[REVIEW] 70826 - Rex's Rex-treme Offroader!

[makoy]

Do you agree that 2019 is shaping to be a better year than 2018? We are greeted with many promising sets in the first half of the year, and oh boy, January isn't over yet. I hope you enjoy my 19th RA review: 70826 - Rex's Rex-treme Offroader!

Overview

Name: 70826 - Rex's Rex-treme Offroader!
Theme: The LEGO Movie 2
Year: 2019 (1H)
Pieces: 236
Minifigures: 2 (3, if you include the buildable figure)
Price: USD 29.99 / EUR 29.99 / GBP 24.99 / SGD 49.99 / MYR 149.90

 

Official set description

Display your master-building versatility when you rebuild the 3-in-1 THE LEGO® MOVIE 2™ 70826 Rex’s Rex-treme Offroader and Recon Rex-o-saurus into the Rex-o-saurus Quad or Execu-Rex-o-saurus. The offroader seats 2 minifigures and has a rotating rear turret with 2 stud shooters, while the Recon Rex-o-saurus features snapping jaws, posable legs, 2 stud shooters and a buildable removable gun (non-shooting) that can also be used as a minifigure weapon. This awesome playset includes 2 minifigures and a buildable Plantimal figure to recreate action-packed scenes from THE LEGO MOVIE 2.

• Includes 3 THE LEGO® MOVIE 2™ characters: new-for-January-2019 Emmet and Rex minifigures, plus a buildable Plantimal figure.
• Features Rex’s 3-in-1 Rex-treme Offroader that can be rebuilt with the Recon Rex-o-saurus to create the Rex-o-saurus Quad or Execu-Rex-o-saurus.
• Rex's Rex-treme Offroader features a dual minifigure cockpit and rotating rear turret with 2 stud shooters.
• The Recon Rex-o-saurus features snapping jaws, posable legs, 2 stud shooters and a buildable removable gun (non-shooting).
• Remove the gun from the Recon Rex-o-saurus and use it as Rex’s weapon.
• Accessory elements include Emmet’s flashlight and Rex’s mug and briefcase.
• Recreate fun-packed scenes from THE LEGO® MOVIE 2™ with this cool construction toy.
• Rex's Rex-treme Offroader measures over 2” (6cm) high, 5” (14cm) long and 2” (7cm) wide.
• Recon Rex-o-saurus measures over 3” (10cm) high, 5” (13cm) long and 1” (5cm) wide.
• Rex-o-saurus Quad measures over 3” (8cm) high, 5” (14cm) long and 2” (7cm) wide.
• Execu-Rex-o-saurus measures over 2” (7cm) high, 5” (13cm) long and 3” (9cm) wide.

 

Introduction

Is anyone excited for The LEGO Movie 2? I know I am. One of the few notable appearance is the new character  called Rex so immediately after the trailers, I decided to get at least one LEGO set with Rex in it. And so I did.

Another factor why I decided to buy this set is because I don't have much dinosaur. The blue raptor is a great addition to my collection and the build looks promising. Now, let's get it on!

The front panel showcases entire build including the plantimal build. It also says "3 in 1" which is a great way to make a variety of builds in one set. I really miss the good old days when sets just show alternative build at the back. A large portion of the box is covered by The LEGO Movie 2 logo with 4 of its major characters prominently displayed in the box art.

The back panel shows the other 2 builds and several play features with the main build. 

 

The side box panel just show the 2 minifigures included in the set namely Emmet and Rex.

 

The narrower side panel of the box show a confident Rex and scared Emmet riding the Rex-treme Offroader. 

 

Unboxing the contents

Inside the box, we get 3 plastic bags with bricks and another plastic bag with the raptor parts. This typical. There is also 1 sticker sheet which I won't apply as usual. 

Here are the all parts once all the plastic bags are opened.

Build

This set is a 3-in-1 set so I will start with the smallest build first and then progressively work towards the main build.

 

Build # 1: Execu-Rex-o-saurus

This is what you get for the first build. You just add minimal parts onto the raptor's body, augmenting the raptor hands  with the ball joints and clip so that it could hold a cup and a briefcase.

I like the build because who doesn't like an executive raptor? Does it look more respectable than Emmet with those mug and briefcase? 

Frankly, it looks like a prank when you see what's left of the building parts.

 

what's left ...

 

Now, moving on the the next build...

 

Build # 2: Rex-o-saurus Quad

 

Again, using the blue raptor's body as the base, we add 4 big tires that replace the limbs of the poor raptor. I could say it is more than a machine than a dinosaur with this build. Perhaps you could imagine that those wheels are wearable and there are space where the raptor could fit its limbs to transform it to a four-wheeler all terrain vehicle. That's something to pay attention in TLM2!

Similar to the previous build, there are too many parts left that there is a very high chance anyone can make a respectable random build out of the parts left.

There is nothing to be excited about the build. Yes, it looks fun but I think that this raptor can do just fine without the wheels.

 

Now, let's focus on the main build.

 

Build # 3: Rex’s Rex-treme Offroader and Recon Rex-o-saurus
 

After dismantling the previous builds and piecing together the required parts, we are now able to build the Rex-treme Offroader. I really like this colour scheme because the dark blue and lime green colour combination gives the build a lot of contrast.  I didn't feel the need to put on the stickers because it looks complete even without them.

On a side note, the parts selection used in the vehicle made this offroader rather smooth. Just look from top to bottom and side to side -- the exposed studs are very few. I totally dig the sleek form but I don't mind having more exposed studs and higher ground clearance because it is supposed to be an extreme offroader.

This is how the front facade of the offroader looks like. The sharp angles look great with the use of the corner plates, spoiler and 2x3 pentagonal tile..

Underneath, there are 2 hidden clips that appears to be randomly added. I suppose you can use them to hold the Rex's mug and Emmet's flashlight.

The gears at the back provide the synchronised movement of the studs shooters that pans left and right. 

One of the printed piece can be seen clearly from this angle - Dark Blue Slope 45 2 x 1 with Cutout without Stud with Lime 'R' Pattern. It could easily be a sticker but the designers probably felt it is absolutely necessary to make this a print for the sake of Rex.

 

Now, moving on to Recon Rex-o-saurus.

It's like we're back to Jurassic Park with steroids. I know we shouldn't take anything serious in The LEGO Movie 2 movie because it's supposed to be a fun film. So far, the addition of these blue raptors is very much poking fun on Jurassic World's Blue, which isn't blue. So now, we get a real blue raptor.

 

Looking at the back it is as sexy as viewed in front.

Plantimal buildable figure

Of course, it is not complete if we don't mention this little plantimal creature. Yes, that's a made-up word that is a portmanteau of plant and animal and we'll likely see a lot of them in the movie because Rex and Emmet are going to space that are likely inhabited with these plantimals.

I was surprised that this little build is packed with a lot of great parts.

So, speaking of parts, let's quickly check what new parts we got so far.
 

Parts

For notable parts, the entire raptor are all new colours. In case you want to get the individual parts, here are the inventory:

48061 earth blue ANIMAL, NO. 59, HEAD
48066 bright blue ANIMAL, NO. 59, JAW
48067 earth blue ANIMAL, NO. 59, BODY
49704 earth blue LEFT ANIMAL LEG, NO. 5
49705 earth blue RIGHT ANIMAL LEG, NO. 5
49706 earth blue LEFT ANIMAL ARM, NO. 5
49707 earth blue RIGHT ANIMAL ARM, NO. 5

 

What you're looking at!

 

As mentioned, a single slope piece has "R" printed on it and you can get it from Bricks & Pieces with this part number:

44260 earth blue ROOF TILE 1X2, DEG. 45, W/O KNOBS, NO. 2

 

Not only the plantimals has great partst, it also came with parts in new colour.

There is a medium lavender crab used in the plantimal build as well as bright red-violet finger leaf, bright orange 1x1 plant plate with 3 leaves, and earth blue round 2x2 with 4 petals base and axle hole .

      

Other notable parts that appeared in new colours are the following:

      

 

Minifigures

There are only 2 minifigures included in the set. I am not counting the plantimal as a minifigure because strictly speaking, it isn't. If you think otherwise, let me know.

 

Front view

Rex has that smiling face while Emmet has an open mount face. 

Don't you just like Rex in general? The hairpiece is great. The utilitarian dark blue vest, while resembling Emmet's appear to be cooler. The new guy on the block also has a very detailed leg prints and side arm printing.

Back view
 

The torsos of both minifigures are also printed. You can see the resemblance of Emmet's hairpiece compared to Rex. Rex's hair is just a scruffier version of Emmet.

Back view without head pieces, head gears and accessories

Both minifigures has dual-printed head pieces. Rex has angry face while Emmet has that screaming scaredy-cat face.

 

 

Conclusion

So, the set is very good for young kids. However, as an adult, I feel that the concept of the "3-in-1" in this context is rather weak. Any seasoned builder can easily make this set a "99-in-1" if you're just going to use minimal parts to make alt builds. I don't know if the designer is just pulling a prank because it looks like a very practical way to make any set 3-in-1 just by randomly making a small build using a tiny fraction of the parts included in the set. Following this thought process, by right, all LEGO sets should be 3-in-1. There's no excuse.

This is not to say the set is boring or not interesting. In fact, I like the main build a lot. If we pretend that those alt builds do not exist, the primary build is already good enough. 

Overall, this is a very likable set that can entertain young kids for endless hours.

 

Hey Rex, how do I shoot these??

Review summary

Playability: 8/10 - It is very playable but apart from rolling and shooting, there isn't much the offroader can do. Thankfully, the raptor adds more fun in role playing. 
Design / Building Experience: 8/10 - Rex-treme Offroader is a very solid build but the other alternative builds are just "fillers" in my opinion (a prank if you will).
Minifigures:  7/10 - Only Rex is outstanding minifigure available in this set. Emmet is good, but he's in almost every set so there is a diminishing return when you get a lot of them. 
Price / Value for money: 9/10 - All TLM2 sets are great value and this is the easiest way to get Rex and the blue raptor. 
Overall: 8/10 - If you like dark blue colour, great selection of parts and a raptor, this set is for you!

 

Ooops, I did it again...

[TeriXeri]

I do think this is a good sized set offering, as compared to the Rexplorer which is over 4x as expensive.

The 3-in-1 is a nice bonus.

 

 

Edited January 24, 2019 by TeriXeri

[makoy]

29 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

I do think this is a good sized set offering, as compared to the Rexplorer which is over 4x as expensive.

The 3-in-1 is a nice bonus.

 

 

True, it is a very nice bonus and it does not take anything away from the set.

It's a great set specially for boys aged 7+ years old as suggested in the box.

[Cylo]

Great review! Seems like a pretty good option if you want a blue raptor.

[Lyichir]

I was starting to wonder when we’d start to get Lego Movie 2 reviews here on Eurobricks! I almost thought the reviewers here might be waiting to review the sets until after the movie for added context.

This set’s alternate builds definitely use a small selection of the parts, especially compared to Emmet’s House/Rescue Rocket that finds a way to use all the parts in both builds. I don’t mind too much, but I do think they could have maybe upped the number of parts being used in the alt builds... maybe by adding some sort of small outpost, drone, or fortification to each, or at least augmenting the Plantimal with some of the other dark blue parts.

It’s a nice set, but I might pass on this one since both figs and the dinosaur also come in the larger Rexplorer (along with a second differently colored raptor).

[Mylenium]

I have it on my "optional, if there's a few pennies left" list. Might be a simple and easy way to get one of those dinos if one isn't able to afford the bigger sets they come in. I feel, though, that more focus should have been put on making the jeep look good next to a Rexplorer. It clearly feels like a step down from that.

Mylenium

[danth]

I kinda like the whacky dino-car alt build. The other one is a total cop out of course.

Also the David Bowie face paint on those raptors make me want them about 5 times more than I otherwise would.

Those hollow tires really bug me, but apparently airless tires are a real thing that look like that.

[Lyichir]

1 hour ago, danth said:

I kinda like the whacky dino-car alt build. The other one is a total cop out of course.

Also the David Bowie face paint on those raptors make me want them about 5 times more than I otherwise would.

Those hollow tires really bug me, but apparently airless tires are a real thing that look like that.

If you prefer it you can probably flip the tires around so that the solid side faces out.

[Laura Beinbrech]

They had this set for a somewhat discounted price at my local Voldemart (had being the operative word, because I bought the last one in the store last week), and I really like it:  The main build is a nice base for modifying into a proper dark-blue Jeep/Land Rover/Humvee type military transport, which is something I sorely needed for one of my factions.  There's a lot of cool new parts in the set, and I really like the dark blue raptor as well (I need to work on coming up with some kind of Raptor barding so my Spec-Ops troops can use them as proper mounts), and I feel that the set is generally worth what you pay for it.

[dantheman]

eyesore

[Pchan1983]

I found this a very good set.  I'm surprised the build of the offroader is extremely well done but yea, I agree that the alternate builds are lacklustre.  Hence I didn't bother to build it.  Check out my detailed thoughts here too. 

[Fenghuang0296]

I actually really like this set. The main build, anyway. It's well designed, looks sleek and chunky at the same time and even though the part choices and interior design work betray that it's a hodgepodge with parts incorporated specifically for the sake of the (admittedly piss-poor) 'alternate builds', the end result looks well-designed and satisfying. 

After seeing the movie, though,

Spoiler

I have to say that it is ironic that the car seats three, even though Rex's whole point is being alone and friendless. Although come to think of it, technically Emmet built this car . . and Rex broke it literally two minutes later for no reason . .