Oky

That set also comes with a sweet hourglass with tan sand! Not necessarily an adventure item, but would fit into an adventurer's office or as part of some ancient mechanism.

Does anyone else hear this whenever Moana says her catchphrase? Moana of Mata Nui by Okay Yaramanoglu, on Flickr

That trailer looks infinitastic! Can't wait! That's great news! I was wondering if that would be the case as soon as I saw the trailer, especially with MacLane directing. As everyone says, they'll likely be 4+ sets but I'll take what I can get. Hopefully Buzz will at least have that awesome detailed suit instead of just reusing the toy version. My sigfig could use an upgrade. I don't see why Zurg couldn't be in the movie. As mentioned before, it's not as grounded as you might think, so anything could happen. I'm hoping for him too, even though I already have the fig. EDIT: Upon closer inspection of the trailer, those are almost definitely Zurg bots in one of the scenes, so I wouldn't be surprised if the evil emperor himself makes an appearance in some form. You and me both.

The pic links to the bricklink page. It’s only in two of the larger MK sets, but it’s also available on Bricks & Pieces.

Pigsy’s legs would be great for a short/young adventurer!

People have been asking for more funnies, so here's a new one.

Here is my entry for the Lego Ideas contest:

Greetings Muggles! As you may know, one of my all-time favorite themes is Harry Potter and this year marks the 20th anniversary of the theme! What I love about LEGO Harry Potter is all the many adventures you can create/recreate with Harry & friends, especially inside the iconic Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. So to celebrate 20 years of magic as part of the LEGO Ideas contest, I built a Hogwarts castle in the shape of a big number 20 comprised of 20 vignettes of the most memorable scenes from across the series with several extra creatures and characters flying around it! From the back, it just looks like a big, oddly shaped castle. I put as much detail into every room as possible. In some cases, this is hard to see because of all the figs in the scenes, so here is a shot of the interior without the characters so that you can see all the background details better. In the middle between the two "numbers" is a plaque that reads "20 Years of LEGO Harry Potter" and a boat with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid arriving at Hogwarts for the first time, featuring the appearance that they had back when the theme premiered all those years ago. It's a very nostalgic image for me. Let's take a closer look at all the vignettes in chronological order of the events. The Great Hall at the lower end of the 2 represents the Sorting Hat scene after Harry first arrived at Hogwarts. Wingardium Leviosa! Here we have the trio's first charms class where Hermione shows the others how to perform the levitation spell correctly to Harry's amazement and Ron's frustration. Meanwhile, Nearly-headless Nick phases through a bookcase nearby and Crookshanks chases Scabbers around. This is where Hermione gets attacked by a troll in the bathroom during Halloween where she went to cry after Ron's hurtful words, but is saved by the two boys. Next is Harry's first Christmas at Hogwarts where he gets his invisibility cloak when opening his presents in the Gryffindor common room. Ron watches on in delight while munching on some every flavor beans and chocolate frogs. Here is the trio's encounter with Fluffy on their way to prevent the Philosopher's Stone from getting stolen. Qhirrell's harp stands in the back where it was just playing until a moment ago. Harry makes it to the Mirror of Erised to confront Quirrell who reveals the dark lord hiding under his turban. One of the things flying around the castle is Mr. Weasley's flying Ford Anglia which Harry and Ron used to get to the school in their second year. The design of the car is mix of all the official designs that have been released over the years. It has the tail lights, hood and wheels of the latest version, but the headlights and grill of the first one with a few minor modifications. Another extra scene is part of a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin where Harry snatches the snitch from in front of Draco Malfoy. The first Chamber of Secrets vignette shows Hermione brewing the plolyjuice potion in the girls bathroom, much to Moaning Myrtle's dismay. Having taken the potion and turned into Crabbe and Goyle, Harry and Ron go to the Slytherin common room to find out if it was Malfoy who opened the Chamber of Secrets. Here is the Chamber of Secrets itself where Harry tries to save Ginny from Tom Riddle and the basilisk using the sword of Gryffindor. "Master has given Dobby a sock! Dobby is free!" In Harry's third year, he starts taking divination class with Prof. Trelawney. Ron tries to make sense of his tea leaves while Trelawney comes over to read Harry's. A tarot card of the lightning-struck tower ominously lays on the table before him. He also takes Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Prof. Lupin this year. Here, Lupin shows Neville how to defeat a boggart by turning it into Snape wearing his grandmother's clothes. I also included a secret bonus scene hidden in the base of the castle. If you remove one of the rocks, you can see Harry walking down the secret passageway under the school leading to Hogsmeade using the Marauders Map. In Harry's fourth year, they get visitors from other schools for the Triwizard Tournament and have a yule ball. Harry is dancing with Parvati while Ron is jealously watching Hermione "fraternizing with the enemy". If you look above the castle, you can see Harry during his first Triwizard challenge where he has to steal an egg from a dragon. After the tournament ends in tragedy, Alastair Moody reveals his true self to Harry in the privacy of his office. In Harry's fifth year, Dolores Umbridge takes over the school and forces Harry to write "I must not tell lies" using a special, cruel quill during detention in her office. In response to the ministry's meddling, Harry forms Dumbledore's Army and teaches the other students defense against the dark arts, including how to produce a patronus. Here is Harry trying to brew a potion in potions class under the watchful eye of the self-proclaimed Half-Blood Prince himself, Prof. Snape. In Harry's sixth year, Dumbledore finally clues Harry in on his plans to defeat Lord Voldemort and shows him his memories of a young Tom Riddle. Harry attends Prof. Slughorn's Slug Club meetings along with Hermione, Neville, and Ginny in order to retrieve a crucial memory from the potions teacher. Finally, here we see Harry facing off against Voldemort for the last time in what would have been Harry's seventh year at Hogwarts. There are paintings of witches and wizards lining the walls of the staircase including Newt Scamander, Seraphina Picquery, and James & Lily Potter. Meanwhile, at the bottom of the stairs, Mrs. Weasley fights Bellatrix Lestrange. "Not my daughter, you brick!" Thanks for looking through this lengthy thread. What do you think and which scene is your favorite?

There is a few obvious contenders for Adventure supplies currently out. One that comes to mind is the new City Wildlife Rescue sets with all of its animals and wilderness settings, and Sleet would make for a good Adventurer minifig. I'd love to see someone make a retro remake of the Elephant Caravan using the new elephant. Obviously, any of the Jurassic World dinos would make a good addition to Dino Island, and of course there's also still the Haunted Mansion with all of its Adventurers parts (Has anyone modded the set into a pre-attraction Manor Von Baron yet?). Some that are perhaps less obvious are Mickey Mouse's Airplane which would make for a nice Adventurer plane if you just remove the logos and switch Mickey's head for Harry Cane's. Also, the the Chinese New Year sets and the Chinatown Xtra pack are a great source for parts and figs to serve as a (less offensive) addition to the Orient Expedition sets.

Thanks! I'm glad someone noticed my Mario spin on the ratings. It's nice to see the set winning over even non-Mario fans. It really is a great one. Wholeheartedly agreed! Let's hope that LEGO keeps these fresh set ideas coming! Thanks, old chum! I'm sorry I stopped doing them regularly. I simply got burnt out, but I will post more whenever inspiration strikes again, so have an eye on my photostream and the Funnies threads here on EB. Oops, haha! Thanks for pointing that out. It has been fixed.

Hello! It’s-a me, Oky! And I’m back with another special review! For many years now, Mario, the stereotypical Italian plumber, has not only somehow evaded cancel culture, but also has been delighting the hearts of gamers everywhere with his simple and fun series of video games. One of the most influential entries in the franchise was Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64 as it was the first Mario game to make the jump from 2D to 3D as well as one of the first successful open-world 3D platformers ever made. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the game, so after the success of the NES set, LEGO decided to celebrate this occasion by releasing a brick-built version of the iconic yellow ? Block that appears in many Mario games – which is ironic since Super Mario 64 was actually one of the few games where this block didn’t appear in. It may seem like a strange choice for a set, but these ? Blocks are always full of surprises, so perhaps there is more to it than just a big yellow box? Read on to find out! Let’s-a go! Set Number: 71395 Name: Super Mario 64 ? Block Theme: Super Mario Year of Release: 2021 Ages: 18+ Pieces: 2064 Price: $169.99 The Box The box of this set has the same kind of branding as every 18+ set nowadays with a glossy black background and a white strip of greebles made out of various plates and tiles running along the bottom instead of the white background like all the “regular” Super Mario sets. If you have read my previous review you will know that I’m not really a fan of LEGO’s decision to market all adult-oriented sets with such a depressingly dark box art. It usually detracts from the set, although in this case I think it kinda works. The darkness adds to the mystery of the ? Block. There is not much else on the front of the box except for the set name, the Super Mario 64 and LEGO logos, and some numerical info about the set which also adds to the mystery. To uncover the secret of the ? Block, you don’t have to punch it like Mario, just simply turn around the box to its backside. This side of the box reveals that instead of a powerup or coins like in the games, what comes out of the top of the block is a bunch of microscale Super Mario 64 levels! How cool is that! There are several little close-up shots of some of the details, the transforming feature, and a schematic showing the measurements of the set. The main image and the schematic hint at the fact that there is another flap on the front of the box, but don’t show what’s behind it. What could it be? The mystery continues! The top of the box shows a lineup of all the characters included in the set along with some closer looks at Peach’s Castle and Bob-omb Battlefield. There is also a side view of the Princess Peach figure for size comparison. The bottom of the box shows some choking hazard warnings and other legal info on top of the white greebles. It also reiterates the number of pieces in the set – just to let you know exactly how many pieces you can choke on. The left side of the box features another closeup of Peach’s Castle - which is fitting since previous rumors for this set only mentioned the castle. Maybe whoever spread them only saw this side of the box? The right side shows the set name in different languages and a seal certifying that this is indeed an “official Nintendo licensed product”. Contents Inside the box there are 19 numbered bags, one bag with the instructions, and one with large plates. Some of the build stages are split into multiples bags which is not unusual. For some of them it makes sense, like for the bags with the number 2 since they contain a lot of parts, but for the bags with the number 9 it seems wasteful as the bags are less than half full and contain the same kind of parts, so I don’t understand why they didn’t just put them all into one bag. The bag for the large plates also seems wasteful as it is so big that it could have fit a 32x32 baseplate easily (I had to fold the bag twice to fit it into this picture). I thought TLG wanted to get more ecofriendly, not less? Instructions The instructions booklets starts with a few pages of the set’s designers talking about their love for Super Mario 64, the design of the set, and comparisons between the set and screenshots from the game. It’s always great to get such a little look behind the scenes at LEGO and at the talented people who develop these sets. The instructions themselves are nice and easy to read thanks to the new light gray background they’re using for these adult sets. There isn’t a lot of repetition in the build, although step 183 on the following example page asks you to put inverted 2x2 tiles onto a 16x16 plate 64 times. You don’t see such a high number every day in these callouts. Notable Parts There are quite a few parts in new or rare colors and even some new molds in this set! New molds include a downward 2 stud long bracket and a 2x3 plate with a 1x1 gap in dark brown, although each of those debuted in one other set recently. The only mold that I have never seen before is the 2x2 corner plate with the corner rounded off which is used to extend the bottom of the 2x2 curved corner slope. The latter appears for the first time in yellow, as does Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi’s crown and the 2x2 inverted tile. We also get not one, but two new colors of the cattle horn, red and yellow, plus some in tan which is a color it hasn’t been produced in since 2009, so anyone who is trying to assemble a Mola Ram will be pleased. Other new part-color combinations include a support beam in sand green (which is odd since it is hidden inside the build, so there is no reason to cast it in a new color), moldy (dark green) ice cream , 1x1 inverted bracket in lime, 1x1 brick with studs on 2 adjacent sides and telescopes in bright green, 2x2 round tile in green, 1x3 tile in nougat, 2x2 inverted dome in brown, and 4L bars in trans-clear, so if you want your Jedi to have a colorless lightsaber, you’re in luck. There are plenty of other parts in rare colors that have only appeared in a handful of other sets. If I missed anything new, let me know in the comments. I have some good news for all you sticker haters out there: Almost all the decals in this set are printed, and the only one that is a sticker, the barcode/star pattern on the yellow round 2x2 tile, is already pre-applied like in the other Mario sets! There is a large assortment of printed 1x1 tiles, the printing of which is impressively detailed. Figures It’s no secret that many Nintendo fans have been clamoring for proper Super Mario minifigures ever since LEGO acquired the license but so far all the Mario figures have been brick-built ones at a different scale. This set is no different as it comes with a slew of microscale brick-built representations of the characters similar to the ones in the LEGO Cuusoo Minecraft sets. Unlike the Minecraft figures, however, they made the odd stylistic decision not to print eyes on any of the characters (except for Mr. I for obvious reasons). Even the Bowser sliding puzzle in the previous picture doesn’t have eyes. Let’s take a closer look at them, starting with the good guys: Mario, Princess Peach, and Yoshi. The only one out of the three that has any kind of printing is Mario with his iconic mustache. They are all very recognizable despite the lack of detail. I always like it when designers can pull off a minimalistic design like that. It reminds me of the figures from LEGO’s old “IMAGINE” ad campaign. Still, I kind of wish they would have given Peach just a bit of detail as she looks a little plain next to the others, be it her lips or some features of her dress or something. Also, I’m not sure the part used for Mario’s hat was the best choice. It’s a bit large and looks as if someone had pulled Mario’s hat over his eyes. Or maybe Cappy is swallowing him?! Oh wait, wrong game. Yoshi looks good for the most part, although I wish they could have incorporated some white into his color scheme. Next we have the neutral characters: a Lakitu Bro, mama penguin and baby penguin. The penguins are not much different from other brick-built penguins that have appeared in many sets over the years, but you know what they say about things that aint broken. The Lakitu Bro has a simple yet clever design for his cloud that even includes his little camera. Lastly, we have the enemies: Mr. I, Big Bully, King Bob-omb, and a Chain Chomp. King Bob-omb is easily the best-looking character in the set as he is not blocky like a lot of the others and looks very accurate except for his lack of arms and eyes. The use of that new wheel piece for his body is perfect. The only downside to him is that he is stuck to the Bob-omb battlefield ground. I had to disassemble him and loosely stack the pieces here for this picture. Big Bully on the other hand just might be the worst figure as he just looks like a brick with horns. He should have been round like the others and some indication of his green feet would have been nice too, although I’m not sure how they could have achieved that with legal building techniques. Mr. I and Chain Chomp are fine – again, except for the odd lack of eyes on Chain Chomp. Actually, there is one more secret figure included in the set! The designers intended it to be a surprise for you to find during the build, hence why it isn’t in any of the official images of the set, so I will put it in spoiler tags. If you want to see it, click below, otherwise skip to the build section. The Build It’s time to get building! Here we goooo! First, you build the inner structure of the block, then the back panel. I struggled a bit putting on the rubber bands that hold the back panel up as they get stretched to their limit. Hopefully they won’t snap any time soon. There is a gold star like the power stars that Mario collects in the game placed inside the structure above the purple tile. It has no purpose and is no longer visible once the build is finished; it’s just a neat easter egg included by the designers for you to discover during the build which is pretty neat. Next, you build the front panel. As I mentioned before, there is not much repetition in the build since the construction of the front and back are completely different despite them looking the same from the outside. Never judge a block by its cover! After that, you can put the block aside for a while as most of the rest of the build is the top panel with all the microscale vignettes on it. You start building each vignette by building the base, then the scenery, then attach it to the rest of the build. Each vignette is very different, but all of them are constructed very intricately. I like how going from a big, rough support structure to such small, detailed scenes makes the build feel like it is getting more challenging as you go. Once the whole top section is complete, you just drop it into the block from above. The last step is to build the side panels which are identical, so unfortunately you end the build with some repetition, but it’s not too bad. Spare Parts There are tons of little 1x1 bits left over after the build, including extras of a lot of the printed tiles and other new/rare parts! Since there is an extra mustache plate, you can build a second Mario out of the spare parts, one that looks closer to the big LEGO Mario. Alternatively, you could also build his brother Luigi, even if poor Luigi was never in Super Mario 64. The Complete Set Yeahoo! The build is finished! The completed block looks sooo smooooth! Except for on the question marks, no stud is to be seen, and the rounded edges and corners really add to the smooth feel. They even managed to cover up all the transforming functions very well. Usually, you only see such large, tiled surfaces on MOCs and it looks fantastic. It looks so accurate to the ? Block in the games that it’s not much different from any other replica of it. The only difference is those studs on the question marks which give them some nice texture and remind you that this is indeed still a LEGO set. The block looks great from all sides – except for the bottom where it’s just a big hole. It looks dark and ugly and makes the block hard to hold up from the bottom. This is not a huge issue and I understand why they made it this way as you will likely not see the block from this angle very often and it makes easy to access the interior of the block to fix any potential mechanical errors, but I still wish they would have made this part of it a bit more sightly. Once unfolded, the block becomes a great display stand for the four microscale maps. If you thought the block looked too boring before, it definitely becomes more interesting in this form! Let’s take a closer look at each of the micro-builds, starting with the first level and the hub world of the game, Peach’s Castle, which fittingly hovers over all the others. There is lots of nice part usage here such as the cattle horns as flags, the moldy ice cream scoops as trees, and the telescope as the warp pipe through which Mario enters the game. The castle itself looks nice and accurate, although it’s a shame there is no inverted version of those 2x2 wedges they used for the turret roofs that they could have used for the underside of the turrets instead of the cheese slopes. And in case you’re wondering, no, unfortunately Mario does not fit through the castle entrance as it is one plate too short. The backside of the castle is not so interesting as there is only a small tile indicating a backdoor, although to be fair, I don’t think there is much back there in the game either. The only fun detail is Yoshi hiding behind the tower at the top where you can meet him after you beat the game. The next level (if we’re going by the order in which you visit them in the game) is Bob-omb Battlefield. This is probably my favorite of the micro-vignettes as it is sprawling with details and it really feels like they managed to recreate most of the map in this little 14x14 space. The cannons, the bridges, the trees, the tree stumps, the patches of yellow flowers, the floating island with the red coins box; it’s all there. They even managed to include one of the cannon balls that roll around behind the gray bridge using a microphone piece. There are no secret hidden areas or play features in this vignette, although you can aim the cannons vertically. They even included the little nook you can use as a shortcut to teleport to the top of the mountain where you fight King Bob-omb. Next up is Lethal Lava Land which is mistakenly named Lethal Lava Trouble in the description of the set. There is a fair amount of detail here as well even though part of the transforming mechanism takes up a lot of this space. The printed platform tiles and the Bowser sliding puzzle really add to the authenticity. This is also the only level with a physical representation of one of the power stars that Mario collects. Lastly, there is Cool, Cool Mountain. I don’t think it’s all that cool, though, since it looks a bit plain compared to the others. That’s not to say that it’s bad however! The designers managed to represent most of the level fairly faithfully. They included the log cabin at the foot of the mountain, the wooden bridge suspended over the abyss next to the cabin, the top and bottom halves of the snowman that Mario has to unite, and even the ropes of the ski lift. I just wish they would have included some face printing for the snowman, even if it’s just the mouth. On the back of the mountain, you can see the snow slide leading down from the small cabin at the top as well as the penguin and her baby that Mario has to return to her. Play Features The last few 18+ sets that I reviewed didn’t have many play features, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that this set has more than expected! Of course, the main play feature is the transforming function. It is very simple and works as smooth as the block looks. To reveal the vignettes, instead of punching the block from below like Mario, you push down from the top. The vignettes flip up, and once they’re on top, you give Peach’s Castle a little push which will cause it to swing back, pushing down the side vignettes in the process, and that’s it. Pretty easy, although once the vignettes get to the top, it doesn’t stop, so you need to balance it a bit before you push it open. I wish they would have added a stopper so that they don’t turn too far. To fold them back in, you just pull the castle forward again, flip up the sides to hold the castle in place, and push the whole thing back. Both of these motions work so smoothly and flawlessly, it feels very satisfying to do, so you may find yourself transforming the block over and over. Every time it flips, the back panel of the block gets pushed open by the edges of the side vignettes and gets pulled closed again by the rubber bands inside. Brilliant. You can see it all working in the video below. Some of the vignettes have a hidden interior! The entire front section of Peach’s castle can be removed to reveal the entrance hall. It features the paintings that serve as portals to the three other levels in the set which is a nice touch, even though in the game those paintings weren’t actually in the entrance hall, but locked behind doors. In case you didn’t know, the story of Super Mario 64 is that Bowser trapped the inhabitants of the castle in paintings, so Mario has to jump into them, fight enemies like sentient bombs, and collect power stars to power the doors of the castle and free all the little mushroom people. The Mario world is weird, yo. You can also remove a chunk of the back of the Cool, Cool Mountain to reveal the ice slide inside the mountain that Mario slides down to win a race with a penguin so that he can get a power star from him. Again, Mario is weird. Lethal Lava Land has different play features. The volcano and its surrounding low-poly ring are built on top of a turntable, so they can spin like in the game. There is also the log that Mario has to roll to get to one of the power stars which is attached to a rail so that you can push it back and forth. The following animation shows the two features in action. There are a couple more features which were teased on the box, but the designers wanted these to be a surprise, so I will put them in spoilers too in case you want to discover them yourself. But that’s not all! Even though this set is a completely different scale, it works with the electronic LEGO Mario and Luigi figures. You can use one of them to go on a hunt for 10 power stars hidden around the set by scanning the barcode inside Peach’s Castle, then scanning certain parts of the vignettes. There are clues where to find each star at the beginning of the instructions booklet. Some of the hints are fairly obvious while others you need to be familiar with Super Mario 64 to get them. Unfortunately I don’t have either of these figures, so I can’t test it out for you, but I’ll let you figure it out for yourself. I’m not into the “regular” Mario sets, but it’s pretty cool that they make them compatible with other Mario sets like this to expand your play experience. Ratings Design: Great looking, accurate, and very unique design with lots of great detail in the vignettes. Build: Fun build with nice surprises that gets more and more intricate but ends on a bit of repetition. Playability: Transformation works great and all the vignettes have some kind of play feature, except the Bob-omb Battlefield. Figures: Nice minimalistic approach; most are recognizable, although some could have been better and had eyes. Parts: Lots of new/rare parts, everything is printed. Price: $170 for 2064 pieces is a pretty good deal, especially for a licensed set. Overall: Honestly, I am hard-pressed to find any faults in this set. It’s a fun build with lots of good parts and a great looking result that even has several play features. It’s a set unlike any other and makes for a nice piece of nostalgic gaming memorabilia as well as a detailed display piece. Like with the Diagon Alley set, it was a nice surprise to find features in the set that were not advertised. My only gripes with the set such as the figures or the bottom of the block are mostly just nitpicking. It may not be the minifig scale set everyone’s been asking for, but it's an unexpected and innovative set that we didn't even know we wanted which is even better, so I applaud the designers for that. If you’re a Super Mario fan, you will enjoy this set. If not, you will probably still enjoy the unique design. Thank you for reading and thanks to Lego for sending me this set to review. It will be available on October 1. What do you think of the set? Let me know in the comments and vote in the poll above. To conclude this review, I will leave you with some wise words from Batman: Some days you just can’t get rid of a Bob-omb.

That would support my argument that it should be on Johnny’s left side. He always carries his revolver on his left.

Huh, I never noticed this inconsistency. Looking into this, it seems that even the instructions and promotional material are pretty inconsistent about this. Sometimes a set will even have it on one side on the box art and on the other side in the instructions which makes this even more confusing. Then again, the Adventurers theme is no stranger to confusing inconsistencies. I'd say it's whatever side you/Johnny want it to be on, but if you need to settle on a side, I'd say it should be on his left side. That's what TLG seems to have settled on in the most recent sets and I believe it's where the lifted side is usually worn on in real life on this type of hat.

Thanks everyone! 100% agreed! I'd be happy to provide designs for such a game. Call me, TT Games!

I'm liking the poseability on the Darth Helmet that I won in the May the 4th contest. Shocked Vader by Okay Yaramanoglu, on Flickr

Hi everyone. Before we begin, I have to confess something. I am NOT into sports. Like, at all. I'm a lazy nerd and the only sports I care about are Quidditch, Pro-bending, and Podracing. So when LEGO kindly sent me this set for review, I didn't even know what it was supposed to be at first. What is FC Barcelona? Why is LEGO offering a GWP (gift with purchase) celebrating it? Why are those minifigs dancing around a weird lamp post like in some sort of cult-like ritual? And most importantly, is it a good set? Join me as I find out the answers to these questions and more! Set Number: 40485 Name: FC Barcelona Celebration Theme: Promotional Year of Release: 2021 Ages: 18+ Pieces: 178 Minifigs: 5 Price: Free with purchase The Box So after some research, I now know that FC Barcelona is a Spanish professional football/soccer club, one of the most popular and valuable teams in the world who have won many trophies since their founding in 1899, so I can see why LEGO chose to base a set on it, although the timing of the release of this set is a bit questionable as the club seems to be struggling at the moment, especially after their star player Messi recently left the team. The "weird lamp post" is a drinking fountain located in La Rambla, Barcelona, known as La Font de Canaletes which has become a traditional gathering spot for FCB fans to celebrate victories. Such an occasion is nicely depicted on the box where a group of minifigs is waving their flags around the fountain. A couple of them have even climbed up onto the fountain which seems a bit excessive, but knowing how wild sports fans can get, this is actually pretty normal. The back of the box shows a similar scene, but at a slightly lower camera angle and with an alternate setup for the minifigs. One of them is now jumping off of the lamp post. These figs are getting wilder with every picture! The box is very tall and features the same "Adults Welcome" branding as every adult-oriented set in recent years with a glossy black background and a monochrome strip of various tiles running all around the bottom of the box. The strip is colored dark red in this case to match one of FCB's colors. And boy does it look depressing. Look, I'm not completely against this dark adult branding as it does work for certain sets, but this is one of the cases where I don't think it does. Instead of celebrating in a colorful painted environment (such as a rendition of the plaza in which the fountain is located), the minifigs are waving their flags in a cold, dark void. It's just doesn't look as fun as it could. However, I have to give Lego credit for creating a full professional box design for this set rather than just sticking a picture in a generic yellow box like they did for previous GWPs like the Roman Chariot or the Ulysses Space Probe. The top of the box features the LEGO and FCB logos as well as a picture of Lamp-jumper Guy for scale reference. He seems to be quite happy about having the honor of being the featured fig here. The bottom just has the usual icons and small print and a barcode. The left side of the box just had the logos again while the right side has choking hazard warnings and the set name in different languages. Contents Inside the box you will find two loose black 6x16 plates and four unnumbered bags, one of which includes the instructions and stickers. It's nice that they chose to protect the instructions and stickers this way, although in my copy of the set the booklet was still bent in the middle, meaning that the stickers that lay in the center of it were too. The stickers weren't really damaged though, so it's alright. Notable Parts There aren't a whole lot of notable parts in this set, but here are a few that are worth highlighting. There is only one exclusive part which is a large rectangular flag in dark red that appears for the first time in this color. The only printed part in the set is the 2x2 round tile with hole with rotor blades printed on it of which there are four in the set. There are also four black lanterns, a fairly recent mold which is nice to get a few of. The only rare part in the set is the gray wheelchair which has only appeared in 7 other sets so far. Instructions While LEGO is keeping the dark background on the boxes, they have thankfully done away with the black backgrounds on the instructions for these adult sets after many complaints from consumers. Thus, the instructions in this set are pretty easy to read thanks to featuring the new light gray background which provides good contrast to the rather dark build. One thing I found interesting, though, is that the instructions have you attach the faucets in a way that they don't line up with the sinks. I already noticed this inaccuracy in the pictures on the box, but dismissed it as it could have been a mistake by the photographer, but no, this is how they are supposed to be oriented. It's not a big issue as it is very easy to fix by just turning the lamp post so they line up right. I just thought it was odd they designed it this way. Minifigs Apparently one of the things that makes FC Barcelona special is that unlike many other football clubs, the supporters own and operate Barcelona. Its supporters are so important they even have their own wiki page. Therefore, it only makes sense that a set that celebrates FCB features minifigs of its fans. And they didn't skimp on them either. This small set comes with a whooping 5 minifigs which is unheard of for a GWP set. But you know what they say: 3 is a crowd, 4 is a party, and 5 is a football club. Yup, that's definitely how that saying goes. Not only are there a lot of figs, but there is also good diversity as there are 2 female and 3 male figures, including a handicapped person, all with different heads, hat/hair pieces, and pants colors. Furthermore, unlike the GWP that came with the Old Trafford which came with minifigs with unprinted torsos, all 5 figs here come with a new FCB jersey torso. It's not super detailed (the badge is a bit too simple for my liking) but it's still instantly recognizable. Aside from the torso, they are all made of very generic and common parts, but that makes it easy to mix and match parts to create your own FCB supporter minifigs. They all also come with accessories to show their love of their team, except for the dark haired lady - which I guess is good since someone should have their hands free to wheel the wheelchair around. Below you can see the women and Larry Lampjumper as I have decided to call him. Ponytail Girl has a dark red 1x4 tile with a sticker to make it look like a scarf with the name and founding year of the club on it which is pretty neat. Larry has a simple yellow flag with red stripes which should be a lot more versatile. The other two figs are Glasses Guy and Wheelchair Guy, both of whom are wearing baseball caps. Or should I say soccer caps? Or sportsball caps? Yeah, let's go with sportsball caps. Each is in one of the two main FCB colors. Glasses Guy has the giant flag with the FCB stripes and logo while Wheelchair Guy has a regular yellow flag with the word "Barça" repeated on it which is what the club is colloquially known as. All of them have printing on the back of their torsos which is much appreciated. However, only the black haired figs have alternate faces printed on the back of their heads, mainly because they're the only ones whose hair covers the entire backside of their head. The woman's is a sleeping face and Larry's is sad face. I guess these could be useful for when the game is not going well or when it gets so boring that the spectators fall asleep. Build The is actually pretty simple with hardly any interesting techniques. In fact, the first half of the build is quite repetitive as you are mostly just putting 58 1x3 plates and tiles onto the base. Thankfully, the designer had a bit of mercy and spared you from putting on 6 of the plates/tiles that would have been under the fountain and instead just has you put a yellow 2x2 plate there instead to support the fountain. The real reason they did this is probably for cost-cutting, but it's appreciated all the same. The build of the fountain is slightly more interesting as the faucets section is attached upside down, but that's about the only unconventional technique. My OCD doesn't allow me to attach the faucets so that they don't align with the sinks, so excuse me if I don't follow the instructions in this case. The lamp post is also not very stable as the anti-studs on the 2x2 round bricks at the bottom are kind of weak and the bars that are meant to support the post on the inside don't go all the way through which only adds to the frustration of the build. It's tempting to lift up the build by the lamp post in order to move it, but that only results in taking off a section or even the entirety of the post. I guess this is why this set is aimed at 18+ year-olds; you're only supposed to look, not touch. Spare Parts After the build, there are only 2 parts left over, 1x1 round plates with hole in pearl gold and dark gray. Usually there are more extras, even in a small set like this, but I'll take what I can get. The Complete Set The fountain is finished and the minifigs have gathered to celebrate the latest game! They all look so excited! I'm guessing their team just shot a touchdown with the quaffle and scored a homerun or... something. It's interesting how the fountain is built in the upper right corner of the base instead of the center, giving the model a more compelling, asymmetrical look. This also provides plenty of space to place the minifigs to the left and front of the fountain and the use of alternating plates and tiles on the floor allows you to easily pose them at angle. There is enough space for all the figs to stand on the floor, so there is no need to put them on top of the fountain like on the box art, but Larry couldn't help himself and started climbing it again. Dang it, Larry, get down from there! Here is an image of the real Font de Canaletes from Wikipedia. When compared to this, the fountain in the set is a lot less ornate. I also think the wide section carrying the faucets could have been more acorn-shaped. I'm sure a skilled MOCer could do a much better job at recreating it more accurately, but for a free set, the build captures the look of the fountain and surrounding sidewalk well enough. You can find more inaccuracies when looking from above. For one, the dark tiled area around the fountain is missing. This means that it is also missing the plaque that is on the ground next to the fountain with an inscription which states that legend has it that the one who drinks from the Font de Canaletes will eventually come back to Barcelona. It is an iconic part of the fountain, so it's a shame that it wasn't included in the set, even in sticker form. Also, as you can see, the rotor tiles were used as the grates on top of the sinks. I don't think they are a very good representation of those grates. Creating a new print, even if it's just a sticker, or using the classic grille tile would have been better in my opinion, but I guess it's better than no printing at all. In fact, with all these fan blades, I guess you could say the fountain is really fan-tastic! There is not much else to say about it, so if you stuck around after that terrible pun, let's get into the final verdicts! Ratings Box: 4/5 - A professional looking box that's not as generic as that of other GWPs, but not as fun or unique as it could be. Design: 4/5 - The look of the fountain is represented fairly well and makes a decent display piece, although some of the details leave a bit to be desired. Build: 2/5 - Repetitive and not very challenging. Not what you would hope for in a set aimed at adult builders. Minifigs: 5/5 - A very generous number of minifigs who, while being pretty generic for the most part, all come with a neat new torso design. Playability: 1/5 - You can create different scenes with the minifigs, but that's about it. Parts: 3/5 - One new recolor, one semi-rare part, and some printed round tiles, but otherwise pretty common bricks and plates. Overall: 3.5/5 - As far as GWPs go, this is a pretty decent set. The build and the resulting model may not be very intricate, but it still looks pretty good on display and serves its purpose as a celebration of FCB and its fans with a piece of the popular club's history. What puts it above average are the large number of minifigs with exclusive torsos, the unique box design, and a couple of useful parts. It's certainly leagues better (hehe) than the incredibly underwhelming United Trinity GWP that was offered with the Old Trafford. If you're an FC Barcelona fan, I'm sure you will appreciate it quite a bit. If not, at least you'll get a few useful minifig parts and bricks out of it. This set will look nice next to the Camp Nou stadium, but also looks good on its own. You can get this set for free with purchase of the new Camp Nou Stadium from now through September 12 at Shop @ Home or in Lego stores. Thank you for reading and thanks to LEGO for sending me this set for review. Let me know what you think of this set in the comments and in the poll above.

I also enjoyed the Ryloth arc, as well as the Separatist episode before it. It's interesting to see how different planets deal with the oppression of the Empire and it's good to see the Bad Batch doing what they do best, going on missions without being bogged down by Omega getting herself in trouble for the hundredth time. I don't really have anything against Omega, but I was really getting tired of those "chasing after Omega" episodes. The Separatist episode could have delved into the Batch's ideology being challenged a bit more and was a bit action heavy, but it was good action, so I didn't mind it. The first Ryloth episode was indeed hardly related to the Bad Batch and perhaps could have been cut, but I like Hera (she's the best female character in the galaxy since Leia IMHO), so I didn't mind seeing some of her backstory. What I don't understand is, if Omega payed off their debt to Syd, why are they still going on missions for her? While this show could work as an anthology, I can understand that they wanted to have a main cast of characters to connect these stories together. It's good to have a continuing story arc to keep viewers coming back as the stuff with Crosshair and the Kaminoans is the most interesting part of the show as @The Stud said. It's just too bad that all the main characters are either one-dimensional TMNT knockoffs or an inexperienced child with a bounty on her head. Lets hope they continue to have Omega be useful rather than a hindrance and get back to the actual Bad Batch story.

The Adventurers sets were full of great booby traps, trap doors, and swiveling walls, but one of the best has to be the play feature of Oasis Ambush where a simple mechanism opens the tomb with the pull of a lever in front of it which is chained to the back of the statue. Also, there is a clever feature in the Temple of Anubis which makes a diamond disappear by having a magnet under it and having it sit on a pedestal in front of a swiveling wall that also has a magnet on the backside, so when you turn the wall one full turn, the treasure gets snatched up by the magnet and disappears behind the wall. And I was quite fond of the explosion feature in Sheriff’s Lock-Up where when you inserted a dynamite tile in a wall, it would release a spring and send the wall flying. It was quite effective, but might be tricky to pull off with the modern dynamite mold.

Well done everybody! Thanks for all the votes and congrats to jansued and jp-30! Well deserved, although all entries were great. And thanks to Josh for organizing this fun contest. I guess I’ll take the Vader (which I was most interested in anyway). I’ll message you shortly. July the 4th be with you!

So, any update on the results?

With the release of The Bad Batch, I thought it's time again to bring this thread back from the dead. Teenage Mutant Clone Troopers by Okay Yaramanoglu, on Flickr

I haven't done one of these in a while, but couldn't resist making this pun in celebration of the release of the Loki series. Glorious Porpoise by Okay Yaramanoglu, on Flickr

Thank you! Haha, thanks! I'm glad I finally found a use for all those Harry Potter hair pieces. I hope I can count on your vote.

At last, here is my entry. Hopefully it still counts.