Review

LEGO Kingdoms 7952 Advent Calendar

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Update: If you’d like to see the individual advent calendar entries, see our LEGO 7952 Kingdoms Advent Calendar flickr set

After much debate, I finally broke down and bought the new LEGO Kingdoms Advent Calendar at my local LEGO Store. There were some major deciding factors. First off, I love the Kingdoms (and Castle) series LEGO has been putting out, and figured this set would have items/figures that would compliment my current collection nicely. The second thing that came to mind was the simple fact that when these things are gone, they’re gone. The LEGO Store is the only place you can get this set, and still buy it for its retail price (MSRP $34.99). If you choose to take the online auction route to obtaining the Kingdoms Advent Calendar, don’t be surprised if the bidding surpasses the $50 mark!

LEGO 7952 Kingdoms Advent Calendar

Actually, there was third factor in buying this one: they didn’t make a 2010 LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar, so the Kingdoms set was the next best thing.

By the Numbers:
Set: LEGO Kingdoms 7952 Advent Calendar
Year of Release: 2010 (September)
Type: Advent Calendar (Seasonal)
# of Pieces: 167
# of Extra pieces:
# of Minifigs and what kind: 8-9 (depending on how you count)
Stickers? No, printed
Price: $34.99 US
Purchase: Amazon.com (Warning, prices maybe higher than MSRP)
Ages: 5-12
Time to Complete: N/A

For those of you who do not know what an advent calendar is, I’ll tell you my view. An advent calendar is usually a bigger deal in Europe. Usually, these types of calendars come with chocolate. Starting on December 1st (these calendars celebrate the days of Advent leading up to Christmas), a little flap with the date is opened to reveal a piece of chocolate that is usually shaped like something associated with the holiday (i.e. a snowflake, deer head, X-mas tree, etc.). For the remaining days leading up to Christmas, each day contains a different piece of chocolate, or some other candy. The same concept is applied here, but instead of chocolate, LEGO figures and accessories are the daily prize. So as not to spoil the fun for you who do buy this item, I won’t say what’s in the set. We will probably post the item of the day starting December 1. I have opened the entire set, and had some fun putting the figures and other things together.

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Review: LEGO Power Miners 8960 Thunder Driller

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While this is now considered an older Power Mines set (it came out in early 2009), it is my favorite Power Miners set to date. I’ve built the 2 mechs, the 8958 Granite Grinder, and even the Claw Digger; but the Thunder Driller is my absolute favorite. It looks like something straight out of a James Cameron movie.

Note: You might be able to find this on clearance at some stores as they clear out old inventory to make room for newer LEGO stock, but this is an early 2009 set and you will most likely only find it online. Some retailers started clearing this out in mid 2010. Brickset shows it being discontinued in July of 2010.

LEGO Power Miners 8960 Thunder Driller

It comes with some cool minifig accessories, 3 minifigs, and just looks great. I really like it. The Thunder Driller itself looks pretty realistic, too. There’s barely any exposed LEGO studs on the completed model, and it exudes a sense of brute power. The forward rock boring drill turns nicely when the front wheels roll, the engine compartment cover behind it can be removed to reveal a storage space (the cover also has a nice set of lights and a lifting chain), the driver’s area behind that is covered by a hinged ladder, and has enough room to hold one Power Miner and a LEGO box of dynamite. The other Power Miner can be put in there, too; but it might be a little cramped. Not only do you get all this stuff, there’s also a walkie-talkie, orange crystal, pick axe, and Firox rock monster figure.

By the Numbers:
Set: LEGO Power Miners 8960 Thunder Driller
Year of Release: 2010
Type: Power Miners Vehicle
# of Pieces: 235
# of Minifigs and what kind: 3 Minifig, 2 Power Miners, One Rock Monster (Firox)
Stickers? Yes, 8
Price: $49.95 US MSRP – Amazon.com (US) and Amazon.co.uk (UK), Possibly at Toys R Us. (Prices may vary through third-parties based on retailer and availability)
Ages: 7-14
Time to Complete: @ 40 minutes, depending on how much time you spend on the stickers.

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LEGO Kingdoms 7949 Prison Carriage Rescue Review

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Today’s review is of the new LEGO Kingdoms 7949 Prison Carriage Rescue. This is set within the new Kingdoms line (or universe). Like yesterday’s review of the LEGO Kingdoms 7955 Wizard, this review will be fairly brief, although there is much more to this 50-piece set versus the 19-piece 7955 set. Like yesterday’s review, it also highlights a fantasy element of the new Kingdoms lineup, although don’t get the impression that the new Kingdoms line is fantasy-based. Fantasy takes a backseat in this replacement series for LEGO’s popular Castle line.

LEGO Kingdoms 7949 Prison Carriage Rescue - Review (2010)

What is it? It’s a simple two-wheeled carriage that is being used to transport a prisoner. The fantasy element is the unicorn, which is actually a horse with a piece of armor for its head that includes a mount for a unicorn horn. With the horned helmet it becomes a unicorn. In addition to the horse/unicorn, it comes with three minifigures – a captured soldier from the Red Lion faction, along with a knight from the same faction intent on rescuing him. Opposing them is a knight from the Green Dragon faction.

By the Numbers:
Set: LEGO Kingdoms 7949 Prison Carriage Rescue
Year of Release: 2010
Type: Kingdoms vehicle/horse set with three minifigs
# of Pieces: 50
# of Extra pieces: 2 (1×1 wedge)
# of Minifigs and what kind: 3 Minifig Knights/soldiers (1 King’s Army soldier, 1 King’s Army knight and 1 Dragon Knight soldier) + 1 Horse/Unicorn
Stickers? No
Price: $9.99 US MSRP – Official Shop.LEGO.com, Also at Toys R Us, Amazon.com (US) and Amazon.co.uk (UK) (Prices may vary through third-parties based on retailer and availability)
Ages: 5-12
Time to Complete: Less than 10 minutes

Box Art:

LEGO Kingdoms 7949 Prison Carriage Rescue - Review (2010)

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LEGO Kingdoms 7955 Wizard Review

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It’s been a while since we posted anything new, but that’s changing, and there are a lot of new and very interesting sets coming out. I’m also nearly done with a new site design that will roll out next week. I’m most excited about the new Atlantis sets as the new Kingdoms line from LEGO. Kingdoms is replacing the Castle series, and it has a feel to it that goes back to some of the classic sets.

LEGO Kingdoms 7955 Wizard Review (2010)

This is going to be a very short review of the LEGO Kingdoms 7955 Wizard set, since it’s an “impulse” set consisting of less than 20 pieces and is meant to compliment the larger sets, but it’s a good start to the upcoming reviews we are posting. I’m also testing out a new camera so the color might be off slightly. I’m using two different 32×32 baseplates which is why the gray seems off on one.

The LEGO Kingdoms line is meant to replace the Castle series in 2010, and it does so with two factions – the Green Dragon and Red Lion factions. These are more of a medieval style setting, and rely much less on fantasy. From the sets I have, there are wizards (or sorcerers if you prefer), unicorns, and dragons, and nothing else that points to a fantasy setting – no trolls, dwarves, etc.

By the Numbers:
Set: 7955 Wizard (Kingdoms)
Year of Release: 2010
Type: Impulse minifig set
# of Pieces: 19
# of Extra pieces: 2 1×1 rounds
# of Minifigs and what kind: 1 – Wizard + little green dragon
Stickers? No – book/scroll is printed.
Price: $3.99 MSRP, Available at Amazon.com (US) and Amazon.co.uk (UK) (price may vary depending on seller) or through the official LEGO Shop Online, and Toys R US.
Ages: 6-12
Time to Complete: Less than 5 minutes

Box Art:

LEGO Kingdoms 7955 Wizard Review (2010)

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LEGO 30050 Star Wars Republic Attack Shuttle – Review

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Following on the heels of the LEGO 30001 City Fire Chief review and the LEGO 30002 City Police Boat review, comes this review of the 30050 Star Wars Republic Attack Shuttle in MINI-scale. These are related – these three sets plus the 30051 Star Wars X-Wing are all exclusively available through Target stores in the US, as part of an Easter promotion. You’ll find them in the Easter section rather than the toys/LEGO aisle. There are a few key differences – the City sets are minifig-scale and $2.99 while the two Star Wars sets are MINI-scale and are slightly more expensive, at $3.49. The extra $0.50 gets you a few dozen pieces more, although it’s a trade-off since the two City sets each comes with a minifig.

LEGO 30050 Star Wars - Republic Attack Shuttle (Clone Wars)

In my view, the 30050 and the 30051 are both really cool sets that are meant to be displayed on a shelf or on a desk – there should have been a small stand included (the one you see below was quickly improvised).

By the Numbers:
Set: 30050 Republic Attack Shuttle (Star Wars)
Year of Release: 2010
Type: Mini-scale or polybag (Target Easter promotion)
# of Pieces: 60 (6 extra)
# of Extra pieces: 6 (see photo below)
# of Minifigs and what kind: No
Stickers? No
Price: $3.49 at Target (USA)
Ages: 6-12
Time to Complete:

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LEGO 30001 City Fire Chief – Review

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This is going to be very similar to the LEGO 30002 City Police Boat Review. It’s nearly identical in the number of pieces, and has the same price. You can view a comparison between the 30001 City Police Boat and 30002 Fire Chief (that is a flickr gallery) if you are curious.

What you are looking at is the 30001 City Fire Chief, a small 33 piece impulse set that comes with a Fire Chief minifig. It’s basically a 4-wheeler/All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV).

LEGO 30001 City Fire Chief

Again, no idea on the availability outside of Target stores or the US in general (or outside the US for that matter). I will say up front that if I had to choose between the two, I would pick this one. If you are picking for a small child, definitely buy this one in my opinion.

By the Numbers:
Set: 30001 City Fire Chief
Year of Release: 2010
Type: City / Impulse
# of Pieces: 33 (including 2 extra)
# of Extra pieces: (2 extra, see photo below)
# of Minifigs and what kind: 1 – Fire Chief / Firefighter
Stickers? No
Price: $2.99 at Target (US)
Ages: 5-10
Time to Complete: Less than 10 minutes

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