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Reports of odd occurrences anywhere near the Miskatonic University aren’t
anything new, that stuff happens all the time. Even stories of phantom trains
blasting their whistles near dorms, sending students into the cold evening air
in their night shifts, aren’t uncommon. But the stories are turning into
something more ominous. First a farmer’s field was completely torn apart by
what could only have been done by an unseen enormous plow, now an entire block
of Pickman Street has been utterly demolished with two evenly spaced rutts
running directly through buildings and tearing up the street tarmac. But it
all culminates tonight with the alarm that an actual green, glowing train has
been spotted at the edge of Hangman’s Hill. With that the MF team (gee, maybe
they ought to pick a more family-friendly acronym) jumps into action and it’s an
opportunity to try out the professor’s new ecto-plasma-vaccu-mizer plane. Barb
and Elvis Aaron are the only ones available but they’ll be plenty to take on the
latest uprising of paranormal activity in the not-usually quiet town of Arkham!
The 9647 Ghost Train is comprised of a locomotive, three ‘train’ cars and an
open cockpit monoplane.
The plane is a well done, larger than previous
bi-plane models (such as the 6615 Eagle Stunt Flyer or the more recent 7307
Flying Mummy Attack plane) but it still fits in well with those models and the
larger size is easily rationalized as will be explained. The cockpit is open
and fits one minifigure. The craft’s basic colors are dark red and dark grey
(reminiscent of the Pharaoh’s Quest vehicles). Each wing features two flick
missiles (yawn) but the most prominent aspect of the plane and reason for it’s
larger-than-usual size is the apparatus behind the cockpit: A large wooden
barrel is mounted just before the tail fin with rubber hoses that lead to each
wing. The tubes on the end of each wing then feed into what looks like a small
compressor/drum ending in a gold horn/orifice. It looks like the horns could
either spew stuff (like the 7786 Scarecrow plane) or suck stuff up to go into
the barrel (kind of like a ghost-busters device). The concept is executed
fairly well. One final feature of the plane that falls just a bit flat is a
chain that snaps onto the fuselage of the plane to allow one of the figs to hang
there while the plane is in flight (probably could have been carried out better
but I’m not sure how). Details throughout the plane are well thought-out such as
using pistols for exhaust pipes on the engine (press these all the way in when
assembling or they’ll come loose).
The train locomotive model is also fairly well done, decked out in main colors
of black with white (bone) highlights. What probably ought to be handrails on
each side of the engine are twisted thorny bone-barb rails that lend a good air
of menace to the model. A ghostly, evil, grinning face adorns the front of the
train with a ghostly plume of green smoke/flame coming out of the smoke stack
(this is a cool trans-green element that has just a sliver of glowing plastic
running through the core of the element). The blue ‘ghost crystal’ sits atop
the engineer booth. Other nice details on the train include a stationary bell
just in front of the engineer cab and a hinged furnace door within the cab
(opening to show a bit of the furnace flame). It should be noted that the
locomotive does not use a standard train baseplate but the forward and rear
wheel bogey assemblies do mount on pins so the engine could probably be pushed
along standard rails without problems.
Right up to the completion of the
locomotive there is no obvious waste of additional (throwaway 1x1) parts to
enhance the part count for the whole set, each bit and small assembly or
addition of 1x1 parts adds to the flavor of the model.
Unfortunately after finishing the locomotive the economical use of small parts
is thrown right out the window and the quality of the remaining models for the
set basically goes down hill. Two lame open-air single-passenger cars are
reminiscent of funhouse mini-cars (with wings that go up and down as the cars
are pulled forward--whee!). A third train car depicts a rolling prison cell
complete with cell doors made of bone elements but there isn’t really any
inspiration here. Where the locomotive sported standard train wheels, the three
last cars feature rubber wheels.
Each of the last three cars are overly decorated with small parts to raise the
part count for what was already starting out as a great set. In my opinion,
instead of three extra cars we could have been provided with a nice, creepy
‘soul’ (coal) car, or at the very least the prison cell car could have been
built up to fit in with the locomotive ‘twisted’ handrail motif. (If we were
going for a more mature/grindhouse model, I’d suggest that the cell doors look
more like a ribcage.) As it ends up, the three cars are a waste of piece-count
with not many usable parts (plates, slopes) that would have really helped toward
making a beefed up alternate locomotive model (which I may still attempt).
Figures in the set do add to buyability. The two fighter figures (Elvis and
Pebbles Flintstone) have great face, torso and leg prints (such as Pebbles’ scar
on the cheek, corset and garlic cloves hanging on her belt) plus the addition of
three of the new ghost figures has gotta set a record for the most ghosts in a
set. Modifications to the ghosts over previous versions include gloomy faces, legs
and the peaked ‘hoods’. Accessories in the set include pistols, spears and a
crossbow (don’t mess with the scarface chick!).
While there are a minimum of usable basic plates and bricks in this set, it
ought to be noted that there are twenty (count ‘em 20!) 2x2 quarter circles
(rounded corners) taking the place of five 4x4x1 circle/cylinder elements.
Also, I have to say that the set came with a nice piece of cardboard to keep the
instructions from rolling up in the box (thank you, Lego!).
Final note: As I was building the plane and locomotive models I found myself
getting very excited to buy more Monster Fighter models, and I think I’d still
like to pick up at least a couple more but the price on this set is gonna be a
deal-killer for frugal shoppers. I lucked out and found it at $65 which is
probably a good deal for a set with over 700 pieces, but choose wisely before
you decide to pick it up yourself (I’m seeing more and more stores drop their
prices) and be mindful that in this reviewer’s opinion, the combination of
models is lacking in consistent quality.
!!!4x2ReVu Stats!!!
Rating: Five out of eight studs.
Thumbs up for: The theme itself (who doesn’t love monsters?) and an
interesting idea for a haunted locomotive (that could probably still be improved
upon). Also the figures are pretty cool.
Thumbs down for: Dropping the
ball after giving us two decent models. Either drop the piece count and give us
a cheaper set, or keep the quality consistent and QUIT FILLING SETS WITH
THROWAWAY 1x1 parts!
Wallet-Wise: About $80 for 741 parts. Shop wisely and
get it at a cheaper price!
Date: 10/12/2012
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town
(score: 0.601)
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Frodo woke to a cool, clammy darkness. No, not quite darkness, there was an
eerie green glow about the low-ceiling chamber in which he awoke. He glanced
about himself to see the prostrate figures of Sam, Pippin and Merry now oddly
adorned in white and covered in circlets and rings, surrounded by ancient swords
and treasures.
“Are we dead?” he briefly thought, but the thought was quickly
chased from his mind as he felt an impending danger, wending it’s way into the
room on the airy, phantom tones of a chilling death-like song. . .
The Lego group’s release of the Lord of the Rings sets has been a very mixed bag
of results. For minifigure collectors it’s a dream come true (with slight
heartburn for critics of the lower quality out-sourced materials). For
construction fans, many diehard builders have already built their own versions
of some of these iconic structures. Lego takes an interesting (and for me at
least, unforeseen) turn on the releases of these basically Castle-themed sets.
My first build in the collection is the 9472 Attack on Weathertop set. The
price was originally daunting until I was able to make a deal with a
fellow-collector that ultimately made it possible for me to pick up the set
(that I honestly wouldn’t have picked up at its original price).
9472 is an innovative spin on the Castle set. It’s a two-level tower-like
construction with a spiral staircase winding upward from a small camp clearing
(with firepit). The stairs wind upward to an open battlement with decaying
arches and bits of ruins (very well depicted). On the first-level back side of
the structure (opposite the camp clearing) there is an arched doorway that leads
to a small interior armory. A trap door in the floor of the second level can
drop unprepared victims into the lower chamber and the entire structure is
hinged to allow better access to the lower interior. An additional partial
wall/corner assembly (separate from the main tower) is included to add to the
feel of ruins and while this smacks of simply adding to the piece count, the
bricks and plate will add to alternate building possibilities.
Figures included in the set are two ring wraiths, a warrior figure (Aragorn) and
two hobbits (Frodo and Merry--though it could just as well be Frodo and Sam) and
two horses. The wraiths are very well executed but nothing particularly new
(basically dark jedi knight figures). In all fairness it should be noted that
the menacing Harry Potter Dementor figs have already stolen the wraiths’
‘creepy’ thunder. Aragorn and the hobbit figures are good sculpts and body
paints. Accessories include a spear, swords, torches, food bits (chicken legs,
carrot, apple) and a small, gold-plated ring (this is actually pretty cool).
Minor accessories of flowerless plants/weeds should be noted, they are simple
but add a great touch to the feel of the main model.
Where fans (myself among them) have complained about price-per-part issues, Lego
is now giving us more parts, and oh how cuts the two-edged sword! We’re getting
more parts alright, but many of them are small 1x1 bricks and slopes (be careful
how you word your wishes)! This is indicative of not just the Lord of the Rings
sets. Fans need to carefully check out other themes (I’ve seen it in Star Wars
and even Town sets) before going by only the listed part count to determine if a
purchase is worthwhile. I’m a long-time construction toy fan and Lego is among
my favorite brands but the mentality that ‘fans will buy whatever you produce’
is not always true (particularly in difficult financial times). Time will tell.
Okay, now that I’ve got that out of my system, let’s take a serious look at this
construction. A perusal of the Lord of the Rings sets shows a very interesting
design mindset: minimal (if any) castle walls and panels! While the
price-per-part monster probably has a bit to do with this mentality (you’re
gonna use anywhere from four to eight or nine parts to make up for that single
castle wall) it does make for a more ‘artsy’ looking castle construction that I
found very appealing. Hopefully this is something that will only play part in
this particular theme and we won’t lose the ‘classic’ feel of a larger Lego
castle with those customary panels and wall bits. Adding to the ‘artsy’ feel of
the castle is use of microfigures within the walls or arches to give the feel of
statuettes or relief detail (another great touch).
A second item to note on the building style is how the exterior walls are angled
such that we aren’t treated to a square design per se, but we’re getting an
almost octagonal design. Don’t get too excited just yet, this unique
structuring was actually being done by Tyco Superblocks sets over 25 years ago
(anybody remember the very cool
Black
Knight’s Castle set?) though it’s admittedly improved upon by Lego.
Last note on the design of the structure is in answer to a possible question of
‘why is there an interior to Weathertop?’. I think the Lego group is actually
implementing a bit of the barrow burial mounds that were originally part of the
‘Fellowship’ book but not a part of the movies. I pictured the barrow vaults as
being a lot larger but the basic idea is here.
Final judgment? This is a very good principle model using a good assortment of
grey, dark grey, dark green and tan elements that many fans will miss out on
because of the high sticker price. While I don’t approve of figure-pirating,
construction fans can benefit by picking up the set minus figures at a much more
reasonable price from ebay or elsewhere and populate the set with their own
existing figures.
!!!4x2ReVu Stats!!!
Rating: Five out of eight studs. (It isn’t fair but the high price easily
knocked off two stars.)
Thumbs up for: A very cool, innovative structure.
Thumbs down on: Totally overpriced! The demand for (and resale of)
collectible figures (along with price-per-part cramming and lofty license
price-jacking) is sadly not a good thing for our favored brand of construction
toys.
Wallet-Wise: $60.00 suggested U.S. retail for 430 pieces.
Date:
7/27/2012
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town
(score: 0.594)
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So driving a delivery truck for a toy store has to be a sweet job right? No
worries and you’re bringing joy to lots of sweet little kiddies around the world
right? Guess again!
It’s release day for the latest version of Monkey
Sport-The Bloodening and I’ve gotta make my way through the crowded streets of
drivers with that slightly-crazed look in their eye to my final destination like
that movie where the hero’s gotta get his witness to the courts through a
gauntlet of gangsters!
I’m pulling my big rig into what’s usually already a
crammed parking lot of cars to see that there are not only the usual menagerie
of cars, but kids as far as the eye can see, packed like sardines and swaying
like a large horde of locusts around the tiny shopping outlet that is my
objective. Now the mob spies me at the entrance to the lot and the swarm begins
their descent upon my truck.
Oh how I wish I would have let my supervisor
attach that cow-catcher option he offered me this morning!
I picked up the 2148 Lego Truck back in the late 1990’s (reviewed
here). My city models
take a back seat to castle and space usually, but this was a nice addition to
the usual assortment of cars and tanker trucks then available. I remember
waiting for the other shoe to drop that would be the trailer for the cab, but
nothing arrived. The 3442 (basically a reissue of the 2148 in different
colors--a cool concept) came and still no trailer. No big deal, I didn’t feel
slighted, I just figured a large cargo trailer was either not going to be
cost-effective or the designers at the time couldn’t figure out how to do the
design justice.
Along came the 8654 Scuderia Ferrari Truck in 2005 to show
that a minifig-size trailer truck could be done, and now in 2010 we’ve got the
3221 delivery truck. My first glance at pictures of the 3221 got a ‘Oh, that’s
cool’ out of me, but then I zoomed in on the wee tiles that resemble
miniaturized Lego sets and I let out a ‘Whoa, that’s REALLY cool!’. (I confess
these goofy little stickers are the main reason ended up picking up my own
7848--imagine a miniature of a miniature!).
As with the 3442 reissue of the 2148, the 7848 is a reissue of the 3221 delivery
truck (the only difference I can tell by eyeballing my model against pictures of
the 3221 is the change in colors) but there’s even more to love about the
specialized 7848.
The 7848 truck model is fairly well done. The cab is considerably extended from
the original concept done in the 2148 model. Here the cab features not only a
place for the driver to sit but a small living space behind the driver. In
comparing this model to the average town/city car, this isn’t just a ‘beefed-up’
pickup truck (kudos to the designers). The trailer is fairly straight forward
with vertically hinged doors on the each side of the truck and at the rear. The
plates for the roof of the trailer can easily be removed for play access. The
trailer also features jacks/stands to stabilize the truck when it’s parked
without the cab and there’s a hand-truck accessory for unloading.
Where the
3221 delivery truck is done in yellow, the 7848 truck is done in blue and white.
A sticker sheet for the set adds license plates and large TRU logos for the
trailer exterior and doors.
The secondary model (and this is what further differentiates the 7848 from the
3221) is the addition of a small toy store structure. Store comes complete with
the aforementioned Lego set boxes, but there are also some small assemblies of a
car and hovercraft model along with a one-piece teddy bear figure. The store is
particularly well done with wall-mounted display shelves for the Lego boxes and
mini-models. There’s also a barrel of sabers and a musket (don’t forget that
seven-day waiting period before releasing a saber to a five-year-old!). Very
well done!
Kit comes with three figures: truck driver, store attendant and child. As
mentioned, there is a sticker sheet (logos for the truck and store) but also a
couple of pre-printed parts (computer screens).
I’m a casual fan of City models (I like to collect the buildings and an
occasional occupational vehicle) and I’ve gotta say this was well worth the
price tag of about $40. It’s definitely a must-have for City/Town collectors.
It costs a few dollars more than the 3221 and darn if I’m not just now noticing
that the 3221 seems to have even more of those awesome miniature set stickers
(7848 comes with three stickers but the 3221 looks like it has six or seven or
more) so I’m probably going to have to go and buy one of those too.
Unlike some Target and Walmart exclusives (that can also be picked up from the
Lego site), this set looks to be only available at Toys R Us stores and
Amazon.com.
!!! 4x2ReVu Stats !!!
Rating: Seven out of eight studs
Pros: Great combination of a semi cab, trailer, cargo and a mini toy store.
Cons: Aw c’mon, I gotta buy a 3221 to get more of those nifty little miniature
stickers??
Walletwise: 356 pieces for $39.99 directly from Toys R Us (but
you’ll pay even more if you buy it at amazon.com).
Date: 8/26/10
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town
(score: 0.527)
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I would’ve added the lugnet.indianajones or the lugnet.licensed.indianajones
groups, but they don’t seem to exist.
I would like to present a review of the 7624 Jungle Duel set
I just opened my 7624 Jungle Duel set today.
When I first saw this set, I was very happy that a $10 set had 3 Indiana Jones
MF’s and some of the new ants. Today when I opened the box and looked at all
the pieces, I was even more amazed at the great selection of pieces. Thus I
felt compelled to write a review of this set to let others know of it’s splendid
value.
The Minifigs (MF’s)
Let’s be honest—most people who buy this set are buying it because they get 3
Indiana Jones minifigs for just $10...and who can blame them? All of them are
flesh-tones, but besides that, they’re pretty nice. The 3 MF’s in this set are
Indiana Jones himself, Mutt Williams and Irina Spalko.
Indiana, of course, comes
with his whip, a
man purse and his trakemark
fedora. All of his 3
accessories are new pieces, so he’s quite a value-packed MF.
Mutt Williams has dark blue
legs and a decent black
leather jacket torso. His hair is a new
male hair piece, and it’s in
the new Dark Brown color.
Irina comes in a Light Blay
uniform. In the movie, Irina is part of the Soviet KGB, but LEGO doesn’t want
to identify its MF’s with such a dastardly organization that’s part of real life
history, so Irina’s uniform is fairly plain with 2 pockets on the front and a gold star belt
buckle. I think this plainness work really well in favor of cross-theme
playability. You can take off her head and use the body for a prison guard,
town deputy or hired thug. Irina also comes with a new
black hair piece. This new
hair is interesting in that it could probably be used for either men or women.
I’m just waiting for someone to use it for that hero-custume-making lady from
The Incredibles.
The Ants
The new ant pieces are
pretty cool. The ones in this set are a marbled mix of black and dark red. The
plastic that they’re made of is a slightly more flexible plastic that regular
LEGO ABS, but that’s to be expected due to their tiny, thin legs.
The Weapons
For such a small set, you get a very nice selection of weapons. Besides
Indiana’s whip, which I’ve already mentioned, both Irina and Mutt have bladed
weapons. Both the box and the instruction book show Mutt weilding a
knife, while Irina brandishes a
cutlass. (In the movie they
were both fighting with swords of equal size. Perhaps Mutt’s knife was some
sort of allusion to an earlier scene when he whips out a knife in a diner.) You
get 3 Blay cutlasses (2 regular, 1 extra) and 2 Blay knives (2 because it’s a
piece that still comes on a sprue). 2008 is the first year for the knife piece
to appear in Blay. There’s also a Pearl Light Gray
classic medieval sword and a
Pearl Gold katana. I don’t
remember any cinematic reason for these swords being in this set, so we’ll just
assume that they’re included because LEGO loves us. If you consider it a
weapon, there’s also a yellow lightsaber blade.
The Food
The set is basically a camp in the jungle, so there’s a campfire with food. You
can never have enough Dark Orange
turkey drumsticks, so that
piece is quite welcome as the campers’ vittles. When I opened the box for this
set, one of the bags had a banana in it. At first I thought it was a bad thing, because I thought that I
had gotten a bag in my 7624 set that was meant to be in a different set.
Luckily I was wrong. I didn’t remember seeing a banana on the box, but there it
is in the set. Upon closer inspection, I found the banana on the front of the
box. It’s hidden in a crate that’s hidden in the tent. We also get a Pearl
Light Gray cooking pan, which
has only appeared in 2 other sets, and a red
mug.
Other Pieces
Some of the other interesting parts in this set are the
cloth tent, a couple of
plant
pieces, a new
non-neon trans-orange color of flame, a
couple of jewels, a
backpack, a
printed map tile and a
crate. There are also some
black plates and some 1X1 round bricks.
Overall I would have to say that the 7624 Jungle Duel set is a fantastic value
for $10. Since it’s fairly small, the playability of just the one set by itself
is limited. Sure you can have the dueling duo chop the table in half while
Indiana tries to cook a chicken leg and keep giant ants at bay, but sometimes a
set’s true value is as a parts pack. If you don’t have this set yet, you need
to get one ASAP! You won’t regret it.
David “Fuzzy” Gregory
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town
(score: 0.454)
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In lugnet.reviews, Richie Dulin wrote:
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In lugnet.reviews, John Patterson wrote:
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You raise an interesting point about the box art on the Bikini Bottom
Express: at what point can it be considered false advertising, since the
included model so obviously deviates from that pictured? On boxes of
cereal, for example, manufacturers always put a disclaimer to the effect of
“Product enlarged to show texture”; has LEGO reached the point of needing
to include a disclaimer stating, “Product rendered with CGI to cover flaws
of actual model” ? Of course, most of us would simply prefer that the
model match the box art as closely as possible. But at a minimum, perhaps
LEGO needs to state that the box art is an artistic representation of the
actual product.
Incidentally, I used those same windows on a caboose of mine:
The orange panel windows it uses are from an earlier Sponge Bob set, and
the color discrepancy was still an issue then, although this latest set
really highlights it.
-Jordan Schwarz
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Perhaps it is due to Flextronics not having the quality control that Lego
did. Why they moved production to Juarez Mexico is beyond me.
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(Note that I don’t know, and that I’m not wearing my Ambassador’s hat
here). I would guess that costs are a major consideration, and that the NAFTA
has had a bearing on this - keep in mind that the USA is LEGO’s biggest
market.
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Perhaps very cheap labor, less than $2.00 an hour might be the reason.
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Well, labour costs would have a bearing, no doubt. But less than $2 an hour?
Who knows? Don’t forget that cost is not necessarily an indicator of quality.
I’ve seen a lot of shoddy work done in a number of fields for a lot more
than $2 an hour.
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Shades of overseas clothing sweat houses.
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This I doubt. Unless LEGO are assembling sets by hand.
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Check the box next time you buy a Lego. “Components made in Denmark,
Austria, Hungary, Mexico and the Czech Republic” John P
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Excellent. An internationally produced product for an international market.
Cheers
Richie Dulin
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I live in El Paso and that is the wage in Juarez, or less. I would doubt that
it is too international. Nothing is made in the US, Germany, England, New
Zealand, or Australia. Though some things are made in China. I would say that
the international part is where the wages are the lowest and government help to
industry. This all started with the new CFO. They might sell internationally,
but they sure do not produce internationally. Sell where the market can affort
to pay, produce where the market can get very cheap labor. Economic
internationalism. I just finished building 4996 and there is a difference in the
quality of the bricks. Some of the slopes, 2x2 were textured and some were not
2x8, 2x4. Looked kind of funny when the roof was finished. Also, to save money
and up the piece count they do not put the train wheels together anymore or the
turntables. When I built the Holiday (Christmas) Train I first wondered what
the metal parts were for. Also I am finding the piece count going up, as is the
prices, but far more “little” parts in each set. Some of what they do is not
necessary. Lots and lots of 1x1 round plates, and other short plates where a
long one would have held better. Also columns that are made of 1x1 bricks that
are 5 tall. Why not a 1x5 brick? More pieces in the box? I understand why
some people only collect the older sets now. Also there are fewer smaller sets
for the family that cannot afford the larger ones. I often thought that it was
nice for lego to do the small sets so most kids could have some legos. Other
than an rare town set there are the mini’s and the little cars. I guess what I
am trying to say is that Lego got cheap and penny pinching. Before they were
concerned with quality. This is but my opinion, Lego is going in the wrong
direction and violating the policy that the founder instilled into the family
business. But I guess business is business. John P
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town
(score: 0.436)
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