Day 1-5 of Lego Advent

A few days ago, I kicked off the 24 Days of Lego Christmas on Instagram to coincide with my opening of the Lego Advent Calendar, which is sadly sold out pretty much everywhere. Turns out Lego releases these things in September for a reason. Go figure.

Anyway, I've been posting pictures of the Advent gifts on Instagram using the hashtags #24DaysOfLego and #LegoChristmas, and it looks like a good amount of people are doing the same, which is pretty neat to see.

So let's take a look at what this year's gifts are.

On Day 1, I pulled out this little guy.

For the sake of the narrative I have going on in my head, I called him Jimmy.

Well, it looks like little Jimmy has his letter to Santa Claus ready to go, which is great, because Day 2's gift was a mail box.

Which curiously came with a frog as a decoration. I'm still not sure why the frog is there, but it's a silly little addition that I really enjoyed getting.

Day 3 gave us the gift of a snowman.

Complete with a cute little bowler hat. The head of the snowman was a plain white minifigure head, and while I wish there was a printed face on it, like coal eyes and a mouth, it still looks good regardless, so I can't really complain.

On Day 4 we were gifted something of a counter scene.

With two mugs, great for coffee or hot cocoa, and a mini pie.

And on Day 5, 

We got a baker that I've named Janice, complete with a freshly baked croissant to fill all those Lego tummies.

So that's it's for the first week of the 24 Days of Lego Christmas. Next week Friday will be a bigger update, since I'll be going through Days 6-12, so there'll be seven full days of gifts. And the pictures may be getting more complicated as I'll have more to play around with.

See you guys next time!

Lego Review: 40107 Winter Skating Scene

Today I'll be reviewing Lego's Brick Friday giveaway, the 40107 Creator Winter Skating Scene.

This set was originally available with all purchases over $99 or more (thank you, Winter Village Market) over Thanksgiving weekend, otherwise known as the most gluttonous time of the year, as part of Lego's Black Friday "Brick Friday" event. Now, thanks to some users on Reddit, I've learned that the set is still available with online purchases of $99+. This hasn't been advertised, and I can't find any information on Lego's homepage, so my guess is this set will probably be available throughout the month on December while supplies last. I'll monitor the situation and see what develops.

I always feel funny reviewing sets that aren't widely available, but I figure there is a pretty active Lego aftermarket if you were not willing to spend the $99, and if it's for sale somewhere, then there's someone out there wanting to know what they're getting themselves into before they buy it. Or, if you're like me, you just read reviews to feel justified in your purchase. I'll gladly accept both to my readership.

While this is the second of the two holiday themed Lego giveaways (the first being the 40106 Creator Toy Workshop), I decided to review the Skating Scene first since I feel it fits in better with the Winter Village Market, which is next on my review schedule.

Being that this set is only 129 pieces, it's fairly quick and easy build. It probably took me about 30 minutes to put the thing together, and that's because I was stopping every few minutes to snap a picture.

I feel the need to point out that Lego separated the pieces into three or four baggies, which seemed rather unnecessary since it's a low piece count and some pieces were already in the box sans bag.

The set comes with two minifigures, one with an adult body, the other with a child's. While the instructions show an adult male and child female, Creator sets are kinda mix and match, so there really isn't any right way to put the minis together. 

The minis come with a few accessories: a couple snowballs, hockey sticks, and a good amount of hockey pucks. It also comes with a pair and a half of minifigure skates (or door handles, for those keeping track at home), but I had enough in my extras pile for everyone to get a pair. 

As for the scene itself, I really like it. It's nothing too fancy, but it fits the winter theme well and has a surprising amount of playability for such a small set. The use of clear blue tiles for the ice allows the minis to easily glide when wearing their skates, which also means the pucks can easily find their way through the goal posts. The sled and slide combo also works really well. And the lamp post with the mistletoe hanging off it is a nice touch. 

The Verdict

It's a shame that this set isn't widely available, because there's a lot going on here. Not that it's particularly hard to get your hands on, but I'd much rather not have to buy $100 worth of Lego or pay the sometimes ridiculous eBay markup to get it. I certainly wouldn't mind getting an extra to give as a gift, or to expand upon this set by making the pond bigger and adding a second goal. 

And while I haven't opened the Winter Village Market yet, just based on the box image, it looks like it'll be a nice fit for the set.

So if you already have the Winter Skating Scene, you did good. And if you don't , you still have time. 

The 24 Days of Lego Christmas

So a couple weeks ago, in my infinite wisdom, I completely under estimated the demand for the Lego Advent Calendars, thinking I could waltz right in to a Lego store and just grab one off the shelf. Well, I was wrong. Turns out they sell out rather quickly. But the nice sales associate advised me that while they've been sold out for a while, I should check Target or Toys R Us, since they tend to still have some after Lego sells out (which somewhat baffles me, but a limited run is a limited run, I suppose). Thus, I found myself at Toys R Us, where I bought the last Advent Calendar they had in stock.

Yay!

Now I'm not particularly religious, much to the chagrin of my parents, but I do know that Advent is a celebration of the time spent waiting for the Nativity of Jesus. And that's great, but since I pretty much celebrate Christmas as a secular holiday, and I have this nifty little blog here, and despite Advent technically starting November 30th, I decided to do something a little different with my calendar.

So I present to you The 24 Days of Lego Christmas!

Every day leading up to Christmas, I will be opening and posting a picture of the gift I received on my Instagram using the hashtags "#LegoAdvent" and "#24DaysOfLego" in celebration of the fact that I love Lego. And I implore you, gentle reader, to join in on the fun by posting along with me.

I'll also be posting a round up of my pictures every Friday (and hopefully some of yours too), and adding to my Lego Advent diorama until the 24th, when everything will be completed.

Throughout the month of December, I'll also be posting reviews for the Christmas/Winter themed Lego sets I've picked up for this year. I'm really excited to get these built and set up some place in my house, so I can't wait.

So follow me on Instagram @regularvince and post using the hashtags #Lego Advent and #24DaysOfLego to get in on the festivities!

Lego Review: 10242 Mini Cooper

Today I'll be tossing my two cents into the ring about the Lego Creator 10242 Mini Cooper.

An Expert - just like me

Looking back on my purchase of this set, I can't remember if it was the Camper Van that pushed me to get the Mini Cooper, or if it was the other way around. But knowing me, the decision was probably made when I noticed the Mini Mini Cooper would be available around the same time. What can I say, I'm a sucker for small things.

Anyway, this set has 1077 pieces, and retails for $99.99. Just a word of warning, try to get this set from a Lego brick and mortar or their online shop. The set's only been out about five months and they should be readily available. The only reason I bring this up I recently checked the Amazon price and it was going for around $138. I figure this is a good time for people to start buying this as a Christmas gift, and no one should be paying more than retail for this set. It's not a value judgement, just don't pay more than you have to.

I should also point out that while it seems to be based on the 1965 model, I can't say for certain which particular Mini Cooper model this is based on. Although it is modeled after the classic design, rather than the BMW versions that have been in production since 2001. Lego usually has supplementary information with their Ideas sets, so it wouldn't hurt to include something similar in their Creator sets, particularly ones based on specific, well known, licensed products.

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

The Build

Let me get the gushing out of the way: this build is a thing of beauty. The Mini Cooper looks great on the box, but it looks even better in person. The green on the outside is super vibrant, and the design on the inside is brilliant. And I love the attention to detail Lego puts into these sets, especially this go around with the picnic scene they added, which actually seems to be in the right scale, since most wine glasses I know aren't half the size of a normal person.

As with the T1 Camper Van, the Mini Cooper is pretty hefty and solidly built, for the most part. The roof is designed to be removed easily to give access to the interior, which works great. The downside to this is it doesn't take much to break off the side rear windows, but it's an easy fix.

With the Camper Van, I decided to try something a little different and focus on the construction of the set. This time, I'll be doing the same thing, but in gif form instead of individual pictures.

You probably can't tell from the pictures, but I built this set over two days, which also accounts for the wonky color and lighting (sorry, I'm working on it). The Mini Cooper isn't a particularly difficult build, despite being an Expert set, but it still takes time to put the pieces together. And it helped that all the pieces were in numbered bags, so I didn't have to spend much time sorting. When all said and done, it probably took me four, maybe five, hours to complete the build, while distracting myself with The Lego Movie and The Rock. So this is definitely something that you can build during the weekend with time left to spare.

Now it's time for a closer look

As I said earlier, the Mini Cooper looks absolutely fantastic. Both the front and back have a clean look about them, although I will be honest that the personality of the build comes out when looking at it from a 3/4 perspective. You'll notice I opted not to put a license plate decal on front and back. While I appreciate what Lego did by including five different styles of plates to customize the look to your liking, I feel they really dropped the ball by not including the eight extra 1x4 flat plates needed to swap them out. Thanks to Brick Link (an online store that specializes in Lego pieces), I was able to get the pieces I needed for about $3.50 shipped, which isn't bad, but considering I paid a hundred dollars for a set that already has over a thousand pieces, I feel they could've been included.

Here's a better look under the hood and in the trunk. I think the engine looks good, but it certainly doesn't have the same detail as the Camper Van's. Click here for a closer look at the Mini Cooper's engine. Thankfully I decided to take a picture of it early on in the building process, because it's pretty well concealed when all said and done.

As for the trunk, there's just enough space in there to hold the picnic basket, the blanket, and the soda bottle for the picnic scene. And as an added bonus, Lego also included a spare tire with the set that I found just delightful.

Moving on to the body of the Mini, the sleek look certainly doesn't change. And the lines across the sides really look good. Thankfully, Lego decided to use printed pieces, because I can only imagine the pain it would be to perfectly line up the decals across six curved bricks. I also like the use of minifigure ice skates as the door handles. I honestly didn't realize they were anything but door handles until I started looking at this year's Christmas themed Lego sets, and just goes to show how you can utilize pieces in a variety of ways.

Now's probably a good time to point out that the Mini Cooper logo on the back is a sticker, as are the other logos found on the front and back of the build. Not a problem, of course, but I'll always prefer the illusive printed piece over stickers.

While I do think the inside looks fantastic, opening the door does reveal my biggest problem with the set: it's not built for comfort. I know it seems like a ridiculous complaint, but it does bother me that if this was built to full scale, no one could possibly sit inside it. Again, I know it's a non-issue, but I felt the need to point it out.

That being said, the seat patterns on the inside to look great. And the detail that went into the dashboard is well done. The picture above also shows the six studs that hold to roof in place, and allow it to be easily removed.

Final Thoughts

I fell in love with this set before it was released, and after having spent the time to build it, I love it even more. It's sturdy design will make it great for adult collectors and a lot of fun for kids, although they may need some help putting it together based on how young they are. I for one can't wait to get this on a shelf next to my Camper Van. But for that to happen, I may need to buy a new shelf...

So long story short, I highly recommend the this set, and wonder how long it will be before Lego releases another set based on a classic vehicle.

Lego Review: 10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van

For whatever reason, I was trepidatious about posting a write up for the T1 Camper Van, probably because once I did it I had no clue what to follow it with.

But since I got that out of my system, and figured out what to do with what's left of November and December, I started snapping pictures, working my meager photoshop skills, and lo' and behold, we have the Lego 10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van.

Calling all hippies!!

As far as the information for the set goes, it retails for $119.99 and comes with 1332 pieces. And it's a pretty good-sized build, clocking in at almost 12" long and about 6" high.

Now on to the build.

Watching It Come Together

After having a good amount of time between major Lego reviews, I realized that one thing they lack is a good look at what these sets look like coming together. So I decided to change that with the Camper Van. These are building toys, after all, and while I've never shied away commenting on how the build comes together, I don't normally show how it happens.

First thing's first, the Camper Van absolutely looks great. I feel like I've said this before about various Lego sets, and I'm probably going to say it again, but I'm always amazed at the way Lego set designers are able to put these pieces together in a way that stays true to what Lego is while also remaining true to what they're replicating. Especially since they were able to replicate the Camper Van using only one piece that's native to this set.

One of the things I'm most impressed about the Camper Van is the attention to detail. I love the little license plates, the way the VW logo (which sadly isn't a printed piece) is built to have a slant that lines up with the slope of the front, the dashboard and sink (which I've pictured further down), you can just really tell that a lot of time went into to accurately representing the feel of the van, since so many variants were made. And they really went all out with the engine, as it's not even visible most of the time.

Looks good going and coming

Which really makes the look and feel of the engine block all the more great. As you can see, the engine really looks like that of a real vehicle, with "gaskets, hoses, and belts" that really help sell the look.

Looks real enough... I think, I'm not a mechanic

Up next is the base of the van, where most of the technic pins and pieces are used in the build. This really helps the overall sturdiness of the vehicle. It's hefty, and really feels solid in your hands, so I have no problem with just picking it up and moving it around.

Yup, that looks like the 60's and 70's

Looking at the walls of the Camper Van, you'll notice there are only a few studs along the top of the walls. This is what allows the roof of the van to easily be removed to access the inside without much trouble.

Studly, amirite?

Inside the van looks fantastic, and there are a lot of neat features, such as the folding table and the back seat that converts into a bed. Now great looks aside, I have encountered a few problems with the build, which ultimately are really closer to annoyances than genuine problems, but I do feel like they need to be addressed.

First, I find it very difficult to get the double doors open with the roof on properly. If you press the roof on firmly to secure it, the doors get stuck. This isn't that big a problem since you easily remove the roof to get the door open, and the door handle will give before the door does, so it doesn't seem like any real damage can occur from pulling it too hard. Also, the right door cannot shut if the left door is closed. Again, not a big problem, but still somewhat annoying.

Second, when you fold down the table to turn the back seat into a bed, getting everything into position is a breeze. The problem comes in when you try to put it back in it's original configuration. There just isn't a lot of space to move your fingers around inside the van, so it can get a little tricky. Best bet (at least for me) was the reconnect the wine glass to the table top and pull from there.

Look at that sexy inside

I should also add that the roof comes in two pieces, so you don't have to pull everything off to access the inside, although it is easier to get the front off if the back isn't on.

Speaking of the front of the van, here's how it comes together. You can't really tell from the picture, but the windshield are actually connected to the roof, giving you move access to the driver's seat once it's removed. And the split windshield is replicated through the use of a sticker on a clear piece, to give the van a more authentic look. And even though the face of the van is only connected by a few studs, it's fits very snug, so you really don't have to worry about it coming off if your intent is to play with the build.

Kinda looks like a firetruck without the faceplate

Now on to my favorite part of the Camper Van: the pop-top ceiling. The up and down motion of the pop-top is really smooth, and is facilitated by a cross-lift design that is concealed by the orange cloth strip shown below.

If you don't know how it works, it's magic

The cloth allows for the pop-top to move up and down without really showing how it's happening. It also limits the upward movement of the build, so you can't lift it any higher than it needs to go. When I first bought the van, I wasn't quite sure how the pop-top was going to work, and was happy to see that it doesn't just push into the van, as you can see in the pictures below.

Going up

One last thing to highlight, and that's the fine detail inside the van. It really looks great, and I especially love the sink and the addition of a frying pan that you can hang above it, although I'm a bit puzzled as to why there's a hair brush hanging next to the pan, but I guess it could actually be a scrub brush.

Cute detail

And I really love the "Make Lego Models" t-shirt hanging in the van's window.

Final Thoughts

To be honest, I never really had any doubts as to the quality of this set. Lego did not disappoint on that front. And minor gripes aside, such as the time it took to sort and build, and having to take the build apart to get it to work the way it should, the whole is absolutely greater than the sum of it's parts. Seeing this on display is a thing of beauty. So I wholeheartedly recommend this purchase, either for yourself or as a gift, especially with the holidays around the corner.

The Camper Van Begins: Why this write up is taking so damn long

**Just an Update on the status of my blog: I know I haven't been updating as frequently as I'd like, but combine getting sick with things being hectic all around and I just haven't been able to find the time or the will to post regularly. But I do plan on having my review for the T1 Camper Van up by the end of this week (which may be a futile effort since it was released over three years ago, but it's a set I've wanted on my blog and on my shelf for a while). And with the holiday's ramping up, in the coming weeks I'll be focusing on the more festive Lego sets, such as Santa's Workshop, the 2014 Advent Calendar, a few smaller sets that I've picked up, so stay tuned**

Finally... Lego Rocket Raccoon

After months of thinking I would never get this figure, and about a month of not knowing when I could get this figure, Lego's Rocket Raccoon Minifigure is finally out...

Only at Toys R Us :(

Although I'm still not sure I should have this...

I never saw anything official about this release. There were rumors spreading around the web that it would be available on November 16 at Toys R Us, still wasn't clear if it was something to be purchased, or a give away after buying X amount of Lego.

So after a night of drinking, I woke up at the crack of 8:30 to go out and see if I could get my grubby little hands on my furry little friend.

And I did!

After speaking with a manager, he mysteriously produced one from the back and disappeared into the store never to be seen again...

So without further ado,

Pieces!

And stickers!

For $4.99, you get the 12 pieces that make up Rocket and Baby Groot and this fancy sticker sheet for the Milano Spaceship.

And since there really isn't anything more than the pieces needed to build a minifigure and a weapon, here's the final product.

Studly... see what I did there?

Queue The Jackson 5

I'm not gonna bother reviewing this figure since it's pretty cut and dry. If you're a fan of the Guardians, or you picked up the GotG sets and were disappointed that Rocket wasn't rocking his Guardians costume (like I was), you're gonna want to pick this guy up. It's kinda dinky to only get one minifigure for $4.99, but considering the Collectible Minifigures retail for between $2-3.99, and you know what you're getting out of the bag, it's well worth it.

And one more thing, this cracked me up

Marvel Kids... right...

Lego knows this was made for the adult collectors in mind... and I don't mind that at all.