Mid Year Buying Guide

With the mid-year sets starting to slowly seep out from The Lego Company it is time for the first ever buying guide in which we present The Lego Chroniclers top picks out of the 2011’s initial sets in each major pricing category.  We will do this twice a year, once right now as the mid year sets begin to come out and the second right before Christmas.  Without further fanfare, here they are: 

UNDER $10

This is the category that has been hardest hit in recent years as Lego sets have gotten more expensive, $10 just doesn’t go as far as it used to!  Searching through the sets the award goes to 7279 Police Minifigure Collection. 

The challenge with a small set is that usually they are not designed to be “stand alone sets” meaning that you can really only play with them effectively if you have one of the larger sets from the same theme (2516 Ninja Training Outpost is a good example of this, on its own this set will quickly become boring, but as a training station alongside 2504 Spinjitzu Dojo it would be much more fun).  Police Minifigure Collection manages to give the young builder everything the need to have a satisfying police chase right out of the box: multiple crooks, something to rob (an atm) and two police officers (one on a vehicle) to chase them.  You also get some of the new special pieces that have been incorporated into the latest wave of police sets (most notably the crowbar and the painted police dog).

$10 TO $30

This was a hard category to decide a winner, more Lego sets fall into this price range than any other.  After much consideration 7325 Cursed Cobra Statue rose to the top of the pile. 

Hailing from the new (and excellent) Pharaoh’s Quest theme this set does very well across the board.  It provides an excellent play experience (even if you have none of the other Pharaoh’s Quest sets) a decent selection of pieces (most notably the multiple ball and socket joints that form the cobra, very useful in making one’s own creations) and is not too bad on value in terms of pieces per dollar.  However, what ultimately pushes this set to the top (there are a variety of other sets that meet those first 3 criteria) is its incredible cross over potential.  That snake could be used as an alien in a space setting, a sea monster in a pirate setting, a mad scientist’s creation in a city setting and the work of an evil sorcerer in a castle setting just to start the list!  Not to mention that the off-road jeep it comes with is awesome! 

$31 TO $50

A unique opportunity occurred this year.  Lego released a very rare type of set (though why it is so rare is a mystery which continues to befuddle me): a bank.  3661 Bank & Money Transfer takes the prize for this price category. 

Considering the near religious release of new police and fire stations the absence of a long line of banks through Lego’s history is a puzzling mystery.  Though there are not very many previous offerings to compare it to Bank & Money Transfer is not only the best by comparison but an excellent set when considered objectively.  Everything needed for a very satisfying heist story is here, the bank itself is very detailed (containing an awesome vault!) and it comes with an excellent array of vehicles.  The only problem with this set is that the building is, relative to many other city sets, tiny, being constructed on the smallest baseplate produced.  Still this is overcome by the fact that the playability this set is fantastic, it has good pieces and that it will provide many hours of enjoyment.

$51 TO $80

The winner for this category hails from another historically overlooked category of sets: excellent bad guy bases.  The prize goes to 2505 Garmadon’s Dark Fortress.

I use the adjective excellent intentionally here.  Unlike banks there have been no lack of nefarious layers for the various Lego bad guys through the years.  The problem is that excellent ones have been rare (some of the most notorious entrants in the hall of shame include every bad guy base from the Alpha Team theme as well as the more recent 7947 Prison Tower Rescue from the Kingdoms theme) and the few that have been produced (such as 8637 Volcano Base from the Agents theme ) have been short lived and had a very limited release.  This set joins the limited company of excellent bases.  From excellent pieces to great design (including lots of prison space which is an absolute necessity for a bad guy lair) and a relatively decent price to boot this one is, in the words of our previous review, a “nearly certain winner”.

$81 TO $100

I don’t know if there is a single type of set that has had more incarnations in Lego’s history than police stations.  Without fail every 3 to 5 years or so a new one comes out.  With so many entrants into the category one that rises to the top in terms of excellence is worth noting and that is exactly what has happened this year with 7498 Police Station.

Obviously influenced by the holy grail of police stations (1993’s 6398 Central Precinct HQ) and its immediate predecessor (2008’s 7744 Police Headquarters) this station does everything right.  Jails, extensive office space, a full 3 stories, vehicles and lots of accessories this is the type of set that kids won’t be regretting having later because something better has come out.  A better police station is not likely to come out for awhile so get it while you can!

OVER $100

I must confess that I tend to not be a big fan of the Harry Potter sets as I feel that they usually sacrifice excellence as a Lego set on the alter of movie accuracy.  However, 10217 Diagon Alley is a glorious exception to this rule. 

Though it is technically a Harry Potter set Diagon Alley’s product number places it in the “Special Edition” category of Lego’s product line amongst other masterpieces such as 10196 Grand Carousel or 10210 Imperial Flagship which, due to their size and complexity (not to mention price!), are not generally within the means of young children and are meant to be more of a collector’s item for older builders.  With beautiful architecture, excellent pieces and a host of unique building techniques this set is truly breathtaking.  It also has excellent crossover potential as it would look right at home in a colonial village being raided by pirates or as a historic district in a town.    

So there you have it, if you are looking for a birthday gift or a graduation present (Don’t be fooled, Lego sets make great graduation gifts for certain people, I got several back when I graduated from high school and was thrilled!) these would be the recommendations I would give you. 

Happy Building (and Buying!)

The Lego Chronicler

A Potential Dissapointment...

7065 Alien Mothership
The Chronicler's Rating - 3/5
Price ~ $60.00
Year Released - 2011

For those of us who were collecting Legos in 1997 it is impossible to look at the Alien Conquest theme without memories of its predecessor, the UFO series, coming to our mind.  While not a continuation (like the Pharoah’s Quest sets are to the original Adventurers theme) it draws heavy inspiration.  In the last few years there have been an explosion of sets and themes like this which are modeled after those of the 90s when I (and likely many of Lego’s current set designers) was caught up in the childhood passion of collecting and playing with these plastic bricks which some of us have never stopped loving.

This set is modeled after the darling of the UFO theme: 6975 Alien Avenger.  Back in 1997 this was the must have set of the year.  Comparing the two, highlights this set’s merits and demerits.  Both crafts are intended to be “capital ships” which have 2 requirements: size and fire power.  The Avenger left no question in these departments, the Alien Mother Ship however is a bit harder to take seriously in both.  With only 1 figure and a single cockpit this set has all the hallmarks of a fighter, the only thing “mother shipish” about it is the size of its outer ring (which is roughly proportional to the Avenger), but with nothing in-between the cockpit and the outer edge the ship lacks a sense of “heft” which all of the great capital ships of Lego sets past have had (compare with 6975 Alien Avenger, 6873 Deep Freeze Defender and 6982 Explorien Starship).  More importantly WHERE ARE THE WEAPONS?  What captured the heart of every young boy in 1997 was the fact that the Alien Avenger was, simply put, BRISTLING with guns.  Mounted on turn tables it had several batteries of heavy lasers which dwarfed any armament seen previously on Lego space sets.  With this set we are to believe the independence of the earth is threatened by a little green man armed with… tiny radar dishes?  Seriously look at the picture, the guns on this craft are constructed of the tiniest radar dish pieces.  So while this set does have size and firepower they don’t command the same respect.

FOR PARENTS

Man versus aliens is a winning strategy.  This theme represents the 4^th use of this motif in Lego’s history (the UFO theme of 1997 and 2 separate Mars Mission themes one in 2001 and the latter in 2008.  That last theme had an alien mother ship which was, in my mind, far inferior to this one).  Its continued use is testimony to the characteristic which this set does share with its predecessor in equal portion: incredible playability.  This ship can war against other spacecraft, be incorporated into a Star Wars collection or terrorize a city (or for the very imaginative invade a historical world, who says that these guys couldn’t have been more advanced than mankind in say, the middle ages).  The Alien Avenger vanished from store shelves over a decade ago and while this set does not in my mind rise to the same heights, the core of what made that earlier set great is present here.  However, I will warn you that there is a great potential for disappointment here due to the reasons I mentioned above. 

FOR KIDS

If you love space sets or the City theme and don’t mind its puny guns and relative lack of heft you will love this spaceship.  If you had a much older sibling I would dig around in their collection to see if you have any of the old UFO sets before you buy, but if not this set will allow you to play a man versus alien storyline.

CONCLUSION

If your family has an Alien Avenger then I would spend your money elsewhere but if not then this set will suffice as an acceptable alternative.  Beware of the potential for disappointment but in the absence of better set this one will work. 

Happy Building

The Lego Chronicler

Worthy Of Joining The Hallowed Company

4195 Queen Anne's Revenge
The Chronicler's Rating - 5/5
Price ~ $120.00
Year Released - 2011

This set joins a hallowed company, revered the world over by kids right on up to the hard core Lego enthusiasts: the large scale Lego pirate ships (large scale defined as having a wide hull and 2 or more middle sections).  It is an elite company which, despite spanning over 2 decades is, with the addition of the Queen Anne’s Revenge is comprised of only 5 other sets: 6285 Black Seas Barracuda, 6286 Skull’s Eye Schooner, 6289 Red Beard Runner, 6243 Brickbeard’s Bounty and most recently 10210 Imperial Flagship (this last one is not technically a pirate ship but it fits in the category of large scale ships).   Lego enthusiast far and wide generally consider the large scale ships to be the holy grails of Lego sets and will argue to the bitter end which one of these revered sets is the best; with their respective opinions being heavily influenced by whichever one they happen to have in their collection.  On the addition of this set to my collection I am fortunate enough to have 4 of the 6 so I can hopefully bring a somewhat objective opinion to the table in this review.  My thoughts can be summed up in one brief sentence: this set is magnificent.

The Queen Anne’s Revenges is heavily influenced by its predecessors, despite the fact that it is first and foremost a re-creation of the ship seen in the movie.  When considered in this vein Lego has done an excellent job of balancing three potentially contradictory goals: creating a movie accurate model, incorporating the hallmarks of the great Lego ships of the past and keeping the price within a reasonable range.  For this delicate balancing act they are to be heartily commended.  I would place this set squarely in the middle of the pantheon of large scale Lego ships ahead of the Brickbeard’s Bounty and the Red Beard Runner and beaten only by the Barracuda, Skull’s Eye and Imperial Flagship.  Considering that all 3 of those latter ships are generally considered by fans to be in the top 10 of best Lego sets ever produced this is hardly a demerit!   

I could fill several pages with observations on the positives of this set as well as the aspects that are influenced by its predecessors.  However, as this forum is meant to primarily inform potential buyers I shall settle for summarizing a few of the main attractions.  First off, this ship is huge due to the inclusion of 3 middle hull pieces.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the measuring standards and design of Lego pirate ships here is a brief tutorial.  All Lego pirate ships have the same basic construction there are front and rear hull pieces joined by what are referred to as “middle pieces”.  The number of these middle pieces are the defining characteristic that determine how long the ship is.  Only one ship, 10210 Imperial Flagship, has ever had more than 3 (and that set was a collector’s model so in some ways it doesn’t count) so this set is tied for second longest ship ever produced alongside the Skull’s Eye and the Barracuda.  The color scheme is beautiful and it has stunning architectural details due to the inclusion of numerous small pieces (a major plus!).  Furthermore it has a middle mast with 3 sails which no other set except for 10210 Imperial Flagship, has ever had, and more cannon ports than any other ship ever produced (I must quickly point out however that only 3 cannon’s are provided so not all of these ports can be armed at the same time without the addition of more cannons).  And finally, it is just stunning to look at.  I have always had a soft spot for how magnificent Lego pirate ships look and this one continues that tradition, a true feast for the eyes, especially from the front!

FOR PARENTS

As a child I longed for a Lego pirate ship with nearly every beat of my little heart.  Due to their expense it was not until much later in life, when I could earn my own money that I was able to finally add one of these treasures (and subsequently several more) to my collection.  Trust me when I say your child or grandchild will adore this set.  If it is at all possible for you to make it happen get this treasure, it will be enjoyed for generations. 

FOR KIDS

Whether it’s that you like the movies, just want a pirate ship, or need an opponent for another ship you already have there are a thousand reasons to get this set.  Save your allowance and birthday money and add this to your collection, you will love it!

CONCLUSION

I must confess I was nervous when I heard that Lego was getting into the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.  When the Harry Potter franchise temporarily replaced the long running Castle theme in the early 2000’s the need to make the sets movie accurate precluded the inclusion of the aspects which made the Castle theme what it was.  Harry Potter wasn’t a bad theme, it just wasn’t Castle.  I was worried that in the name of “movie accuracy” the ships in this new theme would not have the magic of the great ships of the past.  I was delighted to discover that, although definitely a re-creation, the Queen Anne’s Revenge does not look out of place alongside such legends as the Barracuda or Skull’s Eye and is worthy of being included in the pantheon of Lego pirate ships on its own merits.  The positives of this set are so overwhelming that the few minor demerits my trained eye can see are not even worth mentioning.  I will go a step beyond recommending and say that if you only get one large set in 2011 make it this one, you won’t regret it. 

Happy Building

The Lego Chronicler

Go For It Unless You Want A Capital Ship

7931 T-6 Jedi Shuttle
The Chronicler's Review - 2.5/5
Price ~ $60.00
Year Released - 2011

It must sometimes frustrate Lego set designers that the concept artists who dream up these exotic Star Wars ships for the movies and TV shows don’t consider the practical implications of real world construction.  Star Wars is full of designs that look really cool and are easily created in the CG world of movie effects but are much harder to flush out into a real world model.  The T-6 Jedi Shuttle joins an ever expanding group of Lego Star Wars models that attempts to mimic the movie look and operation of some pretty complicated (and let’s face it impractical) ship designs (the B-Wing especially comes to mind).  All things considered, Lego is to be commended for this set which takes a difficult design and turns it into a satisfactory, if overpriced, model. 

FOR PARENTS   

Don’t be fooled you are paying a price for the 2 rare minifigures that come with this set (Shaak Ti and Saesee Tiin and no I don’t know how to pronounce them either).  If having these figures are important to your child then this set, overpriced as it is, will not be a bad purchase.  Unlike some of the other sets in which the minifigures are meant to be the primary attraction as opposed to the model itself (such as 7930 Bounty Hunter Assault Gunship) this spaceship is actually a decent model comprised of a versatile collection of parts in standard colors which will be useful when the ship is (inevitably) dissembled for use by your child in building original creations.  Again if value is your primary consideration this is not the set for you as the piece per dollar ratio is low.  This is fairly universal for Star Wars sets due to licensing fees.

FOR KIDS

This set comes with some excellent parts along with the minifigures.  If you are a fan of this ship in the Star Wars TV show and want the minifigures go for it.  If you want the most for your money and don’t care all that much about Star Wars I would look into something else because at the end of the day this set is just a two man shuttle and not as cool as say a capital ship from an unlicensed theme might be (a Space Police set would serve you well in this regard). 

CONCLUSION

When reviewed objectively this set gets fairly decent marks.  The playability of a set like this is fairly high and the pieces are versatile in both type and color.  My only hesitation with this set stems from the fact that I have been collecting Legos for a long time and can remember when the price of this 2 man shuttle would have bought the young collector a sizeable capital ship.  I recognize that this set is depicting a ship from the Star Wars world but to me personally I would want a cooler ship than just a shuttle for this amount of money.  Still if you or your child is a Star Wars fan this set will produce many hours of happy play.      

Happy Building

TheLegoChronicler

A Once In A Lifetime Opportunity

3661 Bank and Money Transfer
The Chronicler's Rating - 4/5
Price ~ $50.00
Year Released - 2011

When one surveys the multi-decade longevity of the Town/City theme there are two types of sets that it is staggering how few versions have been produced: hospitals and banks.  Since the advent of the minifigure in the late 70s there have been only two hospitals (6380 Emergency Treatment Center in 1987 and 7892 Hospital in 2006) and before this model only two banks (1490 Bank in 1990 and 6566 Bank in 1997).  This has always baffled me considering that Lego has produced a new police station or fire station, without fail, every 3-5 years over that same timeframe.  It seems to me that banks for the crooks whom the police are chasing to rob and hospitals to take the burn victims of all the houses that the fire department is saving would be the perfect counterparts to those more prevalent sets.  The purpose of this brief history lesson is to highlight the following: this set is a rare treasure.  It is bar none (even though there are not very many to bar as I have just shown) the best Lego bank yet produced and, if history holds true, there may not be another version of it for years (just look at the hospital sets, almost 20 years separated them!) so grab it while you can!

FOR PARENTS

If your child is a fan of the Town/City theme then I would highly recommend this set.  It is a fairly simple construction so it should not frustrate a young builder (the town sets often appeal to the younger spectrum of Lego’s audience more than some of the other themes) but also has enough detail to please an older one.  Everything your child needs for a satisfying heist story is here, including both crooks and police, giving this set high marks for playability.  It also contains an excellent collection of parts that will have many versatile uses when your child (inevitably) disassembles this set to make their own original creations.  On top of all that the number of pieces you get for the price is better than most of its 2011 contemporaries making this set a fairly good deal for the more value conscious shopper (as a quick aside the city sets tend to have higher value in terms of pieces per dollar due to the absence of Lego having to pay any licensing fees).  In short a great set with lots of possibility.  Only reason to avoid is if your child has no interest in City sets whatsoever, this one would feel a little weird all by itself even though it could be played with in that setting.       

FOR KIDS

A chance to own a Lego bank may not come along again for a long time.  If you are trying to build a realistic and complete City this is a great opportunity to add a building that a lot of your friends (and especially you older siblings) won’t have.  If you have other police sets especially this will make a great addition as your crooks will have a place to rob, I highly recommend it. 

CONCLUSION

I would recommend that you get this set for 2 reasons.  First off it is a rarity for a bank set to even be available and if you think about it that is very odd.  Why Lego does not release more of them is a mystery to me, all the more reason to get this excellent set while you can.  Secondly, this set has exceptional playability and will provide an excellent set piece for robberies and high speed chase stories.  Grab it before you have to wait another decade!

Happy Building

TheLegoChronicler

Get Some Cylindrical Bricks And Make Your Own

7869 Battle for Geonosis
The Chronicler's Rating - 1/5
Price ~ $40.00
Year Released - 2011

In concept this is a great set: a big walking, pose-able gun and I am sure that it is a blast to play with. The problem is that this set did nothing special with that awesome idea. I recognize that it is a recreation of a vehicle from the movie so it is not entirely Lego’s fault, and to their credit they try to salvage it by throwing in the speeder, but even that does not change the simple fact that any kid will be able to build something cooler than this with his own pieces. And I would add that due to the price of this set that same kid will be able to do it a lot cheaper.

FOR PARENTS

I really would recommend that you pass on this set. If your child wants to build a big gun for their battle stories head over to the Pick-a-Brick section of Lego's site or Bricklink and order some cylinder pieces of the right color as that is likely the only piece on this that your child may not have extra of. If they want the speeder the exact model found here also comes with 7913 Clone Trooper Battle Pack for much cheaper.

FOR KIDS

I am quite certain that you can build your own version of this and then have the money you or your parents would have spent on it for a different even cooler set. If you really want the Jedi minifigure just be patient, I am sure Lego will release her on a cheaper set soon.

CONCLUSION

Lego Star Wars has been around since 1999. Lego started by producing the classic well known sets but after so many years they have been forced to branch into the ever more obscure. This particular vehicle has I believe less than 10 seconds of screen time in Episode III Attack of the Clones. Sometimes these obscure sets are very cool (10195 Republic Dropship with AT-OT Walker comes to mind) but other times, like here, they just are not worth the money, especially when they are this easy to build on your own.

Happy Building

TheLegoChronicler

Not Exceptional But Will Get The Job Done

7946 King's Castle
The Chronicler's Rating - 3/5
Price ~ $100.00
Year Released - 2010

Lego had released numerous castle sets since the theme was introduced in the late 70s.  The style of these sets has ranged far and wide through the years.  This castle is reminiscent of the very first ones released in the late 80's which were characterized by their lack of baseplates and ability to open.  It specifically appears to draw inspiration from 1984's King's Castle and 1986's Black Falcon's Fortress.  In comparison to its many predecessors I can only give this set average marks at best.  There is nothing original here, nothing that has not been done before.  This would be fine if this set did those things better than previous castles, but unfortunately this is not the case.  There is nothing really wrong with this set but neither is there anything exceptional or noteworthy.

                                                                            

FOR PARENTS

Every kid needs a castle set in their collection.  If it is in your power to make that happen I would highly recommend it.  Even if your child does not have any other castle themed sets, a set like this is the perfect place to start and can enable many hours of happy play right off the bat.  This castle will do just fine but pretty much any other Lego castle you can find will have everything this castle does and quite possibly, if you get the right one, more.  In my opinion the best castles thus far released by Lego have been 6090 Royal Knight's Castle and 7094 King's Castle Siege.  If however ease of acquisition is your primary concern this set will do just fine, it is by no means the worst castle Lego has produced, it just isn’t a standout.    

TheLegoChronicler

FOR KIDS

This castle or one like it will provide many hours of fun adventures.  Even if you have not ever collected castle sets before they are a great addition to your collection for two main reasons.  First they are a blast to play with and secondly they come with great pieces that you can use for a wide variety of creations.  If you already have a castle this set would make a great opposing fortress.  If however you already have two castles I would suggest you spend your money in a different theme as there is nothing exceptional about this one that would make it better than the ones you have already. 

CONCLUSION

There was nothing wrong with the castles of the 80's.  They were not however the most impressive.  That is how I would describe this set.  As a castle goes it gets the job done, looks good and will more than meet the needs of any medieval adventure story.  If you don’t have one this one will do fine.  But when compared with the numerous castle sets that have been produced through the years it falls squarely in the average category. 

Happy Building