Set Review - #40367-1: Lady Liberty - Brickheadz

It’s been a while since I picked up a Brickheadz set to build. LEGO was producing these things like crazy for a while and they’ve dialed it back quite a bit. Most of them are now not part of licensed themes which I think I prefer. Set #40367-1: Lady Liberty was released on 12 June 2019 in the US for $9.99. It contains 153 pieces which works out to be $0.065 per piece. I got it from LEGO during their Black Friday sale for $7.99.

Onto the review…

The box shows the set on the front and then the back shows some Statue of Liberty versions from around the world to include Paris and in Japan.

The set contains 4 small, unnumbered parts bags, an instruction booklet, and a 6x6 black plate for the base.

Given the size the the build, it didn’t make sense to break the build up so here’s the final set. The build definitely fits the style of Brickheadz while still capturing the likeness of the Statue of Liberty. The right arm with the torch is tucked in close versus being raised up like the actual statue. Also the face and eyes match other Brickheadz.

There is some detail to capture the likeness of the Statue of Liberty, but not a ton. What would you expect in such a small set? The crown looks a bit odd in my opinion. The view on the front of the box looks okay, but from the top down it looks a bit rough. Another note, there is not base to the statue like in the actual statue, but as they call this “Lady Liberty” it should be expected that it is just Lady Liberty and not the base.

Overall, it’s not a bad set. If you’re a Brickheadz fan, I’d definitely pick this one up. For non-Brickheadz fans, it’s up to you. One of my reasons is below…

Okay so I thought it was fun how LEGO has two different representations of the same item. One is a bit more realistic, but they both still capture the same thing. They even have the same torch flame piece. I need to build some kind of stand for the Brickheadz version though.

Happy building!

Set Review - #21046-1: Empire State Building - Architecture

A few weeks back I reviewed #21042-1: Statue of Liberty which was released back in 2018. I was so impressed that I picked up #21046-1: Empire State Building. This set was released on 2 August 2019 in the US. It retails for $129.99 in the US and with 1,767 pieces it works out to $0.074/piece. I found it locally for around $85 so be on the lookout for discounts.

Back in 2009, LEGO released #21002-1: Empire State Building (Brickset link). I have that set, but it is back in a storage container somewhere in the US so I won’t spend a lot of time talking about it other than mentioning that #21042-1 is being released 10 years later.

The Empire State Building has been a popular build out of LEGO bricks. A quick search just on YouTube shows numerous fan built models at much larger scales then this set. Take a look if you have a minute.

Here’s the box. The front shows the set while the back shows the set next to a picture of the real building. It also mentions the full set height at 21.5 inches.

The set contains 9 parts bags. They are numbered one through five with five being the only one that has a single bag. There is also an instruction booklet which provides some information on the building in the front as well as throughout the build.

The first set of bags builds the base of the building. It includes the standard printed black tile with the name of the building. It also has the streets around the building with some taxis driving around. The tiles are offset to have a small sidewalk and then you can see the first floor with the “glass” layer before the building is started. Bag 1 also starts the base structure of the building itself. The build has a lot of SNOT usage as you can see with a lot of studs pointed out.

The second set of bags completes the base levels of the building and then starts to build up. You can see how the structure continues to have numerous studs pointed out to help capture the outer portion of the building made with the 684 1x2 grill tiles included in the set.

There are some interesting techniques used in this build to include placing tiles vertically in-between studs. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this technique used before, but I like the concept and will look to use it in the future.

The third set of bags starts to go vertical. You can see all of the 1x2 grills going into place. As a close up photo of the model, it doesn’t look that great as you can see all of the studs underneath. From further away it doesn’t matter as much so I’m not going to complain here.

Bag 4 really makes the building form into shape (and my camera didn’t know where to focus). It gets a bit repetitive so if you don’t like placing 1x2 grills or repeating sides, then this set may not be for you. I like how you can use LEGO bricks to make realistic looking models so I’m okay with the repetitive build.

Bag 5 finishes the set off. It adds the final details to the building and then the top. I like the use of the silver colored pieces on the top.

Overall, I like the set. It’s a realistic build and I think it will make a great display piece in a future brick cave for me. I’m glad I picked the set up at a discount. While it is a decent price per piece, a lot of the pieces are very small so it is to be expected. Definitely look to see if you can find it discounted like I did.

I hope LEGO puts out more sets similar to this one in the Architecture line. What are your thoughts?

Happy building!

Merry Christmas! - Set Review - #40338-1: Christmas Tree

Every year before Christmas, LEGO has put out some special edition holiday themed sets that are typically free with a purchase of up to a specific amount. This year one of them was #40338-1: Christmas Tree. It contains 392 pieces and right now you have to look for them on the secondary market as they are not available anymore.

The box front shows the full set while the back shows that the model is a bit over 8.5 inches high, it spins, and you can remove some of the pieces on the bottom.

The set contains 2 parts bags and an instruction booklet.

The first bag builds the base of the tree and the bottom layer branches. You can see the Technic parts sticking up. The tree is stationary while the bottom part with the trains rotates. It also contains 3 gift boxes that can be displayed at the base of the tree.

The final build… The branches are complete. The top of the tree is attached to the base and rotates the base. The bottom 3/4 of the tree or so is stationary. You can see in the pictures that there are 2 “trains” at the base of the tree. One is blue and one is yellow.

Overall this was a good build. I built this one with my 5-year old and it went okay. I had to help some, but she managed to put it together. We had fun and maybe we’ll leave this one out as a decoration for a few weeks.

What were your thoughts on this one?

Happy building!

Set Review - #71025-1: Series 19 Collectible Minifigures - How to Buy These Things

Okay, so you’re not even thinking about Series 19 anymore. They were released back on the 1st of September 2019 and the new series is about to be released in a few days. So why post a review of this series now when they are sold out on LEGO.com? Well this set of 16 minifigures retailed for $3.99 per pack in the US. The next set coming out in a few days is going to be $4.99 per pack. What?!?!?! They were originally $2.99 per pack. The $1 increase… okay. But $5 a minifigure? My wallet can’t justify that.

How can you get around these prices? Well, our friends at the big retailers like Amazon.com have been running discounts. Amazon.com sold Series 19 minifigures for $2.99 throughout its shelf life. The original limit was around 30 minifigures. During the Cyber Monday rush, the minifigures were at a limit of 3 on Amazon.com so that doesn’t help much. We’ll see if that sticks. Meanwhile on LEGO Shop @ Home, the minifigures were discounted to $3.19 each on Black Friday and with double VIP points, that wasn’t so bad.

So what’s the take away? Buying these things on the release date is going to continue to be expensive and not worth it. LEGO and its major retailers understand that and will continue to run sales to move inventory. With the ceiling about to be $4.99/pack, I expect the discounts to change so they can bring in more profit.

The bottom line…

LEGO, without a discount, I will no longer be buying the collectible minifigures. So expect more late set reviews from me as I wait to pick them up on clearance.

What are your thoughts? Will you buy at the new high price or will you wait for sales?

Oh… the set review… I thought series 19 was great. I prefer the original series versus the licensed themes so this one was great. Some of them weren’t my favorite of all time, but I think they are trying to appear to a large audience base and this series did the trick. My pictures are below…

Happy building!

Programmer

Rugby Player

Bear Costume Guy

Jungle Explorer

Gardener

Galactic Bounty Hunter

Fright Knight

Dog Sitter

Fox Costume Girl

Video Game Champ

Mummy Queen

Shower Guy

Mountain Biker

Monkey King

Pizza Costume Guy

Fire Fighter

Set Review - #75957-1: The Knight Bus - Harry Potter

Here’s another 2019 released Harry Potter set. This one is the Knight Bus from the book “The Prisoner of Azkaban.” This set was released on 1 July 2019 in the US and retails for $39.99. It contains 403 pieces and has 3 minifigures. This makes the set run at $0.099/piece. I picked the set up at a 20% off discount through Amazon.com in the US. As of today (mid-December 2019), the set is still 20% off.

This is not the first LEGO version of this set. Previous versions are (links to Brickset.com):
#4866-1 (2011)
#4755-1 (2004)

It’s interesting to see how the set has evolved through the years. Let’s dig into version 3…

It’s the standard box with the full set on the front and the back showing the play features.

The set contains 3 parts bags, an instruction booklet, and a small sticker sheet.

The first bag starts off the first level of the bus. I like the purple color and the abundance of purple pieces. If anything, the purple pieces can be used for other MOCs as I know they don’t show up in a ton of sets. This bag contains Harry, the Knight Bus conductor, and the shrunken head with the Jamaican accent (in the movie). It also includes Harry’s trunk and then 2 printed 1x2 tiles. One is a letter and the other is a… um… I’m not sure. Potter fans, help me out here!

Bag two finishes the first layer and builds the second layer. There are a lot more purple pieces to include more window frames which could be good in a future building MOC or passenger train MOCs. Given the scale, I think the chandelier was done well and I like how it is movable as portrayed in the movie. Some of the stickers get applied here. They are for the most part larger and I don’t mind them as they add some key details to the set while keeping the price down versus printed parts. The right side of the bus is built with a hinge so that you can open it up for play access. While I’m not a huge fan of this, I see why they did this versus having the second layer removable so you can get to the first layer. I don’t think it would make as much sense with the chandelier located where it is and the low amount of details on the second layer (one seat).

The final bag finishes the bus off. I includes the driver (Ernie) as the last minifigure. It also finishes off the third level of the bus. Lastly, you build one of the beds. Re-watching the movie clip where the Knight Bus is shown shows that there are 3 beds on the first level which move around as the bus drives. One of the beds has someone sleeping in it in the movie. The set only contains one bed for scale and the designers built it so that it can move around some in one direction so that’s good.

This bag contains a 2x2 printed tile for the Daily Prophet newspaper. Beyond that, the third level does not contain much detail, but I don’t recall seeing on the top in the movie so it might not matter although it does seem like wasted space in the set.

The third level disconnects from the lower part of the bus and then it has a top that comes off too for access.

The minifigures are Ernie (the driver), Stan (the conductor), and Harry). I think they did a good job capturing all three and I think Ernie’s look matches the movie character rather well.

Here’s the final set. Too be honest, I wasn’t overly impressed with this set. I like the purple parts and I think they did a good job with the minifigures, but that’s about it. The shape of the bus looks better than older versions, but it still looks like they could have done a bit more with details on the top layer and maybe a door to get on the bus.

I recommend only getting this set if you can get it on sale and if you’re a big Potter fan. Or maybe if you want the purple pieces for a MOC. Otherwise, there isn’t too much overly exciting here.

What are your thoughts?

Happy building!

Set Review - #21042-1: Statue of Liberty - Architecture

It has been a while since I reviewed an Architecture set.. #21042-1: Statue of Liberty was not even on my radar as a set I would be interested in. I stumbled across a review on the site Brick Architect by Tom Alphin and he persuaded me to give it a shot. The set was released in the US back on 2 June 2018. It goes for $119.99 in the US, but I found it locally for ~$90 so I can’t complain. The set contains 1,685 pieces so it works out to be $0.071/piece. Many of the pieces are smaller so this may be the reason for the lower price per piece ratio. Check around for discounts on this set or other details. Target has run a $10 off $50 or more LEGO purchase a few times and a few other places have discounted it as well. I have yet to see Amazon.com or Walmart put it on discount.

The front of the box shows the set while the back of the box shows the set next to a picture of the actual statue. It also gives the dimensions of the set.

Inside the box is a quote from Charles B. Rangel. I had to look up who that was so don’t feel bad if you have no clue either. He’s a politician from New York who served in the US House of Representatives from 1971 to 2017.

The contents of the set are an instruction booklet, three Technic elements, and 10 parts bags labeled one through five with two bags each.

The first bag builds the base of the model and starts the base of the statue. Like most Architecture sets, the base has black tiles around the outer edge with one of the tiles containing the printed name of the set.

The detailing uses a variety of textured pieces as well as some SNOT techniques. I like the design so far and am glad the designer included some colored pieces for the insides to help with piece placement.

The second set of bags continues with the base of the statue. If you’re not a fan of repetitive builds, then this set is not for you. Pretty much everything you do is “X4” in the instructions for each side. This didn’t bother me much as I get that the base of the model is a square and is the same on each side.

The third set of bags completes the base. Overall, I like the base and how it is constructed. It is solid, yet detailed and I think it captures the actual structure rather well.

This part of the build adds in the Technic parts. These parts help keep the statue sturdy and prevent it from getting toppled right over if you knock it too hard. You probably could get away without this piece, but I think it’s good to add in.

The fourth set of bags starts on the statue itself. You make a transition from the light tan color pieces to the green-ish colored pieces (what is the real color name?). The build starts with an inner structure that allows you to build most of the statue using SNOT.

I found working with the green color rather challenging. Selecting the right slope type piece was a challenge for me as three of them look very similar and it wasn’t always obvious which angle the instructions called for. I figured it out in the end, but it did involve re-building a few sections once I realized I build sections wrong.

I used to have a better place to take pictures and I haven’t replaced it after moving to Germany. I’ll get there…

Here’s the final model. Overall, I like it. I think the designers did a great job capturing the likeness of the statue in brick form. The build was challenging, yet fun for me and if you don’t like the model, the parts available for other MOCs are great in my opinion.

Some fans did not like the face and how it is just a tile. If you do an internet search, you can find a number of posts where people designed an actual face. JK Brickworks did a re-design of the face. It’s fairly simple and does not require a ton of extra pieces. The link includes a video where he shows you what he did. I’m okay with the face as designed, but I may try the re-design at some point.

In the end, I’m glad I purchased this set (and found it at a discount). I enjoyed the build and I like the final product. I’m not sure how much longer LEGO will keep it on the shelf, but it didn’t get caught in the latest round of set retirements for 2019 so there is still time to pick it up if you’re interested.

What are your thoughts?

Happy building!

Set Review - #75965-1: The Rise of Voldemort - Harry Potter

Here’s another one of 2019’s Harry Potter sets. It’s number 75965-1: The Rise of Voldemort. It contains 184 pieces and 6 minifigures. The set retails in the US for $19.99 which works out to $0.109/piece. It was released in the US on 2 August 2019 and was discounted on Amazon.com for 20% off a few weeks ago as of the writing of this post.

The front shows the set with the characters animated. The back shows some of the play features to include how you can have Voldemort appear out of the grave and how Harry can grab the port key.

The set contains 2 parts bags, and instruction booklet, and a sticker sheet. Thankfully the sticker sheet is small with only 2 stickers.

This set seems to be another minifigure pack. The 4 main minifigures are (from left to right) Voldemort with a white wand, a Death Eater with a Mask on Peter Pettigrew in human form (who has 2 facial expressions), and Harry Potter in his Tournament Uniform (he has 2 facial expressions as well).

Brickset says there are 2 additional minifigures. One is the grave statue above Tom Riddle’s grave. The second is a small baby. The grave statue plays a part as they use it to hold down Harry, but I don’t recall a baby in the movie (and I didn’t read the book). Overall, it’s a decent collection for those looking to collect Harry Potter minifigures.

The set is pretty simple to put together. It starts with the center portion with the grave stone. Then it builds the left and right sides. In terms of detail, this set doesn’t have a lot to it. I like the use of a few plant pieces and brown plant pieces, but beyond that it is pretty bland (which is to be expected for a 184 piece set I guess). In terms of pieces for other MOCs, I like the pot piece, but after looking it up you can find it in 35 other sets so it’s not really rare. The port key is a small part of the set, but I like the build with the 1x1 translucent blue brick inside of the… um… not sure what it is called. Brickset calls it an assembly piece. Either way, I’m a fan of how that was build.

Overall, it’s not a bad set although a little violent for kids with Peter Pettigrew’s knife and the statue’s weapon type thing. It’s a rather dark set for a 7-year old in my opinion.

If you’re a Potter fan and you want the minifigures, definitely pick this set up on sale. Otherwise, I didn’t think this one was worth it even with the 20% discount I had from Amazon.com. What are your thoughts?

Set Review - #21318-1: Tree House - LEGO Ideas

How are we on the 26th LEGO Ideas set already? Crazy!

#21318-1: Tree House was released in the US on 2 August 2019. It retails for $199.99 in the US and contains 3,036 pieces along with 4 minifigures. The price per piece works out to be $0.066/piece, which is decent. I had a gift card to use so it helped along with the double VIP points I earned. I read a few reviews on this one ahead of time with some mixed opinions, but I was excited to give it my own review.

The box is quite large with the front showing the full set in the summer mode along with a small picture of the autumn mode. It also highlights the sustainable plastics used on the plant pieces. The back highlights some of the details, shows how you can remove the roofs of each of the rooms, and shows the tree house in the autumn.

The box contains 16 part bags and then another box with part bags in it. The full set contains 19 numbered bags. There are two bags numbered 1 and then one bag each through number 19. There are 5 bags each for the summer leaves and autumn leaves. The instruction book is wrapped in plastic to prevent damage.

The instruction book has 431 pages total. Like other Ideas sets, this one has some information about the fan designer and the LEGO designer.

I won’t show pictures of all the steps, but the build kicks off with the base and the Technic pieces that support the main structure of the tree. I like how the base is not just a large base plate, but is instead built up using various pieces. For building purposes, there is a stream and a few other pieces that help you differentiate which side is which. This helps later on as you are trying to determine which parts of the tree go where.

As you can see, the first bag includes a brick separator as well as the first of 4 minifigures.

I included shots of the instructions along with the build so you can see where its at and how the set is assembled. The set starts with an inner structure that connects to the initial Technic structure. Then the outer “bark” of the tree is installed on the outside. I can’t tell if I’d prefer the “bark” to be tiles or plates. I think the plates work… tiles might look too smooth. Although you could get the contours of bark using various tiles and slope pieces. Just a thought… I’m okay with how it was designed so far.

As the build continues, the tree trunk gets taller. The “branches” where the parts of the tree house get installed. They aren’t very realistic looking, but once the structures go on top, it doesn’t really matter. I like how the tree has a few details such as the sawed off branch shown by the 2x2 round printed tile and the bird house with the bird outside.

Each of the tree house structures takes two parts bags to build. Considering the length of the build, I cut those pictures out and just included the finished product. The first one you build is a “master bedroom” with a bed, dresser, and some decorations. The second one is a bathroom with a toilet, sink, and tub. Each room is set up so it fits on the “branch” and then has an attachment on the top for the roof. Both builds are pretty similar, but have some differences to help them stand out. I like the color scheme and how the build makes it still look natural like in color to fit on the tree.

The bathroom has a pulley system attached so you can haul stuff up to the tree house. Not sure how you get to the stuff, but it’s a cool idea. I also like how the bathroom has a water storage tank. Maybe the pulley is used to bring water up for the bathroom?

The last structure is a kid’s room with bunk beds. It is connected to the other structure with a rope like bridge.

Next up are the roofs. They are all pretty similar, but have slight differences to make sure they fit onto the main structure. The dark blue color is a great choice in my opinion.

Next up, you finish off the tree trunk. It’s not exactly a smooth transition to smaller branches, but we’ll take it. Instead there are a number of attachment pieces for connecting branches to be built later.

After that, you build a stairway up to the tree house. I’m glad they didn’t just use one of those large stair pieces, but instead constructed stairs in the color scheme and included twists in the stairs. A few of the tiles have printing on them to add to the detail that they are made of wood.

The build includes an outdoor kitchen at the bottom of the tree with a fire pit and cooking pot, a table with chairs, and some food and drink options. Additionally there are 4 minifigures I displayed here. There is a male and female adult and then two kids. They all look like they have their woodland gear with my favorite being the girl’s vest. Additionally, the girl sports one of the hat pieces with hair attached which I am a fan of. It is a little more realistic than just the hat and lipstick to show it is a girl/woman.

The last 3 bags of the set are all parts for the branches. The build instructions give you the option of building with the green and dark green or yellow and lighter brownish type pieces. I chose to build with the green, but the build is the same with the other colors. Or you could be really crazy and mix the green and yellow to have an early autumn type tree. The branch pieces are not exactly the best designed in my opinion, but I think the greenery hides them well enough so they don’t stand out. Note that it will take a bit of time to switch out the colors. The green pieces are attached well so they don’t just fall off which is a good thing.

Overall, I was really impressed by this set. For one it is something completely different that has never been done before. You could fit this into a woodland/forest scene really well. I’m hoping to see some good modifications from the fan community of this set.

This set is at the $200 point, but I found it to be worth it. There are a lot of pieces and the colors and piece options are great for other MOCs if you want to take this one apart. More importantly, if my NLS gets a vote, I was told we’d make space in the house to display this one as she really liked this one. Bonus! That didn’t happen after the Millennium Falcon was built so I’ll take this one as a win as otherwise my bricks are confined to a specific space in the house that is out of the way and that’s it.

What are your thoughts on this one?

Some overall pictures are below.

Bricks in Heidelberg, Germany

I recently was in Heidelberg, Germany for their Christmas Market and we happened to pass by Galeria Kaufhof on the Hauptstrasse (main street). This brick built Santa greeted us as we walked by. There was no Brand Store inside and they didn’t have a sign about this model, but it was fun to see as we walked by. Enjoy!

The Piano Guys Meets LEGO Stop Motion Animation for Christmas

I stumbled upon this video on YouTube without even trying to look for it. It’s a stop motion video done by Michael Hickox Films with the Piano Guys music playing along with it. The Christmas movie references are great. It’s worth the just under 4 minutes to watch the video. Enjoy!