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Not much else to say but, simply asking whether The LEGO Movie's Target-released "Special Special Editon" Blu-ray is region locked to Region A or also playable on Region B and C. DVD Compare lists it as just Region A: http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=27989

Like what Rick did about two years ago: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=94461 I modified the 70804 ice cream truck as I was also thinking it was too tall. However I didn't use only parts from that set. Here is a first try: One of the main difference compared to Rick's version is that I wanted to keep the meta-part used for the rear of the vehicle. I had to lengthen it by 1 stud for that. Maybe later I'll do another try, with deeper changes (not using the dark grey vehicle base), as I still find the front of the vehicle a little too massive. Note for moderators: I wasn't sure if it was better to post in the old thread or create a new one, threads can be merged if you think it is better.

Hello fellow LEGO gaming fans. I am here today to post a review of the new and exciting LEGO Dimensions! As I am still so last gen, this will be for the Xbox 360 version of the game, but gameplay isn't different across platforms when it comes to the exciting bits. I will readily admit, the only games I really play are the LEGO games and Disney Infinity, so Dimensions has given me the best of both worlds. I hope this is an informative review that will assist you in choosing to purchase this game for yourself as an AFOL or for your children as a parent. From the LEGO Shop website we have the usual excitement building blurb: The price list is pretty much what you would expect for a video game with added peripheral items. UK £89.99 US $99.99 Europe €99,99 It is hard to really tell you if it is worth the cost. A price-pre-piece judgement isn't going to cut it when you're buying an Xbox 360 game, three of the chipped figure stands and the base that reads them. It is really not the best way to get the particular figures either. By all the usual AFOL standards, it is a bit of an enigma. So on to the reviews proper: A nice big game box, that you may see on the shelf in store. All the usual information one expects of a box for a game that is a little more than just the disc. The back is a bit more exciting, just look at all the logos of popular franchises and themes that are involved! Though the build picture does not capture the truth. The repetitive truth... The box top has that all important list of items to collect and enhance the game with. Ready to tell the kids all the other goodies they need to get and for you completists to check against. Inside the box there is everything you need to play the game. Reader, Dimension Gate Building Set, Game Disc, a little booklet that directs you to help and FAQ's and a larger sheet that is a double sided tick list of everything there is to collect currently. It is actually quite similar to a sheet included in Disney Infinity 2.0. That has all the collectable power discs pictured, so you know exactly what else you need to purchase The base, quite pleasingly, is not only compatible to LEGO from the two sets of four studs that are part of the structure. It measures 24 studs on the longest side and 18 on the shorter. As it matches with stud measures there is opportunity to construct all kinds of exciting surrounds Here is a picture. Portal The box is printed with more of the same artwork and another tick-box picture list of the exciting other sets to collect. Exciting, action packed artwork and a photo of the built model. As you can see, this is only for sale with the base game and not designed for re-sale. Yup. That is what you can collect and what's coming soon. It fills space and reminds you what to buy. Here we have the contents of the box. All the parts you need to build a portal and a teeny tiny Batmobile. The portal/gate set box has three numbered bags, the special modified plate that fits over the game-base, an instruction booklet and the DDS. Though it is only a tiny one and has survived intact here. Batman is not quite the same figure as his other appearances. While he has the 2015 minifig batsuit torso, the headgear is still the old version of the cowl with the chin bar. The capes for Gandalf and Batman are not the 2015 cape fabric either, but the old stuff we're used to. Wyldstyle is the same figure that appears in the Bad Cop Car Chase set. This time she also has the relic detector, a printed tile. Gandalf is the same figure from the Lord of the Rings LEGO sets, though bricklink cites the cape as a new part and therefore making a new figure. What sets these apart are the attractively printed game piece figure stands, or tags. They are thicker than a plate as they have to contain the chip that the game base reads. The printing is unique for each character, so you can easily take the figures away and still play or amuse yourself endlessly by putting the wrong figure on the base but the game still playing the correct character. Once more we also have an orange new-style brick tool. This looks like it will get a lot of use for the fiddly mini-build vehicles, save your fingernails! Bag 2 And now on to the gateway itself. Bag two has all the parts you need to build the gate. This has some wonderful printed shields with enigmatic symbols upon them. Plenty of azure, dark blue and transparent light blue. As you can probably tell from the many multiples of parts there is a lot of repeated building. A lot. The Build: It is a reasonable build process, a few neat techniques for a SNOT result. However it is very, very same-y. With the steps obviously created with children in mind there are a few pages taken in placing the "A" plates into a circle and a few of the steps are just placing 14 of the same part onto the build. Of course, a symmetrical repetitive design was going to need that sort of parts placement, so it isn't a fault really. Just monotonous and a little boring. The result is a pleasing gate design, however. As you can see, the dimension stones (The printed shields) are not in place on the portal. They hook onto the back! (I took the base away for this shot, no point in having all that cable in the way!) Mysteriously, the book ends with the advice that further building instructions will arrive in-game... This also explains why the shields are placed at the back of the portal to begin with, which seemed a little wasteful on first glance until my brother suggested that it was probably a game objective to collect and place the symbols on the gate. On to interesting parts! Lots and lots of lovely azure. The "A" plates are particularly great. By no means is this set an economical way to get the colour though. However, for now there are parts that are only in Dimensions: The afore mentioned printed relic detector tile. I'm a sucker for printed tiles, loved them since I was a child, and this is a rather clever one. This plate might have a lot of uses for a clever MOCist. While the design clearly intends it to sit over the central "stud" of the reader, there are at least four ideas I have for uses in at least as many different themes. Printed shields! Who can dislike printed shields? This time in transparent purple. Surely these mystery symbols will mean something? The game will explain all. I can see fans of SciFi, Techno-castle and EB's own Heroica the RPG desiring these lovely parts. There are a handful of basic parts appearing in new colours in this set too. Nothing super exciting or rare though, I can see them repeating in a myriad others if that isn't already the case. Build - 4/10. Placing 14 of the same part, three times, was frustrating for me and would certainly bore any children. Parts - 10/10. The shields and azure bumped the score high. Batmobile This was the contents of bag 3. I had to wait for the game to start building it. A lot of little parts to build a little model and a spare Batarang too. After completing some tasks in-game you require a vehicle. An instruction manual pops up on screen and off you build. Again, I would say they are simplified instructions and this time without the ability to quickly flick through a booklet. It is a cute little model though, a lot like a mini-kit you would collect in the Batman games. A clever use of small parts for big details. The new part used here is so far only in sets that are part of the Dimensions theme. A most wonderful new element for fans of vehicles. It is something I know that I have wanted for quite a while. All in all, I'd rate this little one a 9/10. Clever parts usage, a nice model to finish off with and a new part too. I would recommend that you have a tray or a nice surface to work with while playing though, the little parts for the little model are easier to corral when building. The Bat Blaster This is an upgrade you unlock and then purchase using studs and gold bricks. It will overwrite the toy tag information to make this an option when playing. Like in the other LEGO games when a character has multiple abilities, there is an option to change which Batmobile power/version you are using. Building only uses the exact same parts as the batmobile, so you needn't worry about the spare parts that came in Bag 3. It is a neat little build, taking about the expected number of steps on-screen. The design is... interesting. It looks like any one of the unusual Bat-vehicles out there that may have appeared in the gadget heavy 60s comics or the hundreds of random action figure tie-in toys that turn up (Neon talking street luge anyone?). It was well done considering it could only use the same parts that also form the Batmobile. The Sonic Batray When I heard the name I wasn't impressed. But this is pretty darn cool as far as random Bat-vehicles go, design wise anyway. The build is once again an on-screen booklet that takes far too long to page through (I'm impatient...). But the result is a Bat Ray that if it was in shades of black and really really dark grey, wouldn't look out of place in the Nolan-Verse Batman's motor pool. I would rate the builds an 8/10. The designers had a tough job turning one Batmobile into two other useful things that still looked "bat" enough. Th end result came out well. Parts 10/10 purely for how well everything is used and how the vehicle is depicted in such a small scale. Gameplay Much like any other LEGO game, you are a minifigure character in a world made of a mixture of LEGO built items you can break and regular graphics that you can't. I'm not going to share plot spoilers or cutscene information because they are half the fun of a game after all! I have been having a lot of fun playing through it though and always have a willing player two in the queue. You start off, of course, with the three included characters and the events that lead them to team up. An interesting (and slightly confusing) new dynamic is the use of the base. Unlike other games that use a reader like this, there is a lot more than just placing the figure you want and playing. The base lights up in a number of colours and this is used initially as a puzzle to start the game. There are also instances where you have to move the figure around the base to activate powers, warp around puzzles or escape traps. The sections light up in different colours to clue you in on where to go, but it makes for a lot of moving around! I'd advise that this can easily be a three player game if you've got a lot of extra hands hanging around to watch! Two player like any other LEGO game and an extra set of hands to move the figures around for you. As my brother theorised, part of the game is collecting the printed shields in game, to stick to the gate as you progress. This involves a modification of the Master Builder feature of past games. This time an instruction manual appears on screen and you use this to build the physical model. Another thing to mention are the vehicle tags. The batmobile did not have a printed tag. Instead, once you complete the building steps during gameplay there is an option to save the model to the tag. So, while you can take the figures away and play elsewhere, I'd advise leaving the vehicles on the stands or it will get confusing fast. Try and have a tray or some other surface with edges so you can fiddle about building the vehicle /taking it apart/ building the new vehicle. It stops parts getting lost. Though, the tag and game won't know if you haven't rebuilt the physical model, so you could just keep your favourite one together Characters: The characters included in the game are not new to the world of LEGO Gaming. All three have appeared in other games. As I can't capture my own gaming, here are the character videos from the official LEGO Dimensions youtube channel. Gandalf Batman Wyldstyle Gameplay Comments On Characters. Just like every game, you switch characters to complete certain tasks or work as a team when playing two player mode. All three can drive the batmobile when it is used in the game. There are regular witty comments from the three as you play and sound effects when they interact with the game environment. Just as in other games, there are places and spaces you can only access with certain character abilities. Unlike the other LEGO games, this means actually purchasing some extras for real, or "Hiring" a hero using collected studs. The Hiring feature allows the player to borrow a character ability for thirty seconds, long enough to use it to unlock and access a hidden area or space. So you can complete it all without spending your money. A thoughtful inclusion. Final Comments LEGO Dimensions is fun to play. It took a little bit of getting used to with all the new things to take into account. However the new gameplay features meshed well with the old and familiar once you knew what was expected. There is a little more moving around than I'd like when videogaming but AFOLs and kids alike could easily corral a minion to assist. The storyline is entertaining and the humour that we have come to expect is present in the plot and the dialogue sound-bites while playing. It genuinely meshes the different universes well in the plot and gives gamers a chance to play LEGO versions of media franchises that would otherwise have not existed. The building is interactive with the game, which really is new and it will be interesting to see how it pans out in the long run. I wonder how many gamers will take to the idea. While yes, we are getting a lot more of the same when it comes to the game itself, that is always entertaining and the new dynamic just edges it over the more recent LEGO games simply for the novelty. Finally I'd like to thank EB and TLG for this fantastic opportunity. I love LEGO and I love both figure based gameplay and the LEGO Games, reviewing Dimensions has been a real treat.

I had really hoped to get a hold of the Doctor Who level pack today as my local shop had told me they would get the second wave today. Unfortunately they got all but the Doctor Who level pack. I did get the Unikitty fun pack, and for the fun of it i will make it my first review ever of a LEGO set. Also offcourse my first review here on EuroBricks. Year of release: 2015 Theme: LEGO Dimensions Set name: Unikitty fun pack Set Number: 71231 Pieces: 60 So another member just entered my LEGO Dimensions collection. The front of the box: Shows Unikitty on her chip and the first variation of the Cloud Cuckoo Car. I really feel the build for the Cloud Cuckoo car looks promising. The back of the box: Shows the three variatoins of the Cloud Cuckoo Car, also their is the X-Stream Soaker and the Rainbow Cannon. The content: The content of the box reveals two bags, and the building instructions. Note as always, only building instructions for the mini figure or in this case Unikitty is available in the instruction booklet. The remaining build must be build from ingame instructions, or is available on www.LEGO.com. Funny that they show two variations of Unikittys head, even though only one side is printed. However at the time of my review, no instructions was available yet online. Instructions: Step 1-3 lets you build Unikitty quite easily. You will have to open both bags to get Unikitty build. Unikitty meets up with some fellow companions of hers. As far as i know this is a new variation of the Unikitty 1x3 headpiece. Time to put Unikitty on the Toypad for some disco and load her ingame to get the instructions to build the Cloud Cuckoo car. A random instruction, in this case step 4 for the Cloud Cuckoo Car ingame. I dont know how to take screenshots from a PS3, if its even capable of it, so i had to just use my camera. Did turn out quite good afterall. The Cloud Cuckoo car done. It delivered on fun when building, offcourse their wasnt much to it, but a lot of different pieces in all sorts of colours go into the build. And the finished result is just as satisfying. Back view of the Cloud Cuckoo Car, quite nice as well. Unikitty riding her Car. Definately does make a fine and usable build if your into the whole LEGO Movie universe. I surely love it and it will make a nice display model on my Dimensions build for the toypad for sure. Spareparts: All the rainbows colours. Quite a nice collection of spares i must say. Last but not least an ingame picture of Unikitty in berserk mode. This is to say the least hilarious she goes totally nuts when in this mode and i just had to mention it even though, again i had to take a picture with my camera from the screen so its not that good. I havent been playing a whole lot yet with these builds, since i was more interested in trying to make a review. I will let you decide on your rating of it. For me its a nice package, the price tag is what it is considering it has both technonlogy and LEGO in it. But i feel its definately worth it if you enjoy playing LEGO Dimensions. Hope you enjoyed and please do comment. KlodsBrik.

Good morning Eurobricks! I usually live in the brickfilm side of the forums (so forgive any lapses in etiquette) but I wanted to share my recreation of Emmet's apartment buidling from The LEGO Movie. What started out as a set for a brickfilm grew to become a full recreation of Emmet's apartment building. Emmet's Apartment Building by Seaotter71, on Flickr Screengrabs of The LEGO movie got me going, but it wasn't until my son got the video game that I could really reverse engineer it. The top floor, true to the movie, borrowed heavily from the City Hall modular. Edgeofpanic, who had independetnly submitted this to LEGO Ideas had an LDD file that helped with the roof. The signs are a custom print job by Promotec and ties the whole thing together. This thing is a beast. I thought it was going to be comparable to the height of the other modulars and then realized I had missed a floor. Back to bricklink I went. Enjoy. I have started the inside and will be fleshing it out over the next few weeks. Spoiler: The inside doesn't really fit inside the building.

Looks like LEGO's answer to Skylanders with real LEGO toys. Will be another TT Games LEGO video game about a villain tearing rifts between the various LEGO worlds and kidnapping certain characters. Uses many licenses and themes, including The LEGO Movie (which makes some of the other licenses redundant), Lord of the Rings, DC Comics, Back to the Future, Ninjago and surprisingly, The Wizard of Oz.

I'm a big fan of police cars, and the Lego Movie uses one that I intially thought was custom made for the movie. This is the four wide police car that is used mostly in background scenes, though it does show up en masse after the escape from Bricksburg. After spending some time reverse engineering it from the various scenes, I realized that the model is actually a slightly modified civilian car that was released in 2012 as 4435 Car and Caravan (the trailer hitch is the giveaway) with influences from 4436 Patrol Car. The car appears to be Black and Light Grey in the movie, which I changed to white because some of the main parts don't exist in light grey, such as the wheel arches. I also added red and blue lights behind the main headlights, though these were my personal preference. Interestingly enough, the roof piece in black does not yet exist and won't until the release of 60097 City Corner later this year. When that set is released, I'll be building several of these to put in my own town. EDIT: Turns out Mark2 has an error in the lights. Instead of using two 99780 Inverted brackets and one 1x2 plate, it should have been one Bracket 1x2 - 1x4 and two 1x4 plates stacked on top of each other. Mark5 has this corrected. LDD File: Lego Movie Police Car - Mark5.lxf Lego Movie Police Car - Mark2.lxf

Well this sure has been a fun few days, taking pictures, buying brick, cranking out reviews of smaller sets. I tell ya, this was not my New Year's 'Resolution', but I wouldn't trade it. Well...maybe for even more LEGO, but wouldn't we all? As a formality: Greetings! I go by LEGO_Ink (or various variations that may or may not include the '_'). While I'm not NEW new, I have only recently found a soft spot for trying to get ahead of the game on reviews. Any custom sets I design can be found here, but you can also jump in queue at any point by clicking the link by the imbedded images. The thing that really motivated me to start sharing my opinion for LEGO sets were the highly functional features that were starting to become more prominent from the LEGO Designers. There are such slight details and modifications, that I feel they really get overlooked in the grand scheme of completing a set but, should they be designed any other way, you'd have a completely different play experience.*** Moving forward, I'd like to_ I'M BATMAN!!!! LEGO Ink, Flickr Well, uh...hi, Batman. What's up? WHAT'S UP? YOU MEAN, BESIDES MY SWEET NEW GRAPPLING HOOK, AN OVER-SUPPRESSED KITTEN, AND MY MASCARA UPGRADE? Yeah, so...haven't gotten there yet. ... MMMMM. SOOOOO...? On it. Set: 70817 Batman(TRADEMARK!) & Super Angry Kitty Attack Theme: The LEGO Movie Piece Count: 115 +ballast Population: We're going to go with 4. Season: Winter 2015 Wallet Request: USD $9.99 Before I get rambling, or interrupted, I have been looking forward to this set as well. If you haven't read my previous review for Double-Decker Couch, we're in for some great characters. Between the two sets we're only missing Wyldstyle, as a primary, and she had enough incarnates from waves 1 & 2 that we all probably have something that will suffice. As for the here and now, the front of the box. What I am now seeing as 'standard' art for the boxes. We appear to be in the same TLM-2 off-stage area as D-D Couch, except tensions have arisen since the last call. If memory from the film serves correctly, we will be down a cast member, or two, by the time things get rolling again. LEGO Ink, Flickr The same little triangle can be found in the lower corner, and my first query comes here, which may be something that is up for debate among fans. Should Micro-Managers be considered as figs? They are not Mini- and thus do not fit that description. However, as some of you are probably going to pull the 'It's Brick-built!' card, I'll see you, and raise you a Uni-Kitty. Any of them. I'm not overtly concerned one way or the other, but I feel that they [M-M's] should count, especially this little one. Thus, my stated Population: 4. The box-art is direct, and what happened in the movie is, probably, most closely translated for this particular set. Carnage, Smirks, and Clumsy Robots. DON'T FORGET SWEET GRAPPLING HOOKS!! Yup, still on it... The back of the box. Even more action, and perfect explanations of details. One such detail, I actually overlooked in my eagerness to make sure I bought the set before it flew off the shelf, is the exploding feature of the Micro-Manager. (Further Down) We also have flick-fire missiles, which apparently work when you push the back of something. Who knew!? LEGO Ink, Flickr Box contents include three small [unnumbered] baggies, one instruction booklet, and one cape. I'd assume it's as near to random decision, as makes no difference, but Vitruvius' cape was included in the bags for D-D Couch, yet Batman's was excluded. It's power 'cannot be contained, in any container!!' TLM_SuperAngry_003 by LEGO Ink, on Flickr As stated in the other reviews, there is a lack of sticker sheet. And while the booklet has a prominent crease in the middle for folding, it's crisper than a minted green. Another stated element is the LEGO Survey. Prominent to me because the characters on the back seem to be reflective of whichever theme the booklet has been assigned. LEGO Ink, Flickr For new and rare elements, There's not a lot aside from the characters, which will be addressed later. What there is, however, sticks out. Element #85861, Plate, Round 1x1 w/ Open Stud. I absolutely love these, and for this set you won't be disappointed, either. We get 2 in Dark Red, only previously seen from the Ghostbusters Ecto-1 and Emmet's Construct-o-Mech. We also get 3 in Black, which marks its debut with this set. [EDIT 1/2/15 - Black also get some serious recognition in 10246 | Detective's Office. Seventeen of them, with potential to swap a dozen out for spares, according to New Elementary.] LEGO Ink, Flickr BUT, GOSH, MAN, WHY ARE THEY HERE? ...Yes, we're at the grappling gun. FINALLY!!! LEGO Ink, Flickr Either I'm out of the loop, or this really is one of the cleanest, most well executed, additions to a previously moulded weapon. Not only does it redefine a purposeful weapon [of the two 'barrels', the top is visually re-purposed into a sighting system while the bottom retains the conceptual propulsion system], but it's appropriately bulky, without being superficial. As a neatly printed element, I thought this could be handy for future use. Knowing more, now, about LEGO and printing processes, parts like this make my engineering self all giddy. There's so much decorative potential! LEGO Ink, Flickr *** Onto the only actual building that needs to take place for this set, we come across the obligatory Micro-Manager. As for the previously overlooked function, this one has flick-fire missiles, as well as an exploding function...all within a 3-Stud span of each other. Not to shabby. The section that really tied my laces, was the way that the function would be locked in. LEGO Ink, Flickr On any other M-M, we would see a fourth 'Inverted 1x2-2x2 Bracket'. Here, however you cap the back side with a standard '1x2-2x2 Bracket'. The Technic underlying brick will function as the pivot point, and once you get all four brackets into place... LEGO Ink, Flickr ...you then place a 4x4 plate over both sides and very surely Lock the mechanism together. LEGO Ink, Flickr One would have to, extensively, surpass the vertical forces required for play to disrupt this function. The addition of the standard bracket is two-fold. After locking the whole thing together, the remaining top studs will act as a minimal connection point for the roof of the M-M. Because of the design, these are now connection points that won't shift during play, leaving a constant surface for reattachment. LEGO Ink, Flickr The Man Upstairs, having a go at the features. LEGO Ink, Flickr And here we have a finished product! Again, the size constraints amaze me for this particular build. The arms/tentacles, for example, have 3 (Three!!) points of articulation for each arm. This includes the rotating 'shoulder' at the base of the M-M, but doesn't include the four pose-able claws. Then, there's the levitation systems that are based on the two rocker panels at the rear. Or the two exploding roof panels. Oh, and the two flick-fire missiles which are intentionally differing sizes, that tuck cleanly above the 'shoulders', and below the exploding roof. While the M-M's have all had differing features, is this the first one that actually blows up? ON TO THE DUDES!!!! But, Uni-Kitty's name begins with 'Princess'. ::SIGHHHHHHHHHH:: YOU, ARE THE WORST. Onto the...the... Onto the Characters. THE BEST! Another Robo Skeleton. A SUPER Angry-Kitty. A Batman(TRADEMARK!) with a black headband. A Batman(SHUSH!), with a black headband? Why yes, I will tell you more. LEGO Ink, Flickr Here, we have a side-by-side of how his expression plays out. The elevated band offers the same principle as previous Bat-figs, it's no-so-secretly his eyes. However, for this rendition we have a black band with two white slits, per side, for eyes. As much as I wonder why this wasn't put into production for the previous TLM Bat-figs, I'm glad they decided to do it. With the cowl, he now looks how Bat-fig has meant to look for quite some time. With that, I do understand that Batman was illustrated with white-outs for his eyes for quite some time. He's also had mascara. Now both families win. The benefit to this new color scheme is that he doesn't look like he just came off the basketball court, or was mis-printed. To me, he actually kind of looks like he's got eyebrows to match his facial expression. The best part is that the unintentional 'eyebrows' don't clash with the respective faces. Instead, they make a slightly altered version to the same head we were just looking at. Exact same head, exact same side, but you add the cowl and he becomes that much goofier/angrier. LEGO Ink, Flickr LEGO Ink, Flickr As far as the ballast goes, I'm always up for goodies. The jewels of this batch include a red Kitty-Horn, and two Open Studs [both of the rarer variety]. LEGO Ink, Flickr HEY, GUY. IT'S GETTIN' LATE. Yes, my closing thoughts. This has been a long schpeel, for such a small set. Hopefully, you didn't tune out too long ago. 4/5 Cost effectiveness - Pretty alright, I'd say. At cost ratios, it's on point. You have to realize it's not substantial, as far as taking up space or bulk parts. You do get four characters, three of which are unique to this set. I, personally, don't mind the Robo Skeleton. He's something I'd eventually want extras of for any diorama invasion, so since he's my first I think I'll take him. 5/5 Play - Yes, the only thing that plays is the M-M. The Grappling Gun doesn't fire, Uni-Kitty doesn't have changing heads, and the Robo Skeleton isn't as agile. The Micro-Manager takes it up a notch, and has more play features in it's body than some $7 sets have in all their entirety. I'm glad I got it, and I'm not even a completest. I, sincerely, hope you all have had a Happy Christmas, and wonderful New Year!

Greetings! As 2015 approaches, I've been very excited to see that the local Target has started to stock up with an early wave of Spring Releases. I feel this is going to be an 'Awesome' year for LEGO to showcase their ingenuity, as well as up and coming talents. The LEGO Movie [TLM] has, no doubt, helped sales for the company, but how has the creativity from a movie that's almost a year old continued to capture our attention? In June of 2014, I was given the honor of participating in the final week of The LEGO Inside Tour. As part of the tour we get to talk with set designers, and Chris [Designer for The LEGO Movie] shed some light on some of the process and concepts. From my own design experience, it was nice to see the organized chaos that was intentional within the TLM realm. From a business perspective, there have been some fine tuned calculations that make future purchases exciting, but also relevant. Here's how: Set: 70818 Double-Decker Couch Theme: The LEGO Movie Piece Count: 197 +ballast Population: 5 Season: Winter 2015 Wallet Request: USD $14.99 From the front of the box, there's a party waiting to happen. While the characters are evident from the set-up, the lower right corner also dedicates a space to clearly showcase, however redundant, the included minifigs. I'm not sure, however, the context of the image. Perhaps the characters are waiting off-set for filming to resume on TLM 2, or they are in a warehouse party. Either way, the proposed components would seem to be better suited for Emmet's Perfect Morning/Battle Pack. LEGO Ink, Flickr The rear of the box incorporates play features. I like the way that subtle features, such as a strip of film, make their way into presentation. Simple, and effective. LEGO Ink, Flickr An open box reveals four element bags, and an instruction booklet. None of them is numbered, and the only loose item is the instruction booklet...no sticker sheet. I'm not opposed to applying sticker sheets, depending on the model, and I've never had the horrifically marred version that earned the DSS title, but a printed element is always preferred. LEGO Ink, Flickr With that, this little guy will obviously come in handy. LEGO Ink, Flickr While Uni-Kitty has neat elemental personalities, there's only two other parts that really stand out from this set as far as 'new and somewhat rare.' Both belong to Vitruvius. V's lower half is actually a Brick 1x2x2 to accommodate the ghost covering, opposed to the standard slope. It has a print on it, but his upper torso is blank. No complaints, however, as he's constantly covered. LEGO Ink, Flickr The ghost covering is also really neat because of it's design. I can't say, for certain, how long LEGO has used the process, but this particular element has been created using a two stage [at least] mould. One of the most prominent examples of this process was the dual textured Six Sided Game Die, but may also be found with this modified 1x2 w/ Angular Extension. Vitruvius' obligatory headband is the initial element, which also forms the connection to his head. The glow-in-the-dark portion is the second stage, which is cleanly moulded above and below the headband, leaving an uninterrupted band. LEGO Ink, Flickr The usual suspects have slight variations to their faces, but nothing substantial to their bodies, minus V's previously stated brick. One feature I keep coming back to, is the gloriously happy face we see presented on President Business. A first for this particular figure. His uni-brow rainbow makes me smile every time! LEGO Ink, Flickr Turning to the back will reveal alternate versions for all printed faces. One thing that you might find useful: Uni-Kitty is provided with an extra face, but no additional facial components. While the suggested swap isn't completely unrealistic, it takes time. As you will see in the additional elements, I'm given an ear, Uni-holder, and Horn. I just find it strange that an additional 1x3 plate [white] and 1x1 slope didn't find their way into the ballast. All of the faces hold a certain amount of concern, except for Benny. He's gone from content, to overjoyed! LEGO Ink, Flickr As an additional component, we get Emmet's car. It's neat, and I believe the first offered, though it's not overtly complex. It's practical, and simple. The perfect reflection of our yet-to-be-discovered hero. The vehicle features the previously stated Radio, two doors, removable roof, and appropriately proportioned boot for Emmet's hardhat. LEGO Ink, Flickr LEGO Ink, Flickr Here's the couch, pre-built. Upon further inspection, it will be built to the exact specifications as the couch from MetalBeard's Sea Cow. Now, this may bother some folks, but it's not so much an issue for me. I probably won't be able to obtain the Sea Cow soon, so this set has, again, retained its value as a nearly perfect battle pack. LEGO Ink, Flickr LEGO Ink, Flickr LEGO Ink, Flickr ::Too many mugs of milk later:: 'Why don’t vikings send e-mails? They prefer to use Norse code!' LEGO Ink, Flickr And the ballast. It's not a bad selection overall, it just seems...different. Again, we're given 3/5 of the elements necessary to avoid a complete swap for Uni-Kitty's head, but that's not an issue to be considered 'unbuyable'. LEGO Ink, Flickr Closing statements: This set brings an interesting mix of thoughts. On the positive side, it's got characters. Five of them. When you're paying $9.99 for a 3-pack of DIY figs from the LEGO Store, $14.99 for 5 specialized characters isn't so bad! Plus you get all the additional pieces, whether you build with them or not. As stated earlier, I'm looking at my budget through the eyes of...well...my current budget. Getting the whole series isn't an option, but this set has made it possible to recreate lots of fun moments from TLM that other sets haven't been able to accomplish. If I'd already purchased Metalbeard's Sea Cow, I may be a little saddened by the repeat Couch build, but probably not. The car, again, isn't extraordinary...but it works really well. No, there weren't enough Uni-parts to make it an ideal trade, but I've got what I need to make something work. There just isn't enough improbability to even consider this as a bad buy. Cost - 5/5 - Even if you just want the figs, you have 150 +/- elements to do something else with. @ the ideal $0.10 price point, you're still in the lead. Playability - 4/5 - There aren't play 'features' in the action sense, but there's movement and potential. 4 new, interchangeable expressions is a big one for me. Freshness - 4/5 - The couch is recycled, and that's a majority of the parts. There are also characters only specific, currently, to this set. Take the very small plunge, and get yours today!

It possibly would come as no surprise that my childhood favourite LEGO theme was Adventurers. Some of my fondest playtime memories are of sprawling bedroom wide Adventurer Expeditions that ranged from the archeologically accurate dig site to a cartoon caper of chasing down the baddies while being chased by the Mummy or jungle tribesmen. The focal figures (literally!) were always Johnny Thunder and Pippin Reed. Johnny Thunder was part of the Theme Logo, he has appeared in eight LEGO video games. This chap was cornerstone enough to feature in The LEGO Movie and have a re-issue in the Super Secret Dropship set. So why don’t we get to know about our be-hatted hero. A Man of Many Names Back in the long ago days of the 90s there were not quite so many linked multi-media goodies for LEGO themes as there are these days. There were some small features in the LEGO Club magazine, the advert-comics that featured in kids magazines and sometimes the odd TV advertisement were all we really had. These might give you a few titbits to broaden the world presented on any bonus pages in the instruction manual or the little sheet that presented the other avaliable sets. Of course, many times you only learned the character names by purchasing the set they came in. With each language and market location there could be differences between the promotional material because no one had any communication or a single platform to access. This led to curiosities like multiple identities for the same character. Johnny also went by Sam Grant or Joe Freeman in other parts of the world. I was introduced to Sam Grant from the back of a cereal box promoting their giveaway (only six tokens and the p&p!) that included our intrepid hero and his desert car the Scorpion Tracker. Despite alll the names he still had his moustache, sideburns and the dimpled chin of a hero! Many Adventures Johnny Thunder and the Adventurers theme appeared in 1998 to 2000 with a revival in 2003. In this time the Adventurers, heroes and villains, travelled to many lands. The tomb filled deserts of Egypt where an undead Pharaoh lurched. Up the Amazon river with jewel thieves and lost tribes guarded gold. To a mystery island that time forgot with dinosaurs to protect from poachers and finally the Orient on the trail of Marco Polo's treasures. Johnny Thunder also gained his first acting credits in LEGO Studios, tumbling through a booby-trapped tomb and being chased by less friendly dinosaurs. Well Stocked Wardrobe As Johnny Thunder had plenty of adventures in a number of places quite sensibly he had a well stocked wardrobe to go with his trademark hat. While the well known tan shirt served well in the desert, the jungle and tracking dinosaurs there were varients for each of the locales of the Orient he ventured to. Classic, India and Tibet outfits. The tan shirt followed the same outfit archetype of the serial-film heroes Indiana Jones was drawn from and the later variations fitted in to the different locations visited in Orient Expidition. The reissue figure for The LEGO Movie follows the classic look with sharper printing, details on the back and the new colours LEGO brought in after Adventurers were no longer in production. This figure is a really nice inclusion on the part of both the Movie team and TLG, a little 'classic' nod to all of us AFOLs and something for my peer group to notice even if they aren't super LEGO fans. Media Man Just like any other superstar, Johnny Thunder appeared in many media ventures, from a simple 'easter egg' to a feature character in games and of course The LEGO Movie. A number of LEGO video games were released during the Adventurer's heyday and plenty of them featured the characters and theme locations to play through. The LEGOLAND game had Adventure Land attractions and features to unlock as you progressed with cutscenes too. http://youtu.be/diHcA6wtyC4 The next game to feature Johnny was LEGO Racers as an opponent to race with a number of circuits based on the Adventurers theme. In LEGO Island 2 Johnny and co help Pepper Roni in his mission to collect Constructopedia pages on Adventure Island. In Racers 2 Johnny was once again an opponent in races and also an NPC interaction for mini-games and returned again as an NPC racer in LEGO Stunt Rally. In LEGO Soccer you had to face off against an Adventurer Expidition team made up of characters from the theme and once defeated Johnny became an optional player for your own soccer team. This was a time in LEGO history where a lot of video games were made so of course Johnny would feature often. He was a major LEGO character at the time after all! Once Adventurers ended and slowly left recent and target market memory and game development moved out-of-house to developers like Travellers Tales, Johnny Thunder and co didn't feature. However with the launch of LEGO Universe he was back as a member of the Venture League. While the character was intended to be the same Johnny Thunder from the Adventurer theme, he underwent many design tweaks, even appearing in a rather different guise during Beta Testing. Fan feedback (of which I was most certainly a part!) managed to return him to a more classic look as seen above, the only minor changes in accessories and 'printing'. In LEGO Universe the player had to complete missions for Johnny in order to receive Venture League approval and open that faction as a choice to join. Master Builder Of course, now we come to his latest major role. A Master Builder in The LEGO Movie! First spotted early on in a call-back to Indiana Jones, he rescues his hat just before slipping through the perimeter walls to escape the forces of Lord Business. He is present for Emmet's, ah, stirring speech and is seen fleeing the golf ball once again reminscent of Indy. Later, as the citizens of Bricksburg fight the micromanagers Johnny is noticeable riding a horse that is riding a bigger horse. Thus we can conclude that I really am a bit weird and look out for a minor character when watching the movie! I'd love to post some clips but there aren't any to be found online that feature Johnny but if you missed him before we all know that no one needs an excuse to watch the film again! So, Johnny Thunder was and is a pretty cool character and while his moment in the sun might be over and Adventurers was continued in a new guise we can surely look forward to his next heir in whatever form he or she takes.

Awaiting destruction or rescue...or a destructive rescue. If you've ever had nightmares of being chained to the chair of a maniacal dentist, the Melting Room set may send you haywire. Put yourself in Emmet's place and it may inspire thoughts that are more chilling than sympathetic. "At least Emmet doesn't have to watch in horror," you reason. But the real scary part? The brick on his back is the most valuable thing in the room. Name: Melting Room Set Number: 70801 Theme: The LEGO Movie Year: 2014 Pieces: 122 Minifigs: 3 Price: $12.99 US / $15.99 CDN -- Packaging Front The front of the box has the set taking up a surprising amount of real estate for its actual size, to the point where the piece count should serve as a reminder of its true stature. In other words, images on the front of the box are larger than they appear. There's not a whole lot of variation that could be done with depicting this scene, but the 'rescue mission' aspect does translate with Wyldstyle trumping the SWAT unit, who would presumably go on to plead for mercy, all while Emmet freaks out over a charging laser. Back The artwork on the back showcases the main play feature on this set — the crank mechanism on the chair where Emmet sits. In this case, the main shot sees Emmet sitting upright, watching on as Wyldstyle takes out the SWAT robot. He's less fazed by the glowing ray about to slice him in half than he is in the first bumper below, where he's shown panicking as the chair swivels and rotates. (Which is it, Emmet?!) Rather than highlighting the folding aspect of the laser, the second bumper shows Wyldstyle about to grab the axe at the small storage station. If play value is what you seek, the artwork here isn't as convincing as it perhaps could be. Minifigures Emmet Standard Emmet getup (Piece of Resistance included) with a double-sided frightened/passive face. No doubt an expression of confidence in Wyldstyle's rescue abilities. Wyldstyle Wyldstyle gets a special, exclusive add-on for her minifigure in the form of a hood. Along the inside, you'll spot threads of purple and blue colouring to represent her hair underneath the hood — that is, what it would be if there was a separate hairpiece included. As per movie form, she also wields an axe in this scene for loosening Emmet's chains. Robo SWAT The third minifigure is a standard Robo SWAT unit from the Super Secret Police. Front torso and leg printing reflect a well-prepared and adequately stocked unit, while the back shows a receiver peeking out from what would be his back pocket for communicating with the rest of the team. He also comes with a black cap featuring the SSP insignia on the front, along with slight grooves and indentations for detail. Also included in this set specifically for this fellow is a small blaster, no doubt for guard duty. Build The "evil dentist chair" serves as the centerpiece for the set, fixed atop a small octagonal base. An A-shaped piece (with grey arch pieces on the ends for some stability, though not perfect) connects this area to a small platform meant for item storage (i.e., the blaster and a set of handcuffs), and here is where you'll also find one of two security barriers with two red lights — the second being situated adjacent to the chair. Strapped in tight. Some interesting techniques are involved in the construction of the chair itself and the rotating platform it sits on. The mechanism works nicely for a twofold interaction when coupled with the rotating function: a knob along the bottom of the chair allows for vertical adjustments where the chair can sit lying flat or standing at an angle at either extreme. Just a regular, non-threatening swivel chair...with chains. The reverse-facing, swiveling chair is designed in such a way that Emmet will be standing (securely placed) with his face looking outside the main area and chain studs on either side of the chair attached to his hands. Everything latches together nicely and the physical execution works well on the whole. If you couldn't tell...I'M FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW! On the opposite end of the main base is a terminal for the laser, with a folding piece that allows you to position the device dead-on or further out. The machine prompted curiousity during the build, and when it's complete, the neatest aspect to it is the vacuum machine-like coil that serves as a connector between the top and bottom of the device. Is this thing on? There is a gizmo to the side of the contraption with reading levels and transparent orange and yellow studs for lights. There is a question of whether or not it's a necessary detail, particularly because when the laser is away from the base, this small gizmo is out of reach for the minifigures. Even the box shows it detached and off to the side. So the integration could have been a bit better, but for the most part there will be some gratitude over this tiny extra. Set laser to 'Exterminate'! Being able to position the laser is a nice boon to the overall set, as it lends to some playability. After saving Emmet, why not fashion a new escape route...through the roof. Or maybe head underground, where your getaway vehicle awaits. Coupled with the rotating chair, it makes for a set with energy. Conclusion The Melting Room is an easy, time-friendly build and a good starter set for the rest of the theme, especially because there's potential for it to pair with Lord Business' Lair for a more complete experience. Failing that, it'll be seen as a quirky, compact display piece with some decent interaction to it. Compared to its closest counterpart (the Getaway Glider, for its identical price and similar piece count), the Melting Room, though still light, has more going for it in the way of play value and integration with other sets. On its own merits, it's a good depiction of the scene it's based on and there's just enough here for a mildly satisfying experience to be had. What's more, those into other sci-fi themes will want to pick this up for the main components — if an insane dentist isn't your thing, then mad scientist will do just as well. Hold it, sister! Design: 7 Good for what it is; interaction sells the set; decent integration of secondary components for one single unit; good construction on the chair; one or two interesting parts/elements such as the coil; minor flaws with stability and lonely gizmo. Playability: 6 Decent for a small set of this calibre; scene re-creation; increases when paired with other LEGO Movie sets; fold-out laser allows for different positions; works for display purposes. Value: 6 Average minifigure count; exclusive hood piece; chair is adaptable for other sets; PPP ratio is relatively on par; will get more out of it than Getaway Glider for the same price. Overall: 63% -- My, how the tables have turned!

This model is inspired by the Super Cycle as seen in The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Movie Video Game. I originally wanted to wrap chain track elements around a modern turntable element, similar to how the original models had chain track elements wrapped around an extra-large gear. Unfortunately, that didn't work out in LDD, so I settled for a standard wheel and tire combo instead. In addition, I couldn't find the correct torso and leg prints for Wyldstyle and Emmet, so I decided to be creative with their outfits. Click or tap any image for a larger version. LXF File - Brickshelf Gallery

I've seen a few attempts to recreate MetalBeard's film appearance around the net, but they've all fallen short of total accuracy by a significant measure. I looked back through the film and determined all of the differences, created an LDD model, ordered the parts I needed, and got to building. And the back There are a ton of minute differences between the film version and the final set, so I won't attempt to cover them all in text. Suffice to say most of the changes seem to be in the interest of stabilization and economy of parts. His right foot, peg leg, and back are the only parts constructed completely differently, but there are tiny changes throughout the model. If your interested in seeing everything in more detail, here's the LXF: This is the link to the LXF I just mentioned I believe I used the wrong color for the light grey parts in the LDD model, my bad. If you want to try your hand at building the model physically, note that there are a few parts that don't exist in the correct colors. The gears atop MetalBeard's shoulders should be dark grey, but only come in light grey. The chain from his chest to his shark arm should be metallic. I'm also fairly certain that the brackets holding his treasure chest are supposed to be gold. And that's all there is to say, I suppose. Arg!

Due for general release in June, Benny's Spaceship is possibly the most eagerly anticipated set of the year so far, and certainly that of the LEGO Movie range. Sporting the approximate livery of the early 'Blue Era' Classic Space sets, and the ringed planet CS logo, the ship might be considered a spiritual successor to the exalted 497/928 Galaxy Explorer: regarded by many as one of the finest LEGO sets of all time. I was lucky to win this set as a prize in a speed-building competition at the Eurobricks Event 2014 - though they were selling the set at the LEGOLAND Park. Let's see if the model lives up to expectations. Review: 70816 Benny's Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! Set Information Name: Benny's Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! Number: 70816 Theme: The LEGO Movie Release: June 2014 Parts: 939 Figures: 5 (including Astro Kitty) Price: GB £<unknown> | US $99.99 | EUR <unknown> | AU $<unknown> | CA $<unknown> | DKK 899 (as I recall) Links ... Shop@Home ... Brickset ... Bricklink ... Peeron The Box Click for a larger frontal image The ship just about squeezes on to the front of the glossy box; not helped by the enormity of the LEGO Movie logo which obscures part of the model. Behind is a faux-CITY backdrop, picked out in contrasting orange to highlight the mostly-blue set; there's a lovely use of parallel lines from the film-strip motifs flanking the long ship to give the illusion of speed, spoiled only slightly by the reverse perspective of the film strip in the top left corner. The five figures occupy the bottom right corner; they are shown again in 1:1 scale on the box top. The design of the rear of the box is rather clever. The film-strip decorations here diverge in a pattern resembling a movie clapperboard; the space between is bisected by the LEGO-ish fencing, and the resulting halves filled by the ship and its various accessories respectively. Click for a larger image Various play-features are demonstrated in the insets along the bottom - we'll see them in action later - and the final inset reminds us that the set is from the LEGO Movie - if the gigantic logo on the front was too subtle. I am pleased to see that the box opens with side flaps, requiring no tearing to get inside. The Instructions The two manuals come in a cardboard-backed bag, so mine were pristine. Both are of similar thickness; their glossy covers have acres of space making the ship look a little lost. You will be delighted to find that the Win! page at the rear of book one has had a long-awaited makeover. Inside, the building steps sit against a CREATOR-style blue background with yellow edging. This and the blue and grey hues of the model itself combine to make the instructions rather dark, as best seen on the introduction page; however, I didn't encounter any colour confusion during the build. The instruction steps are nicely paced, and throughout there's the feeling that you're making progress; though some steps have you adding only one part, it's usually an important part. The rear of manual two contains the usual set inventory; click the links for pages one, two, and three. Stickers Well, we knew there would be some. The decal sheet is printed on clear plastic; the large number of white decals necessitated the use of a black background for the photo. I was disappointed to find that the Classic Space logos on the large blue tails are stickered; however, that of the 2x4 slopes is printed. Still, at least this means you could potentially use the stickers elsewhere. The rows of computer screens on the left are shout-outs to these pieces which sadly are no longer produced; centre-top is a temperature-gauge panel featuring the characters LL20791. If you need me to explain the significance of 'LL929' then go and read this! The Parts Seven polybags (officially 'pre-packs', I learned in Billund ) each build a separate module; see them all here. It is possible to build each separately, and assemble them together at the end, but there will be a few pieces left loose until you put them all together. Bag One builds the smaller ships, Emmet, Wyldstyle and the Robot Pilot: Highlights of this selection for me are the four black inverted bows, new to me but in several sets since last year; the gun with clip, which features in several Movie sets; and the Piece of Resistance, new here in (I think) pearl dark grey Flat Silver. New in blue and in a separate bag at the bottom right is Wyldstyle's hoodie piece, which we'll see later. Classic Space is represented by the 1985 droid body, the 1978 plate with handles, and the space seat bracket which first appeared in 1984. None are especially rare nowadays. The remaining modules all build the ship; I've partnered two together for speed. More space seats appear in modules two and three, which begin to show off the colour scheme of blue, greys light and dark, black and yellow. The incongruous red brick will be buried deep inside the model, you may be relieved to know. It's a fairly unremarkable selection here, but you will be pleased to see that the Classic Space logo is indeed printed on the 2x4 slope. This part never featured a logo in the original Classic Space sets; it wasn't released until 1999. Whether TLG have deliberately avoided using 2x3 slopes (which did appear with the CS logo) to prevent flooding the classic market is anyone's guess. I've also shown a close-up of the space seat pieces, and this inverted 2x8x2 double-curve which appears only in two other sets since last year. Benny and Astro Kitty first appear in bag five, shown here with bag four. The big cockpit canopy from the latest UCS X-Wing, here in trans-yellow, is hard to miss. Note that the jumper plates (centre-bottom) are the newer mold design with a lip and central stud-grip; to the right of these are four 12L flexible hoses which appear in several Movie sets. Highlights of these two modules are the trans-yellow 1x4 wall elements, found previously only in 2010's Lunar Limo; the three 1x1 plates, new in pearl gold (one is spare); and the new 2x2 corner tiles, found only in the Friends Sunshine Ranch and the Simpsons House. The printed 1x4 tile is worthy of mention. In the instructions and set inventory, the printing is shown as 'MA-XXXXXXXX', so I assume the characters are chosen at random at the time of printing, effectively making each set unique. I'll be interested to see which codes others get. There's more Classic Space appeal in bags six and seven, and I'm not talking just about the two more CS logo slopes. Two jet engines, first appearing in 1981 and last seen in 2010's Luke's Landspeeder, accompany the obligatory loudspeakers/manoeuvring thrusters which no Classic Spaceship should be without. There are more droid body parts, here used for their original purpose, and accompanied by the original droid arms, which are still in regular use today. There are even a couple of the original 2x2-2x2 brackets, here in black. The big Technic shooters are new with a yellow tip, but I don't suppose you care. The Figures From left to right: Robot Pilot, Astro Kitty, Space Wyldstyle, Benny, and Robo Emmet. I'm not sure how many of these (or at least their costumes) were in the Movie; certainly Emmet did the robot head thing later in the film, and Benny is Benny. I've only seen it the once. We'll start with the boring characters. Robot Pilot wears an 'evil-Octan' flight suit over - interestingly - a suit and tie . His head wouldn't look out of place in the Star Wars universe, though there is no alternative 'face' on the rear. Neither is there for Robo Emmet, but at least his aluminium foil head continues round the rear. Apart from the head, Emmet is very similar to his Collectable Minifigure equivalent, except with light bluish grey hands ... ... and silver printing on the feet, which continues onto the side of the legs. I can't recall whether this featured in the film. Next up, the girls (assuming Kitty is a girl; you never know!). Kitty has the pearl gold 1x1 plates as her feet; the rest of her costume resembles a blue space-suit, with its own CS logo printed - albeit badly, in my case - on the 1x3 arch. Her head is designed to look like you're seeing her face through a blue helmet, and it's reasonably successful. Space Wyldstyle is - in my opinion - the highlight of the figures. She's got a curvaceous torso, similar to her regular black outfit2, but with a Classic Space-esque motif which continues onto the legs, and round the back; best of all, she's got a spiffing hoodie which is a separate piece, and I hope we'll see more of that outside the Movie range. Note that, unlike her black outfit as it appears in the Super Cycle Chase2, she does not have a printed arm, and there is a black mark on the torso neck, suggesting she's Made in Denmark. I expect Benny will be sought-after, at least because he only appears in this and the Sea Cow - the two most expensive sets in the range. Here he is with a classic blue spaceman (Benny is at positions 1, 2, and 4 if it's not immediately obvious ): I like the way that Benny looks like an aged classic figure without being too similar - CS logos lose their gold by fading far more easily than they get scratched, and the helmet is of course a new mold. His classic smiley is slightly different to the older ones, and he has his crazy manic look on the reverse. Benny's helmet has a much thicker chinstrap than the original, itself of the 'thick chinstrap' variant; the alternative 'thin chinstrap' type was notoriously prone to cracking: hence the joke with Benny's. I seem to have both thin and thick types in my CS collection. Benny has been designed to be distinct from the generic Space figures - mostly likely to make him a unique character, rather than to prevent upsetting the market for those who stockpile classic space figures. The Build To cut down on the length of the review, I've chosen to show the build process via a series of thumbnail images, with a few larger pictures to highlight interesting techniques. Module One builds the smaller ships; you'll get to see them later, but see here and here for their unstickered versions. The instructions direct you to assemble the ship as you go, but modules one and two are built separately until the end of bag 2; I've build each module individually. I wouldn't recommend this, as it makes attaching some of the later sections a little tricky. Click each thumbnail for a larger image: The rear section forms a cross of Technic rectangles, with tiling suggesting function to come. Onto this is bolted the forward cockpit and centre section, mostly built onto aircraft fuselage bottom parts. Next come the wings and middle/bottom engine ... ... which slot into the rear cross section to produce the following mechanism: Pushing the engine in slides the wings out. Simple yet clever; we'll see what effect this produces later. Note the three pronged plates at the inboard edge of each wing - these are used to attach the big Technic guns. Now some bitty sections are added: some as sub-builds, others built directly onto the emerging ship. In the first image, you can see how the engine intakes are created as SNOT-mounted castle windows; the octagonal section at the lower right contains an intriguing trench whose walls a formed of 2x4 SNOT brackets: it too me a moment or two to work out what this was for. Image two shows the big rear engine mounts, with some SNOT panelling disguising Technic beams, and a plate with some minor greebling and two droids. Finally some smaller sub-builds complete the ship. The Classic Space logo'd flaps contain a couple of nice tecnhiques: Firstly, the prongs of the trap door piece are 'converted' to Technic size with the use of stud-pins, creating a perfect fit to the 1x4 Technic bricks. Kudos to the part designers here for their forethought! I was delighted to see how the radar dishes are attached to the 2x2-2x2 brackets using an aircraft wheel hub, which effectively acts as a stud reverser here. A brilliant use of an otherwise unremarkable part. Note also the 2x2 round tile with centre hole, here holding an inverted stud. This is also used to attach the jet engines to the blue tails in the final module; it forms a very strong attachment. There are several of this very useful part in the set. The Finished Model Spaceship, We'll start with the little ships, which are rather cute: Two identical blue/grey flyers bear a distinct Classic Space resemblance with the 3W cones attached to space seat pieces. The trans-yellow canopies are stickered to produce what I suppose is a Head-Up Display; note that the 82/28 printed display tile is mounted upside down in the '28' position, for no particular reason that I can fathom. Underneath this are blue male clicky-hinges, one on each side, which are the attachment points for these ships onto the wing pieces of the main ship. Spaceship, Next up is the diminutive enemy craft: a dinky one-man ship stickered with the space-Octan logo: I really like this. The upsloping flag panels give it a vampiric look, helped by the purposeful-looking weaponry and powerful engines. The livery is to my eye somewhere between Blacktron and Space Police, though I confess I'm not too familiar with either of those lines. The inside is roomy, and the Robot Pilot sits comfortably in what is essentially a flying cockpit with wings. SNOT brackets hold the wings in place firmly, and a special mention goes to the SNOT-mounted 1x4 bows, attached cleverly via a headlight brick and a 1x1 brick with side stud. The three ships make a nice little playset on their own: All are swooshable, making for a nice aerial battle if you have three hands. I guess the blue ships are meant for atmospheric flight, as they aren't exactly airtight (though that doesn't seem to have been a problem for TLG in the past3 ). SPACESHIP! Click for an alternative image Similar to promotional pictures and the box art, this view will be familiar to many. The frontal oblique angle tends to emphasise the sleek low-profile design, and disguise the true size of the ship, which came as a bit of a surprise to me. I do like the gentle tapering of the front, both laterally and in profile; I can live without the flick-fire missiles, but the shape would probably look a little odd without the forward outriggers they are mounted to. The nose-cone is rather reminiscent of 1981's 6929 Star Fleet Voyager4. The low-profile design is even more apparent when viewed from the front; I could imagine the ship would be very streamlined if that mattered in any way in space. Admittedly, the overall design with its sleek nose, wings, and lovely but superfluous engine air intakes looks rather more befitting an aircraft than a spacecraft: a role at which it excels in the film, as I recall. Click each thumbnail for a larger image Round the back, the three large engines have exhaust flames formed by 1x1 round tiles on stud pins; there are only four on the bottom/middle engine, as two of the stud holes are used for 3L friction pins; these can be replaced if you like to keep things consistent, with only minimal risk of the central axle sliding out. See an oblique view of the engines here. I love the way the oblique-mounted tails sit almost parallel on each side. This side view isn't especially dynamic (click the picture for a more 'action'-esque shot), but it demonstrates some important points. Firstly, the wedge-shaped profile is most apparent from this angle: the rise from the skinny nose to the bulky tail is quite dramatic, and the angle perfectly extends the rake of the cockpit canopy. Click for an alternative image Secondly, the underside sits flat on whatever surface it is placed: there is no landing gear; and not even any inverted domes to reduce scratching when it is inevitably slid along the antique dining room table. I'm disappointed by this, but not particularly surprised: this is very much an action set; however, since the model will undoubtedly appeal to casual adult fans even beyond the usual AFOL demographic, it would be nice to have some way to display it. A UCS-style stand would work, but if given a choice I'd plump for retractable landing gear, which would help to disguise those ugly Technic blocks which are all-too visible under the wings. There is, after all, plenty of room for landing gear underneath the wings, though you'd have to modify the front end somehow to make a tripod. This is the best view to appreciate the ship's overall shape: the sides slope gently at the front, with the angle becoming steeper around the centre section, until it sweeps outward around the wings, and tapering again at the rear. Does it remind you of anything?5 On the whole, the colours work well here, though some of the black is a little incongrous, particularly the flick-fire mounts at the front. I'm not so keen on the blue plate on the base of the middle engine; this is blue to ensure all the 2x8 plates in the set are the same colour. The shape is admittedly less easy to discern from the top, but you do get to see how each section of the ship bulks out progressively front to rear. Click for an alternative image This is an excellent time to comment on the stickers, which are present I think more for the Classic Space reference than because they add to the model; you can compare to the set without stickers here or here. Certainly, the 'LL929' decals are part of the set's charm, and the white stripe along the sides of the cockpit looks smart, even if it isn't completely essential. The CS logo stickers on the rear tails are a must; they look great and are easy to apply, unlike some of the others as we shall see later. You can easily swap out stickered pieces for spares as none are placed across multiple pieces. As we move toward the rear, the bulk of the rearward hull becomes apparent, and you start to get a better idea of the size of this thing: Click for an alternative image Note the manoeuvring thrusters - a prerequisite of any Classic Space vessel; though here they have the 'green-for-starboard, red-for-port' lights configuration of aircraft, real or LEGO (these days, at least). The shapely contours of the rear engine casings can be seen at the back. The gaps between the body and the wing flanges are a little unsightly - exposing the Technic bricks as they do - and not altogether necessary, since the flanges do not need to lift beyond horizontal and indeed will flap around if the ship is inverted. You can see this gap clearly in this three-quarter view, which is otherwise a lovely angle. Click for an alternative image Note the Technic clutch pieces forming what I suppose are exhausts from outrigger engines, in homage to the great 497/928, though they are diminutive next to the three enormous main thrusters. Under these are the firing triggers for the big Technic guns. Some blue slopes make for neat C-shaped contouring of the rearmost hull. Features Now we've had a good look round the outside, it's time to see what the ship can do. First up, a closer look at the nose section: Note the modern take on the Classic Space 3x6 slope. The huge, detailed logo is lacking, but the dark grey stripes and the contouring of the corner wedges do help to smarten and modernise the look. I like the way the latters' angle is continued forward, tapering to the blue nose cone. Again, the black flick-fire mounts look a little out of place; I think dark or light bluish grey would have been a better choice. Note how the cockpit canopy sits flush with the 1x3 slopes at its rear, just like in the UCS X-Wing. The big cockpit canopy can open to ninety degrees, revealing a spacious interior with seating for three, even allowing for hoodies, airtanks or pieces of resistance. There's even space for coffee cups or radios, though Benny's radio will rattle around with nowhere to clip it. Two modern printed control panels sit under red and green lights: presumably Benny has trouble remembering left from right. One of the Classic Space computer stickered panels is partly visible; this one is nicely applied, the other is wonky despite my best efforts. Here are the three humanoid protagonists in situ: Wyldstyle's seat is raised a little higher to allow for the join between aircraft fuselage bases; I think she'd choose this seat. Although Emmet can sit comfortably even wearing his Piece, his helmet prevents closing the cockpit lid fully in this position. Removing the Piece allows him to lean back slightly, solving the problem. You can see this view of the cockpit without the figures here. Behind the cockpit, we find the 2x4 SNOT bracket-lined trench which is where, of course, Astro Kitty sits, as I'm sure you've figured. I hope her costume is indeed a spacesuit, as she's open to vacuum here. She has another control panel, this time in '82' configuration, but no way to use it unless her whiskers are more than just sensory. She doesn't actually attach to the yellow round brick, so the droid body behind acts as a kind of latch to stop her falling out. Pulling the black bush-pins behind ... ... allows the octagonal section to separate entirely, creating a little flying saucer for Kitty. It isn't clear whether this is a deliberate feature, and the black pins aren't easy to pull out, but it's kinda cool to have a section that separates. Kitty's flying saucer is heavily armed with those spring lasers. I'm sure kids think they're awesome, but I hate them, and their placement on this model - in the place you find most natural to put your thumb if picking the ship up with one hand - will ensure they soon disappear behind the furniture. No wonder the set comes with a spare. It is certainly intended for the saucer to hinge - lifting it reveals another compartment: Here Emmet and Wyldstyle can sit and do important things, not excluding drinking coffee, though the computer panels suggest these things should include work. It isn't quite possible to close the lid with them sitting there, unless you remove hoodies and Pieces and whatnot. See the section without figures here. Note the 'LATCH' stickers flanking the saucer. The irony? It doesn't latch. I would guess this area is the engineering bay, as the forward area contains tools, and at the rear is a stickered window looking at a dalek brick (1x1 with studs on all sides) with a yellow gem in each face. I presume this is meant to be a power source, dilithium crystal or whatever. It's a nice touch which would be a whole lot easier to see were it not for the damn sticker. It's a nice decal, but it decided it would immediately attach itself at a kooky angle, and removing it to reposition left half of the adhesive behind. And this is why I HATE STICKERS. A note on the black and yellow parts visible in this and the previous shot. There's a lot of black and yellow in the set, referring to the bumblebee stripes of the original Blue Era CS sets, but it is used more as filler rather than decoration. Perhaps that's a good thing, but I for one wouldn't be averse to a little more black and yellow striping on the ship. Progressing towards the stern, we encounter the radar dish which till now I've left in the 'down' position. It lifts in a manner reminiscent of the rear radar of the great 6980 Galaxy Commander4, except this one rotates too. Underneath are two little droids very much in the style of the 1980s robots which first appeared around 1985: I presume these are repair droids, judging by how they are stowed away, but I guess they could be multi-purpose. Another thoughtful and unexpected touch. Now we come to the flagship feature of the set: the extending wings. Pushing the centre/bottom engine in extends both wings outward in a single, smooth, easy movement: Click for a larger image This pushes the big Technic guns into their 'ready to fire' position. It sounds a little lame, but it's really rather effective, and fun; also, it greatly increases the wingspan, particularly if ... ... you attach the little blue/grey ships to the wingtips: Note how one wing folds to allow the little craft to dock; if the other wing remains extended, it perfectly continues the taper of the wing. A beautiful feature. As I was saying, with the smaller craft attached and the wings extended, the wingspan is very impressive: As, indeed, is this ship as a whole. ... But is it Classic Space? Well of course it isn't, you silly, it's a LEGO Movie set. Still, you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise, even allowing for the clash of old and new and grey, and even though the ideal comparator - the iconic 928 itself - isn't shown here. (My restored Classic Space sets are packed away, and you can't dismantle and rebuild these old sets willy-nilly without cracking a few parts on the way). Benny's spaceship is a homage to the original: it is rather more a modern take on the old classics; perhaps what TLG would have produced today had the Blue Era line miraculously continued to the present. Call it Neo-Classic Space; with the LEGO Ideas (formerly CUUSOO) Exo-Suit coming later this year I do hope for a bit of a Classic Space revival. Conclusion Even without the nostalgia, this is a cool ship. It is sleek, streamlined, yet sturdy; there is just the right balance between functionality and greebling; it is fun for play and great for display. Add in the Classic Space charm and the set hits another dimension of awesome. There are things the designer might have done differently: the ship could have been built with an opening rear, like 497/928, or with separating sections, like 6980; however, I think they were wise to keep the set different enough to prevent it being branded a re-hash of an old classic. I would like to have seen landing gear, or other ground-based activity, which was one of the charms of the old range; this is very much a model for swooshing. But it's still pretty awesome. Of course, I'm writing from the perspective of an AFOL who fondly remembers the originals, and my definition of cool might not match that of the set's target demographic, or even younger AFOLs to whom Spyrius was perhaps the epitome of awesome. Because, let's face it, the model wasn't included in the Movie, and subsequently made into a set, just for us die-hard AFOLs; it is there to appeal to that other mysterious - and much larger - group of people: those who had LEGO as a kid, but no longer routinely collect or build LEGO, but who just happen to be the right age to be taking their kids to the cinema. Design & Build 9 She's a beautiful and cleverly-designed ship, and an engaging and enjoyable build; a point is lost only for the lack of landing gear. Parts 7 There are a heap of big parts with limited uses, so you'd be unlikely to buy the set as a parts pack unless you're building Neo-Classic Space. Figures 9 Four of the figures are exclusive to this set, and Benny is only available otherwise in the pricier Sea Cow; you've got to love Wyldstyle's outfit. I'm not sure quite how collectable the figures are, though. Playability 9 Opening hatches, detachable ships, a rather one-sided battle with a dinky black ship, shooty things and extendable wings - the set is a load of fun. If I have one concern it's that the ship might be a little too large for small hands to handle easily, but I'm sure TLG have tested for this! Value 8 It's a little hard for me to judge as I don't yet know the UK price, but based on US $100 the value doesn't look so great part for cent. However, you do get and awesome ship and a bunch of exclusive figures. Overall 84% My Score 9/10 For me, this set is the highlight of the LEGO Movie range. If you're a TLM aficionado, or a Space fan, or you like anything that flies, or you just want a cheaper Benny, then this set is a must. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the review. Please leave a comment! Rufus References & Acknowledgements More pictures on my flick r album Photo credits: [1] Rocket Brick at Marutan.net with some great Classic Space resources [2] Picture and Link to Clone O'Patra's 70808 Super Cycle Chase Review [3] Greg Hyland's comics at FBTB [4] Star Fleet Voyager and Galaxy Commander pictures from 1000steine via Brickset [5] Classic Space Logo slope by drdavewatford at Gimme Lego Thanks to KimT for the prize, CopMike and Bonaparte for the Event organisation See other The LEGO Movie reviews here

The ice cream truck in the 70804 The LEGO Movie set was way too tall for my liking, so I decided to modify it to better (better, it's still pretty big for an ice cream van) fit the typical LEGO City scale. I kept all the original design elements, but got rid of the dark grey car base. Using only pieces from the set itself, I came up with this alternative model: LDD file is attached (I didn't bother with the big cone on the roof ). 70804 Ice Cream Van.lxf

Can anyone provide me with a complete list of all of the Master Builders in The LEGO Movie? Thanks in advance! EDIT: Here's a WIP list...

The LEGO Movie Press Kit. Those words send collectors running. When I heard that I was getting one I was ecstatic, I was also hoping Benny was in it. I also wasn't sure what to expect, this set wasn't well documented, but I knew it would be something good. A HUGE thank you to LEGO for sending me this set. (And 30280, 30281, and 30282) I am very privileged to have gotten to review these sets. Set Information: Name: The LEGO Movie Press Kit Set Number: N/A Pieces: 168 Price: N/A Ages: N/A Minifigures: 9 Theme: The LEGO Movie Year of Release: 2014 Brickset Flickr Set Box: I was sent The LEGO Movie Press Kit, I wasn't sure what was going to be in it, but this is what was in it! Read the other reviews: 30280, 30281, and 30282. While box is technically correct, it is really a tin. Which is unusual as I do not believe that LEGO has packaged a set in a tin before. Surprisingly, this set has some information on it, part count, name, and age suggestion. The image is The LEGO Movie's main poster, which seems fitting. The back is covered in warnings, as well as the first poster we got for The LEGO Movie, showing Emmet. One of the sides of the sleeve shows Batman, Benny, Good/Bad Cop, Metal Beard, and Unikitty. As well as their names and the actors names that voice them. The other side is the same, however it lists, Emmet, Wyld Style, Vitruvius, and President Business. The lid of the tin has a sticker on it, with the LEGO logo and The LEGO Movie logo. Contents: Inside there is the bag of parts, the instruction manual, and the piece of cardboard for the background. The front shows The LEGO Movie logo on a stage screen with the curtain pulled back. This side shows the curtain closed if you want to display it that way. The pile of parts! The bag was quite full. Manual: The front of the manual has a very roughly rendered image of the set. If you notice Wyld Style doesn't have her hair print, but Wonder Woman has her decoration... The instructions for the set are presented on a blue brick background, which is quite pleasing and simple. Someone would ask for this eventually, so here is the part page! The back just has the blue brick background and the LEGO logo. Minifigures: Since there are nine minifigures in this set, we shall go though them by the row they are sitting in. First up we have, Wyld Style, Emmet, and Batman. My bag was open and my Wyld Style hood was missing. (Kim if you're reading this, could I get another?) But it almost works better this way, she can sit in her chair better. I am still fond of Wyld Style's hoodie, it just looks good. All three figures have back print, which is a bit unusual for minifigures. You notice Emmet's alternate expression here. With their headgear removed, you can see their alternate expressions. Emmet is really freaking out. Next is Good/Bad Cop, President Business, and Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman is exactly the same as her LEGO set self. Bad Cop's badge has the same logo as the bots from the movie. President Business is a fun minifigure, I quite like his very blocky hair. Wonder Woman and Bad Cop have back print. Bad cop is a rather rare figure, and his helmet is a new mold. President Business has his robot head for his alternate expression. Vitruvius, Ice Cream Jo, and the Gallant Guard. I was very excited to get Vitruvius, he's a very pivotal character in the movie. The others I wasn't super interested in but would come to like. Ice Cream Jo, and the Gallant Guard have fitting back print. Vitruvius' hair is very complex. Only Vitruvius has an alternate expression, a rather sad one too. His tye-dye t-shirt is neat too. The Build: Four steps in and you've only just started on building the base. A few steps later the first row is taking shape. Midway through, the theater is taking shape. More of the layers for the chairs are added. Each minifigure had it's own instruction page, then you added them. Finished Model: I think this model is meant to be viewed with all of the minifigures on it. Otherwise, it's just a bunch of generic parts. The fun thing with this model is that there was a promotional stand where you could put your face in a hole and be "in" the scene. Wonder Woman doesn't fit in her chair quite right. The simple way LEGO built the background in, is quite good. I would like to see more of this and less stickered parts. Vitruvius' hair fits nicely over the chair so he can sit! Conclusion: This set is an interesting conundrum. It wasn't available to the public so I think it is a must like set for me. That said, it isn't all that bad as a minifigure pack. I really like that LEGO didn't use a sticker for the background. As a promotional item, it does its job well. A bunch of minifigures from the movie, and the logo prominently displayed. Ratings: Playability: 0/10 No play value at all in this. Unless you just like minifigures. Design: 8/10 I'm giving this a rather high rating as I really like the use of the cardboard piece. Price: 0/10 Price isn't applicable here. Minifigures: 10/10 The sheer number of figures that are in this set is great, several of them are rather rare too. Parts: 5/10 Nothing super special in this set. Total: 23/50 30 Again big thanks to LEGO for making this review possible! You can read the other reviews: 30280, 30281, and 30282 Like this review? Want to learn how to make good reviews? Then join the Reviewers Academy! ,

Autobots vs Decepticons! Obama declares war on Clone Brands! George Clooney head explodes! Bane breaks Batmans back. Aquaman tackles a shark. All of this is just.. Awesome! A LEGO music video of the Everything is Awesome song from The LEGO Movie. Just a quick little test on some new features in preparation of the next Justice League movie. [media] [/media]

I was rather interested in this polybag. Polybag availability can be iffy anywhere so I wasn't sure if I could get it. When I found it in my box I was quite excited to have it! Set Information: Name: Super Secret Police Enforcer Set Number: 30282 Pieces: 40 Price: $4.99 Ages: 6-12 Minifigs: 1 Theme: The LEGO Movie Year of Release: 2014 Bricklink Brickset Flickr Set Baggy: There's not much on the front of this bag, nice and neat. The speeder, for lack of a better word, is placed on a rather neutral background, I think it's a construction site. The back has the usual translations and warnings. Contents: Five extra parts. I wonder why LEGO chose the trans-black visor... Manual: The manual is a very nice blue and yellow setup, it reminds me of the construction sets. There are six steps on this page, and you've mostly finished the build. Four more steps on this page, along with two sub-assemblies. There's also a large ad for several other The LEGO Movie sets. Minifigure: While I really like the uni-eyed robot, this guy is growing on me. His helmet only comes in one other set, and this is a much cheaper way to get it. The torso is nicely detailed with a great badge that matches his helmet logo, and his knee-pads and pockets on his legs are great. On his back he has a radio with a wire going to his helmet. I guess what I don't like about this guy is that his head is a "v" shape, just not my style. This gun is great! I thought the stock would be longer, and I'm not sure if I like the clip on the top, but I think I can ignore it. Finished Model: No build pictures with this model as I showed you the manual. This is a very compact, fun little craft. The lines are great, and the angles flow well. Good work LEGO. While simple, this speeder is quite spectacular. The simple lines, flowing curves, and over all great shape lend this to be a great model. I noticed on the bag that LEGO intends for there to be three thrusters on this model, though only two have trans pieces to represent that. The back is not really for viewing, plus you won't see it when you're swooshing it. Conclusion: This is one of my favorite polybags that I've gotten in a long time. It's very, very fun to swoosh around the house. Like I said, the minifigure has grown on me as I've written this review, he looks better with his helmet on for sure. While the build is simple, and there are no great parts, it all goes together to make a great, fun little set. Good work LEGO. (Now to find out who designed it.) Ratings: Playability: 8/10 There's not a lot beyond swooshing it around. Yes I do love swooshing stuff that much. Design: 8/10 I think LEGO probably could have squeezed in a flick missile, but I like where the set is now. Price: 9/10 Not the best PPP ratio, but the design for such a small number of parts is great. Minifigures: 8/10 He's got a rather rare helmet. Parts: 6/10 Nothing new or spectacular in this set. Total: 39/50 How he drives in a straight line with only one hand on steering is beyond me. Like this review? Want to learn how to make good reviews? Then join the Reviewers Academy!

When I first heard of this set, I wasn't at all interested. Small polybag, with Emmet and a rock? Not really interesting. I was planning on getting the Cloud Cuckoo set, so Emmet wasn't a draw for me. This set was in my package of sets including The LEGO Movie Press Kit. So I can't argue with that! Let's see how the set is. Set Information: Name: The Piece Of Resistance Set Number: 30280 Pieces: 33 Price: S@H Promotion Ages: 6-12 Minifigs: 1 Theme: The LEGO Movie Year of Release: 2014 Bricklink Brickset Flickr Set Baggy: I really like the layout of The LEGO Movie set art. We have The LEGO Movie logo in the upper right corner as well as some movie frames showing numbers. This is the European bag, and it doesn't have any age or part counts on the front. The back is full of the usual stuff, warnings in every language, and The LEGO Movie translated too. Contents: Here are the extra pieces. Rather boring, but not bad for a polybag. Manual: The manual has five, six if you want to count the instructions for Emmet, steps on this page. The blue and yellow printing seems fitting since this set is based in a construction site. On the back are four more steps, as well as a warning not to launch the rock bit at anyone head, though how you would do that I don't know. The other half of the manual is taken up by an ad for three of The LEGO Movie sets. Minifigure: Emmet is the same as each other Emmet made. While it is a generic construction worker design, after having seen the movie, it's much more special to me. I love his badge with his name on it, as well as his rather classic exp<b></b>ression. From the back you can really see the new hair mold well, the Piece of Resistance blocks up a lot of the printing on his back too. His alternate expression is nice, I love having new faces, as it gives me more choices in scared heads. The back print on Emmet is some reflective silver bits. Finished Model: The completed set. It's really simple and took me less than five minutes to build. Though I do like the combination of colors and slopes which make for an interesting look overall. It's really just a rock, though the 1x1 plates in trans-yellow do break up the monotony. LEGO has done a rather good job with their sloping in making an interesting shape. And the other side, this little bit is all functionally. Functions: The main feature of this set is "finding" the Piece of Resistance. By pushing this piece here. The rock piece goes flying. It actually launches fairly far, this is how far it went. I didn't push that hard, if you push harder it would probably go farther. Conclusion: This neat little polybag isn't terrible. Sure it just includes Emmet and a rock bit, but I could see some young boys wanting a cheap set with Emmet and the Piece of Resistance. I believe that this set is all about the functionally of "finding" the Piece. Which is a good idea, since this is a big moment in the film and not at all represented in the film. Overall I like, it. Not the best polybag I own, but not bad either. Ratings: Playability: 5/10 This set is all about the function of "finding" the Piece of Resistance. It's not a terrible function, but this throwing design has been done before. Design: 7/10 I like the color combination and the angles that the slopes make. Price: 7/10 I can see this set retailing for about $4, which isn't a bad price. I can see kids buying this just so they have Emmet. Minifigures: 6/10 It's just Emmet. He's generic but designed well, and I rather like him after see the movie. Parts: 8/10 Nothing to interesting, I do like the slopes that were included. More slopes are always nice, especially when I'm doing rock work. Total: 33/50 It works quite nicely as a Emmet flinger too. See my review of The LEGO Movie Press Kit here, as well as links to my reviews of the other LEGO Movie polybags! Like this review? Want to learn how to make good reviews? Then join the Reviewers Academy!

I haven't watched this awesome movie yet, but I am going to do so tomorrow. Here is my entry to the recent THE LEGO MOVIE competition in Hong Kong, organized by HKLUG, Warner Bros. HK, LEGO HK Ltd, HK The Grand Cinema Based on scenes from the trailer and with the Melting Room set, I created this 32X32 vignette as my entry. Emmet was arrested by Lord Business' police force and was sent to the melting chamber to destroy the Piece of Resistance. Wyldstyle came to rescue Emmet from the laser beam and the Robot SWAT. As one of the winners, I get the movie tickets and display at The Grand Cinema !!! Hope you like my MOC and enjoy the movie !

Another mech battle, and one of two big sets in the LEGO Movie January wave. That's right, I'm finally up to… Set Title: Rescue Reinforcements Set #: 70813 Theme: The LEGO Movie Pieces: 859 Minifigures: 5 Year of Release: 2014 Price at Release: USD 70 Just browse the pictures? Flickr set INTRODUCTION I already did my little discussion of how I'm not a huge mech fan in my MetalBeard's Duel review. To repeat it again here would be extraneous. Besides for certain ones of the minifigures, which looked super-cool, this set wasn't particularly ringing my excitement bells. It seemed far outstripped by the Lair in the same price range (a set which I really love now, having built it). So how does this set stack up in the LEGO? Let us delve one last time into LEGO Movie review land and find out! BOX The box is large though not excessively so, as to be expected. It's the same size as the Lair's box. It makes you think that it's another 2-in-1 set, but it's not. Only the four USD 30 sets have two sets of instructions. In Creative Ambush and this one, building the alt models will be left up to you if you care to do so. There aren't a ton of play features in this set, and the box doesn't even show them all (since I think twisting the know to make the water gun go round would count as a play feature). The box shows how this set comes with a secret code (that I've blurred out of all my pictures) that will get you something in the video game, just like the code in the High Speed Chase City set got you something in Grand Theft LEGO. I doubt you will be quite as excited as Emmet when you use this code, though. To me, the minifigures alone certainly make this set enticing. Blacktron and Fabuland Fan torsos? How ridiculously wonderful! Hank Haystack looks cool too. CONTENTS This one's got seven numbered bags (all of which may or may not be present in this picture…), two loose fire hose strings, a DSS and three instruction booklets. Plenty of non-grey here, hooray! Sorry I'm not sorry that's always how I judge sets when I spill them out (although Arkham Asylum is wonderful, ok… grey can be fine). The DSS here is not so bad - I imagine the barn stickers could actually be pretty useful, even though splitting up "tresspassin'" in the middle might be hard to incorporate somewhere. The fire stickers are fairly standard affairs, though the warning sign stickers are nice. Why did I include the fire hoses in this shot? No idea… Three instruction booklets, the second of which is a smaller size. It's particularly nice with a big set with numbered bags that there are different instruction manuals for the three different builds (1 is the Fire Mech, 2 is the Micromanager, 3 is the flying barn). You could easily get three family members building at once for some lovely family bonding time, although the different builds may take different amounts of time. As a singular builder, I was surprised that the fire mech was the first thing to build. The Micromanager was first in all the other sets, and I always expect the biggest build to come last. It makes no difference whatsoever, but it breaks a pattern in build order that I thought I had noticed. Lots of sub-assemblies in the fire mech for lots of articulation! MINIFIGURES As expected, the Blacktron and Fabuland fans are terrific! Better yet, they have adolescent faces with too much excitement, braces, and freckles (or acne?)! Hank is a nice farmer figure too, and this is one of just two sets to have the new tactical vest. Plus another Robo SWAT for your Robo SWAT force. The only slightly less exciting figure is the firefighter. It's a great set of prints, but nothing special since it comes in a whole bunch of fire sets. Everybody has backprinting, and the kids have funny scared faces. Somebody commented on the Flying Flusher review that the plumbers could of used some butt printing for a plumber's crack, and well… Hank has got some butt printing! I actually did not notice that until I looked at this picture again. That's hilarious! (I guess we've learned minifigures' behinds are quite high up.) ANIMALS This set includes two lovely animals that are also quite rare. This is the third set to include the white printed chicken (the others being the Kingdoms Mill Village Raid and a new Friends stables set), and just the second to have the dirty-print pig! Even the clean pig only comes in four sets so far, so pigs are a rare commodity. I guess minifigures don't eat a lot of bacon, although I suppose even if they did it would come printed on a tile and they wouldn't needed pigs. EXTRA BITS Lots of nice extras here taken at an unhelpful angle that makes them hard to see! Plenty of extra cheese in different colors, plus an extra carrot-top and an entire extra fire hose, in case you wanted one. SET - FIRE MECH It feels strange to start with the mech, but I usually go in build-order for whatever reason, so here it is! I honestly did not expect to like this thing, but in actuality I do! The colors are on point and work together, the details are nice without being overdone or messy, and just overall it feels like it should be a Transformer and pulls off that look well. The mech is pretty squat and chunky, since the cockpit keeps the proportions of the cab of a LEGO fire truck for the most part. I like that the designer went for symmetry on the model - it makes the design look really put together. The designer easily could've gone an 'everything stuck any place' route, but the symmetry keeps it focused and pleasant. I also absolutely love the yellow cheese 'toes.' Maybe these were done practically for balance, but they're quite funny and cute! Only a few details differ on each side, since the 'hand' parts necessarily have to be different builds anyway. Here are looks from both sides. The back oddly has a rollcage door on the cab which is then covered by the ladder, so it can't open. I guess it's there just because LEGO usually uses that piece on fire trucks? It's a nice part and detail anyway. The back of the feet are kind of strange, but I like getting all of those parts in those particular colors, so I can't complain. One odd design feature is that there are hoses connected from the legs to the cab, a feature which will come into play in a moment. The cab is roomy, and has what you expect… a steering wheel. It would be even cooler with room for two firefighters (Pacific Rim style?), but you could MOD it that way. One seat in the middle is in keeping with LEGO's typical City designs. The one let down of the mech is the pose-ability. The legs don't have much range of movement, and even though the cab is on swivel parts, since there are those tubes connected it to the legs that I mentioned, it can barely turn! Of course you could just take those off, but it's a pretty big design flaw in my opinion. The arms can pose pretty well, though, so that's a plus. Overall this guy kind of reminds me of a sumo wrestler - squat and bulky. I like it, even though the legs and cab movement are impeded. SET - MICROMANGER This is the second tall chicken leg Micromanager, and it's very similar to the one in MetalBeard's Duel. The legs are identical besides for one parts detail difference. This one looks better than the MetalBeard one, though, since the sides get properly covered and don't look messy. This one also has a third arm with a gun. Even though it's the over-used AQ gun, at least it hasn't come in black much yet (only in the CMF line and some 2014 Chima sets), so I'll accept it. And it actually works in this situation. With two grabby arms and a gun, this Micromanager looks like it's ready to run around and do some proper damage. This might be the only Micromanager with a plain, single-unadorned-plate back! Not a problem, though. The function on this one is that the sides flip up to reveal some flick-fires. Extra flick ammo is included inside, which honestly seems like more of a detail than something useful, since I don't know how many people will be pulling out the flick-refill after discharging the first one. Even kids. Unlike the flying small Micromanager with flip-up wings, where the flipped-up mode looked cool, this one looks rather silly. I prefer it with the sides down (I'm not going to be flick-firing anything any time soon anyhow). SET - FLYING BARN I'm pretty partial to this flying barn as well. Unlike Creative Reinforcements, where I thought the plane looked too messy, this barn-copter has a well-balanced color scheme and general look that I can get behind. Perhaps it's because it still quite resembles a barn, just with some helicopter attachments, whereas the bi-plane was a bi-plane and not much of a saloon (which makes good sense, I just didn't like it). One aspect/detail I totally love here is the pilot controls. It's nothing so interesting, I guess, but the simpe combination looks wonderful as helicopter controls. They also make use of the new clip with rod-input piece, so that's nice since it's a great piece. The chicken lookout is also hilarious. The telescope piece is fairly rare in light bley, so that's nice to get. I'm not sure why there would be a pig on the tail, but who cares!? You get a pig! I also can't explain the reason to have a carrot strung up. EDIT: I've been informed in comments below that the pig is on a treadmill to power the tail rotors, and the carrot is what makes it keep walking! Hilarious! END EDIT Of course, two tail rotors is once again a head-scratcher when one considers real-world copters, but since this is a crazy contraption already I don't care much. It was worse in the Wolverine Chopper Showdown where the heli was somewhat 'realistic.' The wind-mill top rotor is quite nice too. I've never put down so many vertical clip pieces all at once (16 in one step). There are a couple of play features included (besides flick-fires and spinning rotors). First is this barrel attached on chains carrying apples. You can manually tip it over to drop some apple bombs (which sounds too much like "apple-bottom jeans" to me, and then reminds me of a certain song that involves those and boots with fur. Now it's stuck in my head ). The play feature works well though! On the other side are doors which open up to reveal a sliding thing with a hole in it for carrots. Pull it out far enough, and the carrots wil drop as carrot bombs! This is plenty of fun too. COMPLETE SET and CONCLUSION I like when this happens - I go into a set thinking I won't like it, and then it turns out to be great! This set has a lot going for it - good-looking models, some unique minifigures with terrific prints, some good parts, and plenty of fun to be had. That said, would I personally buy this? As a person with a tight budget, I can't say I would. The Evil Lair set is unquestionably more enticing since it comes with some key characters for the film and is the only way to get them, and I'm a bigger fan of location-sets than mech sets. There are also so many smaller sets in this line that would come first in buy-order, like the Super Cycle Chase (which already is not a cheap set), some of the USD 30 sets, the Cloud Cuckoo Palace, and the Getaway Glider. Honestly I'll say that if I hadn't received this set to review, I don't think it ever would've ended up in my collection. However, if I had a bigger LEGO budget, I would pick this one up now that I've built it (and not just brickling the Fabuland and Blacktron fan figures). I never would've known I'd want it just looking at the pictures, but having it in front of me, there's a lot ot like. It's a fun big mech and a nice barn with great figures, and when all is said and done it does feel like it's worth the money. Well, that wraps up my LEGO Movie reviews! I hope they've been enlightening when they needed to be, and I hope you've enjoyed them! I've certainly enjoyed bringing them to you. Coming up, look out for a wave overview with pictures of all the sets and group pictures like all of the Robo SWAT, all of the Micromanagers, etc. Coming… sometime! CloneyO out, for now.

No line is complete these days without a mech set, right? Superheroes, Ninjago, Chima, Galaxy Squad… the list goes on. Here's one of two The LEGO Movie January mech battle sets: Set Title: MetalBeard's Duel Set #: 70807 Theme: The LEGO Movie Pieces: 412 Minifigures: 3 and one third Year of Release: 2014 Price at release: USD 35 Just browse the pictures? Flickr set INTRODUCTION Mechs aren't really my thing, but LEGO definitely knows how to make them look exciting. The little Ninjago Fire Mech made me want to buy it just for the mech, and it looks fantastic. But bigger mechs don't usually do much for me. I only ever got a few small Exo-Force sets, but nothing bigger. MetalBeard is interesting of course because he is a mech, but he's still a bigger-size mech and didn't interest me. Let's see if building him changed my mind. BOX A couple mechs battling and minifigures running around fill the box. Or, rather, it's more like MetalBeard is holding the Micromanager at arm's length and toying with it. Not much of a duel if you ask me. Somehow MetalBeard always knows where the Robo Skellie is, since he's discharging a cannon straight up as the Skellie jumps at him. The back also highlights things like the sausage and bone MetalBeard keeps in his chest (which I think I actually forgot to photograph… oops). Sorry, Robo Skellie is actually Skeletron - another '80s space theme that never was along with Executron. The other figures aren't the most exciting necessarily; you'd have to want the mech to want the set, I'd say. INSTRUCTIONS Since the box is square, and the instructions are also square, they have almost the exact same art. The instructions show just a little bit more, I suppose. Since I haven't mentioned it before in any of these reviews - see the little blue arrow symbol showing you to flip the thing around in step 8? There are SO MANY OF THOSE in these sets. Maybe it's just because I've never built 13 sets so close together before, but these sets have you flip things over and around like crazy in the builds. Maybe this is necessary, but sometimes I felt it was extranneous and I could've figured out what to add without flipping the assembly around. MINIFIGURES These minifigures are actually pretty cool. This is the first ever bley skeleton, so that should definitely come in handy to people. As I've been saying, the Robo SWAT are always excellent, and this one gives you another printed helmet (though the printed cap in the Melting Room is cooler). MetalBeard has a nice piratey face, with a lovely new pirate hat print that's very nice and LEGO-y. Finally, Frank the Foreman might not be so exciting, but he's got nice new multi-purpose torso and leg prints, and a nice new face to boot (he looks like he could be Garbage Man Grant's twin to me). The two regular figures have good back printing. Here's a more complete look at MetalBeard's face as well - a nice addition to eye-patch pirates if you ask me. COOL BITS and EXTRA PARTS I should've included the sausage in this, since sausages are cool, but I frogot. Anyways, this set has the new shark mould that is very similar to the old one. The only differences are the gils on the side and the fact that it more universally attaches to studs on the bottom; the old one has an awkward 1x2 space to attach, whereas this one can be stuck down in the middle of a big plate if you like. The binoculars are new (I believe) in gold, and the wind-up thing is rare to see in sets. You get two of these cool bits as extras too! No extra shark sadly… surprise! Other nice extras are the pistol, skellie parts, and printed key-hole tile. (Did I mention there are no stickers in this set? Well there aren't any stickers!) SET - MICROMANAGER This is one of two bigger Micromanagers. It definitely has a different type of appeal - the others are cutesy, whereas this one looks silly because of its tal spindly legs. It's kind of like an AT-ST with a box as its head. The sides are pretty ugly unfortunately since they have fold-down flick-fires and also have to be designed for the top to fold open. This leaves them looking messy. The back has another mysterious attachment point to attach to nothing. Maybe eventually LEGO will tell us these have some use? As I mentioned, flick-fires fold down for your enjoyment. These are actually usable since they're out in the open, giving you plenty of room to manuver your flicking-finger of choice behind them. I tend to use my left pinky. #jokes This is the only Micromanager with room inside for a pilot, which seems to me like LEGO's desicion to give a Tank Droid, Droid Gunship, or Vulture Droid a pilot. Aren't these things robots themselves with their own robot brains? Maybe this is just a passenger seat for when the Robo SWAT gets tired, or something. This thing isn't super-duper pose-able, but it can pose well enough. The hand design, also used on a few other Micromanagers, works superbly for holding minifigures since the horn pieces are made out of a bendy material (and have been for a while, though they originally were regular hard LEGO). SET - METALBEARD Here he is, the name of the set, MetalBeard! I think opinions will be split over this guy. Some people will love the crazy look, but I'm more in an 'ugly mess' camp. The concept is cool, but in real life his colors are muted overall and it just looks ugly to me. He's also a lot smaller than I expected. He's bulky, but pretty short and doesn't feel 'big' overall. Even though I don't dig the overall look, there are some good parts in there nonetheless, like the new 1x2 slop in dark brown, the dark orange pieces, 2x2 jumper plates in dark red, more gold, just to name a few. There's actually a single dark orange cheese grater piece on one leg (which you can see a bit in this picture), which I believe is exclusive to this set (but will probably pop up in others since I can't see why LEGO would cast it in that color just for this set. MetalBeard can carry his big sword attached to his back, and has a swinging ancor on one leg (it swings freely do to friction-less pins). Besides that, not much detail on the back. Keen-eyed observers might have noticed a black clip under the gold flag on MetalBeard's flagpole. That's an extra piece and not supposed to be there, but the pole and flag don't have enough friction to keep the flag up by itself. At least on mine, the flag falls down the pole without that clip there. That's what I'd call an NNPU - not nice parts usage. The ice cream for smoke (because MetalBeard has an engine?) is an NPU though, and it's nice to see this NPU in a set since I've been seeing it in MOCs for quite a while. It brings it out to more people, like kids, who might not have thought of that before. The hand doesn't have an attachment point for the sword, but MetalBeard can still hold it fairly well. Sadly, and this is why I don't love mechs, MetalBeard can't pose all that well. What's the point of a mech if you can't actually pose it? Is it fun for kids to just hold a mech in each hand and smash them against each other? Ok maybe, but still I'd rather be able to pose my mechs as an AFOL. This is the 'most interesting' thing I could come up with without him toppling over. MetalBeard can nicely turn 360 degrees at his torso, but the peg leg seriously impedes leg posing. COMPLETE SET and CONCLUSION I can't say I like this set much. I tried to keep an open mind despite not loving bigger mechs, but MetalBeard feels dull and ugly and this is probably the worst Micromanagers due to messy-looking sides. I actually like MetalBeard a lot more in these pictures than I like him in real life - under nice lighting his colors kind of pop, but in real life under every-day kind of light he's pretty drab. Dark orange and dark red are nice colors, but when mixed with mostly dark colors like dark grey, dark brown, and black they kind of fall flat (I liked dark orange far more back in the Orient Expedition Scorpion Palace, which used a lot of white, for example). Parts-wise, I suppose this set is pretty good. Plenty of interesting parts, and plenty of parts in general for the price. The minifigures are also pretty good and useful. If you're somebody who likes to part out sets and can use the minifigures, this is a decent buy, but I'd say for everybody else it's underwhelming unless you personally really like the look of MetalBeard. I, on the other hand, would recommend any of the five (slightly cheaper) USD 30 sets over this in a heartbeat. Only one more review left: Rescue Reinforcements. Also a mech set, but (review spoiler alert) that one actually had me pleasantly surprised. Coming soon!

It's a colorful explosion, the likes of which are rarely seen in a LEGO set. I'm talking about… Set Title: Cloud Cuckoo Palace Set #: 70803 Theme: The LEGO Movie Pieces: 197 Minifigures: 3 + two creatures Year of Release: 2014 Price at Release: USD 20 Just browse the pictures? Flickr set INTRODUCTION This set always looked like a must-buy. Crazy bright colors, crazy cute colors, and the main characters (with Wyldstyle's hair, unlike the Melting Room) in a cheap set? I'm sold. So how does it stack up in person? Let's find out! BOX Not even Friends sets have this many colors. This box is a burst of bright, cheerfulness. It might hurt some people's eyes, but it makes mine very happy. The back of the box doesn't show much of anything different from the front. You either want the pretty colors or you don't. If you couldn't tell, the set comes with Unikitty, Emmet, Wyldstyle, and a suave-looking robot named Executron. His name sounds like an old Space theme. CONTENTS Oh my, the colors! Already this looks like a lot of fun. The front of the instructions show more of the beautiful bright art for this set. My instructions had a printing error in them - bunch of parts on top of the pink arch disappear for a while, and then come back. Not a huge issue, but it doesn't happen that often that instructions have errors so it's always interesting to note. MINIFIGURES To some the minifigures in this set might not seem all that exciting, since it's just Emmet and Wyldstyle again and they come in other sets. This is the cheapest set in which to get Wyldstyle's hair (not counting the collectible series), so that's cool, and Emmet has an exclusive head that I'll discuss more below. The Executron looks pretty cool and snappy too. This Emmet has his own scared expression, and Wyldstyle has her reverse angry face. I really wish Wyldstyle had also gotten a different pair of expressions in at least one set, but oh well. Hers are good as they are anyway. In this set Emmet has some type of tracking device on his leg symbolized by a red stud. Wyldstyle's hood is nice as always. Exectron sadly has no back printing, but he's in a simple suit and doesn't really need any. Here's this Emmet on the left compared with the Emmet that comes in all the other sets. The happy expression in this set is so much better. I really don't like the eyebrows on the other happy face, and this one just seems so much more pleasant. I much prefer the scared Cloud Cuckoo variant as well. The more common one is silly and all, but the Cloud Cuckoo one feels much less annoying and seems reasonable. I could see using it in a variety of MOCs, whereas the regular one will almost always make a MOC funny. Unikitty and the snail are excellent, cute creatures. Unikitty gives off very whacky vibes, and the snail is just plain cute. Unikitty is basically a 2D creature so she looks the same from the other side just without a face. The snail gets some green stripes on his back, making his look more interesting. EXTRA PARTS The extra parts are great in this set, since there are a bunch of small bits in unusual colors, and having more of those never hurts! You even get an extra printed eye-piece. SET First up is this little catapult to launch pretty transluscent flowers. It makes use of a yellow life preserve (actually with the same construction as the "scope" on the Flying Flusher plane), and fires pretty well. Here's the palace! Sure it's really just a wall, but what a wonderful wall it is. It kind of looks like if LEGO made a CandyLand theme, this would be a set from it. The "cloud" base looks convincing as clouds, and even though there are a lot of different colors mashed together, it seems to work. Often I might critisize a set for using too many little bits, but I love the use of 1x1 round tiles here. The plethora of colors makes it look like beautifully colored stone-work. The big sun looks nice too, as do the printed dishes and flowers. Really, everything is quite on-point to create a beautiful model. The one "play feature" is that you can turn the gears to make two things spin at once. How much fun is that? Not really all that much I'd say, but it doesn't intrude on the look of the model so why not have it. COMPLETE SET and CONCLUSION The Cloud Cuckoo Palace is an unusual and striking set. The model is really quite lovely, and the parts selection is tremendous for anybody that likes fun colors. The minifigures included are nice too, especially the Emmet with better Emmet face and complete Wyldstyle with hair and hoodie neck-piece in a cheap set. I'd recommend you pick this one up. It's worth it!

Bunch of grey stuff with the main characters, or worthwhile set? That's the question at hand in… Set Title: Melting Room Set #: 70801 Theme: The LEGO Movie Pieces: 122 Minifigures: 3 Year of Release: 2014 Price at Release: USD 13 Browse the pictures? Flickr set INTRODUCTION When I saw the set pictures, this set said to me "main characters for cheap," and that's about it. You wouldn't get Wyldstyle's hair, but you could get that in the minifigure series if you wanted to, so this set was still about getting the main characters in the cheapest set possible. Well, does it turn out to be a more worthwhile set than just that? BOX The actual build in this set certainly doesn't seem all that exciting from the picture here. My eyes are mostly drawn to Wyldstyle's hood. The back again seems to emphasize the minfigures, although it does show a few configurations of the set. The top uses the cap piece for the 1:1, and gives us the character names we probably all know: Emmet, Wyldstyle, and a Robo SWAT. CONTENTS Just a couple small bags in there, along with the loose bigger piece and a folded up instruction booklet. The artwork on the set makes it look like this "room" is inside a much bigger room, just like the Lair art in fact. And this is what inside the booklet looks like, woohoo! MINIFIGURES The hoodpiece of Wyldstyle is cool if perhaps limited in use. Like I talked about in my Super Cycle Chase review, the Robo SWAT are excellent and make you want to have a whole force of them. This is the only set that includes the Super Secret Police logo cap, and it's the mould that was introduced in the collectible line, so that's extra cool. Emmet is Emmet. This is Wyldstyle's more cheerful face; she has a reverse slightly angrier one that I didn't photograph this time (but you can see it in my Cycle review, I believe). Everybody has nice back printing, and Wyldstyle has arm printing (which means her torso comes from "elsewhere" and she's got moulded numbers on her wrists and no neck printing). Wyldstyle is armed with an axe, and the Robo SWAT has the excellent new gun these Robo guys like to use. Since I haven't actually talked about it in any of my other reviews, here's Emmet's special brick (the piece of resistance?). It's like a two-tall brick with the back of a headlight brick in it. Will this be useful to builders? I dunno. Probably, since the AFOL community is quite creative with parts. EXTRA PARTS Nothing too exciting here, besides maybe the nozzle. The nozzle is nice. SET So here it is. Unlike my ho-hum thoughts about it from the pictures, it's actually kind of fun in real life. You can swivel the big melting gun and control panel around, and strap figures down to the torture bed, which also moves up and down. The color scheme doesn't pop, but there are good parts in here and it looks nice for what it is. I'm not sure what different angles really do to show this set - you can basically see everything from all angles. Good parts in here - the new a-frame piece, 1x2 slopes, the Cars bumper slopes in black, a trans-clear technic wheel. And no stickers! It's a lot more fun with the figures. I can easily see a kid having a bunch of fun with this set. COMPLETE SET and CONCLUSION All in all, Melting Room is a surprisingly good little set, surprising because I thought it didn't look so hot before I opened it up and built it. It doesn't scream buy as much as its sister set in this price range, Getaway Glider, but it's still worth picking up. The minifigures are good, especially the Robo SWAT. The model is pretty fun and looks good for what it is, but of course a little drab. The designer worked in some desirable parts, so for people looking for good parts, this has some. It's maybe not an instant buy, but since it's cheap, it'll probably call out to you from the store shelves after a while.