the milano [30449] review

The Milano [30449]

Obviously.

The Milano is a Ravager M-Ship Class spacecraft used by the Guardians of the Galaxy for their interplanetary travel. It only made perfect sense to use it as the promotional LEGO set for the recently shown second installment of the film series (I love it, by the way, but I love the first more). The Milano [30449] polybag was given away (and sold) in various store events but I got mine from my local LEGO Store (UK) using this month's calendar voucher.

Building this brick spacecraft is very entertaining. I was able to build it under five minutes, so it's really, really easy. I was surprised with the numerous Technic pieces included, especially with the two steering arm piece with three ball joints, which gave The Milano's wings a lot of character.

The Milano

The resemblance of the final build with the film spaceship beyond the color scheme is just so-so, but since it's a minibuild, it's forgivable. For its scale, The Milano still is a good spacecraft. If not for its very bright colors, it will fit perfectly with the other flying vessels minibuild from a galaxy far, far away.

Front View

By the way, the clear stand is not included in the polybag. I just used it for photography purposes only. It would be real cool if flying or hovering sets will come with stands like this one or something similar.

Oh, and I decided to include the top view of the ship for I find it as a hilarious cross between Optimus Prime and Jar Jar Binks.

Top View

Overall, The Milano [30449] polybag is a sweet, sweet set loaded with fun and excitement. And did I mention it's free?

jack sparrow's boat [30131] review

Jack Sparrow's Boat [30131]

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me! Guess what's my latest brick loot? It's Captain Jack Sparrow's Boat [30131]!

I know this little set is an oldie, but it's definitely a goodie! This is what you get from binge-watching the first four Pirates of the Caribbean films (and not to mention anticipating the fifth). The new Silent Mary [71042] ship, retailing at £179.99, is definitely out of my budget, so I have to settle with something much, much less. It is unfortunate that Salazar's Revenge (or Dead Men Tell No Tales, depending on where you are) has no other LEGO sets besides the ghost ship and the BrickHeadz captains [41593-4]. But maybe, just maybe, a surprise polybag will suddenly pop out! The good ol' captain and his boat will do, for now.

It's amazing that this polybag is already six years old as of writing! And thanks a lot to a decent eBay seller, I was able to buy it very close to a current LEGO polybag's retail price.

The set comes with a tricorne wearing Jack Sparrow minifigure, armed with a cutlass. The head is dual printed giving the legendary pirate smiling and scared expressions. I believe the minifigure perfectly captured the film series' protagonist. It easily became one of my favorite minifigures.

Jack Sparrow

Parlay?

The boat minibuild is pretty straightforward, serving its purpose well. And it comes complete with a simple white sail and a bottle of rum! The Jack Sparrow minifigure can be seated in the boat, and there's no more space for anybody or anything else.

Boat

Savvy?

Overall, this little set is a lot of fun! The Jack Sparrow minifigure is a great addition to any LEGO Disney or pirates collection. Too bad the polybag and the other Pirates of the Caribbean sets are not readily available. I'm six years too late!

create the world with LEGO and sainsbury's

Create The World [40256]

Explore the world with LEGO and Sainsbury's spring event: Create The World!

Follow Sam and Lily in their adventures around the world with the Sainsbury's exclusive LEGO set Create The World [40256]! Build a car, a boat, or a helicopter with this versatile 3-in-1 set. It includes two minifigures of the aforementioned characters. I believe this is the first time we're seeing the prints in their dual-sided minifig heads (which are super adorable, by the way). To make this the perfect brick journey, accessory elements were included, such as a suitcase, camera (or binoculars as described in the promo), map, mobile phone, and two life vests.

Sam

Sam Worried

Lily

Lily Serene

LEGO 3-in-1 Creator is the perfect theme for the Create The World promo. It only makes perfect sense to encompass all types of travel in this global adventure. All areas were nicely covered. Sam and Lily can travel by land using a car, or by water via a boat, or by air with a helicopter. The builds are quite simple but they're more than enough to serve their true purpose, to tickle kids' imaginations. The set currently retails at £8 exclusively in Sainsbury's. It can also be bought online.

Land Travel by Car

Water Travel by Boat

Air Travel by Helicopter

The LEGO set was actually just a complement for the promo. The real stars of the Create The World event are the trading cards, with 140 cards to collect. There are three simple ways to collect. First is Sainsbury's Online. Cards are available online when you spend £10 (excludes delivery charges). Second is via Sainsbury's Superstores. All you have to do is spend £10 and get a pack of 4 cards for free! Third is through Sainsbury's Convenience Stores, where you can get a pack of 2 cards for free when you spend £5. Please note that there is a £150 max spend in this promotion.

Collector's Album

To neatly organize the LEGO cards, a Collector's Album is also available for purchase for just £2. The objective of the album is to whiz around the world by joining Sam and Lily on their epic tour and meet hilarious LEGO Minifigures in surprising locations along the way. You can buy the album instore or online.

Free Trading Cards Packs

If you need more cards, you can top up your collection by purchasing extra booster packs for 50p. They are available instore and online.

Trading Cards Booster Packs

I bought the booster packs to know if there are rare cards in there. After opening four packs, I'm not really sure if there are rare ones, though I got some new cards. Oh, I almost forgot, every four cards pack comes with a shiny Create card, a special card that encourages to make a minibuild. Instructions can be found online by typing the link service.lego.com/buildinginstructions, and then entering the corresponding set number. The number can be found in brackets next to the model in the Card Gallery (last two pages of the Collector's Album). For example, the Lighthouse below comes from set [10692], so the link should be: service.lego.com/buildinginstructions10692.

Sneak Peek

I still need a lot of cards to complete my collection. I'm looking forward to swap my doubles with family and friends to collect my missing cards. Sainsbury's also promised to host swapping events in over 300 cafes towards the end of the event. 

For more details including the full terms and conditions, visit Sainsbury's website.

rebel U-wing fighter [75155] gallery

Rebel U-Wing Fighter [75155]

Continuing the LEGO Star Wars Rogue One gallery is the iconic U-Wing!...

With the recent release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on Digital HD, DVD and Blu-ray came a sort of re-release of the film's LEGO sets, but this time on super sale! I feel very fortunate to bag the Rebel U-Wing Fighter [75155] for almost half the recommended retail price!

I love almost everything about this set! The foldable wings! Bistan! I enjoyed it more than I expected to. Like my recent posts, I initially intended to make a proper review of this set, but I have forgotten most of my key points so this devolved into a gallery instead. I can only recall something about the color scheme being too bright, and Jyn Erso's lack of hairpiece (which is conveniently included in Battle on Scarif [75171]). But what's important is the fun I experienced in building this magnificent ship. Hopefully, I was able to capture that in my images.

Enjoy!

Jyn Erso

Jyn Erso in Action

Cassian Andor

Bistan

Rebel Trooper

U-Wing Pilot

U-Wing

U-Wing (Flight Configuration)

Bistan in Battle Mode

U-Wing Pilot in Flight Mode

Rebel U-Wing Fighter

LEGO star wars magazine: issue 23

LEGO Star Wars Magazine Issue 23

The LEGO Star Wars Magazine Issue 23 is already available, and this month's free gift is the Vulture Droid!

The Vulture Droid is one of the many Droid Starfighters of the Trade Federation. It is also known as the Variable Geometry Self-Propelled Battle Droid, Mark I, or as the Vulture-Class Starfighter. Construction was done in the cathedral factories of Xi Char. As a Droid Starfighter, a Vulture Droid is highly automated, meaning it doesn't need a living or even a droid pilot for, as its name implies, it is a droid itself!

The building experience is simple and straightforward. The color scheme of the droid is evidently there. I also love how symmetrical the design is. It's just unfortunate that you have to look at the final build at certain angles to see the resemblance. Oh, by the way, the transparent stand is not included, and was used for photographic purposes only. Overall, it's really a fun build!

Vulture Droid

Next month, more Star Wars Rebels! The Phoenix Squadron's logo is proudly brandished behind next issue's free gift, the A-Wing! Issue 24 comes out 7 June!

A-Wing

R3-M2 [40268] review

R3-M2 [40268]

The free LEGO R3-M2 [40268] minifigure will definitely make any rebel wannabe go rogue!

R3-M2 is the latest droid minifigure LEGO is giving away to brick fans from a galaxy far, far away. It is an astromech droid part of the Alliance to Restore the Republic from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. 

The promotion runs in the UK from 7 to 31 May with any LEGO Star Wars purchase. The offer is valid online at shop.LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores. Limited to one per household, and of course, while supplies last.

R3-M2

I don't know the reason behind this but the set is weirdly packaged in a softer polybag. If I haven't received it from a LEGO Store, I think I would doubt it as a knockoff or something. Other than that, everything else is perfect!

The R3-M2 minifigure comes with a cool transparent head, which at first glance looks chrome silver. As pictured above, the printed details, however, are kind of hard to see (sorry). The body's printing is somewhat similar to that of R2-D2's but with a brown theme instead of blue. 

Backdrop & Stand

The set also comes with a decorative backdrop, a sticker label, and a brick-built stand. The stand can be attached to another stand via a Technic connector peg piece. Could this mean there will be more minifigures, or at least droids to come? The film featured a lot of characters so this can be an exciting product line. Or it can go beyond the anthology film and pluck characters from the original and prequel trilogies. After all, Star Wars is celebrating a whopping 40 years!

Overall, I am very happy with the R3-M2 polybag, and the possible direction this line may go. But I still need to re-watch Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (already available on Digital HD, DVD and Blu-ray) and play Where's R3-M2?.

R3-M2 on Display

________________________________________

UPDATE: Confirmed! R3-M2 [40268] is just the first set in this line! A Scarif Stormtrooper [40176] set with a similar display setup has been found in the wild! The minifigure is slightly different from the Scarif Stormtrooper and Shore Trooper in the sets Battle on Scarif [75171] and TIE Striker [75154], respectively. Maybe it outranked them because of the two gray sleeves, or maybe not. There's no word yet on how to obtain this polybag but I'm sure it won't be long. My bet is on Force Friday (or Rogue Friday or however they would want to call it this year).

Scarif Stormtrooper [40176]
(Photo grabbed from: https://brickset.com/sets/40176-1/Scarif-Stormtrooper)

LEGO batman movie magazine: issues 01 & 02

LEGO Batman Movie Magazine Issue 01

The LEGO Batman (Movie) is literally everywhere, including the print media. The brick iteration of the Caped Crusader has also invaded the UK and EU LEGO Magazines, releasing two special issues with limited edition minifigures.

Just like the other LEGO Magazines, the glossy special issues contained comics, pull-out posters, fact files, puzzles, etc. about the LEGO Batman, his friends (which are, of course, family), and his enemies. Each issue comes with a free minifigure, which was labeled as limited. Technically, it is indeed a limited release, but it's not exclusive. So, bat-brick completists in other areas of the world have nothing to worry about for the minifigures can be obtained somewhere else. But if like me, you're a casual LEGO Batman collector, this is an easy way to get them.

For Issue 01, it just made perfect sense to include the man of the hour, Batman!

Batman

He comes complete with a cowl, a cape, a utility belt, and two batarangs. I love that the cape was packaged in the usual small box to preserve its form, unlike in The LEGO Batman Movie Minifigure Series [71017], wherein some of the capes have folds and creases. The included minifig head is dual sided with a crooked smile, and a clenched teeth pattern.

Batarangs

Issue 02's free gift is none other than the Joker!

LEGO Batman Movie Magazine Issue 02

The Dark Knight's best frenemy comes with his iconic purple coattail, which was also packaged neatly in a small box. The minifig head is also dual sided with an open mouth pattern, and a wide grin with pointed teeth together.

The Joker

Dynamites

It's such a shame the run of this mini-series ended with just two issues. The movie has given us so much materials (and not to mention minifigures) to explore. But it's okay. We can always use our imagination and creativity to build something Batman!

UK LEGO store R3-M2 promotion

Free R3-M2!
(Photo grabbed from: LEGO Store May-June 2017 Newsletter)

There's no stopping the 40 Years of Star Wars Celebration! Free LEGO R3-M2 [40268] minifigure!

Immediately right after the annual May the 4th Be With You promotions, LEGO has another droid to giveaway, and it's none other than Rogue One's R3-M2. It is an astromech droid part of the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

The promotion runs from 7 to 31 May with any LEGO Star Wars purchase. The offer is valid online at shop.LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores. Limited to one per household, and of course, while supplies last.

Now it's time to re-watch Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (which is already out on Digital HD, DVD and Blu-ray, by the way) and play Where's R3-M2?

R2-D2 [30611] review

R2-D2 [30611]

The exclusive R2-D2 [30611] set is the best free polybag ever!

In celebration of 40 years of Star Wars, LEGO is giving away a buildable R2-D2 [30611] set for every specific purchase. For me, this is the sweetest May the 4th Be With You promotion to date!

In the UK LEGO Stores, you can take this droid home with any LEGO Star Wars purchase of £60 or more, from 29 April to 6 May, or while stocks last. For more details, click here.

And in the Philippine LEGO Certified Stores, you can get this limited edition gift for a minimum single receipt purchase of P3500 on any LEGO item from 4 to 31 May. Then the redemption period is from 15 May to 31 July. For more details, check out their official Facebook post.

R2-D2

As I mentioned above, I consider this the best May the 4th free LEGO. Don't get me wrong, I love all those minifigures, but I have to admit they didn't put a huge smile on my face when I was building them. I was literally smiling the whole time I was constructing my very own R2 unit! It's really amazing to see the ingenuity of the design, considering there were only 70 pieces! The simplicity of the build is also a big win, for the final output is not only sturdy but also looks flawless.

To be honest, I'm quite surprised with the printed pieces. I thought since this is a free gift, only part of the dome was printed. But no, it is surprisingly detailed! I also thought that a sticker was used for the front tile, but it was printed as well (Yehey! I really don't like stickers on my bricks).

It's also worth mentioning that the dome piece can be rotated! How cool is that? And most importantly, R2's third appendage is included!

I wish more droids will be released in the future at this scale. I so love love this buildable R2-D2 figure. This is definitely the droid you're looking for!