Quick Review: 8119 Thunder racer

[The Cobra]

I've lived the life of a lonely man - And I've traveled roads of thunder (Shadow gallery - Roads of thunder)

Set data:

8119: Thunder racer

Year: 2009

Theme: Racers

Subtheme: Tiny Turbos

Pieces: 48 + 2 extras

Price: 5 USD / 5 Euros / 4 UKP. Discontinued in 2010.

Building time: less than 10 minutes

MISB on review: Yes

More info: Brickset - Peeron - Bricklink

Official description: Race like lightning! - With extra-wide tires and a big spoiler, this stock car is ready to race up a storm! Includes reusable container for storage and travel. - Race on #8125 Thunder Raceway or combine with #8122 Desert Viper to make the ultimate racing truck!

Measures 3.5" (9cm) long! - Build to race or build to display! Collect all four: #8119 Thunder Racer, #8120 Rally Sprinter, #8121 Track Marshal, #8122 Desert Viper!

Box pics: Here's the 2009 TT box again, with red top, set name on front, fold-out pairing on top of the back and combo model on the side.

Box content: One bag, instructions, sticker sheet

Loose pieces: Where will all that yellow go? Hidden inside the car!

Instructions: As always, one and a half pages of this model plus half page with half instructions of the combo model.

Stickers: And this time they're really welcome. Yes, really!

Building: Fast, easy, and shown as "sub models" just as a reference.

The bare model: We're done, and we can see how lame it looks /to me, at least).

The complete model: With stickers and extra pieces.

Review:

What makes the Thunder racer different from (most) every other Tiny Turbo? The symmetrical windshields, the 10-stud lenght, the uglyness of self withous stickers.

What makes the Thunder racer equal to (most) every other Tiny Turbo? Lots of black, black & lime at least once a year, different mudguards, stickers are not an option, difficulty to build an alternate model.

Dispite the fact that stickers do not complete the color scheme but make it (otherwise I would have opened the review quoting Helloween's "The dark ride"), I like this car. It's supposed to "race like lightning" (light is faster than sound, so the description makes it faster than the set name), and it probably would if not for the long tail. And, when built, it fits in the "reusable storage container" along with another model.

Like many other TT's, this one falls in the big "average" family; as much as I like the windshields and roof (multi-angled slopes), I don't like the shape and lenght of the rear. Since I always apply stickers, I have no problem with the brick model being 95% black and faceless. Tiny Turbos made it into 2010 too, with just a slightly different box, so I can't be the only one who like them (for what they are).

One of the chapest kind of sets (only "free" promos and Impulse sets came for less than a TT, before Minifig bags popped out of the box), and one I could pick anytime against a small City (smart) car.

Rating:

Color scheme: 4/5. Black and lime, on the edge between classic and abused!

Minifigs and accessories: N/A. We're talking Tiny Turbos.

Pieces: 3/5. Usual TT pieces, nothing rare, nothing unusual.

Playability: 3/5. Aren't small cars every kid's fav toy?

Design: 3,5/5. Close to anonimous without stickers, much better with; still far from outstanding

Overall rating: 3,5/5. Slightly better than average.

The final words: Good for 30% off, average for full price.

Edited June 3, 2010 by WhiteFang
Indexed

[prateek]

This is not good. It depends too much on stickers to make it look good. It's below the TT average IMO