The Lego Mini T1 Campervan

So last week I posted about finally getting my hands on the Lego Creator Volkswagen T1 Campervan. Around the same time, I decided to finally build the Mini MINI Cooper polybag that was released around the same time as the full size version. Which got me thinking: if Lego released a mini MINI Cooper, did they release a mini Campervan?

Turns out they did.

Ooooh, crinkly

Last year. #SadFace

So I hit google, which led me to ebay, which led me to spending $30 on a Lego polybag that consisted of 76 pieces.

Woohoo -_-

But I wanted it, because I get anal about having some things, so I guess I can't really complain.

Pieces!

Opening the polybag didn't reveal anything super surprising, but I wasn't expecting the Volkswagen logo to be a sticker. I know they're pretty rare, but you can't fault me for wishing for a printed piece.

Slick

So I got to building, and I have to say, I really enjoyed the finished product. Being 76 pieces, it's a pretty simple build, and I love that Lego actually used clear pieces instead of nothing for the windows.

A closer look

If I had one complaint, it would be the lack of seats on the interior. Lego included these pieces for the windows, they could've tossed one or two solid pieces for the interior.

Anyway, that's the Mini T1 Campervan. I wish I was aware of it last year (probably would've saved me $30) but I'm not upset I got it.

And now that I've built this little guy, it might finally be time to rip into his older brother.

I shall call him, Mini Me

Too many Legos, not enough time

So I got super excited today because I was finally gonna start building Lego Creator Volkswagen T1 Camper Van. 

It's a set I've wanted for a while, and after spending the last couple months surrounded by Mixels and Star Wars sets, I was really looking forward to this build. Then I opened the box. 

And this came pouring out. 

Just bag after bag of unnumbered Lego. 

You're probably wondering why I'm upset. Well, I'm not upset. Not really. I'm just a bit disheartened. 

While I don't mind having to sort through fifteen or so bags of pieces, I don't really have that much free time. Some people might say following the instructions or dealing with numbered or labeled bags takes the fun out of building, and it kinda does, but I love the convenience of knowing where the prices I need are coming from. 

Having labeled bags keeps things organized, and more importantly, let's me build at my own pace. And instead of starting this build today and finishing when I can, I'll have to wait until I have the time to build it in one go. 

Will it be fun? Yes. But convenient? No way. 

My thoughts on Batgirl 35

Batgirl 35 hit this week, and if the internet is to be believed, this is the biggest thing to be released since sliced bread. 

This book wasn't on my radar, and hasn't been since the New 52 launched and Barbara Gordon suddenly stood up out of her wheelchair and decided physically fighting crime was more exciting than doing it from behind a computer screen. But the buzz was big enough on this book to make me rethink my stance. I decided to give it a chance. And while I didn't think the book was bad, I think I'd prefer the sliced bread. 

First thing's first, the art is absolutely gorgeous. Babs Tarr knocks it out of the park, doing a fantastic job of setting this title apart from the grim and gritty look that usually accompanies the members of the Bat-family. The book is filled with bright colors and dynamic set pieces that pop off the page. And while I didn't much care for Batgirl's suit redesign at first, it's growing on me. It really works with the book's color scheme, and I love that it's much more simplistic than most costumes in the New 52. 

But this a comic book, and the comic is more than just the art. And that's where this book falters. There is an interesting story here, especially in the light of recent events. It just isn't executed well.  It almost seems as if Brenden Fletcher and Cameron Stewart are trying too hard to hammer home that Batgirl and her new friends are cool and hip. 

Batgirl has gone from being a young superhero to a "young superhero who gets drunk enough to not remember who she's made out with and wakes up hungover and has to excuse herself to throw up in between bouts of being a badass."

Her new roommate isn't just her outgoing new friend, she's the girl that "throws crazy parties and is super cool and uses hip language and cool nicknames and is supposed to be a lesbian but enjoys making out with dudes too."

Even the villain is turned up, as he's a "DJ and club owner who speaks in hashtag and has his tattoo-and-piercing game cranked to eleven."

I just feel like it's trying too hard to be relevant to a younger audience, as if it's written to appeal to a teenage audience that thinks this is what being in college is like. In that regards, it works. 

I'll be the first to admit, I'm probably not the target audience. And that's ok. As great as it looks, this book just isn't for me. 

But my girlfriend really liked it, and she IS a 21 year old college student. 

So it's got that going for it. 

So they're finally releasing a Rocket Raccoon... Kinda

When Guardians of the Galaxy was released back in August, and I finally got a feel for what was going on in their Lego sets, I blasted Lego because the only place we could get Rocket Raccoon in his Ravager/Guardians outfit was through an over-priced San Diego Comic Con exclusive that later became ridiculously over-priced as it hit eBay.  And since it didn't seem Lego would be releasing any more Guardians sets featuring this minifigure, I resigned myself to being without it. 

But it looks like someone at Lego finally listened to the internet's complaints, as they'll be releasing a Ravager-garbed Rocket Raccoon Toys R Us polybag exclusive.

Thanks to this eBay listing posted to Reddit, this came to my attention. And I must say, while I'm pretty excited this minifigure is being released, I'm a little disappointed in how it's happening. 

I'm just not looking forward to overpaying for something just so I can get this minifigure that I desperately want. And I'm not talking about the standard price of Lego, I'm talking about the fact that Toys R Us loves to mark up the price of what they sell. It's pretty damn ridiculous to walk into my local TRU, and see an X-Wing that sells on Lego.com for $59.99 jacked up to $79.99. Or the "hot" price of the Lego Movie Super Secret Police Dropship being listed at MSRP. It just really annoys me when I see this, and when I see people fall for their pricing structure. I know TRU price matches, and that's pretty much the only reason I occasionally shop there. But generally, I walk in and just feel like I'm getting ripped off. And I hate that feeling. 

So will I be buying whatever it is that will get me this polybag? 

Most likely. Hopefully it comes packaged with the GotG blu-ray and won't cost an arm and a leg. 

But will I like doing it? 

Probably not. 

I'm part of the problem. I accept that. 

But it still pretty much sucks nard. 

Mixeltility!!!

For the past month I've been featuring Mixels here on my blog. While I've loved Series 1 and 2, with the exception of the fantastic Spikels, I wasn't a big fan of Series 3. But regardless of the actual build, the amount of ball joints, the interesting colors used, and the variety of pieces made the Mixels worth the purchase.

I didn't care for the Wiztastics, the Glorp Corp was only so-so, and their Max Mixels didn't do much to change my opinions on the sets, so I decided to scrap the original design, break them down, and build them back up... as my own creations.

When building these, I only set one guideline for myself: use only the pieces that came from each tribe. In other words, purple with purple, green with green. I ran into to some trouble early on because of this, but with a little time and patience, I was able to come up with the two builds you see pictured below.

My new robot friends

Strike a pose!

I like how the wings turned out

The knee joint locks into place, keeping it from falling over

Look at him go!

Wasn't sure what to do with the tendrils

He can actually hold on to something

With all said and done, I'm pretty happy with the way these turned out. The great thing is that although they feel and look great now, I'm pretty sure I can improve upon them with the pieces I have left over (and there were a good amount of extras).

I liked the other Max Mixels, so I'm on the fence about breaking them all down to build more robots, but it could happen. I guess it all depends on how bored I am and what sets I purchase moving forward, since I've already built all my Classic Star Wars sets.

But stay tuned. Sometime later this month I plan on picking up the Creator MINI Cooper and the Volkswagen T1 Camper Van, so the reviews should follow shortly after.

Lego Review: 75055 Imperial Star Destroyer

After building and reviewing the Snowspeeder, the B-Wing, the Mos Eisley Cantina, and the AT-AT, we've finally arrived at the end of our Classic Star Wars journey with the 75055 Imperial Star Destroyer.

This is the priciest set in Lego's 2014 Classic Star Wars line, with an MSRP of $129.99, but don't let the price tag scare you away, this is a massive set. The Star Destroyer measures in at 7" high, 12" wide, and 19" long. The set comes with six minifigures: Darth Vader, an Imperial Officer, and Imperial Crewman, an Imperial Navy Trooper, and two Stormtroopers. It also comes with a Mouse Droid and a microscale Emperor Palpatine hologram.

My biggest fear with this set was that it's construction would be repetitive and tedious, much like the AT-AT. And while there is a lot of repetition here, the Star Destroyer is mirrored down the middle, so I didn't feel like I was building the same thing over and over again. But I suppose this was due more to me building the set over a few days instead of in one sitting, like I did with the walker.

Also, with the exception of the tip of the destroyer, which is the smallest point of the build, it feels very sturdy. Unlike other large builds I've had experience with, like the 7965 Millennium Falcon, I'm not too worried about breaking the build by "swooshing" it around. Not to say the Falcon is flimsy, there's just not as many moving parts here.

With that said, let's get on to the minifigures.

The Minifigures

There are six minifigures included in this set. We've seen all six before in some incarnation, but technically these are all new figures because of the new printings and detail added to this go around. We also have a microfigure in the Mouse Droid, which actually has the most parts of any figure in this set, and a holographic Palpatine. 

But let's start things off with the figure everyone is probably the most interested in: Darth Vader.

Darth Vader

By my count, thanks to a little help from Brick Set, this is the 27th time you've been able to buy some version of Darth Vader, but being that this is the latest release, it is the best and most detailed incarnation.

The biggest change from previous versions is the head under the helmet. Instead of giving us a gray head, Lego changed the color to a darker, almost ashen tan, giving Vader that "my skin hasn't seen the light of day in years" look. There is also a lot of added detail to the face, showcasing his scarring and yellowed eyes. I especially love the slight pink color variation added around Vader's eyes, adding depth to the minifigure. And when you turn it around, you can see even more scarring on the back of his head, somewhat matching what we see in The Empire Strikes Back.

Moving on to the body, there's a lot of detail to be seen. His outfit now has many wrinkles and creases, giving it a more cloth-like appearance. There's also a lot of detail on his belt and chest piece, which really pops due to the use of silver metallic paint for the decals. I should also point out there isn't any printing on the back of the figure, but that's to be expected since I'm sure most people won't be using Vader without his cape.

My only gripe with this figure is the helmet. It looks good, but with all the fine detail added to the body and head of Vader, they could've added some metallic highlights. But really, I'm grasping at straws here. There's a lot to like about this version of Vader. Plus, you gotta give Lego something to update in the future.

Stormtrooper

Moving on to the other minifigures, we have the Stormtrooper. Or I should say the two Stormtroopers, since Lego gave us two in this set. Not that I'm complaining. I love world building, and everyone needs an army. 

As is the trend, there's a lot of detail on this figure that hasn't been seen on previous version of the stormtrooper. I especially love the helmet, as there is black, gray, and blue printing for the decals. Now I'm not sure if the blue printing along the sides of the helmet is just a stylistic choice, or if it signifies something in the Star Wars universe, as the Sandtrooper from the Cantina set has black detail, and the Stormtrooper from the Ghost set has light blue detail, but it's a welcome addition, as it gives a little "pop" to the helmet. Under the helmet, we have what seems to have standard bad guy face for the Lego Empire.

As for the body, there's lots of detail on the front, the back, and the legs. I love the pouches along the belt, and what looks like a single kneepad on the legs. I know it might seem silly, but I always love asymmetry when it comes to armor. 

Imperial Navy Trooper

Imperial Crew

Imperial Officer

I've decided talk about the Imperial Navy Trooper, Crewman, and Officer together, as there isn't that much difference between the three. All three are well detailed along the body and legs, with the exception of the Officer. His body is well done, but he lacks any detail, fine or otherwise, along the legs. Granted, his uniform is supposed to be a solid gray, but solid colors didn't stop Lego from adding details along the legs to the other minifigures in this set. 

Of the three, the Officer is the only mini that has a new head. I love the worried look he has on his face, as he knows he's only moments away from Vader's wrath. I also think the sideburns are a nice touch.

Little Palpatine

Here we have the Holographic Emperor Palpatine. it's a nice little addition to the Star Destroyer. It's molded in clear blue plastic, giving it the holographic look. There isn't much fine detail sculpted into the figure, but it looks the part. You instantly know what it's supposed to be when you see it.

The best thing in this set

Lastly, here's my favorite piece of this set: the Mouse Droid. It's a simple build, and there isn't much to say about it. I just love the way it looks, and wasn't expecting to see it. Hell, I blanked when I first built it, not realizing what it was until I actually dropped it into the Destroyer.

The Star Destroyer

Imperial Star Destroyer

Here we have it, the star of our show, the Imperial Star Destroyer. As I said before, this is a massive build, coming in at over 1300 pieces. It also has a bit of heft to it, which just makes it feel really good in you hands. When I first started building it, I was a little underwhelmed by it's size, as I couldn't really visualize how big it was. But once it came together, I was very pleased with what sat in front of me.

The outside of the build

I know it's not easy to get a sense of scale through pictures, but this really is a big set, I just love the look of the ship from this angle. It just looks imposing. There's also a lot of detail on what's supposed to be the bridge of the ship, at least on the outside. The engines on the back are also well done, utilizing clear blue pieces to signify the flames coming of the back.

It opens!

What I thought was a really neat addition was the housing for extra missiles built in to the back of the ship. It's a simple addition, and a great solution to a problem that wasn't really that problematic. Having bought plenty of sets, I actually just use a cigar box to keep extra, yet necessary pieces, so it's great to be able to keep these missiles with the build at all times.

And the top comes off!

To get to the inside of the ship, the top of the build, which also houses the spring-loaded missile launchers, is removable. I wish it fit a little better, as it slides around just a little bit once you start moving the ship, but it doesn't hurt the overall build. I should also point out that the cannons on the sides of the destroyer are moveable, and since they're built on a track, all four on each side move together at the same time. It's a minor detail, but it's really well done.

Now, as you can see, removing the top doesn't give you that much access to the interior, which Lego did account for.

And it opens up!

By looking at the outside of the build, you can see that it's being held together by hinges. This isn't just a stylistic choice, or simply used to give the destroyer it's angular look. It opens up, allowing you full access to what it inside. Now in all honestly, you don't get that much floor space to play with, but some is better than none, so this is an absolute plus. 

Inside the ship, we have four computer consoles, two seats for the crewman and trooper, a weapons holders, a map table (which actually looks like plans of a Death Star trench), and a table for the Palpatine hologram to sit on. It's a bit cramped in there, but I'm sure someone with much smaller hands will really enjoy getting inside this thing.

Another thing that takes away from the interior space of the star destroyer is the technic build in the middle of the ship. Now part of it does help keep the ship together, but the other part is an ingenious addition to this build: a handle.

It floats! (kinda)

Honestly, I was a bit scared to actually use it at first, since I wasn't sure that it would be able to hold the ship up through extended play. But I've been able to zoom it around my house with no worries of it crashing to the ground. The handle is built solidly. And the balance of the ship is great, allowing it to hang level.

The Verdict

Someone's about to get force choked

And that's the Imperial Star Destroyer. I really enjoyed myself with this build. The minifigures are great, although about half of them are not too exciting to look at. So to wrap things up in a few words: It's big, it's expensive, but it's worth it. This is a great build with lots of features, and lots of playability. 

I have no problem fully supporting your purchase of the 75055 Imperial Star Destroyer.