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Author's note: I'm a bit embarrassed to reprint this review because the
"intro" story sounds too much like a particular scene from the 1999 Mummy movie
but I really did write the review more than a year before that film was
released.
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Colonel Alberto Rossini allows himself a small chuckle. Obtaining the
priceless map to the ruins of the black scarab pharaoh was far easier than he
imagined. Wth only a few more minutes of flying he will arrive at his
destination and the treasures of the renowned Egyptian ruler will be all his
own. But the chuckle stops short in the Colonel's throat allowing only a dry
gasp to escape, for with one backward glance the Colonel sees something that
almost makes his heart stop. Thick dark clouds rise up from the desert floor
below and behind him, roiling up and forward in a furious gigantic sandstorm
that will surely engulf his tiny plane in minutes like a flea in an enormous,
arid tidal wave. There is no turning back, but literally thousands of miles of
desert ahead of him as the Colonel's mind now all too clearly recalls the
rumors of a curse upon any that seek the treasure of the black scarab!
Although the 5918 Scorpion Tracker was my first 1998 set, it was only because
the 5928 wasn't yet on the shelves. I'm a big fan of period pieces like the
ones being released in the Adventurers theme, and the bi-wing plane and pilot
with a cap and goggles was a set I drooled over until it finally became
available.
This set introduces what I assume is the villain in our little Adventurers
setting (although the Lego Group needs to be careful about portraying the bad
guys with aesthetic disabilities considering the number of lawsuits flying
around these days). It comes with the bad guy and his heavily armed bi-wing
airplane plus an Egyptian treasure map.
Close on the tail of the 6615 Eagle Stunt Flyer (another bi-wing model from
1996), the Bi-Wing Baron begs a few comparisons to that earlier model for which
I hope fans will forgive me. First off, the Baron compares well to the Eagle
in that both models are of comparative size (and pieces) but close inspection
to the assembly of both models reveals some lack of attention to details on
part of the Baron. Where the Eagle's fuselage consists of about fourteen
pieces, the Baron plops it all in with one large specialized piece (though I
did like getting the fuselage piece in grey). Next, the Eagle's forward wheels
took approximately sixteen elements to construct while the Baron totals in at
only six (they're ugly, bulky and almost look as though they were thrown on as
an afterthought and the plane is STILL missing a rear wheel). The Eagle has a
total piece count of 71 while the Baron has 69 so where did all the pieces go?
In the Baron's defense, I'll say that I like its overall design with the
addition of guns for dogfighting scenarios. I also like the fuselage piece
that has slots on either side of the pilot's chair for storage of tiles.
The high point (and ultimately saving grace) then of the model is definitely
the minifig himself (with a monocle, white epaulets and the pilot cap with
snap-on goggles that can be raised or lowered) the addition of one hook hand
was kind of dumb but this is still going to be one of my favorite minifigs of
all time (and I've yet to say that about any minifig). Very cool!
New/unique parts included in the set are two 1x2 grey log bricks, a couple of
1x2 clear plates (not terribly new, but I haven't seen them in a set for ages)
and more use of dark grey bricks and plates.
One other minus to the model is the propeller that snaps into the housing by
way of a 1x1 brick that is not very stable (last comparison with the Eagle is
that its propeller is very secure with a technic pin that inserts into the
housing).
If I were only to compare this model against the Eagle Stunt Flyer it would
come up with only two or three studs but it's a fun model without the
comparisons and I'll raise the rating to four studs for overall appearance and
a very fun minifig.
!!!4x2ReVu Stats!!!
Rating: Four out of eight studs.
Thumbs up for: An acceptable bi-wing model with a cool minifig.
Wallet-Wise: $6.00 approximate U.S. retail for 69 pieces.
Original review date: 12/30/97
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: 4x2ReVu: 5928 Bi-wing Baron
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| (...) movie (...) <snips abound> I know this is an old thread, but I just got my Bi-wing Baron today at K- mart for 5 bucks. Not as impressive as the $2 others paid now in retrospect, but I did get it at clearance, and I'm pleased with it. I do love (...) (25 years ago, 15-Mar-00, to lugnet.adventurers, lugnet.reviews)
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