ADVENT CALENDARS 2015

Hard to believe that tomorrow is already the 1st of December leaving just 25 days to Christmas! That said we have had the City & Star Wars Advent Calendars on the shelf for a month and tomorrow finally get to start opening them... not sure if we will stick to only opening one section on the corresponding day.

When purchasing these items we noted that the Star Wars Calendar came at a primium!

LEGO® CREATOR #10246 - DETECTIVE'S OFFICE

Another in the modular building series consisting of 2262 pieces. There are 6 mini-figs each with the classic smiley face. The completed build consists of the Highlander pool hall, a barber shop, the detective's office, a small bathroom and a kitchen. There is some great detail in the build and clever use of the space.

Not lacking in pieces it is 'small' compared to other modulars and this may be attributed to various details added. The story line (cookie smuggling) adds some playability with the hidden passage and movable components. 

A must have if you like the modular range.

LEGO® CITY #60083 - SNOWPLOUGH TRUCK

196 pieces (1xMini-fig) and based on the german designed Unimog. As a huge fan of the Unimog, there was no option other than to purchases this model, and glad we did! Looks really good and functions well, offering alot of playability.

The plough and  hopper can be removed.

LEGO® SPEED CHAMPIONS # 75908 - 458 ITALIA GT2

Being a bit of a 'petrol head' we could not resist buying into the Speed Champions range!

153 pieces with one mini-fig (trophy & wrench as accessories) and fairly straight forward build. The model is sticker heavy (22 in total) which is understandable as the car forms part of a racing team - in the completed build you can see a good resemblance to the real car and makes for a great display piece. The set also provides for interchangable wheel rims with 2 options.

We will upload more pics of this great model once we find where it has been packed.

On the subject of cars and racing, any fans of Gran Tourismo around? Take the time to check out this blog; gtfrede.blogspot.co.za/ He is taking a slightly different approach to GT and from time to time we plan to share some brick built versions of the cars he is racing.

MEGABO # 2102 - ADVANCED TROOP ARMED FIGHTING JET PLANE

We were plesantly surprised at the quality and variety of the pieces. A simple quick build consisting of 182 pieces with some nice features, the bottom half though is a bit disappointing in terms of design and the way the wheels are done. Unlike many of the other brands that print directly on the bricks MGB provides a ton of stickers that need to be applied...

Instruction sheets are clear and easy to follow and mini-character is of good quality. We will definetly be buying more of these simply as a source of parts. The set though does add yet another shade of grey and blue into the mix!

ENLIGHTEN BRICKS

During our recent visit to Johannesburg we visited West Pack Lifestyle Household Dream Shop and discovered they keep a failry large selection of Enlighten Building Sets at a reasonable price. These blocks are becoming more and more prevelant, unfortunatley some of the outlets are attempting to price them alongside genuine Lego®.

Packing space was limited so we had to curb our buying, non the less some new builds to look forward to. 

West Pack also stocks Megabo (MGB) blocks - Advanced Troops Range and picked up one of the smaller sets to evaluate.

The Stairway Deli

There hasnt been much time for play due to business commitments and travel. In September of last year we posted about the Stairway Deli as a 'work in progress, it was finally finished and placed in Luboville...

...only to be torn down during the revamp!  Having spent the last week at the Deli, we will be revisiting the idea with a new build. 

If you're ever in Kensington Johannesburg take the time to pop in at the deli, meet the fantastic people who own and operate it over an espresso or enjoy a bite to eat.

Tel: 011 615 442, Lancaster Square. 141 Roberts Avenue, Kensington.