It's a Ferrari! - Set Review - Ferrari F40 - #10248

I finally got some time to build.  WOOHOO!  I had 4 sets waiting for me.  The list includes Wall-E, The Big Bang Theory, Simpsons Kiwk-E-Mart, and the F40 Ferrari.  My first choice of build was the Ferrari and I definitely think it was a great choice, but I'll get into that later.

The F40 Ferrari (#10248) was released in 2015 under the LEGO Creator Expert line.  The age range says 14+ on the container.  It contains 1,158 pieces (I'll trust he box, I didn't count) so quite a few.  The price in the US is $99.99 so that works out to be $0.086 per piece so not too bad when it comes to LEGO.  No minifigures are included, but that was fine for me.  It also includes a piece separator to help you take it apart or help fix mistakes you may make (yes I did make some).  

Here are pictures of what the container looks like.  It is a decent size, but there wasn't a lot of open space on the inside.

Here are the contents of the container.  Four bags labeled "1" and four bags labeled "2" with a large instruction book (over 100 pages) and a small sheet of stickers.

The instructions were in a bag, but not with a cardboard piece to keep them from bending like in some of the larger sets.  The instructions weren't bent in my container so I can't complain.  The stickers were flat too.

Onto the bags labeled number 1.  I'll be the first to admit that I made some mistakes in this build.  I'm not sure if I was rushing or just that it was challenging.  It wasn't anything that I couldn't fix, but I definitely think the age range listed on the container is spot on.  Younger children can build this, but will most likely need an adult to help them out (which isn't a bad thing).  Here are a few pictures of the results from the first set of bags.  Lots of SNOT (Studs Not On Top) techniques, use of Technic style pieces, and some very creative building techniques.

The bags labeled #2 were next.  I was thankful that there weren't a ton of stickers.  Most of them were of the Ferrari logo, but a few of the pieces were printed on to save the hassle.  I am not a fan of stickers, because I never seem to put them on right.  The stickers I placed on look okay, but you can definitely see they are stickers versus printed on pieces.  More creative building techniques in #2 and some amazing building techniques I haven't used in the past.  The tires and rims were great too.  I'm not sure if they have been used in a previous set, but they definitely help make the model in my opinion.  Here are some pictures of the finished product.  Note that you can open the doors, the hood, and the trunk to see the engine.  I'll admit I've never been close enough to a Ferrari to inspect it to see how realistic the engine looks, but I think it's impressive.

Overall, this was a great build.  It was challenging with some great use of building techniques to create a final item.  The vehicle is very sleek.  I'm impressed at how the designers were able to create such a streamlined model using just LEGO pieces.  I will probably never own a real Ferrari... for one, too expensive for me and two, I have never learned how to drive stick shift and don't want to learn on a Ferrari.  However for $99.99, plus tax, I am okay with owning a model of one.  The build was enjoyable and it comes with a lot of great pieces if I don't want to keep the car together.  It's a great LEGO model for an adult, teen, or for a younger kid to tag team with an adult.  

If you want to buy it, I recommend going straight through LEGO through their website or a physical store.  You can find them online, but they are all marked up much higher over the retail price.  Amazon.com lists the cheapest one at $142 today.  Sign up for the VIP program and if you time it right, you can get a free item with it or whatever they are offering.  Also, the price will get you free shipping so that'll save you some too.

Let me know if you get it or if you have one.  I'm curious to see what you think.

Set Review - LEGO Creative Supplement - #10693

Thanks to some great friends, I received a LEGO set as a gift.  It was set number 10693, the LEGO Creative Supplement.  

It got a little damaged in shipping, but the contents inside are still good.  There are 303 pieces inside and they are displayed on the back of the container.

As you can see there are a wide variety of colors in this set as well as types of pieces.  It's not just bricks, but slopes, cylinders, some SNOT (studs not on top) parts, and a few other fun pieces.  There are even a few translucent parts in the mix.  The set includes a brick separator as well and a few 1 x 1 eye tiles.  Other than that, the set does not include any other tiles or plates.

The inside contains 3 bags of bricks and a booklet of some various designs you can build.  

So why would you want a bunch of random bricks?  To build whatever you want with them, that's why!  You can use just the pieces in the set to build or you can add them to your other sets and designs to build whatever you want.  

The set is $19.99 for 303 pieces.  That's a little over $0.06 a piece.  In terms of price, it's a pretty good deal if you look at price per piece.

Is this a good set to buy?  It depends on who is buying it.  A LEGO fan who builds to the limits of the bricks he/she owns will love this set for the added parts.  A child who is used to sets with instructions and minifigures may not appreciate this set.  So it all depends.  If you're looking to get me a set, I like it!

Set Review - Roaring Power - Creator - #31024

In the late 1990s, the LEGO Company wasn't where it is today.  In my opinion, the focus was not on building and construction, but on sets with that could be quickly assembled so you could play with them.  Many of the sets had big clunky pieces called BURPs or Big, Ugly Rock Pieces.  It's where they made larger pieces that you could use to assemble sets versus the smaller bricks that are more often used today.  I can remember at the time that one of my younger cousins took the time to write the LEGO Company a letter to let them know how disappointed he was in the sets.  While he enjoyed playing with the sets, he really enjoyed the building aspect.  

The LEGO Company's answer, or at least I think it's their answer to my cousin, was to start the Creator line.  In 2001, the first sets were released that focused more on the building and less on themes.  This line has continued since then and has included houses, vehicles, animals, robots, and various other items.  Many of the sets include instructions for 3 different builds out of the parts included with the set.  So if you just want to build fun sets, this is one of the ways to go.

I have purchased a few of these in the past and I recently decided to buy another one.  Set number 31024 came out in 2014.  It comes with 374 pieces and retails from the LEGO Company for $29.99.  At around $0.08 per piece, that isn't too bad of a deal considering sets typically average around $0.10 per piece.  You can probably search around different retailers to see if anyone is running a sale and get it cheaper than retail price.

The main set shown on the container is a sports car.  It uses a majority of the 374 pieces included in the set and the designers did a pretty good job using the pieces on hand to create a sleek looking vehicle despite all of the LEGO studs.  It also uses a lot of SNOT techniques or Studs Not On Top.  So instead of stacking bricks on top of each other, there are clever ways used to create the sleekness.  It says ages 8 to 12, but younger, inexperienced builders may need the help of a parent with this set.

The next design included is a seaplane.  This build uses approximately half of the pieces in the set and was not at detailed as the sports car.  

The last design included is a T-Rex looking creature.  It uses approximately 3/4 of the included pieces and uses some interesting building techniques to ensure that the legs, arm, and mouth all move.  

Overall, the 3 designs are all pretty detailed and use some different techniques to help expand your building horizons.  If you are looking to just build, then this set or the other Creator sets are the way to go.  Plus, 3 is not the limit in this set.  With 374 pieces, there are plenty of other things you can try.  So if you have this set or plan to get this set soon, enjoy and keep building!

Set Review - Detective's Office - #10246 (part 1)

Once a year, since 2007, the LEGO company has released a modular building.  You can see the full list here.  They are typically made up of around 2,000 pieces and are full of different building techniques and styles.  The 2015 set is the Detective Office.  It includes a detective office, pool hall, and barber shop.  While these sets are rather pricey, $159.99 this year, with over 2,262 pieces it makes it worth it.  It has taken me a while to build this set, but once I'm finished, I'll post a picture.

(Read part 2 here)

Set Review - Santa's Workshop - #10245

It's March and Christmas came a little late.  For a number of years now, LEGO has been producing a Winter Village theme.  They introduce a Christmas themed set in the October time frame and it typically remains on sale for a two year period.  I try to order the year's set around Christmas time, but by the time I got to it this year, it had sold out.  This year's set, Santa's Workshop, was on back order for quite a while.  It took over a month for this set to show up after I ordered it.  Lesson learned... if you want it for Christmas time, then order it sooner or wait for the summer time when no one is thinking of Christmas LEGO sets.  

I built the set over a weekend.  It's a creative build with some different building techniques, some interesting pieces, and a 6 minifigures.  I was also pleased that LEGO worked to get rid of the number of stickers you had to apply.  Some of the pieces had details printed on (the reindeer backs for one).  Overall it was a good set to build and will make a great addition to the other LEGO Winter Village sets.