buddy Posted January 4, 2011 Excellent review! The jet is a very realistic and detailed model, I particularly like the light bricks usage and the way you turn them on by the switch. Extremely well done on the review. ~buddy~ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drdavewatford Posted January 4, 2011 (edited) Superb review, Rufus - you lead the way when it comes to crystal clear photographs and informative text ! I love this set, and always felt it was underrated. Hopefully now it'll get the love it deserves..... The jet is superb, and the other 2 models are also worth building. Even at the MRSP it's fairly priced I think, and as I picked it up as part of a '3 for 2' it was a total steal. I think that Creator is becoming the 'hidden gem' of the LEGO range - better value for money, 3 times the building pleasure, and some increasingly big and interesting sets. Over the past few years we've had some excellent Creator houses (best was 4954 Model Town House which is awesome) which have only been bettered by the modulars, the off-roader, the car transporter, the fire engine and some smaller gems such as Ferocious Creatures. Hopefully this set will wake people up to how good Creator is getting. Can't wait to see some of the bigger 2011 Creator sets ! Dr. D. Edited January 4, 2011 by drdavewatford Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rufus Posted January 4, 2011 Thanks for the great feedback guys! I'm delighted how positive everyone has been about the set. Sorry I couldn't reply to you all. If I could just pick this up for a reasonable price, this ought to be in my collection. I'll definitely keep my eye out for this set, and a good price for it. If you can get it on sale, I'd say it's a must. But it's still great value as it is! And thanks for frontpaging, Fangy! (I had no choice but to browse your lovely pictures on brickshelf a day of so ago and patiently await your review, but it was worth the wait). I kind of miss the days of creator sets having 3+ models, but if TLC can continue to put three quality models like these in each kit then I look forward to what they cook up in the future. Sorry for making you wait, ZO6! I think the general quality of Creator sets is improving (the recent trend of minifig-scale houses is a good example); and occasionally little gems like this appear. The color scheme didn't excite me at all. It would've been an instant purchase for me if it was designed with a color scheme similar to the one used by the Blue Angels. Interesting point about the colour scheme, Arigomi; as I said in the review I suspect the designers have gone for a display-team appearance (rather than plain grey that a military jet would sport) whilst keeping variety that might be more likely to appeal to kids. I'd love to have seem a camouflage scheme though! Don't we look cute? (and in excellent condition, unlike my Fabuland figures) I hoped you'd appreciate that! I bought Rufus MISB recently; actually Ricky is the only other Fabu figure I have (and he belongs to Mrs R who has taken good care of him.) I've only built the jet, and my only complaint is the tail wings. They should have been fixed with another pair of technic pegs + plate. My son who's playing with it goes totaly mad about the rear wings getting out of line all the time. In the end I had no choice but to add extra pegs+plates. Yes, Superkalle, the tail wings ('elevons' I think is the technical term) are meant to swivel, but I agree that makes them a little fragile. They also sit slightly too high on the rear of the fuselage and look a bit disconnected. The fact that they chose function over practicality suggests a higher target age-group than the '8-12' might suggest. Personally, I think this would be a great set for TFOLs (and AFOLs ). It seems this set does have it's shortcomings; the mundane bricks included and some minor problems with the final model's stability, but since I'm just rediscovering LEGO again you convinced me to give this one a try (see you later 41 euro ). Thanks for pointing that out, Evilplatypus (great name, BTW!) Yes, the part assortment isn't the most exciting, but I'd rather have a great looking model. You're right about the stability: I didn't really notice until after I'd finished the review, but it's a little wobbly on its wheels. It doesn't really detract from the overall quality though. The ability to place minifig(s) in the crafts is the absolute plus and all three models look brilliant too. WIN/WIN. Although that there are some things that need improvement as you correctly point out, my favorite of the three is the Propeller Plane. Cheers, Zorbas! The advantage of the prop plane from the minifig point of view is that it integrates better with City sets, and wouldn't look out of place in the Airport. i think the fighter is supposed to be a two-seat advanced trainer. they used to be red-white and without weapons. in any case, it's not that difficult to create weapons of your own... Good idea about the jet trainer. They are indeed red/white/black in the UK. I might one day make a military version. The propeller plane reminds me of the Douglas A-26 quite a bit, even if that plane has a tricycle landing gear and sleeker wings. Still, a nice design. Thanks, Commander Rob, nice comparison; it does look similar. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Soup Nazi Posted January 4, 2011 Great review! Even without any SNOT on the wings, this thing looks like one of the best LEGO airplanes I've seen in a while. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyC Posted January 5, 2011 Great review of an obviously underappreciated set and theme. I love the Creator sets and always build all the models to see what they're like. However this one and 5893 Offroad Power are still in their main configuration several months later. I just can't bring myself to take them apart to try the alternate builds. I may just have to get another of each instead! The theme just keeps getting better and better and is great value for money in terms of parts too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lizardking Posted January 5, 2011 Thx for the extensive review. Got myself so excited, i have bought it today. Just 37,99 Eur at Müller in Germany. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canada_7 Posted January 6, 2011 Your review showing me how minifigures seem to have little to no problem sitting in the cockpit has made me consider this set. If it ever goes on sale, I'm giving it some thought. Nice review. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ezechielle Posted January 6, 2011 Why did they change the glasses!? This is just ugly! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brickmack Posted January 6, 2011 Great review. The set is pretty good, I've only built the jet so far but the other 2 models look nice as well. Your camera seems to have some color problem though, alot of the time red areas appeared as orange Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LegoDad42 Posted January 6, 2011 Tremendous review! Thank you. I've been on the fence with this kit but seeing your review really changed my mind. I'm gonna' pick this up. Not crazy about the boat but the aircraft models are interesting and fun. Glad to see they're mini-fig scale. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rufus Posted January 6, 2011 Cheers for the further replies and feedback! Gone and ordered the instructions. If satisfied, will buy set ... Do let us know if you are satisfied! I love this set, and always felt it was underrated. ... Even at the MRSP it's fairly priced I think, and as I picked it up as part of a '3 for 2' it was a total steal. I think that Creator is becoming the 'hidden gem' of the LEGO range - better value for money, 3 times the building pleasure, and some increasingly big and interesting sets. Cheers, Dr. D! I totally agree that Creator is a gem. The more intricate and realistic the sets become, the more they will appeal to the fans of the original UCS ideal, which is after all what got me back from the dark age. However this one and 5893 Offroad Power are still in their main configuration several months later. I just can't bring myself to take them apart to try the alternate builds. I may just have to get another of each instead! I know what you mean. The jet is definitely a 'keeper'! Got myself so excited, i have bought it today.. Glad to hear it! Your review showing me how minifigures seem to have little to no problem sitting in the cockpit has made me consider this set. If it ever goes on sale, I'm giving it some thought. Don't think!! Act!!! Why did they change the glasses!? This is just ugly! Hmmm. Just what I thought??? Your camera seems to have some color problem though, alot of the time red areas appeared as orange How nicely you put that! No problem with the camera, just the photographer - I'm no expert. The problem is indoor lighting - even with the correct colour balance, everything comes out yellowish; when the colour cast is adjusted it tends to make the red look orangey in places. I doesn't seem to affect any other colours. I have tried many different lighting setups; the one I have settled on is by no means perfect, but the best compromise. Thanks for the constructive criticism though, always appreciated! I've been on the fence with this kit but seeing your review really changed my mind. I'm gonna' pick this up. Not crazy about the boat but the aircraft models are interesting and fun. Glad to see they're mini-fig scale. Yup, the minifigs fitting in seems to be a big winner! Cheers all Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Siegfried Posted January 7, 2011 Creator is hardly among the most popular of Lego themes, among Eurobricks members at least; however, many are worth a closer look and are, in my opinion, often underrated. I completely agree on all counts! My last creator review was rather unappreciated but you've got the EBians to comment; great work! Oddly I haven't got this set yet; I've been moving house and buying LEGO when moving is rather silly. But I'll be rectifying that soon. Thanks for the extra persuasion! They should have been fixed with another pair of technic pegs + plate. My son who's playing with it goes totaly mad about the rear wings getting out of line all the time. It's a feature, not a fault. The plane would crash otherwise! Why did they change the glasses!? This is just ugly! Yeah. But as Superkalle said, LEGO is a toy and the newer one has better clutch. I'll be treasuring my old ones... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rufus Posted January 8, 2011 Why did they change the glasses!? This is just ugly! Ah! Finally I get what you mean. You're talking about this: versus this: I think that changed at the beginning of 2010; it appeared in the new ARC-170 amongst other sets. Yeah. But as Superkalle said, LEGO is a toy and the newer one has better clutch. I'll be treasuring my old ones... Personally, I never had a problem with the old ones, but I guess they might become fragile in young hands. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ezechielle Posted January 9, 2011 I think Siegfried is right, even if I personally feel like we loose some design possibilities... I'll soon buy some "old" ones on BL!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
