Tag Archives: Reviews

Not sure which LEGO sets to pick up for yourself? Need ideas for that LEGO fan who already has more LEGO than he or she can possibly build with in a lifetime? Nervous about the quality of the custom accessories that tempted you at your last LEGO convention? Read our reviews of LEGO sets, books, accessories, and more right here on The Brothers Brick.

First look at future BrickArms prototypes [News]

Will Chapman of BrickArms was at BrickWorld 2008 the weekend before last, and Nannan scored a selection of custom items and prototypes for future BrickArms products. Since this isn’t a review (like my recent BrickForge review), I’ll mainly just show you pictures.

My favorite BrickArms prototype is the unique Lewis gun from World War I:

In addition to historical accuracy — the round magazine is removable — I think this gun has the most potential beyond military applications. In fact, the real-life Lewis gun inspired the T-21 light repeating blaster from the Star Wars universe.

The BrickArms machete and KA-BAR (“survival knife”) add sharp edges to the BrickArms inventory:

Military builders have already expressed excitement over the M21 Sniper Weapon System:

The baseball bat and “cleaver” improve minifig odds against the zombie horde:

The “Spy Carbine” and “Golden Gun” evoke the world of Ian Fleming’s James Bond:

See more in my BrickArms photoset on Flickr.

I know lots of you want to know when these are going to be released and whether these prototypes represent the final design. To save you some confusion, here’s the official word from the BrickArms spokesbadger:

Cleaver – Prototype only. Design is finalized. Will eventually see mass production.

Machete – Prototypes only. Two versions were distributed in a variety of colors: one with a lip on the handle and one without. The design is still being finalized. Will eventually see mass production.

KA-BAR – Prototype and included in a special BA custom Commando fig. Existed in a variety of colors including trans-colors. Will eventually see mass production.

Golden Gun – Prototypes only. Existed in a variety of colors including trans-colors. Unlikely to ever see mass production, but may be available beyond the Spy Contest prizes at some point in the future. Design is final.

Spy Carbine – Prototypes and included with a special BA custom White Tuxedo Bond figure. Decision regarding mass production still in flux as is the design of the accessory.

Needler-inspired accessory – Only included with a special BA custom Marine fig. Will never see mass production due to the complexity of the process to produce the item (multiple molds and over-injecting).

Baseball Bat – Available for purchase in a variety of colors. Design is finalized. Will eventually see mass production.

Lewis Gun – Prototypes only. Design still in flux. Will eventually see mass production.

Brodie Helmet – Prototypes only. Design is final. Will eventually see mass production.

MGL – Prototype only. Design still in flux. May or may not see mass production given certain design difficulties.

M21 Sniper rifle – Prototype only. Design still in flux. May or may not see mass production.

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Photo review of new BrickForge accessories for 2008 [Review]

Those of you who were paying close attention to our coverage of BrickWorld 2008 probably noticed references to and pictures of the latest BrickForge accessories.

Thanks to Nannan and the magic of the United States Postal Service, here’s my review of the new items BrickForge will be releasing soon. In general, I’ll try to avoid repeating what I said in my original BrickForge review.

Naturally, the big buzz is about the new “Space Marine” armor. When combined with BrickArms weapons, the result looks remarkably like the Master Chief from Halo (we’ll be taking a close look at the new BrickArms prototypes as well):

The helmet will cost $1.50, the armor $1.50, and the visor $0.50. If I understand the grapevine correctly, these items will be available in red, blue, white, black, and sand green (pictured above, with BrickWorld-exclusive “steel”). I’m very pleased with the design of each piece, though I’d assess the color matching between BrickForge’s version of sand green and “official” LEGO sand green at around 90-95%, as you can probably see from the picture.

Personally, I was most excited by the new Roman helmets (two types), spear, gladius, and shield:

Most interesting, though, is the gladiatorial armor — specifically helmet and face shield for a Murmillon. The face shield fits over the stud on top of the minifig’s head, and then the helmet fits over the top of that:

I found that the helmet fit a little loosely (it popped off a lot) with the face shield, but fit snugly when directly placed on my gladiator’s ill-fated head.

New turbans can fit a little round cap or a special helmet:

Finally, Mark Sandlin and Chris Giddens worked with BrickForge to create a gun that would fit well with the design aesthetic of the loudhailer and other early Space accessories. Dubbed the “Megagun,” many of you have probably already seen Mark Sandlin’s photos of it, so I’ll just post a couple:

The Megagun has lots of places to attach LEGO, as you can see from the ridiculous gun on the right. :-D

As with their earlier accessories, the latest BrickForge armor and weapons work well with my LEGO. My favorite new items are definitely the Roman items, and I can’t wait to order a bunch when they become available from BrickForge in the next week or so.

LEGO Indiana Jones video game almost redeems Crystal Skull movie [Review]

We blog a lot of video game LEGO on The Brothers Brick, but I think this may be our first LEGO video game review — and the reason I haven’t blogged as much the last few days, heh heh!

After playing both the LEGO Star Wars games, I was really looking forward to LEGO Indiana Jones, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. The same can’t be said for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which I really enjoyed the first time through, but didn’t hold up the second time I saw it. Oh well. Fortunately, George Lucas didn’t write the video game. ;-)

The basic mechanics of LEGO Indiana Jones aren’t that different from LEGO Star Wars: In story mode, you play as one or more characters with specific skills, destroying things in the game environment to earn points (studs) and uncover piles of LEGO bricks, which you can build to progress the plot or find treasure.

However, instead of a lightsaber, you’re armed with Indy’s whip and fists of plastic. Indy can also pick up items, such as weapons and tools, to perform other actions — dig stuff up, fix things, turn clockwork, and so on. While you’re in story mode, you might not have all the necessary skills to find everything hidden throughout the level.

In free play mode, you’re assigned a random collection of characters that give you all of the tools and skills you need, and it’s your skill that determines whether you find all the treasure, including subcomponents of the level model.

I played the game on my Nintendo Wii, so I had the option of swinging my remote to flick Indy’s whip and shaking the remote and nunchuk to build things. Call me old-fashioned (I prefer “old school”), but I chose to use the buttons assigned to these actions instead, and was grateful for that choice.

My favorite thing about the recent LEGO video games from TT Games (formerly Traveller’s tales) is the developers’ humorous take on the Indiana Jones story. I won’t spoil the laugh-out-loud moments for you, but rest assured there are plenty in the game.

In terms of value, there are 18 main levels in the game, and it took me about 30-45 minutes to complete each level in story mode (being fairly thorough along the way; I only failed to get “True Adventurer” status on one). That works out to a fairly short game for someone like me who prefers 100-hour RPGs like Final Fantasy VII, but that’s not counting free play mode, which at least doubles the value. I’ve only started free play, but I’ve already unlocked all but two of the playable characters, and I’m starting to work my way through the extras.

Overall, I’m very pleased with LEGO Indiana Jones, and would recommend it not just to those of you who’ve played LEGO Star Wars. There’s a lot of value in the game, and more importantly, it’s really really fun to play!

LEGO Indiana Jones is available for the following platforms:

Apologies for the lack of visuals in this post. I don’t have a way to take screen shots on my Wii, and I figured a picture of me slumped on the couch in my sweats wasn’t something you’d want to see. ;-)

LEGO Agents 8634 Turbo Car Chase [Review]

Eurobricks member Deinonychus has a comprehensive review of 8634 Turbo Car Chase that we’ve not yet featured here. Like the other sets in the theme, there’s tons of new and interesting pieces. The car is especially notable because it’s covered in metallic silver pieces, making it one “slick little honey of a LEGO car.”

LEGO Agents 8360 Gold Hunt and 8635 Mobile Command Center [Review]

I shared my thoughts on the new LEGO Agents sets a couple days ago, but nobody had posted reviews of any of the larger sets yet.

Gil Shaw now has photo reviews of 8630 Gold Hunt and 8635 Mobile Command Center.

8630 Mission 3: Gold Hunt:

My observations (click the picture for Gil’s review on Flickr):

Gold flat-top hair, in addition to the gold gun.
The plane is actually kind of cool.
SpyClops, the dude with spider legs, has a head that would work as night vision goggles.

8635 Mission 6: Mobile Command Center:

My observations (click the picture for Gil’s review on Flickr):

The semi truck is just massive!
Drawers in a non-Belville set.
Not one but two laptop computers.
More play features and mini-vehicles than you can shake a stick at.

It’s okay to love LEGO Agents. Go on, you’ll be fine. [Review]

Back in January when the first LEGO Agents pictures were leaked, the reaction was fairly mixed. But since we put the new poll up last Saturday, nearly a quarter of you have indicated that LEGO Agents sets are what you’re looking forward to the most for “late 2008” LEGO sets.

As I’ve seen more and more of these new sets, I couldn’t help but think that 23% of you couldn’t be that wrong.

So I picked up the two smallest sets yesterday, 8631 Jetpack Pursuit
and 8632 Swamp Raid (along with 7038 Troll Assault Wagon). To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much, but I was very pleasantly surprised!

We’ve already featured full reviews of the two sets I bought (8631 and 8632), but I wanted to add a few words of my own.

8631 Mission 1: Jetpack Pursuit

The jetpack is ridiculously huge, to be sure, and the gun on the snowmobile won’t go all the way down, but this is a pretty good $10 parts pack. You get a bunch of pearl silver elements, including skis and a propellor, plus orange cheese slopes and dark blue vertical stabilizers.

The minifigs (left) are what make this set, I think. The cyborg fig has a new type of arm that fits anything with a rod connection point, and the back of the torso is printed with a large version of their logo. The agent fig has a double-sided head and black Mutt Williams hair.

8632 Mission 2: Swamp Raid

LEGO barbed wire! This set includes two loops of barbed wire sure to please military and post-apocalyptic builders, two dark gray “grilled cheese” slopes, four black girders, and three dark green leaves. Space builders will likely be pleased with the chrome silver cheese slopes on the well-designed bike — a mix of SYSTEM and Technic pieces.

In contrast to Alpha Team minifigs of the past, LEGO Agents figs have somewhat more realistic facial expressions, making them more useful in other contexts. The “guns” are a little disappointing, but easily corrected with larger brick-built guns of your own (or BrickArms, for that matter). The new helmet on the bad guy is hilarious, and the face underneath even more so — but in a good “I can see a use for that!” way.

Building Swamp Raid was actually pretty fun — especially the bike. The dock has a fun play feature that flips the bike off when you punch a lever. Oh, and did I mention the cyborg crocodiles? Indeed, hilariously awesome cyborg crocodiles.

Missions 3-6

Missions 1 and 2 have given me hope for the rest of this theme, and I’m fairly eager to get my hands on them. A quick rundown of what I’m seeing in the other sets:

8630 Gold Hunt: A man with a golden gun. A big pile of pearl gold 1×2 tiles.
8633 Speedboat Rescue: Sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads. Dr. Evil would be jealous. The female agent also has a new hair element.
8634 Turbocar Chase: Four more barbed wire loops, a new laptop element, and the weirdest villain minifig in LEGO history.
8635 Mobile Command Center: Lots of dark blue, with all four Agents minifigs. The only set with the evil overlord Dr. Inferno (whose flaming hair is awesome).

Photo review of LEGO Agents 8632 Swamp Raid [News]

Like a bunch of you out there, Jordan “SirNadroj” Schwartz has run across several of the LEGO Agents sets at his local mega-chain toy store.

Jordan has kindly posted a full photo review:

Check out the figs:

Hmmm… Yellow Indiana Jones, anyone?

Previously on TBB: Photo review of 8631 Jetpack Pursuit.

Photo review of LEGO Agents 8631 Jetpack Pursuit [News]

I don’t know how or where, but Flickrite okayaraman has picked up a copy of forthcoming LEGO Agents set 8631 Jetpack Pursuit (due out this fall, I believe).

Click through to Flickr for lots of photos:

Ever since seeing the earlier prototype pictures, I’ve been wondering how the chainsaw is connected to the cyborg’s arm. This appears to be the first new arm piece in 30 years:

New 2008 BrickArms weapons [Review]

At BrickCon in October, I learned about the Halo-inspired weapons and the M1 Garand rifle that Will Chapman of BrickArms was working on at the time (see First look at new BrickArms weapons).

Last week, I received my shipment of new 2008 BrickArms weapons, and I’ve been eagerly building and waiting for a break in the snow (!) to take pictures.

Aside from much improved polish, the BA-M5 rifles and BA-M6 pistols aren’t substantially different from the prototypes I highlighted in October, as seen here with a trio of UNSC Marines from Halo:

In addition to the BA-M5 and BA-M6, the latest batch of BrickArms weapons includes two more weapons inspired by science fiction. The PKD2019 Replicant Blaster takes its inspiration from Blade Runner, so I whipped up a custom Rick Deckard to “retire” my minifig androids:

The final M1 Garand rifle is slightly larger than the prototype. Regardless, a minifig can hold the rifle at several points, as demonstrated below by a custom WW2 US Army Sergeant minifig you can also buy from BrickArms:

My favorite new BrickArms weapon is the Mk48 Machine Gun. Bundled with a bipod and monopod, the Mk48 resembles the M240 and M249 families of modern machine guns (at least at minifig scale). Other additions to the contemporary arsenal are the MP7 PDW and M84 Stun Grenade (aka “flashbang”):

The Bipod from the Mk48 can attach wherever a minifig hand can attach, including other BrickArms weapons, such as the PSG1 Sniper Rifle (with S.W.A.T. sniper below). A Monopod can convert your M1 Garand into an M14 (with Marine, circa 1965):

The other sci-fi-inspired weapon is the Auto-9, from RoboCop (below):

The priciest thing I picked up this time from BrickArms was the Medkit ($8). The Medkit includes a syringe, scalpel, and bag. Although BrickArms sold a limited run of 30 World War II medic minifigs a while back, I missed them when they were $25, and the final minifig went for $162.50 (!) on eBay.

So I made my own (mostly), using the new Medkit, an Indiana Jones bag, and bits of the Sergeant:

As I said last February in my first BrickArms review, BrickArms weapons compare well to official LEGO elements on both price (on the secondary market) and quality. This certainly holds true for the 2008 weapons, which continue to extend the building possibilities provided by our favorite little plastic bricks.

For more photos of the new weapons and accessories, see my BrickArms photoset on Flickr.

Also check out our previous coverage of BrickArms here on The Brothers Brick:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull LEGO sets reviewed

Eurobricks member Alex54 has posted an early photo review of the three smaller LEGO sets from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

7624 Jungle Duel:

7625 River Chase:

7626 Jungle Cutter:

Check out the Soviet soldiers:

See more of Alex54’s photos in his Indiana Jones gallery on Brickshelf.

LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT ZOO! by Fay Rhodes [Review]

I recently received a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT set for my birthday (my wife is awesome!) so naturally I was excited to get the chance to review the newest Mindstorms book from No Starch Press. The author, Fay Rhodes co-authored the The Lego Mindstorms NXT Idea Book, is a member of MCP (Mindstorms Community Partners), and a contributor on the blog The NXT STEP.

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT ZOO! is a departure from previous books on LEGO’s robotics system. According to the book’s preface, the author intended this book for people who were not familiar with the NXT system, namely children, parents, teachers, and others new to NXT.

Her intent was to write a book that would be a simple and fun introduction to the system, while at the same time enabling the builder to construct some truly unusual robots.

First of all, I was impressed with the simplicity of the book. I own a couple of other NXT books and they start with complex chapters on programming. Fay Rhodes takes a different approach. She starts off with a very brief introduction into the programming language (6 pages versus 30+ in other books) and then she dives into actually constructing the robots. I think this is a great change, as people who are new to NXT want to start building robots immediately.

The instructions are easy to follow and each one starts off with a pictorial parts list. I did have one problem with the instructions. It is difficult to tell the difference between friction pins and regular ones. This could cause potential problems, but I was able to figure it out without too much trouble. Also, it would have been nice if the instructions were in color, but I’m sure that would have driven the cost up too much.

Regarding the robots themselves, they are quite unusual. As the name of the book implies, all the bots are animals. There are a total of nine — a frog, rabbit, camel, spider, alligator, dinosaur, elephant, skunk, and a peacock. Of these nine robots, only two (the skunk and peacock) travel on wheels. The remaining seven robots either hop or walk and the skunk has a surprise projectile weapon system! But my personal favorite is the spider. Who can’t love a robot that walks on eight legs?

NXT Spider from Rick Rhodes on Vimeo.

The techniques for walking and hopping are surprisingly simple and aren’t horribly parts intensive. I don’t have a huge collection of Technic pieces and I was able to build most of these with fairly minor parts substitutions. The peacock and ‘gator suffered the most, as I was rather low on important pieces, but I built the other robots quite easily.

A number of the robots do require non-LEGO pieces, which may annoy LEGO purists, but I understand that many NXT builders do this. Most of the uses I understood (fishing line and such), but one of the non-LEGO pieces in the two hopping robots confused me, because there was a LEGO solution readily available. Rhodes suggests using “rubber fingertips” from an office supply store as ends on the legs. These keep the robot from sliding as it prepares to hop. But there are rubber Technic pieces that can be attached to the leg, which have the same effect. Oddly enough, these pieces come in the NXT set. I used them and they worked fine.

After the instructions for each robot, Rhodes includes several pages of programming instructions. These mostly consist of screenshots, which are quite helpful. This way, you can see exactly how the configuration screens should look at each step. All you should have to do is follow the instructions, and the robots function as intended. These screen shots really take the intimidation factor out of learning a new programming language.

I did find a couple of typos in the programming sections, which could have messed up functionality. They were easily fixed, but you should be aware that the programs might not be perfect. These included a sensor that was plugged into the wrong port (instructions said port 4, but the program used port 2) and a motor that ran the opposite direction. These didn’t stop the robots from operating; some just didn’t work as intended. So, by following the programming steps exactly, you will still get a robot that runs.

Overall, I would recommend LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT ZOO! for any NXT builder. I didn’t expect that it would be written “down” enough for a beginner. But the robots are simple to build, the instructions are easy to follow, the programs are quick to write and they work.

So, if you’re just getting into NXT this would a good book to get you started. But if you have been involved in NXT for while, don’t be put off by the simplicity of this book. It has some rather unconventional techniques that end up building some really intriguing bots. Anyone can learn from this book.

7048 Troll Warship review by Doctor Sinister [Review]

Andrew “Doctor Sinister” Summersgill has posted a photo review of 7048 Troll Warship on Flickr and Eurobricks.

7048 Troll Warship is one of the forthcoming 2008 Castle sets, which are starting to show up here and there. As always, here’s a separate shot of the minifigs:

It looks like the new goblin helmets we saw in early prototypes of 7036 Dwarves’ Mine are finally making it into sets, along with new goblin armor.