Review: 5984 Lunar Limo

[JimBee]

About a year ago, Lego Space fans were pleased to have another Space Police theme, who were, for the most part, previously disappointed with subthemes such as Mars Mission and Life on Mars. Though being the third iteration of the SP theme, Space Police III brought fresh ideas to the table with new molds and modern building techniques. SPIII continued to succeed after releasing a second wave, during which this set, 5984 Lunar Limo, was released. I'm not a huge Lego Space fan, but I just couldn't pass this one up once I saw the first pics. Read on to find out why.

Set: 5984 Lunar Limo

Number of Pieces: 391

Number of Minifigures: 3

Price: 39.99 USD / 34.99 GBP

Theme: Space Police III

Brickset

Bricklink Catalog

Flickr

Box:

Starting out with what you see on the shelf, the box shows the set in its entirety. The background depicts a bluish skyline of buildings enclosed within a dome (presumably on a foreign planet). In the bottom right corner is a neat little picture showing the mugshots of the villains of the set. The blue, green, and purple laser effects seen on the right side spice up the box artwork even more. (Box pic courtesy of Brickset.)

Instructions:

The instruction booklet's artwork is similar to that of the box's, but with all of the text and such removed. 5984 comes with a single, large-sized booklet, which was surprisingly in good shape when I opened the box.

Minifigures:

This set includes three minifigures, which I suppose is decent for a set this size. I'm not sure what others figs could've been included. Anyway, from left to right the minifigures are the henchman (Jawson), the pimp (Brick Daddy), and the futuristic police officer. All of the minifigs included are pretty neat, and it's always nice to have more aliens.

Jawson has a new head mold that is quite unique. Instead of attaching to the torso by the "neck" the traditional way, it attaches by what looks like the back of a head because of the unusual "U" shape of the head. This is a really neat and creative design, and it reminds me a bit of a piranha. Jawson dons generic orange convict attire, and has no accessory. This one is obviously meant to be the "dumb muscle" of the criminal alien gang.

Th Brick Daddy is definitely the highlight of the minifigures, with another unique head mold and a dark purple fedora. The new head mold is actually a little creepy-looking, and is in a translucent glow-in-the-dark color. I'm fairly certain this piece does in fact glow in the dark, but unfortunately my budget camera would never be able to capture a clear shot of that.

The dark purple pieces are nice on this minifigure, and fit well with the set. The torso print can be used for any type of pimp character in the city, space or not.

Finally, the space police officer is also a nice addition. Upgraded from the first wave of SPIII sets, this little guy features cool leg and torso prints, a new trans-red visor, the new helmet mold seen in Series 1 of the collectible minifigures, and a new ray gun mold. Actually, the "gun" is more of an updated light socket piece, but it's nice nonetheless. The head print is the classic double-sided grinning/scared face first seen in the 2007 Castle line, I believe.

Back:

Here are some shots of the back of the minifigures, who all have back prints. I find Jawson's back-of-torso print a little unnecessary, but I can appreciate the detail. The officer also comes with a jetpack/oxygen tank. As you can see in the second picture, Daddy's head is quite a bit smaller than the standard minifig head.

Minifig Molds:

Here's a shot of the three new minifig molds included in this set. You've got to love that Jawson head.

Interesting Pieces:

Moving on to the pieces of interest, there are quite a few pieces in new colors that I am unfamiliar with. First, there's a long black slope piece that is fairly rare (this set comes with four). Next, there are the basic windshield and window pieces that we've seen many times before in trans-clear and trans-black. However, this time around they come in a new color: trans-yellow. I can foresee many cool sci-fi creations with these pieces.

There is also purple cheese and a couple of 2x2 purple cones (among other purple pieces), the rubbery blade piece in light bley, and a gold engine block, vents, and a copy of the Brick Daddy's head in gold. It was really cool that the designers included that last piece, in metallic gold, too! It certainly adds some value to the set.

Finished Set:

Here's the completed build of the Lunar Limo, obviously the bulk of this set. The first thing to notice is how elongated and slick-looking the whole thing is. My first thought when building this set was "Jeez, this is long", and then once I was finished, it was, "cool!", and that's exactly what it is. The entire ship is just smooth, angular, and above all, cool-looking. It's a car==err, ship that anyone would want, scum-of-the-earth or not.

At an Angle:

The fins and wings on the side really add a lot of character.

Side:

Here's a shot from the side, so that you can see just how long this thing really is. I had to cut out the front guns because the whole thing wouldn't fit in my studio at this angle. Front the tip of the front guns to the rear lights, the Limo is about 52 studs long. Clear some space on your shelf for this one!

Stickered Fins:

I don't usually apply stickers, but the ones included in this set were too cool to pass up. The side fins' stickers depict stylistic graffiti-type prints, with gold, purple, and black making a great color combination.

Side Stickers:

More stickers on the side. Again, the sharp purple and gold lines add so much character. The gold 2x2 round vent on the side is also a sticker.

Front:

Here's a close-up of the front where you can see the Brick Daddy hood ornament, some purple cheese, and some distinctive pyramid slopes under the headlights. There's also a play feature here that might not be obvious at first glance. The missile and launcher pieces are hidden here; the black head of the missile blending in with the front, and the trigger being covered by the 1x1 gold cone.

Launched Missile:

If you pull back on the gold cone, the missile launches, leaving an obvious empty space in front. If you've ever fired one of these before, you know that they fire pretty well (about five feet), and this is no exception.

Engine:

Moving down the ship, you can see the engine block and the front of the cockpit here. The gold engine piece looks really good with the gold cups, and together show that this is one powerful eight-cylinder vehicle!

Open Engine:

For some reason, part of the engine lifts up on a non-click hinge piece. I'm not sure if this is play feature, but I guess one could pretend that a minifig is doing "repairs" on the engine in this way.

Interior:

You can access the interior of the ship by lifting the roof on a click-less hinge system. Thankfully, there is enough friction between the clip and handlebar pieces so that the roof stays open by itself.

On the inside you can see a red cockpit area, where the control panel is stickered. The rest of the space inside is taken up by a miniature flyer, which I'll show in a bit. I suppose in this setup, the inside could hold two minifigs: one in the driver's seat and one attached to the flyer.

The Crew:

However, if you remove the flyer, you can fit quite a few minifigs in the passenger area. I've placed three in the picture above, but you could cram in one more alien baddie for a grand total of five minifigs inside (including the driver). I really like that about this set, and it's good that the inside is deep enough for minifigs to be able to sit up straight in.

Mini Jet:

Here's the little mini-jet shown earlier. Its design is simple, but I think it is much better than some of the crap speeders thrown into Star Wars sets. The minigun built with binoculars is pretty cool, and it can spin on the quarter- pin that attaches it to the red "1x2 brick with hole" piece.

A minifigure can't fully sit on the jet, but I like to think of it as something they stand or lean on, like a jet ski.

Rear:

The rear, unlike some Lego vehicles, is not lacking. The detailed boosters/wings flanking the sides give the ship an angular appearance, and the slopes on back give a gradual, smooth impression. The rear lights are also cool. Using 1x1 trans-red cones was a much better choice than say, trans-red 1x1 plates. This small detail makes the Limo all the more unique.

I do wish the designers would've smoothed out the studded parts on the rear fins and the boosters. They really take away from the overall slick look of the ship.

Rear Close-Up:

Here's a close-up of the very back. Here you can see two more stickers; a license plate and more graffiti styling (I'm not a fan of the bullet holes). There's also a neat hood...err, trunk ornament that utilized the new rubbery dagger pieces.

Most importantly, though, is what might have been an overlooked "play feature".

Trunk:

Yup, the trunk opens. You could put anything you want in here, even a minifigure will fit (even if the trunk won't close all the way). Again, you can see some red pieces towards the back. I have a hard time understanding why red, of all colors, was included here and in the cockpit. Red definitely does not go well with the purple, gold and black, especially when they could've just used gray or something less obvious.

Overall Set:

Here's a shot of all of the set components together. The Limo itself, the mini jet, and the minifigures. I was very pleased with the final outcome. I felt that, due to the size and quality of the Limo, that I had gotten what I paid for. It's a very satisfying feeling.

Final Ratings:

As this review comes to a close, a shall provide my ratings and summary of the set. Personally, I believe this set to be the very best SPIII set, if not one of the best Space sets of all time. I never really got into Lego Space, so my knowledge is limited, but perhaps the reason for that is that none of the set designs were this good.

Build/Design: 9/10. Nearly flawless. The design is just so cool. I know I could be more articulate, but that's really the best word to describe it. The elongated look, the angular fins, and the overall smoothness of the vehicle are what made this set desirable to me. I took off one point for the random red pieces and the lack of smoothness around the rear fins and boosters.

Playability: 9/10. You can swoosh this around, you can play cops and robbers (if you're into playing with Lego ), you can gather up your alien crew and put them all inside... the possibilities are endless. It's also really fun to shoot the missile. I suppose I would've liked to have seen another major play feature, such as an ejector seat or a better method of opening the cockpit.

Minifigures: 8/10. While the amount and quality of the minifgures is sufficient, for once they are not the highlight of the set and not a deciding factor on whatever or not to get it. Admittedly the aliens included are not as exciting as some of the others seen in SPIII, though Jawson is pretty neat. The police officer with the new helmet and visor color is much improved over the last version.

Parts: 5/5. I didn't feel that this category deserved any less than a perfect score, because this set includes not only rare parts (trans-yellow windows), but also many useful parts, such as those black slopes and tiles that can be used for many purposes. I have no complaints on the parts included.

Price: 5/5. This was a really good deal considering the price-per-parts ratio (close enough to the ideal ten cents per part) and the quality of the set design. I probably would've paid up to 20 USD more at the time if I had to.

FINAL SCORE: 36/40. An excellent rating. The design is spectacular, and if anything is the reason one would buy this set. I highly recommend this set to any Lego consumer, especially Town and Sci-Fi/Star Wars fans. Definitely one of my favorite Lego sets to date.

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Unfortunately for Jawson, there was no room in the passenger area so he had to disassemble himself and ride in the trunk.

[Masked Builder]

A fun little set. You did a good job reviewing it. The highlights of this set for me really are the minifigures. Simple, yet very cool. I did consider getting this but I never did.

[ZO6]

Great review, JimB!

This is such a funky looking ship! It's hard to appreciate the size of it until you see it in person. Space Pimp....err...I mean Brick Daddy is such a fantastic addition to the SP3 minifigure roster.

[22kane]

There are a few stores near me that still have this series in stock. I would think they would have gone to clearance already but they haven't. If they did I might purchase one of them but I wouldn't buy one at full price. Its not the worst series but I just don't think it's very appealing. I did appreciate the review though. Good job.

[Gryphon Ink]

Thanks for revisiting this set. I still think Hyperspeed Pursuit has the best vehicle design in SP3, but this one is definitely a worthy contender. You gotta love the way the designers threw themselves into the task of designing spaceships based on cars from exploitation cinema, with all the little details like the "Brick Mamba" license plate.

I think that "trunk ornament" is based on an old-school "boomerang" antenna like you used to see on Earthbound limos.

I still see this set on shelves at TRU, so I guess for some reason it wasn't a huge seller.

[Ceroknight]

I still cannot forgive myself for not collecting any of the space police line!

I think this is one of the best sets out there.

Thank you for the review!

[WhiteFang]

Thank you Jimbee for doing this SP3 spaceship. It's definitely good to see this sleek limo in action, perhaps it was called a limo due to its lengthy size. The design is nice to look at and charming in its own rights. I don't collect all of it but for someone who collects this theme, it will be a good addition to the collection.

[Rufus]

Thanks for the super review, JimBee! I wouldn't normally have looked twice at this set, but having now had a good look round it, I can see its appeal.

The limo has a wonderful gaudiness about it that really fits with its role as a pimpmobile And here's where I have to disagree with you - I think the red interior is perfect in its clashing-colour monstrosity: of course Brick Daddy would have red leather upholstery in his ride; just as I expect he'd have a champagne cooler and waterbed in there if they would only fit!

[3D LEGO]

Great review! I love all the pictures and your attention to detail.

Here is my thoughts and insight on some of the styling and what not for those who are interested:

>The limousine designers drew from older 1920-30's European cars with longer bodies, lower profiles and long front ends.

>The hood ornament is a must for such cars as it announces who made it (now days that is only really found in USA built semi trucks such as MACK (bulldog), Kenworth (swan) Peterbilt (stubby t with wide wings) or really posh cars). Today it usually is icon that depicts the personality of the owner (chrome lady for example).

>The tail end draws inspiration from the 1950's era USA cars with rear fins and cone lights. The ones that looked like they could fly.

>And the rear trunk ornament as someone before mentioned is indeed an antenna, however it is actually a TV antenna.

>As for the red interior that would be either red leather or red velvet or a combination of both. They were a common upholstery color to be found in such cars.

>*Of course the trunk space for such cars is always measured in bodies (the mafia volume measurement standard), the bigger the better for the job!

>And of course they topped it off like ice cream with a maraschino cherry by adding a purple velvet with zebra stripes pimp suit wearing mobster who drew his inspiration from the Italian mafia (the violin case carrying ones).

3D LEGO

*I just had to throw that in there even if I only made it up!

[JimBee]

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

I expect he'd have a champagne cooler and waterbed in there if they would only fit!

If only they could fit. Not that TLG ever would've done such a thing, but I would've found the set much more amusing and appealing if they included a waterbed and cooler instead of the flyer.

>*Of course the trunk space for such cars is always measured in bodies (the mafia volume measurement standard), the bigger the better for the job!

Of course! This limo and the gang mentality that comes with it specifically reminded me of the film GoodFellas.

[22kane]

So it turns out the toy shop down the street has this set in stock still. After reading the review it seems like a worthwhile purchase considering I can still get it at retail price.

Edited August 25, 2011 by 22kane

[The Cobra]

I've never been a fan sf SP3, and this review didn't change my mind. Despite Jimbee's great effort, I can't like this set.

Maybe it's just me; I thought SP3 was worse than Mars Mission (with one exception: some baddies are way better than green jellies), and currently think that Alien conquest is worse than SP3.

[prateek]

Great review. I really like this set, along with all the other SPIII sets. I regret not getting any of the sets though. Hopefully I can find some reasonably priced ones later

[Captain Blockbeard]

Great review! I love this set, and while some local stores still have many copies (along with multiples of all of the other Wave 2 Space Police III sets), I just can't bring myself to buy it at full price. Someday, though, I will own it. In the meantime, I appreciate your review's closeup pictures of some parts of the ship that I had not previously seen.