other than ridiculous layers of armour.

Layers of armour everywhere except the chest! I'll give it credit because it at least resembles something sensible, unlike some of BIONICLE's combiners...

I'm kinda making a mockery of the term "Action Figure Forum" but there's nowhere else for him to go. And he's ugly.

You're ugly!

Well yeah I washed the canister, but still..

How did you get sick from a container that originally contained plastic even after washing it?

[Zennia Jorra: Toa of Slush]

I remember these things. These things were the worst. xD

I've never seen the pieces laid out like that, though. I didn't realize there was a Matoran head beneath those hideous face-masks. This is the worst... these crappy puck-slappers are just Matoran in disguise. Hideous, deformed Matoran.

Seriously, this is the worst.

I want you all to take a good, long look at the bottom one. That's right. You can never unsee that now, can you?

Damn you!! D<

~Slushie

[prateek]

I have this set, and I must say, I really like it. As a toy and nothing else. The pieces are useless (save the regular Technic pins and such). The action actually works pretty well, and I managed to fling a puck 3 feet in the air once.

[Dunjohn]

Layers of armour everywhere except the chest!

I hadn't even noticed that

[prateek]

BTW, the second step in the water bottle process says to wash the canister in water no hotter than 65 degrees