A MOC 5 Years in the Making...

If you know me, you know that I'm a huge fan of Wong Fu Productions on YouTube. Well, a couple years ago, they ran a special Wong Fu Weekends episode (5 years ago...yikes!) where each of them competed to build MOCs out of the Freeco Speeder set. I happened to own that set, and today I attempted to replicate Wesley Chan's creation.

The only problem is, he used parts from TWO sets, while I was limited to one and my own collection of parts. What follows is less of a replica and more of a revision of his speeder. My version is bulkier, is equipped with dual cannons in the front, and has two extra engines added for even more power. Even if it's not an exact copy, I'm very happy with it. Enjoy!

LEGO Polybag 30300: The Batman Tumbler Review

 I was going to review more Marvel Legends today, but I stumbled upon this polybag at my local Target. I'm a sucker for mini-Batmobiles, and this Tumbler was no exception.

 The pieces included (which I forgot to photograph) are nothing special. Black pieces, four wheels, and some cheese slopes. The set did include an extra black cheese slope, which I attached to the front.

 This polybag is a decent representation of the Tumbler, but it definitely has its flaws. For some reason, Lego decided to include a grey bar on the back of the car (tank?) that really breaks up the black color scheme of the vehicle.

From the side, you can see there's an ugly gap between the back wheel and the side. There's not much Lego could have done at this scale, but it's still not a pretty sight.

The back has the rocket boosters that Batman used to jump over buildings in Batman Begins. It's one of the distinctive features of this Batmobile, and I'm glad it's represented accurately here.

Here's the Lego Tumbler next to Mattel's Hotwheels Tumbler. Lego's is missing a lot of details in my opinion, but I guess it's not the worst. Lego did attempt to put the gold highlights present on the Mattel Tumbler by using a 2x1 piece, but it doesn't really work.

Compared to last year's Batmobile, this polybag falls short. The one on the right is instantly recognizable, looks good, and had a decent build. The Tumbler, on the other hand, doesn't scream "Tumbler".

Overall, this is a nice little polybag, but not the best. For $3.99 you can't go wrong, and I'm a big enough fan of Nolan's Batman to like the little build. However, in terms of polybag builds this one is really restricted by the piece count and scale, and the end result isn't as good as it could be.

Click here!

The LEGO Movie Collectible Minifigures: Bad Cop and Larry the Barista Review

While Marvel Legends have been scarce, I saw the new LEGO Movie CMF's at Target the other day and couldn't help but pick up a few.

This is the closest to "Mint in Box" I could get

The new LEGO Movie figures come in very nice blue bags that show off some of the figures in the series. Interestingly, this is the second time a LEGO Collectible Minifigures series has been themed (the first was the Olympic-themed CMF's) and supposedly LEGO is planning a Simpsons-themed series of minifigures as well.

 Out of the two packs I bought, I was able to get Larry the Barista and the Scribble Faced Bad Cop. I did use the "bag feeling" technique for these, but I never intended to get the Bad Cop (more on that later).

Larry the Barista

 Clearly the star of The LEGO Movie, Larry the Barista was featured in the first trailer giving overpriced AWESOME overpriced coffee to everyone. Larry has a new hairpiece which I like a lot, and he has a printed apron with his nametag saying "LARRY".

One annoying thing about the printing is that the torso print doesn't extend all the way so there's a white line between the bottom of the apron and the top. Another flaw that Larry has is that his crotch piece is lighter than the actual brown of the apron, so it stands out. However, these are just nitpicks and don't bother me TOO much, and I still love the figure. 

 My favorite part about Larry is his lone accessory: the new coffee cup! It's a new mold that has a printed coffee mug on it. This is a great little piece, and I can see people buying multiple Larry's to fill their LEGO cities with Baristas selling these neat coffee cups.

Emmet decided to try a new hairstyle

Scribble-Faced Bad Cop
*I'm not actually sure if this figure is called "Scribble-Faced", but I'll call it that to distinguish it from the other Bad Cop figure.

Bad Cop is the Liam Neeson-voiced character that apparently has split personalities. I never intended to get this figure; in fact, I wanted the Hardhat Emmet. Since both figures have helmets and come with 1x2 flat bricks, it's easy to get them mixed up when feeling packs, and that's how I ended up with Bad Cop instead of a happy Emmet. And I have to say, I'm not disappointed at all!

 Bad Cop doesn't have the most interesting torso printing (he has no leg printing!), but he does come with a very cool alternate face. Unlike the minifigure in the Bad Cop's Pursuit set (which has a smiling, "Good Cop" face), this CMF version has a creepy scribbled face. I haven't seen the movie yet, so I don't know how relevant this is but it's a very interesting print, to say the least.

While Bad Cop has no back printing, he does have a new helmet piece that is unique to his minifigure. It's a nice piece, but if you have a lot of LEGO cops lying around you won't necessarily NEED this one. 

The figure has two accessories: a printed smartphone piece and a pair of handcuffs. The handcuffs are nothing special, just standard LEGO handcuffs, but the smartphone piece is very nice. Maybe Bad Cop has Flappy Bird installed (it would explain his bad mood).

"Take him to the Melting Chamber!"

Overall, Bad Cop is a nice figure of a relatively important character in the LEGO Movie, but if you aren't a fan of the movie then he's a generic cop with a new helmet and a smartphone.

Overall, these figures are pretty good. They continue the LEGO Collectible Minifigure trend of having good printing and sweet new parts. Even if you aren't a fan of the movie, these are worth picking up. Just be careful when you're feeling for the ones you want!

The LEGO Movie 70801: The Melting Room Review

What better way to start off a new year than with new sets from the LEGO Movie? Today we'll be looking at one of the two smallest sets in the line:

Melting Room (70801)
122 pieces
SRP: $12.99 USD

This set comes in a fairly small box. On the front we see a photoshopped picture of the set with Wyldstyle kicking over a poor Robot SWAT guard. The box's back is adorned with another picture of the set and showcases some of the play features.

When we open the set, we get a 35-page instruction manual and 122 pieces. I won't go over the booklet, but some interesting pieces (excluding minifigures) include:

• Two shorter chain pieces
• A black triangular piece from the Cars line
• A clear disk piece
• A new "pipe" piece
• Two printed plates
• A white piece that holds a minifigures' legs without studs. This originated in the Friends line. 

 Now, the main draw of the set: the minifigures! We get Emmet, Wyldstyle, and a Robo SWAT.

The Special has arisen.

Emmet is the exact same minifigure as you'll get in most of the LEGO Movie sets. He has a new hairpiece with two tufts of hair in the back. He has nice printing on his torso and legs as well as decent back printing.

A mouthful of hair

Emmet has two expressions: a scared print and a determined one. However, if you want to use the determined side, be aware that the hair piece does not cover the scared face on the back completely. 

Emmet also comes with the Piece of Resistance, which is a new piece in red that can attach to his back. I'm not a fan the neck piece, and it makes his neck seem too long. In fact, the trailers show Emmet without the grey piece and the Piece of Resistance glued to his back. 

This version of Wyldstyle is exclusive to this set because of the new hood piece. It is slightly rubbery and comes in a separate little baggy.

There isn't much reuse potential with the hood because Wyldstyle's hair is painted on and it features side printing that is pretty much exclusive to Wyldstyle. Wyldstyle has some nice printing as well, and even has arm and foot printing! 

Yes, this is a different expression

She has two expressions, one normal and one slightly more determined. 

The final figure is the Robo SWAT. He has a nice cap with a printed logo on it, which may be exclusive to this set. 

His head is shared with some of the other Robo SWAT figures, but he has cool torso printing that can be reused for police minifigures if desired. He has a gun with a clip from the Dino line, but it looks empty without anything in the clip. All in all, the minifigures are great, but may be redundant if you plan to buy some of the larger sets in the line. 

While some may buy the set solely for the minifigures, it also has a small playset build of the Melting Room (or Chamber). The build didn't take very long, but it had some interesting techniques for the table that Emmet is chained to. The set consists of three main parts: The weapons rack with handcuffs and an axe, the rotating table, and the Melting Laser. The play set has some pretty cool features for a small set.

This play feature is GEARED towards kids. I'm terrible, I know. 

 If you turn the gear on the bottom, you can move the table up and down. Emmet will stay securely thanks to the chains and the leg-holding piece. 

The laser (which I assume is to melt off the Piece of Resistance) is on a pin, so it can swivel back and forth. It can also hinge forward and backwards due to its construction. While the playset is drab in its colorscheme, it is very versatile. It can be an Extremis testing facility, Oscorp's lab, or even Lex Luthor's Krytonite laser (if you replace the red bar with a green one). The possibilities are endless!

In conclusion, the Melting Room is a good set. If you plan on buying the other sets in the line, then you can probably pass. But if you want hooded Wylstyle or simply a taste of the new LEGO Movie line, you won't be disappointed by this little one.