ZO6

Very nice review. Though this is a low priority set for me, you still make it look quite appealing. The figs are the standout here, but I'm sure plenty of fun could be had with the truck as well.

It's a mad world that we live in. I guess that's why we're always trying to make space craft so we can escape from this crazy place. Regarding 10213, after seeing the high-res pics, I'm even more excited. Considering it's size, I'm quite happy with the overall shape and details that are present. Seeing the very reasonable price, and that it will be available within the next two months is icing on the cake.

Thanks for the comments everyone! I was thrilled to be able to open a MISB copy of this set and document my build. I've got many many more Aquazone sets still to review. I've always really loved most Aquazone sets, so I bought most of them when they were first released. However, the Neptune Discovery Lab was about the only one that I missed, and all these years later I couldn't bear not owning it any longer. It was such a unexpected, but very pleasant surprise to find this set for so cheap. Hehe, yup, it is built correctly. I do agree that a 1x3 slope would have seemed more appropriate though.

Though I think there is plenty of room for improvement with this theme, I still very much look forward to picking up all these sets. I like the minifigures quite a lot, I'm glad we are back to two human factions. They all have great prints, and their weapons/gear look fabulous as well. I would have liked to have seen more original looking set designs, but these are still much more appealing than many of the other Castle stuff from the past decade.

Great to see such a unique design for the flagship set of an aquatic theme. I haven't been collecting any of the Atlantis sets as I've been putting my money towards others themes, but I'll definitely have to pick up the Portal of Atlantis. There are just too many great things about it to pass up - the wonderful minifigures, fantastic parts, and overall a really cool looking and very playable model. Thanks for the review!

When I was younger, I used to open the box and check out the instruction manual on the way home. I'd then dump out all the pieces on my bedroom floor and quickly get to work. No time could be wasted! Now when I pick up a set, I wait until I get home before carefully slicing open the box. I usually get myself a nice big drink before I make myself comfortable for the construction process. I usually build my sets at a large table. If I'm going to be doing a review for a set, I usually wait until it's a sunny day so that I can get my pictures looking as good as possible. Usually this ends up being the day after I received the set, but sometimes longer. I honestly still get so excited when I get any kind of Lego set, so I find it difficult to wait long before building it. I voted "When I get home" on the poll.

Boooo! @ Hamilton's tire going right at the end of the race Not one of my favorite courses, but at least it was a pretty clean race (clear weather too!). The top driver standing points are really close again.

Lots of grid penalties handed out Mostly a straight forward qualifying anyways. Nice to see Kobayashi make 10th spot, I'd like to see him get to finish a race. 1. Webber 2. Vettel 3. Hamilton 4. Alsonso 5. Button 6. Schumacher 7. Kubica 8. Rosberg 9. Massa 10. Kobayashi Should be a good race, can't wait!

I am definitely going to Japan at some point in my life (preferably sooner than later). I fell in love with Asian Cinema a number of years ago and I've become obsessed with Japan and Korea since then. I find Japan particularly attractive and I've been learning the language for two years now (I'm still horrible though ) It's neat seeing pictures of every day local shops, thanks!

This was before the time of the 'Racers' theme as we know it. This line is much more similar to the World Racers theme that will be hitting soon. However, this is listed under 'Town' in most databases, so that's why I've posted it in these forums (I had considered posting the review in the Action theme forums).

Thanks Whitefang for this incredibly in depth review! Very useful indeed I haven't fully decided if I'll buy an entire box or not. Most likely I'll just aim for getting one of each, and then perhaps some duplicates of my favorites. These minifgures are a great move by TLC and will be the most popular thing since *insert something uber popular*.

INDEXED In anticipation of the World Racers theme, I've decided to review some sets from a similar Race subtheme that was released back in 2000. First up is one of the smaller sets, the Scorpion Buggy. Info Set # - 6602 Name - Scorpion Buggy Theme/Subtheme - Town/Race Year - 2000 Piece Count - 77 Minifigures - 1 Price - MSRP $10 US Links Brickset, Peeron, Bricklink, Brickshelf Instructions The front of the instruction manual shows off the buggy in action in a large dirt filled stadium. The logo for the theme is present as well: The back of the manual has the last couple of steps for an alternate model. It's nothing spectacular, but I still do appreciate that TLC took the time to include instructions for a secondary model: Here is a random page from the instructions. There are no piece call-outs, but on the plus side, colour differentiation is fine: Pieces Here are all the parts of the set laid out. There are a wide variety of colours, and despite the low piece count, one could create many other vehicles with what's included: There are no stickers in this set. Instead we get five printed parts - four of the 1x6 Octan tiles, and one 2x4 slopped brick with the very cool scorpion design on it: Minifigure The set includes one minifgure. He features a printed scorpion of the front of his torso, but nothing on his back. You are provided with two types of head gear - a red bandanna, and a helmet with red visor best known in a trans-orange colour from the Ice Planet 2002 theme. The Build We start the set by building the buggy first. The red chassis is the heart of the vehicle: A steering wheel is added (pretty handy I must say), as is that fancy scorpion slope, and some other odds and ends that we will be taking advantage of in a moment: Lights and flames get attached to the headlight bricks that were added in the previous step. Suspension is the key feature here and will be demonstrated later on: With a roll bar and some wheels added, the buggy is now complete. Despite it's overall small size, the bright colour scheme and big wheels give it a strong presence: The driver fits comfortably in place, and you just know it would be way too easy to get injured while driving this buggy! It's ready to roll: The second part of the build consists of building a ramp/jump. The middle portion of this is built first. The black technic 1x2 bricks with holes will allow it to pivot: The ramp/jump is now complete. The flames on the cones help add to the 'dare devil' feel of the set. Also note the dirt/wear marks on the Octan tiles, another nice touch: Play Features The buggy features a working suspension. The elastic pulls in on the 1x5 yellow liftarm which makes the buggy sit in it's raised position. The buggy can be pressed down and the elastic band will make it spring back up when it's released: There is a pin with a red round 1x1 brick attached to it. This slides through a technic 1x2 brick with a hole at the base of the ramp and keeps it in position. The buggy can then go flying off the ramp: If the pin is removed from the base of the ramp, this allows the center portion to pivot freely. The buggy can then drive over in a see-saw effect: Complete Set Here is the buggy and the ramp together. They complement each other nicely and allow for plenty of fun: Final Thoughts Pricing and Value: At $10 US, the set is quite cheap. The main model is worth the price of admission, and the provided parts allow for even more creativity. Design/Build: The buggy looks great. The colour scheme is nice and bright and catches the eye. Touches like the flames out the back and the large wheels add to the wild nature of the set. The ramp is simple but effective. The most is made of the provided parts. The build is very fast and rewarding - lots of fun! Pieces: Most of the parts are pretty basic, but they still offer great potential for creating other mocs if you desire. These pieces come in lots of colours, and some of them even feature fantastic printing on them. No stickers! Only one minifigure is included, but he serves his purpose as the driver. The printing on his torso is fairly basic, but it still works to show off which 'faction' he belongs to at a glance. Playability: The set features two play features - the working suspension and the tilting ramp. Many small sets of this size lack functions, so this is a nice bonus. The buggy is loads of fun to race around on it's own, but combined with the ramp, plenty more excitement can be had. Verdict: Fun! Fun! Fun! This set works best in it's stock form - as a buggy and ramp to fly off of. You could put 6602 Scorpion Buggy up on display, but why would you want to when it's so much fun to race around!? Overall this set serves as a great introduction to the Race theme. As always, comments and questions are more than welcome. Cheers!

Why do you think these 1x2 bricks with holes are there? Perhaps to attach the TRU exclusive to? Or to mirror this train station and join the two together? Or simply because TLC is using these bricks with holes in them in this set instead normal 1x2 bricks? Edit - Actually, I'll bet it's so that you can detach the little shop and place it at the opposite side.

Those pictures just made my day! I'm finally going to be jumping on board train collecting, and I look forward to picking up these sets more than anything else this year. I'm honestly very happy with how all the sets look and I won't have anything nagging at my conscience (such as "I know you really want to collect trains, but these are lacking") when I go to buy these. Instead I'll be thinking "Gee, these kits are an amazing introduction to the train world. I'm in love!" The train station has lots of lovely details, and it's been quite a lot of years since we've had a design with the walkway over the tracks. The taxi is a bonus. The passenger train is simple but attractive looking. I'm sooo glad they've gone back to a brick built front and back as opposed to those large molded pieces used in the previous version. The cargo train is . I love everything about it - the engine, Octan tank, box car, and bed for the little cars. The crane and truck are great additions for added playability. Bring on the trains!

Awesome promo. It's soooo eye-catchingly funky looking. Definitely need that UCS version for this one to sit on though.

Despite the relatively small size of this moc, you've managed to capture the shape of the car quite well and include a lot of the details. Great job!

Beauty of a review for a wonderful set! I love the Ninja theme, and this is a fantastic addition to it. The stronghold itself looks awesome, and the minifigures and accessories are icing on an already very tasty cake . I do appreciate that there is plenty of room at the back to get in and play, but I feel it's a little bare in there and I would have liked to have seen a couple more details or some sort of extra function/trap. Anyways, thanks again for the great review!

I've got a handful of model rockets (Saturn V being one of them ) and this space shuttle set is very appealing to me. I'd have loved to have seen a 2000+ piece version of this to really get the size and details right, but judging from this early pic it still looks pretty good anyways.

9 out of 10 times I get a set for the model itself, not the figs. I'm all for the playability factor in a set - lots of functions or play features is a big selling point for me However, if I can't decide between two sets, I strongly take the included parts (moc potential) and minifigs into consideration. Don't get me wrong, I love minifigures, but when there are so many great sets out there I just can't afford to make my purchases solely based on the little guys.

I can see 2500 pieces being fine for a UCS Shuttle near mini-fig scale. Look at the UCS ISD which has just over 3000 pieces - it's huge and has an insane amount of greebles on it. It seems to me the shuttle would have the need for significantly less greebles, so the piece count wouldn't be eaten up as much by those small parts meaning more could be used towards achieving the correct (or near to) size. Let's just wait for some official pics before we get too nervous about size issues

As others have said, Licensed sets generally are more expensive. However, most themes (even non-licensed ones) seem to have some sets that are noticeably more expensive and others that are fantastic value. There is simply a lot of different factors that determine the price of a set, and the parts to price ratio just does not tell the whole story most of the time.

This strikes me as such an oddball set - though I definitely appreciate the crazy design and rare colours. I haven't seen many of the later Exo Force sets up close, so this was a great opportunity to do so. Thanks for the review!

Great review with fantastic pictures! This set looks like a lot of fun - the truck has high playability, great minifigs, and I'm extremely pleased to see that all the parts are printed. I think it would have been nice however to have seen some more details or accessories in the interior - the back is extremely empty and there are not even seats in the cabin. Still, a must buy if you're collecting Toy Story sets.

Thanks for this very detailed review! I remember back when this was first released wanting it quite badly even though I didn't own any other train kits. There is just so much going on in this set, it really is a fantastic booster kit (I'd love to see more of these types of sets in the modern day). Seeing all the details close up has re-triggered my want for this set!

I can't say that I'm a fan of the massive amount of stickers, but those sets looks like a lot of fun. After closer inspection, 9897 Power Boats looks especially appealing. Lots of neat details and a reasonable price. Guess it's time to get out the Town Race theme from 2000 and do some reviews in anticipation.