>> Product Reviews

Review by Troy and Callum Chelin
(SAFOLs Members, jhbLUG Members)

Set number 70418 J.B’s Ghost Lab is the first of 8 sets in the 1^st wave of the Hidden Side theme. This new range uses AR (Augmented Reality) via LEGO’s APP to make your playing experience come to life. For those of you who don’t know what (Augmented Reality) or commonly known as AR for Short, it is computer-generated content overlaid on a real world environment, commonly used in video games and Television. We will get to the APP and AR experience later in the review.

Background

The Hidden side is based around the town of Newbury where you need to solve mysteries and turn a haunted town back to normal. J.B’s Lab is where you build and invent new gadgets to be able to catch the ghosts. You can explore the hidden side with your phone and catch all the ghosts to add to your ghost collection. You can get help from J.B’s Ghost lab and find objects to help you catch the ghosts in the hidden world.

Box Art Work

The artwork is not your typical art work which LEGO usually adopts and it works well with this theme, as you see Jack using his phone to spot the hidden ghosts in the built LEGO set. This set is a 7+ build and if you turn over to the back you get to see what you would normally expect on the front of a LEGO box, showing the built set and some of the close up areas of the set, zooming in on areas of the building for more detail. Some APP details are given at the back and you can follow the links and check if your devices are compatible. Note: my iPhone 6 does not support AR.

On the sides of the box you get to see all the mini figure characters with their names and what ghost you can expect to see in the set. In this set the ghost is DR. Drewell.

What’s in the box?

When Callum opened the box he found 2 poly bags marked 1 and 2, the instruction manual and the sticker page with 7 stickers and Callum mentioned that no ghost escaped or flew out at him when he opening the box.

There are 174 pieces in this set which includes 3 mini figures and a dog which is really great to get more than one mini figures in a small LEGO set and to get four I think is always awesome! Having seen all the Hidden Side sets they all come with over 4 figures each so defiantly no shortage of mini figures to add to any collection.

The Minifigures

In bag one you get 2 mini figures Mr. Elton, J.B and the third figure is Spencer the dog. In bag two you get to build Jack. Spencer is our favourite figure in this set.

SPENCER

Spencer the dog is white with a translucent tail and legs, Spencer uses one stud to stand on, we both thought that Spencer would glow in the dark however to our disappointment we found he does not. Spencer is Jack’s best friend who unfortunately passed away in a traffic accident and returned as a ghost.

MR ELTON

Aka Douglas aka, El Fuego in his human form has a great hair piece with really cool alternate faces. Callum’s best feature is his gray hand pieces. The detail in the torso is really good and the writing in the name bag says DIAZ with black writing on a silver background really stands out in the light. The knee pads on the legs are really well placed with the tools hanging off his belt and a rag in his pocket. The light lime green hair piece is made well and suits the translucent head piece. The play ability of this minifigure is really awesome as you get three different possibilities in one figure. 

J.B.

J.B. is the Scientist behind the ghost hunting operation who loves her coffee. The best feature is her light purple hair piece with the moulded goggles. Her white torso is designed well with what looks like a Frankenstein mini figure head on her shirt with a USB stick hanging off a keying. J.B. comes with an alternate head which looks as if she made a mistake in the lab and had something blow up in her face. Her legs are white with a name tag hanging off her belt. Callum and I both liked the light blue for her hands

JACK DAVIDS

Jack’s is new in town and his dad is the new high school headmaster. Jack joins Parker and scientist J.B. to hunt ghost and explore the Hidden side, He loves video streaming and often get court up in his video chats and forgets to chase the ghosts. The best part of Jacks minifigure is his white hoodie moulded over his red cap, he comes with an alternate face and has a white torso with red claw marks across it and black pants. He carries his black phone where ever he goes.

DR. DREWELL (in APP game play)

Known hang-out: J.B.’s Laboratory Soul Artifact: Erlenmeyer flask

Dr Drewell was a brilliant scientist working on experiments for the pursuit of eternal youth, however things don’t always work out in life as planned.

The Build

Callum (7) built this set on his own starting by building the colour scanner which you use in the APP, each colour gets scanned to get the ghosts to come out of hiding, three stickers are used on the scanner, two arrows to show the turning direction and a small sticker with a meter on it. You then fit a sturdy octagon plate to form the base of the Lab, a 6×6 plate is used next to the octagon base for the rest of the lab floor and the walls and the basic shell of the Lab is built with a large sticker placed at the back of the lab which has some sticky notes and some x-rays of a skull and the cross section of a Brain. Callum and I really liked the use of the silver grate pieces for the step up to the white chamber and the use of a yellow 1×4 warning tape printed tile.

Bag two is where the real fun begins as you get to add all the detail onto the build. In the laboratory area there is a computer screen with a sticker added for the display and the keyboard is a printed piece, another printed piece is the pizza which is a nice addition to the set, however as J.B. is a lover of coffee we were expecting the iconic LEGO mug. Next to the keyboard are a spanner and camera, the 3D printer with the translucent front piece is a fun addition to the side of the computer. Above the computer screen are different colour jars that are used in the APP to find gloom however this changes with ever opening of the APP.  A great piece to have in this set is the clear lime green pipe connecting the selector to the chamber. Above the chamber are electric rods which conduct electricity, they have used two round tiles with stickers to represent sparks or burst of electricity. It took Callum one and a half hour to build this set with a break after bag one.

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The APP

We struggled with the APP at first, there is a bug which LEGO is aware of which they are currently working on for the IOS user in South Africa, and you will need to change your region to United States before you can download the APP and open the program.

When you open the APP you need to select the Ghost Lab and place your phone screen onto the outlines of the Ghost Lab and before the AR begins it does show you to. Play in a well lit area, play on a clean, flat surface and avoid patterned and reflective surfaces. Once in the game the AR will direct you to where you need to scan to find Ghost, it does help if you can read and small kids might get frustrated as the AR does prompted you with messages on the top of the screen.  Some guidance will be needed for young children. Once in the APP you need to collect as many ghosts as you can. Happy ghost hunting!

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Reviewed by Chris McGee (SAFOLs Member, jhbLUG Member)

Something wicked this way comes…

The theme

For starters, I think we can all agree that LEGO® has clearly taken a different direction with licensing this particular theme. Stranger Things is a Netflix original television series, but in the same breath, it is also a horror / sci-fi show, currently rated 16 in South Africa. Not exactly a kid-friendly set made from toy blocks, but being a fan of the show myself, I loved the idea of having this as a set. Monsters; a dangerous, hidden world; the 1980’s; Dungeons & Dragons… I don’t think I could ask for more.

The Minifigures

So the set is sorted with characters from the show, 8 to be exact, with the 5 main kids (Mike Wheeler, Will Byers, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair and Eleven) as well as Joyce Byers (Will’s mother), Chief Jim Hopper and the main antagonist of the first season, the Demogorgon.

Each of the kids is detailed brilliantly based on their clothes from keys scenes from the first season, including Eleven’s dress and blond wig. A new hair and hat combo is in place for both Dustin and Lucas, with Dustin’s being right on point. The faces though are just great with how they have captured the kids expressions, especially Dustin whose minifigure really hits home. Mike’s face is probably the least accurate (from my perspective at least). The alternate faces are coming through nicely as well, although Eleven doesn’t get an alternate. The characters each get at least one accessory with Eleven’s being my favourite with the waffle printed 1×1 round tile (representing her favourite food “Eggo Waffles”). Each of the kids also comes with the recent new mold of the three quarter legs (medium legs) each of a different colour.

The Joyce and Jim minifigures also have a great likeness to their show counterparts and Joyce a great printed 2×2 tile showing off one of Will’s drawings of his D&D character, “Will the Wise”. I also appreciate that the characters have different builds of flashlights, as well as something that shows key points from the show. Mike with his Walkie Talkie, Dustin with the compass and Lucas with his “wrist rocket” (slingshot).

Hopper got himself a coffee mug, which is not wrong given all the coffee he is seen drinking, to go with his police car, a Chevy Blazer from the 80s. Last but not least is the Demogorgon, which is the show’s primary source of danger and scare moments, definitely got the full treatment here. With some uniquely printed faun legs and a well printed minifigure head showing the closed mouth without eyes, having the added piece to fit over the head with the opened mouth and array of teeth is just.

Seeing what a good job they did with the figures, I really wish we could have gotten some of the other main characters (Jonathan, Nancy and Steve), but I guess this would have raised the price point too far.

The build

To say a lot about the build for the Byer’s house would be to say too much towards spoilers and other components, but for what it’s worth I hope to give some valuable feedback and avoid any spoilers.

The techniques used in the build are not necessarily the most complex but there is some simplicity in areas where you may have thought that some crazy building would happen, which was greatly enlightening and surprising. As an example, the trees are effectively one row of technic bricks, strengthened with some plates and technic pins. Also the upside down component is dealt with through the use of ball joints holding together a house horizontally stacked above the other.

And then comes the detail placed all over the build: Easter eggs and references to the show, references to some iconic scenes such as the alphabet on the wall with the light brick excellently placed for sprinkling some light thereon. Season 1 is definitely the main focus point here, and a season 2 reference in there for good measure. Will’s room has some nice sticker detail along with the many lamps, a bear trap in the entrance hall and continued references to some of the inspirations the show took (such as Jaws and Dungeons and Dragons). It even looks the same as the house of the show and uses the muted colour palette well to give a realistic setting.

The upside down is a fantastic contrast of colour and creepiness. Mirrored exactly across the Byer’s house, with the necessary blemishes, creepy vines and some slime droplets to distinguish it. The colours used also provide a nice darkness to the scene and gives it an incredibly unique look and ability to see the detail, avoiding the dark on dark problem that can arise using similar toned colours. But this also causes the problem mentioned above where if the light is not good makes it difficult to avoid picking out the wrong dark colour. Even some of the windows, blocked out by newspaper prints, have a more tattered look in the upside down.

The trees are also mirrored with that “realm of shadows” look, and provide an amazingly stable support structure, holding steady even when being slightly rocked. The build can therefore also be turned upside down and back over again with ease (although probably too heavy for a small child). Both tree structures are an identical build, but look different attached to the main build as the connection to the houses needs the trees to be turned around. Although it repeats, the mechanic of the build is interesting enough to give it a second look.

The one set of trees also has a nod to one of the side but important characters, Barbara through the use of two “missing person” stickers. The trees also have some cool re-colours of parts (dark blue plant leaves, black hot dog sausage, and trans-black antennae) which are provided in good quantity for those who would seek to get multiples of the set.

The verdict:

Honestly, watching season 1 over when building this really showed me just how much they packed into the build and decorative details. As a fan I was not disappointed. But the build and design are so unique and entertaining, I feel that even if you are not a fan or have not watched the show, it would still engage and provide challenge.

At 2287 pieces, the price point of R3,499.99 is reasonable given it is a licensed theme and that the similarly priced Star Wars Tantive IV only has just around 1800 pieces. Added to this, are a full set of unique and well produced minifigures, and an array of newly coloured parts. So from a value and experience side I am happy with the purchase. Also to note that with some minor adjustments and removal of the trees and ball joint connections, you end up with two very cool house builds.

It is a very different direction for LEGO®, and this will come with criticism and praise alike. But given the audience target market being adults, I like that the set is not beyond a child’s enjoyment of the set. (My son loves the upside down idea with no context from the show).

In summary, it is one of my most favourite builds in the past couple of years and I really hope we get to see more of the theme and characters being produced into sets.

Reviewer Photos

Reviewed by Thys Brits (SAFOLs Member, jhbLUG Member)

2019 saw several regionally released sets cause a lot of hype in the AFOL communities. Some of the sets that caused most of the uproar, were the sets released only in the East for the Chinese New Year. These are sets 80101, 80102 and 80103. I managed to get my hands on all of these sets and thus thought to do a review on the last one in the line, released on 1 May, mostly because it is the only one of the three I have had time to build J

The Dragon Boat Race set, 80103, is the smallest of the 3 Chinese New Year sets, at 642 parts, but it makes up for this with a whopping 15 minifigures. The majority of these minifigures make up the boat crews, 5 per boat. The other figures are the race judge, a male, female and boy spectator and a stall owner. The set has a green and red dragon boats, harbour with a stall selling fast food, and the judges’ stand.

When I opened my set, the sticker sheet was all crumpled, so I took a chance and reported it to LEGO® Customer Service, who were as always very helpful, and within 6 days I had a new, perfect sticker sheet replacement in hand. Due to this, the photos were taken without stickers applied, apart from the last one which was taken after I received the sticker sheet.

The two boats make up the most of the build and are put together very similar, however the heads and tails of the dragons differ, with some very interesting part usage for this, like using a car front for the heads of the dragons, a phone for decoration on the green dragon, a croissant on the red dragon and diving flippers as fins. The builds are not very complicated but make use of a few interesting techniques. A nice feature is that the dragons have wheels at the bottom, so they can actually race, which is a very nice feature when you have a 7 year-old son so he can actually play with the set. We have had several boat races since finishing the build.

The docks section is built in three separate parts and put together in the end. The first is the stall to sell food to the spectators. The decorations on the docks are very well thought out, to fit in with the theme of the set. The smaller printed parts also make the details of the set better, such as seaweed sold in the food stall. The second part is a bridge to the judges’ stand, a simple section to connect the two edge sections. The judges’ stand is raised, so the judges can have a better view of the boat race. Below is just some landscaping and plant pieces, with some of water and plant parts too. The upper section contains a table with a golden table cloth holding the winners’ trophy. Again, the decoration of the stand is very original, using sausages as part of the make-up of the banners.

All in all, the set is a very interesting and colourful build, with lots of playability, as well as making for a very nice display set. Not the most complicated build, but still a fun build. After all, it is LEGO®!

Reviewer Photos

Reviewed by Julie-Ann Schmidt (SAFOLs Member, BUFFLUG Member)

Mia is the fourth out of the five ‘besties’ to get her very own house. This set comprises of 715 pieces, making it the largest of the four sets. Her house gives the impression of being a homely mountain retreat. Considering that Mia is the adventure junkie of the five, one can expect to find her home in the country. The build throughout this set is fairly easy, adding only two to three pieces per page.

This set contains six bags in total, the first of which allows us to build Mia, a grey horse, small water well and the kitchen. Mia looks great in her orange and olive green outfit and we can immediately notice her hair colour has changed this year from dark red to red. The kitchen is well equipped with a sink, blender, pan and bowls. The lime and white tiles looks great but, oddly, don’t cover the whole floor. The horse is a nice addition, and while this version lacks the articulation of regular horses, it has various pin-holes for decorative ribbons to be added.

With the second bag we continue the construction of the house. The front door has an intricate pattern provided by a sticker and side by side windows with pretty flower boxes below.

We then go on to build a small mountain structure with staircase to the upper level. Behind the stairs is a feeding area for the horse with a trough for water and one for carrots. There is also a storage place for the horse’s bridle and saddle. The interior has a nicely designed couch and coffee table with a cup and phone. The hallway has an ornamental frog and flower on the table. Stickers are used to add details such as a bookshelf, portrait, rug and clock.

Bag three also contains Mia’s parents, Ann and Angus as well as her pet bunny. The mom figure has a lovely printed torso complete with pearl necklace. She makes use of Rapunzel’s long plait hairpiece in a new colour, dark orange and holds a camera with lens. The dad figure has matching dark orange hair and moustache. His olive green shirt has a pine tree badge hinting that he works as a forest ranger. There is also a separate dining area that one can add on to the kitchen. The table is laid with a plate, cup, bread, cheese and juice.

Bags four and five contain the parts to construct the first floor. It contains a water closet with a door for privacy, a hallway with a rug and dresser and a study with a desk, chair and bookshelf. On the side of the house is a rock-climbing wall with a secret entrance into the study.

Bag six finishes off the house with a rather unusual dark purple sloping roof. There is also a ladder leading up to the loft area, which contains a lamp, cushion and bed.

The exterior of the house looks lovely with tan walls on the ground level and medium dark flesh on the upper levels. The dark azure windows are in line on both levels as are the doors. There are wooden and stone details which help to create a rustic feel. A beehive and various flowers offer a good deal of ornamentation.

While the house is primarily made up of neutral tones, there is definitely no shortage of colour. While using nearly 30 different colours in a single set might make AFOLs a little queasy, it is surely every little girl’s delight.

Reviewer Photos

By Rakesh Gosai (SAFOLs Brick Deputy)

The official description for this set is “ Give your youngster a stellar master-building experience with THE LEGO® MOVIE 2™ 70821 Emmet and Benny’s ‘Build and Fix’ Workshop! This LEGO® 4+ safe learning set is specially designed to be fun and easy for preschoolers and youngsters, and features LEGO Benny’s Spaceship with a minifigure cockpit, foldout boosters and removable space buggy, and Emmet’s Escape Buggy, plus a special Starter Brick base that lets even first-time builders experience the pride of constructing buildings, vehicles and more, all on their own. The included simple guide to build and play will also help your young master builder understand the purpose of the building instructions and expand their imagination and confidence for the perfect start to LEGO brick building. This simple LEGO® astronaut toy includes 2 minifigures, a build-able gas station and a tool trolley with lots of assorted tool elements for endless play possibilities.” I was having none of that as this looks like a really fun set to build! Plus who doesn’t love classic space Lego?

This set has two numbered bags and one big new large wedge shaped element. I think Lego made it this way to encourage younger builders to complete this set quickly in order to start playing with it. Also, this set has no stickers, only printed elements…awesome!

Bag 1 contains the bricks to build Emmet’s Escape Buggy, the Tool Cabinet, Workshop Scenery and of course the Emmet Minifigure. First up is the workshop scenery which contains a lovely printed wall element, a gas tank and a few tools. I had to distract Emmet to take some pictures while he was building…he was not happy at all! Emmet’s mood quickly changed once we started to build his Escape Buggy. If you don’t believe me, have a look at the pictures!

Bag 2 contains the bricks to build the spaceship for Benny, space buggy and the Benny Minifigure. By just looking at the spaceship, it reminds me of Set 924. Those of us who love Classic Space LEGO® will really enjoy this section as it contains the famous colours that we have become accustomed to. I like that the spaceship has a section at the rear where the buggy can slot into.

Overall this is a really quick build, very fun and did I mention Classic Space?!?

I know this set is aimed at the younger builders, but there are interesting parts that we AFOLs (Adult Fans of LEGO®) will enjoy, while reliving the classic space nostalgia!

Reviewer Photos

Reviewed by Johan Kruger (SAFOLs Member, jhbLUG Member)

In celebration of Star Wars day I found the lack of review for Star Wars sets disturbing. So decided to do a review on 75188 the Star Wars Resistance Bomber. This set was released all the way back in 2017. This set was based on the opening scene from Star Wars the last Jedi where the resistance mount a last desperate escape from the first order right after star killer base was destroyed in the last movie. Ever since that scene I knew I wanted to get this set. This I would say is the first Star Wars strategic bomber role aircraft and made me think a lot of the older warplanes, like the Boeing B-17 and Avro Lancaster with manned turrets for protection.

In terms of the set it is made out of 5 numbered bags but also does contain some stickers as well. Bag 1 and 2 builds the bottom half of the set including the start of the bombing bay, bag 3-4 is the top half of the bomber and lastly bag 5 is the turrets and finishing details. 

When fully assembled it is an impressive sight and nice size ship that is very swooshable.

The set also has some nice play features like the bombs that can be dropped and very well hidden spring stud shooters.

In terms of Minifigures the set comes with five Minifigures: Vice Admiral Holdo, Poe Dameron, three resistance bomber operators, Nix Jerd and 2 generic units a pilot and a gunner.  They also all have alternate faces. The pilots have very nice prints and could even be used to make a WW2 bomber pilot with the breathing masks if one wanted to reuse them for MOCS. Even the turrets would not look out of place on a WW2 bomber.

The inclusion of Admiral Holdo and Poe is a bit strange as they did not feature in that scene but still nice Minifigures to add to your collection.

Normally the review would have been done by this point, but LEGO® did something very strange with this set. After a few fan complaints with the bomber pilot figure the set was later released with a new figure.

Finch, however, has his five seconds of fame. He first appears in the scene right after Blue Leader piloting an A-Wing, in which Tallie says “Bombers, keep that tight formation. Fighters protect the bombers. It’s not every day we get a shot at a dreadnought, so let’s make this count!”

 Later into the movie, Finch responds with “Copy that, Blue Leader,” and as the scene pans off, we hear his voice from off-screen saying “You get us there, we’ll give it to ‘em!”

At ten minutes and four seconds, we see him for a fraction of a second screaming “Look out!” before his demise from the attack blast of a TIE fighter.

The minifigure is a very good copy of the original character, even matching the helmet design. Although in terms of new parts, it is only the head and helmet that differs from the original design. If you don’t have this set yet it is worth while looking out for a later released set with the new figure.

Lastly, I decided to make a few changes to the bomber using the extra parts and moving a few parts around.

Placing the cheese slops at the back and also using the extra parts to add greebling to the top of the set makes a big difference already in the appearance.

Lastly if you wanted to improve the appearance even more a few additional part would be needed from your own stash.  This involved mostly placing LEGO® tiles on the side and top of the wing. If I had more slopes I would have placed them all along the top wings and even more greebling on top.

By Rakesh Gosai (SAFOLs Brick Deputy)

Power into battle against Sweet Mayhem and Star with THE LEGO® MOVIE 2™ 70834 MetalBeard’s Heavy Metal Motor Trike! It features a built-in MetalBeard minifigure head, rotating turret with adjustable shooting cannons, adjustable shark shooter with snapping jaws, crow’s nest and flag and a huge front wheel. This fun-packed construction toy includes an Apocalypse-borg Benny minifigure and a Sweet Mayhem mini-doll figure with cool weapons and accessories, plus a brick-built Star figure to recreate action-packed adventures from THE LEGO® MOVIE 2.

Measures over 6” (17cm) high, 12” (31cm) long and 7” (19cm) wide

Let’s get into the details of this set, it comes with 4 numbered bags, 1 that is not numbered, which contains the four back wheels, front wheel and rim. This trike is classic steampunk style and would fit in well on the scene of Mad Max.

Bag 1 contains the mini-doll Sweet Mayhem, with anime style hair and helmet. Star toy which doubles as Sweet Mayhem’s glider. Nothing complicated in this build so far.

Bag 2 has no minifigures in it, just more LEGO® bricks. I found this stage very interesting as the trike resembles a miniature version of Metal Beard’s Sea Cow Ship and as you progress, you will build on the trike’s engine components from page 26 onwards. At the end of bag 2, the set resembles an engine complete with 4 exhausts!

Bag 3 contains the Apocalypse-Borg Benny minifigure and Metalbeard. As you progress through the bricks, I got a sense that I was building the internals of Metalbeard and wondered how this would fit in with the trike. Once you get to the end of page 47, Metalbeard is seamlessly integrated into the trike… I guess that’s the power of the brick!

Bag 4 contains the remainder of the bricks plus I needed to include the contents from the unmarked bag. It’s at this point where I could see the “ship” start changing into a trike. Metalbeard’s arms are a shark-canon and a double barrel canon.

I really enjoyed this build, the overall stance of the trike has a chopper bike feel but was disappointed with the lack of suspension on the front wheel. The double barrel canon works really well but the shark-canon does not work well at all. The colour scheme works well and the play-ability of this set will keep you entertained! Great use of parts and techniques, and is visually a fun set.

Reviewer Photos

By Barry Kay (SAFOLs Brick Boss, CapeLUG EXCO, Batman … Ssshhhh!)

When I first saw the LEGO® Ideas Steamboat Willie set, I felt that it was a very good depiction of the boat from the original Disney classic short film.

While reading some posts on Facebook regarding the set, I came across one comment saying “I don’t like it because it is Black and White. It should have been made in colour.” To that I replied “If it was in colour it wouldn’t be Steamboat Willie, but just Mickey Mouse on a boat.”

Although the set is not the small, quick and easy to build souvenir that the original fan designer, Máté Szabó, had intended, LEGO® designers John Ho and Crystal Bam Fontan have turned it into a functional work of art.

The Build

The build begins with the internal structure and workings of the boat, with a combination of System and Technic bricks. The internal structure is very well constructed to keep all the parts firmly intact. The setup of the wheel and gears form the basis of the mechanism that rotates the paddles and moves the funnels up and down as it is pushed along. It is quite remarkable to watch the pieces fit into place and the mechanism move as you build. It is also interesting that a black and white build is so colourful on the inside.

Once the interior structure and mechanism are built, we complete the hull of the ship and move onto the black and white deck and cabin. After building and mounting the funnels, they are able to move up and down, but not side to side. The remainder of the vessel comes together quickly and easily.

Some really nice details have been added to finish off the build.

1. Monochrome Friends Bird on a Utensil Telescope to portray a Parrot on its’ perch.
2. Printed 2×2 brick with Potato Bin printed on the sides, which can be placed on the deck or attached to the crane.
3. The crane with a gear mechanism and handle to raise and lower the hook that is attached to a string rope.

The Minifigures

In this set we get monochrome Mickey and Minnie. Mickey has a tall sailor hat and Minnie a small round feminine sailor hat. Both connect to the head with a small pin (like the Friends head pieces).

Minnie comes with a white acoustic guitar and 2×2 printed tile music sheet for the tune “Turkey in the straw”.

One may ask, what is special about these minfigures when we are also getting them in the new Disney Collectable Minifigures Series 2?

Well, apart from the guitar and printed music sheet tile, these minifigures both have silver printed feet. Mickey has silver printed pants and Minnie a silver printed skirt. Both hats also have some sliver printing.

The Series 2 CMFs will only have plain white printing where these have the silver.

Conclusion

I feel the price is a bit high compared to some other Ideas sets, but it is a fun build and interesting to get the moving parts working. If you are a Disney fan then you will love it, as that is what it is; True Iconic Disney.

By Raymond Mc Pherson (SAFOLs Brick Deputy)

I had the privilege of building Welcome to Apocalypseburg, the largest set currently released for the LEGO® Movie Part 2. Here are my thoughts and review of this great piece (or shall we say pieces).

As this set sat in my lounge the temptation to build it since it arrived was huge. Unfortunately as an AFOL Adult things take our time such as working is always priority (We need a way to fund our hobby somehow.) So with a limited timeframe I started to put this together part by part until the masterpiece took shape.

The first thing and most obvious in the beginning was the Box. A huge colourful box which is great as it depicts the built set in all its splendour and shows off some of the play features that the set has to offer. The box contains numerous bags and some that accompany the smaller bags. There are 30 bags overall.

The instructions manual is a rather large book, which is to be expected for a set this size. The book details the development process, interviews and an interesting section (the first that I have seen or are aware of) that explains how to pick the set up.  

You start by building the first section of the base, which is actually half of the entire base clipped together. Later on you will build a mirror of the base you are building at this point. This follows by building Larry the Barista’s Coffee shop, which is nicely detailed and forms a central part of the story’s location. The second building is Scribble Cop’s (previously known as Bad Cop/Good Cop) jail cell and interrogation room.

We then move to building a gym and shower with a bath of sorts. Both of the builds in this are impressive as you can see externally that these were supposed be vehicles at some point, but have been utilized in different ways. I like the inclusion of the punching bag in the Gym as it resembles a DUPLO® block and it is obviously being punched out of the frustration that the denizens of the ex-Bricksburg feel.

The next phase of the build consists of building Chainsaw Dave’s Camper van, which is adjacent to the shower Tub combo. Chainsaw Dave is a post-apocalyptic version of Surfer Dave who can be seen in the first movie.

Batman with his Tyre Outfit/Armour is right at home here within his Merch Shop, which includes some hidden Easter Eggs as well. This section marks the beginning of the Statue of Liberty build, which is formed out of Technic pieces to construct the statue leaning on its side. The Technic system being integrated with Classic system bricks here is great. The Technic allows you to construct in an angle that will not be possible with system bricks.

 The Technic frame and inclusion of System Bricks meld well together and exposed elements are well hidden so that you cannot see the inner workings of the model so it displays well.

A tattoo parlour and clothing shop showing Post-Apocalyptic attire for sale is next to build. The Harley Quinn Minifigure (Suicide Squad version) is right at home here. The base and arm of the statue is being extended piece by piece as we move along.

My favourite part of this set comes up next. This is the building of the Statue of Liberty Head and Crown. The techniques that are used to construct the face and crown of Lady Liberty are amazing and awe inspiring.  The fact that this could be put together with normal parts and still contain an inner observation deck in the head of the statue is fantastic. The Torch that is fitted to the arm of the statue forms the final part of that section.

The Minifigures included in this set are:

Scribble Cop

Larry the Barista

Fuse (The Welder)

`Where are my Pants` Guy

Roxu

Chainsaw Dave

Mo-Hawk

Harley Quinn (Suicide Squad version)

Emmet

Green Lantern

Batman

Lucy

If you are building this set then make sure you count and pick out all the pieces required as per the top left of the page, instead of just following instructions and building as you see the parts inserted. You might miss something minor and then run into a problem where there is a connection needed and that is the part you missed, and you might face major deconstruction to get back to it.

Ultimately, this is a 360-degree playset and where the margins of the base will not fit in greatly with your existing City layout or integration thereof. There are as always ways and means to make it work, it is LEGO® after all. Being a play set it does provide fantastic play scenes and options to bring the LEGO® Movie Part 2 to life.

Pictures