Subject:
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#5974 Galactic Enforcer (text review only)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.reviews
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Date:
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Fri, 1 Jan 2010 21:23:05 GMT
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Viewed:
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13106 times
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If you’re interested in pictures of the set, a nice pictorial review can be
found here: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=30387
My initial impression of the new Space Police line was not positive for several
reasons, the main one being the fact that I’m a hardcore fan of the two original
themes, the first in particular. Space Police I had an awesome color scheme and
some of the best designs and functions in the entire Space line. Given how much
a fan I am of the new dark blue and dark red colors, I hoped that TLG would give
us a theme in those colors. This would provide a nice boost of new parts in
these colors and provide a nice callback to the original theme.
Needless to say, I was disappointed with the black & white color scheme. I know
that’s the combo most readily associated with real police vehicles, but I think
a fantasy toy could have a little more flexibility color-wise. The Power Miners
line is a perfect example. I’ve yet to see any large construction vehicles
blazing with a lime green paint job!
However, I quickly warmed to the familiar black and white appearance because it
would at least mean a small contingent of bley parts. Being an old-school Lego
fan, I still cannot accept bley. IMHO, Classic Space cannot exist without the
“retired” colors, and I just don’t have the room in my large collection for
slightly different shades. They weren’t broke, why “fix” ‘em?!
ANYWAY, of all the sets in the new theme, the #5974 Galactic Enforcer appealed
to me the most. I admired its lines, the new trans-dark blue canopies, and the
modularity shown on the back of the box. Upon completion, I’m quite impressed
with the sturdiness of the build and the wide array of play features.
The pros:
LOTS of play features:
-The front cockpit assembly can have the two engine units attached to make a
smaller craft, which reminds me of the modularity of the Space Police II
#6984 Galactic Mediator.
-There’s a fold-down ramp in the back of the ship so that the little wheeled
vehicle can egress. This buggy is quite cleverly built around a
bracket piece (#6087) which I’d always regarded as fairly useless. The
airtank on the front is a very nice callback to Classic Space vehicles.
Hooray for nostalgia!
-The center of the ship opens up into a very nicely appointed control center
with lots of computer consoles and weapons. The folding roof is very
smoothly integrated with the rest of the ship.
-The large gun turrets on the rear wings are very poseable due a ball-and-socket
attachment.
-The prison pods can be popped open with a nifty Technic part combo.
-The small bad guy ship is well-designed, although I’m not a fan of the Technic
missle shooter that’s become so prevalent now.
-The Classic Space statue and base are almost reason enough to buy the set if
you’re a Classic Space fan. The torso is painted to look cracked and
weathered and is really gorgeous.
-The little droid behind the pilot is nice and adds another play figure to the
set.
-The rear of the engine assembly has great design and part choices, especially
the usage of the maxi-fig scuba flippers as detail.
-The new mold of the trans-dark blue 2x4x6 cylinder with the cutout is one of
the few part redesigns I’ve seen that’s actually an improvement.
-The large flame on the bad guy ship has orange and red color molded into it,
which creates a really nice gradation of color.
The cons:
-The Technic fairing pieces look nice at first, but really don’t enhance the
design that much, especially on the rear wings. This ship is definitely
NOT designed to be looked at from below! Half of the engine assembly hangs
below the wings, creating a decidedly unfinished appearance.
-The engine assemblies are probably my biggest gripe in terms of the conflict
between design and function. The combo of parts used to create a seating
area is nifty but ultimately superfluous. The green guns on both sides
strongly suggest that this unit is meant to be a mini-fighter since both
sets of guns never have a clear path to fire regardless of the ship to
which they’re attached. However, if you set the assembly by itself with a
mini-fig at the controls it looks like the nose has been hacked off.
Additionally, there’s no reason for a mini-fig to ride here as there’s
plenty of room in the main cabin. I guess they’re supposed to be manning
the large guns on the wings, but isn’t that what all the computer consoles
inside the ship are for?
-The Technic arrangement attaching the prison pods to the ships is wobbly and
jiggly, quite a contrast to the sturdiness of everything else.
-Neither of the cockpits is hinged to open, and the one on the main ship is
difficult to detach without taking off other parts. In fact, it can’t
even be removed while the front assembly is attached due to parts in
the way.
-The new mold of the Technic cylinder used for all the guns adds a haphazard
look since it has a slot cut out of the middle. I realize this was
probably done to make it easier to remove pins from it, but it creates a
sloppy, random feel for me.
-Most of the sticker placement is fairly straightforward, but I had to closely
scrutinize the instruction booklet several times to be sure about the ones
on the wings of the little bad guy’s ship. Some of them are almost
totally blank. I think that TLG should consider numbering them or
providing a more detailed pictograph showing where each sticker goes.
There’s certainly enough open space on the pages of the instruction
booklet for something like this.
Well, that’s it! A very snazzy set overall and one that I’d highly recommend!
Dave S.
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