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This review was originally posted in the
Bloks forum, which readers are invited and encouraged to visit.
Review of 9719 Super Bike
MSRP: $9.99 - $14.99
Pieces: 275
Figures: 0
This set is from the perpetually excellent ProBuilder line, showcasing a
surprising level of detail with mostly basic bricks. The only non-basic elements
in the 9719 are the wheels and tires; all the rest is made of standard Mega
Bloks elements.
Even if you’re not a motorcycle buff (as I am not), this set is probably worth
full retail for the parts alone. It’s made almost entirely of gray, blue, and
yellow pieces, with a trans-smoke windscreen and white 2x2 brick headlamps, as
well as a number of black plates and tiles. There are a bunch of 33 and
45-degree slope pieces in the three main colors, and a decal sheet.
The design of the set is very clever, with unusual combinations of bricks to
yield unexpected angles, considering the preponderance of basic elements. The
model’s colors are good, and there are no odd-color “filler” bricks that pop up
in some LEGO kits.
One major weakness: the front fork doesn’t move; the front wheel is basically
locked into a fixed position. This should have been obvious to me from the
picture alone, but I didn’t realize it until I’d built it. This all but destroys
the playability of the bike, consigning it to static displays.
Another weakness is the way the wheels are attached. Each has a fixed axle-bar
that fits into those 1x2 bricks (sort of like the LEGO 3700.dat). This design
works well in the model but has limited applicability elsewhere; I’d have
preferred a wheel design that let me use the wheels in MOCs with conventional
wheel-mountings. Also, the wheels and tires will be all but impossible for me to
model in LDraw! 8^(
One minor oddity that shows the age of the set is the lack of a graphical
parts-inventory in the instructions. As such, I can’t give precise piece-counts,
but it’s good. If I model the bike in LDraw, I’ll post a listing of the
inventory.
I’ll cannibalize the set almost immediately for the parts, but I still found the
set to be worthwhile overall. If this kit were still widely available, even at
full price, I’d likely get at least one more for the blue slope elements alone.
Dave!
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