Pchan1983

Here is my review on LEGO City Arctic Explorer Truck and Mobile Lab: THE GOOD: Of course the Polar Bear Cubs. The so called Arctic Explorer Truck (a snow prowler) looks great, love the design on the side. The lab also good with surprisingly large space inside. Love the use of bucket as the camera lens. THE NOT SO GOOD: Can't find anything to criticise, the only thing would this being retailer exclusives, which means less discount! This set caught my eyes with the polar bear cubs, turns out it is actually pretty good. Since I never have any snow prowling vehicle builds before, it was very refreshing for me. The design looks great too and I particularly like the exterior texture on the side. I'm so surprised you can take off the main console like modular buildings. Which means you can easily replace the top to be a tank lol. The lab also looks great with the curved edges but I'm impressed with the look of the window. Interior wise also very spacious and this lab is way better than the lab from the Avatar set. The Polar bear and the subs are great, including 2 cubs is a surprise. The polar bears are accompanied by a small terrain build. The big rock actually hide a green crystal, and I wonder if that is Kryptonite XD. The minifigures have great variety of parts and I love they use of the bucket as camera lens. To be honest, I couldn't find anything I don't like about this set. Even the pricing is pretty reasonable. The only problem is this set can be hard to find as this is a retailer exclusive. I'm glad it was available on Amazon AU with free shipping to NZ which means I got a even lower price than RRP. Anyway, I would totally recommend this set to everyone =)

Here is my review on LEGO Dreamzzz 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures: THE GOOD: Nice refreshing colour scheme for a stable and the stable itself looks good. Building experience wise, it's interesting enough while not being too complex. Would fit any LEGO City farm pretty well with minimum modification. Excellent selection of minifigures with unique/new parts. THE NOT SO GOOD: Could have included one extra Dream Creature than just the deer. (well 2 if you also count the cactus cat) While you can choose from 2 builds but it's limited to the deer, so not really adding much value to this gimmick. Couldn't resist the 25% discount and the stock photos look appealing. Turns out, this is actually a pretty good set. It's a fun stable to build and the colour scheme is really refreshing. The windmill is great both in terms of look and movements. It would fit well is any LEGO city farm you may have. This is also the 2nd set I bought this year featuring poop in the area depicted as the animal's room. It also comes with some very cool new minifigures. This is the first set I got Izzie and is really impressed with how her hair being transparent with a glittering effect. The deer build also represent a dreamy creature well. However, I do wish LEGO includes a few more creates but guess this would have push the price up. Surprisingly, the price ain't that bad for this set even at RRP if you ask me. Overall, I had fun with this set and I like how it looks. It's definitely a recommendation to anyone =)

Here is my review on 75361 Spider Tank: THE GOOD: Cool looking tank, love the bouncy movements. A more show accurate Bo-Katan minifigure. Better looking Dark saber. THE NOT SO GOOD: EXPENSIVE! Not widely available since it's a retailer exclusive. (Also hampers your chance to get a discount depending on your region) From the hit show The Mandalorian, this set caught my eyes when it first announced. Always appreciate something new from Star Wars when its not a remake or upgrade of previously released set. This set does not disappoint, the spider tank looks great and require a bit of patience in building. The legs can be troublesome to build but just enough to keep the fun. I'm also surprised on the bouncy movements/suspension like action on the legs. There is also a space for you to lie a minifigure inside the tank. I wish LEGO includes a printed or sticker piece to represent the pilot the tank. The minifigures selection is great too, having Mando, Grogu and Bo-Katan in one single is very generous to be honest. And this new Bo-Katan is good with a much more accurate hair piece. However, this set is not cheap (even thought still better priced than the Andor set release earlier this year). With a retail price of $95 NZD, just feel too much. And because this is a retailer exclusive sets, it's very difficult to find a place selling this with a 20% off discount. If you are a fan of the Mandalorian show, then this is a must have and I will totally recommend this but if you just a casual fan of LEGO, then you might want to wait for a better discount. Anyway, I'm very satisfied with the end result =)

Actually, the boat piece is not really a floating piece, it's more like a base plate with the edges elevated. I think it will sink if I load it with 10 minifigures PPP is important if you want to justify cost of each piece but the reality is, even it may be good deal but the actual price you pay is still expensive.

Here is my review on 60377 Explorer Diving Boat: THE GOOD: New Marine animals, 3 of them are re-colour but looking good. Surprisingly good looking underwater location build. THE NOT SO GOOD: High price. Originally have no plans to buy this to save money but Amazon AU was selling at 40 NZD, with a new sea turtle, recoloured baby turtle, hammerhead and sting ray, rather then wait for P&B for the animals, it might be cheaper to buy the set. Turns out the animals are pretty good and the location for them is great too. Love the use to the mop piece as sea weed. Depending on how you display it, putting a diver and lock the hammerhead on a sea weed makes it look very lively. The boat is very simple but still looks kinda cool in my opinion. No stickers is a plus but obviously this set is targeting a younger demographic so you can't expect much in terms of building experience. If you have other sets in the same save, the minifigures can be repetitive too. Now, will I buy this set without the discount, probably not with current cost of living crisis. Without discount at $63NZD, it's really a bit too much even when I have the spare $$$. So, if you able to find a good deal or clearance deal and you like collecting lego animals, this is something I would recommend. Otherwise, it's probably just a bit too expensive compared to what you get.

sometimes it's frustrating eh ... but yes, at least we can MOC something compared Marvel sets missing legs prints which we can't really do much about it.

Here is my review on 76991 Tails' Workshop and Tornado Plane from Sonic The Hedgehog: THE GOOD: Great minifigures A cheaper set to get Tails Tornado plane surprisingly good looking and fun to build No stickers THE NOT SO GOOD: The work shop looks somewhat underwhelming. Personally I think the set is about $15 NZD too expensive if you are paying at RRP. (Luckily I bought this with a discount) This is the slightly cheaper set with Tails minigure and main reason I bought this. Both Sonic and Tails do not disappointed. These 2 are extremely well done. On top of this, the Tornado Plane is actually very good. The wings are brilliant both the execution of the design and the building experience. Also I'm surprised there are no stickers in this set. However, the workshop is a big empty and felt more like a Juniors set type of build but without those big pieces. Considering if you paid full price on this, it really feel expensive with the somewhat too simple looking workshop. I wonder if there was a point LEGO considered an alternate version just the plane plus 2 minifigures with a price tag a little bit cheaper. If you are a fan of sonic, I think you will love this set. It's definitely a set to go for if you are looking for the tails minifigure. And if you are not into Sonic, it's probably a set to skip =)

Here is my review on LEGO Dreamzzz 71457 Pegasus Flying Horse: THE GOOD: Cool new parts and minifigures. Nightmare King is one exceptional minifigure! Menacing looking Pegasus. THE NOT SO GOOD: Pricing is rather high. This is my first Dreamzzz purchase and I really enjoyed it. Originally drawn to this theme by all the new parts and minifigures and it does not disappoint. The minifigures are excellent and I'm particularly impressed by the Nightmare King. The sword, the cape are so cool which I'm eager to get extra for other creations & settings. On top of that, the pegasus build is refreshing enough with great colour scheme. It also turns out to be bigger than I'm expecting and look really menacing. The only down side is removing the seat/sable/wings does make the pegasus look rather unhealthy lol. The bird/fly creature also great and this is just one version of the build, it does include instruction to build a butterfly type wing suite for Zoey but I opted to build the bird. I also really like the art work for the instruction booklet. Despite all the positives, the price of some of the Dreamzzz sets do make it a bit challenging in current climate & the number of sets released. Luckily I bought this with 20% off. Now I do look forward to other Dreamzzz sets, hopefully more discounts are coming our way. IF you manage to get a good deal, this is definitely a set I would recommend to anyone.

Here is my review on LEGO City 60379 Deep-Sea Explorer Submarine: THE GOOD: Great and interesting submarine build with a very streamline look. Excellent wreck site with SHARKS! The jelly fish build is a nice surprise. THE NOT SO GOOD: It is quite expensive without discount. I really like this one. Originally drawn by the wreck site build and the great white shark, it did not disappoint. In fact, personally I found the wreck site more interesting than the submarine. Very lively looking ship wreck site with some treasures hidden behind. The jelly fish look great! The shark circulating action is really fun. And great way to an another great white shark, perfect for those who missed out few years ago. Having said that, the submarine also have a very refreshing building experience. The sub is way bigger than it looks and have a very nice streamline look. It also pack with details inside. Although it does look a bit similar to the other sub you've seen on the news few months ago but this is absolutely just co-incidence. I really can't find anything that are negative with the set itself, the only downside is the RRP is quite high. Totally understand the higher price with many large pieces included, although it's not breaking the bank expensive but not easily accessible as well. But luckily these kind of sets often have discount attached to it, so you just need to find a good deal. Totally recommend this set to anyone.

Here is my review on LEGO Friends 41747 Heartlake City Community Kitchen: THE GOOD: Fun build with lots of details. Looking good. Loving the interior builds really reflecting a commercial kitchen. Work both standalone & as an expansion of the Heartlake City Community Center. THE NOT SO GOOD: RRP is very overpriced. A very good looking set with some authentic looking commercial kitchen details. I've really enjoy building this. The foot path, the exterior and interior. Best build is the cook top, then closely followed by the sink. And how these incorporated into the interior is very smart too. The overall build also feature interesting techniques and designs though out. While one of the sell point is being an expansion to the Heartlake City community center, this set itself also work standalone. There are so much to like this set except for the price! In New Zealand, the RRP is $130 NZD, which is ridiculous considering the size of this. Luckily I bought this with a discount. And if you are keen to combine this with the community center, the total cost with. be competing with most of the D2C sets. Fortunately, it's not difficult to get some reasonable discount on this set. A very good set recommend to everyone if you are able to get a reasonable discount on this.

Here is my review on LEGO city 60398 Family House and Electric Car: THE GOOD: Looks great with a modern design. Some interesting interior details like the fridge & bathroom The glass house patio is looking really nice and fun little build. THE NOT SO GOOD: Extremely expensive at full price. Advertised as modular style but actually not many variation to reconnect unless you buy multiple of this and start making your own creation. It is a very nice modern looking house. While the building experience is very straight forward, I did enjoy it and like the end product. The fridge using the newer door piece is something refreshing. It's also interesting how the bathroom has the shower and toilet but it's very very tight there. Upstairs are the bedrooms and I like how the pillows are represented. Good use of stickers for the kid's TV for his video games. I wish the kitchen stove uses the Queer Eye printed stove piece instead of a sticker though. The Electric car itself is quite up to date with the lights design, but how can it only fit one person while this is a family of 3!? The car port is very spacious and fit the car perfectly with a EV charger. A good mixture of minifigures with some new parts and including a puppy is a plus definitely. However, the main drawback of this set is really the price. at full price, it's NZ$95, this is pretty ridiculous pricing, I probably will hold off buying this if it wasn't Amazon doing a 25% off. Despite how great it looks, still can't justify the full price. Also the box shows how each sections can be re-arranged but the only part there are pins ready for you to customize is really switching the little sections with flowers and between the patio. If you need to customization, you probably need to buy 2! I like the set but with the price, I probably will recommend the Creator 3 in 1 Cosy House instead =)

Here is my review on 40634 Icons of Play: THE GOOD: 4 recognisable footballer in minifigures. Plus lots of cool minifigures included! New dread locks hair piece in black. Mexican Wave action for the spectators stand. While disjointed, individual are nice on its own and the bench is pretty accurate. THE NOT SO GOOD: Only half a pitch. Not as playable compare to the OG LEGO football sets. Definitely over priced. I like it and I had fun building it but I have to admit there are lot more to be desired if I put away my bias as a football fan, since including recognised footballers is the sole reason I bought this. (plus it was on 20% off during the VIP weekend) The most fun part is the spectator stand both in terms of building and the play feature. Having the fans jumping up and down is brilliant, although my one has a flaw as the part doesn't move aground a freely, this may be due to the alignment of the bricks when I was building it rather than actual design flaw. On the side of the pitch, having a VAR monitor is a nice modern update. The bench also great but I wonder if we ever going to get some clear arch pieces to give it an actual cover. Each of the side builds are still great. It feels like a bunch of $10-$20 dollar sets all in one with half a football pitch rather than one coherent build but this is actually the point of the set given its target age range. Which brings to the major down side of this set, being over-priced. You only get half a pitch and while you can place minifigures anywhere and a movable GK, it doesn't really add much play values compared to the OG football set which is a far superior set in terms of play value. To get a full pitch and buy 2 would have even cost you more than the table football. While there are lot of minifigures and they are excellent, it still feel $50 more expensive than it should be. Even I'm a football fan and with the famous players minifigures, I probably wouldn't have buy without discount unless I have lots of disposable income. But I have to say, having Rapinoe and Sam Kerr as minifigure is unbelievable and lego did well on all 4 players for their likeness. One could only wish they do one with the men counter part featuring Messi, Mbappe ... etc. Also there is a missed opportunity to use actual team kit rather than the LEGO football kit but well if they try to get licenses for each FA it would probably be 4 times more expensive. Anyway, no doubt this is a fun set but it's really not for everyone. There are some cool stuff like the spectator stand which memorable but at the current price, I can only recommend if you really have something you want from this set. Just couldn't find much appeal for a casual fan.

Here is my review on Disney 100 43227 Villain Icons: THE GOOD: Great decor piece. Brilliantly done VHS tape and watch. High quality printing on those printed pieces. 4 exclusive minifigures. THE NOT SO GOOD: High entry price. Not really Villain Icons. Could have added 1 or 2 more minifigures. May not appeal to a wider audience. Personally, I enjoyed the build and like the end results. I'm particularly impressed with the apple, the watch and the VHS tape. The fact that the VHS tape is so authentic really blows my mind. The watch has a nice look and great printed clock details. The quality of printing of the printed parts are insanely good, which also made me wish the title on the VHS cases are printed as well. While parts of the build are independent, unfortunately the book and VHS cases are all attached to each other. 4 exclusive minifigures is also great and all 4 of them are nicely done. However, can we really call this set Villain Icons? Probably not, in fact I think naming it Villain Icons limited the potential of this set. It is a very nice decor piece but none of the item apart from the apple can be called an Icon of the villain. Younger generations probably don't get what is a VHS as well. Also having a villain theme also limited the chance of having may 1 or 2 extra minifigures without duplicating some other minifigures released in other set. Plus the high price point might limit the appeal to a wider audience as this set really is not for everyone. Even though I like this, I probably will recommend only to Disney fans or LEGO fans looking to build something different.

Here is my review on 71795 Temple of The Dragon Energy Cores: THE GOOD: Great looking build and it's surprisingly big! The building experience is a lot more complex than it looks. Some great details through out, I especially love the bridge between the temple and the trunk. Excellent minifigures selection. THE NOT SO GOOD: Can be a bit expensive without discount. One of the action feature feel redundant, the trunk moves but it doesn't seem to do anything apart from moving left and right. This set is unexpectedly big and complex. When I first saw this set when LEGO revealed it, I thought it looks great with cool minifigures, expecting a building experience similar to a mid size location build. It turns out this set is quite tall and the building experience is unexpectedly complex and engaging. The big trunk took a lot more time than expected. The set is packed with excellent action features and details, although one of the action feature (the small trunk with lantern) doesn't really do much apart from moving side to side. But this is very minor, the overall features and details packed into this surpass this small flaw. I particularly like the well and the bridge linking the trunk and the temple. There is also a new way on building some of the roofs which is refreshing. On top of that, the 6 minifigures are excellent! Again Ninjago sets often come with excellent villain! Now this set can be a bit expensive without discount even though the excellence do justify the price tag a little bit. Overall, this is a great set, whether you are a Ninjago fan or not, this is a set you should not miss =)

Here is my review on 60363 Ice-Cream Shop: THE GOOD: Great looking modern ice cream shop with a very nice sign with melting effect. Also comes with a full roof. Lovely polar bear mascot minifigure. THE NOT SO GOOD: High price without discount. Could have a bit more interior details. Another great LEGO City set from latest wave. I'm surprised how complete this set is. It looks great and with a full roof not like the Grocery Store with a full open roof. Plenty of space inside the shop but of course one could be asking if it's possible to have more interior details. The ice cream shop sign is brilliantly done with the melting effects. The polar bear costume/mascot part also did not disappoint. This is the main reason I bought this set and it's really good. One of the other minifigures also come with a new face but surely this face will be coming with future set. I enjoyed the building experience, nothing too complex and nothing too boring either. The only down side of this set is the high recommended retail price. I bought with 25% discount which made it more reasonable but without discount I probably will have to skip and wait for bricklink for the parts I want. However I'm glad I bought this as the overall result is good. Will recommend this set to everyone as it's better to have a ice-cream shop than keep having ice-cream vans. Now I'm really tempted to buy another one to make a fully enclosed shop, bring on the end of year clearance sale XD