penguinz

I prefer grey road plates, to be more precise the new dark bley ones, as they tend to fit in better with a modern town. The green road plates look silly with tall skyscrapers, while the dark bley plates give a nice futuristic look to a town.

I have to say that I think that 4512 is better than 7898. Not only does 4512's engine make more sense pulling a "cargo train", it also has a very nice box car with great detail, and it even included a crate of gold bars! A rarity I think is really cool.

Mmmmm Chrooooome! Everyone loves yard sales! More pictures can be found on my Brickshelf (when moderated)

I prefer the stickers to be clear for the main reason that it holds up better. A lot of my colored background stickers are peeling off of their bricks, while the clear ones are holding to the bricks just fine.

Racing and roaring around each corner is the new Lego RC racer: the Track Turbo. Its bright color scheme of black and yellow and new Power Functions elements are great, but do they make the cut? Set Information: Name: Track Turbo RC Theme: Racers Pieces: 92 Minifigures: N/A Price: USD: 39.99 EUR: (unknown) GBP: 26.45 Year Released: 2009 Set References: Brickset Bricklink Peeron Shop @ Home: 8183 Official Picture: Box: Front of Box: A nice background with a "shop" feel to it. Notice the bright orange stripe incorporated into the box front advertising the Power Functions elements used. The back does a good job of showing you the functions and also gives you an add for an upcoming Racers set. More pictures of the box can be found in my Brickshelf. Instructions: The instructions are average. It is the same size as most of the $10 set instruction books, and has about the same features. It is helpful to note that there is relatively no trouble distinguishing between black and dark gray. Instructions Front: The front keeps the same picture as on the box as usual, but gets rid of the bright orange stripe. Random Instructions Page: You can see from this page that it has relatively low features, no piece call outs and very few side steps. Inventory Page: There is also a helpful inventory page, notice how little pieces are in the actual set. Build: As you can imagine the build is very easy. At most it could take you 2-3 minutes to build the car. There is also no Technic assembly, with the exception of the controller. Extra Pieces: Also under build I would like to briefly touch on quality control. If you look closely in these two pictures you will see noticeable black marks on the pieces. Both marks are covered up by stickers (which was a major reason for me to put on the stickers), but if you do not use the stickers it is very noticeable and extremely annoying. Stickers: Yes, this set does have stickers, and lots of them! 15 of them to be exact. They cover just about every flat space available, however none of them go over multiple bricks. Remote: Just the usual power functions remote, however there is a new steering wheel on the side to control it which is helpful. I do like how the orange is used, it gives it an informal look to the strictly black and gray color scheme. RC Car Base: The most exciting part in the whole set is the new Power Functions RC car base. The base is only 6 studs wide on top with two extra rows of studs on the sides to help cover up the huge gray sides of the motor. It has 18 studs on top with an additional with of about two studs in front, above the plastic bumper. From the side you can see how large the receiver on the motor is. While it may be quite high for several car models, it only takes up a 2x2 brick's equivalent of with and length. The axles for the front two wheels are mounted to the base and can not be removed, but you must insert an axle in the back for the two rear wheels. Whoever designed the motor base did a good job, because unlike previous motors the front starts out being only 4 studs wide, then it extends to its maximum with of 8 studs. This makes the motor much smaller, meaning that it can be modded into a preexisting model much easier than the earlier all-in-one RC car bases. From the top you will notice actually how small the motor is. Only six studs on each side of the car base are at 8 studs wide. From the bottom of the motor you can see two very important things, the orange channel switch and the opening for the batteries. You can set the switch on one of four channels, which means that you can run up to four car and remote sets at a time without each of them interfering with each other. The car base takes three AA batteries, and the remote takes three AAA batteries, however it seems that it does not use a lot of energy, because I have not had to replace the batteries yet! There is also a black on-off switch on the bottom which will turn the car base on or off. Overall this is probably the lightest and the smallest RC car base I have seen in Lego. The speed is okay, but there is only two speeds: all the way on or all the way off! It is however when on, a very speedy car, capable of outrunning some of my Lego pullback racers. The steering is good, not the best but above average. It is however, way too sensitive. One slight tap can send the car wheeling off in another direction. Track Turbo: Now onto the big part of the set: the Track Turbo. The car is sleek, low, and bright. The use of yellow, black, and grays is implemented quite well, giving it a stunning effect. First off is a picture of the car without any stickers. It looks pretty good, right? Here is the car with stickers: It is a huge change between with stickers and without stickers. Sadly as you can see the headlights are stickers, and there are no alternative headlights, so you must apply the sticker in order to have headlights on the car. The stickers are a bit overpowering after seeing the non-stickered version for so long, but you gradually get used to them. Here is the sides of the car. Notice how both sides are nearly identical. From this angle you can see a good shot of the new wheel rims which have only made it into these new Racers sets and the earlier Speed Racers sets. You can also see the spoiler on the back of the car. It is well worked, and is kept at the right angle to not detract from the overall look of the Track Turbo, yet it is still able to influence the form of the car. Next up is the front of the Track Turbo. It looks quite imposing from the front. You may see the two holes on both side of the car above the bumper. I have tried to fix the holes, but there really is no pieces that can be used to fix this problem. Notice how the 2x2 engine brick is used to cover up part of the IRC receiver. From the back you can see some more subtle details, such as the two 1x2 sloping grill bricks in yellow. It is nice to have a pair of back lights, but aside from these the back lacks a bumper and some more covering. Looking from a birds-eye view you can see just how many stickers are used. You may also notice how the back of the car has light gray peeking through. A few more yellow plates would have fixed this problem. When looking from below you can see that even though the motor is only 8 studs wide, the car actually goes over that line by two studs, making the cars total with 10 studs. Final Rating, Final Picture, and Final Thoughts: Rating: Playability: 5/5 (What more could you want? It's small and can be driven around by remote control) Design: 4/5 (A few design flaws, but most of the pieces are used in a way that best fits them and are carefully selected) Build: 5/5 (Nothing is wrong with the build, there is no repeat steps or any long a boring parts the build is a breeze) Pieces: 3/5 (Not near enough pieces for the price, however the two Power Function elements make up partially for the price) Price: 4/5 (Needs to be a bit lower, $40 is too much for the parts, even with the Power Functions) Total: 4.2/5 Final Picture: Thoughts: This is a fun set with a huge amount of playability; it is hard to get bored with it. However, while the playability may be great, the piece count is not, devaluing the set in my opinion. I would recommend this to anyone with either a like for Racer and RC cars or to someone wanting a different Lego play experience. The designer's attention to adding little details such as the sloping grill bricks and the engine pieces was nice, but it does not quite make up for the small design flaws. Getting this set with a 20-30% markdown would make this a must buy, but for right now it is better just passed over for something more worth your money. The lady did not quite understand the difference in scale between Classic-Town cars and Racers cars until she went looking for a new car: Thanks for reading!

A lonely green crystal lies in the ground! With a drill in one hand and a grasping claw in the other hand the Mine Mech rumbles up to get the crystal. Unbeknownst to the Mine Mech is a hungry rock monster - hungry for crystals. Who will get the crystal? Set Information: Name: Mine Mech Theme: Power Miners Pieces: 67 Minifigs: 2 Price: USD: 8.00 EUR: (unknown) GBP: 5.85 Year Released: 2009 Set References: Brickset Bricklink Official Picture: Box: Front of Box: The lime green with black stripes and dirt really sets the feeling of the set as a hard mining vehicle. It reminds me a bit of the Aqua Raiders' (2007) boxes. Back of Box: On the back it shows the functions of the set along with the tools and a nice excerpt on combining multiple sets. Instructions: The instructions are really nice for the price of the set. It has: -Clear steps -Inventory -Piece call outs Instructions Front: The front of the instructions are almost identical to the box front, with the exception of some black lines. Random Page Picture: This page shows the building of the cockpit, as well as some of the nice features, such as piece call outs. For the rest of the instructions including the inventory page, go to my Brickshelf Build: The build was really easy with very little Technic assembly. It took me about five minutes. Extra Pieces: Minifigures: Included with this set are two minifigures, a Power Miner and Boulderax (a rock monster). The rock monster is smaller and cuter than I expected. The Power Miner is very detailed with a printed torso, legs and reversible head. This is the other side of the Power Miner's head. He looks extremely scared. There is also printing on the back of the Power Miner. This is one of the most heavily printed minifigures that I have seen. Accessories: Included in this set is a stick of dynamite, a pick ax, and a trans-green crystal. The dynamite is a new piece and the crystal is a new color for that element. Mine Mech: The Mine Mech uses a large amount of lime green and orange pieces. The color scheme does not clash because the orange is generally kept to the attachments. You can also see the nice new roll cage for the cockpit. From the side, you can see how the claw attaches. I found it a slight disappointment that the claw was mounted sideways. On the other side you will find how they did the drill. It is extended just enough so that you can mine while the machine is facing forward. There is a black gear on the back that can be used to spin the drill. The back is not as bare as the Exo-Force battle machines, yet it still is lacking. Final Rating, Final Picture, and Thoughts: Rating: Playability: 5/5 (All of the functions work perfectly and the rock monster adds great playability) Design: 3/5 (From the side you will notice that it is a bit bulky in the middle and cockpit. Also it falls over if you do not place it in just the right position) Build: 5/5 (Not at all boring and very little repeated steps) Pieces: 5/5 (Great colors and a large amount of lime green along with some new pieces) Price: 4/5 (It needs about ten more pieces and is a bit too small.) Total: 4.4/5 Final Picture: Thoughts: At first I thought Power Miners was a total failure. I am now convinced that it may be one of the best themes this year. The lime green, orange, black, and dark gray color scheme works nice and does not clash. Even though the rock monsters may be small and cute I still think that they fit the part. The Mine Mech functions perfectly and can be set in a variety of poses. Overall I recommend you to try at least one of the Power Miner sets, this one especially. They are cheap and offer a great selection of pieces. Sometimes knights don't come in shining armor: Thanks for reading!

Racing across the ice is the smallest yet sleekest vehicle Alpha Team has. The Chill Speeder has all the accessories an Alpha Team agent needs. Ogel must watch out! For with the flick of a switch the Chill Speeder converts from a speedy sled... You will just have to wait and see! Set Information: Name: Chill Speeder Theme: Lego Alpha Team (Arctic) Pieces: 57 Minifigs: 1 Price: USD: $5 EUR:(unknown) GBP:(unknown) Year Released: 2004 Set References:Brickset Peeron BrickLink Official Picture: Instructions: The instructions are basic instructions with what we typically see however there is no inventory or piece call outs. Instructions Front: The front of the instructions gives a good shot of the Chill Speeder along with the Ice Orb. Random Instruction Page: This page show some of the build of the Chill Speeder. Minifigure: The Alpha Team minifigs are always great. Agent Flex has sunglasses, head set, and orange straps on his jumpsuit. One orange arm gives a nice way to tell your Alpha Team agents apart. Accessories: Included with this set are two important accessories, a pick ax and a red-decoder magnifying glass. You can use the red-decoder to see whether the ice orb is "active". The pick ax can be used to "deactivate" the Ice Orb. The Ice Orb is very nice, and much better than the previous ones. The Ice Orbs "deactivate" when turned. The bug side is "active" and the empty side is not "active". The set includes is one Ice Orb. Active: Not Active: Chill Speeder: The Chill Speeder holds the pick ax on one side and the red-decoder on the other side. This is the front of the Chill Speeder. Notice all of the printed slopes! The back of the Chill Speeder along with its rocket boosters. Without minifig: Alpha Mode (transformed model): Now the moment you have been waiting for... It transforms into a walking robot. The front of the walker. Notice the handle bars have folded up, and the rocket boosters have become lasers. The side of the walker shows you how the legs fold down and the rocket boosters fold up. At the back of the walker you will find the not currently in use skids. Now one without the minifig: Final Rating, Final Picture, and Thoughts: Rating: Playability: 5/5 (There is so much you can do with this set. Deactivate Ice Orbs, Inflate Alpha Mode, and much more) Design: 4/5 (A bit lacking in slopes and a bit rough, but great creativity) Pieces: 5/5 (Great sand blue and dark blue combination along with a bit of orange, black and white) Price: 4/5 (It needs a tad more pieces) Aerodynamic: 4/5 (A few bulky pieces and a bit tall) Total: 4.4/5 All together: Thoughts: It was a good buy with a fair amount of printed bricks along with sand blue and dark blue pieces. The Ice Orb looks great, and the overall model is very playable. Thanks for reading!

I voted for the fleshies because I like how clean and fresh they look compared to the yellow minifigures. However I do not like to mix the two of them. I still like yellow minifigures for the main reason that there is the most of them and all the diversity in faces and tops.

I said that I do not. The biggest reason for me is that I do not have a theme in which I could do "army building". My main interest is in city. In city you could call building a brigade policemen or firemen "army building". If this is it, then I do army building to some extent. My firemen currently are at 17 minifigs! Apart from city I would do army building in castle, but I most of my time and money goes to city. However, whenever I have amassed amounts of minifigures, they always are spead out around my displays.

If you mean the four supports at the front and back of the train, I can reassure you that it will work fine. I have one or two 9volt motors with this problem, yet they run and work just fine. Just as Richie said, unless you are balancing things off the end of the motor, the motor will work just fine. If you do need to do this you will have to use extra bracing.

Erdbeereis: 2 Captain Green Hair: 1 I especially liked all of the color and details in Erdbeereis. Captain Green Hair's was simple yet to me it seemed very creative.

Thanks for the brilliant review. I am now convinced that this set is worth its price tag in all aspects. At first I thought $100 USD was too much for the Emerald Night. Now I see that it is actually much bigger than I thought that it would be. The outdoor pictures add another cool element to the review. In the fifth to last picture I can't help thinking of the train that was shown in the beginning of Disney's Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe!

I am only 8% evil! (I guess I am really nice! ) I even answered it honestly!

I would say that it was because of their "Minimalist" design. The sets were simple with no complex or extremely detailed elements. Also you had to use your imagination to fit them into a "modern" layout.

My name came purely from my like of penguins. I had made a web site for a computer and applications class and had titled my web site "Penguinz". The web site never was online but the title that I gave it I thought was cool, so I used it again here.

My sig-fig lives in the Star Wars universe, but as for me, I would say that I would most want to be a minifig in Alpha Team. The Arctic versions of the minifigs are so cool I can just dream of being one of them. As for if I have made up my own theme: I have made one most noteable one to me: Blue Ice. Yah I know it sounds crazy but it was a weird mix of grey towers and trans-blue elements.

Simply pen-gwins, I you just pronounce the "z" as an "s", or more simply, penguins.

Can I sign up for the reserves? I have never played a Eurobricks mafia game, but I have watched several Eurobricks mafia games.

I think that it is a should be classed as a sub-theme for city. This is due to the fact that when people often think of "Western" they think of things happening a few centuries back, not right now. Also the actual sets fit in too much with the city theme (big, open, lots of vehicles etc.) to be classed as a "Western" theme. Now a farm period could be classed in a western theme, but not the actual sets that LEGO has just produced.

I think that the third one is the best. I like the red stripes on the second and third ones, however I do not like the brown collar on the second one.

Even though I really am into LEGO city, I still think that Space/Sci-Fi is the ultimate theme. This is because of a few reasons: 1) You can make your buildings and vehicles resemble anything you want to. 2) Any type of figure can be fit into a Space diorama. (or at least just the torso) 3) You can invent things that have not been invented yet such as transforming robots, computer gadgets, etc. 4) You can have new "species" such as aliens or mutants.

I agree that you can use Imperial soldiers as American soldiers. However, the first decal looks really good too.

3 Just because it is my favorite number!

I Scream Clone - 2 Guss - 2 oo7 - 2 Majek - 1 In both I Scream Clone's and Guss' entry colors were used superbly to create a lively cabin. oo7 had nice details inside, and Majek had plain but good looking interior.

I do not really know why, but this does not surprise me. When I looked for making some minifigures for a project I found that the minifigure torsos, heads, and legs were way cheaper on Pick a Brick than on Bricklink. I still am not happy with these price increases. I thought Pick a Brick had really cheap prices and have ordered from it three times before. I may not order from it again.