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Greetings! As 2015 approaches, I've been very excited to see that the local Target has started to stock up with an early wave of Spring Releases. I feel this is going to be an 'Awesome' year for LEGO to showcase their ingenuity, as well as up and coming talents. The LEGO Movie [TLM] has, no doubt, helped sales for the company, but how has the creativity from a movie that's almost a year old continued to capture our attention? In June of 2014, I was given the honor of participating in the final week of The LEGO Inside Tour. As part of the tour we get to talk with set designers, and Chris [Designer for The LEGO Movie] shed some light on some of the process and concepts. From my own design experience, it was nice to see the organized chaos that was intentional within the TLM realm. From a business perspective, there have been some fine tuned calculations that make future purchases exciting, but also relevant. Here's how: Set: 70818 Double-Decker Couch Theme: The LEGO Movie Piece Count: 197 +ballast Population: 5 Season: Winter 2015 Wallet Request: USD $14.99 From the front of the box, there's a party waiting to happen. While the characters are evident from the set-up, the lower right corner also dedicates a space to clearly showcase, however redundant, the included minifigs. I'm not sure, however, the context of the image. Perhaps the characters are waiting off-set for filming to resume on TLM 2, or they are in a warehouse party. Either way, the proposed components would seem to be better suited for Emmet's Perfect Morning/Battle Pack. LEGO Ink, Flickr The rear of the box incorporates play features. I like the way that subtle features, such as a strip of film, make their way into presentation. Simple, and effective. LEGO Ink, Flickr An open box reveals four element bags, and an instruction booklet. None of them is numbered, and the only loose item is the instruction booklet...no sticker sheet. I'm not opposed to applying sticker sheets, depending on the model, and I've never had the horrifically marred version that earned the DSS title, but a printed element is always preferred. LEGO Ink, Flickr With that, this little guy will obviously come in handy. LEGO Ink, Flickr While Uni-Kitty has neat elemental personalities, there's only two other parts that really stand out from this set as far as 'new and somewhat rare.' Both belong to Vitruvius. V's lower half is actually a Brick 1x2x2 to accommodate the ghost covering, opposed to the standard slope. It has a print on it, but his upper torso is blank. No complaints, however, as he's constantly covered. LEGO Ink, Flickr The ghost covering is also really neat because of it's design. I can't say, for certain, how long LEGO has used the process, but this particular element has been created using a two stage [at least] mould. One of the most prominent examples of this process was the dual textured Six Sided Game Die, but may also be found with this modified 1x2 w/ Angular Extension. Vitruvius' obligatory headband is the initial element, which also forms the connection to his head. The glow-in-the-dark portion is the second stage, which is cleanly moulded above and below the headband, leaving an uninterrupted band. LEGO Ink, Flickr The usual suspects have slight variations to their faces, but nothing substantial to their bodies, minus V's previously stated brick. One feature I keep coming back to, is the gloriously happy face we see presented on President Business. A first for this particular figure. His uni-brow rainbow makes me smile every time! LEGO Ink, Flickr Turning to the back will reveal alternate versions for all printed faces. One thing that you might find useful: Uni-Kitty is provided with an extra face, but no additional facial components. While the suggested swap isn't completely unrealistic, it takes time. As you will see in the additional elements, I'm given an ear, Uni-holder, and Horn. I just find it strange that an additional 1x3 plate [white] and 1x1 slope didn't find their way into the ballast. All of the faces hold a certain amount of concern, except for Benny. He's gone from content, to overjoyed! LEGO Ink, Flickr As an additional component, we get Emmet's car. It's neat, and I believe the first offered, though it's not overtly complex. It's practical, and simple. The perfect reflection of our yet-to-be-discovered hero. The vehicle features the previously stated Radio, two doors, removable roof, and appropriately proportioned boot for Emmet's hardhat. LEGO Ink, Flickr LEGO Ink, Flickr Here's the couch, pre-built. Upon further inspection, it will be built to the exact specifications as the couch from MetalBeard's Sea Cow. Now, this may bother some folks, but it's not so much an issue for me. I probably won't be able to obtain the Sea Cow soon, so this set has, again, retained its value as a nearly perfect battle pack. LEGO Ink, Flickr LEGO Ink, Flickr LEGO Ink, Flickr ::Too many mugs of milk later:: 'Why don’t vikings send e-mails? They prefer to use Norse code!' LEGO Ink, Flickr And the ballast. It's not a bad selection overall, it just seems...different. Again, we're given 3/5 of the elements necessary to avoid a complete swap for Uni-Kitty's head, but that's not an issue to be considered 'unbuyable'. LEGO Ink, Flickr Closing statements: This set brings an interesting mix of thoughts. On the positive side, it's got characters. Five of them. When you're paying $9.99 for a 3-pack of DIY figs from the LEGO Store, $14.99 for 5 specialized characters isn't so bad! Plus you get all the additional pieces, whether you build with them or not. As stated earlier, I'm looking at my budget through the eyes of...well...my current budget. Getting the whole series isn't an option, but this set has made it possible to recreate lots of fun moments from TLM that other sets haven't been able to accomplish. If I'd already purchased Metalbeard's Sea Cow, I may be a little saddened by the repeat Couch build, but probably not. The car, again, isn't extraordinary...but it works really well. No, there weren't enough Uni-parts to make it an ideal trade, but I've got what I need to make something work. There just isn't enough improbability to even consider this as a bad buy. Cost - 5/5 - Even if you just want the figs, you have 150 +/- elements to do something else with. @ the ideal $0.10 price point, you're still in the lead. Playability - 4/5 - There aren't play 'features' in the action sense, but there's movement and potential. 4 new, interchangeable expressions is a big one for me. Freshness - 4/5 - The couch is recycled, and that's a majority of the parts. There are also characters only specific, currently, to this set. Take the very small plunge, and get yours today!
