• Republic Fighter Tank

    <h1Republic Fighter Tank
    ©2017 LEGO Group
    " />

    Republic Fighter Tank

    ©2017 LEGO Group
    Overall rating
    Building experience
    Parts
    Playability
    Value for money

    Send in the TX-130 Saber Tanks

    Written by (TFOL , bronze-rated reviewer) in United States,

    Back in 2008, the LEGO Group released 7679 Republic Fighter Tank, in the first year of the Clone Wars subtheme. The set featured two single phase 1 Clone Troopers, both in the Clone Wars style. For its time, it was a well designed set, with some really nice sticker detailing. It was a set that I really wanted, and sadly, was never able to get at a reasonable price.

    Now, as part of the 2017 summer wave of sets, the LEGO Group has released a new version of the tank, 283 pieces smaller, but it appears to have a much sleeker look, much more in line with the more recent designs for the military vehicles of the Grand Army of the Republic. The new model features four minifigures, and contains 305 pieces. I was enthusiastic to build this, and see if it lived up to my expectations.

    Minifigures

    The set contains four minifigures, two of which are new and exclusive to this set. The other two are generic Battle Droids, which have been featured in a total of 23 sets since its first appearance in 2007.

    The first of the two exclusive figures, and likely the most popular, given her rarity in minifigure form, and her popularity amongst Star Wars Fans, is Jedi Knight Aayla Secura. Her only previous release was in 2010, in that year's Clone Turbo Tank, based off of her appearance in the first season of the Clone Wars television series.

    The new version of Secura is based off of her appearance in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, in which she is killed on Felucia. Her torso is dark azure, as is her head, and the mold that makes up her lekku. She has a double sided face, one with a gentle smile, and the alternative with a look of disgust, or anger. Both faces capture the appearance of the character, as well as her personality, incredibly well. Her lekku, the twin head tails of her species, are made from the same mold that was introduced for her character back in 2010, and has since been used on two other characters, Oola, and Hera Syndula. The printing on this part perfectly captures the appearance of her lekku, with simple, dark brown designwork. The torso features her form fitting top, with one sleeve, depicted by the dark brown left arm. Her right arm is molded in dark azure. Her legs have simple printing on the hips and thights to depict her belt and sash. Aayla carries a blue lightsaber.

    The second minifigure is a Clone Trooper Gunner, now featured in the phase two armor. The design is based on the standard Clone Trooper armor, but with extra amor added to the chest and forehead. The legs and head are standard to LEGO's Clone Trooper minifigures, using the angry clone head that is the go-to for all helmeted troopers in Star Wars sets now. He carries a blaster rifle, with a technic stud pin attached to the barrel.

    It seems unlikely at this point that LEGO will update their Battle Droid design in the future, given that this year marks 10 years of its use. While a little more detail in the design would be nice, I do not think there is much that can be improved. It is a very simple design, and captured the flimsy-ness of the B-1 Battle droids very well.

    The Build

    The set is divided into two bags of parts, and contains two instruction manuals.

    The first bag, and corresponding instruction manual comprise of the Clone Trooper Gunner, and the lower half of the tank. The frame is built from many layers of plates, stacked and overlapped for stability. A few stickers add detail to the structure.

    The second bag contains the droids, Aayla, and the cabin and final detailing of the tank. This part of the build is much more vertical, and feels a but cramped when working on the cabin structure. The rest of the stickers are applied in this bag.

    Overall, the build is very stable, and relatively easy, though it can be easy to poorly align the stickers, given that the stickers are completed in one large step at the end of the bag.

    The Completed Model

    The tank measures about six inches long, and about four in width, and feels very solid. It has a very sleek look to it, especially when compared to set 7679. Two rotating cannons are mounted on either side of the driver's cabin, each of which has a single stud shooter applied to it to add a simple play function.

    My only complaint with the set is how small the driver's cabin is, and how hard it can be to get the Clone Gunner to sit inside. There is barely any spare space in the cabin once the driver is placed inside, which makes it hard to connect him to the studs on the bottom, which is crucial if you wish to close the canopy over him.

    The sturdiness of the model is fantastic, I've dropped it onto a hard floor, and only a few of the small detail elements fell off. The rest of the set just rolled on its four technic wheels.

    Overall Opinion

    In conclusion, the set is definitely worth the $24.99 it sells for in the U.S. It has a great, compact design, and features some rare, nicely detailed minifigures. If you have the 2010 model, this might be a little bit of a toss-up, though this set is much more accurate to the source material than the original. The newer set features significantly less firepower, in comparison, mainly because it lacks the turret mounted in front of the canopy opening.

    23 out of 23 people thought this review was helpful.

  • Clone Turbo Tank

    <h1Clone Turbo Tank
    ©2016 LEGO Group
    " />

    Clone Turbo Tank

    ©2016 LEGO Group
    Overall rating
    Building experience
    Parts
    Playability
    Value for money

    Send in the Big Guns

    Written by (TFOL , bronze-rated reviewer) in United States,

    The Battle of Kashyyyk was one of the last battles in the Clone Wars, fought between the Droid Armies of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and the Grand Army of the Republic. The Republic troops served under the command of Jedi Generals Yoda, Luminara Unduli, and Quinlan Vos. Among the numerous vehicles used by the Republic in this battle was the Clone Turbo Tank, a massive, ten wheel monstrosity that crushed droid lines in battle.

    Back in 2010, the LEGO group released their second iteration of this awesome tank, 8098 Clone Turbo Tank. That set was amazing, and sadly, I was not able to get it at the time. Now, in 2016, LEGO has once again released an amazing model, and this time, I was not going to let it slip through my fingers.

    Box/Instructions

    The Turbo Tank is packaged in a large box, depicting the Tank in an action position, with the two Jedi included in the set running along side it. The tree cities of Kashyyyk can be seen in the background, which I think is a great detail. On the top, Master Luminara Unduli sports the actual size reference, with the other five minifigures included displayed at a slightly reduced scale. On the back, as typical with Star Wars sets of late, there is a section with "blue prints" of the set, and an advertisement for the Force Builder App.

    The instruction manual is a single, thick booklet. This comes in its own separate bag, protecting the pages.

    Parts

    The 903 pieces included in this set come in six numbered bags, and a separate bag with the ten wheels inside. I will note now that there are no stickers in this set, only printed elements where there is a design that called for unique print.

    Minifigures

    Luminara Unduli:

    The last time this Jedi was released, back in 2010, she was fighting the separatists on Geonosis alongside Captain Rex. That minifigure was great, for the Clone Wars animated series. This minifigure though, is a much needed update. Her face is once again printed in the style of standard LEGO minifigures, in regards to the eyes. Her skin tone is the brick yellow color, as are her hands. This makes her skin look somewhat green next to the light nougat of standard minifigures. Her torso and legs are molded in black, and feature detailed printing, both front and back. The front of her torso has her belt, cloak clasp, and simple dress, while the back continues the belt, and also shows a hood. Her legs continue the belt, and show the long sash that the character wore in the movies. This is printed with some bronze and gold designing. Her headress is molded in dark brown for the first time ever, a decision that I greatly approve of. The cape piece included for the minifigure is a spongy cape, also in dark brown. While I do not like the lack of solidity these capes offer, I do appreciate the flexibility, and possibilities they represent. She has two expressions, one calm and serene, and the other angry. Both faces show her blue eyes.

    Quinlan Vos.

    I never expected the Grey Jedi Quinlan Vos to show up in a set again. And especially not in this form. The robes he is featured with are the ones he wears in the old comics he appeared in, not what he wore in the Phantom Menace, where he is clad entirely in dark brown, with sleeves. Just the same, this is the Classic Quinlan Vos design, and I love every bit of it. The torso is a new, updated print, with some better creases, and wear applied to the armor. The back printing has also been updated, and looks great. The legs are amazing, with the continuation of his sand yellow tunic, and a black stripe representing his pants beneath his tunic and boots. The legs also look great when attached to his 2011 torso. The head is great, with some stubble, and two large eyebrows printed on both faces. His yellow tattoos are also well done, with the large one fading into his stubble, accurately. The two above his eyes are questionable as to whether they are official or not, but either way, look great. One of his expressions is calmer, like Luminara's, and the other is angry, and ready for action. I think this face looks great on the character, given his history with the dark side. Finally, the use of the Thorin/Fili/Kili/Corsair hair piece is amazing. That wig is great for Vos, showing his dreadlocks quite well.

    The remaining minifigures have all been released before, and I won't waste your time ranting about them. All four are great additions to the set, especially Commander Gree.

    The build

    The Build is split up into six bags, starting with the AT-RT walker, and the main technic frame of the tank. Bag two adds more to the frame, and starts on the body. Bag 3 does more body work, leaving only the wheels and armor panels missing. Bag four is the wheels, all ten of them, nothing else. Bags 5 & 6 are the armor plates. I loved the amount of technic elements used in this set, as expected, and I think It turned out great. I spent roughly an hour and a half on this build.

    The completed model

    Wow. Just wow. The completed tank measures about 18 inches in length, and a good 6 in height. (With the lookout tower completely retracted) The tank is incredibly durable (I dropped it four feet onto my desk, and nothing fell off. That may have been sheer luck though.) The detailing is great, given that there are no stickers used. I love the fact that it is possible to fit every part of the set inside the Tank, even the battle droids. I have also found that it is very easy to modify the main section of the tank to provide a troop bay, which can fit 6 troopers. I think the maximum capacity I can do is 11 minifigs (with one on the lookout tower). The suspension/steering system works very well, with flawless turning and rolling. I rolled it across my bed, which had the sheets all bunched up for this purpose, and it stayed generall level, with some slight leaning as it moved, given that 8 of the ten wheels are fixed in place, I think this was pretty good.

    Overall opinion

    I love this set. It may have been a little pricey, but the detail level is great, and it looks awesome in my Kashyyyk display, alongside my AT-AP, Kashyyyk Troopers battle packs, Droid Gunship, and Tank droid. If you do not have a turbo tank already, get this one. And if you have a previous version, this one is still great, though definitely smaller than the 2010 variant. May the Force be with You

    16 out of 17 people thought this review was helpful.

  • Black Panther Pursuit

    <h1Black Panther Pursuit
    ©2016 LEGO Group
    " />
    Overall rating
    Building experience
    Parts
    Playability
    Value for money

    "I'm done letting it consume me too."

    Written by (TFOL , bronze-rated reviewer) in United States,

    The Captain America: Civil War sets have been, quite possibly, my most highly anticipated wave of sets yet. We got three awesome looking sets, with some great minifigure selections. The first weekend these sets were out, I rushed to Target and picked up both this set, and the 76050 Crossbones' Hazard Heist. I have intentionally withheld my review on these sets until after I saw the movie, so I could give an accurate review, based on both my own opinions, and the movie. Here we go!

    (****SPOILER ALERT****) This scene does not exist in the movie. There is a similar scene in concept, where Bucky is driving a motorcycle through a traffic tunnel, with Black Panther chasing him, and Captain America behind him, but the jet and truck do not appear in this scene. I do not believe that the truck appears in this movie at all, but is a great vehicle nonetheless. The jet does appear later on, as he follows Iron Man to the Hydra Base, where he witnesses the battle between the Winter Soldier, Captain America, and Iron Man. Only the cockpit is visible through the fog, but it is evident that the vehicle is not a quinjet, and must be some sort of stealth jet for Panther. (****END SPOILERS****)

    Box/Instructions

    The box is slightly larger than that of Crossbones' Hazard Heist, and looks even better. The graphics are very impressive, showing a nonexistent scene, that would have been very cool had it actually happened. All of the simple playability features are depicted on the box, and incorporated very well. The instructions are completed in a single booklet, withs some great graphics, and adds for LEGO AVENGERS, and the rest of the Civil War wave of sets.

    Minifigures

    Captain America: This might be the best Captain America minifigure to date. The torso and legs are the same as the Age of Ultron Cap, but that is excusable. The head is new, and is much better than the Obi-wan Kenobi head used on last year's version of the character. The hair is also new, using the mold introduced on Superman for the Batman v Superman sets, but now in nougat. The shield is the same red as the previous two years, sadly, as the dark red shield from 2012 would have looked much better.

    Black Panther: Wow. Just wow. This minifigure is incredible. The print is great, and the new ear piece, similar to the Darth Maul piece looks great! The minifigure is covered in silver printing, meant to represent the vibranium in his suit. His head has yellow/green/white eyes, that seem to change color depending on the angle. The silver detailing is continued onto his ear piece, and stretches back all the way to the ears themselves. The arms and legs are plain, which is okay, given the detail level of the rest of the minifigure.

    The Winter Soldier: This minifigure is somewhat disappointing. The head detracts so much from the overall appearance of the set. Why was Starlord's/Owen's head reused here? I mean, it looks decent, but next to Starlord, they look the same. If a rehashed head had to be used, use Poe Dameron's it's at least a little better. The torso is great though, with incredible, almost 3D printing. The vibranium arm looks much better than the promo figure from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, with some better printing to show the lines, and battle damage added to it. The red star on the shoulder is worn, and looks to be peeling slightly, but that might just be the printing.

    The build

    The build is really great, with some amazing new techniques used in the wings for the Black Panther jet. The use of purple elements looks very good, when mixed with the black, and there is a reasonable use of neon green in some locations. The truck is very simple, with a sturdy, quick build. A decent amount of stickers are used in the set, showing great detail.

    The completed model

    The completed model looks great, and literally my only problem with the entire thing is the spring loaded shooter in the truck that takes up too much space in the seating area. The design of the jet is very sleek, and streamlined. A number of tiles and smooth pieces are used to detail the wings and nose of the vehicle.

    Overall opinion

    BUY IT! This set is amazing! The vehicles are great! The minifigures are great!

    10 out of 10 people thought this review was helpful.

  • The Avengers Quinjet City Chase

    <h1The Avengers Quinjet City Chase
    ©2015 LEGO Group
    " />

    The Avengers Quinjet City Chase

    ©2015 LEGO Group
    Overall rating
    Building experience
    Parts
    Playability
    Value for money

    Behold, the Vision.

    Written by (TFOL , bronze-rated reviewer) in United States,

    Once I started collecting AVENGERS sets, I knew I had to get Cap, Black Widow and Vision somehow. This was before the announcement of the Civil War lineup of sets. I got this set for two big reasons: Vision, and the Quinjet itself.

    Box/Instructions

    The box is the expected size for an $80 set, with great graphics, as always with MARVEL sets. The instructions come in a plastic cover, with cardboard, and consist of two booklets. The Pieces come in 6 numbered bags.

    Minifigures

    Ultimate Ultron: This is honestly the only minifigure I did not want, considering that this version of Ultron doesn't do all that much in the movie, though that may just be me. The minifigure is printed vey well, on silver metallic torso, arms, and legs. The hips and hands are light stone grey. The printing shows some chrome, black, and orange, representing his armor, wiring, and operating lights. If looked at closely, the front of the torso seems to show some battle damage, with some of the vibranium plating damaged. The head is translucent orange, with some bubble-like printing on the cheeks. There is no face printed on this minifigure, the helmet and neck parts make his face, and honestly, it looks decent.

    Vision: Currently exclusive to this set, Vision's movie appearance is captured perfectly in LEGO form. The use of pink hands, and the head are perfect, truly representing his "skin?" tone. His torso, arms, legs and hips are sand green, which looks spectacular. The printing on the torso depicts his armor, the top of his cape, and some grey lines, which outline his body. HIs legs have the continuation of his torso print, with more pink visible here, especially on the toes. His cape is exclusive, made out of a flexible, thin, soft material, and in a pale, golden yellow color, which looks really accurate. The head is printed with some sand green to show the metal wrapping around his head, and some dark purple eyes with white pupils. The Mind Stone in his forehead is printed blue, instead of yellow, which is the only deviation from the movie character on this minifig. His back show some simple lines, with some pink on the sides.

    Black Widow: This minifigure is very accurate to the movie. Her new molded hairpiece is amazing, and looks great. The hair style is much shorter than her original appearance, and curls up around the edges. Her face has been updated from her original minifigure, and it looks a lot better. The new torso is a much updated suit, meant to represent what she is wearing during AGE of ULTRON. The blue piping is well done, and almost seems to glow, compared to the black. Thin silver lines follow the shape of her jumpsuit, front and back. Her belt has some red and dark grey, and is continued onto the back as always. Her right leg has another belt printed. She come with two alien conquest guns, that I feel should be weaned out of the superheroes theme. They are good pieces, but not for this theme. This minifigure is printed with the same great quality as every other minifigure in this wave, and looks great in any collection.

    Captain America: This minifigure is pretty good. The torso design is great, with perfect detailing, on thr front and the back. The straps for his shield are continued perfectly, and lined up very well. His legs are plain, which is a bit of a disappointment, but is still okay. His head is dark blue, and has the face printed on. Sadly, and understandably, his face suffers, as to be expected, from a tanning effect, as light nougat is printed onto a darker color. Even then, the printing is great, and has amazing detail, on both sides of the head. I do not agree with the new shield, and wish that the dark red shield would return, with silver replacing the white.

    Iron Man MK 43: This minifigure is good. The detail quality on every part is amazing. What I am disappointed in is the fact that this minifigure shows up in three separate sets in this wave. Maybe an updated Tony Stark Minifigure should have been released in the Avengers tower, instead of this same one, which shows up here, and in the Hulkbuster, where it is needed. In the Avengers Tower scene, he isn't even wearing his suit! just the gloves! If that minifigure had been released, then I would be happy.

    The build

    The build is split into six bags. Bag 1 is the truck, Ultron, and Vision. The truck uses very simple building techniques, and is a very quick build. It only uses two stickers. Bag two is the bottom of the jet, and Black Widow. One sticker is used here. Some techniques that are new to me are used here, specifically with the payload bay, which drops Cap's motorcycle. Bag three is the right side, Cap, and the motorcycle. The motor cycle utilizes two new body pieces, and looks a lot better than the old ones. This bag uses two stickers. Bag 4 is the left wing, and also uses two stickers. Practically, aside from some small details, the wings are the same. Bag 5 finishes the wings, and the hull of the jet, using 5 stickers. Bag 6 is the cockpit and Iron Man, and uses two stickers.

    The completed model

    The completed set looks great. A total of four minifigs can be fit inside the quinjet, one in the cockpit, one on a motorcycle in the payload bay, and two in the read troop hold, where there is space for Black Widow's guns, along side a fire extinguisher and a wrench. The model makes great use of hinges, and allows for some really neat positioning of the wings and flaps. On the right side of the jet, there is a little space for a minifigure to be held on the bottom, with a rope and two studs. A button disguised as the Avengers A releases the minifigure, to retrieve the Vision. The other side has a poseable stud shooter turret, and can be removed easily. A total of 4 stud shooters are used in the model, two on top, and two on the turret. The truck explodes when a small .5x2 space is pressed down, and sends the top and sides flying, and Visions case available to be stolen.

    Overall opinion

    This set is well worth the $80, for Vision and Ultimate Ultron combined, plus an awesome Quinjet, that is much better than the Civil War version.

    11 out of 12 people thought this review was helpful.

  • The Hulk Buster Smash

    <h1The Hulk Buster Smash
    ©2015 LEGO Group
    " />
    Overall rating
    Building experience
    Parts
    Playability
    Value for money

    Hulk vs Hulkbuster = Awesome!

    Written by (TFOL , bronze-rated reviewer) in United States,

    As soon as I saw Age of Ultron I knew I needed this set. The set just looked amazing, and really accurate to the scene it came from in the movie. The two builds looked fantastic, as did the minifigures, which is a given with a Marvel set. This set looks great in any collection of Iron Man suits, and is a must have.

    Box/Instructions

    The box is a simple, average size box, but a bit small, considering the size of the set. The piece bags are kind of stuffed in there.

    Parts

    Of note, I can only come up with three parts to touch on here, that could be considered really nice to have. First off, we have the very obvious Hulkbuster helmet, which I believe is a new mold, and exclusive to this set. The printing on this piece is extraordinary, leaving nothing to be desired. The gold and white print just looks amazing, and is the keystone to this entire set. The Ultron Neck armor thing isn't that great of a piece, and it kind of looks out of place on a minifigure unless you have the helmet to go with it. It is a very cool mold, with some great shapes incorporated into it, but it just isn't good on this minifig. Finally, this set comes with a long transparent rod to fly Scarlet Witch on, and is very useful for a number of things, even outside of this set. In my opinion, you can't have too many of these.

    Minifigures

    Iron Man MK 43:

    This minifigure is the most commonly released throughout the Age of Ultron wave, with three total sets (76031, 76032, and 76038). However, that does not make him any less awesome. This was my first set with the Iron Man helmet and mask, and I love the design of the pieces. The printing on the mask shows the gold face plate, with white eyes, and some black lines to represent the indents on his helmet in the movie. There is a little bit of dark red on the sides of the mask, where it joins with the helmet. The helmet itself is a plain, dark red Iron Man helmet, which is an extraordinary piece in my opinion. I think this mask might be the best Iron Man mask LEGO has made yet. The torso has a circular ARC reactor in the center, printed in white, with black and gold printing around it to depict the armor. The design also features some dark stone grey tones on the back, and some on the front, to add another layer of detail to the Iron Man suit. The legs match perfectly with the torso, and continue the armor printing onto the hip piece, and the front of the legs. The head is the standard Tony Stark head, which first appeared in 2012, on the Iron Man MK 6 and 7 minifigures.

    Ultron Prime:

    This minifigure is exclusive to this set, and is a great addition. The armor is very similar to that of the Sub-Ultron soldier and officer minifigures in 76029 Iron Man vs. Ultron. The head has some red highlights, along with some gunmetal, and dark grey detailing, on a gunmetal color head. Some white detailing is also included on the red, giving it a glowing effect, which looks really cool. The torso has a bit more armor than the soldier, with some better detailing, in a more complex pattern, with some red and white detailing in some places. The torso really makes this minifigure accurate to the movie, with the awesome back print, and the front print. The legs are the same as the Sub-Ultron Soldiers, and though simple, looks great. This minifigure includes the neck piece I discussed earlier, though it makes the minifigure look really weird. I would suggest using the helmet piece from 76029 if you want to use the neck piece.

    Scarlet Witch:

    Also exclusive to this set, Scarlet Witch is incredibly accurate to the movie, with some great printing. Her head first showed up on Supergirl in 76040 Brainiac Attack, and has a smiling, peaceful expression, and a face with an angry expression, with glowing red eyes to represent the magic she uses. Her hair is nothing new, but looks great on the minifigure. Her torso is very well printed, showing her black dress, with a red jacket over it. She has dark space filled in on the sides of the torso to give her appearance a feminine shape. Her legs continue the skirt, with the hem printed, and flesh showing at knee level. She includes blue laser elements for some reason. Her magic was red in the movie, not blue, so I do not understand this decision on LEGO's part here.

    The build

    The build is broken up into three parts: The Hulk Cage, the Hulkbuster torso, and then the arms and legs.

    The completed model

    Hulk Cage:

    The Hulk fits in the cage relatively well, with some slight manipulation of the side panels. Hulk's new color and detailing is much better than that of his Avengers and Avengers Assemble variants, and looks a lot more accurate.

    The Mk 44: The Hulkbuster:

    This thing is amazing. It stands about 6 inches tall, and has some extraordinary detailing, and playability. All of the detail, except for the helmet, is done entirely with LEGO elements, no stickers are used in this model. The translucent Blue elements add a great level of detail to this set, by letting the hands "glow" and the arc reactor look really good. The one thing I do not like about this is the stud shooters on the right arm, which look really out of place, and there are no pieces to replace this.

    Overall opinion

    This set is awesome. I have nothing more to say. Get it. It's definitely worth it.

    8 out of 8 people thought this review was helpful.