dj2005

The swords found in newer Castle sets do not compare to the old ABS plastic swords found in classic sets if that is what you are comparing them to.

Wow.

Soldier Impulse, Cannon Battle, and Shipwreck Hideout if I have the urge.

That seems correct as Lugnet/Peeron lists it as $5 USD. Taking in the supposed MSRP of this set, I rate it a 5. A ground vehicle is always enjoyable, IMO, and the four rubber wheels come in handy in many occasions. Not to mention, it also looks attractive once completed. The minifigure/accessories are nice for a $5 set, and the instruction even come with alternative models!

Thank you and happy birthday to all who also share this day. Ah, the big 21... I'm getting old.

I've done about six transactions and have been pleased. Never a missing part. I did get scammed (he had 30 positive feedback and no negatives) by one person, though, but that is a risk on all private online transactions.

It certainly is a complete package. The jeep is wonderful (hooray for a sunroof and working doors), the plane I actually like quite a bit, and the boat is a bit simple but it is not suppose to be a heavily burdened vehicle. The complex itself offers a good amount of playability with the included vehicles, mainly due to the blue base plates imitating water and the brown bridge creates a much larger play surface, along with some variety. I'd rate is about a 4-4.3. Nice job with the review Brickster.

I purchase classic sets from eBay, new sets from Amazon, and mainly parts from BrickLink.

It first went on sale for $48.88 on their online store on the 8th. Lately, people have been able to find them in store for that amount. Seems like they started their BF sale a bit early this year.

Thanks for the comments. Yes, this set is oodles of fun with all its contraptions and compartments. While the price per piece is quite high, especially for the year it was released, a lot of the pieces are large (though not junorized) and special, much like the giant windscreen. If I had to choose one LEGO set to have while on a deserted island, I would highly likely choose this one. Everything is designed so well and the color scheme is perfect. For those that don't have the set but are in the market for it, keep watching eBay and try to make use of the current Cashback program (this may only be U.S.A. only, though). I managed to snag this one for <$48 shipped, and while that isn't the greatest deal to some, it was one of my best purchases mainly due to the fact that I fell in love with the set once built.

Excellent review. The set's name doesn't leave much to the imagination, huh? I think this is an above average set. Has a nice minifig, a jewel, two useful wheels, and the printed map. Like you, I have no idea why a mummy would be lugging around a cart, especially when that cart is not adorned with jewels and gold. On the printed map there is the red jewel on it so maybe some treasure hunter stole the jewel and the mummy is arriving back to his tomb after getting some revenge? Or maybe he is fulfilling a prophecy? This is why I love LEGO as there are no definitive answers, for the most part. Oh, and it isn't an Erdbeereis1's review without Spongebob.

Title of Set: 6989 Mega Core Magnetizer Theme: Space/M-Trons Year Released: 1990 Pieces Count: 486 Minifigures: 3 Original Price: $60 (USD), Unknown (EUR), Unknown (GBP) Current Prices: BrickLink Price Guide Further Information: Brickset, Lugnet, Peeron, Photobucket Album Ah, the M-Trons, a sub-theme that was terminated too soon. The Mega Core Magnetizer is the largest of the nine M-Tron sets (ten including set 9401), and since the M-Trons did not have an actual base set released, some may call this their home. Some trivia found on peeron: TLC decided to change the name of this set from Mega Core Magnetizer to Multi Core Magnetizer in the year 1991. After the year 1991, no more M-Tron sets were produced that were sold publicly. There was 9401 M:Tron Team in 1993, but I have yet to read any actual information on that set. Box: Front: Main box sitting on top of the inner tray. Opened: The underside of the flap displays the functions of the set. The back of the box shows off four alternative models, none of which are anything great. Instructions: Cover: Page: A total of 23 main steps with many sub-steps creating a decently long build. The instructions are the best I've used. Each step is clear and various angles are used throughout. TLC even included a measurement tool for the technic axles. Minifigures: M-Tron triplets. If you've seen one, you've seen them all. Still, their colors and print are both simplistic and beautiful. Each comes packed with a black air tank. Accessories: Not a great amount of accessories but enough to keep the included three M-Tron minifigs occupied. Printed Part Bonanza: Lots of printed pieces. It is nice not to deal with stickers. Translucent Pieces: Ten cones, five 1x1 round plates, three visors, one dish, one booster, one long antenna, and one very big windscreen. The Misfit Pieces: Some lovely parts that fully flesh out this set. Wheels: Small: Eight small wheels for the buggies and one larger rubber wheel for the crane's knob. Large: Here are the six large wheels. They roll very well. Magnets: The glorious magnets constructed into a benevolent Magnet Tower. Total of seven magnets are included with the set. Gearbox: Here is the main piece of the crane - the gearbox. The long crane beam is slipped into the groove of the gearbox. The crane has a bunch of teeth along one of its sides that interact with the teeth from the gearbox's gear when turned. Small Storage Container: Front Closed: A nicely printed lid. The rectangular slot allows 1x2 SNOT pieces to be slipped in. This set includes a couple 1x1 translucent round plates as treasure. Large Storage Container #1: Front: A button panel can be seen to the right. The back is the same. Left Closed: Shot of the print. Flows with the theme of M-Trons. Left Open: Only two handle pieces. Some accessories would've been nice to clip on, such as a flashlight. Right Open: Some printed buttons but not much else. The small container fits into this space but the owner will have to remove the top plate to place it in. Top of Large Storage Container: Each of the larger containers, and even the smaller container, have a single magnet on top. The larger containers have some added detail. Underside of Large Storage Container: Not a simple flat plate as the way it is currently constructed fits perfectly into the storage compartment holder located on the main vehicle. Both of the large containers have the same technique used. Large Storage Container #2: Front: Filled with gadgets. Here are the two sprayers. The nozzles are held with a clip each. Left Side: A sprayer and two wrenches. A thing to note, the wrenches have a flathead bottom, much like the screwdriver. Right Side: A sprayer and a single black hammer. Back: A reel of string with a nozzle attached and a button panel. Sprayer Fitment: Sprayer On: A close up of one of the sprayers. Uses a harness piece connected to two red barrels. A string with a hose nozzle is knotted to keep it from flying out of the harness. Sprayer Half Off: View of how the sprayer slides off its compartment space. Sprayer Off: Here is one side of the storage container without the sprayer utility. This provides another view of the holding compartment where it slides in. A black minifig air tank can also be held in this space, much like the sprayer. Vehicles: All three of the mini-vehicles together - two buggies and one jet. Each seats one minifig. Jet: Front: No molded seat but it uses a handle piece for a backrest. Control panel is turned upside-down to create variety between the vehicles, which is used on all three of the small vehicles. Side: Two translucent cones create the boosters. Back: Back of jet. Buggies: Front: Like the jet, there is no molded seat but there is a 1x2 black plate and 1x2 red grill. Side: In this view, it is easy to see the seat for the driver. Back: Two small boosters and the lovely magnet. Completed without Minifigures: Overview: The vehicle is quite large and intimidating. For instance, this thing can smash down the Dwarves' Mine set with ease as it is actually larger than that set. Front: Front when windscreen is closed. Windscreen fully opened. Side with Front Closed: No vehicles or containers loaded. Both sides of the vehicle are identical. Side with Front Open: The use of SNOT pieces under the locking dish allow it to be easily hinged up or down. Side View with Hinges Opened: Hinges in action. For the main hinges, there is one under the locking dish, two connecting the main portion of the vehicle to the ending one-third, two (that create one) under the crane's base, and one in the back for the rear hatch. Back Angled View & Unloaded: This picture provides a good view of how the large containers do not connect to any studs, but instead, are secured by the way their undersides are built and how the loading zone are shaped, which interlock with each other. The hold will keep the container there indefinitely, unless tipped upside-down. Back Angled View & Loaded: Both of the large storage containers loaded. Rear Hatch Locked: Rear hatched closed and "locked" with the rear boosters. The boosters swing to the side to "unlock" the rear hatch. Rear Hatch Opened: Rear hatch open. It uses a hinge located at the bottom and swings down. It is stiff enough not to fly open unexpectedly. Drivers' Seats: Two molded seats and one seat with a handle backrest. The two black levers move up and down. The back seat has a radio clipped to each side. Crane: Here is the main area of the crane. The radar sits on top and can be swiveled and tilted. To lengthen or shorten the crane, one simply has to turn this knob to the left or right. Demonstration of Hinge System: Straight: Here the whole vehicle is straight. Right: Here the ending one-third of the vehicle is bent towards the right. Left: And finally, bent to the left. Vehicular Compartments: Side Empty: Compartment space empty. The jet does not fit well in this space and it is made to fit into the rear hatch compartment. There is a compartment located at each side to hold the two buggies. Side Filled: One of the buggies in its compartment. Rear Filled - Jet: Rear hatch open with the flown jet inside. Great fit. The buggy can also be safely driven in for those that are curious. Closeups: Front Locking Mechanism View of the locking mechanism for the windscreen. The large black dish can also be used to steer, much like a top-down steering wheel for a car. Under the Vehicle Front Opened: Displaying the amount of space between floor and windscreen when opened. Under the Vehicle Back: Displaying the amount of space between floor and the vehicle's base. Sprayer Equipped Front: Here is Ugly Bob equipped with the sprayer. The lengthy hose allows plenty of movement and it is lightweight so it doesn't tend to pull the minifig backwards. The M-Tron print on the minifig's torso does not peek out when the harness is equipped... a good thing. Sprayer Equipped Back: Much like a larger version of an air tank. Ignore the loose left barrel. Completed with Minifigures: When one is a M-Tron, there is always scientific work to be done... with the use of magnets, of course! Hey, someone has to do it... When not out exploring, the M-Trons are busy washing the wheels of the Mega Core Magnetizer. Plenty to go, buddy! Reviewer's Score: Playability: 10/10 - There is a lot going on with set. There are vehicles, containers, a large crane, and let's not forget the magnets. Design: 10/10 - Rolls great, and space for all the vehicles and containers. All fits together seamlessly. Even all the seats, including the ones on the mini-vehicles, allow the M-Trons to keep their air tanks on. Price: 9.6/10 - Piece count is quite low but many of the pieces are large and many prints. Another minifig or two would've been a very welcomed addition, along with a couple more accessories. Total: 29.6/30 - Many hours of enjoyment can be had out of this set and it is one of my personal favorites.

This is absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much for taking the time do create this review as it introduced me to a lot of new ideas and I found the inserts of what M-Tron are perceived to be very interesting. LEGO + magnets = ingenious! I just wish TLC created another ground vehicle that was medium/large in size (~230 pieces).

Hilarious as always.

In, thanks!

I never knew that there were so many adventure sets. I was well within my dark ages when they were released so thank you for any current (and future) reviews.

If it will mainly be a display model, then I would go with the ISD. And as you have previously mentioned, there are a ton of pieces for a very long build to keep one busy.

Shipping did go up due to the semi-recent stamp price hike. Still, if the shipping label states the cost then that is the cost, AFAIK.

I concur with your final thoughts. This set is very well designed and worth the $40. It includes a great deal of figures and useful pieces that bring the already enjoyable set to a new level of bliss. Gets an outstanding vote from me.

Title of Set: 6077 Forestmen's River Fortress Theme: Castle/Forestmen Year Released: 1989 Pieces Count: 348 Minifigures: 6 Original Price: $37.50 (USD), Unknown (EUR), Unknown (GBP) Current Prices: BrickLink Price Guide Further Information: Brickset, Lugnet, Peeron, Photobucket Album In the dank, dark marshes the Forestmen bunker in their fortress. Using their surroundings as an advantage, the Forestmen quickly silence any lumbering predator or foe that may lurk near. Due to this, it is undetermined where exactly this fabled fortress, that was constructed half by man and half by nature, actually resides and whether it truly exists. Instructions: Not a hard build. The instructions are clear and actually make use of different angles, which I found lacking in a decent amount of the vintage Castle sets. Total of 22 steps. The back of the booklet includes two alternative builds. Minifigures: Five Forestmen and a lone Lion Knight with the nice Lion printed torso. Plumes displayed are not exactly the same as what is included in the set. Accessories: Three ABS swords, two bows, two quivers, two spears, two Forestmen shields, various plumes (as displayed previously), a lance, a green vine whip and a chest. Not really all that much for a fortress. A Lion Knight shield and an extra container or two would've been much preferred. Vehicles - Barrel Raft: Front: The front of the raft holds a spare sword. Left: Right: Back: A large amount of space for a small raft. Contains a brown chest to store goods and/or treasure. The set includes a few yellow round studded pieces to represent gold. Completed without Minifigures: Front with Gate Raised: Front gate is raised giving a small view of the inside of the fortress. A small green plate provides grass. Front with Gate Closed: Front gate closed shutting off outsiders. Uses four black 1x8 tiles to create an impenetrable gate. The black walkway connected to the grassed land lifts up using hinges to create a drawbridge effect. Left: A view of the left side of the fortress. Not much to see. The archery tree provides a much needed atmospheric addition. Right with Back Open: The back swings open to the right when fully opened. Right with Back Closed: Similar to the left side. Make note of the slopes that create the foundation of the fortress to emulate a tree's trunk. Back Open: The back uses a three hinged system. Needless to say, it is very stable and works like a charm. Back Closed: Closes nicely and stays closed unlike some sets which swing open at the slightest touch. Inside Lower: Bare interior. A jail to the left and a weapon storage area to the right. Inside Upper: A view of the architecture. Yep, still bare. Closeups: Prison: Small prison using four black antennas. The poor prisoner probably gets eaten by the fish. Definitely not a nice way to go. Back Underside: A closeup shot of the waterway under the fortress. To the left is the jail. This is a nice architectural detail, and perhaps the best of the set. Gate Raised: Closeup shot of the gate when raised and the entrance. Closeup of Top with Gate Raised: Here we can see the top of the gate once fully raised peaking out the top of the fortress. Top Back View: Some space for minifigs. Top Side View: Foliage provides camouflage. Top Flag Straight: The flag is on a small hinged piece that can be raised and lowered. Top Flag Bent: Another shot but when fully lowered. Front Windows: Two nice windows behind some leaves. Archery Tree: A closeup of the archery piece. It is printed and a great piece to have. A farther shot than before showing more of the tree. A very nice tree it is, though lacking some brown... Completed with Minifigures: All six minifigures fit easily onto the set. Still room for more on the raft and inside the fortress. Front Row Seats of the Action: The fortress's location stays safe once again as a lone Lion Knight is no match for five Forestmen. Still, for how long until the next adventurer stumbles upon this fortress, and when he does, will he be the lucky one that escapes? Reviewer's Score: Playability: 8/10 - Gate works very well. The hinged back provides easy access to the interior, which has a jail to stick prisoners into (one at a time). Design: 7.4/10 - Nothing impressive due to the lack of a furnished interior. Still has the Forestmen feel to it since it is a giant tree. Price: 8/10 - Compared to other sets of the era, it is quite pricey when the piece count is factored in. It does have a lot of wall panels but no special pieces. Total: 23.4/30 - Not the best of the Forestmen sets, but it is still a very nice set to own. Looks good when fully built as well. The 32x32 blue baseplate is very useful, too.

I will explain my reasoning. For a $10 set I expect at least three real minifigs, especially when there are only 78 pieces and none of which are anything special. For an $8 set I expect at least two, again, heavily depending on what is included with the minifigs. Set 6239 has two minifigs and a cannon with a price tag of $6, so that surely looks to be the better deal unless I was in the market for a maroon octopus. Just because it is a new pirate set doesn't mean I'm going to rave about it. I just feel it offers nothing noteworthy for its price tag and there are better sets that can be purchased for the money. Not like I rated it "poor."

This is wonderful news. I love your reviews and how detailed they always are.

Thank you all for the comments. I feel the same way. I see no reason why TLC limits some sets to a specific region when these sets can be enjoyed by many due to their great designs. Not to rub it in, but this is the best set I own by far. It may not look like much in my review, but the set is just plain awesome, for lack of a better word. The new pirate set really reminds me of this one [the one with the tan bridge (same one from this set)]. I don't own the pirate set so I can't really compare the two other than looking at the reviews; however it looks to have a similar balance throughout the design form what I have seen.

Check out the review done by NewRight in the Academy. Or maybe you shouldn't as I'm sure you'll want to go splurge on those after reading it. This is the smallest Pirate set that includes both factions in one box, though.

Two reviews in the same night, I can tell someone likes the new Pirate sets. This set reminds me a good deal of Crossbow Attack and partly due to this similarity, I rated this a five. At $6, there is a good amount of fun to be had, along with two great minifigs and a shooting cannon. One question: How is this the smallest set in the theme when there are two impulse sets?