The Cobra

I was just looking for Lego on google news, and opened a few links.

Lego adds hundreds of machines <- click to read full news Too bad those bricks are NOT Lego! LEGO blocks used to study nanoscale arrays <- click to read full news I don't think they used that fake concentration camp set.

Instructions for Board games are on Lego official site. Choose "LGS" as brand and the list will appear. That's the building instructions only (with inventory!), not the rule books. (Sadly, no Creationary. That would have been an interesting inventory. No Lunar either.)

I rated it "above average". I read this review a few days ago, it me also made me remember I owend this set and I had to build it! Extra pieces should be: 1 MetallicGold Minifig Accessory Helmet Visor 1 Black Minifig Mechanical Arm Straight 1 Orange Plate 1 x 1 Round 1 TrNeonGreen Plate 1 x 1 Round 1 MdStone Technic Pin 1 Black Technic Pin with Friction and Slots 1 MdStone Technic Pneumatic T Piece See Peeron

I now know the existence of "The official ironman rally song". But lyrics don't make much sense to me. Set data: 8120: Rally Sprinter Year: 2009 Theme: Racers Subtheme: Tiny turbos Pieces: 47 (plus extras) Price: 4,99 USD / 4,99 to 5,99 EUR / 3,89 UKP Building time: less than 5 minutes MISB on review: Yes Official description: Dark and icy roads are no problem for this rally car! With its big front-mounted headlights and tall spoiler, it can conquer any track. Includes reusable container for storage and travel. Race on #8124 Ice Rally or combine with #8121 Track Marshal to make an icy-cool racing truck! Measures 3.5" (9cm) long! Build to race or build to display! Collect all four: #8119 Thunder Racer, #8120 Rally Sprinter, #8121 Track Marshal, #8122 Desert Viper! More info: Brickset - Peeron Box front: Look, a set name on an Italian box! Still, it' s the littlest writing, the biggest one being target age. Oh, and the top of the box is red. Now that's... useless. Box back: The big news in 2009 Tiny Turbos are Fold out boxes. Every stand-alone TT can be added to a fold-out theme. Box content: Loose pieces! Instructions and stickers. Sorted pieces: For such a small model, three main colors is the higher limit. Plus, you have a few bits in white and trans pieces. Sticker sheet: As always, here they are. Instructions: Like in previous years, 2 small TT models can be combined to form a larger one. Half of the instructions for the combo model to be found in each of the two sets. Click for larger images. Building: With such few pieces, building is obviously easy, even with limited piece call-outs. Building: The model looks flat, before adding "slope brick curved" roof and windshields. Building: And in less than 5 minutes your model is complete and ready for stickers! Rally Sprinter: Stickers are there, and leftovers too. Rally Sprinter: Bird's eye view. Rally Sprinter: Front and rear views. Rally Sprinter: Comparison shot with Adrift sport. It's hard to believe they are both the same scale. Review: The big news in 2008 Tiny Turbos was Glow in the dark. The big news in 2009 is: the top of the box is red instead of black. Pieces are loose, so if you wanted to try bag building, sorry; you're late. The main difference between the Rally Sprinter and most other TT is the color choice, this is something different from what we saw over the last few years. Everything else is exatcly what you'd expect. Some stickers, the chance to combine two models, instructions for combo model split in two. The only other news (apart from the red top) is that this year we have those fold-out boxes (with 2 TTs for the price of 3, because of the d*mn box) and each of the 5 bucks cars fits in one of the fold-outs theme. Ok, here's another news: same old price, and that's always good news. A little Q&A: Our guest this week is White Fang, from Singapore. He has two questions: 1) "I never really own these Racer sets, but I don't understand why it appeal to some collectors". Well, I liked car models when I was a kid, and even if I overlooked Tiny Turbos at first, I later discovered they are cheap, nice and funny. I mean, there are few Lego sets one can buy for 5 Euros! Plus, sometimes they are hardly available in Italy (7090 Crossbow attack, to name one), and these 2009 TTs were on sale for 30% off in a local shopping mall last June. You gotta love 'em! 2) Do you think these Racers vehicles, can be modified into System set cars? I thought about it, but never actually tried succeeded in doing that. Someone obviously did, look for instance here Rating: Color scheme: 4/5. Light blue and light grey are a good choice, and something a bit different from the usual. Minifigs and accessories: N/A. Pieces: 3/5. 'Slope Brick Curved 2 x 4' is the rarest piece in here, and just beacuse is a 2008 premiere. That says a lot. Playability: 4/5. Just like ant other TT. Build, unbuild (if you can, beacuse of all those stickers), rebuild, and play. Design: 4/5. The cockpit looks a bit low, compared to the rest of the car. Everything else looks good. Overall rating: 4/5. Above average, it seems like every year there's some good TT around. The final words: TLC, please forget fold-outs and focus on cars (with a lower case 'c')!

I found extra epaulettes in every set I bought (from Soldier's arsenal to Shipwreck hideout), I guess it's the same in the rest of the world.

I really like the floor and the round parts. And all the rest, actually.

I rated it "above average". This is a really interesting set, yet overpriced, as all licensed sets are here in Europe. I'm hoping for a Christmas sale. Thanks for the great review!

A great year for learning! Happy Anniversary!

It's the first anniversary of the Reviewers' Academy. And here's a birthday gift. "And the planets of the universe - Go their way - Not astounded by the sun or the moon - Or by the day" (Stevie Nicks - Planets of the universe) Exploriens were the last human faction in Lego Space in the nineties, before UFOs and Insectoids took over. Here's a close look at their largest surface vehicle. Set data: 6938: Scorpion Detector Year: 1996 Theme: Space Subtheme: Exploriens Pieces: 196 (plus 3 extras: 1 small antenna / control stick, 1 visor and 1 round plate) Price: 24 USD / ?? Euros / ?? UKP (Source: Peeron) - Bought in 2009 for 10 Euros + S/H on eBay from a national seller. Building time: about 30 minutes MISB on review: Yes More info: Brickset - Peeron Note: Also available as 1737, instrutions have both numbers. 1737 is a "Limited edition", see pics below. On the very same day that clear pics of Space Police III came out, I found this set on the eBay. I didn't think twice on buying it, and I didn't regret it. See why. Box front: Standard middle-European box with no set name or piece count, it measures 287x190x48 mm or 11.4x7.7x2.4 inches. Box rear: Four alternate models; on top right corner you find out how to use those big round red and blue discs. Box sides: "Not intended for children under 3 years of age..." in 13 languages! "Made by Lego System A/S..." (click for larger image). Box sides: Both the two smaller sides feature this pic of the Scorpion Detector in action. Alternate box: I found these pics on eBay: they show the "Limited edition" 1737 box, with a different front and packaging. So even back in 1996 there were Limited editions. Oh, do I hate Limited editions. Box content: another box (with a loose top). That was a bit of a surprise for such a not-so-big set. More about it later on. Box content: one large bag, two small bags, 6 loose big wheels, 1 loose magnet, 1 loose "Exploriens wing", and lots of paper... Box content: ...consisting in a service catalog, a 1996 catalog with no words at all (except theme names, of course), a big poster and the instructions booklet. And a few stickers too, we'll look at them later. Service catalog: younger people might not know that before Pick a brick existed, Lego had a service catalog. Some pieces lots were available at fixed prices. Click for larger images of a random page and the price list. 1996 Catalog: Here you see pages 2 and 3 of what I'd call an ordinary catalog, if not for the fact that it comes with no words, just sets and a Star meaning (new for) 1996. Click for larger images. Big poster: I split it into four images (click on thumbnails for larger versions); it's a one-sided 41*60 cms or16.2x23.10 inches. Random instructions page: Building the "right arm" Instructions back-page: A closer look at some alternate models Stickers: Unlike what has happened most of the times over the last few years, these stickers are 1) very few; and 2) useful. Only the prismatic stickers can be considered a mere ornament. Pieces: We're finally (almost) ready for action, let's open the bags. I'd say 80% of this set is either black or white, the remaining 20% being trans neon yellow or trans blue (and 1 trans red piece). I love when TLC makes it so simple. They were loose pieces: 6 'Wheel Hard-Plastic Medium', a now forgotten piece which only hit the new millennium in "Watto's junkyard", a magnet, and a theme highlight: the "Exploriens wing". Interesting black pieces: Magnets and magnet holders are classic train pieces, but they became popular in Space too, thanks to M-tron. 5x2 Hinge plates were classic too, but they disappeared in 1999 (with the exception of Legend set U.S.S.Constellation). The big snot brick seems to still be around, and black is the most popular color. Hinge plates 1x6 are gone, like all old hinge plates. Lego now has "Locking hinge plates". Finally, "tail with rocket" reminds me of my last space set as a young teenager, 6891 Gamma-V Laser Craft. Interesting white pieces: We have 1 printed slope, 2 printed tiles and some more old hinge plates. Though most popular in black or gray, Scanner and Camera sometimes are to be found in white. Same with 4x4 Turntable and bracket 8 x 2 x 1 & 1/3. Wings: Basically to show how big the "Exploriens wing" is, compared to more popular pieces. Trans pieces: That's quite a lot! Trans Blue is the main color for the big Windscreen canopy, a piece that left us in 2002. Minifigs: Two figs and they come with the same face! Oh please... At least they have different torsos and helmets. Building: Here we finally go. I just completed step 4, nothing much so far. Just to know where to place wheels. Building: In the middle of step 8, we now see where the pilot will drive this thing. Building: Step 12, the biggest piece has been placed. That 1x2 black plate helps to hold the canopy windscreen closed. Building: Step 14, front of the Scorpion now only missing arms and antennas. Building: The Scorpion has two arms, the left one has a magnet (for the magnet sticker) and the right one has blue and red scanners (for especially colored stickers). Click for larger pics. Building: The front half of the Scorpion detector is now complete (minus prism sticker) Building: A couple more views. Building: Rear half of the SD, step 5. Once building is complete, you one will hardly notice those trans blue round bricks. Building: Step 9: that plate is the scanner base; that's where you put stickered plates. Building: Step 11: now only missing wheels and minifig workstation. Building: Here's the workstation before sticker posing. Building: And here's what the cannon/telescope (?) is made of. Building: The rear half is now complete too. Building: A couple more looks from the side and the rear. Scorpion detector: Minifigs in place, leftovers on front; here's the complete model. Scorpion detector: A view from the other side. Scorpion detector: closer views: the magnet on the left arm and the scanner in the rear half. Scorpion detector: closer views: how both stickered tiles look under blue and red discs. Scorpion detector: Alternate views of the complete model (click for larger pics). Review: First of all, let's talk about the packaging: the outer box is the thinner than those we are used to in these days, that's why there's a thicker box inside. In 1996 Internet was not a big thing, so Lego fans heavily relied on paper. Paper catalogues, paper posters, paper price lists. The Service catalogue has 5 main languages (German, English, French, Italian and Dutch, while detailed instructions and prices cover most of Europe (including Hungary!) The main catalog was a bit surprising. I was used to a three languages catalogue in the 80s (German, French and Italian) and in this century Italy has its own. There in 1996 was a brochure where no words were printed, but age suggestion was a set-by-set listing. So I now know that Fire chief's car was suited for kids aged 5-10, while the Fire station was designed for 8-12ers. I'm really happy to own this little paper treasure, since 1996 was the last great year in Lego city before Juniorization. It nearly took a decade for TLC to make some good city sets again. And now, to the set. The Scorpion detector is made of two four-wheelers; there are no odd space wheel settings (like in the Uranium search vehicle), so you can separate the two main components and they won't fall on themselves. The front half has a cockpit which is closed on the top but open on the sides (just like my old beloved Gamma V laser craft). No steering wheel, no control sticks, just a printed slope, but the fun is outside. The side arms can rotate 180° and that's a plus. Too bad they will move without control if the SD is tilted. Moving parts on the front half include hinged arms, the front inverted dish, the two big antennas and the Solar/Clip-On/Deltoid Panel. On the arm's ends you can either scan pieces or just carry them thanks to the magnet. You gotta love those hinges that allow any posing, unlike the new hinge lockings. The rear half has two highlights: the scanner (a hinged panel) and the thing some call a telescope and some other a laser cannon; TLC was still in their anti-violent years, so it has to be the former. Here in the rear half, playing requires a bit more fantasy, action being most on the front part. I did it some months ago, and I'll do it again: picking a 90's set with no odd-shaped aliens but genuine old-fashion Lego design. Rating: Color scheme: 5/5. Basic and outstanding. Only two solid colors, and they're black and white. Trans pieces mainly of consist of my all-time favourite blue and a bright trans neon green. Minifigs and accessories: 3,5/5. Two figs is OK for such a set (no silly aliens needed!), they come with two different theme torsos and helmets, and that's good. But two figs with the same face is a really cheap choice. As detailed as the torsos are, they just don't look as cool as, say, Futuron's. Plus, almost no accessories if not for the scanner and the camera that lie on Scorpions arm. Pieces: 4/5. Nothing rare, few unusual. But they get the job done. And all those trans pieces really stand out. Few stickers and they're not just a decoration. Printed pieces are common to most Exploriens sets. Playability: 5/5. Detachable units, opening cockpit, moving arms, two-toned stickered tiles to scan, hinges here and there. I, as a kid, would have loved it as much as I love it now. Design: 4/5. It's a kind of odd scorpion with such a shape, four pairs of wheels instead of walking legs and only two moving arms as pedipalps. I guess the cannon or telescope or whatever it is should be the stinged tail. Overall it looks ok, and the front half is great as stand-alone too. Overall rating: 4/5. A set some may overlook, but it will catch your eye after a closer look. I'm sure there are a few left on the net, try to detect them at a fair price. The final words: One of the last bright stars before Lego space collapsed.

There are rumors that Red bull will try to have KERS on their cars; they will try to add it before Belgium GP (that's next Sunday).

I don't own any, but I voted grey, because I think they make more sense when building a town. Green is great for parks or country roads (take me home...)

10 Euros for a 5032 Jack? Well, I think this is crazy.

Here's a few more words. (loose translation, I'm in a hurry; I hope some Italian fellow will check if I wrote some B.S.) After the success of the Power Miners line, Lego will be launching in Jan. 2010 an explorers team, this time they'll have hi-tech submarine equipment. The team's mission is to find the lost treasure of Atlantis hidden in the deep abyss and protected by marine creatures. The theme, launching in Jan. 2010, comes with a wide assortment of submarine vehicles, sea platforms (= baseplates?), new characters (half-man, half-fish) and new creatures. Sets will include 5 exclusive keys that will lead to the treasure. Lego will be supporting the theme with a massive tv and ad campaign. A new site, Atlantis.lego.com, featuring 3D contents, will be launched in Dec. 2009; 3D glasses will be included in some sets.

Best (probably): Finally a civillian Castle set; don't know about kids, but AFOLs surely love it. Worst: The only good thing about this set is the unusual baseplate - one could use it in a much better way. A little edit: Galidor is NOT Lego. Bionicle hardly is. Hence my choice about the worst set.

It seems like 2010 products disappeared from Amazon.de I tried a couple of links and they send to a "wrong page"

I voted above average. I really like this set, one of the few used sets I bought after coming out of my dark years.

I rated it "Above average". It's great to have videos showing moving functions. Thanks for the review!

I updated the Amazon list here. Duplo sets have Duplo in their name and 56## numbers. So these 31## might be System City sets.

One might think that a set like this looks kind of anonymous, but that makes complete sense since it's a secret hideout! So, piece/price ratio was 10/1 22 years ago too? But this set has a terrific design and SIX figures. I also rated it 5. Thanks for this review!

What's so special about Trikes? (I mean, every kind of three-wheeled vehicle) I guess the first one came out with Blacktron I, then city had trikes instead of regular motorbikes, then Life on Mars, and then Mars Mission, now this one and I think I missed someone. How come there are so few (if any) in the real world? (Ok, I know, there seem to be worst things in this theme than a 3wheeler...) And, again, yes: the whole thing is real, just read here.

I have to quote myself; the link I linked (sorry) is an amazon page listing the set Christian mentioned. And now that I look at that page again, suggested age for those 31## sets is 5-12, so they might be System and not Duplo. C'mon, it had to be firefighters, they haven't been around for three years (just like police, 2005->2008). But the 2010 city line can't just be that, I bet we have more sets in January and a 2nd wave in June or July, just like 2008 and 2009.

- A better battle pack (compared to the 2009 one). And go back to classic boxes and unbuilt figures! - Try using some different soldier headpieces! (Pirates too!) - One or two civillians sets. - Yay, bluecoates! - And islanders too!

@ Svelte, yep, and that's the only nice thing so far about this theme @ Sandy: I have to guess they aim to "child whose parents will spend money on these"; Atalantis hardly looks as an AFOL oriented theme so far.

Schumacher gave up because of neck problems. Luca Badoer will fill in for Massa.