Subject:
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Review of some new Alpha Team sets (4791, 4793, 4797)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.reviews
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Date:
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Sun, 16 Dec 2001 08:19:18 GMT
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Viewed:
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3007 times
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I picked up some of the new Alpha Team sets at Walmart this evening and
just finished building them.
4791 AT SUB-SURFACE SCOOTER
$6.94, 43 pcs, 1 minifig (Flex, dark blue torso and legs)
This makes an interesting scooter (not so little, it's larger than the
typical LEGO automobile). The body is based on a 4x6 Technic beam frame.
A pair of 2x4 tapered plates form bow wings. An anti-freeze Jack Stone
1x4 light bar is used for headlights (very effectively, this looks to be
a better use of this part than as a light bar). A pair of yellow 2x6
tapered, curved multi sloped parts with printing form the top of the
body, with a 2x2 Racers "hood" on top. A Jack Stone bumper bar is
attached to the rear and supports two black 2x2 flag flaps. Attached to
the sides are two motors made of a black droid body, a yellow 2x2 round
brick, and a black 2x2x1 dome, with a black propeller attached to the
back (by a technic axle/pin - the axle sticks into the bottom of the
droid body). A Jack Stone cable reel with hook is attached to the back
of the bumper bar.
My only real complaint is that there isn't a place for Flex to sit, he
holds onto the bumper bar, but the scooter is large enough that he
should sit in it. It just took me a minute to modify the scooter
slightly so Flex can sit. The top part must be moved forward one stud
(which still looks decent) and a grey 1x2 raised bar piece must be
replaced with a 1x2 brick and a 2x2 or 2x3 plate (I used a 2x3 plate
because I first tried to not move the top forward, but Flex didn't fit
between the top and the bumper bar with his air tanks).
4793 OGEL SHARK ASSUALT SUB
$19.96, 111 pcs, 3 minifigs (Ogel minions)
So much for the Maniac offer getting this to me before it appeared in
stores...
This is a good sized sub which introduces a new flexarm system. The arms
are about 6 studs long and 2 studs in diameter. Each arm has a joint at
one end which rotates in one dimension with click stops. The joint has a
peg which goes into a hole connector like at the other end of the arm
and rotates around the axis of the arm. The hole in the end of the arm
also accepts a technic pin. There is a 2x2x2 block with the hole
connector on one side which attaches the arms to the sub. The 2x2 plate
with Technic pin sticking out the bottom has been modified so it will
click when plugged into one of these holes. These are used to attach the
side fins to the sub. Each arm uses two of the new arm pieces. One is
tipped with a double claw, the other is tipped with a double trans
orange saw blade. This new saw blade part is nifty, with a Technic axle
hole (so it could be driven by a motor). The cockpit is made of trans
red top and bottom new style cockpit pieces. Attached to the bottom
sides are trans red 1x6 inverse curved pieces which close up the bottom
half of the cockpit side. A trans red 1x2 thin wall is printed with the
control panel. The cockpit top hinges open using a 1x4 part with 2
Technic pins and a click hinge (first seen in Jack Stone). At the back,
a black cockpit bottom partially encloses a space which caries two more
minions. The tail hinges up to give access. The bottom of the sub is
made from two Technic 4x6 beam frames. One of them has a Technic axle
which may be pulled out to release a mind control bomb (sporting the new
skeleton head). The top of the tail uses two black 2x6 tapered curved
pieces with machinery printing. The tail makes use of a pair of 2x2
bricks with click hinge to get upside down studs for an inverted tail.
Overall, this is a nice looking sub. It's a bit of a shame the minion
transport in the rear is open on the sides, but it would be hard to
enclose it and carry two minions. It's also a bummer these minions
aren't equipped with anti-freeze spears, and it would have been nice to
have at least two bombs (the shuttle in the big Ogel base had three
bombs, plus two more boxes with heads in them)
4797 OGEL MUTANT KILLER WHALE
$9.92, 56 pcs, 1 minifig (Ogel minion)
This set is much better than the Mutant Squid. The main body is a black
Dinosaur body with the same head parts as the Mososaurus. The tail is
made up of the first tail/neck segment, with a black 1-finger click
hinge/Technic peg piece (new?) with a dark grey 2x2 brick w/2 finger
click hinge (new? the 1 finger part has been around) topped by a black
3x6 half octagon plate. Two new style red propeller housings attach to
the rear leg holes with Technic pins. Two dark grey flippers attach to
the front holes on the lower jaw. On the bottom, two 2x2 plates with
technic hole provide connection for the two arms. The arms are made of
several click hinge and axle parts, and end in a Bionicle claw. On top
of the head is a nifty spear gun made of a megaphone with a red
propellor on the wide end, an anti-freeze cone and a silver dart on the
front (the red propellor is a little weird). Two anti-freeze gems are
stuck in the whale's eye holes. The minion sports a new skull face (much
more evil looking), air tanks (why - these guys don't look like they
need to breathe?), and an anti-freeze insectoid helmet. He caries an
anti-freeze spear and sits on the back of the whale.
This is a nice evil looking cyber enhanced creature.
4793 and 4797 will make it easy to build up large armies of minions,
unlike the first run of Alpha Team where the minions were only included
in the big base (and the only other Ogel set was Ogel's Command Stiker.
This years line up includes 3 small Ogel sets and a new base. With two
of the smaller sets being minions, this is a nice balance. I look
forward to the rest of the series, especially the new base.
While this series doesn't have many basic bricks, the new cockpit and
curved brick system looks like it has some versatility. The cockpit
front nicely fits a 3x6 half octagon plate so it doesn't introduce a new
angle with limited parts like some of the other cockpits. The angle of
the new 2x6 curved/sloped part is new, but a new 2x4 tapered plate
matches it.
While in part, I bemoan the scarcity of basic bricks in recent sets,
another part of me is happy that the sets are mostly specialty pieces
since basic bricks are available in bulk packs etc. The real bummer here
is that the 3033 tub is going away. At least Creator is mostly basic
bricks, but it doesn't have quite the price point of the 3033.
Frank
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | And two more Alpha Team sets (4790 and 4792)
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| 4790 AT DEEP SEA ROBOT DIVER $4.99, 32 pcs, 1 minifig (Charge) This set builds an interesting little industrial type walker. It is juniorized in that a piece which would appear to be a robot foot forms the basic body. This foot has two toes (which (...) (23 years ago, 17-Dec-01, to lugnet.reviews)
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