Flipz Posted May 28, 2012 Posted May 28, 2012 In celebration of my 2,000th post and my rise to Duke-dom, I formally present...my first review! Well, it's summertime, which means it's time for something we've all been waiting for...brand-new sets! And to get us in the spirit of summer, the Collectible Series Surfer Dude, Surfer Girl, and Hula Girl are having a beachside barbeque in this special set--and you're invited! Join us for a day of sun, sand, surfing, and...chicken drumsticks. (Ah, well, not everything can start with an 's'. ) Set Name: CMF Beach Set Theme: Minifigures / Town Year: 2012 Pieces: 63 Minifigs: 3 Price: USD$14.99 (USD$0.24 per piece) Links: [bricklink] [brickset] [Flickr Set] Of all the minifigures from Series 1 and 2 that I missed, I most regret missing the Zombie from Series 1 (for obvious reasons) and the Surfer Dude from Series 2 (for his bare chest torso in classic yellow. Why do I need a bare chest? Um...no reason... ). I had originally planned on grabbing a S7 Ocean King for the bare chest torso, but when I saw this set in line at the checkout for the Anaheim LEGO Store grand opening, I just knew I had to have it. Well, I'm itching to open this, and I'm sure you are too, so let's have at it! The Box Unlike most sets, this box is made of clear plastic, with images printed on it. Here we have the GIANT!Surfer Dude riding a wave above...himself? Apparently, he and his friends are about to get rather wet! Back on the beach, the Surfer Girl is enjoying dinner and a show. (Some luau; where are all the other dancers? ) The Surfer Dude had better come ashore quick, before he misses the party! I must say, I really like the minifigs being packed in the clear plastic tray, visible for all to see. I know it hikes the price of the set up, but it looks nice, and harkens back to the earlier days when the flagship sets of each theme would often get a flip-up front panel, revealing a display tray underneath. Good times... The pretty sunset backdrop is nice as well, it really reminds me a lot of the old Paradisa sets I enjoyed so much as a kid. The back of the box repeats the beach scene from the front, but moves the surfer to a more reasonable scale and position. the time seems to have magically turned back to mid-day--what strange magic is this?! For some reason the Surfer Girl and Hula Girl have decided to write a bunch of safety and legal information in the sand--I don't know what made them decide to do that ( ), but it's about as appreciated as it always is. As you can see, I left the price sticker on, just to be sure I didn't mess up the box--it really is quite pretty. As I went to open the box, I discovered that the bottom had been taped; not only was the bottom flap itself taped shut, but the inner plastic tray itself was taped to the two inner flaps on the bottom, preventing someone from sliding it out the top without first addressing the additional adhesive. Perhaps pilfering pickpockets propmted this packaging puzzle. The Contents Inside, we have the clear plastic tray and...what's this? That gorgeous backdrop is removable?!? All of the other parts, as well as the instruction book, are tucked neatly away at the bottom of the tray, hidden behind the lower beach scene when the tray is in the box. Aside from the (incredible!) backdrop, we have three minifigures, pre-built, along with their accessories, the instruction booklet, and a bag of parts. The Minifigs The three minifigs included in this kit are as beautiful and handy now as when they were first released. From left to right, we have the Series 3 Hula Girl, the Series 2 Surfer Dude, and the Series 4 Surfer Girl. The Surfer Dude is, obviously, the main draw of the set, with his perfectly chiseled abs, wavy blond hair, and ruggedly handsome face... Er, um...I mean... The Surfer Girl from Series 4 is no less attractive; her swimsuit is surprisingly handy for sci-fi, and her face and hair are generic enough to be used virtually anywhere, yet both are still different enough from the bland "basic" female face and hair options that were overused for so many years. The Hula Girl, I feel, is underappreciated among the CMFs, just because she was a part of the much-maligned Series 3. Say what you will about the characters themselves, but I've found more uses for individual Series 3 parts than I have for any other Collectible Minifig Series to date. The Hula Girl's grinning face is full of personality and that unique LEGO Charm, and her hair comes printed with a nice flower design--a great way to add a little bit of extra character to a figure. And let us not forget the grass skirt, which opened the door to more cloth leg items (including the cloth kama in the recent Star Wars ARC Trooper battle pack), and the maracas, the uses of which are only limited by one's imagination; after all, unlike the Mexican's maracas, these are not printed with a specific design and are in a fairly neutral color. The Instructions The instructions have the same image as the back of the box. They are bent in half, as usual, but at least this time, there's an excuse--they literally wouldn't fit in the box if they weren't folded (or else they would obscure the pretty backdrop--neither option is particularly appealing). Note that the instructions show steps on how to build the minifigs, even though they come pre-assembled. Random instructions page--the barbecue grill is the most complex part of the build, and even it is extremely simple. I find it inordinately hilarious that a five-piece bench with two accessories requires three full steps to build--especially when the bananas don't attach to any connection points! The Parts The parts all come in a single plastic bag. Note that this is a softer, thicker plastic than most LEGO bags, but alas, it is not a resealable bag as I had initially hoped. Upon dumping everything out, we have a handful of pieces. Dark parts: Most of these pieces are fairly common, but they're nothing to sneeze at. It's hard to tell from the picture, but those grille pieces are actually pearl silver. There are also two turkey drumsticks that I forgot to include in the photo. Light parts: Again, nothing earth-shattering, but not that bad. I'm sure the white clam has been used a dozen times before, but it's the first one I've recieved, and the first clam I've had period since the Gungan Swamp from the first wave of Star Wars Episode 1 sets. Speaking of Star Wars, I can always, ALWAYS use an extra lightsaber hilt. The gray slopes are, of course, rather common, but they're useful for lots of things as well, so I'm not complaining. Pieces of interest: Naturally, the silver grilles are here, as is the clam; the tan 4x4 is here mostly because I have limited supplies of tan and thus am extremely appreciative when I can get my hands on it in almost any form. Palm leaves are palm leaves and the parrot is a parrot, these aren't the particularly rare parts you're looking for, move along. The log bricks are cool too, even if they aren't that rare. I also added the turkey drumsticks I missed before. The Build: The build was so simple for each of these that it would be a waste to show it; there's a grand total of five pieces in the entire set that aren't visible on the front of the package, and all but one of them can be figured out by mirroring the side of the grill that is visible. (If you're wondering, the yellow 2x2 goes in the middle of the grill, in between the clips at either end, the black 2x4 is placed atop them and the rest of the grill is built on top of that; it's not exactly hard to figure out with the set in your hands, though.) The grill is the most interesting and complex part of the build; it's not rocket science, but it is clever, given the limited number of parts. The rest of the furniture is so basic as to be beneath mention. Do note that there were NO spare parts in my set; I don't know if this is intentional, or if one 1x1 stud was somehow missed during packaging. It's not a big deal, either way. The Set At the end of the day (literally, if the backdrop is any indication ), we're left with a simple grill, a very simple rock/bush thing, and a rediculously simple bench/table/banana stand pedestal shrine. While the grill is oddly mesmerizing and fun to play with, the rest of the set is firmly within "meh" territory; my most interesting moment with the set was when I cast Hula Girl as Demonic High Priest of the Cult of the Cosmic Plantain, and had her attempt to sacrifice Surfer Girl to the Twin Banana Gods. Incidentally, I am no longer allowed to consume sugar prior to unboxing a set for review. Summary: Price: 7/10 - At $.24 per piece, this is a VERY expensive set as far as parts are concerned; however, when shipping and the like are considered, it's a great value for the Collectible Series minifigs. I would have liked to have seen some kind of play feature or another minifig (or even just some more pieces) for the price, though. Minifigures: 10/10 - Most people would probably put this lower because of Surfer Girl and Hula Girl, but I stand by my girls. Both are great minifigs who are really underrated, in my opinion. Playability: 3 4/10 - There just is not a lot to do with this set. If this were intended as a display set, I could understand it, but this is by NO means a display piece. 3 points for swooshing around the surfers on their boards, and a fourth "bonus" point for my impromptu play session. Build: 2/10 - I'm in a generous mood, so I'll give the grill/sacrificial altar some credit instead of ranking this a 0. Design: 7/10 - Despite the extremely rudimentary nature of the build, I have to admit it's designed well. Even the funky rock thing is a decent background element with a tiny number of pieces. Most of this stuff will probably see use as filler in backgrounds and such in the future. Speaking of backgrounds, the cardboard backdrop included with the set also helps its score here. Overall Score: 30/50 Overall, despite my complaints and the lackluster nature of the build side of the set, I feel this one was worth the price of admission. Surfer Dude is amazing as always, the grill is clever, the other two minifigs are quite decent, and if nothing else the rest is spare parts and/or filer for other builds. Pick one up next time you stop by the LEGO Store! Fun Stuff: Yeah...this is why they won't let me back in Hawaii. Demonic High Priest Hula prepares her virgin sacrifice...can Ozzyana Jones the Surfer Dude stop her?! Quote
The_Customizer Posted May 28, 2012 Posted May 28, 2012 At the end of the day (literally, if the backdrop is any indication ), we're left with a simple grill, a very simple rock/bush thing, and a rediculously simple bench/table/banana stand pedestal shrine. While the grill is oddly mesmerizing and fun to play with, the rest of the set is firmly within "meh" territory; my most interesting moment with the set was when I cast Hula Girl as Demonic High Priest of the Cult of the Cosmic Plantain, and had her attempt to sacrifice Surfer Girl to the Twin Banana Gods. Incidentally, I am no longer allowed to consume sugar prior to unboxing a set for review. <snip> Demonic High Priest Hula prepares her virgin sacrifice...can Ozzyana Jones the Surfer Dude stop her?! My gosh, this review was very well made, and I simply couldn't stop laughing when I read the part with the priest and all that. It made have been caused by my large of amount of sugar previously eaten, thereby proving that sugar is not good for reviews, nor for reading them. Quote
CMP Posted May 28, 2012 Posted May 28, 2012 Interesting set. Not sure if it's for me, but I downright love the concept. :thumbup: Nice review, too. Quote
Arigomi Posted May 28, 2012 Posted May 28, 2012 That was a fun review. I'm certainly interested since I missed out on these CMF series. These particular minifigures had really great printing details. I think it does a better job than 853195 Brick Calendar at a CMF reissue. The Brick Calendar was simply a harder sell. The CMF Beach Set offers more minifigs and accessories for the same price. The piece count isn't as good as the calendar but you aren't dealing with very many basic bricks in this set either. Quote
Aanchir Posted May 28, 2012 Posted May 28, 2012 That was a fun review. I'm certainly interested since I missed out on these CMF series. These particular minifigures had really great printing details. I think it does a better job than 853195 Brick Calendar at a CMF reissue. The Brick Calendar was simply a harder sell. The CMF Beach Set offers more minifigs and accessories for the same price. The piece count isn't as good as the calendar but you aren't dealing with very many basic bricks in this set either. I kind of disagree, because I bought the Brick Calendar primarily for the calendar itself, not the figs. The figs were a nice bonus, but a bunch of uniquely-printed calendar bricks were too good to pass up. In contrast, this set is very nicely-designed and great for people who missed out on these minifigures, but I don't fall into that category. Incidentally, does the instruction booklet have a parts list in the back, and can you take a picture of it? I've been collecting service.LEGO.com part images from the Collectible Minifigures since I discovered that the Brick Calendar's instruction booklet included element IDs. Quote
Graysmith Posted May 28, 2012 Posted May 28, 2012 I don't know why I like this set as much as I do. I guess it's just that Hawaii vibe of it, which is so much different from what we usually get from LEGO sets. I don't own any of these three CMFs either, so I'd definitely want to pick it up (even if it's ridiculously overpriced). Quote
JopieK Posted May 28, 2012 Posted May 28, 2012 Quite a nice set, congrats on your promotion and a very nice review! Quote
just2good Posted May 28, 2012 Posted May 28, 2012 Excellent review, 'Flipz'! I think this is way better than the LEGO VIP exclusive CMF set, and LEGO hyped that one up way more than they did with this set. I don't have any of the Surfer CMFs, so this is great for me! Quote
Writers Blocks Posted June 7, 2012 Posted June 7, 2012 Awesome! I love that LEGO is re-releasing the Collectable Minifigures and expanding the Minifigures theme. Quote
Blondie-Wan Posted June 7, 2012 Posted June 7, 2012 I don't know why I like this set as much as I do. I guess it's just that Hawaii vibe of it, which is so much different from what we usually get from LEGO sets. I don't own any of these three CMFs either, so I'd definitely want to pick it up (even if it's ridiculously overpriced). And I'll go a step further and say I don't even think it's ridiculously overpriced. Seriously - it's a set with three human minifigures, all of whom are "rare" and extensively printed, along with animals (all single-piece, but one pretty uncommon and another in blended colors), and two printed surfboards. All that stuff would normally make a set at least $10 nowadays, perhaps more (the piece count is also higher than that of many / most other $10-$11 sets with three or more minifigures). If the minifigures hadn't all previously appeared in the Minifigures line, people would be dying for this, I think. Quote
drdavewatford Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 Late to the party, but I just wanted to commend you on the outstanding review - love the focus on the packaging as well as the contents, and the humour in your review. I picked this set up a couple of days ago and agree it's beautifully bolted together - the whole is definitely more than the sum of the parts. Cheers, D. Quote
Plastic Brick Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 (edited) For the Portion of all that is in the set, why would it be 14.99? I would see it has 4.99. But it is kinda interesting. Edited June 16, 2012 by Plastic Brick Quote
Ogre Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 Though I like being able to see the figures and all that, I'm surprised that LEGO took this particular packaging route with this set and the new Ninjago card shrine. I thought that REDUCING packaging was all the rage these days? Anyway, aside from that...I do like this set and I think it's a good assortment of figures and cute extras...but, that price tag ($15.49 here in Canada) is wicked steep, IMO. I know it's the same price as the new VIP CMF set (five figs) and the City Accessory Pack (four figs and a burning bush) but, I think those are overpriced, too, though the VIP set comes closest to the best value, considering it's just over $3 per fig and those figs sold at retail for $2.99CDN when they came out. I may still pick one of these up though, if the price drops a bit... Quote
Blondie-Wan Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 For the Portion of all that is in the set, why would it be 14.99? I would see it has 4.99. But it is kinda interesting. What, seriously? Pfft. There's no way an official set containing just those three minifigures alone would have such a low price, never mind with all the other elements (and that includes their accessories). Heck, those three figures in their original Minifigures releases would have a combined MSRP of $8.97; in that form they'd also have the 3x4 bases (and the packaging, with the little leaflet-posters), but this has all those other bricks instead. Also, this comes with the three minifigures preassembled. Granted, that's not necessarily how we like our sets to come, but it is a legitimate reason this carries a higher price, as it's almost certainly costlier for TLG to put the figures together and pack them into the form-fitted plastic blister than it would be to just dump their loose parts into the packaging alongside the other elements (not to mention there are probably a few AFOLs who, lacking the eensy fingers of TLG's usual target demographic, might be willing to pay an additional premium as a convenience fee for not having to put on the Hula Girl's skirt themselves ). Quote
The Blue Brick Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 I really like this set. I bought it mainly for the surfer dude and to use as a display piece. I also love the backdrop. Quote
Bricksan Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 I probably would not have bought this set, had I not needed the 3 minifigures for my beach layout as part of my City Project. I already had them for my CMF collection and the chance to buy all 3 for £9.50 was too good to miss. I got it yesterday with 5% off as well. The BBQ is really cool but not sure about the rocks and leafs though. Nice review as well. Quote
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