Reviews – Page 8 – Mostly Bricks

Review: Creator 5866 Rotor Rescue

November 20, 2017November 21, 2009 by Chad

This review is for the Creator 5866 Rotor Rescue, a 3-in-1 set from LEGO that also includes instructions for building a speedboat and a biplane. It was purchased from a Toys R Us on November 20th, 2009 for $12.99 (I mistakenly said $10.99 earlier), but that may not be the final pricing. I’ve not gotten around to the other two alternative models, but will this weekend. There is not a lot to say – it’s a Creator set, and it’s got a lot of flexibility and a lot of really useful parts, especially if you like red and yellow 🙂

This is one of those sets where the pictures speak for themselves.

By the Numbers:
Set: Creator 5866-1 Rotor Rescue
Year of Release: 2010 (but released early in November 2009)
Type: Vehicle, 3-in-1 Set
# of Pieces: 149
# of Extra pieces: 9 (maybe needed in the other two models)
# of Minifigs and what kind: No
Stickers? No
Price: $12.99 at Official LEGO Shop, also at Amazon.com
Ages: 6-12
Time to Complete: Less than one hour – less than half an hour if you’re an experienced builder who has everything laid out.

Remember: click on the photos to see larger images at flickr (5866 Rotor Rescue gallery at flickr)

Review: Power Miners 8188 Fire Blaster

November 20, 2017November 21, 2009 by Chad

This review is for the Power Miners 8188-1 Fire Blaster that comes with 67 pieces (6 are extra). It’s nearly an impulse set, but is $4 higher than the true impulse sets such as the 8956 Stone Chopper (Brickset link) which only has 31 pieces and $2 more than the 8957 Mine Mech which has the exact same number of parts. It’s an in-house line and part of the Power Miners series, and was supposed to be released in 2010, but I purchased it on November 20th, 2009 at a Toys R Us (SKU: 673419129985) for $9.99. I’m going to complain about the price, but I do understand that the pricing may change and that right now we are at the mercy of only one retailer here in the US.

Basically, it’s a neat little buggy-style model with two minifigs, including Combustix, a lava monster minifig that has a hinged jaw and a large belly that can easily swallow the head of a human miner (check the minifig photos below) as well as a crystal or a handy stick of dynamite, or any other small accessory or piece. The buggy has a water (or liquid) reservoir along with a hose leading from the reservoir that contributes to the “Fire Blaster” theme (you didn’t think it shot out fire did you?). This represents an apparent transition from rock-oriented monsters of 2009 to lava-oriented monsters in 2010, and the next release should be the 8189 Magma Mech, which maybe currently available at some Toys R Us stores, depending on your location. See this EuroBricks thread for more discussion on the 2010 Power Miners as well as Brickset’s listing for the 2010 Power Miners.

By the Numbers:
Set: Power Miners 8188-1 Fire Blaster
Year of Release: 2010 (Technically 2009)
Type: Vehicle in the Power Miners series
# of Pieces: 67
# of Extra pieces: 6
# of Minifigs and what kind: 2 – a human miner, and
Stickers? Yes, 4. Not really necessary
Price: $9.99 at Official LEGO Shop, also at Amazon.com (price may vary)
Ages: 7-14
Time to Complete: Less than half an hour. An experienced builder with everything laid out could probably do it in 15 minutes from opening the box.

Remember: click on the photos for larger images at flickr (Full Power Miners 8188 gallery at flickr)

Preview/First Impressions of 5866, 8188 from 2010 LEGO Sets

November 7, 2010November 21, 2009 by Chad

Later today I’ll be posting reviews of two new 2010 LEGO sets – Creator 5866 Rotor Rescue and Power Miners 8188 Fire Blaster. It’s taking a little longer than expected and I thought I’d have them finished by now but it’s late, so here’s a couple of photos to give you an idea about the two sets as well as a parts listing for the 5866 (8188 Fire Blaster parts listing).

The 5866 Rotor Rescue, which also includes instructions for a biplane as well as a speed boat, both of which I’ll be assembling and posting later today is a great Creator set. I don’t necessarily agree with the ages of 6 – 12, because 5866 has a lot of small parts (click the “Read More” link below for a full parts list) and I do mean small parts – lots of 1×1 type of stuff. I definitely think it’s worth $10.99 – you get 149 pieces and being that it’s Creator, you would be hard pressed not to be able to find a use for all of them in MOCs. They are all standard pieces as well as a decent cockpit/windscreen and some transparent pieces. As mentioned, you also get instructions for three different models. It’s also a great way to teach somebody a lot of the basics when it comes to connections between the various LEGO elements – everything is reinforced well and it’s literally a very solid model, even though when you extend the back ramp, you can see all the way through from the front to the back.

As far as the 8188, I think they need to knock a few dollars off, especially since it’s an in-house line and not one of the licensed series. It’s very possible that it could be cheaper, and I don’t see how Amazon can price it at $12.99 for pre-orders at this point. It’s a really cool little buggy-style model, and the minifigs are great. Plenty of MOC opportunities as long as you don’t apply the stickers. We’ve applied stickers to other 2010 sets we’ve reviewed (and kind of wished we hadn’t on the 5981 Police Raid VPR), but the stickers in this instance are placed on parts that could easily be used elsewhere and it would prevent you from using them or being constrained as far as how you use them. The flick-fire dynamite is very lacking as well and could have been left off. Otherwise it’s a neat little set that should have been below $10. Then again, it may very well turn out to be priced below that point – we all know that retail pricing when there is no competition can vary widely.

Preview of 2010 LEGO Power Miners 8188 Fire Blaster

November 7, 2010November 21, 2009 by Chad

Update: I posted a few images of the 8188 Fire Blaster here. The rest of the review will be later today.

I picked up the 2010 LEGO Power Miners 8188 Fire Blaster as well as the Creator 5866 Rotor Rescue 3-in-1 helicopter last night at a Toys R Us. Here’s just a quick glance at the minifigs and the box art as well as the parts listing from the 8188. The 8188 cost $10.99.

Review: LEGO 2010 Space Police 5982 Smash ‘n’ Grab

November 20, 2017November 16, 2009 by Chad

Finally, our last review of the 2010 sets (for now). It’s been kind of crazy the amount of traffic we’ve drawn, and I’m glad we were lucky enough to be among the first to review the 2010 sets. Hopefully we’ve helped people make up their minds one way or the other about these sets, and if you have any questions or want us to take additional photos, please feel free to contact us.

For those of you who were big fans of of the heavily purple 4755-1 or 4695 Knight Bus (Brick link) from the Harry Potter line, your (space)ship has arrived, in the form of the Space Police 5982-1 Smash ‘n’ Grab. It’s an interesting theme – a purple and black spaceship that is shaped like an old pickup/tow truck whose purpose is apparently to steal ATM machines that hover around in space. The ATM machine is labeled “Asteroid Bank”. If you are curious, from what we can tell, the purple is consistent across the parts that have a glossy finish. The minifig Squidtron is a nice reference to Blacktron.

By the Numbers:
Set: 5982-1 Space Police Smash ‘n’ Grab
Type: Vehicle in the Space Police line
# of Pieces: 188
# of Extra pieces: 10 (see photo below)
# of Minifigs and what kind: 2, human with spacesuit, weapon, double-printed head, alien “Squidtron” with strange head.
Stickers? Yes, but kept to a minimum and most are not required.
Price: $19.99 USD at Official LEGO Shop, also at Amazon.com (price may vary)

Review: LEGO Space Police 5981 Raid VPR

November 20, 2017November 15, 2009 by Chad

This is a brief, but image-heavy review of LEGO Space Police # 5981 Raid VPR from 2010. It’s a fairly simple and elegant set – only 69 pieces, and 6 of those are extra. It really is reminiscent of some of the older space sets, not just Space Police 2, and would probably be right at home at Neo Classic Space. This set and 5982 Smash ‘n’ Grab, are actually the first two Space Police 3 sets I own, and I like the Raid VPR a lot. I think it has potential to inspire quite a few MOCs, especially since we are seeing a lot of people trying simpler vehicles.

On a side note, Toys R Us refers to this as a “Space Police Interceptor” and you’ll notice the white balance is off on a lot of the photos – that’s what happens when you are photographing a white vehicle against a white background.

By the Numbers:
Set: LEGO Space Police 5981-1
Type: Vehicle in the Space Police Line
# of Pieces: 69
# of Extra pieces: 6 (see photo below)
# of Minifigs and what kind: 2 – A human with a space suit (and a double-printed head), and “Rench” an alien with a rocket launcher
Stickers? Yes, 5, very minimal.
Price: $9.99 at the Official LEGO Online Shop, also available at Amazon.com (price may vary).