starstreak

I so hope Han is left out. He doesn't belong here. UNLESS they do a episode on how a good guy goes bad. Like his parents gets killed and he gets orphand or something so that's how he ends up becoming a theif or something.

Nice work, but something is not right. As a Mid-scale, it shouldn't look like a figure should fit in it. But with it using the same parts as the regular AT-TE, it looks more like a single unit made for one driver. Reminds me like those car photoshopped pictures where people take the full size car and squeez it smaller. Still nice work.

Has anybody seen in the States yet the Mid-Scale M.Falcon yet? I hate to keep driving to the local Wal-Mart and the manager isn't too keen as to when what gets put on the shelf.

It's been moved. We had a little issue of putting it in the right area. :)

This is a review of 8996 Skopio XV-1. First of all, I'm NOT a big Bionicle fan. My seven year old son is. But I love a nice design. I'm also a Scorpio for my sign. And this being a Skopio, stung me. Eww... That just sounded bad. Sorry. Anyways, I just love how they made a tracked vehicle that can transform into something that looked like a Scorpion. Set Name: 8996 Skopio XV-1 Theme: Bionicle Released: 2009 Pieces: 849 Price: $89.99/63.26EUR/54.66GBP Here are some quicklinks Lego.com, Brickset Wanna see some pictures? Let's start with the normal box arts and manuals! Box art front Wow. Lego is getting into the details. Just looking at this box makes me want to get it. But I'm always a sucker for the glossy red. Just like with the 8943 Axalara T9 (click for a small preview of pictures for a later review on that set.) I was a sucker for the red. Turns out it's closer to a dull red. Not that all glossy. Box art rear More nice art work. This time of the vehicle in "tracked" form. Also, shows the game wheel that is included for a Bionicle game. The set comes with two. One for the driver, another for the vehicle. Instruction manuals Just a copy of the front art box. Still.. It does look nice. Part listing I would advise on clicking the photo to see what it includes. Part bags Lego seems to be in full swing now to use numbered bags to make it easier for the younger builders to find the parts they need while following the instructions. Nothing loose this time. Sometimes a few miscellaneous parts aren't in any plastic bags. Contact sheet of the build. I was so excited to start this build. Two instruction booklets, lots of pieces... Then I noticed the one drawback of this set. Lots of repeat building. Once you do one leg, repeat three more times. Once you build half, do that one more time. This set has a very creative idea, but doesn't do it well. I mean, it does it fine for the amount of pieces. But I think it could've been made better with a bit more time and parts. Here are the parts that I didn't like. 1) When the treads fold out to be used as a legs, there's nothing to keep it extended, so it's easily collapsible if you try to move it when in leg mode. 2) If you look at the ending of the leg build where the front and rear treads get connected, you'll see something like pistons. They are there to help the thigh bend upward only so far. But if you're like me, you'll first try and bend it in the wrong direction. You'll break the plastic if you do. That's when I noticed it bend ONLY one click upward. 3) The figure doesn't sit well. Well that's not true. It sits ok. But the foot actually extends down past the pistons of the legs when in "tank" mode. See final photo of the side profile of the "tank" mode. Because of this, the two front treads doesn't point straight forward because the feet is blocking the pistons, which in turn stops the treads from pointing forward. I think this can be fixed with some adjustments of Lego pieces.. 4) The person looks a bit big sitting on it. Or something just doesn't look right. Maybe it's because it's missing a motor or engine. It looks like in the pictures he's sitting on a frame with treads. Besides that, it looks and plays fine. The gripes sound big, but it really is ok. You just have to remember, it's not real. I still like the design. Final photos He's angry. Fiery eyes and mouth. Maybe it's because he's painted yellow. Just kidding. Front view. Very slim profile. I like it. Here you can see I didn't "click" back the right (right of picture) leg back up. Still looks straight, but the dual pistons on the right side is angled down. Side profile of what I call "tank" mode. The tail is in the lowered position. Yes, the red is this dull. Not the dark glossy red like that on the cover of the box. Rear shot. You see the number dial at the top of the tail? No? You see the number 2? OK. There. That belongs on the driver's back. When he's driving, his numbered wheel gets attached here to the back of the tail. Front view of the leg or walking mode. Notice the thighs are angled up? Only one click up. No more. And don't try and click it downward. Not even one click. If you do, you'll notice the pistons on the legs will force bend and will eventually get broken. Side profile of the walking mode with the tail standing upright. Looks interesting. I can see how this would make it easy to shoot at things from cover from behind a wall. Rear view of walking mode. Top view of tank mode. This looks sleek and very beefy. By the way, the front claws are closed with a rubber band. So the pinchers actually open and close if you open it with your hands. And yes, you have to remove those silver tubes that are attached to the driver's head for him to be removed from the vehicle. A side profile shot with tail standing up and the side armor in the down position. Not sure how that would be useful. A side profile shot with tail standing up and the side armor in the up position. As you can see, the tail can still be upright. And no, there is NOTHING holding the tail up. It will fall forward/backward very easily. Closeup of the driver and tail. Two of those ball shooters and one spike shooter. I LOVE that gold spike-y ball thing. Anybody want to send me more of them? Aperture focused on the spiked ball. Sweet. Aperture focused on the ball launcher and the number wheel for the vehicle. The drivers number wheel is on the back if you looks closely. Extra parts Hmm... Yeah. Lots of extras. I'm pretty sure I didn't miss anything. Features Not a bad set. The tracks move. Each tracked part can swivel outward and fold out to give it legs like of an insect. Comes with TWO ball shooters and one of those spiked ball shooter. The figure is totally pose able. The middle armor can move up/down, and so can the "tail" move up/down. My rating: Playability: 3/5. Most Bionicle sets are meant to be played by kids. Only thing with this set is it's built closer to that of a Technic set. Because of this, the vehicle feels fragile when articulating the legs. Design: 5/5. When comparing to other Bionicle sets, this ranks up there in design. Someone put a lot of thought in thinking how the vehicle can transform from a "walking" vehicle to a "tracked" vehicle. Given more time and parts, I think it could've been made a bit more realistic with a engine or something. Build experience: 3/5. Comparing it to other Bionicle sets, this is... Hmm. Not sure. I don't normally built Bionicle. My son does. But since I build the "bigger" Bionicle sets, this would be one of the more complicated sets but a lot of it was "wash, lather, rinse, and repeat." Overall: 4/5. This set was over $85. It was worth it. I liked the design. My local Toys R Us has it for $105! Nope. Not worth that price. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! All photos are click able for larger, bigger-than-life picture sizes! You can see all photos used here: 8996 Skopio XV-1.

Lol. Hope it works out. :)

Sorry, I have that truck but UPS delayed shipment and delivery date is Monday. So I'll be able to help answer some of your questions as I do that build for review.

Really? So the $50 is for that mini set at the comiccon? I thought that was the price people was selling on bricklink.

Is this dropship "Free" to guests, or do you have to pay for it? I'm talking about the dropship, not the minifig displays.

Well, I wouldn't want it to resell it, just build it, so if anybody is able to get one, I still wouldn't pay $50, but if you can get me one, I would like it. I'll even do a review here. :)

Well I want the Dropship to go with my big dropship. ANYBODY going? Can you get me one?? Please... I would build it. Not for collecting in a box.

I wonder what are my chances of getting it at a Lego store or Legoland when I get up there this week? I want that crane truck.

Very nice work! Good job at getting the gearing. Even after putting together the gears on the rebuilds, I still can't wrap it around my mind how they even dream up of these stuff!

Lol. I think I have like 13+ reviews. Thanks! More to come.

Because someone like me would give Lego money for it. Haha. Not what I meant, but I think you get the point.

Aww you have one too? I want one already.

>After much waiting this set finally appeared in my toy store and I just had to get it and do a review. Woah, wait. It's out? What store?

Thanks for the comments! rebent/CP5670- Maybe I'll try building the Gull-wing version. CP5670- Thanks on the sticker info. OT, I also have that issue with "oily" tires. I never tried washing them. I wonder if the oil would go away.

This is a review of 8448 Lego Super Street Sensation After restoring the 8880 Supercar, I noticed how much cleaner it was sitting next to my 8448 Super Street Sensation. Well... I guess this means I just have to clean that one up too! Boy, if my wife could get me to clean up my office as much as I've been cleaning my old Lego sets... Haha. This is going to be a restore of this Supercar. After sitting 10 years on my shelf or in a box, this unit got pretty dusty. But the dust couldn't just be blown off. I'm going to have to dismantle the whole thing and clean it and put it back together again. Yes, very similar to my 8880 restore. Just that this one is "only" ten years old. Set Name: 8448 Super Street Sensation Theme: Technic Released: 1999 Pieces: 1437 Price: $n/a I don't remember the original price I paid. I think it was around $140 US dollars. It now goes for over $420 new. Addition info can be found at: Bricklink, Brickset Wanna see some pictures? Let's start with the normal box arts and manuals! Box art. Hey I actually kept the box! Front of box. Very nice picture. Background is detailed and displays the model with no clutter. Rear of the box. This set actually has you build the chassis, then you have instructions to build 4 different frames or bodies for the car. Nice idea. I built only the first design that had a convertible roof. Inside flap of the box. Instruction books Two books. Both very thick. I'm guessing it's because the 1st book only builds the chassis. The second book gives you 4 different body designs to build. Stickers Here are the different stickers. Yes, they are old. Not sure why only some of the stickers are cracking, while others look just fine. The unit wasn't kept in sunlight. Extra parts if you build the main design Many extra parts. Since they give you 3 alternate designs I guess that is why there is so much extras. Restoration pictures I got smarter. This time I used the water to soak the parts, then I used an electric toothbrush. That was messy. It splashed a lot, so make sure you have paper towels handy. Then to help in drying, I used a lettuce drier. Then I put everything on towels to air dry. Some dusty photo shots Here are two pictures. If you click on the photo, you can get a really large view. You can see all the dust that collected on the car. Very sad. Now for the rebuild! Here is two smaller photos (to view larger, click on 'em) of the steering column and front suspension added in. The photos above show the gears box being made. It's a little better than the 8880 Super Car that I built. This one has 5 gears forward, and one reverse gear. Not that you couldn't throw it in reverse and still move forward. It's just that each gear is a different ratio, so the engine spins different rate for each gear, And here is the engine sitting in the frame. Funny thing happened. I lost some parts when taking it apart. Lol. I found it later when I finished, but the parts missing allows me to remove the engine from the frame even after it's built. Totally cool! Two chairs. Bucket type seating. Nothing fancy. It doesn't recline or anything. But at least it's still white and not faded. Again, I made two smaller pictures that you can click on to show the progress of the dashboard and chairs in the frame of the car. Here is the completed convertible roof. You make the whole piece first, then you added to the frame. Final photos Not much to say. Side view with everything completed. Roof is up. Front view. Considering there is no body panels, this car looks good. Rear view. That grey "hitch" that you see just under the red tube is used to hold down the convertible roof top. Features Interesting idea. They have a frame for the car that you build. From that, you have a choice of "shells" or "bodies" that you can add on it. I like the convertible. But there is a body that has gull-wing doors. Which is why I guess they included a "Trans-Clear Technic, Shock Absorber 10L Damped, Complete Assembly" that you don't even use for the "main" design. So it's nice that Lego gave some "rare" parts. As for what works, you have steering that works, suspension, and a working gearbox which I find so interesting. One of these times, I'll try hooking up a motor to it so you can see the engine move at different gear speeds. My rating: Playability: 4/5. When compared to other Technic sets, I'll put this one level below my 8880 Super Car. The 8448 can't hold up to all the technical wizardry that Lego put into that set. Design: 5/5. Like the 8880 Super Car, this is a show car at heart. Much more sportier than the Super Car. Maybe. Maybe because it looks so much like a Ferrari before Lego got that license. Build experience: 4/5. Comparing it to other Technic sets, this is hard, but not as hard as the 8880. They actually put the parts into numbered boxes in this set. Makes building easier. Then again, since I was rebuilding it, all my parts was in one large pile. And I could still do it with relative ease. I guess all Lego is meant to be "easy" considering it's a model. Not like you have to "build" actual Lego pieces to make the set. Overall: 5/5. Well worth buying. Not sure if it's worth paying the going price for it new. Heck, I've seen the stickers on Bricklink selling for over $70! Sheesh! I bet that's the reason why Lego didn't have any spare stickers when I asked them about it. Lol! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! All photos are click able for larger, bigger-than-life picture sizes! You can see all photos used here: 8448 Super Street Sensation.

Gratz!

K, I missed this post. And no, as far as I can tell, the main gun will not fit in there. Maybe, like the "key" that came with the ATTE that came before the dropship, maybe the backdoor is for another vehicle that is in the planning?

Nope. Gun doesnt fit there. I have no idea how to use that door.

Believe it or not, it's just a white background and FL lighting. The trick is to have even lighting. Which is why, you'll notice I do most of my photos at work. :) Most of my photos at home is just average because I don't have proper lighting.

The minifigs are cool. Looks just like from the CW tv show. I was all set to buy it, but the tank seems "full of holes". Similar to how the Millennium Falcon had floorboards missing.

Sweet! Another happy viewer.