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Set #: 5857
Theme: Belville (with a dash of Orient Expedition)
Set name: Safran's Amazing Bazaar
URL: http://guide.lugnet.com/5857
Ages: 5-10, 92 pieces, 1 figure. (C) 2003
Price: AUD 39.95 Shop@Home (check S@H for prices in your local currency)
An Indian (or Middle Eastern) woman runs a shop with pets, perfumes and
food, in a riot of colours!
Remember to wear your sun glasses!
RATINGS (Scale: Must-Have Excellent Very-Good Good Fair Poor)
Set: Very-Good / Models: Fair / Playability: Excellent
DECALS? None
SPECIAL FEATURES/COMPATIBILITY
None. Battery-free, noise-free, flashing-light-free, non-programmable.
SET DESCRIPTION
The model is for an outdoor stall set in some Indian (substitute Middle
Eastern, Oriental, as you will) market. Safran, an Indian woman, sits on a
cushion in a tent with a onion dome roof under the shade of a magic carpet.
Around her are her wares: pets, perfumes, and food. The set is an absolute
riot of colours: predominantly dark pink, orange, and purple in the major
construction pieces, plus many other colours used in the accessory items.
SPECIAL ELEMENTS
The set features the new large half onion-dome also seen in the Orient
Expedition sets but in dark pink. All other pieces look familar elements,
although some may not have been produced in these colours before. The Safran
figure is new (note this is one of the larger Belville articulated figures
which can be posed quite realistically but does not come apart); there is
hole in the top of her hair to add hair ornaments etc. Unlike our normal
asexual minifigs, Safran is a well-developed young lady. As they say in the
movie "Bend it like Beckham", Safran has mangoes not mosquito bites.
Although not new, I know many people will be thrilled to see food items like
baguettes, croissants and fruit available again.
There are three fabric elements: the magic carpet (patterned with frill
edges), the cushion (gold on one side, striped pink/orange on the other
side), and Safran's skirt (pink with a diamond). I think the cushion is
particularly attractive.
IMPRESSION
I love this set and will probably buy more for the fantastic selection of
parts and colours it contains. No doubt there will be a glut of Safran's and
cushions on the after-market.
Set Rating
I think most people will be buying this set for its parts and not its model.
However, the large orange screen and turret/tower are very much "Belville"
scale and may not be the most useful for other themes (lame parts contest
elements?!). However, the onion dome, arches, lamp posts and accessories are
sure to prove popular with Townies. And if you want to enliven any models
with some non-standard colours, this is the set for you.
Model Rating
Like most Belville sets, the model itself is a simple one with the emphasis
on the accessory items.
Playability Rating
This set seems to have enormous playability for its target market; it's a
good-looking set. Children (especially girls) do love to play "shop".
Likes/Dislikes
I dislike the larger construction parts. I love it otherwise for its parts
and colours.
Scale
The set is built to Belville articulated-figure scale.
Errors
I did not see any errors in the set. The instructions were very simple as
the model itself is quite simple.
Extra Elements
I do not recall any extra elements.
CONCLUSION
I would absolutely recommend this set for its parts and its colours, even if
Belville isn't usually your theme.
REVIEWER INFORMATION
Review Written: 12 March 2003
By: Kerry Raymond
Age: 43
Favourite Lines/Themes: System/Town (not usually a Belville enthusiast)
--
============
Kerry Raymond
kerry@dstc.edu.au
Proud to be LUGNET Member 599
www.lugnet.com/people/members/?m=599
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Set #: 5856
Theme: Belville (with a dash of Orient Expedition)
Set name: Paprika and the Mischievous Monkey
URL: http://guide.lugnet.com/set/5856
Ages: 5-10, 47 pieces, 1 figure. (C) 2003
Price: AUD 16.95 Shop@Home (check S@H for prices in your local currency)
An Indian (or Middle Eastern) girl plays with her monkey in a monkey play
house.
Remember to wear your sun glasses!
RATINGS (Scale: Must-Have Excellent Very-Good Good Fair Poor)
Set: Good / Models: Fair / Playability: Good
DECALS? None
SPECIAL FEATURES/COMPATIBILITY
None. Battery-free, noise-free, flashing-light-free, non-programmable.
SET DESCRIPTION
The model is a monkey play house, mostly arches in a riot of colours,
predominantly dark pink, orange, purple and green.
A young Indian girl Paprika with a pale pink skirt with a diamond is playing
with her monkey. The fig is the larger full-articulated Bellville fig
(without removable parts). She has mosquito bites not mangoes :-)
SPECIAL ELEMENTS
I am not sure if the hoop element is new or not.
IMPRESSION
This is a very colourful set and the piece/colour combinations may appeal to
Townies. Unlike 5857 Safran's Amazing Bazaar (see my previous review), this
set is mostly composed of re-usable "construction" elements (arches, plates,
windows, bricks) and is light on accessory items.
Strangely (or so I thought), there were no instructions or any other paper
inside the box. While the model is simple enough to be build from the box
picture, it did seem odd that there wasn't even any advertising material.
Did I just miss out? Or is that the way they all come?
Set Rating
I think most people will be buying this set for its parts and not its model.
However, the trans-pink roof top may not be the most useful for other
themes, and the set comes with a Belville-scale fig.
Model Rating
The model is small and can be built from the box photo (essential in my case
at least as there were no instructions).
Playability Rating
While the monkey can play in the play house, I am not sure how many children
would spend time doing this. I think 5857 Safran's Amazing Bazaar would be a
more playable set for the target market (which I assume to be primary school
girls).
Likes/Dislikes
I like it for obtaining parts in exciting colours. However, attractive as it
is, one Paprika fig will be more than enough for most people. So, if the set
proves popular for its parts, there will be lots of opportunities for those
of who wishing to establish a Brikwars battalion of Paprikas.
Scale
The model is a monkey playhouse and is built on a scale consistent with a
Lego monkey.
CONCLUSION
Worth a look for the parts, but before committing yourself, check out 5857
Safran's Amazing Bazaar which looks a better proposition to me.
REVIEWER INFORMATION
Review Written: 13 March 2003
By: Kerry Raymond
Age: 43
Favourite Lines/Themes: System/Town (not a Belville enthusiast)
============
Kerry Raymond
kerry@dstc.edu.au
Proud to be LUGNET Member 599
www.lugnet.com/people/members/?m=599
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> Ooops make that http://guide.lugnet.com/set/5857 8?)
Ah, yes, thanks, Ross!
Also, I have just noticed that the 2 fruit bowls in this set are not
familiar to me. Not being a Belville enthuasiast, I am not sure if they are
new elements, or merely new elements in my life :-)
Kerry
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On Wed, 12 Mar 2003, Kerry Raymond wrote:
> > Ooops make that http://guide.lugnet.com/set/5857 8?)
>
> Ah, yes, thanks, Ross!
>
> Also, I have just noticed that the 2 fruit bowls in this set are not
> familiar to me. Not being a Belville enthuasiast, I am not sure if they are
> new elements, or merely new elements in my life :-)
Look like they've been around long enough to be LDrawn, but haven't been
in many sets
http://peeron.com/inv/parts/6942
(keeping in mind that not many inventories of Belville or Scala sets are
submitted to Peeron. . .)
--
TWS Garrison
http://www.math.purdue.edu/~tgarriso/
Remove capital letters in address for direct reply.
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In lugnet.reviews, Kerry Raymond writes:
> Set #: 5857
> Theme: Belville (with a dash of Orient Expedition)
> Set name: Safran's Amazing Bazaar
> URL: http://guide.lugnet.com/5857
> I think most people will be buying this set for its parts and not its model.
> However, the large orange screen and turret/tower are very much "Belville"
> scale and may not be the most useful for other themes (lame parts contest
> elements?!). However, the onion dome, arches, lamp posts and accessories are
> sure to prove popular with Townies. And if you want to enliven any models
> with some non-standard colours, this is the set for you.
Those who like this set for parts would also probably also like 9650, the
scenery resource set, which makes a perfect supplemental parts set to the
Belville Orient series, sand green cornerless plates notwithstanding.
> Extra Elements
>
> I do not recall any extra elements.
I think there is an extra carrot top and plant stem. No more than one ever
shows up at a time in any pic, and the set only comes with a single sprue of
four flowers which wouldn't be sufficient to petal two flower stems.
Maggie C.
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