SHELL V-POWER LEGO® COLLECTION (2014)

Found a post on Eurobricks mentioning the launch of the new Lego® & Shell polybags. Wonder when these will arrive in South Africa?

http://www.shell.com.sg/products-services/on-the-road/promotions/the-new-shell-v-power-lego-collection.html

LOCAL ZEBRAS

Commotion, dogs barking and tearing down the stairs... our resident Zebras  provide a passing visit...

WANGE #8012 - LEANING TOWER OF PISA

The first set of "non-lego" that we purchased and provided a very different building experience from the Technic experience. Instructions were unclear at points and a little confusing. Good quality bricks, the white does however differ to that of Lego®. There were two bricks with small black marks on them, plenty of extras were included and hence did not pose an issue.

  PIECES:  1392

                               VALUE:   ZAR 500 (ZAR 0.3592 per brick)

ACCURACY OF PACKAGING:  8/10

               FUN/PLAYABILITY:  -

                             QUALITY:  8/10

                  INSTRUCTIONS:  6/10

             MINI CHARACTERS:  -

                           OVERALL:  7/10

LEGO® TECHNIC #42000 - F1

A few days later and we had the F1 model in hand. As expected a great build. The model is extended with the option to also build the Racing Truck, these instructions are however not included and have to be downloaded from the web (lego.com/technic). Power functions can be added to the model although not included.

There are many Technic models on our wishlist, the focus has however shifted towards the building of our city Luboville. That said we had sourced an alternative block based on Technic sets and will bring you the review as soon as the model arrives.

LEGO® TECHNIC #42007

And so it was that I was again introduced to Lego® after a 30 year absence and the start of an obsession with these fascinating bricks at the age of 45!

A very different building experience, from what I remember as a child. The inclusion of instructions for both the dirt & speedway bike is great and extended the build time and enjoyment of the set.

As a bit of a petrol-head and a follower of F1, the search was on for Lego® Technic #42000.

LUBOVILLE UPDATE

Demands of life has left little time to focus on out city, we are though pleased to announce that construction is back in full swing! Things are slow part due to a guilty feeling of dedicating time to the hobby and secondly the frustration of sourcing bricks.

Point in question is the Lego® #10681 Creative Building Cube (600 pieces) purchased for ZAR 329.00 which equates to ZAR 0.5483 per piece. 

Having purchased three cubes already we still find ourselves with a lack of pieces to complete any planned project for the city. Add to this the purchase of roof tiles #6119 and doors & windows #6117, we are amazed at the expense involved in collecting bricks and building our city - and realise that this remains a toy for a select few.

It does however strengthen our resolve to source and provide an affordable, compatible alternative with the option to purchase separate bricks, not just sets.  

JUBILUX EXPLOITER #J5680A - CONSTRUCTION SITE

                                        PIECES:  395

                               VALUE:   ZAR 132.00 (ZAR 0.3342 per brick)

ACCURACY OF PACKAGING:  8/10

               FUN/PLAYABILITY:  8/10

                             QUALITY:  8/10

                  INSTRUCTIONS:  7/10

             MINI CHARACTERS:  7/10

                           OVERALL:  6/10

Fun build, some interesting & useful pieces, the truck though is not very imaginative and a bit disappointing.

ENLIGHTEN #628 - PASSENGER CAR

                              PIECES:  217

                               VALUE:   ZAR 98.00 (ZAR 0.4516 per brick)

ACCURACY OF PACKAGING:  8/10

               FUN/PLAYABILITY:  8/10

                             QUALITY:  8/10

                  INSTRUCTIONS:  8/10

             MINI CHARACTERS:  7/10

                           OVERALL:  8/10

Side of passenger car opens up providing access to the interior and increasing the overall play-ability.

Nice addition to the Enlighten Steam Locomotive reviewed earlier.

WANGE - WORLDS GREAT ARCHITECTURE

Wange Architecture series spans 10 models:

1. Petronas Towers in Malaysia (#8011)
2. Pisa Leaning Tower in Italy (#8012)
3. Tower Bridge in London (#8013)
4. Big Ben in England (#8014)
5. Eiffel Tower in France (#8015)
6. Tian An Men China (#8016)
7. Spasskaya Tower in Russia (#8017)
8. Burj Al Arab Hotel of Dubai (#8018)
9. Taipei 101 of Taiwan (#8019)
10. Temple of Heaven in China (#8020)

It is proving a little frustrating to source all of the range locally, and will mean having to order from abroad and once again deal with uncertainty and frustration in dealing with the east.

Our first purchase was Big Ben, quality bricks saw for an enjoyable build and nice model in the end. It must be noted that on occasion the instructions tended to be a bit obscure & a little confusing.

                              PIECES:  1642

                               VALUE:   ZAR 500.00 (ZAR 0.3045 per brick)

ACCURACY OF PACKAGING:  8/10

               FUN/PLAYABILITY:  ----

                             QUALITY:  8/10

                  INSTRUCTIONS:  7/10

             MINI CHARACTERS:  ----

                           OVERALL:  8/10

We adapted the model for inclusion in our city as part of the railway bridge and to provide a tourist attraction and viewing platform for Luboville residents & tourists.

LEGO® STORE IN DURBAN

We discovered that there was a Lego® Store (Play & Build Toys) in La Lucia Mall just outside Durban and on Saturday we took the 120 km drive to visit the store. 

We entered the store excitedly with high expectations; sure it is great to have a dedicated store to these wonderful toys, we were however a little disappointed. There is a small "pick a brick wall", no parts however that we were specifically looking for. There is a nice selection of stock and some unusual items, then again not the things we were looking for - where are the branded items like caps, t-shirts, mugs etc, then again not the end of the world. The biggest let down though was that specific sets we aimed to purchase were not available namely Ghostbusters, Simpsons House - lets hope they do get the Batman Tumbler in stock once launched in September. It was also a let down not to walk out with some mini-figures!

That said we are still pretty happy to have a dedicated store and look forward to another visit.

WANGE #040808 SPEED CAR

Odd name for the packaging as it is meant to be an ambulance! Fair quality bricks with many extra pieces included in the box, on the other hand only one mini character is included. Design is not the greatest has a few faults, the most notable being that the "stretcher does not fit in the ambulance...

PIECES:  103

VALUE:   ZAR 29.00 (ZAR 0.2816 per brick)

ACCURACY OF PACKAGING:  3/10

                      FUN/PLAYABILITY:  5/10

                                           QUALITY:  5/10

                             INSTRUCTIONS:  6/10

                    MINI CHARACTERS:  5/10

                                           OVERALL:  5/10

QIAOLETONG # TS20136A - ARMY HERO SOLDIER PATROL BOAT

        

                             PIECES:  245

                               VALUE:   ZAR 129.00 (ZAR 0.5266 per brick)

ACCURACY OF PACKAGING:  8/10

               FUN/PLAYABILITY:  6/10

                             QUALITY:  8/10

                  INSTRUCTIONS:  7/10

             MINI CHARACTERS:  6/10

                           OVERALL:  6/10

Opening up the box, you are presented with a set of instructions, 6 packets of pieces and a sheet of stickers. Unlike Lego®, the compatible brands don't number the packets and tend to have a very odd system to packing the pieces. 

Overall good quality bricks, with no clutching or colour problems.

JUBILUX #J5643A BEAUTIFUL VILLA

PIECES:  385

VALUE:   ZAR 114.00 (ZAR 0.2961 per brick)

ACCURACY OF PACKAGING:  9/10

                   FUN/PLAYABILITY:  6/10

                                     QUALITY:  6/10

                         INSTRUCTIONS:  6/10

                MINI CHARACTERS:  6/10

                                   OVERALL:  6/10

Not the most imaginative design, does provide a good source of parts for our city at a very affordable price.

LUBOVILLE UPDATE

As mentioned, the layout has been adapted to include a small conservation area.

Park entrance & access control.

ENLIGHTEN POLICE SERIES #130 - SPECIAL DUTIES SPEEDBOAT

PIECES:  95

VALUE:   ZAR 30.00 (ZAR 0.3158 per brick)

ACCURACY OF PACKAGING:  9/10

                   FUN/PLAYABILITY:  6/10

                                     QUALITY:  7/10

                         INSTRUCTIONS:  8/10

                MINI CHARACTERS:  7/10

                                   OVERALL:  7/10

HLUHLUWE-IMFOLOZI PARK

Weather has improved significantly & we opted to take some time out and visit the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. Unfortunately the Park was exceptionally dry and animal sightings were few, it was however exceptional to be out and about and enjoying our beautiful Kwazulu Natal.

The trip did inspire a change to Luboville with the inclusion of a small camping, conservation area; more on that in later posts.

At the entrance to the park there is a monument dedicated to those who have given their lives in the name of conservation! 

Please support our parks and the various conservation initiatives...