Review: LEGO CITY 7286 Prisoner Transport

First off, I will go on record by saying that LEGO City has too many police sets, and this one doesn’t help my perception of LEGO City being a safe place to live! I will say that on the other hand, this set is really, really nice. It looks strong and mildly brutish with its boxy design complete with fat fenders to boot.

LEGO City 7286 Prisoner Transport Review

The stats on this formidable van are: 173 pieces, one sticker sheet, one roadblock sign, loads of accessories, one yellow crate to keep them in, a motorcycle, a moneybag backpack, 100 LEGO bucks (which doesn’t seem worth stealing and going to Legoland jail for), one policeman minifig, and one crook minifig.

LEGO City 7286 Prisoner Transport Review

By the Numbers:
Set: LEGO 7286 City Prisoner Transport
Year of Release: 2011 (December 2010)
Type: City – Police vehicle and minifig set
# of Pieces: 173
# of Extra pieces:
# of Minifigs and what kind: 2 – police officer, criminal
Stickers? Yes
Ages: 5-12
Time to Complete:
Price: $19.99

Available
* Shop.LEGO.com
* Amazon.com – LEGO Prisoner Transport 7286
* Amazon.co.uk – LEGO Prisoner Transport 7286
* Target, Toys R Us, etc.

Remember: click on the photos to see larger images at flickr (Full 7286-1 gallery at flickr)

Box Art:

LEGO City 7286 Prisoner Transport Review

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Review: LEGO CITY 7741 Police Helicopter

Okay, most of you who keep up with LEGO release dates will wonder why I am reviewing a set that came out in 2007 during the holiday season. Well, the answer is simple: LEGO City Police sets are popular. Plus it’s still in production and still available.

LEGO 7741 Police Helicopter (City) - Review

People, in general, still love cop shows and documentaries, so why should the toy world be any different? Lots of folks love the intrigue of committing and solving crimes. Hopefully, most of you are more interested in solving than committing though.

LEGO 7741 Police Helicopter (City) - Review

So, here we have the still-in-production LEGO 7741 Police Helicopter with 94 pieces, and it retails for $10.99 through Shop.LEGO.com and Amazon.com.

I picked this one up at Target for about $8.80 on sale, and it was well worth it. This one has some really nice parts, not just for the model it’s meant for, but also if you want to make a nice airplane or spaceship MOC. This set includes one police helicopter pilot minifig, one sheet of stickers (which give you the choice of putting “POLICE”, or the German “POLIZEI” on the completed model), nice rotor blades, a rare landing skid, pursuit camera, and a couple of mailbox pieces used for storing the set’s handcuffs

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Review: LEGO 7049 Alien Conquest – Alien Striker

The conquest is here! No, not the conquest on the Planet of the Apes, but the LEGO Alien Conquest series has finally overrun your local LEGO shop and other toy stores (and Target). The first set I’ve picked up at my local LEGO store is set #7049 Alien Striker. It’s available at the online LEGO Store as well as Amazon.com.

LEGO 7049 - Alien Conquest - Alien Striker Review

I had a bunch of LEGO VIP points (become a VIP member if you haven’t), and spent some of them on this nice $4.99 set. Like all sets in this price range, the Alien Striker leaves a lot to be desired with it’s 42 piece count, but I believe this is more than made up for with the inclusion of a new alien soldier figure and blue ADU (Alien Defense Unit) trooper.

By the Numbers:
Set: LEGO 7049 Alien Striker from Alien Conquest Series
Year of Release: 2011
Type: Small set/Impulse
# of Pieces: 42
# of Minifigs and what kind: 2, including alien
Stickers? No
Price: MSRP $4.99 USD
Ages: 6-14
Time to Complete: Less than 10 minutes

Available for Purchase: (Prices maybe higher than MSRP)
* Amazon.com

If you are a major fan of minifigs like I am, then you will most likely want this set. At about five dollars, this set is a good buy for the figures alone. Compared to the $2.99 bagged minifigs that LEGO has been cranking out of the past year, an alien and an ADU trooper is worth buying, more so than a series 4 minifig that can be a double of something you already have (since you never know what’s in the bag).

LEGO 7049 - Alien Conquest - Alien Striker Review

This set is a great way to build your army for the alien conquest of LEGO Earth.

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LEGO Star Wars 7913 Clone Trooper Battle Pack (2011)

Fans of LEGO Star Wars Clone Wars rejoice, there’s a new set of clones in town. Gone are the plain, white troopers and clone gunners of packs past. The 2011 LEGO Star Wars Clone Trooper pack is here, it’s more colorful, has a new figure (the ARF trooper), and the set’s vehicle is pretty nice, too.

LEGO 7913 Star Wars Clone Trooper Battle Pack

This is another early bird set offered through Toys R Us online, and also in the retail LEGO Stores. This battle pack comes with 85 pieces which includes four Clone Trooper minifigs. It retails at the LEGO Store for $11.99. Toys R Us offers this set online for $14.99. I was able to use my LEGO VIP points on this (and the Mandalorian Battle Pack), so I got it for a little under half the price! The LEGO VIP program is very handy, especially when buying the new stuff no other store has.

By the Numbers:
Set: 7913 Clone Trooper Battle Pack (Star Wars)
Year of Release: 2011 (Released in Dec 2010)
Type: Minifig/Battle Pack
# of Pieces: 85
# of Extra Pieces: 1
# of Minifigs and what kind: 4 Clone Troopers
Stickers? No
Price: $11.99 US
Ages: 6-12
Time to Complete: Less than 15 minutes

Box Art:

LEGO 7913 Star Wars Clone Trooper Battle Pack

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LEGO Bullseye Target Mascot Exclusive Gift Card 4620157

I went to one of the zillion Targets in the Houston area, and finally found the LEGO Bullseye Target Mascot Exclusive Gift Card. This set depicts Target’s popular bull terrier mascot Bullseye in all his glory. Weighing in at 31 pieces, this plastic pooch makes an excellent stocking stuffer for any LEGO fan. One cool thing to note is that this set does come with a unique Target logo brick that is used as one of Bullseye’s eyes. Buying this item does require a gift card purchase; the barcode for which is located on the back of the cool little clear plastic box (marked “Build a Bullseye) the set comes bagged in. These will be available while supplies last!

Note: the gift cards are good for non-LEGO purchases.

Update: A quick check of Bricklink shows that this is set 4620157

LEGO Target Gift Card - Bullseye

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Review: LEGO 7977 Atlantis Seabed Strider

As some of you readers might already know, some of the 2011 LEGO Atlantis sets are out, including Atlantis sets popping up at your local LEGO store, if you’re lucky enough to have one nearby. In this article, I will be reviewing one of the three 2011 sets that I’ve seen come across, the Atlantis Sea Strider.

LEGO 7977 Atlantis - Seabed Strider

The Sea Strider is a two-legged mech that transforms into a little underwater exploration speeder. This set is sort of like the little brother of the larger LEGO 8080 Atlantis Undersea Explorer in that they both transform from vehicles to mechs in their search for the lost underwater city. Transformation is quick and easy; just flip the legs back, and it’s ready to outswim the Guardian of the Deep…maybe! Armed with grabber claws and powered by two aluminum propellers, it should have no problems carrying out its mission. The Seabed Strider is a simple set to construct (105 pieces, some stickers), and is reasonably priced ($9.99 USD).

By the Numbers:
Set: LEGO 7977 Atlantis Seabed Strider
Year of Release: 2011 (Available late 2010)
Type: Atlantis vehicle that transforms
# of Pieces: 105
# of Extra pieces: 7
# of Minifigs and what kind: 2, human diver, Atlantis monster
Stickers? Yes, 11
Price: $9.99
Available: Amazon.com
Ages: 7 – 14
Time to Complete: 15 minutes or less.

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