Masked Builder

Very cool. You've come up with a great function for the set, I'm going to do this, but I'd like to make it a but smaller.

Yeah I've enjoyed watching all of them. Definitely worth the time to watch.

Interesting insight into LEGO's crisis.

Nope, don't expect to see that. Too violent for LEGO.

I read about this somewhere else, don't remember where though. Still, glad I'm entered!

Ah Smokeblech, your pictures are always refreshing and nice.

Alright, thanks guys. Helm's Deep first it is.

Very nice. Exactly what I expected to see when I clicked, I like your spider solution.

So, Helm's Deep or Mines of Moria? I've been saving for Helm's Deep for over a month now, but I also really want Legolas. I'll get both eventually. And should I try to get them on sale?

The Geonosian Cannon, I was looking forward to this set, two Geonosians, Barris, and a new Commander Gree, not to mention some great orange parts, were just too tempting to pass up. I picked this up as soon as I found it and was pleasantly surprised at how cool the cannon model was. Name: Geonosian Cannon Set Number: 9491 Pieces: 132 Price: $19.99 Ages: 7-12 Minifigs: 4 Theme: Star Wars Year of Release: 2012 Bricklink Brickset S@H You can see all of the pictures in their glory in their Flickr Set. Box: We move onto the box, the front has the usual Darth Maul art, as well as the pane on the right showing the four new minifigures. The Geonosian art that the cannon has been put in is excellent as always. The back of the box continues the dark blue color scheme. We also have three panes showing possible "play" scenes, and then three images of the cannon. LEGO has plopped Barris on the top of this box. I can't wait to get my hands on that dark blue hood! Contents: inside the box we have two numbered bags, loose Geonosian wings, and the manual. Both the wings and the manual were bent pretty nicely, though a book fixed both. Manual: The manual shares the same art as the box front, though we get much more of Maul's lightsaber on the top here. Inside, the pages have the soft grey color scheme common in Star Wars sets. Of course where there's room, LEGO has placed Darth Maul in the upper right corner. Another newer addition to the manuals is this very nice layout of the set, showing the minifigures as well as the cannon's functions. I really like this, it just has that Star Wars "feel" to it. Lastly, there's a short, four pane, comic meant to encourage the kidddies buying this to play out stories with the set. Minifigures: Barris and Gree are nicely detailed, Gree has a new helmet and torso print, fitting of the colors he bears in the show, and Barris has new dark blue torso print, a shot cape, and a dark blue hood. I really love the hood in that color. Both are very accurate to the show versions, Gree has his belt thing, and Barris has her short cape and hood. Gree's belt printing continues on his back, and we can see Barris' cape much better from here, she has no back printing. The Geonosian's wings are so large, they have to be in their own picture. I'm really happy to see a reintroduction of Geonosians, as I missed the first one, and these are so much better. On the left we have our warrior, he's exactly the same as the one from the Geonosioan starfighter set, but with wings, and on the right is our Geonosian Zombie, he's got the same print as the Warrior, but in dark bley. Both were given guns for this set, which I think are pretty accurate. Now their backs, you get a first glimpse of just ho detailed the wings are here, more pictures of them soon. I've removed their wings so you can see their backs better, again, they're the same, but in different colors. Here's an overhead shot of the wings, LEGO has given the Warrior a full set, and printed eaten wings on the Zombie which is true to the show, and adds that extra level of detail. A close up of the front of the Geonosians, they're very detailed and one of my favorite Star Wars minifigures yet. The gun design is quite ingenious, three parts is quite a feat to get something that matches pretty well. Of course, here's a comparison of the two Barris Offee minifigures we've gotten. While they're different eras (It's confusing) I think I like the Clone Wars one better, maybe it has something to do with the dark blue hood... Wow, the minifigures from this set are just great. All of the detailed print, new designs, and the addition of wings really make this set worth the $20 by themselves. Parts: There were three parts that caught my eye as I built the set, the dish, the funky curved part, and the 1x4 slope. Mostly, I was just excited to see all of the new colors that the parts are in, dark orange anything is rather hard to come by. Five left-over parts, nothing special here, not even a cheese slope. The Build: So you start the build by constructing the main body, pretty straight forward, it's just the basics to hold the model together. Then you move on and build the two feet. You use all of the curved bricks to build them. It doesn't look like much without the gun, but we'll fix that. Lastly, you build the actual gun. The gun has most of the weight of the set, and really adds a good depth to it. Complete Model: And it's done! I am very happy with the set, overall, nothing too plain and the minifigures are really quite nice. The front of the cannon shows the cannon part of the model, as well as the "feet" of the cannon. The droid arms with the "handle" parts are a nice addition to add a bit of depth. The controls are visible from the back, along with the sticks used to launch the flick-fires, more about them next. All of the curves present really make this look Geonosian to me. I really like this area. The way all of the dishes line up just looks so interesting. Functions: The cannon can "aim" up and down about 60 degrees, the way the legs are attached limits the movement more. When you press the sticks on the back, they push the flick-fire forward and launch it. You do have to press pretty quickly to make it launch. Final Thoughts: I'm so happy with this set. The minifigures are accurate, the cannon is cool, and the price is even better. The only thing I might have added was a Clone from Gree's legion, then it would be perfect. Other than that, this set holds up to my standards, most of the time, I have a good idea of which sets I want well before they come out, so I have a general liking of them already. Flick-fires are getting a bit old, but I like their use in this set, I like seeing multiple parts interact to do one function. Ratings: Playability: 8/10 It's a fairly playable set, mostly between the minifigures though. Design: 8/10 The cannon is designed pretty well, and I could see it on Geonosis blasting Clones. Price: 10/10 The set was well worth the prices LEGO is asking, heck, I probably would have paid $5 more. Minifigures: 10/10 The minifigures are exquisite, perfect representations of their show versions. Parts: 9/10 I was quite happy with the selection of new colored parts in this set. Total: 45/50 An outstanding score for such a small set! "Would someone care to explain why I have a gun?" Want to learn to make excellent reviews like this one? Then join the Reviewers Academy!

Yeah Oky, the Bane one is good! Should have thought of that myself.

Well, with the sacrifice of our dear tree stump, I think it is obvious. Vote: Second Officer Lieutenant Commander Andrew Gordon (Scubacarrot).

No, it only ever effects the summon.

It's more like spell casting, not for use in battles.

Well that was unexpected. It was sure helpful.

No no, the effect goes to the summoned creature, not themselves. That's exactly what it is. True, but I think most probably would.

That makes a lot of sense. His behavior look fairly scummy to me.

Been working on this for the past couple of weeks. Most of the bugs should have been worked out. Monster Tamers use their knowledge of animals and gems to fight their battles. Additional Health: +4 Additional Ether: +4 (+1 per level for classes without base ether) Weapons: Wands, Whips, and Bows Job trait: Animal Talk (See Ranger), Spell Casting (See Mage), Helpful Friend - The Monster Tamer may summon their creature to help them in everyday tasks. Battle style: Monster Power - Monster Tamers use their chosen gem to summon and have the creature fight for them. 1. Shied/Past Summon: Monster Tamers summon the last Beast type enemy the Monster Tamer fought against, where its power is equal to its level and special becomes its shield roll. Additionally any additional types do not carry over and a roll of critical hit results in a strike of power times two. 2. Critical Hit/Greater Bolster: The Monster Tamer hits the enemy for damage equal to twice their WP added to their level. Optionally, the hero may choose to grant the Lucky effect, at the cost of ether every other round, to their companion, if it has been summoned. 3. Hit/Bolster: The Tamer hits the enemy for damage equal to their their WP added to their level. Optionally, if the creature has been summoned, the hero may choose to grant the Hastened effect, at the cost of one ether every other round, to their companion. 4. Pilfer/Lesser Bolster: The Monster Tamer steals an unlisted item from the target selected by a random roll: 1-3: Potion/Tonic, 4-5: Grand Potion/Grand Tonic, 6: Phoenix Essence. The hero may choose to grant the Encouraged effect, taking one ether every other round that the effect is in effect, to their companion, if summoned, instead. 5. Damage: The Monster Tamer is struck by the opponent's attack. 6. Special Damage: The Monster Tamer is struck by the opponent’s special attack. Important: (A max of two summons may fight per battle.)

"Good to have you aboard Nur." Aleixs signs herself, Nur, and Althior up for Quest #39 with Althior as Party leader.

Actually, they showed the TIE fighter last year.

Alexis watches Nur enter the hall. "Hm. He'd make a good fellow quester." She heads over to where he's sitting to ask him. "Hello there Nur, I see you've grown your hair out. Would you like to go on Quest #39 with Althior and I? I personally do not care who the part leader is."

Dang. We really aren't getting anywhere, I can't believe Burbank was a loyalist. I must think about the last few days to see what sparks my radar.