The Rule of Awesome

I love the new Dino theme that Lego released this year.  Not just because the sets are decent (though they are pretty good).  Not because the dinosaurs are the best ever produced (though they are).  And not just because of the incredible playability available in pretty much every set.  No what I love most of all is the complete lack of pretense.  What do I mean?  Let me elaborate.

Lego has made 3 previous forays into the world of dinosaurs.  The first was the Dino Island line of sets from the Adventurers theme back in 2000.  The storyline for that series borrowed from the Lost World hypothesis made famous by Michael Chrichton in his book of the same name: somewhere there is an as of yet unexplored place where animals thought to be extinct have survived undetected until now!  Probable?  Not so much but certainly plausible. 

5987 Dino Research Headquarters from 2000

Next came the Jurassic Park III sets which were part of the studios theme.  This was a straight up license and drew directly from the Jurassic Park storyline to explain how humans were facing dinosaurs in a perilous quest for survival. 

1371 Spinosaurus Attack from 2001

Finally there was the Dino 2010 theme from 2005.  The premise here was that some sort of radioactive accident had unleashed a hoard of mutant beasts, most notably ferocious dinosaurs!  This was in keeping with the zombie/apocalypse-from-science-gone-wrong-motif which has been popular for the last decade (think of movies such as I Am Legend).  A super thin explanation?  Absolutely; but it works and fit with the cultural pattern of the time.

7298 Dino Air Tracker from 2005

What I love about this most recent installment in the man versus dino category is that Lego has dropped all attempts at coming up with a reason for how or why man suddenly finds himself in the presence of fully grown long extinct creatures.  All pretense is gone, they give us no story, no explanation, just awesome sets where men fight dinosaurs. 

5884 Raptor Chase from 2012

And they can get away with this because of the rule of awesome.  What is that?  Simple.  It is the concept that so long as a given thing is awesome it needs no explanation.  This is a major force in our culture right now.  The most recent large scale example I have seen of this idea is the soon to be released movie Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.  I saw a preview for this last week.  Perhaps the movie will give more background but the 3 minute preview gave zero explanation for how one of America’s greatest leaders had an entire previous life, hitherto unknown, in which he slew all manner of satanic beasts.  The idea is that the movie makers don’t need to explain because, for enough viewers (though I must confess I am not one of them…), the concept of Old Abe fighting vampires in his top hat is so awesome that their need for a rational explanation will be suspended.  Lego is employing the exact same logic here: man versus dinosaurs is so intrinsically awesome that there need be no explanation for how it is possible, the fact that it exists is enough.  And I must confess it’s true.  When I first saw these sets I immediately said “I want those”.  I needed no storyline, no explanation; they were just so cool that they immediately won me over.   I highly recommend these sets!              

A Tale of Two Fortresses

I recently had the pleasure of acquiring two different yet similar Lego sets: 2006’s 7709 Sentai Defense Headquarters from the Exo-Force theme and 2012’s 5887 Dino Defense HQ from the new Dino theme.

7709 Sentai Defense Headquarters

5887 Dino Defense HQ

Both sets are, in their own right, full of similarities.  Each consists of 4 walls enclosing an open courtyard.  The two side walls on each fortress are mirror images of each other with the front consisting of a large gate.  Each one also includes a variety of supporting cast members of both vehicles and figures.  Although inflation impacts it slightly they also cost the same each clocking in at the $100 mark.  But when you look at them side by side the differences could not be greater.

The most obvious difference is the piece count, the Sentai fortress comes in at nearly double the amount of pieces: over 1400 to the Dino fortress’ 800+.  The second is the size.  I am not exaggerating to when I say that the Dino Defense HQ can fit inside the Sentai’s courtyard.  The walls of the Sentai fortress are tall enough to legitimately impede the non-flying mecha included with the set while the walls of the Dino Defense HQ look like the T-Rex could have stepped over them to get inside as he is pictured on the front of the box.  How in the world could these sets have cost the same amount?  The answer can be found in Lego’s history, specifically the 2004 fiasco.

Most people do not know that Lego nearly collapsed in 2004.  Years of mediocre product did a serious number on the company’s pocketbook and in fiscal year 2004 they posted their biggest loss in history.  The sharks were circling the family owned company, most notably toy giant Mattel (the thought of Mattel owning Lego sends a shudder through every true fan!).  So Lego went back to the basics focusing all their efforts on their core products.  They also had something to prove so sets got big, very big (I have never seen a set which required more floor area outside of the train and monorail genre than the Sentai Headquarters) and the piece counts got large, very large.  Lego had to recapture the market and they opted for the go big or go home approach.  The focus shifted in the last couple of years to realism.  Those dinos (of which the HQ set includes three) are highly detailed, multi-colored pieces that required new molds and colors.  Realistic, but not cheap to produce.  Size was traded for detail.  Each has value in its own right and I am a big fan of both of these sets.  The playability alone for each of them is incredible.  I highly recommend either of these sets.         

Oh My, Oh My, Oh My, Dinosaurs!!!!

I don’t mess with what works; I find the thing I like or the way I like to do things and then don’t change it.  More than any of my other traits I think this is the one which has most flabbergasted my far more adventerous wife.  She loves that Baskin Robins has 32 flavors that change on a regular basis.  Me?  I have not eaten any type of ice cream other than cookie dough since I was 11 (I kid you not, I have a 16 year unbroken streak!).  She hates eating the same meal twice in a month.  Before marrying her I had 5 meals that I rotated through on a schedule.  And I have been this way since I was a kid because growing up while my friends rotated through different interests I stuck to one: Legos.  My consistency is evident on a graph I once made of the number of Legos I have from each year since 1984.  As my age and correspondingly my ability to make more money increased, so did my level of Lego acquisition (and yes I know it is incredibly nerdy to have made a graph of my Lego consumption per year, my wife found that amusing as well!) with one glaring exception: 1993. 

For that year I took my one and only detour out of the world of the plastic brick and into that of another toy.  That was the year that something came along which had a strong enough appeal to redirect my toy purchasing money and birthday present requests away from Legos and to relocate my play hours from the Lego table in my room to a patch of dirt in my backyard.  What was this swirling vortex I found myself caught up in?  Two words: Jurassic Park. 

1993 saw the coming of the prehistoric blockbuster and with it a slew of toys (anyone else remember the Jungle Explorer?  Capture Copter?) and action figures.  I and a friend from across the street were both captured by the concept of humans versus dinosaurs and together we set out to get as many of the toys as we could, ultimately building our own action figure scale Jurassic Park fort to house them on that patch of dirt in my backyard (sorry about the dead grass dad!).  It was a glorious and delightful year and stands to this day as the only major hiatus I have taken from collecting Legos. 

So you can all imagine my delight when I first caught a glimpse of the new Dino theme which was just released.  In fact it seems that I may not have been the only person smitten by those toys as the new line from Lego contains several sets that bear an almost eerie resemblance to those toys from my childhood. 

1993 Bush Devil Tracker a Jeep type vehicle with a missle launcher and sling
... looks familiar...

2012 Raptor Chase a jeep type vehicle with a missle launcher and sling...

The 1993 Capture Copter, a giant helicopter that shoots missles and captures dinosaurs!
Huh... Where have I seen that recently?

2012 T-Rex Hunter

Wow!  Totally cool a fenced in compound with a command center and lab!
That would make a great Lego set I thought to myself back in 1993...

2012 Dino Defense HQ, wow I was right!

Perhaps someone much like me grew up to become a designer over at The Lego Company?  Who knows…  What I do know is that these sets would have been the must have obsession for me had they come out during my childhood and so, for the sake of consistency, it is my duty to make sure a sampling of them make it into my collection.  And if that sounds like a thinly veiled excuse to buy more Legos… well who am I to argue!     

Good... But Just Too Expensive

2507 Fire Temple

The Chronicler's Rating - 3/5

Price ~ $120.00

Year Released - 2011

I must confess that I am conflicted in attempting to write a review for this set.  The Fire Temple has a lot to recommend it.  First off, it is unique in that no set like it has ever been produced, I struggle to think of almost anything to compare it to.  The building itself is interesting and has an excellent assortment of pieces in good colors.  Furthermore it has great cross over, it can be the Fire Temple, or a training ground for ninjas, or a home in a China Town district in a city, or the mysterious mountain shrine where the pirate crew finally finds the treasure (or gets eaten by a dragon while trying).  In summary across the board it meets many of the criteria of an excellent set.  So what is my hesitation?  One word: price. 

I am pretty forgiving of Lego’s new pricing.  With the economy being what it is and the shift to more detailed and “collectible” minifigures Lego’s production costs have gone up.  Even with all that though I cannot quite get myself to stomach the price tag on this set.  That hesitation is compounded by the fact that the cost puts it nearly at the same price point as the modular buildings Lego has been releasing in the last few years.  Right now I can get, for a mere $30 more, 10211 Grand Emporium. 

That set, beyond being absolutely breathtaking, is completely built out on all four sides (unlike the Fire Temple which is essentially a façade), has approximately 1000 more pieces and contains a completely finished out interior (unlike the Fire Temple which is, for all practical purposes, empty).  What is the cause of that discrepancy?  The Fire Temple includes a variety of very specialized elements and minifigures which are costly to produce while the Grand Emporium’s parts and figures are far more basic.  The end result is that this set just does not feel like you are getting enough for your money. 

FOR PARENTS

The Ninjago theme is, as I have written about extensively on past set reviews, meant to be both a play set and a game.  With the special spinners and cards which are included in many of the sets (which are now packaged to look more like action figures in many cases) your kids can either play pretend or compete with each other in an actual game.  The Fire Temple is 100% play set so if your kid is primarily interested in the game play aspect of this theme there is no need to fork over the extravagant amount of money it will take to get it.  If, however, playing with the ninjas and acting out stories is their main interest this set, despite its price, will make an excellent addition to their collection. 

FOR KIDS

While this set looks really cool I would recommend that you think long and hard before you spend your money on it.  The first question to consider is: do you like Ninjago for the game aspect or the play aspect?  If your primary interest is in collecting spinners and competing with friends then this set will not do much for you as it includes none of those components.  If the dragon is what appeals to you, the one included with this set is almost exactly the same as the one from the, much cheaper, 2260 Ice Dragon Attack.   

CONCLUSION

If you have read any of my other reviews you know that I will forgive just about anything if a set has good playability.  Unfortunately the playability of this one does not quite get high enough marks to overcome the price tag.  If you really want it, then get it, I don’t think you will be disappointed.  If, however, you are more into the game aspect of Ninjago or are wishy washy about whether or not you really want this one I would avoid. 

Happy Building,

The Lego Chronicler

Finally, Another Capital Ship!

7964 Republic Frigate

The Chronicler's Rating - 4/5

Price ~ $120.00

Year Released - 2011

I must confess that I had a good laugh when the first incarnation of this set (7665 Republic Cruiser from 2007) came out, "how many seconds of screen time does that have?  Maybe 10?  And isn't most of that it blowing up?".  But the joke turned out to be on me. 

The original 2007 version

That set was one of the first of what has become a whole pantheon of the, how shall I say it... more obscure Star Wars ships made into Lego form.  Since 2007 that original model has been locked in close competition with such sets as 8096 Palpatine's Shuttle, 8036 Separatist Shuttle, 6205 V-Wing Fighter, 10195 Republic Dropship With AT-OT Walker and many others for the apparently very prestigious title of "set-that-has-the-least-amount-of-screen-time-in-any-of-the-6-movies.  Competition for this title is incredibly fierce.  All joking aside Lego has seriously produced sets of ships that have so little screen time I have never been able to find them in any of the movies. 

Now my more observant readers will be quick to point out that this set, although a reincarnation of 7665, is actually a depiction of that craft as it appears in the Clone Wars TV Series (which I have never watched, I am not that big of a Star Wars fan).  And my observant readers would be right.  In comparison to its predecessor this set benefits from two major improvements: better parts and better colors.  Star Wars has spawned numerous new pieces and between 2006 and now a lot of parts have been created which this set takes advantage of to more realistically depict the graceful curves and shapes of the ship as seen on screen.  I am guessing the TV show also includes a different paint job as this ship is grey as opposed to its predecessor.

FOR PARENTS

The main reason that your kid will probably want this set is the figures as Lego has continued their trend of placing exclusive minifigures in each of the new Star Wars sets (in this case Yoda and 2 other Jedi that I do not recognize).  I personally do not think that exclusive figures alone are reason to get a set (most kids will differ with me on that point, to each their own) but the good news is that in this case the set itself is excellent so it is a win all around although it is a little pricy due to those figures. 

FOR KIDS

An absolutely vital part of any space collection, Star Wars or otherwise, is the capital ship, or if you can manage it, several capital ships.  Yes swooping dogfights pitting your different fighters against one another is fun but sooner or later your stories are going to need to include those fighters in a desperate all out battle against a large, heavily armed and heavily shielded capital ship.  Before Star Wars every subtheme of Space (Ice Planet, Space Police II, Exploriens, UFO, etc.) had a large spaceship so capital ships were fairly easy to get. 

Ice Plant's Deep Freeze Defender

Space Police II's Galactic Mediator

Explorien's Explorien Starship

UFO's Alien Avenger

It is hard to depict the capital ships seen in Star Wars in Lego form due to their size.  The two glorious exceptions have been 6211 Imperial Star Destroyer from 2006, and 8039 Republic Attack Cruiser from 2009 which have both employed the "scale down technique".


2006's Imperial Star Destroyer



2009's Republic Attack Cruiser

 As you can see the chance to get a good Star Wars capital ship has been few and far between.  Although technically not a capital ship in the films or show this set can fill that role in your collection.  For the price this is a great opportunity to get a set that can do that!

CONCLUSION

While not the most prominent or well known ship in the Star Wars universe this set presents the potential buyer with a unique opportunity: to obtain a ship which can legitimately be used as a capital ship in their collection.  With an excellent assortment of pieces in good colors and some exclusive minifigures for those who are into that, this set is an excellent choice that I would highly recommend. 

Happy Building

The Lego Chronicler

Likely Destined To Collect Dust

7962 Sebulba's and Anakin's Podracers

The Chronicler's Rating - 2/5

Price ~ $90.00

Year Released - 2011

Lego has been producing Star Wars sets for over a decade now.  In that time they have created models of every possible vehicle, no matter how brief its screen time, and multiple incarnations of the most famous (the one notable exception is Queen Amidala's Royal Starship from Episode 1 but that is because Lego does not produce the bricks which would be required in chrome, although it does appear that we will be getting a figure of Queen Amidala in the near future…).  We have had no fewer than 3 releases (and in some cases more) of X-Wings, Millennium Falcons, Snowspeeders, Y-Wings and multiple other craft.  This fact begs the question why, in light of the plethora of every other craft that has a similar amount of screen time, is this only the second incarnation of Sebulba's and Anakin's Podracers ever released?

The Original 1999 Podracing Set

The intrigue is compounded by the fact that these vehicles are from Episode 1 and therefore Lego has had the entirety of the time they have produced Star Wars sets to make multiple models (as opposed to Episodes 2 and 3 which came out afterwards and have therefore had fewer years to be produced, not that that has stopped Lego from creating several incarnations of ships from them anyway) and that it is separated from its predecessor by a decade.  The answer lies in an unfortunate characteristic of all racing sets. 

In my collection I posses the largest Lego racing set ever released: 6395 Victory Lap Raceway from 1988. 

Featuring 4 cars, pits for each of them, a huge grandstand, announcers booth, mechanics truck and more it is the mother load of all race sets from our galaxy or any other.  I got it for my fifth birthday and must confess that despite its size and detail it sat on my Lego table and got played with maybe 2 or 3 times a year.  Why?  Simple: what do you do with a racing set besides... race?  The answer for most kids is nothing and so after the initial excitement and a week of playing race the sets get... boring.  That is what happened with my race track and I would venture that it is what happened with the previous version of this set for a bunch of kids back in the late 90s which is why Lego has waited so long to release another. 

FOR PARENTS

I have written extensively about what makes a great Lego set if you have read some of my other entries you know that I consider the most important quality of any Lego set to be its playability.  Will the set continue to spawn original and creative play a month or even a year after it is first received?  If so then even if it has horrible pieces and is overpriced it is usually worth getting (if it has great pieces and is decently priced then all the better).  The problem with this set is that for most kids it will have very low playability.  With the cost of it being so high and with so many excellent Star Wars sets in a similar price range available at the same time (see 7965 Millennium Falcon) I would recommend that you steer clear of this one unless your child has repeatedly requested it specifically. 

FOR KIDS

I would warn you against this set.  First, as I explained above, race sets such as this can be hard to play with after awhile.  Furthermore the pieces and colors of this set are not that exceptional.  The orange of Sebulba's podracer especially will be difficult to use in your own creations.  If the playability is poor and the pieces not that great there is not a lot to redeem the set.  For this amount of money I would suggest that you look at some of the other Star Wars sets that were released at the same time as this one such as 7965 Millennium Falcon or 7964 Republic Frigate. 

CONCLUSION

This set is a very movie accurate representation of the vehicles from Episode 1. Furthermore, it is exponentially better than its predecessor.  The problem is that sets based on racing can get really boring when it is not possible to actually race the vehicles (case in point the failure of the recent sets based on the movie Speed Racer).  Other than whisking these podracers around the room and acting out a race there is no way for them to compete.  As such I see no reason to think that this set will avoid the fate of primarily being dust collectors which has befallen its many predecessors across multiple themes. 

Happy Building

The Lego Chronicler

Why Mess With What Works?

7965 Millennium Falcon
The Chronicler's Rating - 5/5
Price ~ $140
Year Released - 2011

It is bar none the most famous ship in the Star Wars universe.  When the Lego Star Wars franchise was launched in 1999 all of us who were collecting Legos knew that it would just be a matter of time before Han Solo's beloved smuggling vessel was produced in Lego form.  The first incarnation was released in 2000 followed by a second version in 2004. 

The Original 2000 Version

The Second Generation 2004 Version

Since that time Lego has released a mid size version and a massive Ultimate Collector's Series model (priced at around $500) but has waited until now to release another "regular size" set of this, in Luke Skywalker's words, "piece of junk".  Fortunately, in the case of this model, Luke would be wrong. 

The Midsized Version



The Ultimate Collector's Series Version

Lego has wisely chosen to not reinvent the wheel with this set.  Though slightly sleeker and more uniform in color, there is very little substantive difference between this set and its 2004 predecessor (the only main difference is that the former had an escape pod which has been exchanged for Han's smuggling compartments in this version).  As the 2004 model achieved a nearly perfect balance of movie accuracy, great pieces, and decent price the fact that Lego has not started from scratch and has instead focused on making a few small but excellent improvements is great news!  The result is the best regular sized model of the Falcon to date. 

FOR PARENTS

If your child is a fan of Star Wars you can rest assisted that they will be asking for this set (or if they are not the asking type, secretly longing for it).  There is no downside to this model, it will not easily fall apart leading to frustration during play, has excellent pieces in very useful colors for when it gets taken apart and will be incredibly fun to play with.  Even the price, though high, is justified by the excellence of the ship and the high piece count.  I would highly recommend this set to you. 

FOR KIDS

No Lego Star Wars collection is complete without a Millennium Falcon.  Lego has waited 7 years since releasing the last version of this ship and they may wait just as long again so I would encourage you to get this set while you can.  Whether you want to re-create scenes from the movie or act out your own original adventures in the Star Wars universe this set will be a great addition to your collection.  If you or an older sibling has either of the previous 2 renditions of this ship then there is no need to get this one also but otherwise get this set!

CONCLUSION

When compared to its predecessors this latest version of the Millennium Falcon rises to the top as the best version yet produced.  No Star Wars collection can be called complete without including the most famous vessel in that universe.  However, the potential buyer can rest assured that in purchasing this set they are not just fulfilling an obligation but are acquiring a truly excellent model in every respect.  I highly recommend this set to all. 

Happy Building

The Lego Chronicler

This Is Not The Set You Are Looking For...

8092 Luke's Landspeeder
The Chronicler's Rating - 2/5
Price ~ $25.00
Year Released - 2011

It is very easy to be taken in and deceived by this set. Yes this set has set has a great selection of minifigures from the movie. Yes it is the most movie accurate Lego version of Luke’s Landspeeder from Episode IV A New Hope produced to date. And yes it has a good array of accessories and colors. But at the end of the day Lego sets are meant to be played with and the simple fact is this: in the movies this vehicle is nothing more than a car (and within the context of the Star Wars world a junker car). Car sets have their place in a city scene (how else are you going to do police chases?) but when mixed in with the rest of a standard Lego Star Wars collection which inevitably includes a variety of cool space ships bristling with weapons this set is going to stand out as exactly what it ultimately is: a non-flying, unarmed and relatively slow looking people mover. One can only reenact the famous “These are not the droids you’re looking for” scene from the movie so many times before that becomes… boring, and then what are you going to do with this set? The answer is not much.

FOR PARENTS
I would recommend that you pass on this set due to the simple fact that I can’t think of any compelling reason to buy it. All the figures in this set have been readily available, with only minute cosmetic differences, in a variety of other sets both past and present. The value of this set, while not horrible is not terrific. The pieces, while not terrible are nothing special or exclusive. And, for the reason stated in my intro 9 out of 10 kids will be bored with this set after no more than a week. While movie accurate there just isn’t that much in terms of playing that can be done with a set like this.

FOR KIDS
If you have been wanting this set I would advise you to reconsider and spend your money on something else. While this set may look cool it isn’t going to be very fun to play with in the long run. A set very similar in price to this one is 7915 V-wing, this is a fighter and in my opinion much cooler. You will get much more use out of a set like that in the long run than this futuristic car. The only exception I would make is if all of the following is true for you: You are relatively new to collecting Lego Star Wars (if you are not you probably have an older version of at least half of these guys) or you don’t have any of these figures and really want them. If those two statements are true then this set is a fairly cheap way to get all these figures (especially R2-D2 and Threepio) at once. If however you are planning on collecting a lot of Star Wars sets you can rest assured that you will end up with all of them before too long so I would just wait.

CONCLUSION
For the most part vehicles in Star Wars are very cool and translate into Lego models with lots of play potential. The Landspeeder however just is not one of them. Remember that ultimately this is just an old beat up car and an unarmed one at that. To reiterate one final time the question one needs to ask before buying this set is what will I do with it once the excitement of having a really movie accurate model wears off? If you can come up with a good answer to that question then go for it, otherwise I would pass on this one.

Happy Building
The Lego Chronicler

The Requisite Shout Out

Tripod Invader

The Chronicler's Rating - 4/5

Price ~ $20.00

Year Released - 2011

It would be breaking some sort of unspoken sci-fi rule for Lego to produce a product line based on aliens invading the earth and not have a shout out to the mother of all alien conquest stories: HG Wells' classic The War of the Worlds.  Tripod Invader is that requisite set.

For those of you who have either never read the book or seen one of the several movie adaptions (one of which gave me a year of sleepless nights when I was a kid) the primary vehicle used by the invading alien army are tripod walkers which look... almost exactly like this set, indeed Lego appears to have almost copied Mr. Wells' description word for word.  And really, why not?  There is something truly menacing about a 3 legged mechanical beast controlled by an otherworldly creature tromping around capturing innocent humans and storing them in a prison canister on its back the back cut off from any chance of rescue.  That essence is what Lego has attempted (successfully in my opinion) to capture in this set.

FOR PARENTS

I heartily recommend this set to you on one condition: that your child or grandchild already has either 7052 UFO Abduction, 7065 Alien Mothership or something like one of those two from a previous theme.  My reason for this condition is simple, what makes the space theme awesome, and UFO sub themes in particular are the spaceships, not the ground vehicles.  When a kid imagines a futuristic sci-fi world I can guarantee you they are not picturing walkers, they are picturing spinning, zooming spacecraft first and foremost.  As such this set makes a great addition to an invading army that has at least one decent spacecraft in it.  If this set comes first it will do a lot of sitting until that spacecraft gets added so save yourself the trouble and this set the dust and get it second. 

FOR KIDS

There are a lot of great play possibilities with this set.  With a a capture pod, detachable craft and an alien clinger this set gives you lots of options right out of the box.  In addition it has excellent pieces with decent colors (minus the purple, but there is not very much of it in this set).  It is also a great price for what you get.  If you already have alien spacecraft, either from this theme or a previous space theme, the I would recommend this set to you.

CONCLUSION

Lego has done well in capturing the essence (and menace) of HG Wells' classic invading mechanical terror.  My only caution can be illustrated by sampling looking back at the long history of the Lego space theme, a history that is dominated by spacecraft with the occasional walker thrown in.  That is exactly the type of collection that will benefit from a set like this, one that has a lot of spacecraft so that this can be occasional walker thrown in.

Happy Building

The Lego Chronicler

Lame Movie Scene = Lame Set

4183 The Mill
The Chronicler's Rating - 2/5
Price ~ $40.00
Year Released - 2011

In the case of Star Wars it is so easy.  With 6 movies, a tv series and a host of video games and other material from the expanded universe Lego has an almost endless pool of material to draw from in order to create new and exciting sets.  From locations to vehicles there are a lot of options.  This is not the case however in some of the other franchises Lego has ventured into.  I saw it first in a few of the Indiana Jones sets that just left you saying "um I recognize that is an accurate recreation of a scene from the movie but... it is kind of lame". The Mill is such a set. 

Once you create the ships and a few of the more famous locales like the Fountain of Youth and the Isla de la Muerta (which Lego has done) the pirates franchise doesn't

have a lot of other noteworthy locations to turn into sets.  The problem with this set is that it is hard to imagine anything to really use it for.  Lego has released an actual mill set in the Kingdoms theme (7189 Mill Village Raid) that has a working windmill which operates the mill equipment in the building so I can't even say that this set would work in a medieval setting as an actual mill because there is a much better offering concurrently available.  This set has no equipment inside other than the bell and the wheel is built not to grind grain but detach so the young builder can recreate that ridiculous scene from the movie which tried to be funny but to most was just lame.  The fact that this set is recreating such a lame scene does not help it much. 

FOR PARENTS

This set is not designed to create great play possibilities, it is designed to recreate a scene in which the primary appeal was witty dialogue and a ridiculous set of circumstances.  In my opinion the movie failed on both those counts but even if it had succeeded that is very difficult to recreate into a satisfying Lego set.  The result is a set I would advise you to avoid.  If your child is interested in the mill aspect of this set for a medieval story head over to the Kingdoms section of the store and pick up 7189 Mill Village Raid as it is a much better set. 

FOR KIDS

On every front I would advise you to spend your money on a different set.  The pieces on this set can be found in almost any castle set, the figures are available in other sets (or will be soon) and the play possibilities with The Mill are so limited that I think it will quickly bore you.

CONCLUSION

for the most part Lego has done an excellent job of making great sets from the Pirate's franchise.  Unfortunately, with The Mill they were undermined by the fact that this is not the greatest scene and therefore the need to adhere to movie accuracy resulted in a lame set.  Spend your money elsewhere.

Happy Building

The Lego Chronicler

Falls Far Short...

4644 Marina
The Chronicler's Rating - 2/5
Price ~ $50.00
Year Released - 2011

The last true marina set was 1994's Sail and Fly Marina and for those of us who can remember that set this one, unfortunately, looks downright spartan by comparison.  In the City theme especially Lego has, over the past several years, reached back into its own history and drawn inspiration from some of the great sets of the past.  Many of the recent sets that have done this have been able to capture the magic and masterpiece of their predecessors (the last two police stations and last two fire stations are prime examples as is this years Queen Anne's Revenge).  Unfortunately, 4644 Marina fell far short of its inspiration. 

On paper these two sets have pretty much the same components, docks, a restaurant and sea going craft.  But the older set, in every respect, did each one of those so much better that this set looks incomplete by comparison.  Everything about this set feels shortchanged, the dock is pitifully small (Lego made it look bigger by adding the bridge so it would be longer but it's an illusion), the boat (it's really a raft) is small and essentially just one big piece and the restaurant and "life guard stand" are built like facades as opposed to actual structures.  Contrast that with the Sail and Fly Marina which had 2 gorgeous speed boats (comprised of no large pieces) as well as a small motor boat and a (beautiful) seaplane all with separate berths on a huge dock which was flanked by an enclosed restaurant and boat repair yard complete with crane for lifting the speedboats out of the water. 

FOR PARENTS

There is nothing in this set that your child cannot build with pieces I am certain they have in their collections.  Nothing about the construction of this is difficult and none of the pieces are rare.  Considering the price tag there is really no reason to get this set unless your child has requested it specifically and even then I would suggest you try to talk them out of it.      

FOR KIDS

Marinas are a blast and I would highly recommend that you get one for your collection, just not this one.  The pieces on this set are not very good and for the price you pay you don't get very many of them.  Furthermore you can easily make something as good as this set on your own with pieces from your collection.  Spend your money on some of the cool boat sets that have recently been released and build your own marina. 

CONCLUSION

The Sail and Fly Marina set the bar very high for this type of set.  Even factoring in the fact that this set is not meant to be a recreation of that masterpiece and taking into account the more expensive production costs Lego is facing this set still falls way short.  With as many other great sets as are currently available right now I would encourage you to spend your money elsewhere.

Happy Building

The Lego Chronicler