Subject:
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Review: 6454 "Countdown Corner"
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.reviews
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Date:
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Tue, 22 Dec 1998 20:26:09 GMT
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Viewed:
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1784 times
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Set Review - 6454 Countdown Corner - by Jeff Stembel
Theme: Space Port
Piece Count: 131
Price at Target: $19.99
Scale: Must have, very good, good, fair, poor
Rating: Good
Decorated Elements:
Decals: 6; 2 for Light & Sound Box, 2 for 3x8 Solar Panels, 1 Space Port
Logo for Satelite fuselage, 1 Telemetry readout for clear 1x2x2 Panel
Paint: Astronaut's torso, 1x2 tile
Minifig count: 1 Astronaut
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OVERALL
This is a nice set to have if your town has a space program. I'm glad TLG made
it a staged rocket, although the stages didn't slope to a smaller stage the way
I would have liked. I don't understand why TLG put an astronaut in this set,
especially since his capsule would not survive a return trip through the
atmosphere. I think I'll just use it to hold a satelite.
Because of the rocket's construction, it is easy to add extensions and
customize the modules. The L&S unit isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would
be, but the sounds can get annoying. A gantry would've definitley spruced this
model up, though. I also like the asteroid and the Chrome-Green hydrolator
crystal. Other than the rocket tip, the model is quite stable, although the
solar panels do pop out sometimes when moving.
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DETAILS
Positives
The Launch Pad: The launch pad is an interesting design. The insectoid legs
are designed to line up with the fuel intake on the L&S decals, which is a nice
touch. It comes with 8 (one is extra) yellow grill tiles and 4 2x2 yellow
tiles, in addition to some other nice pieces.
The First Stage: The first stage consists mainly of the L&S box. The box is
nice because it can be used as the engines of large Space vehicles (I have a
couple ideas already). It comes with a gold grill tile, which made me quite
happy. Other than that, it's mostly unremarkable.
The Second Stage: The Astronaut's cockpit has two clear 1x2x2 panels, which I
was not expecting. It also has 2 pairs of white half-wedge bricks and a 2x4x2
brick with tubes (like on the bottom of bricks) on the long sides.
The Third Stage: The Satelite has some good peices. The solar panels are cool
pieces that can be used as hatches or windows on other models.
The two asteroid pieces fit perfectly with the 4x4 cylinder type pieces,
allowing for some funny designs. The chrome-green crystal is just plain cool.
The astronaut is all white, except for grey hips. He has the same head as some
of the SP2 minifigs.
Negatives
My main complaint is that the rocket tip doesn't slope nicely. Having the two
different angles annoys me to no end. Another complaint I had was the
positioning of the buttons on the L&S box. They are right where I tend to grab
this model, which sets off the sounds. I also didn't like the fact that the
astronaut is not secured in the cockpit and has no controls to do anything.
The three Trans-red cones on the bottom makes one piece, and, while it looks
nice, would've been nicer in separate pieces. Also, as a satelite, the Third
stage doesn't look too good.
Extras
This came with 3 extra trans-red 1x1 cylinder plates, 1 extra yellow 1x2 grill
tile, and 1 extra white 1x2 grill tile.
Playability
Good. This set has a lot of possibilities, and with some modifications, can
become a major part of your town's space program.
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CONCLUSION
While many people may not want to get it at its retail price tag, it would be a
good buy if discounted. Personally, I like this set quite a bit, and it is
enjoyable.
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