"It all started with a big..." Set Review - The Big Bang Theory - #21302

Released on 2 August 2015, The Big Bang Theory is one of the LEGO Ideas sets for 2015.  With 484 pieces, it captures the famous living room of Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter along with the 7 main characters.  The set costs $59.99 in the US, which puts it at around 12.4 cents per piece.  This makes it a little pricier, but if I had to guess, it's probably from licensing costs.  I've had the set for a while and have finally taken the time to put it together, take some pictures, and give a review.  Unless you live by a LEGO brand store, it's probably too late to get it for Christmas, but if you are expecting some gift certificates to LEGO, then maybe you'll want to add it to your list.  

Like many of the LEGO Ideas sets, the box is similar.  Instead of opening on the sides like most, it opens up on the top. The front of the box shows the completed set and all figures.  The back of the box shows some close up views as well as close ups on the 7 characters.

The contents include an instruction booklet that talks about the show, the show's characters, the designers of the set, and includes the instructions for the set.  There are 2 bags labeled "1" and 2 bags labeled "2."  It also includes some dark tan base plates and a small sticker page with only 2 stickers.

The first set of bags contains the main shell of the room, part of the book shelf, Bernadette Rostenkowski, Amy Farrah Fowler, and Howard Wolowitz, Cinnamon (I had to look up Raj's dog's name), a few extra pieces, and a piece separator.  Here are a few close up pictures.

The second set of bags contains the furniture, the other shelf, a lot of the details of items that decorate the apartment, and Penny, Raj Koothrappali, Sheldon Cooper, and Leonard Hofstadter.  Besides numerous books on the shelves, there are some globe looking objects, figurines, a DNA strand, a few white boards, and some other decorations.  The next time I watch the show, I'll have to pay better attention to the items to see how close the designer got.  

The completed set is above.  The one piece I did not add in were some of the kitchen utensils to include some forks for the crew to have their takeout Chinese food.

Here's a closer view of the gang.  I'll have to pay attention to the rug next time I watch to see how accurate it is.  You can also see the green lantern, a rocket, and a few other items.  The build itself is nothing too elaborate with mostly basic techniques used to capture the details.  There are some great bricks in this set to include the brick textured pieces and some of the pieces in that make up the decoration details.  

Here are some pictures of the minifigures.  As well as some front and back shots.  Bernadette and Amy have their pants painted or maybe they are skirts.  I'm not sure which I prefer, the painted on skirts or some of the sets where there are separate "cloth skirt pieces" that you have to attach.  The only character I think isn't quite accurate is Penny.  I'm not sure if it's her hair or her outfit, but it doesn't represent Penny very well in my opinion.  The rest of the gang looks pretty good.  All of the characters have 2 facial expressions.  I only show one in the pictures.  

Overall, my opinion is mixed.  I'm a big fan of "The Big Bang Theory" show and think the set is a great representation of Sheldon's and Leonard's living room area.  I think the minifigures are great too.  There are 7 in the set and for the most part, they look a lot like the characters on the show.  On the other side, the set is a bit pricey and the build is not very exciting.  While the details are there, but it doesn't use a lot of intricate building techniques.  I recommend this set for those that are big fans of the show and would think it's cool to have the set to go with it.  Other than that, many LEGO fans would not enjoy this set for the build itself.  It does have some good pieces in it, but I'm not sure it's worth it to spend $60 for those parts.

The Bricks for Bricks store is open.  I'm still working on perfecting it so that why there hasn't been a ton of posts on it.  You'll see some minifigures from "The Big Bang Theory" set in there if you are just looking for the minifigures.

A Fix for WALL-E

If you read my post from Friday (11 Dec) you saw that I purchased LEGO's WALL-E set and I mentioned how the head swivels very easily.  LEGO had been working on a fix, but I hadn't heard what the timeline would be for it.  Well the good news is I e-mailed LEGO Shop at Home customer service and mentioned that I purchased the WALL-E set before the fix was implemented.  The response I got back was that they had sent me the new parts and instructions and I should receive it in 7-10 business days.  SCORE!  No cost to me either so another bonus.  

So once the package arrives, I'll post some info on the fix with pictures.

Set Review - Rey's Speeder - 75099

For Star Wars fans, the wait is finally over.  "The Force Awakens" opens this week in theaters.  For those of you who have been paying attention, the marketing for the movie started quite awhile ago.  As LEGO fans, that has meant that there are a number of new sets and minifigures available out already.  With a lot of the details of the movie not released yet, we're not 100% sure of what they all are, but there are some fun new sets and minifigures out there.

The first one I purchased to add to the store is Rey's Speeder which is set number 75099.  It was $19.99 at LEGO.com and I'm sure it's available through Amazon and other stores.  There are 193 pieces which works out to 10.4 cents per piece.  It's a little pricey, but most Star Wars sets are a bit more than others because of LEGO having to pay the licensing fees.  

Here are pictures of the front and back of the box.

The set contains 2 bag of bricks labeled 1 and 2.  It has the instruction book and then a sheet of stickers as well (I have to work on taking better pictures).

The first bag includes minifigure Unkar's Thug.  Like most sets, it includes a few extra parts of the small variety.  The completed first bag picture is below.

Here's a picture of the final completed set.

There are a number of extra parts.  Rey comes with a hair piece or she can wear the helmet.  One of the trailers shows her wearing it and also shows her walking with the... is it a staff?  Or a weapon of some sort?  I guess we'll find out.  

Not having seen the movie, I don't know how accurate the design is, but it looks pretty cool.  If you're a Star Wars fan, this set might be one to consider.  I'll be selling the minifigs and the speeder in my store so if you're looking for them, let me know.  

Set Review - WALL-E - 21303

Well it's about time that I got a chance to build some more.  As you can see by the title, I assembled WALL-E which is set number 21303.  WALL-E is part of the LEGO Ideas program where fans build sets and submit them onto the site.  Then other fans can vote on them.  If a design received 10,000 votes, the LEGO Ideas team will review the set to see if they will consider it for production.

WALL-E was picked up as a 2015 set and released on 25 September 2015.  It costs $59.99 in the US and contains 677 pieces.  That works out to $0.088 per piece so around the average.  Here are a few pictures of the front and back of the box.

Like many of the previous LEGO Ideas sets, this set comes with a thick instruction book that starts with some information about the designer and the set itself.  

The set contains 9 bags along with the instructions.  The bags are not numbered like some sets are so you have to open them all and build at once.  One of the bags contains just the treads to WALL-E's tracks.  The set also contains an orange piece separator.  

The build itself was not overly challenging, but my guess is some younger children would need some help with some of the parts that are a bit more challenging to put together.  I built the set over a few nights of free time.  I completed through #38 in the instructions after my first night.

You can see most of the main part of WALL-E's structure here and the start to the door that he opens to crush garbage into blocks.  After the second night I had a good chunk of it done minus an eye and his hands.

After my third night of building, I finished the set.  Here are some pictures of the final product.

Overall, I think the design is well done.  They did a great job capturing the design of WALL-E.  Having the plant is a nice touch.  It always amazes me how people can use LEGO to construct things that look very close to the real thing.

One note is the design of the head.  The swivel is rather loose and it doesn't stay in one place.  LEGO has come up with a new design for the swivel.  It includes some additional pieces and new instructions.  If you bought the set early on, you can find the instructions and some details here.  I e-mailed LEGO customer service to ask about how I can get the new pieces and instructions.  I will do another post once I get an answer.  In the meantime, from reading the various LEGO fan sites, it looks like if you buy WALL-E now, you will get the upgraded design.  If anyone has purchased it recently, let me know.

Should you buy this set?  In my opinion a lot depends on whether you are a fan of WALL-E or not.  Those that don't know the movie or didn't enjoy it may not enjoy having this set.  As a fan of the movie, I thought it was great and am glad I got it.  The price is about on par with other sets on a price per piece ratio so not too bad.  The build is very creative and if you want to take WALL-E apart, there are some great pieces to build other designs with.  I'm sure a lot could be done with the tracks.  Another bonus to the design, there was no sticker book.  All of the pieces that would have stickers are printed onto the parts themselves.  

If you got this set and have built it, please let us know what you think in the comments area. I'm curious to hear what other fans have thought.

How Much is a Waffle?

First off, thanks to all those who came out and supported Stapleton Elementary School in Rio Rancho.  We sold a lot of minifigures and our new addition of minifigure Christmas ornaments.  Support from Bricks for Bricks and other vendors there will help the school with many of their programs.

At the shows I go to, I get to talk to many fans of Lego.  Some are kids, some are parents with kids who are fans, some teens and adults who are fans, and many others.  I had some interesting conversations at the Stapleton Elementary School event.  One of them involved a missing waffle.  Not a real waffle, but a LEGO waffle.  It's a 2x2 round tile plate and I'm pretty sure that it comes from set 70818 The LEGO Movie: Double Decker Couch.  It looks something like this:

This screen shot comes from www.brickset.com on the parts lists for set 70818.

Long story short, a boy at a friend's house lost the waffle part and they wanted to replace it.  So they went onto E-Bay and found the part for $4.  Needless to say they weren't happy to pay that much for the new part.

So what should you do if that happens to you?  Well first off, be warned that there are a lot of folks out there on E-Bay, Amazon, and other sites looking to make a quick buck.  Did someone profit on this one?  My guess is yes.  

Set 70818 was sold on LEGO.com from 1 January 2015 to 23 November 2015.  I didn't catch when the part was lost, but if it was before 23 November, it would have been good to just buy the set for the $14.99 that it retailed for versus paying the $4.00 for the one part.  

Another option is to check with the LEGO Company themselves.  If you lost a piece, they will sell you replacements.  I have never used the service, but it is available.  You can go to their website HERE.

If you need to find the part info, you can go to www.brickset.com and type in the set number.  They will give you an inventory list with all of the info on every part in the set.

Another option is to go to Bricklink.  Bricklink is not as easy to use, but the competition is much greater so sometimes you can find some good deals.  I looked up the part and the info I found is HERE.  233 sellers are selling 1,797 waffle parts on Bricklink.  You have to weed through a few if you don't want to deal with foreign sellers.  The first US seller I found is from Texas and has the part for $0.30, but the shipping is $2.45 and the minimum order is $2.00 so you'd have to find a few more things to buy from that seller.  Either way, $0.30 is much better than $4.00 for the part.  Granted you'll probably end up paying a little more than $4 due to the minimum order, but you'll get a few more things.

I hope my suggestions helped.  Worse case, find a LEGO fan (or nerd if you want to call me that) and I'll be glad to help you find the missing piece and give you a bunch of options.

Next up! 5 Dec - 9 AM to 3 PM - E. Stapleton Elementary in Rio Rancho

Our next sale will be on 5 December 2015 from 900 AM to 300 PM at E. Stapleton Elementary for their annual Holiday Craft Fair.  The school is located at 3100 8th Ave NE  Rio Rancho, NM 87124.  You can click the link for a Google Maps view of where the school is located.

We have a few new items in to include some Star Wars sets, some new minifigures, and a few new LEGO Movie sets.  If there's anything specific you want me to have at the show, send me an e-mail here. 

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.

Thank You!

Thanks Albuquerque fans of Lego for coming out to support this past Saturday.  We supported the Manzano High School Marching Band and their future events.

The next show is on 5 December at E. Stapleton Elementary in Rio Rancho.  This will be the second year Bricks for Bricks will be selling at this show.

------

Another note for Albuquerque Lego fans, Bricks and Minifigs in ABQ reopened yesterday (14 November).  The store is under new ownership.  I haven't been yet, but I'm excited to know that ABQ will still have this great store.

-----

I'm going to continue working on building my online store and I'll be posting a few reviews of sets that I've acquired, but haven't been able to open up yet.  Those sets include Wall-E, The Big Bang Theory, the Kwik-E-Mart, and the Ferrari F40.

Sale this Saturday!

Bricks for Bricks will be at the Manzano High School Royal Guard Marching Band craft fair fundraiser.  It is this Saturday, 14 November from 1000 AM to 300 PM.  For more details, go here.

I'm making sure inventory is in order with some of the new sets an minifigures acquired in the past year as well as some bags of bricks so you can buy whatever you want.  Hope you can stop by and get some bricks.  Plus be sure to check out some of the other vendors.

Break--Break

Bricks for Bricks currently has one more show scheduled before Christmas.  I'm working hard to also get our inventory online so people can order right from our website.  It's still a work in progress.  It's taking a while to load all of the inventory and I need to make sure the process is in place before I open it to the public.  So stay tuned!

New Inventory

A bunch of new items for some upcoming fall sales.  As you can see, we are heavy on the new LEGO Star Wars sets.  There are also some Super Heroes sets and one of the LEGO Ideas Exo Suits.

A Friend's set, some polybags...

Series 14 minifigures and Simpsons Series 2 minifigures as well as a few base plates.

Next sale is 14 November at the Monzano High School cafeteria to support their band.  What other items would you like to see carried at that show?