Cygnet

Very nice review! No, I didn't see this one (likely because it was on the Star Wars forums), but I will have to say that the presentation of the pics are quite nice. I especially like the top-down shots and three quarter views. Also, thanks for the info regarding the Advanced Recon Force/Kashyyyk troopers. My research did indicate that 'served' on Kashyyyk but I thought they were deployed to other fronts as well. Hopefully there was no offense in the posting of this review, given I was unaware of yours. I'll have to search the entire forums next time. This will be important, as I have a Mando armor review scheduled for next week!

This review covers the new Sci-Fi Helmet release from custom house Arealight. Although not referenced directly, these eight new helmets are based off of various Star Wars clone trooper designs. We will cover each helmet in turn and discuss the material that inspired it. Many of the items you will see have very similar features. All of the helmets are made of ABS plastic and were found to have a firm, tight connection to the head. All of the pieces have nice details that extend around the helmet, as shown in the pictures below. Each piece also has lots of space and surface to accommodate custom touches like paint or decals. Not all of the helmets had eye holes or visor slits (we will indicate below when this is the case). In those instances where the helmet does have eye holes, we have a black minifigure head with no print underneath. These did not come with these pieces and there are no black visors. The items are shown in various colors; however, all of these pieces are currently available in black, white, sand green, and silver. On November 25th, 2010 they will also be available in red, blue, and tan. The first item is the Commander Helmet which is inspired by helmets worn by Clone Commanders and Troopers in Phase II armor. The Phase II armor became the norm in the Galactic Republic as the Kaminoans became more accustomed to human anatomy. This upgraded system was the next step in the evolution towards the Galactic Empire’s Stormtroopers. The item is shown here in white with nice details including a cut out for the eyes and extending down the bridge of the nose. As you can see, there are holes on the side of the helmet to accommodate visors (more on that later). The next helmet is the Bacara Helmet modeled after the helmet worn by Clone Martial Commander ‘Bacara’. Bacara headed up the Galactic Marines under the leadership of Jedi General Ki-Adi-Mundi. The unique design of the helmet was originally intended for clone tank drivers. The item is shown here in white, again with nicely sculpted details and eye holes similar to the Commander Helmet. The Neyo Helmet is based on the the helmet worn by ARC Commander ‘Neyo’. Neyo led the 91st Reconnaissance Corps who all wore specially designed and matching helmets in order to protect their commander. The item here is shown in white with eye holes but no extension on the bridge of the nose. The AT-RT Helmet is often seen on the All-Terrain Recon Transport drivers. The helmets of these drivers featured boosted com-links for when they were away from their walkers in the field. Many of the clone troopers were used on Kashyyyk to hunt Wookies after the event known as ‘Order 66’. The item here is shown in white with two separate eye holes. The visor on this piece is molded into the helmet and cannot be moved or removed. The Airbone Helmet is inspired by those worn by Clone Paratroopers. The indentation on the front of their helmets helped regulate airflow as they were dropped into battle. The item here is shown in white with eye holes extending across the front of the piece in a similar fashion as the Neyo helmet. The design is more angular in nature, however. The Commando Helmet is based on the Katarn-class clone armor worm by the Clone Commando units. Clone Commandos were used for specialized missions and operated in pods of four. The Katarn-class armor is named after a predatory animal from the Wookie planet of Kashyyyk. The Commando helmet is the most general of all the Arealight clone helmet designs. There are no eye holes or visor slits, instead favoring a smooth region over the face. This also makes this piece the most customizable as it doesn’t have a look at that instantly places it in the Star Wars camp. The ARF Helmet is modeled after those worn by the Advanced Recon Force. ARF Troopers would be used to gather information and carry out stealth attacks. The ARF are also known to pilot the AT-RT (All Terrain Recon Trasport) walkers. Although shown here in white, they resemble the helmets worn by the Imperial Scout troopers from the film ‘Return of the Jedi’. The visor/eye holes are bigger than those featured on some of the previous helmets. The visor is part of the mold and cannot be moved or removed. The Assault Helmet is often seen on Cold Assault Troopers. These troopers were deployed in terrain which featured extreme cold. The helmet design is similar to the Imperial Stormtroopers on Hoth from the film ‘The Empire Strikes Back’. Shown here in black, there are no eye holes or visor slits. If you want this piece to better resemble its inspiration, then you will need to add paint or decals. There are a few important notes regarding accessories, both official LEGO parts and those sold by Arealight. I had an antenna/rangefinder and visor that came with the 2010 Slave I set. I found that the LEGO parts did not interact well with the Commander Helmet (the only clone helmet design with holes on the side). The hole in the Commander Helmet was too small for the LEGO antenna and the visor. The visor is also a little small for the width of the helmet. This said, Arealight never claimed that the LEGO accessories would interact with their parts. You might be able to modify the holes to be bigger for the antenna. Arealight does sell a Phase I and II visor and binocular visor, but I did not have either one available for this review. I believe the Phase II visors are the ones needed to fit the Commander Helmet. These are phenomenal pieces and are highly recommended buys. ABS quality with good connections and fantastic details that are ready for custom paint and decal treatments. Although some may balk at the lack of print, this allows one to customize these pieces to their own specifications or to take them outside of the Star Wars universe entirely. Additional Stats Custom House: Arealight Customs Website: www.arealightcustoms.com Location: Taiwan International Shipping?: Yes (see store for details) Colors Available: Black, White, Sand Green, and Silver (Red, Blue, and Tan available Nov 25th, 2010) Retail Prices: All items shown are $2.50 USD The reference pictures and background information were taken from Wookieepedia This review originally appeared on the minifigure blog The Ugly Duckling at BrickLink

Thanks Omi! I saw the hairstyles, but didn't see the additional colors. Aside from 'gold' do you know what the other colors were off hand? For everyone else...remember that 'brown' and 'dark gray' items are at clearance prices. Still a lot of good pieces to choose from.

We continue our review of products from custom house Tiny Tactical. Today we are looking at three products, the STV1 Tactical Vest, the SCR-536 Walkie Talkie, and the TL-122 Flashlight. STV1 Tactical Vest The tactical vest has been used in a wide variety of military applications for storage of key field gear. Some tactical vests also have a ballistics armor component to them. The Tiny Tactical STV1 vest doesn't appear to be based on a specific model, but can add nice 3D elements to military minifigures. The Tactical Vest fits quite well over a standard torso with the connection occurring with the head post. The color of the tactical vest is olive drab (OD) green and has nice, detailed pouches on the front of the piece. The back has a couple large rectangular pieces, but are largely smooth. None of the pouches are functional (i.e. no openings) and there are no connections or clips for accessories. One of the things I look for in body gear is the ability of the arms to move freely from front to back. This was not an issue, as the footprint of the vest fits well inside the torso. SCR-536 Walkie Talkie The SCR-536 Walkie Talkie, or 'handy talkie', is one of the first hand-held, self-contained radios that saw wide use by the US Signal Corps during World War II. The Tiny Tactical version is 2.7 cm long (1.1 cm of the radio body and 1.6 cm the antenna), 3 mm wide and comes in OD green. The body is made out of thermoset plastic while the antenna cap is reinforced with carbon fiber. The antenna is made of a reinforced composite material. The part can be held in the minifig hand so that the receiver is either pointing out or in, toward the minifigure's head and face (see above photo). If the piece is held where the receiver is facing out from the minifigure, it will need to be 'slid' into position for a firm connection. This is accomplished by a small rectangular piece that extends from the main body of the radio and likely represents the press-to-talk switch. The part resembles its real-life counterpart quite well. The antenna appears to be fragile, but as we mentioned Tiny Tactical has reinforced this part for added durability. I would still not recommend 'rough play' with this piece to remain on the safe side. TL-122 Flashlight The TL-122 Flashlight was an Army standard issue, right angle flashlight used widely in World War II. The Tiny Tactical replica is 9 mm long and made of thermoset plastic. The part is OD green with the 'light' itself hand-painted silver. The piece can only be held in the minifigure hand while facing out. This is achieved by having a small piece of rectangular plastic sticking out from the main body of the flashlight, allowing the part to slide into place. When the flashlight is turned sideways, however, the connection is lost and could fall out of the minifigure's hand. Again, as with many of the Tiny Tactical pieces, this resembles the real-life item well. All three parts were found to be of good quality with firm connections all around. Although I wouldn't recommend 'rough play' with the radio, I experienced no issues during the review. All three of these items are recommended buys. Additional Stats Custom House: Tiny Tactical Website: www.tinytactical.com Location: British Columbia, Canada International Shipping?: Yes (see BrickLink store for details) Colors Available: All items shown are Olive Drab (OD) Green. The tactical vest is also available in black. Retail Prices: STV1 Tactical Vest ($3.75 USD), SCR-536 Walkie Talkie ($2.90 USD), TL-122 Flashlight ($2.45 USD) This review originally appeared on the LEGO minifigure blog The Ugly Duckling at BrickLink

Thanks! You are correct in that TT is using a thermoset plastic instead of ABS; however, I found the quality to be spot on. I always worry about plastic strength and integrity when ABS isn't in play, but wouldn't have concerns here.

The following is the first review in a series for custom minifig house Tiny Tactical. Tiny Tactical has been storming the scene with a variety of new and innovative custom military pieces. To learn more about TT you can check out our previous customizer spotlight article on the company. The focus of this review is on the Panzerschreck set which is composed of four parts - the rocket launcher, blast shield, backpack, and rockets. All of these items can be purchased separately or together on the Tiny Tactical BrickLink store (link below). Panzerschreck Reference Photo The Panserschreck was the popular name of the Raketenpanzerbüchse which was often shortened to RPzB. Used by the Germans against Allied tanks in World War II, their name roughly translates to 'tank terror'. Although a reusable, shoulder-fired rocket launcher, the Panzerschreck emitted a toxic black smoke after firing, giving away the operator's position and requiring them to move to another location. The shape of the weapon and the black smoke earned the Panzerschreck another nickname by German soldiers, the Ofenrohr or 'Stove Pipe'. Backpack Details with and without Rockets We first turn our attention to the backpack which can house up to three of the RPzBGr 4322 Rockets. The backpack is made of a brown thermoset plastic. It connects to the minifig much in the same way a standard backpack would, by a connection that fits around the head post. There are three holes near the bottom of the piece which allow the tips of the rockets to sit, and three notches where the rocket shafts can rest. The rockets to not clip into the backpack, but instead sit levered into place. The rockets will not fall out of the pack, but can move around when repositioning your figures. Steve from Tiny Tactical indicated that these rockets could be glued to each of the three notches, if desired, but then couldn't be removed easily after glued. I found the backpack to fit firm and snug on the minifigure without any issues. The thermoset plastic seemed quite nice and durable. Rocket-Propelled Grenades in Hand We've already mentioned the RPzBGr 4322 Rockets which can sit in the backpack housing. Each rocket is made of thermoset plastic with a carbon fiber support structure. The rockets do not attach to the Panzershreck itself and do not have a connection point at which a minifigure can 'grab'. You can rest a rocket in the minifigure hand, however, when the arms are extended horizontally as seen in the picture above. The detailing on the rockets are wonderful and resemble the real-life item quite well. Again, I didn't see any issues regarding durability of this item during the review. Panzerschreck 360 View We now turn to the main piece of this set, the Panzershreck rocket launcher. The rocket launcher arrived with the blast shield attached using an industrial grade glue to bond the shield in place. Both the rocket launcher and blast shield are made out of dark tan thermoset plastic. The launcher is further reinforced with carbon fiber. Both pieces are dark tan in color. As you can see from the 360 product shot above, the piece is nicely detailed, especially the blast shield, and resembles the real-life item incredibly well. I felt the piece had just the right level of detail while remaining suitable for minifig soldiers. The launcher fits firmly in the minifigure hand and extends nicely over the shoulder. A detail that I appreciated was how the launcher's two sights and the hole in the blast shield aligned. Blast Shield On and Off As we mentioned earlier the blast shield will come attached via glue if the rocket launcher and blast shield are ordered together. With the blast shield glued in place you cannot easily remove it for other custom applications. The attachment is firm, but care must still be taken when handling the piece. I was testing to see if the main shaft of the rocket launcher could be used as a connection point with the minifigure's hand (note that it can, but you will have to use some force to make the connection). In the process of doing this, the shield came off (see picture above). The shield remained intact and could easily be reattached and positioned; however, do keep in mind that rough treatment could cause the same thing to happen for you. I contacted another collector who bought several of these sets. He confirmed that he didn't have this issue with any of the 11 sets he purchased. Is it possible that the blast shield could unintentionally become detached? Yes. Is it probable with proper handling? No. In summary I feel all items associated with the Tiny Tactical Panzerschreck set to be nicely detailed custom items that give your minifigure armies some historical authenticity. Rough play is not recommended, but otherwise I found the pieces to be of good quality. Overall this is a recommended buy and a nice addition to your minifigure World War II arsenal. Additional Stats Custom House: Tiny Tactical Website: www.tinytactical.com Location: British Columbia, Canada International Shipping?: Yes (see BrickLink store for details) Colors Available: Dark Tan (Panzerschreck Launcher and Blast Shield), Dark Gray (RPzBGr 4322 Rocket), and Brown (Rocket Backpack) Retail Prices: Panzerschreck Launcher ($5.75 USD), Blast Shield ($2.40 USD), RPzBGr 4322 Rocket ($2.15 USD each), Rocket Backpack ($4.20 USD) Reference pictures and historical details via Wikipedia This review originally appeared on the minifigure blog The Ugly Duckling at BrickLink

A very nice review White Fang. I'm happy to see more reviews of custom house products. Perhaps we can convince the Reviewer's Academy to grant a special designation for those of us who choose to do these types of reviews.

BrickForge Musical Instrument Series As part of their 2010 line-up of new products, BrickForge has recently released their line of minifigure musical instruments. This review takes a look at the electric and acoustic guitars, as well as their violin and drumsticks. Electric Guitars The electric guitars are molded in ABS plastic with print on the body and neck of the instrument. The styling resembles that of a Fender Stratocaster. The detailing shows off machine heads on the headstock, frets along the neck, strings and pick-ups on the body, along with a couple of control knobs. The piece is about 4 cm long, 1.4 cm at the widest point, and 4mm thick. There are three print variants. One where there's white print is on the body (seen here), representing the pickguard. This design comes in black, blue, red, reddish brown, and tan. There's also a white variant with a black pickguard design. Finally, there are a couple of designs where there's tan print on the neck of the guitar only in black and white. Acoustic Guitar The acoustic guitars are also molded in ABS, but the current design has no print on the product. The style of the guitar most closely resembles a folk or classical acoustic. The detailing on the guitar includes the tuning keys and machine heads on the headstock, frets along the neck, strings and bridge on the body along with the sound hole. The dimensions of the product are 3.8 cm in length, 1.4 cm at the widest point, and 4 mm thick. Currently, the acoustic guitar only comes in tan and dark tan. The dark tan variant is shown here. Violin The final member in this string instrument trio is the violin. The BrickForge violin details the scroll and peg board at the top, raised strings that descend down the neck to a bridge and tail piece, and F-holes on the body. The violin is roughly 3 cm long, 1.1 cm at the widest point, and nearly 5 mm thick. Similar to the acoustic guitar, this piece only comes in tan and dark tan. The dark tan variant is shown here. This piece does not come with a bow, but a standard LEGO bar of 4L or 3L length should suffice. As with all of the BrickForge products, this is made with ABS plastic. Connections on Back of Instruments All of the stringed instruments also have connections on the back of the piece. Both the electric and acoustic guitars have single holes which can be used in a variety of ways. The holes can accommodate any part the size of a single LEGO stud, this includes bars, posts, technic pins, or minifigure hands. This means if you wanted to 'hang' one of these guitars on the wall of one of your MOCs, it can be done. You could also sling the guitar on a minifigure's back if you had an accessory part with a stud on the back, like part 42446. The violin has all of these features but includes an additional post connection on the underside of the piece. This is where the minifig can grip the part to achieve a pose where the body of the violin rests near the shoulder. Without this connection, the minifig would not be able to achieve this stance given current articulation in the arms. Another feature all three of the stringed instruments have in common are how the minifigs can grab the neck of the instrument. The necks are rounded along the back in a type of semicircle design. I found that if the neck of the instrument is inserted into the hand sideways/flat and then twisted, it achieves a snug connection. This means you cannot have the minifig hold the neck 'sideways' as it would fall out of the hand. Armothe from BrickForge stated this was a design decision to have the pieces better resemble their large-scale counterparts. Drumsticks The last 'instrument' from this series comes from the percussion family. The BrickForge drumsticks are a 'fun' little item that can be used to help fill out your LEGO rock band. A simple design, they are roughly 1.6 cm long or comparable to a 2L bar. The main shaft fits firmly in a minfig hand and then tapers down to a tip. These come is six different colors including black, blue, red, reddish brown, tan and white. The tan variant is pictured here. There currently are no drums, drum sets, or cow bells for your minifigure to play aside from those you build yourself. The drumsticks could potentially be re-purposed in various builds. I've also heard that they can make nifty wands for certain students of Hogwarts. This concludes our review of the BrickForge minifig instrument series. I hope you found this review helpful in deciding if these may be the right product for you. You can check out these products and many others at the BrickForge website (link below). Additional Stats - Electric Guitars Custom House: BrickForge Website: www.brickforge.com Location: United States International Shipping: Yes (details) Colors Available: With White Pickguard - Black, Blue, Red, Reddish Brown, and Tan. With Black Pickguard - White. With Tan Neck Print - Black and White Retail Price: $1.00 USD Additional Stats - Acoustic Guitars and Violins Colors Available: Tan and Dark Tan Retail Price: $1.00 USD Additional Stats - Drumsticks Colors Available: Black, Blue, Red, Reddish Brown, Tan and White Retail Price: $1.00 USD This review originally appeared at the minifigure blog 'The Ugly Duckling at BrickLink' on 9/29/2010.

One of the most sought after figures from LEGO set 8684, Series 2 Collectible Minifigures, was the Spartan Warrior. Never before seen in an official LEGO set, this exciting character has inspired many to recreate the Battle of Thermopylae where 300 Spartans sacrificed their lives to fend off the Persian hordes. The only problem is that The Spartan is one of the rare figures (three available on average of a case of 60) from the set, and secondary market prices can be quite high. What is a collector or customizer to do?! As we all know TLG is not always the final word in the land diminutive ABS heroes. Custom house BrickForge offers up similar offerings for your half-pint hoplites and brick based empires. The objective of this review is to compare the LEGO and BrickForge versions of three elements of the Spartan arsenal to allow fans to choose the right product for themselves. A hoplite was a citizen soldier of one of many Greek city-states and primarily fought in the phalanx formation. Spartans, or Lacedaemonians, were some of the most feared of these warriors, beginning their military training around age seven and ending their military careers at age 60. There were three main instruments that allowed a hoplite to fight effectively in the phalanx, the Corinthian helmet, the aspis or hoplon (shield), and the doru (spear). We will cover each element in turn. First up, the helmet... The Corinthian Helmet LEGO Hoplite Helmet (front, side, rear) The Corinthian helmet was made of bronze which covered the head and neck while allowing for openings for the eyes and mouth. This style of helmet came in many variations, some including a crest running from front to back or side to side to distinguish military rank. The LEGO version of this helmet, appears in a metallic gold color with a red, printed crest running front to back. The helmet and crest are one molded, ABS piece with firm connection to the minifigure head. The opening for the eyes and mouth are angular in design, resembling the helmet design depicted in the film '300'. BrickForge Hoplite Helmet with Officer Plume (front, side, rear) The BrickForge piece is actually a modular design. The helmet and crest are two separate items (shown here in bronze with a red crest). You can decide if your hoplites will or will not bear one of the many color crests that are available. A picture of the post hole where the plume can be seen here (http://bit.ly/9X1AIf). The design of the eye and mouth openings are more rounded and appear to more closely correspond with the classic Corinthian helmet design. All parts, helmet and crest, are made of ABS. The helmet has a nice, tight connection to the minifigure's head and the crest fits snugly in the post hole. (Left to Right) No Plume, Officer Plume, Commander Crest There is also a style of crest called 'The Commander's Crest' which attaches to the hoplite helmet and runs from side to side. This style of crest was often used to identify officers in the phalanx. The hoplite helmet is available in bronze (pictured), black, blue*, brown, dark blueish gray, dark gray, and silver. Both the officer's plume and commander's crest are available in black, bronze, red, silver, trans dark blue, trans green, trans red, and white. The officer's plume also comes in blue, brown, dark gray, dark orange, light gray, and tan. The Hoplon Shield The aspis or hoplon was the circular shield which formed the impenetrable defensive barrier of the phalanx. A convex shield often made of wood and covered in bronze, Spartan women would present these shields to their warriors before battle saying, "with this, or on this," meaning come back victorious or die trying. Spartan Hoplon: BrickForge (left); LEGO (right) The innovation of the shield was in the design of the grip. Instead of centering the handle on the shield, the handle was offset and a leather strap added for the forearm to slip through. This gave the hoplite additional leverage and force when forming the phalanx. Neither the LEGO or BrickForge piece used a handle design that mimicked a real hoplon, likely due to minifigure articulation and the limitations it would have in shield placement. Both pieces use a similar handle design in the center of each shield. Both pieces fit snugly within the minifigure's hand. Hoplon in fighting formation: LEGO (left); BrickForge (right) The LEGO shield is medium dark flesh in color and flat with a hallow stud in the center of the shield. Items can be attached to the hallow stud on the front of the shield if desired. The shield measures 2 cm in diameter and has a ridge around the rim. It was not uncommon for hoplite shields to have designs on the front of the shield. The warriors had the Greek letter lambda on the front of their shields for 'Lacedaemon' the ancient name for Sparta in the film '300'. You could place decals or painted design on the shield, but they would have to accommodate the hallow stud in the center. The BrickForge shield, shown here in bronze, has a convex design with plenty of room for decals or painted touches. The shield is slightly bigger than the LEGO part with a diameter of 2.2 cm, theoretically providing more coverage. The BF round shield comes in several flavors including black, blue, bronze, brown*, dark blueish gray, dark gray*, dark orange, dark tan, light gray, red*, silver*, tan, and white. The Doru Spear The doru was a spear seven to nine feet in length with a leaf-shaped spearhead and a spike called the sauroter, or 'lizard killer', on the other end. The rear spike was used to leverage the spear against the ground. The rear spike could also be used as a secondary weapon if the doru were to break. Top to Bottom: Classic LEGO Spear, BrickForge Javelin, LEGO Spartan Spear The picture above compares three types of spears in the brick-based arsenal. The top most spear is the classic LEGO design, a shade over 7L in length, and composed of a single shaft tapering into the spear point. This part has appeared in many colors over the years including black, brown, dark-blue violet, dark brown, green, trans-light blue, trans-neon green, pearl dark gray, pearl light gray, and metallic silver. Next we have the BrickForge javelin. The javelin, like the doru, has spear points on both ends, and is approximately the length of a 7.5L bar. The javelin comes in 12 different colors: black, blue, bronze, brown, dark blueish gray, dark gray, dark orange, light gray, red, silver, tan, and white. Finally we have the new Spartan spear that comes with the Series 2 Collectible Minifigure. Similar in length to a 8L bar, this new weapon is composed of two pieces. The spear tip is light pearl gray and fits into a pearl dark gray shaft. The spear tip is not easily removed, however. There is no rear spike on this new LEGO spear. The Spartan Spear - LEGO (left); BrickForge (right) Both the BrickForge javelin and LEGO Spartan spear fit tightly in the hand of the minifigure without any slippage issues. This concludes our comparative reviews of the LEGO and BrickForge Spartan arsenals. Whether you are looking to outfit 3 or 300 Spartans, we hope this review has given you some ideas on the alternatives that exist for your minifig hoplites. If you have other suggestions on insights, please let us know in the comments. Additional Stats - BrickForge Hoplite Helmet Custom House: BrickForge Website: www.brickforge.com Location: United States International Shipping: Yes (see site for details) Colors Available: Bronze, Black, Blue*, Brown, Dark Blueish Gray, Dark Gray, and Silver Retail Price: $1.50 USD Additional Stats - BrickForge Officer Plume Colors Available: Black, Bronze, Red, Silver, Trans Dark Blue, Trans Green, Trans Red, White, Blue, Brown, Dark Gray, Dark Orange, Light Gray, and Tan Retail Price: $0.50 USD Additional Stats - BrickForge Commander Crest Colors Available: Black, Bronze, Red, Silver, Trans Dark Blue, Trans Green, Trans Red, and White Retail Price: $0.50 USD Additional Stats - BrickForge Round Shield Colors Available: Black, Blue, Bronze, Brown*, Dark Blueish Gray, Dark Gray*, Dark Orange, Dark Tan, Light Gray, Red*, Silver*, Tan, and White Retail Price: $1.00 USD Additional Stats - BrickForge Javelin Colors Available: Black, Blue, Bronze, Brown, Dark Blueish Gray, Dark Gray, Dark Orange, Light Gray, Red, Silver, Tan, and White Retail Price: $1.00 USD *This item is currently out of stock. This a collection of three articles that originally appeared on The Ugly Duckling at BrickLink minifigure blog. Changes were made by the author to collect this into one overall review.

The Mime from Series 2 of the LEGO Collectible Minifigures has introduced a beret in the pantheon of official minifigure accessories. Did you know, however, that berets have been available for quite some time through custom house BrickForge? The objective of this review is to compare the LEGO and BrickForge versions of the beret to allow fans to choose the right product for themselves. LEGO Beret - 360 View We turn first to the LEGO version of the beret which comes with The Mime from set 8684, Series 2 Collectible Minifigures. As with many LEGO pieces the hat is molded in ABS and has an asymmetrical design. As pictured here, there is a broader portion around the brim which tapers as you move (facing) from right to left. The design is such that if the tapered end were turned to the front it might also resemble a flat or ivy cap popularized by the Kangol brand and the actor Samuel L Jackson. The broader rim does leave some room for the addition of decals or painted highlights. The gripping or clutching power of this piece is quite firm as it utilizes a full tube inside the cap. This item is only available in black with no indication of further use in other sets. The Mime is an uncommon figure in the series meaning that there are only four available on average per case of 60 figures. BrickForge Beret - 360 View Looking at the BrickForge option, we have a more rounded design with a deeper profile when sitting on the minifigure's head. As shown, this piece has a broad, high portion around the brim which tapers as you move (facing) from right to left. The tapered end differs from the LEGO design in that it is rounded and falls against the head in a more 'natural' form. The BF beret has a broader, taller brim allowing more room for decals or painted details. The BrickForge piece does not appear to grip as tightly to the minifigure head when compared to the LEGO beret, but maintains connection. Armothe of BrickForge states that their tests show the clutching power of this piece is comparable to that of the LEGO Star Wars clone trooper helmet. BrickForge has a wide assortment of berets available in their store. This design is currently offered in black, blue, dark green, medium blue, orange, pink, red, tan , white, and yellow. "Clear out, clown! Let a real man through." Although the the art of 'mime' is all well and good, we have asked our chief of security, Sgt. Fury, to step in model these two pieces with a more military style of minifigure (see below). In summary, the new LEGO beret provides purists with a new headgear with tight, secure connections; however, supplies and color choices are quite limited. The BrickForge option provides a rounded design with a high profile for custom touches, available in a wide color palate. Although the clutching power seemed less than the TLG part, it remained in place and was not a significant issue. Additional Stats - BrickForge Beret Custom House: BrickForge Website: www.brickforge.com Location: United States International Shipping: Yes (details) Colors Available: Black, Blue, Dark Green, Medium Blue, Orange, Pink, Red, Tan , White, and Yellow Retail Price: $1.50 USD Additional Stats - LEGO Beret Availability: Worldwide but in limited quantities Colors Available: Black Retail Price: With Series 2 Collectible Minifigure, $1.99 USD (MSRP)/ Average BrickLink price (figure) ~$4.00 USD* / Average BrickLink price (beret only) $1.90 USD* *BrickLink prices as of 9/9/2010 This review originally appeared at the minifigure blog 'The Ugly Duckling at BrickLink' on 9/10/2010.

This review highlights one of the most anticipated items from the new 2010 product line from custom house BrickForge - The Centaurs. The product is in fact the lower torso of a Centaur that can be added to any LEGO minifigure torso assembly. Currently BrickForge offers these items in three colors - tan, dark tan, and reddish brown. Additional colors are planned for the future. The footprint of this piece is 2 studs in width and 5 studs in length. The feet have a snug and firm connection to other LEGO studs, and there are two additional connections on the Centaur's back. The first connection point is for the minifigure torso assembly and resembles the posts found on most TLG hips. The second set of connections are spaced similarly to a 1x2 plate and allow for other minifigures to sit on top, or for accessories like quivers or scabbards to be attached. Unlike a standard LEGO horse, traditional saddle pieces will not work with this animal. All connections were found to be snug and fit standard LEGO parts well. I found that some of the longer accessories typically designed for the back of a minifigure (i.e. quivers), would not fit on the neck because of the placement of the Centaur body. This is fixed by placing the quiver on the stud attachments found on the back of the Centaur instead (as shown above). I will note that the BrickForge backpack, a new item for 2010 and pictured above, works quite well with this piece. The backpack fits on the torso without issue while allowing enough clearance for additional accessories on the back studs. One thing to keep in mind is that you may only be able to place accessories, like the quiver, on one side only unless you modify the piece. There was a slight overlap with the two quivers I had that prevented both 'neck braces' from lying flush against the Centaur body. This is easily fixed with a little sand paper, however. This only pertains to official TLG accessories, and may work with accessories from other custom houses designed for the hips or neck. There was one minor 'watch out' found with this piece. The figure can become unbalanced if heavy accessories are held in the left hand in the extended position, because the font, left foot is in a lifted position. This is only an issue, of course, if the centaur is not attached to a LEGO base plate or some other construction with studs. Overall this is a fantastic product. It extends the line-up of fantasy characters available for MOCs in the LEGO Castle/Kingdoms/or Harry Potter universes. Construction was solid and the issues found were very minor and easily fixed. These pieces were also found to interact well with official TLG products. A recommended buy. Additional Stats Custom House: BrickForge Website: www.brickforge.com Location: United States International Shipping: Yes (details) Colors Available: Tan, Dark Tan, and Reddish Brown Retail Price: $4.00 USD This review originally appeared at the minifigure blog 'The Ugly Duckling at BrickLink' on 9/3/2010. This review has been modified from the original at the author's discretion to reflect new information.

Although I would argue a proper review is a proper review, regardless if set or custom accessories, I would still like to be enlisted.

Is it possible to join the Reviewer's Academy if the reviews focus on sets like Collectible Minifigures and Custom House (BrickArms, BrickForge, Amazing Armory, etc.) accessories? If so, I would like to join.