-R8-

The sheer size and amount of detail and action is simply awe-inspiring. I really love the layout, and the minifig population brings it all to life. I also like how the hangar area is designed - lots of machinery and equipment everywhere, giving off a busy and hectic atmosphere akin to the scene prior to when the rebels take off to the Death Star. Awesome job

This set actually happened to be an impulse purchase. With a partially used Target gift card in hand, I was just about ready to give up on finding a decent set to purchase. Suddenly a small red sticker caught my eye. The box had a clearance tag on it for only $49.98. Deducting $33 from the gift card, the Titanium Command Rig was bought for about $17 out of my pocket. Name: 8964 Titanium Command Rig Theme: Power Miners Year: 2009 Pieces: 706 Minifigs: 5 Price: USD 99.99, GBP 59.99, EUR 94.99 Further Reference: LEGO Shop@Home, Brickset.com, Bricklink.com, Peeron.com, flickr The Box: Front Wow, quite an action-packed box design. No wonder the rock monster seems cranky, that big thing looks like it would make a racket as it's speeding through underground caves. The intense action and the features on the rig are bound to draw kids in to this set. On the bottom right there's a little inset with the dimensions of the set when the drilling platform is deployed: 35 centimeters/14 inches long and 44 centimeters/17.6 inches tall. Oddly Shop@Home says otherwise: 33 centimeters/13 inches long and 45 centimeters/17.5 inches tall. From the measurements I took, it would appear that the dimensions given on the box are more accurate. The Box: Back The entire backside is devoted to all of the play features in the set, all of which will be covered in this review. Enough to make a kid blabber on and on about all the features on the car ride home from the store, likely driving their parents nuts (except the ones who love LEGO as much as their kids ) The Instructions: Front Unfortunately my instructions came crumpled underneath all the polybags Design-wise, there is nothing new to say. However, both instruction booklets are oriented in different ways. Booklet one is landscape oriented, and booklet two is portrait oriented. The first booklet is mainly for construction of the chassis, and the second booklet is for the drill platform assembly. The Instructions: Random Page and Back Pages The background is a very subtle and faint underground cavern, unobtrusive and fitting. Booklet 2 has a few pages in the back advertising the other Power Miners sets, and even has a cool checklist for collecting all of the rock monsters. The Stickers Not so much of a 'dreaded' sticker sheet this time, since they are used rather sparingly for a set this size. The Power Miners stickers are actually pretty cool because of the fact that some of them have rough textures on them, an attempt to emulate a grimy and weathered surface. The Pieces There are eight numbered bags, many of them have smaller polybags in them. Also enclosed are nine of the Power Miners wheels, all in black save for one in dark grey. The almighty 'Tremorox' gets his own bag - guess rock monsters need their space Here is a layout of all the pieces, by bag: Bag 1: 1, 2, 3 Bag 2: 1, 2 Bag 3: 1, 2, 3, 4 Bag 4: 1, 2 Bag 5: 1, 2, 3, 4 Misc Bags: 1 Most of the pieces are lime, dark grey, and black. There is quite a large abundance of Technic bricks and plates, as well as dark grey plates. Notable Pieces The lime green girder piece is probably one of the more noticeable pieces in this set, and there are eight of them acting as the main support for the drilling platform. Frankly, I'm not sure how useful a lime colored girder could be in a MOC. A more generic and useful piece would be the lime green 2x1x2 slope, 14 of which can be found here. However, my favorite piece in this little bunch would have to be the inverted windscreen - it really is a nifty little piece and it unfortunate that it's found in only 17 sets including this one. But apart from that, there is a small handful of accessories, printed tiles, and yes - a banana for the hungry miners. Minifigures: Front From left to right, Power Miners 'Duke,' 'Doc,' and 'Brains' are the trio who were lucky enough to be stationed on the command rig. The torsos feature similar albeit different designs, creating a sense of unity while giving us a little variation at the same time. What I like about the torsos is that they each bear an insignia respective of their positions, which adds to the set's play value. They've even got leg printing too! Even better are all the little details like the dirt and grime smudges on the outfits, especially Duke's (and his dirt covered face printing). Brains' presence in the Power Miners team proves that no matter your age, you can be like a cool youngster and fight rock monsters to save the world above. Minifigures: Back The insignias are reprinted on the back with a slightly different design. Two of the miners have scared expressions, but leader Doc of course has an angry expression to scare away those cowardly rock monsters (or to yell at miners that slack off ) Rock Monsters: Front The normal rock monsters dwarf in comparison to the larger ones like Tremorox. Although the big monsters would definitely appeal to many fans of the theme, I have mixed feelings about them. They give off too much of an action figure vibe for my taste. I don't have any strong contempt feelings for them, but at the same time I am not in love with them. Unfortunately Tremorox's mouth doesn't open unlike the other rock monsters, but that may be because of the throwing mechanism inside. Rock Monsters: Back The lever here can be used to make Tremorox throw rocks...or other rock monsters. Rock Monsters: Side Poor Glaciator forgot to give up his lunch money one day and well... The Build The thumbnails can be clicked on for a larger image. Booklet 1 The first booklet mainly for construction of the chassis where all the different 'modules' will be later attached. From early on, you can get a good grasp of how long the final model will be. Akin to just about all modern LEGO sets, many of the play functions utilize Technic for stability and strength during play. Take care to use the correct string length when assembling the cable line, since there are two different size lengths included and a careless mistake could cause one to mix the two up. Now that the chassis is complete, all that's left is to install the drilling platform and several other modules. Moving onto booklet 2... Booklet 2 The other string is used for the crane here. The gear rack is a neat way to control the boom elevation. The strange water wheel piece pops up once again, this time for the rock monster cage. Now it's onto the big part - the drilling platform. The entire unit is reinforced by Technic axles, so it holds up pretty well to play. The crystals are a neat little detail too. The control post, adorned with a bunch of spotlights for maximum sight in the darkest of caves. It might be frustrating for younger builders to install the drilling platform, so some assistance from an older person may be required. Once set into place however, the overall appearance and size is quite impressive. Bionicle joints are used for the dynamite projectiles and net launcher. They save the best part for last: the assembly of the drill. There are gear teeth inside of Power Miners wheels, which allows the drill bit and the wheel to spin in opposite directions. After an hour or two of building, the Titanium Command Rig is ready to drill for crystals and kick some rock monster rear. The completed vehicle has a pretty imposing, robust look to it. Extra Pieces The remaining pieces are the expected bunch of small Technic and System pieces. The Design The Set The completed set. You can get a rough idea on how big this is compared to a minifigure or a rock monster. Side Views From the sides, the vehicle has somewhat of a haphazard and boxy, albeit heavy-duty profile. Although this design may be off-putting to some (as it did to me before), I personally feel that the design fits the rugged identity of the rig well. The lime green girders help contribute to that effect too. Front View The drill looks relatively small from the front, and for that matter the front view itself feels rather vulnerable and exposed. Rear View There is a considerable amount of room in the back, so it could be easily modded into a storage area for equipment or even for one of the smaller Power Miners vehicles like the Stone Chopper. Playability No different from most other sets this size, the Titanium Command Rig boasts a great deal of fun play features for people to enjoy (like me ). Rock Monster Transportation Once the Power Miners crew has secured a rock monster for capture and examination, it is locked up and sent back to base... Crane ...and lifted by the crane into the lab for analysis. As stated before, there's a gear rack and a 'kickstand' that allows the boom to be lifted up and down. Notice the presence of the two 8 teeth gears on the side. Although it appears that they have no mechanical purpose, they actually create friction so the winch isn't too loose. Using another winch located on the right side of the rig, the crane itself can also be raised and lowered. Drill Indeed the drill function is probably my favorite feature of the set, but it does have its flaws. It operates just fine when moving forward, however when in reverse it snags. Moving the rig back and forth several times seems to help solve the problem. It's obscured from view, but in the mid-section of the rig there are two small wheels spinning the gear that operates the drill. It's a clever idea, but like I said it's not a perfect method. A quick tip: the rig has best traction on carpeted surfaces. Since the eight main wheels are made of plastic, some of them don't always spin on smooth surfaces. Vertical Drilling Platform This little valve here appears to serve only as detail, but it actually serves as a lock to keep the drilling platform in place while in drive mode. Pull it out and: Suddenly the rolling powerhouse turns into a sophisticated and state-of-the-art drilling machine! This is a clever feature that the designers implemented, and gives the set a whole new dynamic. One glaring flaw is that the control post awkwardly tilts forward, but luckily this can be quickly solved. Simply removing the two dark grey grilles on top will make the control post more level. I think side railings would have been nice to have - it's not exactly a short fall off the top. Unfortunately the weapons have limited range while the platform is set up, and for that matter look misplaced while the drilling platform is erected. There's also a knob wheel that protrudes from the platform, and simply turning it- - spins the drill. It doesn't actually touch the ground...but criticizing that would be nit-picky Projectile Features Considering that they are attached to flick-fire missiles, the dynamite does go an acceptable distance. The net goes a less than desirable distance. I'm not sure what's up with the launcher. Sometimes it goes about an inch or two in front of the rig, and at other times it doesn't even launch at all and just falls out. Tremorox's throwing arm is decent, even if it isn't what you'd consider to be a 'graceful' throw. Examination Lab Not a very impressive set up, but I do appreciate the fact that this space was used instead of left empty. It's understandably bare, since when the drilling platform is collapsed there's essentially no room in here. A particularly annoying design flaw is that the grey piece the supply container is attached to occasionally falls off. This however can be easily remedied by snapping two plates on the underside. Conclusion Admittedly I was not so keen on this set when it came out, but its appeal has grown on me. As the largest Power Miners set, the Titanium Command Rig serves as a versatile 'flagship' of the mining crew and a great centerpiece to a Power Miners collection. Taking every aspect of the set into account, let's see how it all boils down to in the end. Pieces: 7/10 - For me personally, parts wasn't so much an incentive to get this set. Despite that, there are a handful of cool pieces like the banana, inverted windscreen, and net. More generic pieces would include the lime green slope as well as many Technic bricks and dark grey plates. Minifigures: 7/10 - In their own respect, I think that the Power Miners gang have great designs. Comparing them to Rock Raiders minifigures, I don't think it would be sufficient to say that one theme is superior or inferior to the other. While the Rock Raiders minifigures had more differentiation and seemed to embody more of a generic miner minifigure, the Power Miners minifigures have a universal uniform design with small differences to indicate rank and positions. In my opinion, both themes' minifigures are great in their own respects. As for the rock monsters, my vote would go to the Power Miners line. The different colors and 'species' makes them collectible, and the larger rock throwing monsters also add a level of playability to the set. Although I am indifferent to the big rock monsters, they still would probably appeal to the fan who spots this set on the shelf. Build: 8/10 - Building this set was great fun, and someday I will have to rebuild this without the interruptions of taking in-build pictures. What was particularly interesting for me was seeing all the Technic implemented into the set's design, for both structural soundness and play functions (and made the build more challenging). Nothing felt repetitive at all, which seems to be translated in the asymmetrical and unique design to the set. Design: 7/10 - The initial impression the set gives off is a rugged and tough vehicle, very appropriate for the largest Power Miners vehicle. There's also a very good balance between playability functions and aesthetic value. Apart from the launchers, the playability functions appear integrate themselves seamlessly into the design of the set. There are a few design flaws, but the majority of them are easily fixable. Some areas of the vehicle seem bare and vulnerable, but that increases the possibilities with modifying this set into something cooler. Playability: 9/10 - What can be cooler than a base and giant drill all in one vehicle? Sure, LEGO has never been very adept for the most part with launcher or projectile designs, but the drilling platform and super cool drill make up for that by a long shot. Even though there are many other large sets that feature some sort of 'vehicle to base' transformation, this set executes that function incredibly well. I think that younger fans and even older fans can appreciate and enjoy the play features this set has to offer. Price: 6/10 - This set has a rather hefty price tag for 706 pieces. If you are planning on getting this set, I highly recommend looking for a store where it is on clearance sale. My local Target had this set for 50% off as I said in the introduction, but I am not sure if this sale is extended to other Target stores. Overall: 7.3/10 And that just about covers it for the Titanium Command Rig! Seeing as the Power Miners line will soon be discontinued and the sales start popping up (especially for the 2009 sets), now is the perfect time to get this cool set. Thanks for reading

It has been nearly a decade since the release of the first incarnation of Alpha Team. Debuting in 2001 and ending in 2005, the Alpha Team theme brought us sets that existed on land, in the murky depths of the sea, and on treacherous realms of ice. Today I'll be reviewing a set from Alpha Team's first incarnation, the very first Alpha Team set I bought way back when it was first released: the Alpha Team ATV. Receiving transmission - schematic #6774 of the Alpha Team ATV. Authorized personnel only. Name: 6774 Alpha Team ATV Theme: Alpha Team Year: 2001 Pieces: 134 Minifigs: 2 Price: USD 19.99, GBP 14.99 Further Reference: Brickset.com, Bricklink.com, Peeron.com, flickr The Box: Front Credit goes to Peeron.com for the box image. The Alpha Team boxes of '01 had a prominent gray border that resembles some kind of circuit board, certainly fitting in with the high-tech atmosphere that Alpha Team had. What's most noticeable about these boxes however is the placement of the set's minifigs on the side - Flex and Cam. I'm not entirely too pleased with this layout. The border and the minifigs take up too much room on the box, almost detracting from the main subject, the set itself. Placing the minifigs on the back and trimming the border down a bit on the front would have in my opinion been a more effective layout. Nonetheless, the image of the happy-go-lucky Flex being catapulted from the ATV was surely enough to catch the eye of prospective buyers. The Instructions: Front It's been scotch taped more than once, but still intact. My thoughts for the box art front are the same here. Note how happy and carefree Flex looks being catapulted into the air despite the obvious rain of lightning The Instructions: Last Step The apocalyptic scenery from the box art acts as the background here. The steps are clear and concise. The Instructions: Comic and Alternative Builds Here's where the nostalgia starts kicking in! These mini comics found in the back of instruction manuals were always fun to look at, and inspired numerous ways to play with the set. Not to mention the alternative builds shown on the back The sets never came with instructions for how to build them, but as a young kid I always liked to try and figure out how to make them even without the instructions. And with that, we are left with just one vague but true phrase: just imagine... The Stickers There are two stickers that are used in the set, both exhibiting Alpha Team's insignia. According to Bricklink, the sticker sheet also came with a third sticker that just depicted the insignia, although this is not used in the actual set. The Pieces Many of the pieces consist of plates, bricks, and slopes - always great to see a good amount versatile pieces. This set is also one of the seven sets that included small treads. In addition, you've probably noticed the printed tile (I'll get to this in a second!) Most of the old light and dark gray bricks here are composed of modified plates and bricks. The transparent dark blue windscreens could be useful in space themed MOCs. Another neat thing about the pieces are the trans-neon green pieces, specifically the propeller, antenna, and grille, all of which are uncommon in sets. A single 1x1 round trans-neon green plate is the sole extra piece in this set. And I know you've definitely noticed by now...more printed tiles! Notable Pieces: A propeller housing piece (which looks like it could be used as a torch stand) is one of the more uncommon pieces in this set. Another notable piece would be the curved arch, a potentially valuable asset to MOCs of nearly any genre. The aforementioned trans-neon green pieces, like the windscreens would also be great for space creations (I guess any transparent piece would be ) Finally, the printed tiles. Their printing is versatile enough to be used as great little details in numerous MOC genres. The white printed tile is a little hats off to the Ice Planet line, since it was used prominently in that line. Minifigures: Front Cam is one of the two female characters in Alpha Team, the other being Radia. Cam's stern, tough as nails impression will certainly make Ogel's skeleton drones think twice before attacking. She also comes with female hair in red, which isn't in too many sets. As for Flex, all I have to say is this: what in blazes would make him smile so much? The juxtaposition between Cam's and Flex's facial expressions is almost too funny to think about. Unfortunately the headsets on each head limits their use in MOCs. Focusing on apparel choice, both minifigs sport the Alpha Team insignia on their torsos, and have leg printing (which are actually the same designs, just different colors). Overall, they look adequate and well prepared to tackle any mission. Minifigures: Back Not much to comment about - no back nor dual head printing. The Build Mini Submarine Within 15 easy steps, the mini sub is built and ready to be commissioned within treacherous waters. Trailer Ten pieces and four steps later and the trailer is complete. Frankly, there's no need for instructions at this stage. ATV And finally, the last part of the set is complete. Younger kids might have a little bit of trouble building this, mainly with tying the string to the winch and the hook. All that's left to do is put the sections together... Design and Playability The Set Voila! Ready and fully equipped to take on any threat! Mini Submarine Let's start with the sub. The bulbous windshield creates a decently sized interior and provides a large range of vision for the submarine pilot. It isn't waterproof - submerge this in water and the cabin will be completely flooded. Good thing minifigs don't need to breathe Another thing to know is the side lights can fall off very easily during play, and it can become quite a nuisance after some time. Adding a second robot arm to each side might help reinforce the lights better, but frankly I feel that it would detract from the aesthetic value of the submarine as well. Rear View Although I like the primary black and yellow color scheme, I feel that the yellow 1x4 brick behind the Alpha Team insignia looks out of place and was placed rather haphazardly. Black would have been the better color choice. Side View For the same reason as above, the 1x2 plate underneath the propeller housing would be better in black. I'm also not too sure why a red grille was used on the top of the submarine. Why not black or yellow? Interior Absolutely love the curved effect the arches give off on the roof - they go a long way in enhancing the look of the cabin. ATV Now for the ATV. The transparent grilles at the front adds to the futuristic nature of Alpha Team. Before we move on, let me just tell you all that this ATV isn't any old ATV - it's packed with features. Hidden Lasers No barricade of skeleton drones will stop the ATV - just flip down the grilles and fire away! Side View The treads work well on both carpet and hard surfaces. The trans-neon bar can be extended outward so that the cable However, the clip attached to the neon bar does get in the way of the treads and can fall off during play. It's best to keep it raised or removed so it doesn't interfere with the treads. I'm not sure why orange grilles were used, yellow looks much better in my opinion. Rear View Unlike many new sets which often utilize Technic for play functions, the ATV's play functions are made completely out of System pieces. As a result, none of the play functions act as a detriment to the overall look of the ATV. In fact, I would even go as far to say that it enhances the ATV's design. Interior The cockpit is pretty roomy for a single driver. The controls look complicated Zip-line Function 1 Perfect for scaling down treacherous cliffs. The submarine can be lowered using this feature as well. Human Catapult Alpha Team agents can be quite the daredevil at times: Ideal for flying over vast crevasses - just make sure you don't miss. It can be quite frustrating to try and get a minifigure's hand to grasp the hook - would it by any chance be an illegal connection? Zip-line Function 2 Never mind the rude landing - at least it's a quick escape plan. Conclusion Is this set worth the money? Pieces: 7/10 - Printed tiles, treads, and trans-neon pieces, just to name a few. Many of the pieces are good ol' bricks, plates, and slopes too. Minifigs: 7/10 - Good for what they are, Alpha Team agents. Build: 6/10 - You can't expect much of a build from a 20 dollar set. It's pretty straightforward, although tying the string to the hook and winch may be difficult for younger builders. Design: 7/10 - Despite some issues with the colors, both the sub and ATV have a nice solid design to them. The playability features on the ATV are incorporated without taking away from the look of the vehicle. Playability: 8/10 - On the contrary, for a 20 dollar set, this has a hell of a lot of playability in it. I used to play with this set in the water a lot as a little kid (even lost a piece to the drain ), and the zip-line functions are loads of fun. Alpha Team seemed to emphasize play features in its sets, and this one certainly lived up to that standard. Price: 7/10 - Around 15 cents per piece. Twenty dollars is a bit high for a set with 134 pieces, but I'd say it's worth it because of the playability and set design. Overall: 7/10 It's quite frankly a real nice set, and one of my favorite Alpha Team releases. Bricklink has a number of these sets for sale; even new and sealed copies are being sold at the original 20 dollar price. I'm sure it would make a great gift for younger fans, and adult enthusiasts can definitely appreciate some of the features this set has. "Damn it Flex!" Thanks for reading

Hello Eurobricks, I'm -R8- and I'll be reviewing one of the newest sets to hit the market - 7949 Prison Carriage Rescue. This is my first review on Eurobricks I got this from the LEGO Store back in June, although I've only gotten a chance to review it until now. Without further ado, let's take a closer look at one of the smaller sets Kingdoms has to offer - enjoy! In the midst of an unending war between the Lion and the Dragon factions, a lone Lion Knight is taken hostage and held in a prison carriage. A knight in shining armor dashes to save his brethren from the clutch of the Dragon Knight, but this isn't your average "save the princess" story. Let's see how everything unfolds... Name: 7949 Prison Carriage Rescue Theme: Castle/Kingdoms Year: 2010 Pieces: 50 Minifigs: 3 Price: USD 9.99, GBP 9.99, EUR 9.99 Further Reference: LEGO Shop@Home, Brickset.com, Bricklink.com, Peeron.com, flickr The Box: Front The box art is what you would expect from a Castle sub-theme. The theme name "Kingdoms" is in medieval style lettering along with a coat of arms next to it, providing for a royal and majestic design. All of the technical information and the LEGO logo is situated inside of a green banner, set right on top of a weathered stone wall. The background illustration goes well with the banner and theme name. However the knight must have a lot of energy if he can keep up with the horse carriage The Box: Back Looks like our knight's making a run for it The back also showcases this set's only playability feature - moving the mini ladder up and down. How exciting! The Instructions: Front and End As with any set, the cover of the instructions is the same as the box graphic minus the technical information. Each step is clear and concise with no discrepancies for me to report. The Pieces Prison Carriage Rescue comes with a decent range of pieces, but most notable are the horse, plus the dark green and pearl gold pieces. Especially the cheese slopes Notable Pieces It's always great seeing existing pieces in uncommon colors like the cheese slopes and the 1x1 vertical clip brick. Since this set has five dark green and three pearl gold cheese slopes (one of each as extra pieces), it is a cheap source for getting a decent amount of them. Also shown is the new horse battle helmet and the horn piece, which look great on the horse. Minifigures: Front LEGO has done an excellent job with minifigure printing this year, and the Kingdoms line is no exception. I'm also a big fan of the new closed helmets for the more 'elite' knights. Even with new headgear, it's always nice to see the traditional helmet return year after year. Although I must say that knights with scared expressions always seem to find their way into Castle sets in recent years Minifigures: Heads Nothing new here - all of the heads have been seen before. The scared head is double sided, but most of you probably knew that. Minifigures: Back All three minifigs have back printing too! Equally as great as the front. The Build The set puts itself together in minutes. Not a challenging build at all, but that is only to be expected from a small set. Design and Playability The Set The set in its entirety. Even though the Dragon Knight laughs evilly at his success, little does he know of the Lion Knight approaching the carriage... The Horse I like the slant on the horse's helmet - gives him a more intimidating look. The Prison My major gripe with this set is the prison. It's not so much of a prison if the walls are short enough to climb out of. A fully enclosed prison would have been better, but that would be easy to mod in. Victory! The tide has turned! Conclusion So, what does this boil down to? Pieces: 6/10 - Has some pieces in pearl gold and dark green, a horse, his helmet, as well as neat equipment, but everything else is just ordinary. Minifigs: 8/10 - Great printing and there are three of 'em Design: 3/10 - Unfortunately, the focal part of this set wasn't well designed. Playablity: 4/10 - Like many cheaper sets, there isn't too much you can do with them without some of the larger kits. Price: 5/10 - Pricey for 50 pieces but I suppose that is to be expected. Overall: 5.2/10 You get what you pay for. Some of the pieces and the good amount of minifigs are a nice feature of this set, but the overall design is lackluster in appearance. But what's this? An epilogue? Thanks for reading

Capturing a beautiful form with such grace in so few pieces is quite remarkable. For that matter, the pieces are used in such unprecedented yet amazingly effective ways. And then monochromatic scheme unifies all these different pieces into one whole and cohesive MOC. Outstanding creation!

I picked this book back up in May. It was a great read for leisure and provided a detailed glance into the LEGO Community as a whole. My favorite aspect of the book would be reading about all the different ways LEGO fans enjoy the hobby, how their lives have incorporated it in some way, and all of the different facets of the hobby. Reading about the inner workings of the LEGO Group as well as the relationship between the fans and the company was also informative and interesting to read too. Love Story is truly a testimony to how diverse the fan community is. It's not only an excellent read, but it's just as much as an informative one too.

Very creative and neat concept! The colors compliment each other very well on each racer, and the compact yet detailed build is excellent - who knew that Buzz's wings could make a great spoiler too? My vote was for the dump truck driver, I'm really liking that dark blue and yellow color scheme. My second favorite would have to be Stinky Pete's racer due to its vintage and classic look, it reminds me strongly of the 'Woody's Roundup' show in Toy Story 2 (and of the actual set itself). But overall, they portray the Toy Story gang very well.

My favorite aspect of this cool MOC must be the hair, great use of the slope pieces to mimic his signature messy and spiky hair. The outfit also resembles the character very well. For the Pikachu's head, I would suggest using a 2x2 yellow plate, two 1x1 red plates opposite each other for the spots (and then two 1x1 yellow plates adjacent to them), and finally another 2x2 yellow to finish it off. Just an idea, I know you weren't going for detail based on the comment you wrote. Overall, this is a great CubeDude for a first attempt

Congratulations to the Reviewers Academy for this impressive milestone, and a big thank you to the outstanding teachers who help make this all possible! Keep up the excellent work

I've only seen the impulse sets at my local Toys R Us, however if there is a LEGO Store nearby you they will also be likely available there too.

This is incredible! The sculpting is brilliant all around. There's just such a strong 'Sid' vibe being given off of the sculpture, and the skull design on his shirt is impeccably rendered. His facial expression has a very sinister, rebellious look to it as well. The lettering and overall shape of the rocket is fantastic too, but I think my favorite aspect of that would be the aliens waiting to be 'chosen'...poor play-things don't know what they're in for! Excellent depiction of a memorable scene from a memorable movie.

Great decals and they look very kid friendly! Were they custom decals or did they come from a set? I think a blue shutter with white hinges from Family Home would be more in sync with the general color scheme, but it still is a great piece to use here. Overall it's a really neat MOC and a great addition to any town layout

Great review and congratulations on your well earned silver badge cralegoboy! I just got this set the other day along with the Toy Story promo at TRU and it is a pretty nice set. The minifigs were my main incentive for getting the set but the jeep was actually a lot more appealing to me in actuality than LEGO's official pictures. Although I am not really knowledgeable on minifig customization, maybe it be possible to somehow remove the green on the torso neck and then recolor it with yellow (or a flesh tone)?

Thanks for the comments It was a subconscious decision, basically. Maybe it's because my own eyes are brown, but I just so happened to reach for the brown bricks when I began working on the pupil. I wanted to try and make something organic out of geometric bricks, restricting myself to plates and bricks only (although a transparent cheese slope is the sole exception to that restriction). I thought an eye would be a good subject since it's something that can symbolize many human emotions. I decided to use sadness as the emotion the eye would depict, since I'd be able to integrate things like the tear flow and the shape of the eyelids. Yellow was my color of choice from the start, since most minifigs are yellow I decided that this would be yellow too.

The eye is very expressive in and of itself. I do not know who the eye belongs to, or why it is crying, for all I see is sadness. MOCPages flickr

Haha, the beer belly is classic If it's situated in a desert area, some tumbleweeds and cacti would really set a nice mood. Old fashioned road signs (like a classic Route 66 sign) may also work very nicely. Otherwise, you're off to a great start and I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.

Imperials always seem to be slacking off, eh The stormtrooper fits in flawlessly with the spa (I didn't know his waist was a 2x2 until I read the description), and the Exploriens sticker works great as a display screen in the control center. Humorous take on a fateful day in the Death Star, nice job

Very informative guide Blackicep8ntball, should be very helpful to both new and older members (it was a nice surprise to see my comment in there ) I too joined Eurobricks because the caliber and maturity of discussion here is much higher than that of some of the other LEGO communities I've been a part of. On my own creations I always like to see comments with the 'why.' Cool creation, but why? The wing looks a bit off, but why and how can I improve it? Since as MOCists we are always looking to improve in our building skills, comments with a higher degree of detail are of far greater use than lackluster comments. They are much more interesting to read than seeing 'cool' or 'nice' over and over again.

It's always good to have a decent supply of the basics - bricks, plates, slopes, tiles, just to name a few. But as Fugazi already stated, the type and color of pieces that you want to buy are largely dependent on whatever you want to build. Regardless, the aforementioned pieces will always be useful no matter what theme you may want to MOC in. I am not sure how big your set collection may be, but I also find it helpful to disassemble sets and harvest them for pieces. Over the past few months I've been taking apart nearly all of my Bionicle sets as well as some of my System sets. Typically if I don't like how a set's designed or if it has a decent parts inventory I'll take it apart to add to my brick repository. As a result of doing that, both my Technic and brick collections have increased exponentially, creating that many possibilities for more MOCs. It's also important to note that the size of a MOC does not necessarily dictate how 'good' it is. There are tons of MOCs out there that use less than 100 pieces but still pull off an amazing effect. How you use a certain piece or execute a build is more important than how many bricks are in it. Even with a limited collection of bricks, great things can be made. As you keep MOCing and progressing in your building skills, you'll probably be able to identify and purchase certain pieces and colors that you may want more of. But no matter how many pieces you have, it'll always seem like there aren't enough pieces to build something - building with LEGO is like that often. Hopefully this helped a bit, good luck and can't wait to see your MOCs

That makes the Tower Bridge set to have the maximum number of cheese slopes in any one set, by far (although that already was pretty evident from the pictures)! Neat use for the Technic wheels in the towers. The architecture and build looks brilliant at the top of the towers. I'm wondering where the model splits - between the middle bridges and each tower perhaps?

I think what really draws me in is that it's made out of mostly standard bricks and plates, balancing both the traditional LEGO look as well as the incredible realism of the model. Great effort and beautiful work!

For a small scale, you've managed to integrate many details while simultaneously creating an excellent design. The trans red slope works excellently as a cockpit. Fine execution of SNOT too - fantastic work!

The Force is strong in these - amazing concepts in all the winners' entries! Beautiful work all around. A big congratulations to the winners and all that entered

Excellent building techniques all around! The walkway looks very natural with the wedge plates. Great use of the strings for the water wheel. Nice little touches in every corner, well done!

I used to keep all of my instructions in a carrying case, but that caused both the instructions and the bag to wear and tear. Eventually I upgraded to using manila folders with the instructions sorted by theme. Usually if I only have one set from a theme I won't designate an entire folder for it, but rather group it in the "Other" section. Sets like the Winter Toy Shop or the modular buildings get their own "Exclusive" category. For themes that I have a lot of instructions for like Star Wars, I devote two folders for them, subdivided by Prequel Trilogy/Clone Wars and Original Trilogy. Most of my Bionicle instructions are kept in their canisters, while instructions for the larger sets are subdivided by year of release. Instructions that came as a folded sheet of paper are rubber-banded together, each instruction grouped with its respective theme. Everything is stored in pull out metal wire frame shelves that also contain my LEGO magazines and catalogs.