6913 - Roadster

6913: Roadster

Year: 2012
Pieces: 152
Retail Price: $14.99 ($8.99)
Theme: Creator

Ok, so before I begin, it is important to explain that creator sets are different than the normal LEGO sets thus far reviewed. Instead of it's sole purpose to be playable, creator sets are designed first and foremost to be a display model. The designers spend their time coming up with ways to make the model look better and more realistic at the expense of not being made to minifigure scale. In addition, creator sets often have instructions available that show multiple (normally 3) different models you can make with the same pieces.

This is one of those sets. The main model is a slick 2 seat road car but in addition it can also be made into an old timer car and a jeep. I feel the roadster looks the best of the three models, but they are all fun to build and show off. This model would not work well in play though, as the model is 8 studs wide while LEGO semi trucks are only 6 studs wide and cars are normally 4 studs wide. It would stick out fairly well without a good amount of modification made.

The set itself isn't too difficult to build. The pieces all go on well and it did inspire Daniel to think of ways to use the pieces he has to play with on a regular basis.

Below are the photos of the build for the roadster:

As you can see, a decent amount of detail was given to the model. There are a few things that are off (such as the rear wheel well and the door hinges (which really take away from the "slick" feel given)), however the overall model is a nicely made model for the price. It probably wouldn't be something that I personally displayed, but then again it's not for me, it's for Daniel =)

As mentioned, the model also can be built into an old time car:

This one is a bit more odd than the roaster. It's designed to look old, but doesn't really look old to me. Pieces are just "off" for the build and of the three sets that can be made, this one is my least favorite (and Daniel's).

The third model is the jeep:

Again, this build is off. The rear of the jeep with it's stylized curves is odd for the jeep, The front end also is not quite long enough to feel like a true off road vehicle. Instead it looks a bit too small, maybe a dune buggy type of jeep.

All together not a bad set. We're not really isn't building models for show yet, so for us this is mainly a parts set so that Daniel can build other things with it.

30110 - Trolley

 

30110 - Trolley 

Year: 2011
Pieces: 22
Retail Price: $4.99 (free)
Theme: Harry Potter

This is a very small set but given it's low price contains a decent amount. It isn't very playable, but the owl and Harry Potter minifigures are a decent add on. If you're a Harry Potter LEGO enthusiast, this set probably wont be very good as everything in it is in other sets as well.

The set contains one part and really doesn't have much to talk about. It has a cart that holds a treasure chest with a few gems in it, an owl, and then Harry Potter himself with a wand...

So.. here's some pictures....

7779 - The Batman Dragster: Catwoman Pursuit

7779 - The Batman Dragster: Catwoman Pursuit

Year: 2006

Pieces: 92

Retail Price: $10.99 ($6.99)

Theme: Superheroes (DC Universe)

 

 

This is another small set and one that I had purchased when it was on sale at the BX in Kadena. This set comes in two parts -The batmobile dragster and the catwoman's motorcycle. As far as I can tell, this set was not modeled on any batman movie and instead is styled on the imagination of the creator solely.

 

The first part is the motorcycle. The motorcycle is the same body as the one in the Captain America set (last review) only this is in purple instead of red which is again, a unique color. That's about where the goodness ends with it though. Like the Captain America bike, it also is lacking in many departments. For one, the eye stickers on the front of the bike. They're just... weird.  The fire coming out of the back "could" be cool, but the way it is mounted makes it also look odd. It makes it look attached to the bike instead of coming from the bike. The catwoman model itself is not bad. Sure the pointy ears are there, but from my memory, the catwoman always had pointy ears. Weird in the movies too, but at least the set stays true to it.  I guess I have a thing against the newer motorcycle model as the model itself is just odd. It's bulky in front and skinny in the back, very unlike any motorcycle on the road.

 

 

 

The second part of the set is the Batmobile dragster. Yes, you heard me right - batmobile dragster. The vehicle itself is built pretty flimsily and falls apart pretty easy as well. it is a cheap set so it is what it is, but there are some major design flaws to it.

 

First off, the premise behind it. A batmobile dragster??? Someone had to have been on some sort of hallucinogen when they came up with that idea. Batman apparently enjoys going down to the local dragstrip and racing with the other racers and apparently the batmobile with it's jets just isn't "quite" fast enough so he had to make a dragster. And who knows, if someone does start pulling ahead at the track, he can just light them up with the Gatling gun mounted in the front (which only turns side to side when the dragster's front wheels turn side to side... a bit of a problem when pursuing someone at high speeds).

 

Secondly, the problems with the model itself. The Gatling gun is mounted to the front wheel 9as discussed in the paragraph above).  The window for the dragster also does not cover it's sides. Given that missiles launch and fly by him, batman may want to add a few dollars in to make the window inclusive so he doesn't have to get a new batsuit whenever he launches a missile. Batman also has no chair to sit in and in order to fit into the vehicle, he has to pretty much lay back as if he were on a luge.

 

 

All together this set does have some good pieces to build other things with. It is also playable for kids because they don't care about the horrible inaccuracies of the set. Daniel didn't have much problem building the set, but the front wheel of the dragster does come off pretty easily with any amount of decent play. It also does not roll too easy an requires two hands to do so since the front wheels are on a pivot and wobble and turn on whims. there are numerous problems with the set though that would make it unfun for children, and would not make a good display set for an adult fan.

 

6865 - Captain America's Avenging Cycle

 

6865 - Captain America's Avenging Cycle

 

Year: 2012
Pieces: 72
Retail Price: $12.99 ($12.99 paid)
Theme: Superheroes (Marvel Universe)

This is a small set and really is not a very complicated one at all. This was the only set in 2012 to include Captain America and had it not been the only one, it probably wouldn't have garnered much interest honestly. The set comes in three parts, the glider, missile launcher, and Captain America's bike.

The first part put together is the bike. Honestly, the look of the bike is a bit off. yes, it's nice that the bike is in a magenta color and is therefore unique, but it just feels as if some more styling could have been done to it - something to make to stand out and say "wow". Instead, if put alongside the other Avenger sets, Captain America and the bad guys would probably be used while the bike would probably be pushed off to the side and not seen until it was time to put the LEGOs away. Captain America himself also seems a bit off. Granted, his modeling is based on the comic vs. the Avenger movie but the other Avengers all seen just to be a bit more detailed than him.

 

The second part of this set is the glider. The glider is put together pretty well but looks like the rest of the gliders in the Avenger sets.  This was probably a design goal so that folks wanting to create an epic battle could buy multiples of this set to get an army of bad guys and weapons.

Lastly is the missile launcher. Again, nothing flashy but if using this set as an army builder, it ends up being quite effective.

This is a short review and I do realize that. There just isn't much to review on this set really. You got some bad guys and Captain America. Daniel had no issues with the construction of this set and, true to the review above, he only uses Captain America and the bad guys, preferring to place Captain America in the  Quinjet. It seems the entire point is to serve as an army builder for those folks wanting to play in a major battle with their Avengers. In that role it serves great. If buying only one of this set for the merit of play, not so much.