Inconspicuous

Ever since I first brought news of this set to the Star Wars Picture and Rumor thread, there was discussion about whether it would be better than its predecessor. I have a habit of reviewing these promos, and so I thought I'd review this one too. But my subscription expired. So I was caught in the trap I had tried to help others with. Is it worth subscribing right now, or should I hold off for a few months to get a better set? Well, I bit the bullet and bought the subscription anyways. Was my purchase worth it? Does the set live up to a high expectation already set? Find out as I review this model, 20016 Mini Imperial Shuttle. BASIC INFORMATION: Set Name: Mini Imperial Shuttle Set Number: 20016 Number of Pieces: 70 Minifigs: 0 Price: N/A (Brickmaster Exclusive, est. value $6) Theme: Star Wars / Mini Year Released: 2010 RESOURCES: Brickset Peeron Bricklink Flickr (You can click all pictures for a larger version) THE REVIEW: BAG: Front: First up is the large Brickmaster polybag, which features a simple picture of the model and the set information. A large Brickmaster logo is present on the front, as well as the three-clone image at the top. You can also see the second Death Star in the background. I do like the way the borders and background look, but I think the view of the set should be a little less head-on. Back: The back features the typical warnings and information. Also here is a clear strip so you can see the pieces inside. BAG:: Thoughts: I actually do like that bag quite a bit. The design and colors are nice. INSTRUCTIONS: Front: The instructions are of the usual size and are folded. They fit into the bag fine, so I'm not sure why they needed to be folded. It makes them a pain to keep open, but Brickmaster manuals have been this way for a while. Random Page: Random instruction page. You can see that piece call-outs are not present and submodels are large enough to get a few pages. The light gray background isn't as interesting as other sets, but it doesn't get in the way either. Inventory: The parts inventory for those curious. (You can click it for a larger version) Back: The screaming kid is featured on the back, but by now I think all of us are used to him and his crazy expression. Instructions:: Thoughts: Standard Brickmaster instructions. Nothing to complain about, but nothing to cheer about. Content: The pieces are divided into two groups- the loose pieces and the bagged pieces. The bag contains the smaller ones, as is tradition. PIECES: Pieces: Here are the pieces, spread for your viewing pleasure. Most of the pieces are white, which makes editing pictures a pain, but there is a fair amount of light bley and touches of other colors. There's actually a fair amount of them for a Brickmaster promo. Pieces of Interest: Here are some of the more interesting pieces, surprisingly most of which are not white. There's nothing too special, but they're still nice to have. Binoculars are always useful, as are levers and trans-clear bricks. Pieces:: Thoughts: Nothing mind-blowing, but I can see these being useful. THE BUILD: Build: And after 15 regular steps and 15 steps of submodel, the set is completed. The process isn't too interesting, but it's always refreshing to work with brand new bricks. The final set is a fairly flimsy, and the submodel-intensive build foreshadows that quite a bit. Extras: Just two extras, but the white lever is nice to have. Build:: Thoughts: I generally like submodel builds, but it wasn't that good for this set. Part of the problem is that it's just plain small. COMPLETED PRODUCT: The Whole Set: And we have our completed model! I really like the clean look, but the cockpit is a little odd. More on that later. Flight Mode: Opened up, the model looks very nice. Due to plates on the underside of wing, the wings can only open to this angle, which in my opinion is good because it's accurate. Also note that the binocular-guns turn with the wings. A very cool little touch! However, the designers didn't catch the slight downward extension of the wings that can be seen in this picture. Back: The back is a huge let-down. The thruster I guess you could call them, is huge and ugly! I don't like the rounded bricks either. Although I will give the designers credit for the cannon on top, which looks nice. Folded: The ship has a nice look folded up, and the cockpits rests on the ground without being bumped. Here, you can see the round plates under the wings that keep them at the right angle when open. Front: Let's take a close look at the front. The wing guns and binoculars are nice and I like them a lot. However, the cockpit just looks ugly. The 1x2 overlap isn't pleasing, and neither is the lack of a printed tile. Comparison with Set #4494 Imperial Shuttle: Overall: Now let's do a little comparison to the old version (Set #4494), since many people seem to say the old one is by far better. You can see that they have a similar look, although are quite obviously different. Let's break up the components and see how different they truly are. From now on, the old version will be on the left and the new one on the right. Wing: First up is the wings. It's hard to tell, but the old version (left) has the one stud in the corner missing. Not only that, but I strongly dislike the old cannon. So here, the new one wins. Fin: Now for the fins with are.... identical? Yes, that's right. Lego kept the exact same design for both. It's not bad, perhaps not entirely accurate, but Lego is quite confident in the design. Cockpit: The cockpits are another story. Although I strongly like the printed tile on the old one (left), I can't help but feel the shape is off. The new one is awkward with the extension and black tile, but I think the shape is a little better. A fusion between the two would be the best. Body Front: Now for the main body. I like the shape on the old one (left), but I also like the sleekness and cleanness of the new one. However, the old one's color is more accurate, and thus better. Body Back: The back view has a clear winner. The old one is SO much better here. Although I do like the cannon on the new one, the old one is a clear winner. _______________________________________________ Totals: Design: 4/10 The thrusters and the cockpit are both big failures. New isn't always better. However, I do like what the designers did with the wings and body shape. I just wish the body was more white. Parts: 6/10 An okay selection with at least a few nice varieties of pieces. It's nothing amazing though. Build: 5/10 The build was okay, bordering on poor. It didn't feel that satisfying, even for its size. Swooshability/Playability: 8/10 It's very swooshable and the wings unfolding works well and stays in place. Crashing it is fun, because it explodes, but isn't too hard to put back together. There's not much else to do with it though. Price: 6/10 $40 for 6 sets a year comes out to about $7. At 70 pieces, that's a perfect ratio. However, it's not just the model, but also several others, which are generally less valued than the Star Wars ones. Total: 29/50 So yeah, a pretty poor score. People were pretty much correct in saying this one's worse than the original. But despite a lot of bashing, there are a number of positives. If you want to make a really accurate Mini, I would recommend buying both and combining the good sections of each. It's not entirely worthless to me. But what do you think? Feel free to discuss which version you like better and why. Thanks for reading! -Inconspicuous

My thoughts exactly! I trust her completely, it's just that I'm not completely satisfied by her evidence. "Malicious intents" is a bit vague, but if someone was doing something bad to an innocent, it does sound suspicious. I don't know if I should vote. However, the day draws to a close and there is unfortunately a chance Miss Kingston will not survive the night. Thus, I will at least honor her (hopefully not) last wish and vote: Todd "Bulltoad" Bulstrode / Roncanator. Miss Kingston, I truly hope that you're right, and I also hope you'll survive the night.

Well, if we lynch her, it's sure not going to be today.

One moment you're confident, the next you're unsure? Good luck getting people to vote with you. YOU LIAR! You claimed I controlled your vote just so you could blame me if you ended up getting an innocent voted off. I'll listen if you say otherwise, but you're starting to turn from clueless to scummy in my mind.

Reality: (credit to brickplumber) What a Collector Sees:

I've written some poetry over the years, nothing significant. My specialty is rhyming riddle-poems. Answers are in spoilers! ------- I'm a many-headed monster that can grow and shrink, yet I cannot move and cannot think; I'm highly sought and locked up tight, yet I'm never distraught and never fight. Answer: I'm a special language rarely spoken, a complex code rarely broken; an expression of emotions bad and good, conveyed through devices metal and wood; an ancient ritual from ages past, sometimes slow but often fast; you cannot make me go away, for I'm profession, pastime, work, and play. Answer: Twice and sometimes thrice a day, I'm quickly grabbed and whisked away; drowned and smothered, drowned again, then set back down where I had been. Answer: We are all unique but are viewed as the same, we are technically not special but are given great fame; we're a beautiful, silent, and simple medley, but despite our clean looks we are equally deadly. Answer: I'm a silent sanctuary that's commonly found, in air and water but mostly on ground; although I'm pretty I'm important too, for without me there'd be no you. Answer: I'm a master of dance, of geometry, and flight, I build immense structures but am incredibly light; these are the least of my many talents; for I help keep all of nature in balance. Answer: I'm a simple web, home to two spiders; one makes me short and then back again wider, the other's four feet dance in place and cascade; without each other their purpose will fade. Answer: Enjoy!

Yes, maybe our nurse will be able to help Miss Kingston! Miss Hearth, do you think you might be able to do something? I have a funny and ominous feeling you're right. But unfortunately there's no way of easily telling who it is. I'm sorry that you were attacked, Miss Ching, but at least you're here to help us through this dark time. Do you have any leads you'd be willing to share? Oh, and glad to see that Cuddles is gone. There was a much higher chance that he would kill us innocents!

I've noticed something like this happening. I'm pretty sure by "today" it means the last 24 hours. I've checked my daily post count and seen it much higher than it actually was that day- over time it evened out. So as hours pass, posts more than 24 hours before the current time disappear, at least I think. I hope that answered your question.

They're made in Denmark, Hungary, Mexico, and the Czech Republic. Yeah, I think that was it! 204-00-0605. If that doesn't work try 204-00-0506. To my knowledge, this set is a Target exclusive. What he said. Hmm, I've never specifically had the problem of wearing glue, I guess I'm lucky. Curved surfaces are just frustrating to me. Thanks! When I saw that fedora, I knew I had to do something with Indy. Why thank you! Can you explain that a little more? I'm exactly sure what you're saying. Thanks for the comments, everyone!

That would be cool. I think the "fish guy"'s name is Robonino. I think there are supposed to be some Commando Droids with him. Wouldn't that be something to get?

I took 5 videos, three of which failed. This one happens to be the fifth attempt. I saw your picture on fbtb.net. Otherwise, I wouldn't have guessed the set was out. Also, thanks for pointing out those errors! Agreed! One thing to note is that the Assasin Droid can't sit in a seat if there's a gun in the gun rack in front of him. But you can always shove him in the trunk.

It can't, but I think that four 1x2 corner plates should work. Either way, it will be less sturdy. Yes, it actually is. It's weird, isn't it? I agree. Although I have no idea what. Maybe a better missile launcher, that's no disguised as a headlight? My video took several tries to get right. Actually, the problem is that the missiles don't want to come out. I've never had the problem with flick-fires before. At least they don't keep falling out, as you out it. Oh, and thanks for the compliment about my photos. About halfway through, my usual camera stopped working, and I had to borrow my brother's. His is probably better. Yeah, it's only in the Turbo Tank, and quite honestly, I don't think they're going to use the mold again. Sorry for the odd lighting and colors- it's dark here right now. That's one of the reasons I got this set, and skipped the Pirate Tank. An interesting way of looking at it. I guess it's worth it from that perspective. I'm with you there. This was the only set I really wanted that badly from this year's Star Wars sets. The Collectable Minifigs Series 2 has a Mexican minifig with a printed sombrero, so I don't think Bane's will be used too much for that purpose. Very similar to my thoughts. Bane and the regular Commando only come in $120 sets; two more are exclusive, and the Assasin Droid was my first. Huh. That's interesting. Grr, I had it written down, but I never got my paper back when I was getting the set from the back room. If I recall correctly, it ended in -00-0605, but I can't be certain. That's one of the most infamous parts of this set. Thanks Svelte for the frontpage, and thanks to all for your nice comments!

After being tipped off by ILikePi that this set was available in my area, I started a quick treasure hunt. In the end, I found a Target with the set in the backroom, and I had it specially brought out. I don't believe that even had a place for it on the shelf yet. I was a bit unsure about buying it just for the minifigs, but the awesome box art reassured me, and I paid the expensive $50 price tag. Was the purchase worth it? Let's find out as I review this set, 8128 Cad Bane's Speeder. BASIC INFORMATION: Set Name: Cad Bane's Speeder Set Number: 8128 Number of Pieces: 318 Minifigs: 5: Cad Bane, Shahan Alama, Senate Commando, Senate Commando Captain, and Assasin Droid. Price: 49.99 USD, 44.99 GBP Theme: Star Wars / Clone Wars Year Released: 2010 RESOURCES: Brickset Bricklink Flickr (All pics are clickable for a larger version) THE REVIEW: BOX: Front: First up is the flashy box, featuring the new Captain Rex logo. The box art is action packed with blasters firing everywhere and even a small explosion. Since the minifigs are a big part of the set, they're featured prominently with a red logo telling us which are exclusive to the set. Also present is a large Special Edition logo. Back: The back of the box, doesn't show much; only an alternate view, the two set functions, and ads for other sets of the wave. Not as flashy as the front, but still nice. Side: Along the side of the box are actual-size pictures of the minifigs. Simply gorgeous. Box:: Thoughts: A nice box with cools colors and good designs. INSTRUCTIONS: Front: The instructions feature the box art on the front, only with fewer logos and less information. Minifig Page: The minifigs get their own page, and assembling them is a cinch. Random Page: On this random page, you can see that piece call-outs are present, and fairly useful for a set this size. In the upper right corner is a Darth Vader helmet, which for some reason doesn't appear on every page. Otherwise, the instructions are pretty drab. Back: The back has the now-prevalent Win logo. Instructions:: Thoughts: Nothing to complain about, but nothing to jump for joy about. CONTENT: DSS: The DSS (Dreaded Sticker Sheet for those who don't know) has eight stickers on it, which aren't that bad with the exception of the triangular ones. I strongly dislike stickers that go on the side of wedges. I dislike stickers anyways, but even more so to ones like these. Bags: The meager 318 parts are spread between five bags, with no sub-bags in the larger ones. PIECES: Small Pieces: Here are the contents of the smallest three bags, sorted for your viewing pleasure. Mostly grays, but touches of dark blue and black. There's a surprising amount of odd colors, like the yellows, trans-yellows, and white studs which get placed deep within the model. (You can click it for a larger version) Larger Pieces: And here are the contents of the last two bags, again spread out. Here, light bley takes the lead over dark bley, while the other random colors are mostly gone. Pieces of interest: Last here are some of the more interesting pieces of the set. Some funky Technic pieces which are new to me, as well as some nice slopes. The yellow square piece is quite odd, and not hid very well, so I have no idea why it's here in this color. Pieces:: Thoughts: Not the greatest colors but there are some interesting types. MINIFIGS: Front: Drum roll please..... it's the minifigs! Five, count 'em five of these amazing little guys. We get an Assasin Droid, Cad Bane, Shahan Alama, a Senate Commando, and a Senate Commando Captain (named Jayfon, but I don't really care that much). Bane and the Senate Commando are only available in $120 sets; the printed Senate Commando and Alama are exclusive to the set. Look at all those torso prints, all the guns. I mean, there are more guns than minifigs! Back: Only the Commandos and Alama have back printing. I particularly like Alama's design. Favorites: And one last shot of my three favorites. Bane's face print is lovely, Alama has a golden arm (presumably robotic) and the Senate Commando has great white markings. Feast your eyes! Minifigs:: Thoughts: The minfigs were one of the only reasons why I bought this set, and they certainly don't disappoint! THE BUILD: Build: And in 50 small steps, the set is completed. I was a little surprised at the building process at first, but in hindsight it makes sense. First, the base is built up, leaving room for Technic supports, then the top is finished. Last, the bottom is built up and attached with the help of vertical Technic poles. Also, if you guys don't plan on applying stickers, this is what it would look like. The rest of the photos in the review have the sticker applied. Extras: A fair amount of extras for a medium-sized set. But nothing mind-blowing. Build:: Thoughts: I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. There's not a lot of repetition, and it's not anything like the sets I'm used to building. COMPLETED PRODUCT: The Whole Set: And we have our completed set! A little strange, but pretty sleek overall. Let's take a closer look. Front Angled: The ship has three headlights on the front, two drivers' seats, four passenger seats, a cargo hold in the rear, and two engines at the back. I'll take them bit by bit, but first, some overall shots. Back Angled: The ship looks quite sleek from the back- I love the way the engines seem to form from the edge of the ship! You can also see that there are studs on the turbines themselves. I've never encountered this technique, but I think it looks good. Side: I this low-angle view, you can see some of the side detailing, like the big SNOT canisters. You can also catch a glimpse of the infamous flick-fire headlights. Front: I really like the way the three front headlights look. The middle one is especially cool. Front: The very front (I guess you could call it the hood) is sloped downwards, but blends in pretty well. I'd say this part of the model is pretty good. Driver's Seat: The drivers' seats feature the only printed piece in the set, and a tantalizing blue button. What could it possibly do? Driver's Seat: My favorite part of this section is the detailing behind the seats. Such a cool idea! Passenger Seats: The middle passenger area is nice too. The dividers are sleek, and the chairs are nicely placed too. I have no idea what the blue things are- drink holders? Gun Rack: The gray clips are gun holders. There's enough for the Pirate and the Droid, but everything else will have to go in the cargo hold. Engine: As I mentioned before, the engines blend in pretty well. I think the stickers make them look pretty nice. Bottom: The bottom view is much uglier. That yellow square really sticks out. Pretty much everything you see has to do with the opening mechanism. The clips help stop the hatch, the black Technic piece is the hinge. Open: When opened, the cargo bay actually looks pretty nice. There are some good curves in there, and quite a bit of space. Inside: Unfortunately there are some ugly Technic pieces showing. But hey, it could be worse. The hatch attaches to the curved brick you can see. Opened Side: When opened, the engines pivot downwards, without touching the ground. Pretty effective in my opinion. Blasters: The cargo bay is great for storing guns, since there are so many of them in this set. Firing Mechanism: And last, here's the infamous flick-fire headlight function. I was expecting it to be easy to use, but it's actually pretty hard. Look how close it is the the main body of the ship! The missiles don't come out very easily either. A fail of a function. Video: A quick video showcasing the two features. The headlights aren't useless, but still hard to use. _______________________________________________ Totals: Design: 7/10 It's not great, but certainly doesn't deserve all the bashing it's been getting. It's pretty sleek, fairly accurate, and sturdy. This is out first vehicle like it, and it's not bad. Parts: 7/10 The colors are drab due to the nature of the set, but the selection isn't bad. The random colors make the set lose points, especially the yellow square. Build: 9/10 I actually had a lot of fun with this. It takes some time considering the size of the set, and uses some interesting techniques. Minifigs: 10/10 Minifigs are the reason I bought this set. Simply astounding prints and pieces on these guys. Sure, they could have given use Aurra Sing, but I'm happy with what we got. Alama and the Droid are actually two of the more important bounty hunters in the episode anyways. Playability: 9/10 Two opposing sides, lots of blasters, and a swooshable ship. It lost a point for the flick fires- if they're gonna include them, they might as well work. Price: 3/10 $50 is too much for 318 pieces. There aren't too many large pieces, but come on. The last Target Exclusive was only $40. Total: 45/60 A pretty solid grade. It's not the best of sets, but has great minifigs and playability. If you don't like the ship, don't buy the set, because most of that $50 is actually going toward the ship. I liked it more than I thought I would. Please share your thoughts about this set. Do you like it more after the review? Less? I'd love to hear your opinion. Parting Shot: Thanks for reading! -Inconspicuous

The Reviewers Academy is mainly a place for students to work and learn, but many teachers use it as a workspace too. I'll put it in there first, and when I finish, bring it into the main Star Wars forum. The purpose of the Reviewers Academy is not to get a sneak peek at the latest reviews, but it is a benefit for our trainees, such as you.

Sorry if this has been mentioned, but 8128 Cad Bane's Speeder is starting to appear in Targets in Silicon Valley (Thanks to ILikePi for the news). I called a few Targets, and eventually found one that had it in the backroom. I bought it last night, and am currently working on a review.

These two things really jumped out at me; much more solid evidence. I'm not so sure about the investigator part, but the rest makes sense, and I trust Madame Kingston and Professor Uxley. I previously said that if you can explain yourself and it's logical, you would convince me, and I think you have. Thus I will vote: Nene Grandstaff / Millacol88. I was a little unsure of this at first, so you better be right about this, Jolie. If not, voting will be easy for me tomorrow.

If I remember correctly, Brickshelf doesn't let you have spaces. If you look in my Brickshelf, you'll see that all my folders are either a set number or broken up with dashes. If spaces are the problem, dashes should fix the problem for you. Give it a try. I hope this works, and good luck on those reviews!

Thanks you so much for clarifying a lot of that! You're right about them being misunderstandings. What I was wondering was how those two statements were related. You claim she lied about who she tortured but imply that she lied about being a torturer. I thought you might be manipulating lies against her. Now, I'm not sure whether what you say is true or not, but I at least know what you're trying to say. But I think Shiela and Professor Longbottom are correct here. You're a little intense with your arguments, many of which I don't agree with, as I've brought up. Thus, I will refrain from voting for Nene for the time being.

Looking at these three quotes makes it clearer to me who is being more reasonable. I mean honestly Rocky, you're spewing some blatant lies here. I had already been a tad suspicious of you from yesterday, but now you're raising a red flag in my mind. You're either an innocent backing up a hunch with lies or a Hallowed creating chaos sloppily. And I will. I'm not sure which one of you two is right yet, but let me point out what I find odd, suspicious, or illogical. I don't think that's the best of logic. In stressful times, everyone uses desperate measures. I recall that Auror Potter actually attempted to torture the infamous Bellatrix Lestrange at one point. Given, it wasn't the exact same circumstances, but I still think we shouldn't rule her off because of that. I'm a bit confused by this. When you say she had forgotten, are you implying that she already knew about it? What am I missing here? I'm sorry, what? How do these two statements relate? When has she ever lied about being a torturer? Evidence please. Tell me why they can't both innocent. Can you spell 'liar' correctly for once? I know that I've made it sound like I'm confident Nene is innocent, but I'm really not. Jolie's arguments are flawed in their logic, but I have no reason to believe they're lies. If you can address my points properly, I may be convinced. Nene's apparent pursuit for knowledge of another investigator sounds suspicious, but I want a better explanation. Thanks.

Today's price. For $100, this set was a good deal back in the day, at least from my perspective. [shameless plug] I'm selling a Cloud City for my friend, and it'll be up on Bricklink in a few weeks, so if you like the set based on my review, you know where to get one. [/shameless plug] Thanks to all for the nice comments, and of course the honor of a frontpage!

Duel Area: Next up on the tour is the famous lightsaber duel area. In the room part of it, there is a lovely stair-like platform sequence and some details on the wall. The extension area features lovely details like the ending pole and the railings. In terms of accuracy, the extension is extraordinarily accurate and the room is mostly accurate. I don't believe there were stair-like platforms, but they still look really cool. Side View: A side view of the room shows a better view of the steps. I love how the last platform blends in perfectly, even though it can swing back. Also notice the nice printed tile holding the window wall together. Reference: Again, although the room is nice, it's not accurate. There are no steps leading up to the window in the actual thing, and the pipes (see below) look much different. Wall: The wall features some pipes held on with SNOT. These are supposed to be the pipes that Vader throws at Luke with the force, but they really don't look like it. However, it's a nice idea. Extension: Here's a nice close-up of the extension area. You can see the technique holding the pole in place, as well as the detailing. I love the fact that Lego even included the pipes that Vader slices in half. The vertical pole Luke holds on to is ok, but nothing compared to some of the entries in the Epic Scenes Contest, like thire5's, YG-49's, or anakev's. Reference: Lego did an ok job here. There's not supposed to be any neon green and the poles at the end should be much more complex. However, the top part of the railing is pretty good. Scene: Of course, the review wouldn't be complete without a shot of the famous scene. It would have been awesome if Luke had a double-sided face to show his emotion here. VIDEO: Lightsaber Duel Functions Here's a brief video of the functions. The window-launcher takes a little practice to make sure Luke doesn't miss the platform, but the end result is spectacular. The falling wall is a nice feature too, but some other objects to throw at Luke would have been nice too. Carbonite Chamber: Third on our tour of the city is the carbonite freezing area. Considering the area has a complex function, the mood is captured very well. There are lots of neon orange colors and black pieces. You can also catch a glance of the printed tiles attached with SNOT. Of course, this is no match for ACPin's version. Reference: The real thing is much rounder and has more grates. Having a complex function here definitely hurt the design aspect of it. Left: On the left side, you can see that there's a gap underneath the area. This really cool touch allows Luke to follow Vader under the area, and if you remove the dining room, he can follow Vader directly into the duel area. This is a great example of how the modularity makes the set even better. Right: The right side shows a better view at the swiveling control panel, another great detail, and a view of the cog that lowers Han into the pit. VIDEO: Carbonite Chamber Feature Next, here's a video of the function. First is a clip of the effect just looking at the top part of the area, and the second clip is a view of the whole process. This is another one of the features that needs quite a bit of practice to learn how to operate, but it can be learned. This was always my favorite part of the set as a kid, and it's definitely well thought out. Landing Pad: Last is the landing pad. It's unfortunately not big enough for the minifigure-scale Millennium Falcon or the Slave I. The older Slave I probably fits, but it's not the greatest set. Otherwise, I think the Midi-scale Falcon would look great here. The actual landing pad had a small lip to the platform, but I'm not too bummed because it at least has the lights. Reference: The actual landing pad is much more round, and needs to be larger to make it more accurate. However, that's quite unrealistic, because not many people would pay extra money to have an even larger, emptier landing pad. Connection: Here you can see how the landing pad connects to the rest of the city. The opening door looks good from this angle. The little lights above it are a nice touch. Outside: Now for a shot of the back. It looks really good from this angle, because of the interesting pattern. You can see that several parts of the other side are sticking above the edge, like the carbonite area and the white pole. Close-up: The gap between two sections is quite seamless, due to a clever tactic. I really like the technique. Low-Angle Shot: This low-angle shot may give you a sense of hovering, since the set is raised. _______________________________________________ Totals: Design: 9/10 The most iconic scenes are all present and captured. Detailing and utility are well-balanced, and there are no major flaws that affect anything. The only downside is that many of the details are not movie-accurate. Parts: 9/10 A good variety and decent colors. Not too many rare or uncommon colors or types, but what's there feels sufficient. Build: 10/10 The modularity is a big plus and makes the build very enjoyable. You actually get a sense that you've completed something after each bag. Not too many techniques are used, but the process is still interesting and not very repetitive. Minifigs: 10/10 Eight is very decent for a $100 set. They all have great printing and half are exclusive. All the necessary characters are covered, except for Chewy, C-3PO, and R2-D2, who aren't too uncommon. Playability: 10/10 Lots of figures and features to interact with. Cloud City occupies a good chunk of the movie, so there's lots to reenact, and you can also let your imagination go wild. Price: 8/10 698 is low for $100, but considering all the large pieces and thick bricks, it makes sense. Total: 56/60 It's no wonder this set is a classic. It is an all-around amazing set, from the design, to the minifigs, to the functions. These days, the price isn't cheap, but you still get a lot of bang for your buck. The Empire Strikes Back was always my favorite movie as a kid, and Cloud City was my favorite part. It's no surprise Cloud City was always my favorite set. It truly deserves the oddly-shaped shelf space it occupies. My advice is the same with any expensive and old set. If you have any interest, buy it now, because there's no telling how high the price could rocket. Thanks for reading! (Yes, I know this was a gruelingly long review, but think about how long it took to write!) Bonus: Lando, we've got a problem. -Inconspicuous

Cloud City, located on the Bespin system, was a beautiful city and with caring leader. Unfortunately, the leader, Lando Calrissian, would do anything for his people, including betraying his friends. In 2003 Lego released a large Cloud City playset that covered all of the major scenes with small, modular vignettes. Now one of the top wanted sets on Bricklink, with an average price of around $350-$375 used, this set doesn't seem to lose popularity. But why is this set considered a classic? Is it the stunning minifigs, half of which are exclusive to the set? Or maybe the well-executed play functions? Join me now as I take a look into this magnificent classic set, the 'city of vignettes': 10123 Cloud City (Remember, click the pictures for high-resolution versions. This may be helpful for the pieces and in-build shots.) BASIC INFORMATION: Set Name: Cloud City Set Number: 10123 Number of Pieces: 698 (Box), 705 (Brickset), 675 (Bricklink) Minifigs: 8 Price: $99.99 USD (now worth about $375 Used, about $500 New) Theme: Star Wars / Episode IV/V/VI Year Released: 2003 RESOURCES: Brickset Peeron Bricklink Flickr THE REVIEW: INSTRUCTIONS: Front: Unfortunately, I cannot find the box that came with this set, so I'll move right on to the instructions. The instructions feature the set with plenty of action, from the epic lightsaber battle to Han Solo smiling at you while he is being frozen in a block of metal. The background very subtly changes with each little scene, kind of like Neapolitan ice-cream. Lando is looking out from the corner, because the landing pad he is associated with is completely cut off. I find is surprising that such a large part of the set is cut off, but with a huge and oddly-shaped set like this one, I can understand why they did it. One thing to note is that they accidentally edited out the part below the carbonite chamber that connects it to the dining room. Minifig Page: The first two pages show that the set is split up into bags. The first bag contains just minifigs, which is quite uncommon for a set these days. The instructions are very clear on how to put everything together, hopefully you can figure out how to put a 1x2 tile on top of Han in carbonite. Also you can see that the build starts with the middle of the set, so everything can connect to it. Random Page: On this random page you can see that piece call-outs are definitely there, even though they aren't really necessary. Each bag isn't too large, but it's a nice touch. You can also see the lovely blue border and light-blue filling in the background. There are some nice greebles there too, which makes the instructions seem more like a blueprint for the city. It would have been awesome if there were little movie pictures at the top, but those disappeared in many Star Wars sets by then. On the second page, you can see that it shows you how to operate the carbonite machine. I think this is a fantastic touch, since the mechanism is pretty complex when you try it for the first time. Penultimate Page: The second-to-last pages show a bird's-eye view of the city. It shows you how big the landing pad is compared to the city. Also here is the WIN ad, with no screaming kid to be found. Back: The back cover has a Lego Star Wars ad with a Death Star in the background. This is one of those touches that made Star Wars sets cooler, since they had their own ad. Instructions:: Thoughts: Wonderful colors and perfectly clear instructions are found every step of the way. The booklet also has minimal advertising, but a few set pictures may have been nice, since Lego always included really cool set-ups. PIECES: Pieces: Since there are so many pieces, they couldn't all fit into one picture, so I've broken them up. Here we have the non-gray-or-black pieces. I'm sorry that the picture is a little washed out. (The neon pieces at the bottom are supposed to be green) Here is all of the dark-gray, which makes up most of the set. There are lots of tiles and plates, as well as some more uncommon pieces. Next up are the light gray and black pieces. You can see that there are lots of thick bricks, and not as many plates and smaller pieces. Last are the baseplates. The dark-gray rectangles and square aren't too uncommon, but the curved ones are really cool. Pieces of interest: Some of the more interesting pieces of the set include the printed parts, some neon pieces, and SNOT-related bricks. There are no stickers in the set, but not very many printed parts. Pieces:: Thoughts: There are plenty of types, but not too many colors. Then again, the city itself isn't too vibrant, so naturally the colors won't be. MINIFIGS: Front: Here are the exquisite minifigs included with the set. From left to right, top then bottom: Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Stormtrooper, Lando Calrissian, Han Solo, Han Solo in carbonite, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia. Darth Vader is the normal version, but the helmet mold and the torso are still lovely. Boba Fett is the real star of the set, featuring printed arms and legs, in addition to the torso and amazing helmet. The Stormtrooper is standard but I'm glad he's included. Lando is very cool too, due to his nice torso and face, and his cape. It's tan on the inside and blue on the outside, which is a fantastic and movie-accurate design. Han Solo and his carbonite form are standard, but in the carbonite freezing scene, he has a different outfit. It would be a bit far-fetched to have three Hans, but it would be nice. Next is Cloud City Luke, with a great torso and leg print. Last is Leia in her nice Cloud City outfit. I love the torso on her. Back: A back view shows nothing very exciting except Lando's blue-on-the-outside cape and Boba's jetpack. Lando and Vader have no printing under their capes. Bad Guys: One last shot of the bad guys, since they each have something else to show. Vader has the older-looking face underneath and the Stormtrooper has a plain yellow head. Also here is a better shot of Boba and his arm and leg printing. Minifigs:: Thoughts: Fantastic torso prints all of them, including a few leg prints. Leia, Luke, Lando, and Boba are all exclusive to this set! They are simply amazing. THE BUILD: Dining Room: First up is the dining room area, where Han, Leia, and Chewbacca meet Vader and Boba and are captured. The pictures above are around 6 steps apart. There is really nothing special about the construction process, except that the door is built separately and the locked into place. The only interesting technique used is the SNOT that holds the 2x2 round tiles in place. Carbonite Chamber: Up next in the building process is the carbonite chamber. Again, the only interesting part is that the crank is built separately and locked in. There's a tiny bit of SNOT used for the 2x2 tiles, but otherwise the build is simple. The pictures are at about 5 step intervals. Lightsaber Duel Area: Then comes the main lightsaber duel area. I'm starting to sound like a broken record: the pictures are at 5 step intervals, and a fair amount of SNOT is used. Landing Pad: Second to last is the landing pad. No interesting techniques are used, but for such a flat and simple section, what could you expect? The pictures are at steps 4, 7, (submodel: 2, 5), and 8. Mini Bridge-Thing: Lastly, the mini-bridge thing is built, where Darth Vader delivers the classic line: "No, I am your father." The build is nice and quick and is shown at around 3 step intervals. Again, nothing interesting about the construction, and one interesting technique is used: using the 2x2 plate with the curve and the hole to lock in the pipe at the very edge. Build:: Thoughts: I am a big fan of modular constructions, and this was a very early example. There is very little repetition and a few interesting techniques and processes are used throughout. COMPLETED PRODUCT: The whole set: And just snap together all the parts, lock a few with tiles, and you're set! The set has a bit of an odd shape when assembled, so like the box art, I may leave out the landing pad in some of my pictures. The three central scenes remind me of Neapolitan ice-cream. As a note, the dining room can be removed and the duel area and the carbonite area can be attached together. Dining Room: Let's take advantage of the modularity of the set and break up each vignette into a little section. First up is the dining room. It features four chairs, a small table with cups, a red and brown plantlike decoration, and a random white pole. The room has plenty of space and has an airy, light, and simple feeling about it, which summarizes the essence of Cloud City's architecture. The white pole can be rotated which causes the door to open. Reference: Although the room is pretty, it's not that accurate. There's certainly no tan in the real thing, and not enough white in the Lego model. (A huge thanks to Rapseflaps for providing all the reference pictures in this review!) Close-up: Taking a close-up shot reveals why the chairs are so far from the table- characters with large headgear have to sit forward! I'm really glad that they have room, because even though only Vader sits at the table in the movie, I'm sure your imagination can run wild creating a scene that occurs when they are out of view. (Robot Chicken's parody, for example) VIDEO: Opening Door A brief video showcases how smoothly the door runs. My only complaint is that in the movie, the doors to the room open side-to-side. However, if you look at it from the perspective of the landing pad, the door is correct. Please note that you have to press down on the part jutting out the top in order to close the door. I think the pole is so high so you can easily access it from the other side. Door: The main flaw with the door is the height it opens. You can see that minifigs barely fit under it! This is quite a major goof-up, since the only thing stopping it is the poor piece placement on the front. However, it could make a great limbo area for minifigs!

I think you're assuming too much. In these games of life it's not unheard of to have a person who gets two votes. I think you should drop that for now until we find out more. In addition, I think that these votes flying around are ridiculous. You actually expect Bulltoad to tell everyone his night action? I'm getting suspicious of Xander now, especially after his last remark. And although Jolie makes big lists and uses "logic", I've often found many assumptions that could possibly lead all of her conclusions astray. However, I don't think that's enough evidence against either of them, nor anyone for that matter. I think I'll refrain from voting unless actual evidence comes up.

There was a topic almost exactly like this one, just two days ago. Not only that, but it doesnt't even belong here. It belongs here, in the What LEGO set Should I Buy? thread. Try doing a quick search before you start a topic like this one. EDIT: prateek beat me to it!