LEGO Toy Story 7591 Construct-a-Zurg Special Edition Review

It’s ‘Black Friday’ here in the US, and while it’s late in the day, you may still be able to find the set below for under $20.

This is one of the greatest sets ever. This is not a joke. This is not just so I can get you folks to run out there, and give LEGO money for a set that cannot be used with any other ones they put out just because I said it was a good set. About the only thing this set can do for kids is to satisfy their need to beat up the Construct-a-Buzz companion set, or use it as a giant Zurg running amok in the Woody’s Roundup set (actually, that sounds pretty cool). Using this Zurg to hang out and drink tea with Bionicle, Ben 10, and Hero factory characters is another use for him. For me, this set just looks very, very cool sitting next to Shockwave (from Transformers) on the shelf above my desk. I’m sure that they have a lot to talk about being that they’re both evil, purple robots.

LEGO-7591-Zurg-Complete

Zurg’s articulation is limited just like in the Toy Story movies. LEGO Zurg spins at the waist, and his head does the same movement. The cape is standard LEGO stiff cloth, but the thing is huge. Zurg stands roughly 9 inches tall, and is 118 pieces strong. A claw machine alien minifig is also included, and accounts for three of the total pieces.

By the Numbers:
Set: LEGOToy Story 7591 Construct-a-Zurg
Year of Release: January 2010
Type: Character in the Toy Story series
# of Pieces: 118
# of Extra pieces: 6
# of Minifigs and what kind: 1 Alien
Stickers? None
Price: $24.99 / £19.99
Where to Buy? Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
Ages: 7-14
Time to Complete:

Box Art:

LEGO-7591-Zurg-Box

Remember: click on the photos to see larger images at flickr
(Full 7591 gallery at flickr)

The Minifig:

LEGO-7591-Zurg-Alien-Minifig

The Parts:

LEGO-7591-Zurg-Bagged-Parts

Extra pieces:

LEGO-7591-Zurg-Extra-Pieces

Thoughts – Pricing, Design, and Build:
The instructions are very good, as usual. Although this set can take an experienced LEGO maniac no time to build, it can still slow down even the most expert builder. The recommended 7 to 14 age range printed on the box seems appropriate, and will offer these ages a moderately challenging build. Anybody who is used to putting LEGO sets together can probably look at the box, and figure out how Zurg goes together without directional assistance.

Thoughts – Parts and/or stickers:
But what was the part that slowed me down? The excellent variety of parts found here, that’s what. It has the much coveted purple parts; not purple common parts, either. I was looking through the purple parts as though it was my first time ever seeing that color. This thing has purple cylinders, joints, 2 sizes of radar dish, curved slopes (like the red ones that inundate the Atlantis sets), as well as some really good dark gray brick elements. The fact that is has an even number of these purple parts is another high point. I found the purple 1 X 1 round studs to be of particular interest (you will have one left over for your parts bin upon completing the model). Other items include rubber o-rings, wheel parts (that the o-rings fit over), purple wing pieces, one silver accordion hose, a few hinges, etc. When all these parts and pieces come together, it forms a very impressive, very imposing construct of the mighty Zurg, Buzz Lightyear’s arch-nemesis!

One good thing for all you stickerphobes (this is a documented phobia, believe it, or not) is that this set is free of your adhesive-backed foes, too. All decorations are printed on the bricks. The afore-mentioned gauge, Zurg’s stylized “Z” chest emblem, and his teeth are all part of their respective bricks. I just wish there was a light brick that could make his teeth light up when he “speaks”. And by “speaks”, I mean during a kids’ playtime, not in my head 😉

Thoughts – Minifigs:
Needs more alien minifigs!

Thoughts – Swoosh factor, playability:
Armed with a yellow ball-shooting wrist cannon complete with mock pressure gauge, Zurg stands ready to prevent Buzz Lightyear of Star Command from keeping the spacelanes safe from evil. The wrist cannon is all one piece. This weapon is internally spring-loaded with a dispenser wheel that releases Zurg’s plastic, yellow ammo balls from the cannon. I really doubt anyone would be injured by one of these flying projectiles, but it’s probably best not to shoot people with them just to be on the safe side. The instructions warn against this. It attaches easily into the plus sign-shaped hole in his Bionicle hand. Well, I assume Zurg’s hands are from a Bionicle. Either that, or his creators stole the hands from Bandai’s Gundam factory!

Conclusion:
So, why is this a great set for me? Well, although this set is normally found for upwards around 25-30 bucks USD, I was lucky enough to buy Zurg for $15 at Wal-Mart. This is a special edition set, EXCLUSIVE ONLY TO a few retailers and the LEGO Online Store (Shop.LEGO.com). Anyway, this set is excellent for anyone wanting to do a really cool rocket, or spaceship MOC. That’s why I bought three of them; one to build as Zurg, and the other 2 to build as a MOC spaceship. I hate when people buy up ALL of something, but these sets are abundant at the time of this post, and I highly doubt they’re flying off the shelves even at the current sale price at Wal-Mart where I bought it. I bought them for a project, and not to make a fast buck off of them as some do. As far as my MOC goes, I’ll post pics here once I get all my other parts from Bricklink. The cylinders, slopes, hose, radar dishes, you name it; it is all perfect for building a nice spaceship. If you have two Zurg sets, there’s a lot you can build if you buy an Atlantis Typhoon sub, or two. You will never find these colored bricks at the brick wall, so get the jump on buying Zurg while he’s still in production, and still available. Most Wal-Marts have a lot of them, but this could change after Black Friday. Get down there ASAP! Until the next review, and beyond…