BigJohn
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BigJohn's Stats
BigJohn's Stats
- 4.4Average Rating
- 105Helpfulness Votes
- 0Featured Reviews
- 16Review Count
- December 10, 2011First Review
- January 13, 2015Last Review
Fire Truck
Fire Truck
Posted:January 21, 2013
BigJohn
Age:
35-44
years old
Customer Type:
LEGO Fan
Building Experience:
Advanced LEGO builder
Overall:
5
/
5
Best Lego Fire Truck Ever!
" Pros:
Realistic appearance
cab seats both minifigures
solid build
great details (connection hose between fire hydrant and engine, firefighting equipment on board)
Sticker only really needed on brick for gauges (others are nice, but do not add substantially to model)
Realistic appearance
cab seats both minifigures
solid build
great details (connection hose between fire hydrant and engine, firefighting equipment on board)
Sticker only really needed on brick for gauges (others are nice, but do not add substantially to model)
Cons:
Has a sticker sheet
no opening doors on side, although I do not know how they could have been incorporated, unless they were installed to open 'backwards'
Has a sticker sheet
no opening doors on side, although I do not know how they could have been incorporated, unless they were installed to open 'backwards'
Neutral Critique:
I am not a huge fan of all the facial hair painted on the minifigures. It seems almost every guy in legotown now has some silly smirk or facial hair. Maybe I'm being nostalgic, but it would be nice to have some of the simple old style standard 'grins' available (other than just in the large modular buildings). As to the firefighters in this set, a firefighter usually can not have a full beards/scruff due to needing to make tight seal with their breathing apparatus.
I am not a huge fan of all the facial hair painted on the minifigures. It seems almost every guy in legotown now has some silly smirk or facial hair. Maybe I'm being nostalgic, but it would be nice to have some of the simple old style standard 'grins' available (other than just in the large modular buildings). As to the firefighters in this set, a firefighter usually can not have a full beards/scruff due to needing to make tight seal with their breathing apparatus.
Bottom line: This is one of the best fire engines ever designed by Lego Co. It has great details, everything fits together well. Firefighters have access to loads of equipment, water hose, and ladder. This truck alone could battle any blaze Legotown will ever have. The hardest part of the build was attaching the white doors to their frames.
"
I would recommend this to a friend!
From: Madison
State:
Wisconsin
From:
United States
Age:
35-44
years old
Customer Type:
LEGO Fan
Building Experience:
Advanced LEGO builder
Play Experience (Optional):
5
/
5
Value for Money (Optional):
5
/
5
Level of Difficulty:
Average
Very Easy
Very Challenging
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share:
+2points
7of 12found this review helpful.
Water Scooter Fun
Water Scooter Fun
Posted:January 3, 2013
BigJohn
Age:
35-44
years old
Customer Type:
LEGO Fan
Building Experience:
Advanced LEGO builder
Overall:
5
/
5
What you see...is what you get
" Pros:
1) NO STICKERS!
2) Very detailed painting on Kate minidoll
3) Very solid build
4) "extra pieces" include an extra pink 1x1 round plate with flower edges, and a transparent pink 1x1 round plate
1) NO STICKERS!
2) Very detailed painting on Kate minidoll
3) Very solid build
4) "extra pieces" include an extra pink 1x1 round plate with flower edges, and a transparent pink 1x1 round plate
Cons:
1) a transparent blue 4x6 plate would have been a better 'base' for the water than the turquoise 4x6 plate supplied with the set.
1) a transparent blue 4x6 plate would have been a better 'base' for the water than the turquoise 4x6 plate supplied with the set.
Kate gets to motor about the lake on her water scooter, a solid, easy build. when she gets to her destination, she can put on her flippers and go swimming.
"
I would recommend this to a friend!
From: Madison
State:
Wisconsin
From:
United States
Age:
35-44
years old
Customer Type:
LEGO Fan
Building Experience:
Advanced LEGO builder
Play Experience (Optional):
5
/
5
Value for Money (Optional):
4
/
5
Level of Difficulty:
Very Easy
Very Easy
Very Challenging
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share:
+6points
14of 22found this review helpful.
Medieval Market Village
Medieval Market Village
Posted:November 29, 2012
BigJohn
Age:
35-44
years old
Customer Type:
LEGO Fan
Building Experience:
Advanced LEGO builder
Overall:
5
/
5
Medieval Market...GET IT NOW!!!
" Not much I can add to other people's reviews, but here are the pros and cons, as I see them:
Pros:
- High piece count for the price
- Ample room inside (and behind, when buildings are opened) for play
- 'working' water hammer in blacksmith's shop
- Lots of minifigs with which to play
- High piece count for the price
- Ample room inside (and behind, when buildings are opened) for play
- 'working' water hammer in blacksmith's shop
- Lots of minifigs with which to play
Cons:
- some of the build is rather challenging due to pieces not overlapping during the build.
- the tree is not very stable
- some of the build is rather challenging due to pieces not overlapping during the build.
- the tree is not very stable
This is an awesome set. Get it before it is gone!
"
I would recommend this to a friend!
From: Madison
State:
Wisconsin
From:
United States
Age:
35-44
years old
Customer Type:
LEGO Fan
Building Experience:
Advanced LEGO builder
Play Experience (Optional):
5
/
5
Value for Money (Optional):
5
/
5
Level of Difficulty:
Challenging
Very Easy
Very Challenging
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share:
+4points
4of 4found this review helpful.
Lighthouse Island
Lighthouse Island
Posted:November 4, 2012
BigJohn
Age:
35-44
years old
Customer Type:
LEGO Fan
Building Experience:
Advanced LEGO builder
Overall:
2
/
5
Poor Lighthouseman Stan
" Stan, recently hired to protect the ships in Lego Bay from crashing against the huge rocks, motors his boat out to lighthouse island. As he approaches, he thinks that things look well, 2 large seagulls catching huge fish, a pretty snazzy looking lighthouse and cabin...looks like a nice place...Stan pulls up to the dock, and notices a grill already with hot coals outside. "Man, I must be in LEGO Paradise", Stan thinks to himself...
But then, Stan decides to look closer at his new place of employ...The back wall opens up to allow some otherworld being to access the inside of the building. There's a yellow mug on what might be a pot-bellied stove. The wall that opens is incredibly ugly. No Legotown promotional shots will be taken from this side of the building. Yuck. Ugly all gray wall...and for some reason the roof slope on this movable wall does not match the slope on the front part of the cabin and is not symmetrical with the other side. Stan wonders what lopeyed fool decided that would look good. Stan proceeds through his cabin, reaching the lighthouse tower. There seems to be a rather skinny ladder he can climb up to the light area...BUT NO!!! There is no room for Stan to climb up the ladder to get to the upper levels. He is blocked! Poor Stan, his first day on the job, and he will be terminated because he can't reach the top of the tower to turn on the lights or operate the beacon or warn ships about all the deadly rocks in Lego bay. Not to be thwarted this easily, Stan goes back outside to see if maybe he can convince the seagulls to carry him to the top of the lighthouse tower. Amazingly, seagulls speak Legotalk and Stan is carried to the top of the lighthouse. Wow, there's a pair of binoculars perched up here, with which Stan can see all the ships crash on the deadly rocks, as he still can't get inside to turn on the lights. There's actually no room for Stan to stand on the top of the lighthouse, although there is a railing to prevent someone from falling to their death. Stan shouts at the seagulls to carry him back down, and amazingly, they comply. Stan does not know what to do, as he can not do the job he was hired to do. Poor Stan!
Pros:
neat motorboat
lighting element (which with pieces given can not be made to stay constantly on - a slight negative)
fishes
YEA!!! - only 2 stickers (reflective for in the tower)
neat motorboat
lighting element (which with pieces given can not be made to stay constantly on - a slight negative)
fishes
YEA!!! - only 2 stickers (reflective for in the tower)
Neutral
Hand crank on back of lighthouse turns light. I would have preferred being able to get minifig up to top of lighthouse more...still could have used a rotating plate to have rotated the light.
Hand crank on back of lighthouse turns light. I would have preferred being able to get minifig up to top of lighthouse more...still could have used a rotating plate to have rotated the light.
Cons:
Back wall of house is very ugly
Roof is asymmetric and mismatched
Tower has no place for minifig Stan to be able to climb to the top from inside
Minifig Stan is not able to stand behind railing at top of lighthouse.
Back wall of house is very ugly
Roof is asymmetric and mismatched
Tower has no place for minifig Stan to be able to climb to the top from inside
Minifig Stan is not able to stand behind railing at top of lighthouse.
Had the designers at LEGO Corp made this tower a little wider, this would have been a very good set. As it is, it is a nice display piece, if you position it in a certain way (hiding that back wall). The designers made the back wall open, allowing for play in the inside, but then took any ability away of interior play by having the tower so narrow and the room inside the lighthouse being so small.
"
From: Madison
From:
United States
Age:
35-44
years old
Customer Type:
LEGO Fan
Building Experience:
Advanced LEGO builder
Play Experience (Optional):
1
/
5
Value for Money (Optional):
4
/
5
Level of Difficulty:
Average
Very Easy
Very Challenging
Share:
+2points
8of 14found this review helpful.
Emma’s Splash Pool
Emma’s Splash Pool
Posted:January 1, 2012
BigJohn
Age:
35-44
years old
Customer Type:
LEGO Fan
Building Experience:
Advanced LEGO builder
Overall:
4
/
5
Nice little set, but....
" I just purchased this set, and am wishing I had looked at other sets more closely. For a small additional price ($4), I could have ordered Emma's Fashion Design Studio (which includes a lot of 'rare pieces': a minifig sized laptop, 2 lavender cupboards with 4 pink drawers, a camera, and a trans-pink mug).
I ordered this set primarily for the Ladyfig of Emma, and the additional pieces of this set look like they'll be just fine. I do not know how many additional things will be able to be created with just this set.
I would like to commend the Lego Company for providing some relatively inexpensive ways to be able to obtain all of the 'friends' in the series.
I would recommend this set to a friend, provided they wanted the most inexpensive way to obtain the Emma Ladyfig. Otherwise, I would recommend getting the Fashion Design Studio for the drawers and other pieces mentioned above, which I think a child would also enjoy having for the additional play value.
"
I would recommend this to a friend!
From: Madison
From:
United States
Age:
35-44
years old
Customer Type:
LEGO Fan
Building Experience:
Advanced LEGO builder
Play Experience (Optional):
3
/
5
Value for Money (Optional):
4
/
5
Level of Difficulty:
Easy
Very Easy
Very Challenging
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share:
+1point
2of 3found this review helpful.
Ambulance
Ambulance
Posted:December 10, 2011
BigJohn
Age:
35-44
years old
Customer Type:
LEGO Fan
Building Experience:
Advanced LEGO builder
Overall:
4
/
5
Nifty little Ambulance
" Pros:
3 minifigs - new woman face pattern, good looking paramedic uniforms
bicycle
6x3 blue windows
solidly designed
easy to access interior through roof for play
easy to build
3 minifigs - new woman face pattern, good looking paramedic uniforms
bicycle
6x3 blue windows
solidly designed
easy to access interior through roof for play
easy to build
Cons:
box does not hold final assembled product and is HUGE and does not show any other possible alternative builds.
stickers for most details
rear door does not open like a real ambulance's
too many panel pieces - instead of 1x4 and 1x2 bricks
box does not hold final assembled product and is HUGE and does not show any other possible alternative builds.
stickers for most details
rear door does not open like a real ambulance's
too many panel pieces - instead of 1x4 and 1x2 bricks
This is a nice set, well worth the price. My pros and cons I listed above. My two biggest complaints are expanded upon below.
I do not care for stickers on Lego bricks as in my experience, they get ruined/fall off/get lost very easily, so at this point, my ambulance looks rather plain, as I will not put the stickers on it.
The shipping box that this set arrived to my house in was HUGE. The set itself comes in a box that measures 14 x 7.25 x 2.25 (inches). The constructed ambulance measures 7 x 2.5 x 3.25 (inches). As a result, the assembled model will not fit inside the box for storage. Even if it would, the box still allows for 4 times the volume of the constructed model. This excessive and poorly designed packaging wastes resources. In addition to being too large and wrongly proportioned, the packaging does not picture any alternative models that might be built with the set. The images show various play scenes that can be made using the main model of this set. A more appropriately sized box for this set, in my opinion, would be 10 x 3 x 4.
As other reviewers have stated, it would be nice if there were to be a Hospital for this Ambulance to take its patient.
"
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
I would recommend this to a friend!
From: Madison
State:
Wisconsin
From:
United States
Age:
35-44
years old
Customer Type:
LEGO Fan
Building Experience:
Advanced LEGO builder
Play Experience (Optional):
3
/
5
Value for Money (Optional):
5
/
5
Level of Difficulty:
Easy
Very Easy
Very Challenging
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share:
+1point
8of 15found this review helpful.