Set Reviews

[IVhorseman]

we had a thread in this fashion back on the frappr forums. Basically, if you get a new lego set or know of a set that you think is a good deal, review said set here. Basically, talk about

* Construction Quality

* Brikwars compatibility

* Minifig count/quality

*Unique pieces

*Piece count

*Value

*anything else you deem important

so if you get a set and want to inform us of the good news (or warn us to stay away from it), this is your thread. and before you say it, don't just turn this into a peach-fig hating thread. yes we understand yellow is better, but that shouldn't be justification as to whether a set is a good value or not.

[Carrnevil9]

Well, in that case I guess I'll go ahead and review a few 2008 models I've gotten. First up:Exo-Force Night Panther


I picked this up back in late December, probably around the 20th. Since then it has been attacked, cannibalized, and left for vultures. But on to the specifics:

-Construction Quality

The entirety of the walker is rather sturdy, though I found that in the time it was assembled that the largish spiny tail seemed to favor breaking down.

-Brikwars compatibility

Without going into the math on exactly what kind of creature this would be, it carries four robots into battle with only one getting any kind of cover. It's a large, strategic no-no. Still, the 'backpacks' that attach to the bronze robots are fascinating in a "I wouldn't have thought of using buzz saws for flight" kinda way.

-Minifig count/quality

On the box this has 3 robots (2 bronze, 1 silver) but advertises a "mini-robot" as well, bringing the total bot count up to 4. If you managed to snag some of these before, they haven't changed in any way I could notice. The mini-robot spider is neat, but the lethality could be improved, along with the leg count.

-Unique pieces

New to the scene are the purple/yellow spines (about 1 brick tall, 8 studs long and two wide; yellow tips are rubbery), some new sloping vents, and a new 'dual pincer' hinge-piece (attaches to window). Other than that, it's mainly a few more purple vents and yellow claws which I know we haven't possibly gotten enough of yet.

-Piece count

*Too bored to find box, goes to the horse's mouth* 244

-Value

To me? Kinda low, the knees don't bend in any manner and I was hoping to expand my purple brick count significantly. As is, I merely added 2 bronze robots to my *counts* 11 strong bronze army. I wouldn't suggest I wasted $20, but the usable part count is kinda low.

-anything else you deem important

This should shock no one, but it comes with stickers.

[Rayhawk]

You know what else would be good for this thread? Stats! If somebody's got the models built out, it shouldn't be too tough to get Size measurements and weapon counts.

[EvilTobbacconist]

Like the mecha in the background, looks like they've just finished ripping it apart.

[Carrnevil9]

Alright, can do. Night Panther is 5-6 in long from cockpit to base of tail, with one largish cannon atop the beast, a multi-limbed spider (pointy limbs), and pistol wielding bronze robots. The two green-yellow trans cones in the front may be considered weapons by those more lustful for battle than I however.

[Carda]

I just might do a thread like this for all the Exo-Force sets I've acquired over the past year. (And probably the King's Castle Siege, too, as it's currently taking up most of what's left of my desk space...)

[Carrnevil9]

-Imperial Dropship-



-Mechanical Statistics

>5" long
Armaments include 2 blaster pistols, 2 blaster rifles, and... with some strain, 2 laser cannons.

-Construction Quality

*glares at it...* The 3 stormtroopers and blackhole trooper are engineered perfectly well. The actual dropship is bare-bones in an anorexic kind of way. I feel that any kind of 'drop' for this kind of 'ship' beginning outside of an atmosphere would be rather fatal and ill-conceived.

-Brikwars compatibility

If you thought putting a thermal exhaust port about two meters wide on the Death Star was a good way to cut costs, this Imperial Dropship is for you. It's lightly armed so your CP count can stay low, and it allows the ever famous stormtrooper accuracy to be laid plain and bare from a moving vehicle! It is in my humble opinion that the only way this would crush Rebels is by landing on them at a very fast speed, one faster than I would assume this is capable of. Unless it was falling.

-Minifig count/quality

Alright, scathing review over. For now. Any of you who bought this set for the ship can stop reading this now. Any of you who bought this to strengthen the mighty arm of the Empire by adding 3 garrison-fresh stormtroopers and an elite blackhole trooper complete with riot suppression... that is, ending equipment, this will suit you just fine.

-Unique pieces

Sadly, the set falls short in this category, with the previously named double-hinge and a black stormy torso/helmet being the only new parts I am able to observe. Edit: Blackhole Troopers were previously available with the Tie Crawler.

-Piece count

81, 20 of which had any value to me.

-Value

Extremely high. I'd been hoping TLC would provide a way to purchase stormtroopers faster than the real Imperial Dropship, and it would seem they have. Any further details on stormtrooper helmetry can be found in a nearby (or distant) thread.

-anything else you deem important

The tail lifts up to deposit a small rectangular square onto the field of battle which you might be able to squeeze four stormtroopers on.

Remember the Imperial Dropship they sold last year? That is the pregnant younger sister of the Imperial Shuttle. With some imagination and a lot of denial you may find is as appealing as I do. I don't even know it this new thing exists canonically. I'm just going to say it doesn't and stop building them with my sets. Perhaps I'll be able to build a... boat in four more boxes.

Oh, and it has stickers.

[Carrnevil9]

Despite my firm belief that doubleposting is wrong, unnatural, and even uncool, I'm going to post another review unless someone can beat me to a response in about twenty minutes.

-Rebel Scout Speeder-



-Mechanical Statistics

Approx 6" long.
Armaments include (though not limited to) 2 blaster pistols, 2 blaster rifles, single laser cannon/turret and/or very loud horn.

-Construction Quality

The Rebel Scout Speeder is rather well built. While I would feel somewhat guilty dropping it down a flight of stairs, it is also my belief that it would be relatively easy to re-assemble. It looks like an actual, cheap, lowest bidder Rebel Alliance vehicle.

-Brikwars compatibility

Some of you may remember or even still be able to see a thread entitled "Anti-Peach Scout." This is rather like a recolored version of the same idea with a removeable turret and a windshield. The entire crew is exposed to enemy fire with little cover, and I doubt it is equipped with shields of any kind. You could do worse (see Imperial Dropship review) than the Peach Scout Speeder.

-Minifig count/quality

To all of you who have been longing to recreate your favorite Lego Star Wars II moments, play the game again. For all of those who have wanted to expand their Rebel Fleet beyond pilots, smugglers, and Hoth-resistant Rebel Troops, this set is ideal. Soon you too can re-live exciting moments like holding off the Imperial boarding party for about 13 seconds, or pointing a radar gun at approaching YT-1300 Freighter. This set contains 4 rebel troops, fresh from Aldaraan, all quite likely to die in the first two turns of your battle. Damn pacifists.

-Unique pieces

Other than the white rebel helmet, the only new piece I can detect is the round 4x4 plate.

-Piece count

82, 24 of which I deem valuable.

-Value

Do you want 4 Rebel Troops? Right now, this is the only way to get them. Personal value: high.

-anything else you deem important

Apparently, the rear turret/cannon is detachable from the vehicle. I do not see this as being practical at all, as the thing should be heavier than four people can carry, and repulsorlift technology would be wasted on moving it to a stationary location so that the gunner could be sniped easily.

Oh, and it has two extra stickers.

[Carda]

I'm gonna go ahead and throw in my review of the King's Castle Siege set, since I already have a pic and it won't take me the extra time necessary to reassemble it the way my other sets will... (Also, apologies for the clutter, I was actively attempting to get as many sets as I could into the shot... Also seen in the shot are the Catapult Defense, the Skeleton Tower, the Hybrid Rescue Tank, and the Assault Tiger mech.)


* Construction Quality

The castle is very, VERY well built. The walls are sturdy and can withstand quite a bit of punishment (although there is a section of one wall designed to be removed easily, as if breaking through the wall). The front gate has a drawbridge and portcullis that help with defense while providing a good objective for offense. The bridge between the king's throne and the roof of the adjoining tower swivels, so an enterprising player could find a way to send attackers flying.

* Brikwars compatibility

Here's the best part about this set: It's modular. Each section of the castle is built independently and linked together, so you can rearrange the entire structure any way you like! The windows in the walls and towers provide decent cover for snipers or archers, and there's a crossbow posted on the roof for anyone daring to come within range. Each tower has a small catapult, and the left wall has a larger catapult for bigger targets. The right wall has that "break-in" section and stairs leading from the ground up to the second level ramparts. There's also a prison cell in the right tower which could be useful for rescue scenarios.

* Minifig count/quality

There's the king, two archers, two soldiers, a knight, two white skeletons, and two black skeletons. And a horse.

*Unique pieces

The king has his crown, unique kingly armor, a gold sword, and a royal cape. The archers get bows and quivers, and one of the skeletons actually has armor and a big battleaxe. I call him The Executioner. And lest I forget... THE DRAGON. Whom I have dubbed Trogdor.

*Piece count

Can't recall off the top of my head, and the box was way too big to keep around the apartment... *hunts down the info on the Lego Shop website* 973 pieces total.

*Value

The set costs 100 bucks, but it's well worth it, because you get a highly configurable set piece with which to have tremendous battles. My first BrikWars campaign shall indeed be defending this castle from the onslaught of a skeleton army and their giant robot allies.

*anything else you deem important

Nothing comes to mind, although having multiple other Castle sets will definitely help make this a real siege. I've got the Catapult Defense set, the Skeleton Prison Carriage set, two Crossbow Defense sets, the Skeleton Tower set, and two Final Joust sets, boosting my armies on both sides to reasonable numbers for a two-person campaign.

[Rayhawk]

I love the Castle line this year, I can't wait to set the new big castle against Vladek's Dark Fortress.

[Carda]

I'd still be interested to see you pull off that transforming castle design you had come up with. I would totally build that if I had the necessary parts.

[King of Brix]

I absolutely must get this one. It's insanely cool.

[Carda]

My current plan is to incorporate that BrikWars siege on the castle into my next roleplaying session (which already jumps through time and space hoops anyway, so it's not that out of place). The players' characters won't be converted into minifigs, though, which is just as well; they'll have their hands full making sure as many of the king's soldiers survive as possible!

[Carrnevil9]

Alright maggots, prepare yourselves for a review of the Hailfire Droid and Spider Droid!

-Hailfire Droid and Spider Droid-



-Mechanical Statistics

Hailfire Droid: <3" long 'body'
8 Missiles and questionable laser cannon on front 'chin.'

Spider Droid: I debate the idea that something that looks like that could have a cranium, even if it was getting orders from some kind of droid control ship, and therefore deem measuring its spine impossible.
1 large laser cannon, endless supply of male enhancement jokes

3 Blaster Pistols

-Construction Quality

Hailfire Droid: Well built, compact, and possibly the sturdiest model of the year, the only gripe I have with this is the 'flick-fire' missiles. No way to justify how much they suck. At least they don't fall out like the lasers from past years. Wheels work surprisingly well.
Spider droid: I'm not going to blame Lego for this thing being terribly unsturdy and possibly the ugliest Star Wars model I own (Original Slave 1 and the Droid Battle Pack transport fight for that honor nightly.) I'm going to blame George Lucas and the B'Omarr monks for fathering this sad pile of limbs. At the same time, the legs give a constant impression that they could collapse at any time under the severe weight of the antenna alone.

-Brikwars compatibility

Despite my lack of enthusiasm for the Spider Droid, I feel the entire set would make excellent fodder for a clone vs droid vs viking vs zombie face off.

-Minifig count/quality

2 Battle Droids, 1 Battle Droid Commander, and 1 Super Battle Droid
You've seen 'em before folks, nothing new to see here. Move along, move along.

-Unique pieces

To my knowlege the missile body is new (like the 3 stud wide technic pin, but with a rotating pin on the head-end and a scrawny beam past that) along with the transparent wheel guides. Possibly a few new dark tan colored parts on the Hailfire Droid.

-Piece count

249, 33 of which I found useless.

-Value

Perhaps a few of you simply feel you don't have enough Battle Droids in your army to justify attacking your opponent's Clone Trooper AT-AP. This is solely your fault as Lego has been bleeding Battle Droids from all kinds of sets, the MTT especially. While I enjoy the Hailfire Droid, I can't suggest purchasing multiple copies of this set for $20. Go pick up some Droid Battle Packs from last year.

-anything else you deem important

This set contains absolutely no stickers.

[Carda]

Rapid fire! I've got photos for three of my most recently acquired sets! (By complete coincidence, these happen to be three of the sets that had been crammed into my Castle Siege photo...) I'll do one post for each so as not to overload your poor abused browser windows.

First up: the Skeleton Tower!



It's a bit more fragile than the castle, a lot of pieces are more cosmetic than structural, but it still stands solidly, and more little bits to knock off makes for more shrapnel to injure minifigs with. The left portion of the tower has a small catapult, and the "jaw" of the skull facade acts as a drawbridge (or perhaps, JAWbridge?):



Not quite as versatile as the castle, but still quite useful as a set piece. Could perhaps be useful as a "spawn point" of sorts for armies of the undead? After all, this guy looks crazy enough to raise the dead for his own nefarious purposes:



That cage of bones dangling from the left of the tower there could also be convenient for a rescue scenario. Like so:



There's also a knight on horseback, two skellies, and a DRAGON. We should seriously consider statting out these dudes, because they're so much cooler than the old-school tiny green dragons...