Ja7on

The Winter Toy Shop's Christmas Tree model inspired me to try to make something larger (and a bit more ornamented). Here is a shot from 2 sets' worth of minifigs and presents, along with the original-sized tree for reference. Enjoy and happy holidays!

I meant to mention ... you need to slightly dislodge the visor to make room for a minifig hand. The visor cannot raise in these new helmets, just like the Atlantis helms. If you don't dislodge the visor a bit, the grip on the helmet will be pretty tenuous.

Oh, I see that emoticon as a green alien, not as a frustrated face ... I didn't notice that until you pointed it out! I was using it as an 'alien face' since the Space Police sets come with alien minifigs.

I just had to make a quick Terminator-style pilot using a Space Police 2010 minifig as a starting point. Very quick and simple, but a good way to show off the new helmet a bit. You can see the rest of the shots in my Flickr set, now updated with three of my other terminators!

I picked up set 5981, Raid VPR along with the Smash'n'Grab set (reviewed here) for $10 US. This set yields a cool little fighter ship and the minifigs are quite nice. The parts list (see below) is decent, but not as compelling as Smash'n'Grab, although Rench is a good partner for any Kranx-types you have hanging around. Let the pictures begin! The front of the box has a very nice action shot. Rench certainly seems ready to resist arrest! The rear shows the obligatory flick-fire missile shot ... zzzz .... If you don't like 'Police' all over your ship, the stickers are not very interesting other than the control panel sticker. And so we get to the instructions ... This page is handy in case you forget how to assemble minifigs! You can also see how the blacktron-like chest doesn't quite mesh with the skull-type belt buckle on the pants. The parts list ... I am thinking I'd like 2 or 3 Raid VPRs to combine into one larger fighter. The page after the parts list is an ad for Smash'n'Grab ... no other sets are shown, just like the Smash'n'Grab instructions. Some thin plastic is all that separates us from ... ... a green Kranx named Rench! Even if the chest and legs don't match perfectly, they still look pretty good together. Does the B on the chest stand for 'Black Hole Gang' or 'Blacktron' ... There is a bit of printing on Rench's back, too. Sweet! And Mr. Space Policeman, (These are the same shots from Smash'n'Grab review as it is the same minifig) Space Police, Rear Here is one in-progress shot to see how the side wings attach. The construction is quite simple, so I will get right to the good part ... ... a completed Raid VPR! It is a pretty darn nice-looking little fighter, well worth the $10 US to me. Leftover Parts ... no trans-red cheese, but otherwise as expected. The spare trans-red visor makes up for it, I'd say! Overall I am quite happy with the set ... we get an inexpensive way to snag some minifigs and some handy (although hardly new) spaceship parts. Most parts are black and white, which I find useful for a wide variety of spacecraft crafting. I'd love a different gun for Kranx, but that is what the Star Wars sets are for, right?

I'll take a shot and add it in ... the main reason I didn't originally is it shows only one set, the Raid VPR. :/ I would have put in some other shots of the instructions, but they are quite plain. Edit ... here is the page after the inventory page:

I will admit I was rushing the build and focusing more on trying to get decent photos (I was learning as I went, hence the flash reflections on some shots and the like .. I was playing with my point & shoot camera until I found the 'food' mode), but I checked twice ... the ATM is irregular and just doesn't use the 3rd 1x2 slope. If you hit my flickr stream and look at the full-sized parts list you can see it lists 2x and I definitely have 3 of them. Thanks for the warm welcome everyone ... I sense I'll be applying the stickers soon, at least the flames and the ATM stickers! If nobody has posted a review of the other two sets I grabbed (Raid VPR and Monster Crab Clash), by the time I get back from work, I'll try to get them posted. Happy building and good luck finding the sets early!

Thank you, Siegfried! I was learning some tricks on photos as I went ... I expect future shots to be a bit better quality. I am just glad I was able to finally give a bit back after months of lurking.

Space Police 2010 Set # 5982: Smash'n'Grab I wandered through Toys 'R Us today, hoping to find an Atlantis set and stumbled upon the two new Space Police sets instead. Since I have been drooling over the new Battlestar Galactica-type helmets, I was quite excited! The set was $20 US. ( Various sizes of photos are available at my brand-spanking-new Flickr Stream ... ) Here is the back of the box ... handy options such as a crane arm and a removable cockpit abound! The parts list includes some purple, but many are strange purple parts like hoods and side panels ... drat! The sticker sheet has some useful stickers. I can't face blowing them on the stock set ... Are we ready to build it yet? Minifig Time!! A typical Space Police Officer (with a double-sided head) ... (note, this is the exact same figure as you will find in #5981: Raid VPR ... head and everything) ... with the sweet, sweet new helmet! Enjoy the side and rear views ... sans tanks for ease of viewing. Also, we obtain a certain Squidtron. As my daughter says, "He's bad to the bone!" Squidtron eyes some choice parts ... Now that the minifig closeups are done, we start the build. There is an ATM machine with some strange irregularities and an awesome look once the stickers are applied (see the box shots), and a tow truck that was likely inspired by a certain bank security video ... As we start the ATM, the older builders will experience a 1980-ish classic space flashback! Once built, the ATM has a rear door that opens so one can easily shovel the cash out. The initial frame build of the tow truck shows an interesting mechanic ... these technic parts eventually become the way to fire the missiles that will be located in the front grille. One of the least impressive parts of the set is the bottom. Luckily, I don't look at my models from the underside all that much. Do you? The build progresses ... ... and finally finishes. Our cool SpaceCop with NewHelmet tries to grab the ATM machine. (only he can't tell it is an ATM machine as there are no stickers applied!) The Leftovers: My thoughts: Don't buy this set for the purple parts, there aren't enough. Squidtron is cool, but no cape makes me a bit sad ... The new helmet is 100% awesome and a spare trans-red visor is excellent! I love the overall look, the tow truck crane arm makes the vehicle look solid when it isn't carrying the ATM machine about. I may have to buy a 2nd set sometime late in the year so I can face putting the stickers on one ... they are dang cool. I like this set MUCH more than the Gold Heist set, although the GH alien was awesome as he was unique. I hope you enjoyed the review! [small edits for clarity]

Squidtron is a part of the new set 5982 Smash'n'Grab ... I haven't opened mine yet (Toys R Us had Space Police 2010 sets on the shelf, lucky me), but I will try to get some pictures posted soon. Rench definitely looks a bit strange in green, and the Blacktron chest doesn't quite mesh with the skull belt buckle, but the new helmet + trans-red visor makes up for it. The Rapid VPR I snagged had 2 visors in it (no big surprise, but it was nice to confirm). Ja7on